Weight loss is my next option

[smockb]

according to sleep doc, this is what he suggested. I have had a terrible time getting a good sleep, Seems when my face relaxes it leeks at my nose bridge around my eyes, usually about 2 hours into sleep. Only thing that comes close is the Ultra mirage Full face mask. My doc suggested to try and drop about 100+ pounds, trying the Medifast program. Has anyone else tried this? He said it wont fix my sleep apnea but it will help and possibly get me into a mask that fits better. I am at 313#'s and age of 41, I know I need to lose #'s but its going to be tough! Just curious if any one else has tried it. Figures the two thing I enjoyed doing the most is sleeping and a good meal- Take care, Blair

[frapilu]

Hi smockb,

Is Medifast the same or similar as Optifast? I haven't used either myself but a woman I know used the Optifast program and lost about 200 lbs. Unfortunately, she has since regained most of it and has since has a gastric bypass and relost it. From what I can gather from the last time we spoke, once she got used to not eating at all, it wasn't that bad. However, the transition of getting to eat again without eating too much was very hard and she didn't pay enough attention to the maintenance portion of the program. She and I have lost touch so I have no idea how things are going for her.

Not much help but just my 2cents.

France

[smockb]

Hi I asked the same question to my Doc, evidently it is different because of some sort of medical endorsement, also, I might be wrong but Medifast is not suposed to contain any drugs. On average he said I could loose from 5-7 pounds per week. Thanks for the Reply, Blair

[rested gal]

Blair, some people on the message board have reported stopping leaky areas by putting some moleskin (in the foot care products of any supermarket or pharmacy) on the areas of the mask cushion where leaks tend to spring out. The sticky side of the moleskin goes against the mask, not against your skin.

[seniorMoments]

My husband was on Medifast once...weighs more now than when he lost the weight. It works wonderfully, you just have to be verrrrrrrrrrry careful when you come off to practice new eating habits, or the weight will come back. He drank a few liquid supplements, and one soup per day. I wouldn't hesitate to try it IF you are willing to change.

[OwlCreekObserver]

I've never been a big fan meal replacement systems, regardless of brand, for exactly the same reason that frapilu mentioned: they almost never work over the long term. Unless, of course, you're willing to live on shakes and protein bars for the rest of your life.

I dropped about 80 pounds over a two year period and have kept most of it off for three or four years now. I was going to write a book on how to do it, but decided it would only have two chapters: (1) Eat less and (2) exercise more. I know it's not a laughing matter, believe me, but developing and keeping a positive attitude about your overall health is as important to weight loss as it is to CPAP therapy.

My own regimen was to eat six smaller meals a day, cut way down on fats (especially junk food and colas), watched portion sizes, exercised five mornings a week before work, drank lots of water and got enough rest to keep it all going. I've always allowed myself one "cheat day" each week when I eat anything I want. Over time, I discovered that I really didn't crave that many things.

There are some great websites available to help you, but my favorite is the one for Men's Health Magazine, especially their various forums. They include easy to prepare (guy type) meals that are tasty and healthy. The Abs Diet book, which you may have seen at your local bookstore was also published by the folks at Men's Health magazine.

DISCLAIMER: I have no personal or financial interest in these publications, except as a satisfied reader.

Dropping the weight wasn't always easy but for me the biggest thrill was being able to walk into any department store and buy slacks or a shirt because I liked the style instead of looking for anything that might fit.

PM me if you have any questions, and hang in there. You CAN do it!

OCO

[smockb]

Thanks OCO and others, I think it is time for changes, I want to make it to see my children get married some day, It seems like everything has been going down hill so I am going to do anything I can at this point. Take care guys, Blair

[Guest]

Blair,

I had a similar conversation with my doctor just a month ago. He said that my blood pressure had finally gone from borderline to high and needed to be addressed. He basically gave me an ultimatum -- one that I really needed to hear -- and told me that if I didn't lose some significant weight, he'd have to start me on bp medication. Of course, the weight loss had also been a potential solution, or partial solution, suggested when I was diagnosed with OSA.

Long story short, I went out the next day and, at the doctor's suggestion, joined Weight Watchers. I've been on just about every diet, meal replacement and medication available, and I've got to tell you that this is the most amazing program I've ever encountered. I get to eat pretty much what I want, continue to enjoy one or two glasses of wine a week, have finally learned the all-important concept of portion control, and have lost a total of 16 pounds in 4 weeks! I've never felt better and the doctor says that my bp is already down 10 points. Plus, I've noticed some improvement in the OSA above and beyond the value of using CPAP. Could be the weight loss, could be the advent of exercise into my daily routine. Whatever the reason, I'm feeling better and sleeping better.

