sillykitty

Hello ... maintainer here, checking in .... I'm 16 months post op. I hit goal at 10 months (24.8 BMI), then dropped below it, and have maintained there (22-23 BMI) for nearly 3 months now. I agree it is a total mind f*ck to switch gears from being very disciplined with your diet, to having to eat more often and less strictly. I was freaking out a little as I dropped below goal, especially considering I'm less happy with my naked self at a lower weight . But my stomach capacity has gradually increased, so that makes it easier to get more cals in. But it is significantly restricted vs. pre WLS. So it feels like a good balance. I'm going to have ps at the end of this year. Until then I'd like to stay at in the 22-23 BMI range. After plastics I'll have to reevalute and see at what weight I'm physically happiest with.

I'm going to have to disagree on a lot of levels @JamesL73 I think what all of us here are striving for is a lifelong sustainable eating plan. Zero carbs isn't practical or sustainable. I'd also suggest it's not healthy, as it would eliminate, fruits, grains, fiber. You quit working for a year to focus on exercise. That is also not practical or sustainable. When you went back to work you regained. It's not about questioning what's possible with technology, it's about you being drawn to the "Don't eat" idea. Your attraction to that idea, excessive exercise, and villainization of food groups are pretty classic signs of anorexia. I really think you need to work with a professional on how to live with food. Your mentality now seems to be that it's the enemy.

Thanks @FluffyChix ... I'll do some reading! I know her current plan is 18:6, and staying under 800 cals/day, and getting 60 g of protein. I think she has lost about 20 lbs to date, and would like to lose about 30 more to get to her "happy weight". If she could get there by actually eating more, then all the better!

Question for those of you have done a lot of reading & research on IF What are some of the recommended intervals for feast & famine type of IF? Background: My mom has been doing a VLCD + IF for a couple of months. Similar to WLS patients diets in the losing phase. She has been happy with it, and her losses. She went on vacation for two weeks, knowing she would go off the rails, and she did. She was expecting to come home to significant gain. But instead she had a loss! Now granted she was a lot more active than average, lots of golf and walking. But this piqued her interest in feast and famine type of IF. Calling all IF experts

@JamesL73 .... you worry me "I look at carbs as evil incarnate...... I strive for ZERO carbs, ..it's definitely a goal that I obsess over." "I went from 420 to 190 after my VSG .... focus strictly on exercise all day every day." "I liked the "Don't eat" part. It's something I have had rattling in my mind lately. With all these Vitamin and mineral supplements in patch form, I'm wondering how long a person could actually survive and be moderately active, without eating at all. But supplementing with Patches." None of that is a healthy mindset. Have you ever seen a therapist who specializes in eating disorders?

Was slacking on these, so I caught up on them all this morning .... yay me! Need to get a walk in today so I can meet my goal #2, of walking at least a mile, a majority of days.

I like #16 😂

Noodle-less Lasagna I didn't use a recipe, so this is more of ingredients & instructions (yes, as easy as it looks @GreenTealael ). You make make this lighter/healthier, or richer/fattier. I'm in maintenance, so mine wasn't as low cal as it could have been. 4 Different Layers Ricotta Layer Ricotta (skim, fat free, or whole, I'm sure a non dairy sub like silken tofu would work as well) Parmesan Cheese Eggs Frozen spinach (I dry sauteed to take out all the excess moisture, it was almost crunchy) Black pepper Mix together Sauce Layer Italian Sausage (pork, turkey or meatless, hot or mild) Onions Jarred pasta sauce (I LOVE TJ's Traditional Marinara, tasty, cheap, and super low cal) (Can add mushrooms if desired) Sautee onions (& mushrooms), add sausage, cook through, add sauce and simmer) Zucchini Layer Zucchini sliced lengthwise (any other summer squash would work, or portobello mushrooms) Airfry or dehydrate to remove excess liquid Cheese Layer Mozzarella Cheese (Can add additional, I added Quatro Formagio from TJ's as well) Instructions Layer each different component, topping with cheese. Bake at 350 until melt-y and bubble-y

Me neither! I'm going to pick and choose only a few of these

Noodle-less Lasagna (asparagus on the side) No afters!

Thanks for starting this challenge @Cheeseburgh I haven't participated for a few months, but will try to do as much as I can this month! I'm 15 months post op. I've hit goal and have been in maintenance for about 5 months now. Goal 1 - Maintain between 125-130 lbs Goal 2 - Walk at least 1 mile a majority of days I am home Goal 3 - Complete the Fitness Advents Skalendar Day 1 - "How do you feel at the moment" Overall really good. My personal life is in a pretty amazing place. The only thing really causing any anxiety right now is work. I have a lot going on, and it can feel overwhelming at times. B-Side - Would/Could you ask for professional mental health help / therapy ? Or is the stigma still prevalent ? I have spent time in therapy. I avoided it for years, despite knowing that because of some childhood issues, I probably needed it. I didn't avoid it because of any stigma, but because therapy is tough! A few years back I finally did enter therapy because events at the time brought the childhood stuff I had buried to the forefront of my everyday life. I'm glad I went, it helped me cope with that situation, and put some of the old stuff to rest. Maybe it's because I live in a progressive area, but I don't believe there is much or any stigma about taking care of one's mental health.

