Katie Loesch-Meyer

It will just be the family, nothing fancy, but still nice to celebrate in some way. As I'm newly on the bandwagon again I need some ideas of what to pick up/make for tonight. It will be me, DH, and kids ages 2-20.

Yesterday ended up...okayish. Better than before I got back on track. But not great for weight loss. I am down a pound though, which of course is within the margin of error, lol. Woke up and started to snack again at 2am, but this time stopped myself after two small cookies rather than a full binge. Today I'm being strict with the carbs. Breakfast - just coffee with splenda/half and half/dollop of whipped cream Early Lunch (11:30) - 1/2 cup veggies (leftover) and 2 oz perdue precooked grilled chicken and 1 slice swiss, heated in a hot pan with just enough oil to coat the pan. Used some seasoning and it was really good! I forgot I like veggies that way. Snack - coffee with half and half and splenda, light and fit greek yogurt Snack - 1.6 oz roast beef, 1 slice cheese, 1 dill pickle Not sure what dinner will be yet.

so I realized I DID have carbs today - had some baked potato at lunch. But that's it And now my 9 yr old daughter is making dinner = she got a Raddish Kids subscription for Christmas so this is one of the recipes for this month. She's making it all on her own and very proud. So I pretty much have to at least try it, but it is mini tamale pies. So has corn flour in it. At least they are mini ones, so I don't have to take much to make her happy.

I think you are right. When the little one was nursing more for nutrition I had to up my carbs to keep my milk supply. But obviously that shouldn't be an excuse anymore...she gets comfort and immunity protection from it but eats regular food for her nutrition. I hadn't even thought about that - after she was born I got used to eating carbs due to the milk supply thing (whenever I'd cut them I'd dry up) and hadn't actually stopped to think that I don't need to do that anymore! Seriously, it's like I've forgotten how to be a bariatric patient! I literally had to go back and look at old blog posts to get some menu ideas, before finding myself back here. Doesn't help that one of the bariatric podcasts I found when trying to get back on the wagon had a nutritionist that pushed carbs saying that if you don't eat some you will crave them. Now, obviously, that woman hasn't had an eating problem, because my own experience says that isn't true. But hey, she told me to eat carbs, so I listened to what I wanted to hear instead of what I know has worked. So thank you for the tough love! No carby stuff so far today!

Yeah, I agree. MFP is crazy, I need to go back in and fix it. The 1822 was with it adding in exercise calories. Oh, and I'm still nursing the 2 yr old, which maybe gets me a few extra calories burned, but 1400 is too many. But, I was feeling pretty pleased as it was at least fairly healthy compared to the peppermint bark and gluten free cookies and mac and cheese I'd been eating recently, lol. Sort of baby stepping back down. I lose fairly well on 1300 if I'm exercising and nursing, I think..I probably need to go back and check. This was the automatic calorie set from MPF, but as a bariatric patient I need to reset it. I'm also looking and I got too many carbs, which maybe is what is setting me up for those cravings at night?

Ooh..I like the idea of waiting and seeing. That's not a "no" but a "maybe". I'm a rebellious sort so "no" tends to not work well on me, lol. "Yes, but you have to wait" is doable. And you are right, often cravings pass. And I actually have 4 kids if we count the 20 year old still living at home. So not really. Normally I'd say the kids can deal with restricted junk but the 7 year old was diagnosed with Celiac not long ago so already dealing with a lot of restriction as to what he can eat, and also was diagnosed with PANDAS which in him (and others) causes huge food refusals - so even favorite foods he stopped eating. So in an attempt to keep calories in him I can't restrict too much. Oh, and we made the whole house gluten free - so my low carb wraps and stuff had to go as they were wheat based. i did recently find lower carb seed based crackers so bought some of them today, instead of the pretzel chips.

