FluffyChix

Welcome and start here. This is normal behavior. I think we probably all went through it to some degree. I'm still afraid of "failing WLS" lol. But a little "Fear of the Lord" isn't bad, is it? Keeps us on the right path. Right? We have a problem that is recognized as a disease by the AMA. Insurance companies are allowed to reimburse for the treatment of this disease. It's multi-variate and has many causes--not least of part of it for many is behavioral, emotional, and habitual. Most doctors involved in bariatrics concede that once you get to the point of being morbidly obese, there is little chance of having long-term complete weight loss and maintenance at a low set point. The surgery offers a real opportunity for a metabolic reset (hormonally). It allows our body/mind to defend a lower set-point, allowing us to lose more weight without the brain thinking that we are starving ourselves. And once lost, provided we continue with healthy food choices/behaviors, the new brain will allow us to defend and maintain the lower weight without sending out extra doses of hunger hormones and insulin to send us back into a state of metabolic derangement. That's what happens in a normal diet-loss-regain cycle. We lose x, then our brain gets wind that we are starving and so it sends our neuro and gut hormones into overdrive to cue the eating machine. Meanwhile, most of us will have decreased our metabolism by 10-20% because of said diet and calorie restriction...so it's a perilous sword. This is as much weight maintenance surgery as it is WLS. And I choose to not be embarrassed cuz I needed to have a surgical correction for a medical disease. Just as I would not be embarrassed to have to have a cardiac stent placed if I had CHD. That's a disease too. Nor would I be embarrassed if my appendix needed to come out because of infection... See what I mean?

Yes, indeedy, mam! I use a scale set to grams. Then I place(d) my measuring cup on it and tare it. I use the appropriate cup for my stage. At your stage I think I was at 1/4-1/2 cup by volume. And I start weighing things into the measuring cup. When it's full, that's it. That's all I get. 1oz of lean, dense protein like ground turkey, diced chicken, beef, or pork occupies 1/4 cup or close to it. So in the early days, you may only be able to handle protein at each meal. You may be eating every 2 hours even. I was able to do protein and was "lucky" in that, I could handle a 1/2oz avocado and 1/2 grape tomatoes as slider food at the end. I still lost with it and it allowed me more meal satisfaction.

Wednesday, Oct. 16 Maintenance: CW 132.0lbs/56y/F B-3 protein lattes (4oz Premier Protein) B2-egg puff (egg whites, JD turkey sausage crumbles, crimini mush, power greens, garlic, o/c/rbp, ps mozzarella, sontava) L-chicken salad lettuce cup + baby carrots + cucumbers D-turkey meatloaf + smashed roasted cauliflower + broccoli BS-sf popsicle Daily Totals: No idea--haven't logged them yet.

One word: Meatlube aka gravy and sauces. If you have issues getting meat to move quietly through your pouch, it can really help! ((hugs))

Lamb fat is or can be very gamey. So I use cuts that don't have a lot of fat attached to it. Like the sirloin chops or lollipop chops make a better lamb gateway choice. But those look beautiful!!

Congrats on your loss!!! Stalls are so frustrating. Wish I had good advice!

Hahaha. Do you want outliers or only those maintainers who fit a certain group of specifics?

Rick, I love this answer and this video! Dr. W. has helped me soooo much to be able to understand and not be fearful and to "use my power aka pouch" for good rather than "evil." haha (And yes, I'm low carb and don't eat beans/lentils etc...but I actually do get in close to a pound of low glycemic veg a day. )

Yes, but tomatoes are acidic and that can cause some to not tolerate it well...It's a YMMV thing. I didn't do well with tomato or V-8 in the super early days. But after about 2-4 weeks (can't remember), nothing bothered me.

Check with your doc sweetie. I know they haven't called back, so call again. Be the squeaky wheel. Every doc is so so so diff. Don't blow your shot!

