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When Amanda Roberts stepped on the scale in 2014 and saw 23st staring back at her, she knew she needed to make a change.

The mother of one then turned to gastric bypass surgery which helped her lose an incredible 10st in just 18 months.

She said: When Talia started walking, I could barely keep up with her. I had such intense back pains from my weight that I could barely carry her, and even just playing on the ground with her exhausted me. I knew that I'd have to get my health on track if I wanted to be the best Mum I could be for her.

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The 23-year-old continued: For a long time, I thought I felt okay. I had tried so many ways to lose weight that never worked, so I had pretty much given up on trying and was ready to just live contently as a plus size person.

It wasn't until after I had my daughter that I realised how depressed I really was. I shut myself in the house all of the time, didn't want to go anywhere, didn't want to talk to anyone, mostly because I was ashamed of how much weight I had gained.

I was just tired and unhappy, and that's not how I wanted to be as a mom and person, especially since I was only 21 years old!

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The surgery and ditching her unhealthy snack habit allowed the massive weight loss but it also left Amanda with 3st of excess skin.

The California woman had skin hanging from her stomach, legs and arms and the only way to get rid of the skin was through surgery.

Amanda fundraised the 7740 she needed for surgery in which doctors removed the excess skin and left Amanda with a flat stomach and weighing a svelte 12.8st.

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Amanda stated: I went from eating junk food and living a very sedentary life, to now eating a high protein, low carb diet and working out 5-6 days a week.

The weight came off easy at first, but now that I am almost 3 years post op, maintaining the weight loss and losing more is getting more difficult. After about 18 months post op, the effects of the gastric bypass start to wear off and it's basically relying on your new healthy lifestyle to keep you going.

Losing the excess skin has resulted in Amanda being more confident than ever as she happily shows off her new body.

She added: Im more confident than ever! I know I've worked hard for my current body, and that makes me love it that much more!

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Obese woman loses 10st in 18 months you won't believe what she looks like now - Daily Star

(Reuters Health) - Dieters who lose varying amounts of weight each week may not shed as many excess pounds as people who consistently lose the same amount week in and week out, a U.S. study suggests.

Researchers examined data on183 overweight and obese adults who participated in a weight loss program with meal replacements provided along with goals for calorie monitoring and exercise.

After two years, the dieters who had the most consistent weight loss during the first three months of the program shed more excess pounds than the people who initially had more fluctuation, researchers report in the journal Obesity.

While the study cant explain whether or how consistency in weekly weight loss might contribute to success, its possible that different approaches to dieting played a role, said study co-author Michael Lowe, a psychology researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Those who lose weight steadily may have had more consistent eating and exercise habits before they joined our program and continued with that pattern as they cut back on calories and exercised more, Lowe said by email.

Those with more variable patters may be trying to lose weight as quickly as possible - so they sometimes have big weight losses, but this leaves them starving and unable to stay on their diet for a week or so, Lowe added. They regain some of their weight, get upset, and try to lose as much as they can again.

At the start of the study, participants were 51 years old on average and typically obese. The majority were white, and most were women.

Overall, participants weekly weight loss tended to vary by about 1.09 pounds during the first six weeks and by 1.33 pounds during the first 12 weeks of the study.

Women tended to be more consistent dieters than men, with less variation from one week to the next at both six weeks and 12 weeks.

The researchers found that higher weight variability during the initial six and 12 weeks of weight loss treatment predicted poorer subsequent, long-term weight control at one year and at two years.

For example, someone who lost four pounds one week, regained two and then lost one the next tended to fare worse than someone who lost one pound consistently each week for three weeks.

Interestingly, individuals who reported lower emotional eating, binge eating and preoccupation with food at the start of the study showed higher weight variability and less weight loss overall.

This suggests that initial weight change, rather than relationships with or behaviors toward food, is much more important in predicting who will succeed in weight loss and maintenance, the authors conclude.

Its also possible that variation in weight loss from one week to the next slows down overall weight loss, making it harder for people to achieve long-term weight loss goals, said Susan Roberts of the USDA Nutrition Center at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

So people who are on their program some weeks but not others will inevitably lose less weight because you cant really catch up in the sense of making up bad weeks, Roberts, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. At best, you can only get back on track.

Participants who had more consistent results might also do more thorough job of tracking what they eat and how much they exercise, said Dr. Anne McTiernan of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Perhaps the people with variability are having a harder time being careful about counting calories, watching what they eat, and staying active, McTiernan, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. Slow and steady wins the race.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2vGXuCR Obesity, online August 28, 2017.

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Steady may win the weight-loss race - Reuters

How to set realistic fitness expectations.

Heres a familiar scene: You find a weight-loss program that promises to zap your love handles in eight weeks. So you go through the grueling effortusually restrictive, impossible-to-sustain methods that involve lots of proteinand, after the eight weeks, you feel disappointed that you dont look like Chris Evans from Captain America yet.

