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GBLady41 reacted to ms.sss in Please Eat
I think it all comes down to what YOU are comfortable with and what YOU are willing to do, and whether or not you are comfortable if these two things don't line up.
If you are comfortable with a lower/higher/"normal" weight, and can live contentedly with what you have to do to maintain it (and have no adverse physical or mental effects), then who is to say you are eating too little/too much/too varied/not varied enough?
Its when one's way of life is giving one grief/anxiety/dissatisfaction/health issues that I would think one would need to re-evaluate both their efforts and their expectations, either on one's own, or with some professional help.
I can appreciate how Creek's post may apply to many, but definitely not all. And I will give the benefit of the doubt that this post is directed to those who ARE having issues with adhering to plan and are beating themselves up over it, trying to fit themselves into a VLCD or similar that just is not working for them, and NOT the ones who find success in it.
P.S. I went sub-800 cals my entire weight loss phase and came out the other side pretty good (so far)
As far as I can remember, I did not experience feelings of starvation, deprivation, nor intense fomo, I did not have anxiety nor fear spirals, get depressed nor changed my social habits...unless you count going out MORE. I did not stall, if looking at results weekly. I had what I considered ridiculous amounts of energy (sorta still do).
From what I can tell, my metabolism is serving me very well, my last bone density scan this past November was actually better than my baseline taken 1 mnth post-op, my doc has zero concerns about my lab results.
Will I be able to maintain this current lifestyle? Who really knows. But its working for me. Today. Just as what I was doing during weight loss phase was working for me. Back then. If/when it is no longer working, it's my hope that I will adjust accordingly, or at least accept a new normal. Nothing is forever.
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GBLady41 reacted to BayouTiger in Please Eat
This was my whole point about including the excerpt about me being previously anorexic. It’s NOT a sustainable thing, and yeah I was 96 lbs for 3 years surviving on 148 calories a day as a 3 sport athlete... but I ended up at 263 pre-sx... so it doesn’t work and it IS counterproductive in the end and long run... me, case in point!
I just don’t see 800-1000 calories as “starving yourself” if you’re getting the right macros. Perhaps it’s the warped mind from when I was younger and actually living through (intentional) starvation. But I think it’s super important that even if not a medical professional, in ALL medical instances that we focus on the individual PT and their unique makeup and PMH, and not generalizations or broad spectrums, to provide the best care and treatment.
@Jaelzion well said about the speed of loss not being important, I learned a lesson in that this week. Had a -25 month, a -38 month, and then I gained 4 lbs in my last 21 days. Was losing at a very very very molasses-in-July type pace. Now it’s coming back off, but in like 1/4 lb increments. So I have had to tell myself it will happen, be patient, keep following your plan, drinking Fluid, and taking vitamins!!!
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GBLady41 reacted to Jaelzion in Please Eat
Well said.
I also generally agree with your overall point @Creekimp13. Self-starvation is harmful, non-sustainable and counter-productive in the end. And my experience taught me that SPEED of loss is not as important as continuing to lose. It took me almost two years to reach goal and toward the end I was losing only about 1-2 pounds per month. But even that slow loss adds up over time and I got where I wanted to be!
But as @BayouTiger said, we really are all different. For instance, you said:
This may often be true, but I am currently in maintenance and eating about 1000 calories per day. I'm not restricting myself to that number, I eat about six mini-meals per day and plus small Snacks whenever I am hungry. And I am exactly maintaining on that intake (besides normal fluctuations). I track my food pretty carefully, so my calories counts tend to be pretty precise. Some days I may have what I call a "munchie" day and eat more - I don't fight it. Some days I'm uninterested in food for some reason and I'll eat less - I don't force it (besides trying to hit my Protein goal). But it averages to about 1000 calories per day. I'm short at 5'1", I've lost more than half my body weight, and I'm guessing I have a fairly low BMR.
So the assumption that everyone eating 1000 calories a day or less is crash dieting for quick results is not always valid. As @BayouTiger said, I know your heart is in the right place and someone out there probably needs to read what you wrote. But you can't lump everyone together.
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GBLady41 reacted to BayouTiger in Please Eat
Had to quote this ^^^ because my cell bio studying butt REALLY appreciated the shoutout to the metabolic processes!!
