summerset

It took awhile for that worry to go away. I needed proof that I don't need to adhere to e. g. tracking and daily/weekly weighing to prevent weight gain but once I had proof... well, life feels more relaxed in the food/weight/exercise section. It's actually quite nice not to worry about how many calories you might burn when doing yoga or going out for a bike ride. Not having a bad conscience when eating certain foods because they're "bad" or skipping an exercise session because you feel like collapsing at your door after a hard work day and not calculating how much you're "allowed" to eat for dinner now because you didn't work out - this is priceless and liberating. But it is and it was to be expected.

This. And what's very interesting is: other users applaud them on their behavior, even envy them.

Then why not try to do what they do? Watch them, learn from them, ask questions. However, it might (or might not) take a leap of faith to let go of old boundaries. What do you mean by "effortlessly" exactly? I think that people have a different understanding of that word and it's also quite different what people view as "an effort".

I personally think living or not living on 500-600 or 800 cals for a prolonged period of time has a major impact on how much you can eat in maintenance without gaining. All the crash diets involving reducing calories to this level make people gain back in the end (or so we were told, right?) but with WLS everything is supposed to be different then? Sure, there are metabolic changes that come with surgery that seem to at least partly prevent that infamous drop in metabolism when losing weight but do they reach as far as completely cancelling out metabolic changes that come with extremely low calorie dieting? I somehow doubt it because if things are too good to be true, they probably are. So in the end people are in the same trap they know only too well and that comes with low calorie dieting, WLS or not. The worst thing about this is: too many WLS teams seem to encourage exactly this restrictive low calorie dieting!

I'm not really sure how to interpret the words I made bold in the quote. Do you want to be maintenance as "natural" as possible or are you looking for ways to view "being strict" as a normal part of everyday life? If it's the later you can save your time and stop reading here. --- I personally think to maintain effortlessly (though I think "effortlessly" means something different for different people) you have to learn to ride certain dragons instead of trying to avoid them. You also have to find a lifestyle you can maintain without much hassle. You, not your neighbor, your colleague, Aunt Ruthie or the Instagram ab-girl that posts about a dozen selfies and food pics per hour so giving tips feels always a bit weird to me. You also need to be (emotionally) flexible enough to suit your needs in different situations, e. g. ideally you respond to phases of lower physical activity with less appetite, e. g. you usually ride your bike to work but during a few weeks in winter it would be too dangerous because of slippery roads and you go by train or car during these weeks. Are you willing to accept a temporary slight weight gain or do you want to seriously interfere with your eating habits and/or up your non-NEAT exercise? Learn to let go of the "tracking". How many thin people do you know in your life who give a flying f*ck about "tracking"? The only people I know who care about tracking calories and burnt calories are people who try to lose weight. You aren't. You want to maintain the status quo. Ask yourself who you want to be. "The WLS patient"? "The formerly obese person?", "The person who doesn't want to be obsessed with this stuff anymore"?, "The health and exercise nut who gets a nervous breakdown every time something interferes with her food or training schedule"? And then act on it.

When it's about non-perishable food items (or something that freezes well) I buy/make enough for us both as well. Learnt that lesson a looooooooong time ago.

Dudes, I'm glad I live lone during the week and have to deal with a husband on weekends only. me: "I'm going to the store - do you want me to buy anything special you want to eat? If so, please put it on "Bring!" so I don't forget." him: "No no, nothing special, just buy what you usually buy. It's fine." (after he arrives at my place on Saturday) him: "Did you buy [whatever food] by any chance?" me: "No, I asked if you wanted anything in particular and you said no." --- A typical variation goes like this: me: "I'm going to buy [whatever costly perishable food he also loves but is inconsistent in wanting it] - do I need to buy enough for you and me or not? Because you know if I buy enough for both of us and you don't want any of it like the last time I have to through the rest out in the end." him: "Nah, I don't want any. Just buy enough for yourself." me: "Ok... Are you sure? Like - really sure you don't want some?" him: "Yes, yes." (after he arrives at my place the next day) him: "Oh, let me have some of this! It looks really good!" me: *explodes*

