FluffyChix

When in doubt, MOM. Sometimes poo backs up and causes cramping, nausea, and vomiting. It gets stuck or partially obstructed.

When in doubt, MOM. Sometimes poo backs up and causes cramping, nausea, and vomiting. It gets stuck or partially obstructed.

Happy Birthday!!!!!

I'd follow her plan. She wants to know if your body can "naturally" slow down at the 1200cals per day. At 5'5" you are only at the very beginning end of normal. You're still losing at that rate cuz you have extra fat to lose. Your body should theoretically start slowing down when it's nearing a set point. For a lot of us that appears to be somewhere between 19-21% fat. The loss should crawl to a stall. Add too many cals back, then you are artificially maintaining at a weight your body doesn't really want to support. If you are in the normal BMI category (not an athlete, not power lifting, not endurance training, not overly muscular, aren't "big boned", etc...you know, just average, then this chart can apply to you.) Don't fear too much weight loss. Believe me. Most of us are CHAMPIONSHIP level weight gainers. If you lose more than 10lbs, then that's your cue to call her and ask for her orders at that point. But she knows you have a ton of wiggle room. If it were me, I'd want to be closer to 130lbs and that's likely where your body is gonna stop losing. Just my 2 cents.

Think of the big payout. The big picture. Makes it a little easier. And the drugs they give you are not really "huge" in the lights out category. I didn't take much more than tylenol when I got out, except I did take it at night. So you're pretty aware of it all.

OMG. I know, right? LOL. But every time I start to deep dive into "mental" about it, I actually think of you and also think of @proud grammy and @BigViffer and some of the other vets here who have or had regains that they just pretty concisely "dealt with" and it gives me hope and encourages me about what the future holds!!! Thank you for staying here and being part of this group, cuz we're all enriched by your perspective, experience, and through your actions!! I am pretty sure my fear still exists lol and I'm not in a state of "healthy level" about regain. But I think on a sliding scale, I'm much better. So doing the head work has helped me more than it's probably helping anyone else. Part of it is I'm a nutrition nut nerd and love reading about the physiology, biology, biochemistry and neuropschiatric/behavioral side of obesity. And huge cudos and congrats on getting to the point you are at!! So inspiring!!!

Yay!!!! Congrats.

Vent away. It's a right of passage. Totally sucks big ones. But gosh, aren't you glad you are going through the "keto flu" now instead of during surgery recovery? That would totally stink!

Yeppers! We are from France. (TY Coneheads)

I should add, this loss of appetite can also become strangely compelling--at times, addicting. Because, it's usually accompanied not only with loss of appetite, but generally with a sense of well-being and high energy.

This a thousand percent. I never did "maintenance" cuz I never in my life hit goal. So I too never let my brain go there. Even while I was LC for most of the last 20 years, I was still mentally in WLM. I ALWAYS was losing. Even now, I don't know if I can declare that my plan is maintenance. It is more like a stair-steppy spikey "precipice" based on weekend food behaviors coupled with compensatory "fasting" or lean days where I go back into WLM to lose the weekend bloat. I honestly don't know if that's "jacked" thinking/behavior or if it's what skinny bi*ches the world over do every day of their lives. I suspect most skinny people naturally do this--have feast and famine days during each week. Or feast and famine meals within a single day.

This so much! It's a total head trip--even more than the WLM (IMHO). And we each evolve at our own pace. No rights or wrongs about it!

I'm taking a couple weeks off of IF. Just taking a break from it. I'm still doing "lean days" at the beginning of the week. And more lenient eating at the end of the week. Kinda going back to basic clean eating. Having morning lattes and eat my first meal around 10-11am. So very loose TRE. I weigh 131.6 today.

But you are not only doing TRE. You are also doing calorie restriction whether intended or not. The results are the same. Loss of appetite and eating less. It comes from being in deep ketosis. It takes your appetite away.

