FluffyChix

AJ that's a slippery slope attitude. I know you're prob just meeting this challenge with your tongue in cheek humor, but it quickly turns around! I really hope you will seek out a trainer/nutritionist who understands bariatrics and lean gains. Cuz it isn't just a matter of going back to Fatty McFatterson food choices. Right? Add calories strategically. If you are getting the amount of protein you need to build muscle, and have enough carbs in your life to lend energy (if you're a carb burner), then add calories through adding healthy fats). Organize your meal events even if you aren't hungry. Cuz bottom line, to stop loss with a semi healthy metabolism, it will take very little extra calories (if you're not an endurance athlete or involved in lifting to gain strength). @BigViffer @BlueCrush@Healthy_life2 are all athletes and have figured out how to build muscle and stop weight loss! Maybe they'll hop in here with advice for you. Mine just "magically" stopped by adding in a day or two of higher cal eating (1200-1500cals), 2 days a week.

Can you tell me if the regain so many experience starts after your 2nd surgiversary or if the "year 3" you describe is after the 3rd surgiversary? TY hon! I've never understood that one...it's the whole concept of how old are we? Cuz you know we spend 9 months in our mom so...technically when we're born, we're about 40weeks old...and we're finishing up "year one." And when we celebrate our first birthday, we start living our 2nd year...TIA!

Super happy for you!!! Way to go!!!

It's a process and journey. We all have to work at building new skills in this area. We are different people with new anatomies. So the old ways will not work, but changing the habits of a lifetime doesn't happen magically or overnight. But, I can reassure you that for most of us, this phase passes. You will still "have those days." But that's also why you should embrace this time and use it to your advantage to practice and develop new healthy habits. I call them Bari Healthy Life habits. You will never again have an opportunity as prime as your virgin WLS voyage where the restriction will be as strong as now, and your food aversions as high. Practice: 1. Pre-cut all your food into pencil eraser size pieces. 2. Use a small fork or baby spoon to eat. (I use an old shrimp cocktail fork when we're home eating. It's tiny!) 3. Only eat one pencil eraser size bite at a time. 4. Put your fork down and tuck your hands under your thighs. (Glance at a timer.) 5. Count your chews. Chew to a paste consistency. 6. Swallow. Wait 2-3 minutes. 7. Rinse and repeat. 8. Stop when you STOP feeling HUNGRY--not when you're full. Don't chase the full feeling. Eat ONLY the portion volume appropriate for your stage as provided by your doctor and RD. Don't exceed 1 cup of food volume on your BFD (Bariatric Forever Diet). *It's always better to try to do this at a dining table so you can really focus on how your food tastes, how it feels in your mouth, how full you are as you eat...it helps you develop mindfulness prompts. It also gives your body time to get the message to your brain, "Hey, dummeh, you've had enough."

Fabulous!!! What a complete transformation!!!! WTG!!!

Focus on protein. I personally observed calories, but did not "control" them at 10 days out, other than to follow my doc's and RD's rules which were lean, dense sources of protein to my protein goal which was 60-74g/day protein + low glycemic veg + low fat. That automatically kept my calories super low. I was around 300-450cals at Day 10.

IKR? The thought of that makes me cross myself and pray quietly. LOL!!!! But also on an aside. Lemme see if I can find my low carb condensed milk recipe using Nestle's Crema Media and AS. BRB.

Great idea!!!

Omg!!!!! How cool!! My place brings a tall glass filled with half condensed milk!!! I wonder if i used part pp vanilla and just a spoon of th cm if i could handle it?

I think you're gonna love 'em! You can use your big waffle maker, just center the dough in the middle and cook them there or you can do 4 at a time in the big squares cuz they are sticky and don't run!

I used to adore Vientamese coffee! So curious...with all the sugar from the sweetened condensed milk and the cookie, did you have any dumping issues?

See??? This is why God invented purses! I keep the Kia hamsters in my purse in case I need amusement sometimes.

