The Maintenance Thread

[Cheeseburgh 3,080]

15 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

My face is also the first place I notice a loss or gain. Too much of a loss and I look sickly so I totally empathize. I bet the weight/look will stabilizer on it's own as soon as the stressor is removed. Congratulations on getting full asking price and a quick sale!

Thanks, it was almost too quick.

[ms.sss 15,581]

On 10/7/2020 at 12:15 PM, Cheeseburgh said:

We decided to sell our house since the housing market here is hot. We found a beautiful house to rent. My husband is considering retiring and we want the freedom to move when the time comes. Might even be living near you @ms.sss in a few years!

Congrats on the exciting new changes! OMG, wouldn't it be the coolest if you moved to T.O. and we met?!? You could teach me how to refinish my sideboard and I can...um...i'm not sure, but I'll think of something! 😂

[ms.sss 15,581]

On 10/7/2020 at 12:15 PM, Cheeseburgh said:

Anyone have advice or ideas on getting my weight back to stable without just eating carbs and fat?

First, given your current stressy situation, probably some calm and relaxation? Like you alluded to, the stress is likely the culprit, so getting a handle on that will likely put everything back into equilibrium.

Other than that, maybe more nuts, cheese and avocados?

❤️

[Cheeseburgh 3,080]

The stress is real. Now we’re bickering over a roof and I just want this to be over!

I hate cheese with a passion. I’ve been having a bigger snack in the evening and that has stopped further weight loss. I’m just not hungry during the day so I’m adding calories at night. Once this settles down I’ll be back to normal and I’ll have to be careful again.

[Cheeseburgh 3,080]

11 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Congrats on the exciting new changes! OMG, wouldn't it be the coolest if you moved to T.O. and we met?!? You could teach me how to refinish my sideboard and I can...um...i'm not sure, but I'll think of something! 😂

I’m hoping by the time we decide we will have a vaccine or at least get this under control in the US. My family is in the US and I can’t imagine not being able to see them, although it’s really hard not seeing my stepsons and granddaughter!
I have visions of smuggling everyone over with us. Hide my son and I’ll refinish your sideboard, deal? 😎

[ms.sss 15,581]

20 hours ago, Cheeseburgh said:

I’m hoping by the time we decide we will have a vaccine or at least get this under control in the US. My family is in the US and I can’t imagine not being able to see them, although it’s really hard not seeing my stepsons and granddaughter!
I have visions of smuggling everyone over with us. Hide my son and I’ll refinish your sideboard, deal? 😎

DEAL! Lol

[Recidivist 1,141]

I'd like to ask fellow maintainers about fruit and vegetables in maintenance. I'm still pretty careful about my diet, which means prioritizing Protein and avoiding carbs, fat and sugar.

I love fruit and veggies but am still very careful with them as well. I eat green vegetables in limited amounts but avoid starchy ones (potatoes, squash, carrots, etc.). I also eat fruit in moderation but try to stick with berries and I particularly avoid bananas.

I do this in part so I don't fill up on "empty" calories and also because I'm worried about the carbs/sugars these foods may contain.

How do you all handle fruits and vegetables?

[Arabesque 7,240]

I can’t believe I forgot this thread. I found it last year ( well year before now) when I was still losing, I so could have used it this last 12 months.

It’s lovely there are many familiar faces here & though I know about a lot of your experiences, I’ve found reading about your specific issues & learnings about maintenance helpful & reassuring.

Some of the things that have resonated are:

Feeling like I’m eating all the time.

Eating to a routine not hunger cause I’m often not.

Finding the balance so I don’t lose more which I still struggle with. I’m going to get in trouble when I see my surgical team in a week & a half cause I’ve lost another kilo since my last appointment. That’s 11.5 down in 12 months. And no, eating Christmas cake, my steamed marmalade pudding & custard or champagne for days did not change my weight at all! Not even 100g.

The drinking eating balance. I find I sort of can drink green tea & eat my mid morning crackers together without much of an issue but I do this slowly over an hour. But at other times the least time between I can manage is 15 mins before or after & only sipping.

My restriction is still pretty active. I wrote briefly about this in an update earlier this week.

Being scared to put weight on again. Not just a kilo or two but 10+ Because I think if I put on that much, I’ll put on another 10 & another ... & I’ll be back where I started.

