FluffyChix

You may think I eat the most boring food from this. But the reality is I don't live in deprivation. This isn't a white knuckle journey! But I still manage to eat REALLY healthy, calorie light/nutrient dense real food every day--about 95% of the time in fact. That's why the other 5% I'm ok with having treats. I just had to learn that I had to find replacements for the things I crave. For instance, I love fried chicken as much as every other Southerner! But do I drive through Popeye's or KFC or Frenchie's? Nope. Do I eat the great fried chickie or fried shrimp my sissie makes? Nope. But tonight I'm making air fryer chicken nuggets breaded with a little "cauli-flour" + pork rind crumbs + parmesan + tiny bit of almond flour + spices. It's a fraction of the calories, carbs, and fat. But I will be full and my craving will be extinguished. If I'm feeling energetic enough, I will make smashed roasted cauliflower to replace mashed potatoes, and I will whip up a low fat/low cal brown gravy and have my broccoli or green beans or cole slaw. I know tomorrow I will wake up and not have gained weight from that meal. It fits my macros and calorie target. I've worked out my other meals for the day so I know this big meal will work for me. I log my food: weigh and measure and report everything that goes down my piehole. And today it's working for me. When it no longer works, it will be time for me to reassess and adjust what I put in my mouth and when.

Meanwhile back in "The Land of Oversize Misfit Pouches"... it's all and 🦄 ! bahahahaha 🍾🎉

You b*****s. Enjoy!

Crap! I was trying to quote this to continue a train of thought and accidentally erased it! Derp! Ok, lemme see if I can recreate it. Sorry, it is harsh. It is a harsh truth. You should see your surgeon about alternatives. Maybe this is the wrong surgery for you? Maybe you need a Phase II = DS which has malabsorption involved with it? Also, get your RD on board to help you with a plan and if you aren't getting help already, ask your surgeon for a consult to a bariatric therapist--one who can help you understand your relationships and how they affect your eating. Surgery is a tool. It isn't magical. Too many try to let the surgery do all the work. But it's not a tool with it's own engine. It's passive unless you apply repetitive force/action to it all the time with each bite/meal. Just like a hammer, it will just sit there like a rock unless you pick it up and actively use it correctly to drive a nail home. You HAVE to want to actively change and give up old ineffective behaviors and relationships with food. You have to be ready to break up with comfort food and crap for at least 90-95% of your daily diet--every day--world without end--amen. Are you ready for that?

Wow really interesting! Very much so because they site that butyrate (the ketone) produced in the gut in response to fiber consumption is the same ketone produced by the body in response to a well formulated ketogenic diet. Only in a keto diet, we may actually produced MORE butyrate in and for the gut!

Oh here's a great Reddit thread on fermentation! I'd go with this one!

Oh no! That's terrible!!! ((hugs)) What a shocker to find that! Here's something from OSU. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/8836/sp50533lowsaltpickles_0.pdf

Wooohooo! GREAT post girl! WTG!

I don't know if the yeast need the sugar to ferment. You should drop him a line on his blog and ask if you can use stevia? Have no idea. But it would bother me to know I'm putting in 1tbsp of sugar into the brine.

You know, this is a quick hack, but I just use unfiltered ACV (Braggs) sprinkled over sliced cucumbers/veg. Or I use Trappey's Pickled Pepper Vinegar (maybe too high sodium, haven't checked). I love em like that. So easy and quick and filling! I get more satiety with the peel on the cucs.

Oh wow! That looks very tasty. Try it and let us know!!!!!!

Yeah hon, I "think" for now pickles, salty foods, and processed foods are not your friends. Go back to eating your dense protein and dense al dente veggies with a bit of healthy fats and a few nuts/seeds/and berries thrown in for fun here or there. I'd use raw, unsalted nuts and dry roast them yourself. You'll eat less and won't contend with the sodium. I don't know how to manage sodium stuff with heart probs.

Well I would guess with A-fib, that you have issues with your heart pumping at its best, which means you would fight fluid build up. So any amount of salt would cause fluid retention issues. And the IV that most would circulate out fairly quickly, takes you longer cuz of your heart and inefficient pumping. With pre-mature contraction you don't pump blood as efficiently out of your atria so there is a little regurgitation, etc. And it causes fluid to pool in distal tissues. Get with your cardiologist for reqs on your diet/salt intake/minerals etc. Glad you're back. We missed you!!! Hope this one is the fix for you. Tacchy is scary business!!!! ((hugs))

I choose to look at it a different way. I look at it like I have accountability partners to help me keep from rationalizing poor behaviors and dubious choices. It helps me stay firm and convicted. If I know all eyes (pretend--cuz most people aren't watching) are on me, then I'm not gonna allow the laxness of the moment to take control and allow me to slide. Or to slide "too much." And as for banana, sure your doc says you can eat it. And in limited amounts it's not too high in sugars for a lot of people. But we are each individual, and I'm extremely carb sensitive. So if it doesn't give me reactive hypoglycemia, or high blood sugars, it will absolutely make me hungry within an hour or two. So bananas are on my "no fly" list. I do use banana flavored protein powder though.

Hey we all just have to hack our own biology. For me it always seems like it's a "Wild Ride with Mr. Hare" (or Ms. Hare).

