Milk Diet/Bariatric Surgery

[GlitterNails]

So a little bit of background - I'm very overweight. Began to pile on the weight when I developed a fairly severe disability in my teenage years. Have a lot of emotional eating issues/binge eating and am a wheelchair user so exercise is very limited.

Have done lots of diets, none very well. In 2016 I joined Slimming World and lost almost 5 stone. Did really well, but still had episodes of binge eating during this time. Then it suddenly all went horribly wrong - I became STARVING and binge eating went crazy and it all went back on around a month and a half. Since been told this is a really common response to weight loss.

At this point I'm at the end of my tether. Like big time. I have been in therapy for binge eating disorder since last year and it's still on-going. Made a lot of improvements, but still no where near cured.

My GP referred me for bariatric surgery this year, and I recently went to the appointment for it. First of all I was told to qualify for the surgery I would need to follow the milk diet for a month. Living on nothing but milk. The thought of this upsets me deeply - as I feel if I could do that I wouldn't be so overweight. I just don't know how I would ever do it. The thought makes me want to be sick.

I'm also worried about skin bagginess after the surgery as I have a lot of chronic pain and very sensitive skin as it is. A label on clothes causes me pretty intense pain, so skin rubbing together etc will be awful.

I've also read for a surgery to be successful a lot of exercising is needed - which while I can do some simple things, I can't do enough to burn calories.

And finally I just don't know if I could cope in the world where I could never eat 'treats' again - like have a dessert, or an ice-cream. Is this the case?

But I also can't live like this anymore - so big for the rest of my life. I'm just so torn about what to do, and how I'd do the milk diet for a month if I did decide to go ahead anyway.

However at this point the clinic has discharged me as they won't accept me until my binge eating has stopped. I've had the problem 15 years so it doesn't really feel feasible to have a 'cure' from it although I'm still hopefully.

I just hoped some of you have been there and might have advice or thoughts. Has anyone done the milk diet for a month? How did you cope? The thought actually brings tears to my eyes because I just don't think I can do it. I don't even like milk!

I don't see surgery as the easy option - in fact the opposite. I also worry about the rate of people putting the weight back on - as obviously you're not changing your relationship with food really.

I'm feeling really low and desperate right now, so please be gentle.

[OohOohMrPeevly]

I wish I had some good advice for you but just wanted you to know that I really feel for you and I wish I knew what to say. I couldn't live on milk for a month. Personally if you can do it, I'd think about giving up sugar as once you're free of sugar addiction then controlling your appetite is so much easier. It's changed my life totally as I used to binge but since I gave up sugar it's stopped completely.

[GlitterNails]

I have read a couple of things today - first that you can drink any sugar free drink in addition while on the milk diet, and secondly that you can add sugar-free flavourings to the milk to make it easier.

Both of those things have helped me a lot, as I couldn't imagine living on just milk alone.

And thank you Ooh. I would love to give up sugar, but not succeeded so far.