Healthy_life2

First year out, I didn’t drink alcohol. The empty calories were not worth stalling or stopping my weight loss. I still have a great time. My friends use me as the designated driver. I get free food and nonalcoholic drinks. After goal, I started drinking occasionally. I am a total light weight after surgery. It's not pretty when I go over two glasses of wine. I can’t keep it classy.

Maintaining my bounce range –Five pounds down as of today. I’m still eating in weight loss mode to get to 130. Holidays are killing me. A few more parties and all the food shenanigans will be over. Calories 1,163 - Protein 79 g -Carbohydrates 86 g plant based -Fat 61 g - Fiber 30 g Breakfast: 2 cups Coffee ½ cup unsweetened cashew milk 4 Splenda with fiber packets Lunch: This was two separate meals 12:00 the other at 2:20pm 5 oz ground turkey ,1.6 cups Shredded iceberg lettuce, 2.5 oz spring mix, 5 tablespoon fajita seasoning and 3 oz salsa Snack: 3oz sugar snap peas and 3oz pine nut hummus Dinner: This was two separate meals 4:30pm and 6:15pm 5 oz Salmon, ½ cup coleslaw, 2.5 oz spring mix, 2 tablespoons pickled onion and 4 grape tomatoes Snack: 1.2 oz biena roasted chickpea snack - 1 cup sugar free cherry jello

The pouch reset plan: You start with liquids and progress to solid foods just like you do after bariatric surgery. Only my opinion, The pouch reset will not shrink your stomach. It is a way to get back to healthy habits. Some find liquids, shakes, and soft foods too restrictive. You can get back on track by eating your bariatric real food plan. Log your food, hydrate and exercise.

five years out, My maintenance calorie range is 1200 to 1400 calories. I eat mainly clean/healthy. I indulge within reason. Calories/carbs look different when I’m distance running (1500 to 2000+ depending on the event) I keep my weight in the 130’s - When I have a slight weight gain, I go back to bariatric weight loss calories. (1000 to1100) to work it off.

Some tips for cooking for the family. (low to no cooking) link below Any meal can be frozen into small portions– freeze leftovers, take them to work and microwave them. No cook meals at home when you are busy. Chicken/beef fajitas you omit the tortilla = Family can have the tortilla. buy a bag of frozen john souls chicken strips – Microwaveable peppers and onions. Frozen turkey meatballs, spaghetti sauce with a can of diced tomatoes, microwavable zucchini noodles. – Family can have pasta and garlic bread. You and the family can have any protein with vegetables – Let your family have bread or a precooked microwavable side dish. Sunday meal prep – Cook enough proteins for you and the family for the week. Freeze in family portion sizes. (some items you can freeze others keep in the refrigerator) Precut up veggies place them in freezer bags – (some items you can freeze others keep in the refrigerator) Precook rice and pasta for the family– place in freezer bags and put them in the freezer. Or Buy precooked microwavable, veggies, pasta, rice, and side dishes.

BUMP - Any low to no cooking ideas? keep posting your goto easy meals.

I agree with @AZhiker Years out, things look different. Best advice is from your dietician. Only my two cents, Finding personal weight loss calories and macros: to start, I set my calories in my food log app to 1200 - 1300. After two weeks, I dialed my calories down by 100. My body started losing weight. Find a range that works for you (Dial calories up or down by 100)

Myfitness pal has been my tried and true. It doesn’t take much effort to log. My foods and recipes have been stored in this app for years.

15lbs is not a large gain. You got this. Some options to try, Personally, I wouldn’t go back to shakes to rest. You will feel more satisfied with real food. Go back to bariatric basics. Follow your plan and log your food in an app like my fitness pal. stay within your weight loss calories/macros. Get temptation foods out of the house go grocery shopping Real sugar and extra carbs make you crave them more. They cause hunger Detox off them When you deny cravings, you want them more - Keep healthy low-Calorie options for sweet/salty on hand Eat dense protein (not soft foods) with other items on your plan. Allow yourself to eat as much veggies as you want to satisfy hunger. Join the December weight loss challenge for motivation.

You are hilarious and twisted. Love it.