Ok, so I'm gonna report my 12 month-ish pouch test (2 weeks late or so) here. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10731248 In 5 minutes I ate 254g=8.97fl.oz.=266ml. Essentially I ate 9oz of cottage cheese in 5 minutes at 1 year. I will repeat the test next year on my surgiversary or close to it. What I've seen is a slight growth of my pouch volume at every 3 month stretch. Happy Days. It does say that pouch size of 2.5-9oz is not associated with predicting effective weight loss or regain. So it's HOW I choose to use my pouch more than the fact that my capacity is on the high end of the curve. It just reinforces what I already knew: that I can't allow old habits to creep back in, nor can I afford to relax vigilance. Cuz it wasn't magic bean surgery for me. It didn't significantly reduce my stomach capacity to the point that restriction allows me to eat whatever I want. Instead, the next 3 months ahead are gonna be filled with more of the same...figuring out a daily plan that keeps me satisfied and abates hunger as much as possible, then work to build and establish healthy views on when and how to eat/drink/exercise/deal with emotions, etc. *sigh* It is what it is, and we play the hand we're dealt.

Wow how scary and frustrating!!! Hope they get to the bottom of things soon. See your surgeon for sure. Keep at them until they figure it out! ((hugs))

Yeah. I think this is pretty common in RNY surgeries? Much more common than in VSGs. Wish I'd known that at the start, I would have pushed for a different surgery. I feel y'alls pain! So here are your tips that help--and @GreenTealael and @ummyasmin touched on both: 1. The denser and drier the protein the better. Grilled or pan sauteed single proteins such as: chicken breast, turkey cutlets, oily fish like salmon, dense fish like cod, shrimp/scallops, lean pork, lean beef first (3-4oz cooked). 2. Separate veggie cooked al dente, the more fibrous the better: broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, asparagus, sauteed greens. 3. Avoid complex carb cuz you will be able to eat way too much of it. 4. Avoid casseroles, calorie dense soups/sides/mains cuz you can eat way too much of it. 5. Concentrate on low calorie, densely nutritious proteins and low glycemic veg to make up about 90% of your meals, about 90% of your time. Eat slowly. Water load up to 15 minutes before a meal then don't drink again for about 90 minutes. Then start watering your pouch consistently until it's time to water load before the next meal. Do NOT drink with your meal! Good luck!

No words. I need a moment! Ahhhhhh-maaaaayyyyyy-zing!!! Yum!

Woooohoooooo!!!! Happy surgiversary!!! Congrats!!! 97.9lbs girl. GIRL!!!! That's fabulous! I love that you give it a 10/10 and can fit into any dang thing you want--even when it runs small! Fit and fabulous!!!

I definitely understand budgets! At least mitigate damage by keeping your crap portions tiny and adding salad or fresh veggies. Glad you’re going to the RD!!

No, but reading your link led me down a rabbit hole of discovery. That is, that being keto seems to confer the same gut protective attributes as eating a high fiber (insoluble fiber) diet does. And to get my 1lb of veggies in from Dr. Weiner's experiment yesterday, I had to get 50g of carbs in (whole/non-net) which means, I wasn't even blowing a 0.15 on the ketone meter this morning. So clearly that's too many carbs for me for now. And I know that it's more important for me to be in a state of ketosis in order to keep my insulin and blood sugar levels low--from a cancer recurrence perspective. Sooooo. I'm gonna go back to their recs of having no more than 30g of whole carbs per day and see how I do on the keto meter.

@proud grammy I'm so sorry for your losses!!! You and your family remain in my prayers and I know that God has you all in His powerful hands. There are no words or answers to explain this--but I do believe that God is as sad as you to have them with Him perhaps prematurely! ((hugs))

Wooohooooo!!! Welcome to onederland and to being the weight you were in high school! Even better days are ahead. Congrats on your hard work and thanks for the inspiration.

@Orchids&Dragons So for the WFKD (Well Formulated Ketogenic Diet) the reqs are pretty narrow. They confirm the limit of 30g of WHOLE (non-netted) carbs per day which is very limiting--in order to become keto adapted and stay in NK (nutritional ketosis). I know I'm not staying above my 0.5mm/dl of ketones on my meter. Some days I'm there, but others I'm more like .15-.25 and I'd like to be over 1 or 1.5 ish. So far fasting isn't getting me there by the end of the fast. So that means I'm def still insulin resistant and it's time I address getting into and staying in NK. So sigh...sorry Dr. Weiner--I'm gonna have to put that on hold for now... But here was yesterday's DD (down day of 500cals +/-100cals). It was pretty easy--a CRAPton of volume--too much really. Today is an UD (Up Day -- which I'm gonna use Dr. Phinney's formulation to get to about 1100cals for the day. I'll post that tomorrow as close as I can stick to it. It only has a measly little 6oz of veg for the day. Still haven't made it to the store, so I'm using things from the freezer and the few veg left in the fridge. LOL. Ugh! I am not gonna put my psyllium on the days any more. I MUST have it to poop. I just do. But I refuse to use 50 cals up of my alotment or to use up 12g of my carbs out of the 30g. If that keeps me from getting to ketosis, well that's just the way it's gonna be. But I'm not including it in my daily totals--magical thinking I know. Ha!