When can we start eating normally? Confused.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I will eat healthy most of the times but I mean if I go out some days in a month I would like to indulge in little bits and pieces u know?? Plus my Bmi was 31 when I got sleeved on 14th June and weight was 79 kgs.

Now my weight a week later is 74.9 kg

My goal is 60 and to stay at 60 kgs so it's not a lot.. I will eat all my nutrition tablets, Calcium vit d plus take in milk but I also wanna be able to enjoy life and part of it is food for me and if I will be satisfied with a small portion I'm happy with that.

You don't have to justify your choices to anyone, nor do you need to explain. Your choices are exactly that. YOUR CHOICES. If they work for you, great!! If they don't, it's up to you to evaluate and adjust if you choose to.

Personally, I chose not to indulge because my decision to have WLS was a hard thought out, serious decision. I did not want to risk the health of my new sleeve OR my weight loss ability. No bite of food is worth more than getting to a healthy size. I feel great all day every day because of my weight loss. A bite or three of food lasts what?? A few moments?

[ssbills 13]

My nutritionist has given me ensure. How to take Protein in liquids on this stage? Can anyone give me options? I have whey Protein Shake in chocolate flavour. Does that have a lot of sugar??

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

My nutritionist has given me ensure. How to take Protein in liquids on this stage? Can anyone give me options? I have whey Protein Shake in chocolate flavour. Does that have a lot of sugar??

I see you are in Pakistan so I am assuming you may not have the choices we have in the US. The labels on the package tells us how many grams of sugar are in the shake. If you don't have the label, you can google the question and get an answer. The whey protein is a good choice. Good luck to you!

[Kissifur 244]

I am two weeks post op and 35 years old. I have resolved to follow my Dr's plan but in no way do I intend on being on a life long diet. I'm not sure what my eating will look like in a year but I want to live and not be in a constant state of worrying about pounds and food. That does not seem like any better of a life then I had before surgery, going from one extreme to another.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I am two weeks post op and 35 years old. I have resolved to follow my Dr's plan but in no way do I intend on being on a life long diet. I'm not sure what my eating will look like in a year but I want to live and not be in a constant state of worrying about pounds and food. That does not seem like any better of a life then I had before surgery, going from one extreme to another.

I totally agree. KIND OF. My first year I was on plan, on target, on task. I intended to get 100% of the results I could during the "honeymoon" phase. Now that I am just a few pounds from goal and 13 months out, I feel as if I can relax a bit and experiment. My year of good habits has gotten rid of my desire to eat bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes and pizza most of the time, as well as a lot of processed foods and fast food. In fact, many things I loved before are quite repulsive to me now. I never thought that would be my reality, but it is. I am not sure I would be able to say that if I continued to nibble on those things all along, though.

I have gone from a tight 20 to a loose 6/8. I have no freaking intention of ever being larger than an 8 again. If that means I have to be diligent, so be it. I can tell you that my life is SO MUCH better, SO MUCH BETTER, even with my self imposed food restrictions. Before I was always on a failing diet, sweaty, fat, frustrated, uncomfortable, pissy when I needed clothes, pissier when I had to do something that involved heat and people and movement because I was self conscious about my size.

Now I can do ANYTHING physically, I can fit into clothes at any store, I fit into teeny spaces, I get stuck in the corner spot as restaurants because I am the smallest one, when I am hot and sweaty, I am not at all self conscious about it, I can eat in public without being embarrassed... If all that means I have to be diligent about my food choices 99% of the time, so be it. Totally worth it.

[Kissifur 244]

I totally agree. KIND OF. My first year I was on plan, on target, on task. I intended to get 100% of the results I could during the "honeymoon" phase. Now that I am just a few pounds from goal and 13 months out, I feel as if I can relax a bit and experiment. My year of good habits has gotten rid of my desire to eat bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes and pizza most of the time, as well as a lot of processed foods and fast food. In fact, many things I loved before are quite repulsive to me now. I never thought that would be my reality, but it is. I am not sure I would be able to say that if I continued to nibble on those things all along, though.