35 minutes ago, Recidivist said:

I'd like to ask fellow maintainers about fruit and vegetables in maintenance. I'm still pretty careful about my diet, which means prioritizing Protein and avoiding carbs, fat and sugar.

I love fruit and veggies but am still very careful with them as well. I eat green vegetables in limited amounts but avoid starchy ones (potatoes, squash, carrots, etc.). I also eat fruit in moderation but try to stick with berries and I particularly avoid bananas.

I do this in part so I don't fill up on "empty" calories and also because I'm worried about the carbs/sugars these foods may contain.

How do you all handle fruits and vegetables?

I’m still very careful about what I eat too (well 99% of the time). Avoiding as much sugar as I can, keeping to whole or multi grains, low fat. I regularly eat fruit & vegetables. Predominately green vegetables: Beans, sugar snap peas, asparagus, broccolini, lettuce - no starchy ones except the odd bit of carrot. I also have fruit twice a day: blue berries on my rolled oats & then apples, grapes, cherries, strawberries, lychees, mandarin, rockmelon, watermelon or paw paw at night after dinner.

I don’t consider them empty calories cause they’re full of essential Vitamins & minerals. I don’t take any vitamins or use supplements in my diet so it’s essential I get these in through the food I eat.

Yes, the fruit has sugar but it is naturally occurring & not added. I do suffer a little from hyperglycaemic so the sweetness in the fruit helps. Yes, they are carbs but again I look at them as a naturally occurring carb & they’re fibre rich not like processed carbs in bread & Pasta. We do need some carbs in our diet to help regulate our insulin, for energy, to keep us regular, etc.

[catwoman7 11,212]

29 minutes ago, Arabesque said:

I can’t believe I forgot this thread. I found it last year ( well year before now) when I was still losing, I so could have used it this last 12 months.

It’s lovely there are many familiar faces here & though I know about a lot of your experiences, I’ve found reading about your specific issues & learnings about maintenance helpful & reassuring.

Some of the things that have resonated are:

Feeling like I’m eating all the time.

Eating to a routine not hunger cause I’m often not.

Finding the balance so I don’t lose more which I still struggle with. I’m going to get in trouble when I see my surgical team in a week & a half cause I’ve lost another kilo since my last appointment. That’s 11.5 down in 12 months. And no, eating Christmas cake, my steamed marmalade pudding & custard or champagne for days did not change my weight at all! Not even 100g.

The drinking eating balance. I find I sort of can drink green tea & eat my mid morning crackers together without much of an issue but I do this slowly over an hour. But at other times the least time between I can manage is 15 mins before or after & only sipping.

My restriction is still pretty active. I wrote briefly about this in an update earlier this week.

Being scared to put weight on again. Not just a kilo or two but 10+ Because I think if I put on that much, I’ll put on another 10 & another ... & I’ll be back where I started.

I’m still very careful about what I eat too (well 99% of the time). Avoiding as much sugar as I can, keeping to whole or multi grains, low fat. I regularly eat fruit & vegetables. Predominately green vegetables: Beans, sugar snap peas, asparagus, broccolini, lettuce - no starchy ones except the odd bit of carrot. I also have fruit twice a day: blue berries on my rolled oats & then apples, grapes, cherries, strawberries, lychees, mandarin, rockmelon, watermelon or paw paw at night after dinner.

I don’t consider them empty calories cause they’re full of essential Vitamins & minerals. I don’t take any Vitamins or use supplements in my diet so it’s essential I get these in through the food I eat.

Yes, the fruit has sugar but it is naturally occurring & not added. I do suffer a little from hyperglycaemic so the sweetness in the fruit helps. Yes, they are carbs but again I look at them as a naturally occurring carb & they’re fibre rich not like processed carbs in bread & Pasta. We do need some carbs in our diet to help regulate our insulin, for energy, to keep us regular, etc.

I eat a couple of servings of fruit a day. I also eat vegetables - almost all of them. I rarely do potatoes, though - but I eat sweet potatoes (small ones) probably 2-3 times a week in fall & winter.

[AZhiker 2,252]

3 hours ago, Recidivist said:

I'd like to ask fellow maintainers about fruit and vegetables in maintenance. I'm still pretty careful about my diet, which means prioritizing Protein and avoiding carbs, fat and sugar.

I love fruit and veggies but am still very careful with them as well. I eat green vegetables in limited amounts but avoid starchy ones (potatoes, squash, carrots, etc.). I also eat fruit in moderation but try to stick with berries and I particularly avoid bananas.