Long: Just to add. Quite a few peoples nutritionists, surgeons and PA’s programs are VLCDs. Atleast for the first 6 months. Mine doesn’t have me going over 1100 til June. I have a biology degree with a chem minor, so I truly get nutrition stuff. However... If it’s recommended by the team, who am I to say no, you’re wrong, I need to be eating more... To a surgeon who’s been doing bariatric surgeries since they were invented, and a nutritionist with a masters in dietetics from Vanderbilt... I get where you’re coming from, I really do. And I think you’re coming from a very sincere and concerned place. But from a purely scientific standpoint we are all different. And we cannot be treated as a one size fits all. There are people with diabetes, cancer, chronic pain, mental illness, etc. who go through these surgeries and lifestyle changes. All of those pts need to be mapped out differently based on THEM and their past medical history and their familial history. Our metabolic rates, our sugars, body fat, all the stuff that people want a “baseline” for, really don’t have a true baseline. Because it’s not one size fits all. It’s never a one size fits all. What might help you lose weight might make me gain it. What is too much body fat on you might be too little on me.
If it’s going lower on Cals and carbs to lose or jumpstart, I don’t see that as such a negative thing like you’re portraying. You don’t have to restrict to something absurd like 500 cals, but dropping your daily calories by a few hundred for a short period of time is proven to be a huge factor in re-jumpstarting your weight loss.
There’s a distinct difference between starving yourself and not eating a lot. I was a dx disordered eater when I was a teenager. I know what not eating is. And (I’m gonna use me as an example but I know there are plenty more, but want to only speak for myself) the 750-900 calories I’m getting a day is a heck of a lot more helpful and nourishing than a single low fat string cheese wrapped in a piece of ham and one blue Gatorade per day for 2.5 years. And I am eating 750+ calories of sustainable, clean, organic veggies and lean meats/seafoods with no additives or anything fake—very sustainable over time. Was being anorexic healthy? Absolutely not. Not advocating for that but rather in the opposite direction. You need to eat, but the devil is in the details with each pt and not in the broad “calorie range” scope. I see a very big difference in starving yourself and not eating much because of that previous experience.
Just my .02$... Like I said, I really enjoyed the post, I just have a hard time even thinking about telling my doctors and team they’re wrong with giving me the diet they have me on, when this is the plan that’s been laid out for me, and many others as well. And they’re professionals. I mean, I paid almost $28K for this surgery (thanks no insurance and 4 days in the hospital), I’ve got to be able to trust that what my team is doing is to help and not harm me. And that they wouldn’t put me on a plan that will ruin my metabolism and make me unable to lose properly and gain back ridiculously. And that’s where these posts get harmful. Because they can have people doubting the road they’re on. I know for a fact it freaked me out good and well.
We are all on the same, but separate journeys. I have to remind myself of that daily. You’re a good person Creekimp and very very knowledgeable. I honestly learn something new every time you post. I hope you dont take this as hostility but rather as an open dialogue as you are a vet; and I’m 2 mos post op with a medical profession and bio degree so I only know what I know from that. I promise I’m not being contentious but I know online tone and inflection aren’t always picked up and seen!!
Also, how do you force yourself to eat that much in a day. I eat 6 “meals” a day and have to literally force myself to eat to almost misery each time to meet my goals. Do I need to add more fat or something to increase the caloric value of my food? !
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GBLady41 reacted to sillykitty in Please Eat
@Creekimp13
You don't like it when your choices are judged and criticized, but seem prone to chastise others.
There are many (some?) vets or semi-vets here on this board. We have all successfully lost and maintained. But we have taken different paths. Of course we have our biases that our approach is the best one. But the truth is it's just what worked for us individually, we don't know if it would work for someone else. We also can't be sure if it will continue to work even for us next week or next year.
Can't we just share our experiences without telling others they're doing it wrong?
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GBLady41 got a reaction from perfectlyimperfect44 in "Head Hunger"
I'm sorry but when you're losing weight, your body is not hungry. You're losing weight because your body is using the energy and calories you take in and getting rid of what you don't need. Nine times out of ten, you are NOT actually hungry. It's head hunger. Weight loss surgery gives us all a chance to relearn our bodies and the difference between actual hunger and head hunger, between what our bodies need and what our brains crave. The truth is that our head does indeed play tricks on us, if we let it. We don't need 1000 calories to survive. It's not about calories, it's about energy, eating the food that actually fuels us, and knowing the difference.