Hi y'all! I finally got the Lo Lo Psylli Chaffle recipe up on the website! It's so low it's silly stupid! Tastes like real bread! Only 37 calories each, 1g net carb, and has 4g protein! We even have a vegan variation for those who want to remain dairy free using Daiya Mozzarella-Like Cheese Shreds and So Delicious Coconut Yogurt (plain). They all turned out so well! Hope you'll try them and let me know! Hit us up on instagram @imbacnow2020 and tag us #barihealthylife #imbacnow2020! Can't wait to hear if you make them! Here's the recipe link! This is what the Dairy Free Version looked like:

Definitely not a role model. LOL. Just another shmo trying to hack our broken bodies in an ongoing n=1 experiment called life. I'm fabulously flawed!

@chayarg Welcome back! You did awesome!!! WTG! Sorry the cyst and hormones are still giving you problems and leaving you in pain!

There is no magic bean solution to morbid obesity. Many docs, including Dr. Weiner and my doc believe that once you are MO, the underlying metabolic condition that we are left with predisposes us to recurrence. The reality is we have millions of hormone secreting/appetite stimulating, insulin promoting, empty fat cells sitting there waiting for us to revert to pre-surgery eating habits/food choices. The body is extremely smart and the malabsorption lessens over time as does restriction. I see that in only 2 years. I look at the surgery as a brief, short term period to lose more weight than we would ordinarily be able to lose on our own, because of the metabolic reset that allows us to go below our set point, without triggering the starvation response. The studies show that the longer a person can maintain their weight loss, the greater the chance for long term success. If I do not maintain my strict observance to my personal metabolic condition, I will rapidly regain and it does not go back down very easily. That's why I do set a 5lb window and hope and pray every day that by remaining engaged and focused it won't "magically" start climbing beyond that 5 pound window. At 2 years, there is still a lot that remains to be seen... I believe it requires a total transformation and a willingness to learn new behaviors, set new rules for engaging with food, becoming active, having a good support system with great after care, having a means for managing stress, anxiety, and spirituality and also having regular exercise...

Awwwwwwwwww! Three of my favorite peoples!!!!! FOMO! FOMO! FOMO!!! Ya'll look so happy, healthy, and beautiful!!!!!

WLS allows for a metabolic reset of your fat storage/energy system. It allows your body chemistry (super complicated) to defend a lower set-point, but google Dr. Matthew Weiner on The YouTube and watch all of his videos and you will learn about it. Unlike what @VIN_IN_AL says, my program (major university) told me no caloric threshold for calories. My real advice (RNY) was to get 60-80g of lean, dense, low fat protein in daily from as many sources as possible for diversification, to eat 1-2 bites of low glycemic veggies, and don't eat much fat--but if I did, to use tiny bits of healthy fat. And to get in 64oz water + daily vitamins. Beyond that, they were fully aware that during WLM (weight loss mode) I averaged between 650-850 calories per day and my sweet spot seemed to be something like 750cals. The doctor and my RD never said a word about it, nor did either encourage me to artificially inflate my calories because of some mythical theoretical mumbo jumbo just to hit some "magic threshold" to prevent "starvation mode" (a myth). I hit first goal at around 8-9months despite having a crapton of metabolic issues and shortcomings including being on a cancer drug that shuts down my hormones and causes weight gain in most people. (See the rest in my signature). I'm now maintaining at 131lbs this morning at 1100 cals average. That means preferentially some days I eat 700-800 cals per day (3 days per week) and some days I eat as much as 1400-1500 cals per day depending on appetite or what I'm doing. Over the week it averages to about 1100 cals. I'm not in starvation. My vitamin status at two years is fabulous and there ya have it.

@RickM I just love your posts! I wish you'd pop in an play more!!

Have a blast and take a new pic!

Let me know how it turns out. I loved all the fortified broths! It's hard to pick a fave. !

Here's the recipe. I'm still working on the website and there is lots of "dummy filler material up" but this recipe is live along with another couple. I'm actually about to have one today! https://barihealthylife.com/easy-thai-lettuce-wraps-with-ginger-peanut-sauce/

Here are some tips I wrote down and a few ideas for Full Liquids phase. Hope it helps.

I was not allowed to have smashed berries in Full Liquid Phase. It's not even allowed in Pureed Phase if the berries have seeds--only blueberries were ok in puree and they had to be blended to smithereens.

Great post! Thanks! Congrats on getting back on track!