Proper management of these kind of expectations, and what you have control over, is important for you to stick to weight loss methods that work in the long term. (I.e. how you get actual results.) Unrealistic expectations of your abilities, left unchecked, can otherwise do a lot of harm in a couple of ways.

We are so used to seeing and reading about truncated timelines for looking a certain way that our expectations of whats realistic can feel like science fiction. Think about all the things that color your weight-loss experience, from "before" and "after" photos in ads to surreal TV shows like The Biggest Loser. If you expected to lose five pounds in three months, losing four seems okay. If you expected to lose 20 pounds instead, a mere four pounds seems like horseshit.

While weight loss can happen quickly, it really shouldnt. Steady weight loss happens at a rate of half a pound to a pound per week. Even then, that depends on your genetics and starting weight: the more overweight you are, the "faster" you might lose a few pounds initially; and the closer you are to your ideal weight, the slower the process becomes.

We also tend to be, as Tali Sharot explained in her TED talk, awfully optimistic about achieving undiluted awesomeness in whatever we choose to doand that includes losing weight. We're predisposed for extremes. Beer and chicken wings? No, thanks, just boiled chicken breast and steamed vegetables please. Hit the gym six days per week? Sure! For a few weeks, at least. This optimism gets you into trouble when you slip up and decide that beer and chicken wings with your coworkers on Tuesday sounded like a great idea, after all. And afterward, man, does the guilt of "failing your diet" feel soul-crushing.

A paper in the International Journal of Obesity termed this "false hope syndrome" to describe your disappointment when your reality doesnt live up to your expectations. The author explains that it leads you to ignore your successes, but worse yet, you hyperfocus on your setbacks, blaming yourself and lack of willpower, and then feel guilty and hopeless about ever changing your ways. I remember when I lost 13 pounds over eight months, and even though Id lost weight, I felt like Id actually failed that I didnt look the way I expected. I ignored all my other successes and hard work, and it hurt my motivation and outlook for future attempts.

But how can you tell you have unrealistic fitness expectations?

If you feel like you have to temporarily turn your whole life upside down to lose or keep weight off, youve likely mis-calibrated realistic expectations with what you could possibly do with the time, energy, and resources you have.

According to Dr. Arya Sharma, MD, professor and chair in obesity research and management at the University of Alberta, a reasonable amount of weight loss that people can actually keep off with a reasonable amount of effort is around 5 percent of their total weight. Its nothing sexy, but if after five years and youre still down 5 percent, youve actually done better than the average, says Dr. Sharma.

The harder part of the whole process, he argues, is in maintaining, rather than losing weight. Thats because the things that you must do to lose weight are difficult to maintain in the long term. Whatever youve chosen to do to lose weight must be kept consistent, or eventually done with more rigor, to keep it off. So if you do things that you dont enjoy or are so extreme that you cant possibly keep them up for long without having a mental breakdown, thats a recipe for weight regain and the perpetuation of the same bad cycle.

Where expectations often dont add up is the common notion of I just need to lose the weight and Ill be fine, according to Dr. Sharma. Your desire for self-improvement is commendable, but be careful where you look for it. More importantly, dont start from a place of body envy because, as Dr. Sharma points out, theres always going to be a couple more pounds to lose. Instead, start from one of aspiring toward greater health, where you feel good and have high energy to lead a more fulfilling life. Direct your efforts inward to improve yourself, bit by bit, instead of trying to reach for something youre not or cannot become. Remember, screwing up is part of the process.

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The Psychological Reason You Don't Feel Like You're Losing Weight - GQ Magazine

An obese wife has shed half her bodyweight to make a lifetime of memories with her dying husband.

Taylor Murphy, from Seattle in Washington, USA, tipped the scales at 20 stone when partner Ricky Carrington was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer and given 15 months to live.

After using food as 'emotional crutch' her whole life, Taylor knew she needed to be in the best physical shape to make the most of their time together.

She went from multiple large Starbucks mochas, takeaways and chocolatey treats, to a restricted food intake after having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy last year.

The 24-year-old switched healthy meal-planning combined with daily exercise with her husband and lost an amazing 10 stone.

Now Taylor is making up for lost time wearing a two-piece on the beach for the very first time. The couple also have a raft of fun activities planned.

Taylor, a retail store manager, said: "When my husband was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer, I used food as an emotional crutch.

"It's been absolutely devastating for us, I wasted a lot of my life eating, sleeping and not being with him, but now we've both got to keep fighting now.

"For the first couple of months it was really numbing but I got a reality check and decided to make the best experiences I can in however much time we have left.

"After our wedding, I thought about what I could do to get happy and healthy for him, I made the decision to have weight loss surgery.

"A lot of my weight loss success came down to knowing I couldn't fail I wasn't just doing this for myself but my husband too, failing was not an option.

"I have so much more energy now, before I used to get home and go straight to bed after eating, now I'm not as tired.

"Having so much more energy has made our marriage all the stronger, I feel like my weight and mood was breaking him down before.

"Recently on the beach I was wearing a two-piece and didn't care about what anybody thought, before I never thought I would ever be able to do that.