@sillykitty Huge fan of you in the jumpsuit. And yes, inquiring minds need to know how to pee while wearing said jumpsuit. @AngieBear I'm still amazed at how quickly you and @Sheribear68 have shrunk!!! Adorable shapes, the both of yas!!! Congrats ladies!! Love your outfits! Love that you're rocking your new figures!

Massive cudos for making that decision!!!! Woot! And way to do it at the 4lb mark. Reframe the situation. Congratulate yourself for making a great choice and drawing a line in the sand. Now the only thing you have to do is know that the next 4-14 days might be tough, but make a plan for getting through it. Willpower is fine--but when I'm in this situation, I know my willpower is usually low. So I have to have a set of actionable things that makes making good decisions easier, especially when I'm low on WP. ((hugs)) And remember, you only have to commit for 1 meal, 1 bite, or maybe 1 day. Then the next bite you recommit. Or the next meal the same. Or wake up the next morning and commit for that 1 day. The future takes care of itself that way and we can do anything for 1 day. Right? Example Game Plan for Getting Back on Track: Clean out the pantry, freezer and fridge if possible. Cut out the C.R.A.P. but allow yourself to eat as much as you need to be not hungry, not starving. H.A.L.T. = Never let yourself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. Get your sleep on...every dang day. Go to bed at same time. Wake up at same time. Practice good sleep hygiene. Walk for 1 hour per day if you don't have an exercise plan. Get outside in the sun and deep breathe as much as you can. Plan 3 normal (1cup) size meals per day = 3 oz protein + 1-2oz veggies + healthy fat Plan 1-3 normal mini meals per day = 1 oz protein + healthy fat (eat ONLY if hungry or necessary for protein) = <100cals/meal No eating drinking 30/30 Protein first at every meal (lean, dense, dry to it stickls longer) Eat at a precise time frame each day. (ie breakfast at 7 or 8am, lunch at 1, dinner at 7 with mini meals in between) No grazing. No standing in front of the fridge or freezer. No overly-comforty food (yeah, I'm talking about you pizza and casseroles and burgers with fries) You got this dude. Congrats again for taking that first MAJOR step!!! You will gain confidence in yourself, your self-esteem will go up, and the cloud will lift. You'll feel revived! You can do this!

That's only good if it's resulting from excessive cardio. hehe

@ms.sss Welcome back!!! Your trip sounded amazing. So happy for you and am so happy with how you sprang back. With each new experience, you gain new understanding about your new reality!!!! Wooohooo. You are a rockstar and inspire me!!! @Healthy_life2 I tend to have a different perspective. Although maintenance for me is a little more relaxed (especially on the weekend), I still go back after the weekend into WLM. Cuz over the weekend I will have gained. So I have a feast/famine cycle with the IF. Although I'm not as hard core IF as I was trying to lose my last 5-10lbs. This morning I'm 132.4lbs. which is down from a weekend high of 136lbs. I cut carbs down low, but not out. And take out the high glycemic carbs. And try to get as many veggies and a tiny bit of fruit down as I can while hitting protein goals. I still keep fats low when in WLM. Nothin is off-limits, but it has to be calorie/macro worthy. If it isn't, it doesn't go down my pie hole. I don't do rice, or regular pasta. It's just too high glycemic for me and causes my insulin to spike hugely still which means RH in 2 hours. I still have to watch sugars, and have to watch root veg as well for the same reason. I stay away from triggers. I spent so long (3 years) rewiring my lizard brain to my gut. That it seems self-defeating and pointless to go back to the old behaviors with food that led me to the point of obesity in the first place. It's like, "Hmmmm, tell me again, why did I just have 80% of my stomach bissected and my bowels rerouted, again?" It has little to do with weight loss or maintenance and has everything to do with managing the underlying hormones that promote longevity rather than brevity. Every bite is either prolonging your life, or shortening it. Because we're human, there is no need to plan treats. Trust me, treats are gonna happen. Way too frequently. So plan for 100% compliance, knowing the reality is that if you are super-achieving, you might hit that 80% of your time. That's a massive improvement towards healthy living. That's just how I tend to approach maintenance. I know I'm an outlier. It's not that I wouldn't eat rice or that it gives me digestive issues. It's just not worth the insulin spike (which drives disease), and the RH issue.