Now some of us don't actually get hungry but we deal with head hunger, which has nothing to do with nourishing our bodies. It's to fill the chemical need of our brains. That's the truth. Get the necessary Protein. Get the fluids. Understand we need less "calories" than we think. Don't count calories. Count nutrients. Be victorious!!
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GBLady41 got a reaction from kunkelgw in "Head Hunger"
Elimination of emotional eating is very possible. Has nothing to do with wet dreams. Thanks. Since I don't get hungry, I only deal with emotional eating. At the end of the day, it's a choice. Either I emotionally eat or I don't. No spell involved. I'm in control. I'm dealing with the underlying reasons why I feel the need to emotionally eat. And as I deal with that, I say no now. I drink more water/fluids.
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GBLady41 got a reaction from kunkelgw in "Head Hunger"
It's about the type of calories. Not all calories have the same energy or benefit our bodies the same way. That's what I meant by that, which is pretty self-explanatory. chips don't give the same amount of energy as Protein does. And depending on the protein, you can intake less calories eating protein than you would eating chips. More energy. Less calories.
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GBLady41 got a reaction from perfectlyimperfect44 in "Head Hunger"
I'm sorry but when you're losing weight, your body is not hungry. You're losing weight because your body is using the energy and calories you take in and getting rid of what you don't need. Nine times out of ten, you are NOT actually hungry. It's head hunger. Weight loss surgery gives us all a chance to relearn our bodies and the difference between actual hunger and head hunger, between what our bodies need and what our brains crave. The truth is that our head does indeed play tricks on us, if we let it. We don't need 1000 calories to survive. It's not about calories, it's about energy, eating the food that actually fuels us, and knowing the difference.
Now some of us don't actually get hungry but we deal with head hunger, which has nothing to do with nourishing our bodies. It's to fill the chemical need of our brains. That's the truth. Get the necessary Protein. Get the fluids. Understand we need less "calories" than we think. Don't count calories. Count nutrients. Be victorious!!
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GBLady41 got a reaction from kunkelgw in "Head Hunger"
Elimination of emotional eating is very possible. Has nothing to do with wet dreams. Thanks. Since I don't get hungry, I only deal with emotional eating. At the end of the day, it's a choice. Either I emotionally eat or I don't. No spell involved. I'm in control. I'm dealing with the underlying reasons why I feel the need to emotionally eat. And as I deal with that, I say no now. I drink more water/fluids.
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GBLady41 got a reaction from kunkelgw in "Head Hunger"
It's about the type of calories. Not all calories have the same energy or benefit our bodies the same way. That's what I meant by that, which is pretty self-explanatory. chips don't give the same amount of energy as Protein does. And depending on the protein, you can intake less calories eating protein than you would eating chips. More energy. Less calories.
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GBLady41 got a reaction from perfectlyimperfect44 in "Head Hunger"
I'm sorry but when you're losing weight, your body is not hungry. You're losing weight because your body is using the energy and calories you take in and getting rid of what you don't need. Nine times out of ten, you are NOT actually hungry. It's head hunger. Weight loss surgery gives us all a chance to relearn our bodies and the difference between actual hunger and head hunger, between what our bodies need and what our brains crave. The truth is that our head does indeed play tricks on us, if we let it. We don't need 1000 calories to survive. It's not about calories, it's about energy, eating the food that actually fuels us, and knowing the difference.
Now some of us don't actually get hungry but we deal with head hunger, which has nothing to do with nourishing our bodies. It's to fill the chemical need of our brains. That's the truth. Get the necessary Protein. Get the fluids. Understand we need less "calories" than we think. Don't count calories. Count nutrients. Be victorious!!
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GBLady41 reacted to Hop_Scotch in "Head Hunger"
Hopefully the links below will help some people differentiate between physical and head hunger. I don't know about anyone else but in the early stages of post op, it was difficult to know when I was genuinely hungry as none of the usual clues were there. Only way I knew if I had gone too long between eating was due to hand tremors.
