Post Holiday Healthy Eating Re-Boot

[mialoveslenny 14]

My surgery was almost exactly one year ago (1/15/15), and I was already down 40 pounds before I had the surgery, and have gone on to lose another 40. I am within 15 pounds of my goal. I thought I'd share some of my highs and lows over the last year - some things I've done well, and things I want to and am working to improve upon for my long-term success.

2015: Had the surgery; lost 80 pounds; bought a new house and moved (first house in California); trained for and ran in my first 5K; lost my mother in November. LOTS of big changes and emotions and stress to navigate through. I managed to do very well and had slow and steady weight loss and/or maintenance up until my mother went into the hospital in mid-November...thus began a 6 week shift in my diet. Not a tremendous amount of crap, but ate things I had stayed away from completely for almost a full year - i.e. sugar. What happened? I gained about 8 pounds and I felt pretty crappy by the end of December. Bloated and lethargic. What I've been doing since the first of January is a re-boot to my eating. No sugar or white flour at all. And in just 4 days I feel like myself again. No bloat, no discomfort around my middle, and I'm slowly detoxing off the sugar - you know it feels worse before you feel better getting that out of your system! Lots and lots of Water too. I'm committed to getting to my goal and maintaining a healthier lifestyle with both diet and exercise. I went from a size 20 to a size 4 - I gave away ALL of my clothes from a size 8 up, and have a lovely new wardrobe that I've built. I have no intention of sizing out of my current wardrobe!

The freedom from everything that made me feel so uncomfortable and unhealthy last year has been achieved in so many ways. I can take the stairs any time I want and not pant and sweat. I get an hour of walking or some type of exericise every day and my body as a result has responded in kind. I can shop for clothes any where I want. I can comfortably sit in booths in restaurants, and can sit in a chair and cross my legs comfortably. I have so much more energy and confidence. Do I have the skin sag of a 51 year old woman? I do! But it's not anything I can't live with. You won't see me walking in a bikini on the beach - but I will wear a bathing suit that makes me feel good, and shorts and sun dresses in the summer, with no discomfort whatsoever. I used to get very red faced and sweat ALL the time. I just ran hot constantly because I was so overweight and out of shape. It's just not an issue anymore. If anything, I actually get chilly and need to stay warm where I used to have a fan on full time under my desk.

I don't take any of the medications I used to for high blood pressure. It's consistently normal. I am in a normal and healthy range with blood sugars and cholesterol, so there is no longer a threat of treating those conditions. I'm continuing to learn to cook smaller amounts for my husband and I. It's not easy to retrain yourself to cook a smaller amount! But I'm working on it. We purchased "snack or lunch" sized plates and ramikins and we use them to eat our meals. Smaller portions look normal on smaller plates. When we eat out, we share one meal (I should mention he had the surgery in November 2014 and has lost 150 pounds), and we eat half of the shared meal, and bring the other half home and re-heat the next day and share for dinner. It's mind boggling how little we eat today.

But I definitely got nervous over the holidays when week after week was going by as I was grieving the loss of my mom, feeling a little out of sorts and reaching for more and more of those foods that just don't make me feel good...a cookie here, a muffin there, it wasn't binge-worthy, but it wasn't helping me feel good either. Live and learn.

Just thought I'd put out there in the universe, on the anniversary of the best decision I've ever made (other than getting sober 23 years ago and marrying my husband 5 years ago), to heal my body and my life from the inside out and lose the weight and do things I never thought I'd ever do...let alone at 50 years old! Everyone tells me they can't believe my age - that the weight loss has taken years off my looks. Which is a lovely thing to hear.

So there you have it. I'm grateful. I'm still a compulsive eater in recovery EVERY DAY. I say with alcohol, I put the plug in the jug and never picked it up again...but with food, it's like taking a tiger out of a cage 3 times a day and then getting it to go back in after meals! It ain't easy! But it's worth it. I welcome any feedback on anything you are doing post-surgery, post-holidays to re-boot your body and mind back on track to keep moving forward.

Happy New Year!

[Graciesmom04 184]

I actually did really well over the holidays and lost 2lbs! I have issues, still, eating a lot of meats, so I take very small portions and bites to tide me over. Sounds like you're doing awesome. Sorry about the loss of your mom. I am a person who loses all hunger and quits eating when I'm stressed or upset, which can be just as damaging as eating too much. Sounds like you're back on the right track! I will be at my one year point 1/28. I have 4lbs to go to get to my goal. Who would have ever thought it! I, for the first time in probably 20 years, am in a normal BMI category and no longer "overweight or morbidly obese"!!!

[Georgia 2,908]

Well said. Proud of you. I know it's difficult with what you have faced but your head is in the right place and that's the hardest part!!!

I'm doing a reset right now too. Low carb, low calorie to re-lose the 20 pounds I've allowed over the last year. ????. Almost six years out now from Sleeve.

We've got this!