FluffyChix

See? I totally get this and most of us have been where you are right now. I wanted to post this for you and others but didn't want to jack the other thread! Protein is like water. It's easy to get overwhelmed. But if you break it out so you can see what you need to do where...then suddenly it gives your power back to you?!! So you know, hey, if I basically eat 2oz of protein per meal and then have 3 snacks with 1oz of protein each, I'm on top of protein. To me at your point, 2oz of protein per meal felt totally do-able! Some of you guys will eat those 2 oz and that will be it for you. LIghts out. No more! But for me, I was able to have 2oz protein + 2oz veg (1oz of cooked veg + 1oz of avocado/grape tomato blend which is kinda sliderish for me). To this day right now, that is my protein plan for most meals. And sometimes I get to craving veg so much, that doing the 4oz of protein drink in my coffee, frees me up so that either: 1. I don't have to have 3 snacks (which is better for me--more time between meals=better weight loss) or 2. I could have a veggie snack rather than a protein snack and could have up to 1cup of some kind of raw veggie and up to 1/2c of cooked veg to get my serving in! That way I don't feel like I'm captive to my protein each day. ***** Planning before you start the day helps get an action plan together. If you do it enough it becomes routine and you will see you are repeating a lot of meals. Then planning and logging gets even easier! I still make food choices on the fly, but it's much less chance of that happening when I plan.

Welcome and just curious, what are you doing for meals right now? How much do you eat. Post a day or two of food and let us look.

Hi there. Yes, it's way easier to eat your 3 meals per day + 1 protein drink. I was making this for those whose surgical rule is only protein from food rather than a supplement. Or for those who don't know how to plan. And for those who have become intolerant of using protein supplements. Glad you've got things worked out. Even though it's boring, we honestly don't "need" any carbs. Our body can make all it needs for our brain and portions of our kidney to function...but yeah, I know, sometimes you just want a veg. For me, that's why I DO continue to use protein supplements in my coffee (about 2-4oz per day is enough to free up some real estate on my plate for veg. I currently try to stick to: 2oz dense protein + 1-2oz veg + up to 1/2-1tsp of fat per meal. I aim to get 600-800cals per day and between 60-70g protein in and around 35g-ish grams of fat each day. I'm almost to 1 year post op.

Joe is HIS name or the plant's name?

Oh gosh a subject near and dear to my rear! Hugs to you sweetie. It's no fun. Like Rosemary's Baby kind of no fun!!! Sorry to hear you are also suffering from "occasional irregularity" *snort*!!! So for me (we're all diff), I don't know much diff in when I take something (morning or bedtime) other than MOM, I pretty much time it for 12 hours from ingestion. And Dulcolax may be like that for you? You will just have to wait and see. My daily protocol now (and it's still spotty at best -- like every 2-3 days--but at least they aren't painful deliveries) is: 17g Miralax in coffee 3 Colace (docusate sodium) 11g Whole Psyllium Husks (NOW brand), dose split in half in mid-morning and mid-afternoon. I dissolve it in Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice Tea with a squirt of liquid vanilla stevia. Stir and drink. Then follow with a bottle of water. 1/2c of Greek yogurt with live cultures I also try to get in as many greens as my tum has time to process. 100+ oz of liquid each day Then about every 10 days to 2 weeks, I end up needing either MOM or a glycerin suppository. The goal would be to stop the use of MOM/supps and be able to ween off of Miralax. But dunno if that's ever gonna be possible. Hope it gets better for you and that some of this protocol works for you!

I second the idea of whey protein isolate (lactose free) over vegan proteins! I'm not a big fan of soy in any form cuz of the implications of it and flax with hormone positive bc!

This isn't an ideal situation cuz the protein is too low for the calories. But it is a smoothie that is fairly healthy if higher carb. It's a peanut butter banana and blueberry green smoothie and it tastes so much like a milk shake! You can add ice to it, decrease the soy milk to around a 1/2 cup (or whatevs). Lactaid, Mootopia, and Fairlife all have lactose free milk. Also trying whey protein isolate rather than say Premier Protein which is a blend of concentrate and isolate, might be friendlier. I use Isopure bananas and cream for my smoothies. LURVE!!! Think you can get it at GNC! I use Vitacost Peanut Butter powder but you can use PB2. If you don't like banana flavor and want to cut carbs you can sub avocado for the banana and you can freeze the avo to make it more milkshakey.