Ok, so fairly new here - or rather, it's been years since I was here Working on a regain - not going to get into politics but my past combined with some stuff in the news created some trauma I was dealing with that I ate my way through, and then I also am in my third year of Seasonal Affective Disorder which, along with the mood issues, makes me crave carbs (known symptom). And on top of all that I hurt my SI joint and the muscle relaxers they prescribed gave me the munchies big time! Took me a while to realize what the issue was, and then I stopped taking them unless it was as I got into bed, but by that point it was like my body was trained to want food in the evenings (when I took them). Still working to break that. I can be good all day but in the evening I want to EAT ALL THE THINGS. I do think sleep deprivation is a huge part of that and the SAD messes with my circadian rhythm and gives me insomnia. Working on that and I think it will help. (I looked back at my fitbit dat and I'd gotten 8 hours of sleep once in the past 4 months that I looked at. Most days were 6 hours or less. Oops.) So, all that explained, I'm ready to stop making excuses and fix this! I did NOT go through that liquid diet and all the emotional roller coasters of hormone release after surgery just to gain it all back. I was not a fast loser - never hit goal - so I can't afford to go up! I even rejoined the gym yesterday, which by the time I pay for that plus kids club for 3 kids is not cheap - but I need to be serious and make this a priority. High weight was 220, low weight (shortly after starting ADHD meds that lower appetite, lol) was 143 I think. Average for the past few years was 248-152,which put me at a BMI of 29. But now I'm up to 162 and that puts me back at 30, which is obese. Nope, not doing obese again! Plus I was in great shape when I was pregnant with my 4th kid - doing Zumba class at 9 months pregnant - and now I'm this weak, out of shape person with a bad back, lol. Not okay. And all the weight I gained was in my belly, so it is just super obvious and makes finding pants hard. Initial goal is to get back down out of the obese category. Then to get back into my size 10 clothes instead of the 12s. I want to get down to 145 again, and would LOVE to get into the 130s. Challenge is night time eating. Yesterday: Exercise: 10 minute warm up on treadmill, lower body workout with machines, crunches and leg lifts on the mat, 5 minute cool down on elliptical. Did 15 minutes in the sauna to help SAD symptoms hopefully. B - coffee with half and half and splenda, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sautéed peppers/onions Snack - latte made with 1 cup fat free fair life milk and 2 shots espresso L - 2 oz roast beef deli meat, handful or so of spinach, .25 oz feta cheese, light blue cheese dressing, .25 oz peanuts, 4 gluten free pretzel chips S - 1 slice swiss cheese, .25 oz peanuts, coffee with half and half and splenda D - 3 oz shredded chicken, 1/2 cup roasted veggie blend, 4 oz baked potato, 1 tsp butter, 1 tsp olive oil, sugar free jello cup (I ate this over the course of the evening - got full, cleaned up the kitchen, then finished it) S - sugar free pudding, decaf cappuccino made with 3/4 cup skim fair life milk, .25 oz honey roasted peanuts, 10 gluten free pretzel crisps. Was feeling good about all that! Then stayed up too late and ate a bunch more of those pretzel crisps. Then woke up at 1:30am by the dog laying on the TV remote and turning the TV on and off over and over again, and ate a Luna Bar and a cookie and some tortilla chips before going back to bed. ugh. Trying to find will power at 2am is hard. I've attached my MFP stats for yesterday, but that was before the middle of the night eating. I hate adding that in there - but I guess I'll put it on today's page since it was after midnight.

Needed to hear this. I'm thinking right now, with DH off work for the holidays and me just getting back to the gym I am going to first focus on eating the right things, and then get on IF again. But maybe that's backwards? You seem to be saying that eating right is easier while doing IF? yeah, there have been studies that show that eating the same number of calories all day long, versus in a shorter period of time, has different results. So 2K calories eaten over 16 hours versus over 8 hours caused gain vs loss. Something about triggering cortisol too often, causing the body to constantly want to store fat versus burn fat. So if eating extra calories but with a good metabolism the body reacts by raising metabolic rate to burn the excess. If eating extra calories with a metabolism stuck in fat storage mode it shuffles those calories into the fat cells. In fact, if in that mode it will do so even with fewer calories - by adjusting metabolic rate downward while simultaneously increasing hunger signals.

I'm about 5 yrs out and have slid back into some bad habits. Looking for inspiration!

Thank you! Not sure if I can/should post in the maintenance thread, since I'm trying to lose some regain. But I'm a veteran, so maybe? Don't want to crash the party, lol

I prefer "people effected by obesity"

You might be surprised - one of the benefits is that it reduces cortisol so you don't feel hungry all the time. The first day is hard, but after that not really. Basically, you just skip breakfast

Set up Myfitnesspal again, going to focus mostly on protein at first so i don't get overhwlmec.

Thank you! And yes, I know it isn't a big gain, but at my height it doesn't take much for my clothes to stop fitting. And this weight is ALL in my belly - ugh! Also, I never got down to a very low weight - went from a BMI of 41 to a BMI of 29. So was still overweight at my lowest. Getting above that gets me too close to obese for my comfort. Plus bad habits....but it's like I've forgotten the good ones, lol. Also, looking at what you wrote, and what a trainer/homeschool mom said in another place, I think my protein is WAY too low right now. I tried eating more protein yesterday afternoon and evening and for the first night in forever wasn't craving food and munching all evening! I'm going to be very happy if it turns out to be that simple. And it would make sense - I really have gotten away from "protein first" for snacks/meals and stopped protein supplements. I think I get enough to get by, but not enough to thrive.

Bringing back an old thread to ask people what macros they follow, if they log food? Also, several people said they stick to a diet similar to what was prescribed by their doctor...but mine didn't really prescribe anything at all other than 40-60 grams of protein a day. So I have gained 10 pounds back at 5 yrs out, and I'm unsure what to do to get back on track. I'm 5'1, 43 years old, a stay at home mom on my feet much of the day homeschooling, cleaning, etc as well as mowing the lawn with a manual reel mower twice a week, edging, etc once a week, etc. Still nursing my toddler, although she gets most of her calories from food. help?