I am nearly a year out and still do not get any physical hunger cues as yet, but I do get head hunger cues, and its like they say in the links below, those head hunger cues are for chips, lollies, icecreams. I do lots of distracting myself: reading, going for a walk, going to the gym, chatting with a friend, play games, do puzzles. The longer I distract myself and don't give in to head hunger cues, the less frequent they are. If I give in (which occasionally I do), those head hunger cues come back in full force...until once again I get into distraction mode. I am getting better at ignoring the cues which for me works best, as I am an all or nothing person. I don't moderate well at all, just having a little bit doesn't ever work for me, one little bit mostly leads to all of it.
https://www.stlukesonline.org/health-services/health-information/health-topics/head-hunger-after-weight-loss-surgery#:~:text=Head hunger is about eating,are “above the neck.”
https://primesurgicare.com/head-hunger-vs-belly-hunger-difference/
https://www.streamline-surgical.com/2017/02/dealing-head-hunger-bariatric-surgery/
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GBLady41 reacted to BigSue in "Head Hunger"
Have you watched any of Dr. Weiner's videos on YouTube? He's a bariatric surgeon who has a lot of great videos, but he said something about head hunger in one of his videos (can't remember which one now) that really bugged me. He basically said that "stomach growling" hunger feeling is just head hunger, and I was like, "B.S.!"
I am so thankful that my surgery has almost completely eliminated my hunger (so far... I know my hunger will probably return eventually). Before surgery, I felt like my stomach was a bottomless pit, and I could eat huge quantities of food and still be hungry. I tried waiting after I ate since we're always told it takes time for satiety to set in, and nope -- I would just keep getting hungrier. There were so many times that I didn't WANT to eat any more, but I was just so hungry. Sometimes I couldn't sleep because of hunger and I had to eat more just so I could sleep. And I am quite sure that this was real, physical hunger and not just in my head.
My personal theory is that this is one of the factors that makes it more difficult for some people to lose or manage their weight. I truly believe that some people are just hungrier than others, or maybe we feel hunger more strongly -- kind of like a pain threshold. People who don't have that extreme hunger can't understand why it's not as easy as it sounds to "just eat less."
Now, I will also admit to having head hunger -- eating out of boredom or habit, or because something looks delicious and I want to taste it, or I'm eating something so delicious that I want to keep eating more of it, or to treat myself to something I've been looking forward to eating -- and I still experience that sometimes. I still have times when I see something I want to eat really badly even though I know that I'm not hungry. But it is a heck of a lot easier to resist when I'm not actually, physically hungry.
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GBLady41 got a reaction from perfectlyimperfect44 in "Head Hunger"
I'm sorry but when you're losing weight, your body is not hungry. You're losing weight because your body is using the energy and calories you take in and getting rid of what you don't need. Nine times out of ten, you are NOT actually hungry. It's head hunger. Weight loss surgery gives us all a chance to relearn our bodies and the difference between actual hunger and head hunger, between what our bodies need and what our brains crave. The truth is that our head does indeed play tricks on us, if we let it. We don't need 1000 calories to survive. It's not about calories, it's about energy, eating the food that actually fuels us, and knowing the difference.
Now some of us don't actually get hungry but we deal with head hunger, which has nothing to do with nourishing our bodies. It's to fill the chemical need of our brains. That's the truth. Get the necessary Protein. Get the fluids. Understand we need less "calories" than we think. Don't count calories. Count nutrients. Be victorious!!
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GBLady41 got a reaction from perfectlyimperfect44 in "Head Hunger"
I'm sorry but when you're losing weight, your body is not hungry. You're losing weight because your body is using the energy and calories you take in and getting rid of what you don't need. Nine times out of ten, you are NOT actually hungry. It's head hunger. Weight loss surgery gives us all a chance to relearn our bodies and the difference between actual hunger and head hunger, between what our bodies need and what our brains crave. The truth is that our head does indeed play tricks on us, if we let it. We don't need 1000 calories to survive. It's not about calories, it's about energy, eating the food that actually fuels us, and knowing the difference.
Now some of us don't actually get hungry but we deal with head hunger, which has nothing to do with nourishing our bodies. It's to fill the chemical need of our brains. That's the truth. Get the necessary Protein. Get the fluids. Understand we need less "calories" than we think. Don't count calories. Count nutrients. Be victorious!!
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GBLady41 reacted to sdjohnson7 in Scale Torture
I weigh myself once a week in the morning..same time.