Do you have Groupon in Canada, or Living Social? That's where I got my initial package, and then they are just matching that price.

I hope it's working ... I honestly can't really tell Definitely cheaper than plastics! Total for 10 or so treatments, neck and face, will be about $1K

Actually the last pic I just inadvertently took with my head/neck at a more flatter angle Here we go again Before. - After 1 treatment - After 2 treatments

@Frustr8 will you please consider creating your own thread where you can share your journey? You can then update that thread with your progress, and anything else you wish to share. It will help keep threads such as this one, on topic and relevant to the OP.

Here you go It’s really hard to know if I’m holding my head/neck at the same angle. I think it looks like there is more of a difference than their really is Before. - After 1 treatment. - After 2 treatments

.#2 ... always #2 😬

I’ve recently started RF tightening treatments (Thermalift is one of the ‘name brands’) on my neck and face. I’ve had two treatments and I haven’t noticed a difference, but three is usually considered the minimum and 10-12 is the norm. I was excited by before and after pics online. But last treatment my technician was excited to show me another patient she considers a huge success. The difference was much more subtle than I had hoped! I’ll continue to go for the 10 treatments at least. At least it’s far more affordable than plastics!

It depends on the surgeon. Some allow gum, some do not.

I’m out of the closet with a taco 😂

Each surgeon is different. There have been posters with faster than average progression through the stages, and had no issues.

Sesame crusted seared yellow tail Edamame pasta salad w spicy peanut dressing Coleslaw with sesame dressing Sautéed green beans and zucchini Only before, no after, I ate it all! 😊

@Frustr8, will you please consider creating your own thread where you can share your journey? You can then update that thread with your progress, and anything else you wish to share. It will help keep threads such as this one, on topic and relevant to the OP.

Ahhh ... yes, good ol' hunger monster and I go way back! Had had 6 months post op without physical hunger, and then similarly to you, at about 20 lbs to goal, it came back. Lots of great info on this thread! Here's my $0.02 Physical hunger and head hunger are totally different animals, and have different ways to fight them Physical hunger is actually easier for me. First, as mentioned above, Intermittent Fasting (IF) was a game changer for me. For me the more I eat, the more hungry I am. The longer I go without eating, my hunger lessens. My body is also easily trained to expect to eat at certain times. My hunger was actually awakened on a vacation. I not usually a breakfast eater, but B&B's include breakfast, so I ate the "free" breakfast every morning. I started waking up hungry, which continued after I got home. So for me, the way I fast is I just push my first meal back as late as possible. When I feel hungry, I push liquids. Most of the time the hunger will pass. I could often get to 2 pm, and do a 18:6. And while their might be magic in IF itself, the fact is I eat less calories if I'm only eating for 6 hrs out of the day vs. 12+. Additionally, if you're truly hungry, it's easier to make good choices. Grilled chicken is delicious when I'm hungry, while it is boring if I'm just snacky, you know? You know what I think I may love best about IF ... you can't fail! If one day the hunger monster won't be banished, that's ok, just eat. No reason to be miserably hungry, just try to make good choices, and try again tomorrow. Some version of IF actually have fast days and feast days. So you didn't fail, you just did 5:2 IF Now head hunger, that's a tougher one for me, and one I've had less success fighting overall. I tried to remove temptation from my house. If I had to go to the store for chips, I was less likely to eat them. I stopped watching any cooking shows, and stopped browsing food or recipe website, even healthy ones. I kept healthy foods stocked, low cal soups, jerky, fresh veggies, laughing cow cheese, deli meat, poached chicken, low cal condiments. If I was just feeling snacky and it was overwhelming then I'd just try to eat all the good stuff. As @GreenTealael said, you're not going to gain weight on lettuce! Sometimes though, I just really really wanted food X. I had two strategies. Say I was craving Mexican food. Sometimes I was able to be satisfied by going out and getting something that satisfied the craving, but was still a healthy choice. For instance, getting ceviche vs. cheese enchiladas. Sometimes I just really really wanted the cheese enchiladas, then I had them! But I didn't take home the leftovers, logged it, and what was done was done. Tomorrow was a new day and no reason to beat myself up for being human. Hope that helps!

I agree with everything here!