I do this in part so I don't fill up on "empty" calories and also because I'm worried about the carbs/sugars these foods may contain.

How do you all handle fruits and vegetables?

Since I transitioned to a Whole Foods Plant Based diet a year ago, I have maintained my goal weight without difficulty, and I eat all I want, with no counting or measuring. The center of WFPB are fruits, and veggies of all kinds, including lots of the starchy ones like sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, etc. I eat apples, bananas, daily avocado, and all sorts of fruit, but no juice. Whole grains and legumes play a big role for Protein, along with nuts and seeds. There is no sugar, added oils, or processed foods. I easily get 60 gm of protein a day, and the ability to eat unlimited volumes of food is so satisfying and filling. I eat at least 10 servings of fruit and veggies daily, and get about 60-70 gram of Fiber a day, and this is one key for feeling full all the time. Anyway, I am healthy and strong and love not feeling enslaved to macros or calorie counting. This has given me so much freedom in my eating, and I know it is healthy and sustainable. Just food for thought.

[summerset 5,265]

5 hours ago, Recidivist said:

How do you all handle fruits and vegetables?

Bring 'em on!

[GreenTealael 25,336]

5 hours ago, Recidivist said:

I'd like to ask fellow maintainers about fruit and vegetables in maintenance. I'm still pretty careful about my diet, which means prioritizing Protein and avoiding carbs, fat and sugar.

I love fruit and veggies but am still very careful with them as well. I eat green vegetables in limited amounts but avoid starchy ones (potatoes, squash, carrots, etc.). I also eat fruit in moderation but try to stick with berries and I particularly avoid bananas.

I do this in part so I don't fill up on "empty" calories and also because I'm worried about the carbs/sugars these foods may contain.

How do you all handle fruits and vegetables?

I tend to eat a lot more vegetables than fruit (with the exception of dates, raisins, avocado and watermelon but even then it's seasonal)

I am not avoiding any vegetables except broccoli and cabbage which give me horrific gas and bloating. I also don't avoid legumes or starchy roots but I try to balance those by eating them with leafy greens.

I think that most non starchy vegetables are still fairly low calorie especially if you prepare them yourself and don't add much fat/sugar to them.

Most vegetables are a natural form of fiber which plays a crucial role in post bariatric surgery health, so I wouldn't necessarily call them "empty calories" as they can serve can serve a purpose plus if I'm being honest, I like the way they taste 😁

[Recidivist 1,141]

3 hours ago, AZhiker said:

Since I transitioned to a Whole Foods Plant Based diet a year ago, I have maintained my goal weight without difficulty, and I eat all I want, with no counting or measuring.

AZhiker, I'm intrigued by the Whole Foods Plant diet. Do you have a link to site where I could learn more about it?

[AZhiker 2,252]

12 hours ago, Recidivist said:

AZhiker, I'm intrigued by the Whole Foods Plant diet. Do you have a link to site where I could learn more about it?

There are tons of resources, but to start, please watch 3 documentaries: "The Game Changers," "Forks Over Knives," and "What the Health."

There is so much information in these, that I have actually watched them several times each, as well as reading the books of the sources. Forks Over Knives magazine comes out quarterly and is packed with great recipes. You can also get on their email list and get good recipes as well. Many are total hits with my non vegan family.

I can personally tell you that the claims made are true. Even a year after reaching my goal weight, my cholesterol was still 225-235. I attributed it to genetics. After going plant based for only a couple of months, my cholesterol dropped to 150! My triglycerides and LDL are off the charts on the LOW side now! I feel great, have better mental acuity, and the best thing is that I can eat all I want. It is such a natural, healthy way to eat and the numbers show it. Oh yes, I found that soreness after exercise is non existent. I can exercise very hard and never feel sore or like I need a recovery time. This has to do with blood supply and inflammation in the vessels of the muscles. It's pretty amazing.

Edited January 1, 2021 by AZhiker

[AZhiker 2,252]

19 hours ago, Recidivist said:

I do this in part so I don't fill up on "empty" calories and also because I'm worried about the carbs/sugars these foods may contain.

How do you all handle fruits and vegetables?

Fruits and veggies are not "empty" calories - they are loaded with Vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that are essential for good health. How do I handle them? With at least 10 servings a day, including the starchy ones!