Message to my Companions on the Journey

[Guest guest]

I have a few things to say, and some people to thank publicly as I enter

into the time period of my last week before having BPD/DS Surgery. I'd like

to share this with all of you. I consider you, on this list my companions

but I also consider all the programs and marketing representatives and plan

authors to be my companions on this weight loss journy.

I'm sorry Powter. You were kind enough to sign my book once and joke

with me about excercise. you never failed to find at least a

small shred of motivation and give me hope and encouragement when I needed

it most. You sent me great newsletters, made excercise videos and tapes and

always always made me smile. Yet, I just didn't have the chutzpa you so

wonderfuly have.

Dr. Atkins, you have a great plan there, I enjoyed reading your book and

your inspiration encouraged me to try some prettty bizarre but tasty food

dishes and combinations. You helped me see what sugar does to my body, what

a poison white flour actually is to my system and you gave me quite a

nutritional education in the digestion and absorption of fats, starches and

proteins.

Craig, I've never met you and now I most likely never will. I do enjoy

some of your commercials and I'm happy to see the success of millions of

women and men who are only a little overweight achieve their goals...I'm

sure Weight Watchers appreciates you too as your clients move to WW when

your program of packaged foods fails or proves to expensive.

Thank you Lynn Redgrave, and Fergie for the details of your own personal

weight struggles and your WW success. I'm happy for you and am glad that you

motivate so many of us to " stick with the program " . Fergie, I'll never

forget the video snippet of you talking about how you like to " splurge " once

in a while. You seem so confident now with the 1, 2, 3 success program.

Last but not least, thank you Optifast for providing me with 6 months of

delicious shakes and nutrients with your program. I think you have a great

idea and your efforts to help us Morbidly Obese are valient and noteworthy.

Your product never failed to fill me and its nutrients and measured protein

amounts never failed to give me the energy I lacked. It was because of you

that I realized my eating plan was otherwise nutritionally deficient. My

feelings of weakness and fatique can be much attributed to my nutritional

intake and this education on my own personl nutrition that I received was

extraordinary. Keep up the good work! Unfortunately your program works best

for those who only have 30-50 lbs to loose. Otherwise when Morbid Obese

people like myself go off the plan, we quickly gain back the weight and it

brings friends. I did enjoy a short taste of being thinner (never did get

under 300lbs).

My failures are not your fault at all. It's this body of mine. It holds on

to fat like it's platinum Gold, not to be released for anything. My body

holds it as a precious commodity and while it once saved my species from

extinction so long ago when famine and disaster were common, it is no longer

an efficient idea to hold on to this much of " me " . The only way for me to

rid myself of this excess adipose tissue is to radically alter my body's

digestion of nutrients by both restriction and malabsorption. My body will

eventually come around and realize its errent ways and I will once again be

moderatly weight proportioned to my height.

Thank you Dr. Balatsar et. al for daring to help us with this life saving

surgery. Without you to fight our insurance companies, to study and improve

your medical technique to make this surgery the most safe and most effective

technique, where would I be?

I'd most certainly be dead in 10 years, perhaps even sooner than

that...maybe much sooner.

Most importantly, THANK YOU to all of you who have been pioneers in this

surgery. You have gone before me to have this procedure done. Some of you

have had horrible experiences in recover at best, but yet you endure, heal,

and come back to say you would do it all again. You are my real heros!

Without you I would not even begin to consider this procedure. You give me

hope and enouragement...and you just can't buy that in any diet program.

One more week to be switched for me. Thank you for being my companions on

this journey.

Nahodil

BPD/DS Lap

Dr. Hazem Elariny

Fairfax INOVA Hospital

September 27th, 2001 - My NEW Birthday!