I have gone from a tight 20 to a loose 6/8. I have no freaking intention of ever being larger than an 8 again. If that means I have to be diligent, so be it. I can tell you that my life is SO MUCH better, SO MUCH BETTER, even with my self imposed food restrictions. Before I was always on a failing diet, sweaty, fat, frustrated, uncomfortable, pissy when I needed clothes, pissier when I had to do something that involved heat and people and movement because I was self conscious about my size.

Now I can do ANYTHING physically, I can fit into clothes at any store, I fit into teeny spaces, I get stuck in the corner spot as restaurants because I am the smallest one, when I am hot and sweaty, I am not at all self conscious about it, I can eat in public without being embarrassed... If all that means I have to be diligent about my food choices 99% of the time, so be it. Totally worth it.

I can agree with that. I like the term "diligent" vs obsessed which is what I am not up for. Congratulations on your success!

[hrhlaurie 185]

I know what you mean about multiple failed diets, right there with you. I too made the decision to have surgery thinking, "well, I'll eat less Pasta, one enchilada instead of 4, and so on. It seemed like a solution all on its own.

So, of course, my Nut and those on this site have provided me with the type of guidance I really needed to be successful. My frankenbelly, "Sally", is my vehicle for success but she can't drive herself. We are partners in this. She stays small and alerts me to fullness and I follow the eating plan of Protein first to keep my body fueled. If I eat something with no protein, I need to already have eaten protein that meal or include it with a bit of something that may not be as healthy, but I need to keep it a minimal part of my diet.

I won't say never to anything since I don't believe a life of deprivation is really what this is about. I will make good choices and if I want a bite of cake some day, there's no guilt. Sally might reject it, but that's her choice!

[DeniseNCC1701 306]

The one thing that strikes me about this post is the title. 'When can we start eating normally?"

Normally. That's the key word for me. And it's up to all us to re-define what normal is for us. If the new normal closely resembles pre-op, but in smaller portions, then I think that's cause for concern. I'm in @@LipstickLady 's camp where I don't justify my choices. But I don't rationalize it either. I've wasted way too many years rationalizing myself up to almost 400lbs.

Simply put, we need to change more than just the size of our tummys.

Please be well…

[kpay10 95]

I agree with Denise. For me, it's also redefining what is normal. My new normal means low carb, low sugar, and Protein first. I don't intend to "indulge" in food that is unhealthy because that is what got me here in the first place! In the past, I could diet like a rock star, lose the weight, and then feel that I could have a few "treats" now and then. Once i was at my goal. I'd eat something unhealthy, notice no weight gain, and think it was okay to continue eating "normal" by fitting in the unhealthy foods until I was back to eating junk on a regular basis. Soon, I was back to my original Pre-diet weight, plus another 10 lbs. I didn't go through a risky surgery only to let that happen again!

I have a friend who had Gastric Bypass surgery 10 years ago. She lost all her weight, then began to gradually eat and drink "normal" again. It worked for a few years, but guess what? She is now back to her original size. it's a slippery slope and a gamble that I'm just not willing to risk.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

The one thing that strikes me about this post is the title. 'When can we start eating normally?"

Normally. That's the key word for me. And it's up to all us to re-define what normal is for us. If the new normal closely resembles pre-op, but in smaller portions, then I think that's cause for concern. I'm in @@LipstickLady 's camp where I don't justify my choices. But I don't rationalize it either. I've wasted way too many years rationalizing myself up to almost 400lbs.

Simply put, we need to change more than just the size of our tummys.

Please be well…

You hit the nail on the head. I will never eat "normal" again and I'm ok with it. My "normal" got me firmly into the morbidly obese range and I am never going back.