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GBLady41 reacted to loridee11 in Scale Torture
As others have said, it's very common to weigh more in the evening then in the morning. I would pick 1 time of day and stick to it. For me, I weigh Saturday mornings before I have anything to eat and drink so the trend should be fairly accurate. Of course, weight still fluctuates throughout the month as well....
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GBLady41 reacted to Sammi_Katt in Scale Torture
I weigh myself the same time every Monday morning, wearing nothing but my own skin. You can *very* easily get obsessed with the scale, and it fluctuates so much during the day. It's best to do first thing in the morning. Try not to fixate on it, if you can? You're doing really well, and the scale number is just a number.
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GBLady41 reacted to Starwarsandcupcakes in Scale Torture
Weight can fluctuate up to +/-10lbs a day based on hormones, food, Water intake, exercise, and time of day. I wouldn’t worry about it so much. I’m terrible at stepping on a scale more than I should but I don’t let it control how I’m feeling or hinder my progress.
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GBLady41 reacted to kellym1220 in Scale Torture
I always weigh myself in the buff, first thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom. Almost the same time everyday to eliminate food, Water, exercise, etc. fluctuations. Good luck!!
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GBLady41 reacted to Tracyringo in Weight gain.....
So true !! I also put on weight. From Feb to May 1st I gained 15 or 16 lbs. Then on May 1st I decided it was enough and went back to eating the way we are taught. About 2 weeks later I got the call that my revision to bypass was scheduled. In 3 weeks I lost 6 lbs and have taken the rest off since the bypass. It is much better to get on the horse with a 10 to 20 lb gain then that 50 lbs like you said.
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GBLady41 reacted to ms.sss in Weight gain.....
Well, I think in some aspects the metal thing comes into play. Living in a drastically changed environment so quickly can do a number on you. Anxiety, depression, boredom, etc. 24-access to both your fridge and your TV/couch, for those with small kids, the lack of non-kid time to do anything else, wariness of going outside for walks/runs, etc...
In my own personal experience, I gained 6 lbs around Feb-March. Reasons? It was probably a combination of laziness and boredom, as well as slacking on weighing and tracking food and exercising. Is it a coincidence that the weight gain coincided with the beginnings of COVID? Maybe, maybe not. I had to refocus and get back to my "regular" habits and with some dedicated effort, I got rid of those effing 6 lbs. For some, given whatever circumstances they find themselves in, it may be more difficult for them. Just like before WLS, people would question why did we gain so much weight? Why do you even need WLS? Can't you just diet and exercise?
Same questioning, just different circumstances.
So for all those out there who are finding themselves with the COVID-19-lbs-weight-gain, try as best as you are able to get back to what you were doing when you were successfully losing weight. You did it before, you can totally do it again. Addressing a 10-20 lbs weight gain now is alot more manageable than 50 later.
Good Luck everyone, and stay safe ❤️
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GBLady41 got a reaction from Tralynn222 in How is MGB different to RNY help
Actually, it is not a sleeve. The acids do not meet the food until after the food has made it some way down the small intestine, just like the RNY. The pouch is very similar to the pouch that is with the RNY. Both pouches will only allow 2 to 4 oz of food or liquid at a time, right after surgery. It is the same malabsorption as with the RNY. The MGB is considered to be less chance of complications, less than the RNY. Weight loss is better than with a sleeve and comparable to the RNY. An experienced surgeon can do the MGB in a way that eliminates the chance for bike reflux. MGB takes care of acid reflux like the RNY. Some bariatric surgeons suggest that the MGB is better than the RNY in pretty much every way.
So people choose MGB over RNY because it is just as effective and safer. People choose MGB over sleeve because of the malabsorption and because it can get rid of acid reflux issues.
I answered the question of malabsorption and the need for Vitamins in my first post. As far as weight loss, it is comparable to the RNY. Both the MGB and the RNY cause more weight loss than the sleeve.
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GBLady41 got a reaction from Tralynn222 in How is MGB different to RNY help
Hi Mikeyy,
The MGB and the RNY are different in that the MGB only has one joining, or anastomosis, not two joinings (anastomoses) as with the RNY. Because both are bypassing feet of the small intestine, they are both malabsorption surgeries. And the malabsorption is the same for both.
Here is a demonstration of the MGB:
Here is a demonstration of the RNY:
Hope this helps!