So, because I know people are worried about gaining while pregnant, I thought I'd share. I got pregnant with my 4th child exactly one year after my VSG. I had lost quite a bit at that point but not to goal weight. I'd gone from a BMI of 41 to a BMI of 29. I gained 35 pounds while pregnant, but lost over 20 of that the first two weeks after the baby was born. I'm now down to within a pound of my pre pregnancy weight at 7 months postpartum. (would have been sooner but I was eating cookies when I got up to nurse during the night....sigh.) Photos are me the day before giving birth at 42 weeks, me before surgery, and then 6 months postpartum..belly is all jiggly but otherwise doing okay. I'm down a few more pounds since that photo was taken.

Did you and do you use artificial sweeteners? Crystal lite, diet soda, splenda in your coffee, etc? Do you find the sweet taste makes you crave food more, or is it not an issue?

I'm 10 pounds above my pre pregnancy weight, and never hit my goal weight, so about 22 pounds above that (and it's a "high" goal weight...something reasonable for a 41 year old mother of 4 kids). My eating, particularly at night, is getting out of hand. Lots of head hunger. I need to get back to basics, but also worry that going too low carb or low calorie will effect my milk supply (baby is 4 months and exclusively breastfed). I'm looking for hints, advice, encouragement, etc. I'm 5'1 if that matters...so short enough my calorie needs are pretty low, which stinks, lol. I'm trying to exercise but between homeschooling, caring for an infant, and being an author with a book deadline approaching, I'm struggling to make time. I know it needs to be a priority, but so does my writing, the kids, etc. Probably going to start 21 Day Fix or another Beachbody workout soon. Anyway, thanks for any help.

I realized I've also been drinking when eating...a big no no for me. Going to watch that and see how that helps.

That's very sensible, and so obvious I hadn't thought of it, lol!!! For complex carb....ideas? Baked potato, sweet potato, whole wheat bread (possibly homemade...i do have both a wheat grinder and a bread maker that have been sitting idle), whole wheat crackers, what? I dislike quinoa and rice. Need to get the scale back out too. It's in the cupboard. Thank you. For veggies I'm eating a lot of bagged salads...probably not the best in the world but I'm not a veggie lover so it gets me to eat them. I limit my choices to the ones with less than 12 grams of sugar per serving (including dressing, dried fruit, etc). The ones I get have broccoli, cabbage, kale, sunflower seeds, etc. But, I've been slacking on getting protein in, and not eating complex carbs. That could be why I end up craving simple carbs. Maybe if I was getting a complex carb and enough protein I wouldn't crave the cookies so much!

I'm sure you meant "they lie" jokingly/tongue in cheek? I'm sure it's true that it only lasted six months for you and I'm sure others have had that experience too... But many of us did have a year and some say they've had 18 months... I'm sure it's lasted even longer for some. Everyone's experience is different. Doesn't mean they lie. Sorry, just meant you can't count on it. I'm sure some get longer than others. In group I'm in, of people who all had surgery in the same month, we all slowed down around 6 months or so out. Different surgeons, different starting weights. We all had to work much harder at it after that. I don't mean weight loss stops, but that the easy and fast weight loss becomes slower, harder weight loss.

Not to mention, now that I'm pregnant and dealing with morning sickness and food aversions, it is VERY hard to stick to the proper post-op diet while pregnant. At least in the first trimester. I ate mostly Protein after surgery, almost exclusively, but right now most protein foods make me sick. So I'm sneaking some in with Beans, hummus, Peanut Butter, etc but eating a LOT more carbs than I would have or should have been eating in that rapid weight loss period. You have about 6 months of honeymoon time after the surgery (I know they say a year, they lie) and you need to USE that now. you'll never have that time again.

Forgot to update! I got pregnant on the first cycle we tried, and am now 8 weeks pregnant! (well, 8 weeks tomorrow, lol). I got pregnant exactly 1 year from surgery, and two months after my 40th birthday.

I just read a study that said that there is no difference in outcomes if you get pregnant before 1 year versus after, so you may not need to wait as long IF you are able to eat enough calories, get enough Protein, and labs are good. That said, the other option is to get pregnant first, have your baby, then have surgery later, if you and your OB feel time is of the essence. You might want to consult with your OB to get their opinion as to what order you should do this. I'm 40, and my OB didn't want me to wait a full year after surgery, he wanted me to start trying about 6 months out. We are waiting due to other reasons (husband's job changing this week) but it's something to consider.

Both reduce hunger and lose more weight. Maybe I should try this. I'll let you know how it goes.