January 30th Goal Update: CW: 148.4lbs Incrementally going down--but still 4lbs up from my lowest weight this month. Grrrrrr! Drat you, Lex Luther!! Protein Water Vitamins Logging Faithfully Check plus on all of the above here Staying within Calorie Goals (mostly) Exercising as planned (needs improvement) Keeping up with the challenge reporting reqs, needs BIG improvement! LOL. Sorry but I'm not a selfy/photojournal kinda girl. Mainly cuz it's labor intensive to send the files from my phone to desktop--then I feel compelled to correct the lighting and increase sharpness in PSD, then upload. Gah. Ain't nobody got time for those shenanigans. LOL. I want to participate next month as much as possible. TY so much to @GreenTealael for hostessing this challenge and for keeping us uplifted and engaged! This challenge really helped me refocus!!!! MUAH!

@AEdoesRnY I'm sorry to hear of your separation, but saying prayers that this change brings you peace, joy, and happiness. ((hugs)) @GreenTealael So I think you should cut yourself some slack, cuz what I see is that you're doing what we ALL do when we don't feel motivated to be Betty Crocker. We figure out quick solutions for meals. In the old days, that involved a comforty aspect and may have been fueled by drive-thru and rich take-out or even healthy take-out with big portions. That was our quick solution to unmotivated. Now your solution is that you've found easy and simple meals that still comfort you, taste great, provide really solid nutrition--and bam! You're done! So what that it's healthy. Right? So what that it looks different from other peoples' definition of a quick takeout comfort meal? I think you've evolved and found a great solution to the food doldrums. You know?

Ok, well I'm gonna try your protocol! Hell you're already winning me over to dark side: match yogurt bowls and I've been considering adding kale salads...and thinking of beans. *snort*

I don't think people who have no food/weight issues can possibly understand what our heads are like as a result of battling obesity. Nor do most understand that even with surgery, there is no "cure"--we will always be at risk for our metabolic disease to escape remission and become active again. Weight regain is real. We have to be vigilant about it. Maybe even rigid? My sis asked if I was gonna forever be obsessed with weighing and measuring every morsel I put in my mouth and writing it down or if I will eventually be able to relax a little. She doesn't understand my drive to get to 140lbs either. She keeps saying that I look fabulous and don't need to lose more. *sigh* I think (and yes, I too had food rules pre-surg, my whole life really) it's OK, to be us. And if we look rigid to people who don't understand, that is their problem, or we can choose to educate them--which is a PIA for the most part.

Hmmm, maybe I will try that? I have some GG brancrisps and almond butter here. I'm ok with 1tbsp of AB, but I ate 2tbsp yesterday and I just don't handle that much at one time very well. If the earth doesn't move today (day 2), I'm gonna hit it with some smooth move tea for the win! And try the snack tonight. Hey so how often do you use the tea? Do you think/feel you are becoming dependent on it?

Ok, well then try this one! Do you have liquid stevia there? Or some kind of sf sweetener? Cuz if so, squeeze a wedge of lemon into the matcha and sweeten as desired. Stir. Heaven! And you actually build a preference for that grassy taste. At first I was like alll,,,,,"""whhhhhuuuhhh?" and now I'm all...WOW...matcha...mmmmmm! Yeah, I was reading that too...that maybe it's just my new normal, or maybe the ECGC was making bgs go low. And that the hunger was part of the lows. Dunno. But first step is taking out the added supplements to see where I land. I did inadvertently do a 20hour fast from yesterday at 2pm to today around 10:30ish. I'll test my bgs before eating. I was famished and just shoved down some almond butter, pork rinds and a biltong (beef jerky stick) after having had lunch (sardines and salad) 2 hours earlier. And then I started feeling bad as I usually do after nut butter...so laid down, napped, and wasn't hungry last night. So I just had black coffee from 2pm on. I still met my protein goal yesterday. Last night my bg was 68.

Gosh girl. It really sounds like your variety is still there? What people observe through their own biased filter does not affect reality. You prepare some of the most thoughtful, beautiful meals--whether that's a cup of yogurt, or one of your kale salads, or a hard boiled egg protein snack. I think people want us to revert to eating like before or eating like them to reassure themselves that there is nothing wrong with them and that it's pointless to go your route, cuz sooner or later, you are just gonna revert to eating pancakes again and regaining all your weight. You know? I think people expect that of me as well? I do feel people watching. So do YOU feel like you're developing a problem?

