looking for a specific doctor's letter if anyone had any ideas?

k3lvc

jasonwatkins wrote: »

I've already explained in this thread that in a perfect world, I would "do it for my health" but, for me, it really isn't that black and white and to explain further would require me to reveal personal information that i'm simply not prepared to reveal on a public forum.

In over 3 months you've not received the answer you want - there are many here who can offer constructive advice on weight loss success/failure but your circumstances are obviously exceptional and need an exceptional response. If you absolutely must have that letter there will be ways and means but it may cost you more than the potential financial gain if/when you're successful

jasonwatkins

k3lvc wrote: »

In over 3 months you've not received the answer you want - there are many here who can offer constructive advice on weight loss success/failure but your circumstances are obviously exceptional and need an exceptional response. If you absolutely must have that letter there will be ways and means but it may cost you more than the potential financial gain if/when you're successful

I've actually been trying to get a letter since January when I first had the offer.

gettingtheresometime

jasonwatkins wrote: »

I've already explained in this thread that in a perfect world, I would "do it for my health" but, for me, it really isn't that black and white and to explain further would require me to reveal personal information that i'm simply not prepared to reveal on a public forum.

Unfortunately then there's very little we can do to help. I appreciate that you don't want to bare your soul but we can't force either your gp or your consultant to write that letter.

We could, however, help & support you if you chose to go down the more conventional route but again can't force you to chose this route.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

jasonwatkins wrote: »

I've already explained in this thread that in a perfect world, I would "do it for my health" but, for me, it really isn't that black and white and to explain further would require me to reveal personal information that i'm simply not prepared to reveal on a public forum.

Going by your user name and your location, I'm not convinced there's much else you could reveal on a public forum that isn't easily available. Just those show somebody with that exact name and location winning £1200 for betting £50 they could lose 8st in 2011/12, putting most of it back on and trying again a second time in 2014/15 (and presumably not succeeding after losing just over 2 and a half stone out of the seven and a bit in the second bet).

If you aren't just completely coincidentally a person with the same name, location and interest in gambling/weightloss, it appears that your medical team is trying to give you the help they feel you need for the benefit of your health, rather than what you want, because, although you can lose some weight when you decide (such as would be required for acceptance for weight loss surgery), what you have done hasn't been sustainable and even the prospect of another bet wasn't enough last time round.



You've been offered help. Because they can see you need it. Why not consider taking that help, rather than fixate upon something that hasn't done you any favours in the long term and is unlikely to work, as you're proof that it hasn't?

I'm not trying to be mean, I'm trying to be realistic. Your health is more important than a shoddy bet.

gettingtheresometime

It doesn't matter whether Jason has done this before or not (though it may explain the medics' reluctance to write this letter).

The important point is that Jason needs to lose weight for his health and seems only prepared to do it if there's a cash incentive

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether Jason has done this before or not (though it may explain the medics' reluctance to write this letter).

The important point is that Jason needs to lose weight for his health and seems only prepared to do it if there's a cash incentive

That's my entire point. Making it about cash is stopping him from doing it. Which isn't doing him any favours, because he's refusing medical advice from both specialist and GP and demanding that they write something in support of behaviour which in their expert opinion and knowledge of him, has not helped making sustainable changes on at least two occasions before.


If he needs money, there are ways to earn it without endangering one's health (physical and mental) or getting hooked upon the buzz of potentially 'beating the bookie' and a bit of positive press attention.

If he needs help to lose weight safely and permanently, there's the NHS for that.


Putting such a specific set of restrictions upon losing weight merely puts it off for longer - potentially long enough to sustain permanent harm from morbid obesity. Which is not the result that anybody wants for the OP.

fibonarchie

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Depends on whether that's my real name though, isn't it?

Ah, a pseudonym.. a pen name, just to throw people off track

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

fibonarchie wrote: »

Ah, a pseudonym.. a pen name, just to throw people off track

Well, it's slightly more distinctive than, say, Sharon Johnson from Kilburn, isn't it?

fibonarchie

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Well, it's slightly more distinctive than, say, Sharon Johnson from Kilburn, isn't it?

It's certainly got a Teutonic sound to it

jasonwatkins

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Going by your user name and your location, I'm not convinced there's much else you could reveal on a public forum that isn't easily available. Just those show somebody with that exact name and location winning £1200 for betting £50 they could lose 8st in 2011/12, putting most of it back on and trying again a second time in 2014/15 (and presumably not succeeding after losing just over 2 and a half stone out of the seven and a bit in the second bet).

Firstly, I don't know who you found in 2014/15 though because that most certainly was not me.

But yes, that was me back in 2011. I'm surprised nobody found it sooner to be honest, but I didn't mention it because I didn't feel it was relevant due to it being nearly a decade ago.

But it has relevance in some respects though because i'm proof that it can be done, as are all other people who do it every year.

It also proves that I didn't "endanger my health" either because I didn't crash diet, I didn't starve myself and I basically did exactly what I said I would do - sensible diet and sensible exercise.

And please, please don't bother typing "so why can't you do that now ?" because i've already answered that in this thread.

I know this doesn't fit in with everyone's pre-configured idea of "normal" but it's nothing i didn't get back in 2010 when i first heard of the idea. My GP refused me back than as well and it took me eight months of trawling around doctors, dieticians and other "medical professionals" before I had an appointment in 2011 with someone at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

I explained the situation to him and he told me he thought it was a brilliant idea and asked me to wait for 10 minutes. He nipped out of the room and came back 10 minutes later with a signed letter that was exactly what I needed and I started the bet about a fortnight later.

As an aside, if my GP had played ball back then and written me the letter than i'd have won £10k instead of £1.2k. William Hill had so many people winning the bets back then that between the time I asked my GP initially and the time I eventually got a letter, they'd dramatically reduced the odds and payout amounts.