"I don't feel like I'm being judged any more, before I was scared, miserable and constantly hiding who I am.

"Now we've been making the most of our time from visiting Disneyland, Hawaii, to hikes, beach breaks, visiting Pike Place Market and things I wouldn't have had the energy to do before."

Taylor weight soared out of control from poor nutrition choices, including regularly eating takeaways for most meals, desserts as a snack and high-sugared drinks.

She added: "I was always overweight, growing up I made bad food choices and while I was active, I didn't put a lot of energy into it.

"I didn't have the best mental state before, I was the face of the company for so was on a cycle of working, eating then going to sleep.

"My reactions and emotions were always focussed around food whether it was when I was sad or happy."

But after partner Ricky's terminal brain cancer diagnosis with a glioblastoma in 2014, she knew she had to change to be fit enough to take care of him and to make their lives as happy as possible.

Taylor said: "Unfortunately with the cancer we know there will be a point where I will need to take care of him, at that time I couldn't even take care of myself mentally or physically.

"I knew I couldn't eat my emotions away anymore, food was not going to help and so I made the decision to change my life."

She opted for weight loss surgery in Mexico, which combined with healthy eating and regular exercise led her to transform her body.

Since slimming down to 10st 2 Taylor says as well as the change in her mentality, colleagues and friends often double-take when they see her.

Taylor said: "Before at work I would hide in the back office some days because people are judgemental and I didn't feel good about myself but now I feel great.

"Now people don't recognise me when I walk into stores I haven't visited for a while, one of the girls I knew took 15 seconds to realise who I was.

"It says a lot about how different I look now, I don't hide behind loud, colourful clothing and my hair like I used to I'm getting attention for the right reasons."

Taylor now intends to start competitive bodybuilding.

She said: "My weight loss has implemented great lifestyle changes and hobbies that don't revolve around drinking and eating anymore.

"Before I was large but now I have strong thighs and a slim, muscular build, I wear crop tops in public and get a lot of complements.

"I was even told that I look athletic, which was something I never thought would happen."

Taylor attributes her husband as her inspiration and motivation for losing weight so quickly, but also says social media played a part in helping to keep herself accountable.

She said: "Ricky is very supportive, where some partners can struggle when their partner loses a lot of weight mine has been incredible.

"He compliments my body, tells me I'm beautiful and loves my confidence, he can see how happy I am and I love hearing the complements about how thin I am now.

"I never thought I would be so confident and happy with where I am in life, I'm shocked and so proud."

Originally posted here:
Obese wife sheds half her body weight so she can create a lifetime of memories with her dying husband - Mirror.co.uk

If you or someone you know struggles with obesity, you understand the struggles of endless weight loss programs that have shown no results, exhaustion from small tasks and the increase of various health risks due to weight.

The Weight Loss Surgery Program at Boston Medical Center offers several procedures for managing weight and weight related health problems. Typically, patients with a BMI greater than 40 can qualify. All surgeries are performed laparoscopically, meaning only through small incisions, which reduces recovery time and results in less post-operative scarring. Each surgical options reduces the size of the stomach in some way, allowing patients to feel full more quickly, and therefore, lose weight.

Perhaps one of the most common surgical options is the Sleeve Gastrectomy, or Gastric Sleeve. Here, the stomach is made smaller by stapling and dividing the majority of the stomach and removing it from the body. The remaining part of the stomach is very narrow and only holds about 3 oz. of food. With this option, food is still able to exit the stomach the same way it would normally. But, similar to Gastric Bypass, vitamin and mineral supplements are still necessary. After surgery, patients will typically be required to take vitamin and mineral supplements.

Another surgical option offered at BMC Gastric Bypass. The purpose of this procedure is to make the stomach smaller by stapling and dividing it into two pouches. The larger part of the stomach is bypassed, meaning that the food is going around it, rather than passing through it. A Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the smaller pouch, creating a bypass for food, skipping the digestive system. Because the main stomach and the first part of the small intestine are bypassed, vitamin and mineral supplements are still necessary.

A third but less common procedure is the Intra-Gastric Balloon. Suited for patients with a BMI between 30-40 who may not otherwise qualify for weight loss surgery, this outpatient procedure is recommended for those who have not been able to lose weight by improving diet and exercise habits. Here, a saline filled silicone balloon is placed endoscopically through the mouth with no surgical incisions. Similar to other weight loss procedures, the idea is that the patient will feel full quickly, due to the size of the balloon in the stomach. Typically after about six months, the balloon is removed.

The team at Boston Medical Center also has extensive experience in revisional weight loss surgery, which can include the removal of existing gastric banding devices (i.e. Lap Band) or the conversion to another type of weight loss surgery. To take the first step in your weight loss journey today, sign up for a new patient information session, or view the presentation online. Your dedicated weight loss surgery team is committed to helping you choose the right path in order to stay happy and healthy.

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Considering weight loss surgery? BMC has you covered. - BayStateBanner