Nope. Nope. Nope. I didn't work this hard and come this far to settle for a, "Congratulations Ms. Fluffy! You are now officially overweight!" from my surgeon and docs. I want to be smack in the middle of the healthy zone and I don't care how flawed the BMI system is. It is the system currently used by the insurance and medical professions at this point in time. So it's the one I will use. I also am only average. So theoretically the charts apply to me. I'm def not an elite athlete, nor a body builder. I recognize that I've come very far, but I will not allow myself to rationalize that it's "OK, to stop while still overweight."

Yay!!! Congrats to you!

I'm trying to resist MOM or smooth move tea in the hopes that the yogurt and psyllium will normalize me. I just found out that MOM can become addictive! Who knew? I sparkleheart it and used it every couple of weeks!

What is it about yogurt that has you focusing on that for meals? Is it always matcha flavored? Or do you vary the flavorings and toppings?

Welcome! I kinda feel like this thread is here for us as we need/want it!? And when one of us posts, others will be sure to pop in and take up the new thread of conversation. Each one may have different participants! Congrats on 6 months!!!

Hi y'all, sorry to be MIA. Super swamped here and having a bit of SAD I think? I just am finding it really difficult to get my head back in the game after the holidays. Welcome to all the new kids on the block and hello to all my dear friends!!! @Orchids&Dragons-I break for brownies. ((hugs)) @ummyasmin-The secret to lovely matcha is...wait for it...a scosh of Crystal Light Lemonade drink stick. me=unrepentant, or using the Better Stevia lemon stevia liquid drops. So so so good! I also mix it into yogurt with blueberries, almonds, and poppy seeds. Addicted. (TY @GreenTealael for turning me onto that game!) @sillykitty- I want to become one with that sammy! It looks so dang delish!!! Nom! Ugh so a few perils of Pauline here: my blood sugars have been pretty low lately--like in the upper 60s. So I have been trying to "fix myself" by eating 6 small meals a day and staying between 600-800 cals. My B6 has been low as well and I started a BComplex supplement, plus some extra Vitamin C and Zinc for hair loss. The results from something are that I am famished! Like starvin' marvin' hungry--all the dang time! And I'm terrified. So far, I'm up from 144.8lbs to 148.4lbs this morning. How can someone gain weight eating 600-800cals? Ugh! Life can sure be a bitter pill at times! I'm also having massive poop issues. The GI doc started me on 40mg of PPI rather than 20mg, and wanted me to start Linzess. We're trying to get rid of the esophagus pain and inflammation and he thinks I may be so backed up that it's putting pressure on my pouch and tummy and keeping things backed up. But Linzess and I do not play well together, and instead, I'm trying taking 11g of psyllium husks per day along with more green veggies, etc. I think I'm filled with poop! LOL, but at least I am going a little more regularly and it isn't Rosemary's Baby bad. Sorry for the book. Bottom line is I haven't been IFing cuz of blood sugars. But maybe the high 60s are just my new normal? I feel fine until my BGs get down into the low 50s. Then I feel like crap. And right now, I don't even know if I can IF cuz of the hunger! I'm gonna stop the BComplex and Zinc and C to see if that makes my hunger level go back to normal. Maybe I'm drinking too much green tea? I'm drinking a cup of matcha + 1 Chinese-size tea pot of green tea a day in addition to decaff coffee. Thoughts on this? Too much ECGC driving my blood sugar down? Hugs all around!!

everyone posting here...this is last year's February thread. You need to start a new thread for 2019.

Hope your's DOESN'T evolve, sorry! Damn typos!

Ohhhh my! Fun and Games (on the Throne) Seriously take everyone's advice. There is "usually" a next time for a lot of us. Begin pre-emptive strikes now, cuz you don't want to start using enemas on a regular basis. I have taken a cap of Miralax daily since surgery + 3 Colace + now healed, 10g of whole psyllium seeds + 100+oz of liquids per day + exercise regularly + used things like MOM/Mag Citrate/Mag Citrate pills/glycerin suppositories/smooth move tea/dynamite/C4/black powder at various times in order to break things free and clear the #2 tracks. Hope your's does evolve into that. I'm just suggesting to start Miralax or some kinda long term thing now.

Ouch!! Thank you so much for the warning! So sorry you have been going through this! Congrats on going home!

Damn. I didn't even thing to look at reviews! Thanks ladies!!! I hate being irrelevant. Not that it matters, but am knee deep in tech horror so my mind is totally challenged by the task at hand.