While Weight Watchers says that the average weight loss is between 2 and 2.5 pounds a week, I've been averaging 4 -- but, of course, I have quite a bit to lose having started at 283.4 with a final goal weight of 175.

All this is to say, I think your doctor is absolutely right to tell you that you should strongly consider losing weight, but I would suggest doing it in a way that you don't run the risk of gaining it all back at the end of a meal replacement program because you're suddenly confronted with real food again. I've lost the same 100 pounds twice already and I'm d**ned if I'm going to do it again after I lose it this time. Please consider a healthy, balanced program that includes real food and exercise in a slow-but-steady weight loss plan, rather than a "quick fix" approach.

If you have any questions, or if I can help in any way, please feel free to send me a private message. Happy to help if I can!

Best,

Kurtchan

[kurtchan]

Blair,

Sorry for the techno-glitch. The message above is from me.

Kurtchan

[birdshell]

I have done the medically-supervised fasting. Most women lose 1-3 lbs. a week and most men lose 2-5 lbs. a week. Note that this is not a steady, every week loss. Sometimes it will be 0 and others the maximum, with all kinds of variations in between--week after week.

If your doctor is supervising it, I would not do it. This is being marketed to doctors as a revenue-making program.

The overall success rate for weight loss programs is 5%. That means the failure rate is 95%.

A hospital program dedicated to the program has a 40% success rate, and there used to be one at the Cleveland Clinic.

The primary way to maintain weight loss is CHANGE IN LIFESTYLE!

1. titrate calorie intake (dietician {RD} is very helpful for this) by keeping detailed food records.

2. exercise at least 2000 calories per week (1 mile walked or run=100 calories burned for a 150 lb. person)

3. follow a whole-grain carbohydrate diet, NO refined sugar or flour in any form

4. a support maintenance group is highly effective at helping to maintain the loss and increased exercise and LIFESTYLE CHANGE!

Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

Best wishes, and watch out! Most weight loss programs are a rip-off.

[birdshell]

Blair,

I had a similar conversation with my doctor just a month ago. He said that my blood pressure had finally gone from borderline to high and needed to be addressed. He basically gave me an ultimatum -- one that I really needed to hear -- and told me that if I didn't lose some significant weight, he'd have to start me on bp medication. Of course, the weight loss had also been a potential solution, or partial solution, suggested when I was diagnosed with OSA.

Long story short, I went out the next day and, at the doctor's suggestion, joined Weight Watchers. I've been on just about every diet, meal replacement and medication available, and I've got to tell you that this is the most amazing program I've ever encountered. I get to eat pretty much what I want, continue to enjoy one or two glasses of wine a week, have finally learned the all-important concept of portion control, and have lost a total of 16 pounds in 4 weeks! I've never felt better and the doctor says that my bp is already down 10 points. Plus, I've noticed some improvement in the OSA above and beyond the value of using CPAP. Could be the weight loss, could be the advent of exercise into my daily routine. Whatever the reason, I'm feeling better and sleeping better.

While Weight Watchers says that the average weight loss is between 2 and 2.5 pounds a week, I've been averaging 4 -- but, of course, I have quite a bit to lose having started at 283.4 with a final goal weight of 175.

All this is to say, I think your doctor is absolutely right to tell you that you should strongly consider losing weight, but I would suggest doing it in a way that you don't run the risk of gaining it all back at the end of a meal replacement program because you're suddenly confronted with real food again. I've lost the same 100 pounds twice already and I'm d**ned if I'm going to do it again after I lose it this time. Please consider a healthy, balanced program that includes real food and exercise in a slow-but-steady weight loss plan, rather than a "quick fix" approach.

If you have any questions, or if I can help in any way, please feel free to send me a private message. Happy to help if I can!

Best,

Kurtchan

I would like to emphasize that the Weight Watchers plan is one that works, and used to be merely portion control.

They may have gone with the cure for insulin resistance--whole grains only, no flour or sugar, and sometimes no white potatoes. I'm not familiar with their new plan.

Everyone must find their own solution and if it works, go with it.

Congratulations, Kurtchan! Keep up the good work.

_________________

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[ehusen]

Well everyone has said it but let me add my voice to the chorus...

To lose weight...

1. Burn more than you consume. Your body cannot defy physics. If you eat less than you work off, you will lose weight. Yeah, it's not that simple but the good news is that your body will get better at burning calories if you exercise.