I've experience worse things in life. He just caught me off guard. I left the gym thinking, did that just happen? Weird moment.

Wow! you are one.😉 Most of us get these random comments from people. I just haven’t had one in a LONG time. It happened much more when I was in weight loss phase. after 80 pounds down, I walked by a secretary sitting at her desk. She reached out and gabbed my thigh and said “you are so little” We don’t even BBQ together and she was latched on to my leg *laughing*

I’m lucky that my gym is family friendly. Not many gym creepers. I don’t think this guy was hitting on me. He was straight up ready to tell me how to diet and workout. Some time I'm clueless when it comes to men. Love to hear a guys perspective on things.

Love that people are comfortable in their skin and rock fantastic clothing. I'm also ok with my flat butt. I’ve always been self-conscious about my chest. I’m working on not giving a damn *lol*

Crazy, right? Never touch a woman with PTSD (15 years working in a mens prison) I was ready to toss him to the ground.

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Some people don’t realize how much these comments mess with our heads. You are adjusting to a smaller size/appearacnce. Most mean well, they are adjusting to our rapid change. Over time they will get used to your weight loss. Comments and compliments stop. life becomes normal. I look at before and after photos. All of them look younger to me.

Some people don’t realize how much these comments mess with our heads. You are adjusting to a smaller size/appearacnce. Most mean well, they are adjusting to our rapid change. Over time people will get used to your weight loss. Comments and compliments stop. life becomes normal. I look at before and after photos. All of them look younger to me.

½ cup of crab ceviche No leftovers.

Loving green Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

Fantastic advice above. None of us get to avoid stress and major life issues (Family/friend’s passing away, Illness, divorce, financial difficulties. etc.) Be prepared and develop a plan. @FluffyChix post on doing the headwork is a great resource.

Hi Dee, One month out and its hard to navigate your new food world. It will get better with real food stage. Practice becomes habit. Hang in there. Some suggestions and things to think about. Make sure the options any of us give you fit your plan and food stage: Read the back of food labels. log your food in an app and stay within your weight loss calories/macros Most instructions are to eliminate real sugar. For many of us, when you consume real sugar, processed food, and extra carbs you crave them more (they cause hunger) detox off them and buy healthy options for sweet and salty. (get temptation out of the house) Dannon lite and fit Greek yogurt Small amount of fresh fruit. Strawberries dipped in sugar free chocolate syrup. Sugar free protein products are a good solution. (more bang for your buck) Just because it’s a sugar free product. It does not mean its calorie and carbohydrate free. Not all protein bars/shakes/cookies etc. are created equal. Some are glorified candy bars. Read food label’s. I personally like quest bars because of the calories/macros. Sugar free candy has sugar alcohols. Test them on your new stomach. They can cause you to dump. Protein powder added to sugar free pudding

Maintaining. this was two meals. 7 oz of meatloaf. (Ground turkey, egg, hemp hearts, tomato sauce and seasoning) 2.2 oz 50/50 salad mix and 2 marinated artichoke hearts. Consumed all of it.

On days that I didn't see myself as smaller, I put on my size 24 pair of jeans and looked in the mirror. Hilarious to see them falling off. Size six is great, right? Enjoy it. Seeing yourself correctly takes time. Its a strange experience. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

@tal 70 lost in five months is fantastic. 65 pounds to go. You never know where exercise can take you. Be open to the possibilities. find what you enjoy and be consistent. Use it as “me time” and self care. (Don't let anyone interrupt) It’s another way to develop healthy habits. You can use it to replace stress/emotional eating and process life’s issues. Start slow and build up. What gets you motivated to workout?? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Exercise is a choice. The next the next seven month are going to go by if you workout or not. Decide where you want to be in your first year. Some days I need perspective, not motivation. A cancer patient with three months to live would gladly trade places for our weight loss struggles. If you workout during the winter, what could your body look like by summer? Motivation to exercise can be hard, bariatrics is hard and being obese is hard. Choose your hard. Exercise will compliment your weight loss. For many of us, the last 20lbs are difficult to lose. Each month’s choices are the next month’s body. Weightlifting (gym or home) can help fill the loose skin a bit. If it’s important to you, you will find a way to get it in. If it’s not you will find excuses