[mollz007 60]

I eat burgers sometimes, I haven't really tried pizza yet and don't really want to. You are right that you can eat very much like everyone else, but remember that your tummy is so small that you need to make sure you are able to fit your Protein in. I will indulge sometimes, I might have a cookie or maybe a little ice cream, but I try not to make that a habit. I notice that I eat more when the food I am eating is carby, foods with protein fill me up the most, so that is what I try to eat first.

[BSU 61]

The one thing that strikes me about this post is the title. 'When can we start eating normally?"

Normally. That's the key word for me. And it's up to all us to re-define what normal is for us. If the new normal closely resembles pre-op, but in smaller portions, then I think that's cause for concern. I'm in @@LipstickLady 's camp where I don't justify my choices. But I don't rationalize it either. I've wasted way too many years rationalizing myself up to almost 400lbs.

Simply put, we need to change more than just the size of our tummys.

Please be well…

Yeah, that is a trap. For me it is "real food". pizza, nachos, burgers, fries, taco's, spaghetti. That's real food. It's also what got me where I am. For me the sleeve is a tool to help with my portion sizes, but I also see that I need to change my ways. Normal needs to be healthy and low carb. I am not swearing off the bad stuff 100% in the long term, but it needs to become the exception and not the rule.

[SnohoGal98296 371]

You hit the nail on the head. I will never eat "normal" again and I'm ok with it. My "normal" got me firmly into the morbidly obese range and I am never going back.

I guess that depends on your definition of "normal", I totally respect that you are referring to your previous normal that led to morbid obesity, I view the behaviors that got me to morbid obesity as abnormal. You see, I was on what I will jokingly call the Hobbit Diet: Breakfast, 2nd breakfast, eleven's, lunch, supper, dinner, etc. I knew what I was doing - digging my own grave! But I could never stick to eating like what I thought a "normal person" ate, I wished everyday that I could be normal! I found I could lose weight on prescription drugs only, I knew that wasn't sustainable for the rest of my life, this is how I made the leap to surgery... so it could do what the drugs do physically and I can work on my head hunger too.

So when I read the post title, I was all for eating "normally" :-D

Here is to a new normal for all of us!

[Kindle 8,667]

Snohogal, Good post. I never ate normal before surgery, either. I was a crazed eating machine. Anything, anywhere, anytime. I like your hobbit analogy! It took VSG to get me to eat normal. I don't obsess, I don't abstain, I don't pig out, and I don't feel guilty about what I eat.

[LumpySpacePrincess 594]

I think the bigger question is, will you be able to stop after just a little bit of the foods you think are "normal"? Or will you start to want it more and more after you've gone out and continue to eat it in the following days? You say you've been on multiple failed diets, and we all have. The reason the vast majority of us were big enough to need surgery is because we can't stop at just one of anything. The surgery only works by limiting your food intake, it will not fix the psychological connections and memories you have surrounding food that drive you to eat.

My suggestion when going out is to focus less on food and more on your friends and your social atmosphere. I know this might sound harsh, but if you need food to enjoy yourself when you go out then you have just as much of a problem as someone who needs to drink alcohol to enjoy themselves when they go out.

I used to be like you, too. Every time I went out it was an opportunity to get food. I totally understand how you see everyone else eating and feel like you should be able to eat that, too. Its not that you don't deserve to eat what you want, but you deserve to be healthy next week more than you need that french fry right now. Don't sacrifice what you need tomorrow for what you want in the moment.

If you can honestly (and be really, really honest with yourself here) stop after just a few bites and not let it carry over into the next day, and if you can fit those few bites into your budget of calories for the day without going over, and if you have already finished your Protein serving for the meal and still have room, then and only then would I recommend trying to eat something you call "normal".

Protein and produce before carbs and crap is what my surgeon said in our seminar and its a mantra I repeat to myself every day. And honestly, the less you eat of the things you did before surgery the easier it gets to stay away from them.

Edited June 22, 2014 by LumpySpacePrincess