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While I was losing I didn’t cheat. In saying that as I got close to my goal & then when trying to maintain, I stated developing a way of eating that would allow me to enjoy the foods I wanted to, enjoy my life & how I wanted to live it, and still maintain my weight. Actually I don’t like the word ‘cheating’ in regards to eating. Too negative much like the word ‘diet’. To me they mean failure, weakness & punishment. However or whatever you chose to eat now or in the future must be sustainable. It must complement your lifestyle and support your weight loss & long term maintenance. If you choose to eat in a restrictive way that means you can’t participate in social activities or makes you feel you’re missing out, it’s destined to fail. Especially if you are defining any diversions off that path as cheating. But if you adopt a way of eating that is flexible, means you can have pizza with your family or friends, or have birthday cake, or whatever & you accept this as just how you eat in your life, it will be sustainable and lead to long term success. You’ll have to consider portion size, frequency, alternative ingredients or cooking styles but it certainly isn’t cheating in my thinking. Well that’s what I believe.

I am 9.5 months post OP, so my stomach is a little further in the healing process/I'm working on introducing unrefined carbs back into my diet, but SWEET POTATO FRIES! All you do is cut up some sweet potatoes, spray them with some 0-cal cooking spray, coat them in whatever seasonings you prefer, and throw them in there at like 400 for 12-15 minutes or so. ITS SO GOOD!

I was trying to find a way to introduce eggs into my food intake as I dislike them and hadn't eaten any in about 30 years so I tried savoury muffins in my air fryer and they were very tasty, so much so I made a second batch 4 eggs and then whatever I have as left overs so the most recent batch had small bits of red onion, green pepper, green beans, cherry tomatoes, bacon and then a drizzle of siracha sauce.

This is exactly what happens to me. Thank you!!! I use to be on meds because my bp was high. So this is completely new to me, and frankly, it freaks me out. High bp runs in my family, so of course when I asked some of my relatives about it, they had no idea what I was talking about. They all kept saying "check your blood sugar" but those numbers were literally perfect. Thank you so much for this. I feel like this fits me to a tee.

mhm. That is a Broad Question but i try to Answer from my perspective. my New Normal is. I don't feel Hunger, at first, it feels odd that you can't eat or eat super less because i was used to eat Large portions, Then i notices a change in my Taste buds. I felt into an emotional and physical Turmoil, after that storm i slowly felt like getting more energy and my cravings stopped, i lost intrest in food outside of the nutritional value, You get your head over new things, Hobbies, etc. So to wrap it up: I spend my time with more things than ever before, i am more active and productive as ever before, and if i don't use a Timer i forget to eat

My first cheat meal was 4 months post op (with surgeon’s approval) now 6+ yrs post op all meals are cheat meals! Joking! Maybe 10% now. But I’m a big fan of a long term sustainable diet that you can adjust as needed. So alternate between strict and relaxed however I still prioritize protein.

A lovely, positive read especially for those of us who are just starting out on our WLS journeys 😊 Many congratulations on your ongoing success 🏆

Thank you all for the advice, it is really appreciated After all that, I ended up having a really high restriction day yesterday! Couldn't finish my food, and had the hiccups after 5 tsps of soup 🤣 I am definitely going to take it slow when I can eat 'normal' foods tomorrow - I just want to get it right haha.

all good comments thank you! I am on plan 90% if not 95%. I do eat the alternatives but sometimes they aren't the option (such as this restaurant) and I wasn't sure If I was alone but it seems like everyone has a different perspective. My hubs even asked if it was okay that he could eat it another time without me or something (he has no weight problems). I am proud of myself that the meal didn't end up being going into an uphill battle to get back on track. I felt guilty eating them and felt like I messed up, but just continued the next day. I feel as though that mindset is getting me out of the "diet" mentality and allowing me to live this way forever.

I’m just beginning my second week of my pre op learning and it’s been a fun, interesting week (for me anyway!) I started eating a little better, getting more protein in to my daily diet and logging everything. Good news is that I’m 9lbs down in the first week so I will take that win thank you very much. I’ve also been practicing mindful eating too. My approach to eating was to hoover food up as quickly as possible but, after reading about WLS and what I need to concentrate on post-surgery, I have made sure that every meal has taken 20 mins to eat, that I eat off a plate, put my cutlery down between bites, don’t put more food in my mouth when I already have some food in there etc. Being a sceptical kind of person, I wasn’t really sold on the benefits of this but I gave it a whirl, just to see. I will definitely hold my hand up and admit that my scepticism was misplaced. My head and stomach now recognise that I have actually eaten something and it’s registered with them. I now have a feeling of fullness that I didn’t have before, which really is an eye opener. I know it probably sounds strange but I honestly cannot remember having this? Disordered eating has been such a part of my life for a very long time. I’ve also been giving different sources of protein a try, not for post-op as I’ve really taken on board people’s findings of tastes etc changing after surgery, but for the liver reduction diet and to give myself some variety now as I move towards that. I have tried protein water (a bit sweet but doable) protein yoghurts and protein puddings. Hubby recommended some PHD whey protein but I haven’t tried that yet. The bag isn’t yet open and all I can smell is overpowering vanilla 🤢 I will try it at some point this week, just to see if it tastes better than it smells! I’ve also ordered some 0%-everything flavour drops to try in Greek yoghurt etc, just waiting for those to arrive. My Bariatric plates arrived this week, plus measuring cups and spoons. I’ve been consistently taking my multivitamin, vitamin D and folic acid (because of pre-existing meds) have taken the dreaded ‘before’ photos (and managed not to cry) and generally had a positive week. I know my surgery may be a long way off but things are moving in the right direction and I’m happy about that. Onwards and downwards!