It doesn't have to be your surgeon's support group. Look for one that is mainly dealing with post-ops. Mine meets on 1 Saturday a month. Part of you not being able to eat is the fasting. If you take it too far, then you lose all appetite and your brain clicks into full mode before it would if you were eating more each day. I really am encouraging you to begin reframing how you think of food to include the maintenance perspective rather than the WLM perspective. They are two totally different realities for us. And it's not easy making that switch! Also, cottage cheese is hugely filling for me! Dunno why. It always has been, especially if it's full fat. I would eat the slider foods first if it were me. So peaches first. Then your meat protein (if it's less filling than the cottage cheese). You know? You'll figure it out. You are analytical and know how to do this girl!!!

Congrats dude!

I thoroughly encourage you to do this! Also, find a local support group. I LOVE my group (run by my RD) and the women in the group have all become friends--we help each other work through things!

Here are 3 days of food around that time. I picked out existing food to estimate a dish close to what I had, when the actual meal wasn't available online. We have a local BBQ joint who only uses garlic/salt/pepper on their meat. And their smoked turkey is so moist and tender, it was easy to get down in the early days. Also, they had slow cooked homemade green beans which were easy to digest, so I ate that at a lot of meals. I concentrated on super high protein lean calorie proteins: lean white fist (pangasius/basa, tuna, cod, tilapia, haddock) turkey breast and ground extra lean turkey grilled chicken breast ground chicken breast ground beef extra lean pork loin 2% cottage cheese fat free Greek yogurt fat free FairLife Milk unsweetened cashew milk carton egg whites 2% Deli Deluxe Cheese 2% grated cheese Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese Light Cheese Sticks PB2 - defatted peanut butter powder Isopure unflavored protein powder to boost protein in anything Premier Protein drinks mixed in decaff coffee and decaff tea March 8, 2018 March 12, 2018 March 14, 2018

Ok, that's it! Now I want green soup!!!! That looks LOVELY!

@sillykitty It's been said before, but your BF is one lucky dude!! Those meals look gorgeous and professional! And the edamame pasta looks TLF!!!! @GreenTealael You crack me up! "C". Step away from the hash pipe. (But, you would have loved it...)

More chaffle nonsense. @Orchids&Dragons this is the closest I could get to my craving today without going to the store for lox. L/O grilled salmon on Greek Yogurt "cream cheese". So dang good. Nothing left but the plate, a lemon rind, and a seed. LOL. Here's the breakout: cals; protein; fat; carbs; fiber; sugar Can you believe this is only 163 calories for this lunch. I'm waiting to feel deprivation eating so "abstemiously". When am I gonna feel deprivation?

Yay! That's a great thing!!!

Breakfast this morning. Sorry for the crappy pics. It was still dark outside. LOL. I made a crispy taco shell from the 2% Kraft Cheese Deli Deluxe style. Then shaped it over a silicone garlic skin remover, and nuked it til crisp. It would work great for beef or chicken tacos too. It does soften up (from the egg mix), so eat fast NOT! Or line it with a piece of lettuce or green. It was pretty good. No afters. Here's the breakdown of macros, which includes the avocado and tomato:

Nope. It has its own tang depending onehich one you use. I just use the HEB plain Greek Fat Free for ours. I love it on chaffles! I want to make chaffles and Lox with it!

OMG! Everyone looks so fit and healthy and HAPPY!!! Beautiful women and man! Congrats on everyone's fall "color change" LOL!! Lovin' the outfits! I'm presently nekkidy. 24/7/365. So no outfits to share. And if I did post a pic of my birthday suit, you guys would just say that it was too big for me...bahahahaha!