Need to lose 9lbs in a week - help!

[Sylver75]

I was scheduled for urgent neck surgery on Feb 29th, got a call 3 days before to say it was cancelled and to ring back in 14 days when I'd lost 14lbs. I decided to cut calories to 600 per day and lost the first few days, then it ground to a halt. I upped calories to 900 hoping it might help but I'm still seeing very little movement on the scales (0.2lbs) this morning, I weigh daily. I'm drinking two litres plus of water, eating mostly protein (eggs, chicken or turkey) but am panicking that I'm running out of time.

I risk being paralysed from the neck down without this surgery. The surgeon fought the anaesthesist to get it done but they wouldn't budge.

I'm 48, BMI is 48.4 and they want it below 47 by next Tuesday. That's 8.5lbs in a week.

I tried my GP, she just talked me into going on Ozempic so I'm on that now too since last week but at 600cals the injection isn't gonna make me wanna eat less than I've been doing already through sheer willpower.

I'm desperate at this point. Not getting this surgery will be potentially catastrophic to the whole rest of my life.

Has anyone got experience of having to do this?

I can't exercise, I've been warned that any jerking of my neck could be disastrous so I'm risking it all just by going to work or doing anything at all. The surgeon said it's the type of injury he'd normally see if someone had been in a car wreck. I've not had any accident but have degenerative issues with my spine, this will be my third surgery, had two on my lower back already and 15 years plus of pain.

I only lost 7lbs in a week when I had covid and had terrible diarrhea and didn't eat anything,not sure how realistic 14lbs in 14 days is!

Well yes laxatives might do it but not recommended! How horrible for you op I really hope you can get something sorted.

cabbage soup diet?

I mean I don't know it seems to me you're supposed to be quite fit to have surgery but you'll be weak if you crash diet surely?

Total stupid of hopsital to even suggest this to you. You could easily faint from lack of food then you really will jerk your neck. If it’s an absolute vital now or the rest of your life is ruined surgery you need to be kept in a hospital bed until you are at the right safe weight for surgery. So you can’t harm yourself any further.

Thats why I've been having as much protein as the calories allow, for healing afterwards. I'll also be on a liquid diet after surgery as it's done from the front by my throat so I'm told I won't be able to swallow too easily.

What a stressful situation OP 😢

Also, think along the lines of fruit or veg you know are going to keep your system moving, ie so you're not carrying weight due to compacted stools in your system. Eating fruits like kiwi and strawberries every day would do it for me. Also, avoid what you can with added salt to reduce water retention, ie can you make your own soup adding onion/pepper/herbs to add flavour instead of a salty stock.

I’m currently eating my last meal at 5pm (due to acid reflux), and am losing weight. I think that the longer fast (from 5pm until breakfast), helps in some way - maybe affects your insulin levels? I saw that it was recommended for people with diabetes that they have a long daily fast like this). That sounds really stressful for you.

You won’t lose weight if you starve yourself op. Eat sensibly, drink more water and take a couple of night doses of milk of magnesia so you get a good clear out. Good luck

Surely they will simply postpone the surgery if your BMI is too high, they wont cancel it completely

At your weight the weight will come off easily, but might not show every day as such, all of a sudden there'll be a sudden drop of about 5lbs or so, however whether that occurs before the date of surgery is difficult to say

Just keep going, when you do a LRD for surgery, you're advised to eat around 1000 cals of high protein, low carb for about 2-4 weeks (depending how heavy you are) so your 600 cals is ok, as in its not too much, you have to eat something. Its only very short term just to get you to surgery date. Keep drinking lots and lots of water.

Tbh I would just water fast. I was forced to do this after my tonsils were removed and I was in too much pain to eat anything except Ice water. I lost 14lb in 14 days at 13stone and it impossible to lose weight for me most of the time.

The first few days were hard but then felt fantastic. Drink water, coffee (no sugar), fruit tea or tea with milk (no sugar).

Failing that how about a week of Cambridge diet or other pure shake diet. If nothing else not eating food will empty you out and you will weigh less.

I’ve lost 8 pounds in a week on the Sirt food diet. You would need a juicer as it involves a lot of green juice as well as cooking meals which were were actually very tasty.

Is that advice given to anorexics? If you starve yourself you wont lose weight?!!!

What do you think happens if you literally starve yourself?