Of course not because it's bollocks. I was on insulin shots several times a day and I don't need to take any meds since years and yes - I eat carbohydrates (and I don't count them). Real weight gain or the bit of water weight people gain once they introduce more carbohydrates? If the weight gain is real she's gained because her calorie intake is higher than it should be not because she ate "carbs". <rant>People complain that they gain weight every time they eat "carbs". However, it seems that they simply add the carbohydrates on top of what they're already eating. Of course this behavior makes you gain weight - you eat more calories than you're used to.</rant>

Appetite and hunger are two different things. I'm rarely hungry (I have an MGB), but appetite - that's another story.

Yes, it showed that you liked the post. Thanks.

I can see that you quoted my posts in my notifications but I can't see who exactly liked one of my posts, only that someone "reacted to my posts". Looks like this:

I can see that you quoted my posts in my notifications but I can't see who exactly liked one of my posts, only that someone "reacted to my posts". Hm.

Cool. Coffee is the winner! (Not that I'm drinking too much of that stuff or something...)

I'm asking because it doesn't seem to work.

Hopefully you can stick with approach. Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think "eating what you really want" doesn't mean stuffing your face with junk food until you pass out every single day of your life. I personally think it takes a lot of willpower and stamina and faith in yourself and in the process and approach so you don't get sucked back into the I'm-a-hopeless-food-addict-and-need-to-be-abstintent-for-the-rest-of-my-life world. This is especially hard in the WLS community, at least in one where so many people are immediately or only a few months post-op.

Not for "whatever reason". There seems to be a specific reason when you have chosen to believe into the approach that there aren't foods that are forbidden and need to be avoided at all costs: the sweets are "allowed" now. That's the reason you don't crave them as you used to. This "they're allowed now" makes the sweets less interesting. They're just a food now you can have any single day if you want to. And since the sweets are only for you and you don't have to worry about that they won't be there anymore the minute you really want them there is also no longer the need to "eat them while you still can". People who experimented with the "intuitive eating" approach are most likely familiar with this effect. It's a very pleasant one. I personally think this approach takes a lot of courage. However, I also firmly believe it's the most rewarding one in the long run.

So you're suppose to see now who's liked your posts instead of getting the "somebody reacted to your post"?

All drugs have possible negative side-effects after all. I'd love to get rid of these PPIs as well.

I use the reminder app that came with my iPhone.

And in what way exactly does this detailed information about your daily carbohydrate intake refer to my post about the insulin index? Did you quote it by accident?

This. It's not only the sweet and sugary stuff. People avoid all carbohydrates like the plague because of "the insulin spike" and yet ignore the fact that not only carbohydrates raise insulin levels. A look at the insulin index might be both interesting and eye opening.

We were told that it depends on personal needs. The standard recommendation was three meals and an afternoon snack and not to eat 2 hours before going to bed. However, when you're quite active you might be in need of a fifth and sixth meal.

People don't need to provide anything on an internet board. They can make a claim and that's it. It's your choice if you believe them or not. Of course I prefer getting the source of the claim delivered for free as well, but I don't expect it and I certainly don't demand it. I've read articles about artificial sweeteners as well and decided that I don't want to ingest cyclamate or aspartame. I also don't want to follow the diet so many users on here seem to follow - because I think it's a disease promoting diet and that there's more to nutrition than "lean animal protein", "drink your water" and "take your vitamins and minerals". There it is - I have made a claim and I'm too lazy to search again for stuff I've read e. g. months ago in books, journals or in various single papers. Do I care if you believe me? TBH, not really. We're all grown ups here. If you're interested in the topic - do your own research. BTW, I would do my own research anyway because people tend to post only the sources that back up their claim (I'm not an exception to that of course) so screaming for "evidence" might be a more or less effective strategy to shut up your opponent in a discussion but it doesn't really serve your own decision making.

Looks kind of interesting.

So your dilemma is that on the one hand you want to overcome your fear of food but on the other hand you're using your fear of food as a strategy to control your weight and food intake?