2. It's NOT a diet! It's how you are going to eat for the rest of your life. Some people can eat whatever they want and not gain weight. You and I aren't in that group, accept it. This is why I don't like fad diets. Eat healthy but less until you reach your goal weight. Then add enough calories back to balance it.

3. Exercise. Yeah, you can lose weight without it but its so much harder. With exercise you can eat more and still lose weight. Plus you will look and feel better too. Plus, muscle burns more calories than fat so if you build muscle you get to eat more as well.

4. Accept that it will take a long time, it will probably be slow, and you will fail from time to time. The important thing is to keep going and not give up, even if you fall off the wagon from time to time.

5. It's not easy to do. There simply isn't an easy quick way to do it. If there was, this country wouldn't be facing an obesity crisis of epidemic proportions. The plus side of this one is that when you suceed you feel great about yourself.

I did the exercise 6 times a week approach and WW. It worked pretty well for me. I lost about 70 lbs over 9-12 months. I eat a little more now but I still have to watch my intake and I'm always going to exercise.

Now my attitude is that I worked so hard to get here, I want to stay here. I was a professional couch potato until age 41, and now I'm running 10Ks and debating a marathon next year. If I can do it, anybody can.

The only advice I have is to understand first and foremost that you must make lifestyle changes. That means going into these changes with the belief that it is for life. If you cannot maintain the exercise for the rest of your life than you need to figure out how to manage it. Find something you enjoy doing cause you gotta do it for a long time.

Exercise in the morning first thing. Why? Because then it gets done before you can think of an excuse not to do it. I have all my gym clothes etc. packed up ready to go the evening before. So if I can just manage to get out of bed, the rest just sort of falls into place.

I like the WW points plan because I get to choose what to eat. I've got so many points to expend but they don't tell me what to spend my calories on. But what happens is you find out that little bag of chips cost huge amounts of points for very little filling up. So you start looking for healthier low point options to fill up on. But it is never restrictive as "you must eat 1.5 grapefruit at exactly 10:35am today". And if you eat a big meal, you can make it up with the other meals in the day.

Good luck. You can do this.

[MandoJohnny]

I have to add my endorsement to the Weight Watchers program. I lost substantial weight on it twice in my life and kept it off for a while, but like a dummy, eventually put it back on, which was strictly my bad. No diet can keep weight off if you don't follow it. Now I really need to lose for health reasons and I tried everything else because I didn't like the WW meetings. Also, their first-generation online version I tried years ago was pretty bad.

But the current online version is great. I still recommend trying the meetings. I think they are potentially helpful, just not for me. But I am having a great experience and losing weight with the online version. The current software is pretty slick. There is no fad dieting involved. It is just a good, balanced diet and exercise program, with lots of options. It also has a maintenance program for when you reach your goal. I have read that it is independently endorsed by more medical and dietary professionals than any other diet.

[Goofproof]

Make XPAP treatment work, First. Losing weight is a fine goal, but it's hard to do, and harder to keep off, planing to lose weight, if hope of curing apnea is for the most part De-Nile, it sounds good and nobel, but the facts of success rates are low.

Xpap treatment lets you live.. After that perfect your life. Jim

[KimberlyinMN]

I've found that counting calories is actually easier than counting points. It's easier to look up the calories of a food and have that number right there without having to follow an equation of fat, fiber, and calories.

A really good book to read is "Calorie Queens" by Jackie Scott and Diane Scott Kellum. (About $12). There isn't anything NEW in their book but there isn't any scientific mumbo jumbo either. Their premise is to practice maintenance now so that when you get to your goal weight, you already know how to eat. To figure out how many calories you should be eating, take your goal weight and multiply it by 12 (for men x 15). That's roughly how many calories you should be eating. My goal is 150. 150 x 12 = 1800.

Once you decide what you want to do.. Make sure you keep a food journal. (And be honest.) That's probably the biggest tool in losing weight. There are online sites (like WW, SparklePeople, Calorie King) or you can have a program on your computer (Calorie King, etc.) or even your PDA. I have a program on my computer and my PDA and I can sync them. So if I am eating out, I can log the food in the PDA and then sync this later to my computer.

One other thing to mention is that you can check to see if you have a TOPS chapter (tops.org) near you (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly). One year of TOPS is about what one month at Weight Watchers. $26 annual fee and then $2/month dues - I paid the whole year's worth of dues at one time. $50 for a year. I joined mainly so that I could have an official weigh in and I've stayed because I like the support. Their plan is the exchange plan, but you can do anything you want (like me counting calories).

I am not too keen on the meal replacement way to lose weight. As others have mentioned, you haven't learned anything while losing the weight. Look at Oprah! She did one of those and had gained the weight back.

Kimberly