Sorry, a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL told you that you need to lose 14lb in 14 days? That's fucking dangerous! It's one thing saying to someone 'we can't do the surgery until your BMI is under xx, so we'll push it back a few weeks' but to push it back 14 days? If you actually managed to lose 14lb in 14 days it could only be through dangerous methods, which surely would mean you wouldn't be in a fit state for surgery anyway? I can't believe this - I know your BMI is high but I'm shocked they've even suggested it, maybe I'm naive. I understand its urgent but this is crazy - surely you were this weight when they originally decided you need surgery, or has there been an increase between then and your pre-op check (which is what I'm assuming triggered it to be cancelled 3 days before)
Did they say what would happen if you didn't manage it, OP? How long it would be pushed back for/how that impacts the condition? So sorry you are dealing with this.

I did a five day fast once. 50 cals a day and I lost 9lb. Put most of it back on almost immediately when I started eating

I had colonic irrigation once and lost 7lbs! Maybe worth a try!?

Oh this is a huge point of contention for me. I saw the surgeon on Feb 14th. He weighed and measured me then so knew my BMI. I even asked about my weight when he told me I needed urgent surgery.

A few days later, I was given a date for surgery and an appointment to do a pre-op assessment and also one to have a CT scan.

Then, a week later, I travelled 40miles to the hospital and spent 4 hours there having bloods taken, swabs done, met the physio, got fitted for the brace I'll have to wear for six weeks post-op. And got weighed again. I'd actually lost 4lbs in that intervening week. On my way home, I had a call to say it was all cancelled because my BMI was over 50 which is their cutoff. The next day, Friday, I got a call to say it might be on again. By the Monday, my BMI was down to 48.9 but now they cancelled and told me I had to get below 47 in two weeks.

I have no date for surgery at the moment, am living on my nerves terrified my condition is gonna get worse and still trying to work full time and do an extreme diet at the same time. It all gets too much at times and I'm stressed out of my head. I feel like I've been abandoned with no help, advice or support.

This is all a private hospital in Ireland btw as I'm lucky to have health insurance through work.

They have told me nothing about what happens if I don't lose it. The fact that my surgery was scheduled for 15days after my first appointment shows how urgent it is. The longer it's not done, the more the risk of my spinal cord becoming compressed to the point of paralysis. They said to ring in 14 days when I was down to a BMI of 47 and then kinda hung up on me. If I do make it to 47 by next week, the surgery would then have to be rescheduled to god knows when. It's all time I don't have.

I know if I'd been below 50 the day they had me there for 4 hours, I'd have had my surgery by now but nobody said a word about it to me until they rang to cancel, I'd have lost it if I'd have known.

Its not dangerous, its only 2 weeks and isnt that different to what would be required for the LRD which is often required for surgery (not OPs surgery). Its not meant to be a 'weight loss' method, its just a quick way of reducing the risk from anesthetic and the surgery. Once surgery is over and once OP can eat again she can ensure she gets all the right nutrients from food as she normally would. Its a medical intervention in and of itself, just like certain forms of medication or intervention which leave you feeling less than well but in fact are necessary for whatevers wrong. Given theyre a private hospital Im guessing they dont have A+E facilities so they want to reduce the chances of them having to rush OP to emergency facilities?

Although one wonders what would happen if OP was in an accident and bought in for emergency surgery, they would just do it surely?

I think the lack of informing you earlier OP is really bad.

As it's a private hospital can you have a ring round and find a hospital that does accept a higher BMI? That's what my friends dh had to do, he just travelled to a different private hospital.

Private hospitals only deal with planned treatment as they don't have the equipment the NHS does.

Well that makes sense, they're not going to take risks.

However, what about people having gastric surgery, they usually/often have BMIs over 50, even after the LRD

OP is it due to the type of surgery or is it the risk of the anaesthetic?

Sounds very stressful! Could you use a sauna OP? That’s how Boxers and Jockeys drop a few pounds to make fight/race weight.

Did they weigh you with your clothes on?

Yes and also with a full bladder as I was gonna have to give a urine sample so I'd drank 3 bottles of water in one go. I argued all of that with them but they won't budge.

It's just the anaesthetic. The surgeon said whatever risk my BMI poses was outweighed by the risk of a delay in having the operation but the anaesthesist overuled him. It's only my life they're making decisions on, I'm just a number on a list to them I'm guessing.

slim fast type diet shakes?
a relative had to lose weight quickly so that an urgent (cancer) surgery could be safely undertaken and this was reccomended then.