Hey there, glad to see you! Congrats on 3 successful years. I know you feel like you don't need this. But between years 3-5 is kind of like a "witching time" where you can suddenly start to gain for no good reason. Please consider staying with your doc on your scheduled plan. If for no other reason than to check your vitamin levels so you stay healthy long term. It can take around 3-5 years for vitamin and nutritional deficiencies to show up. No lie. Your health is worth it and in the long term it might turn out to be the smartest decision you've ever made. Wish you'd stick around and post. Sorry to hear of your BIL. Cool car, though! Yay, you!!

Welcome and start here. This is normal behavior. I think we probably all went through it to some degree. I'm still afraid of "failing WLS" lol. But a little "Fear of the Lord" isn't bad, is it? Keeps us on the right path. Right? We have a problem that is recognized as a disease by the AMA. Insurance companies are allowed to reimburse for the treatment of this disease. It's multi-variate and has many causes--not least of part of it for many is behavioral, emotional, and habitual. Most doctors involved in bariatrics concede that once you get to the point of being morbidly obese, there is little chance of having long-term complete weight loss and maintenance at a low set point. The surgery offers a real opportunity for a metabolic reset (hormonally). It allows our body/mind to defend a lower set-point, allowing us to lose more weight without the brain thinking that we are starving ourselves. And once lost, provided we continue with healthy food choices/behaviors, the new brain will allow us to defend and maintain the lower weight without sending out extra doses of hunger hormones and insulin to send us back into a state of metabolic derangement. That's what happens in a normal diet-loss-regain cycle. We lose x, then our brain gets wind that we are starving and so it sends our neuro and gut hormones into overdrive to cue the eating machine. Meanwhile, most of us will have decreased our metabolism by 10-20% because of said diet and calorie restriction...so it's a perilous sword. This is as much weight maintenance surgery as it is WLS. And I choose to not be embarrassed cuz I needed to have a surgical correction for a medical disease. Just as I would not be embarrassed to have to have a cardiac stent placed if I had CHD. That's a disease too. Nor would I be embarrassed if my appendix needed to come out because of infection... See what I mean?

Yes, indeedy, mam! I use a scale set to grams. Then I place(d) my measuring cup on it and tare it. I use the appropriate cup for my stage. At your stage I think I was at 1/4-1/2 cup by volume. And I start weighing things into the measuring cup. When it's full, that's it. That's all I get. 1oz of lean, dense protein like ground turkey, diced chicken, beef, or pork occupies 1/4 cup or close to it. So in the early days, you may only be able to handle protein at each meal. You may be eating every 2 hours even. I was able to do protein and was "lucky" in that, I could handle a 1/2oz avocado and 1/2 grape tomatoes as slider food at the end. I still lost with it and it allowed me more meal satisfaction.

Wednesday, Oct. 16 Maintenance: CW 132.0lbs/56y/F B-3 protein lattes (4oz Premier Protein) B2-egg puff (egg whites, JD turkey sausage crumbles, crimini mush, power greens, garlic, o/c/rbp, ps mozzarella, sontava) L-chicken salad lettuce cup + baby carrots + cucumbers D-turkey meatloaf + smashed roasted cauliflower + broccoli BS-sf popsicle Daily Totals: No idea--haven't logged them yet.

One word: Meatlube aka gravy and sauces. If you have issues getting meat to move quietly through your pouch, it can really help! ((hugs))

Lamb fat is or can be very gamey. So I use cuts that don't have a lot of fat attached to it. Like the sirloin chops or lollipop chops make a better lamb gateway choice. But those look beautiful!!

Congrats on your loss!!! Stalls are so frustrating. Wish I had good advice!

Hahaha. Do you want outliers or only those maintainers who fit a certain group of specifics?

Rick, I love this answer and this video! Dr. W. has helped me soooo much to be able to understand and not be fearful and to "use my power aka pouch" for good rather than "evil." haha (And yes, I'm low carb and don't eat beans/lentils etc...but I actually do get in close to a pound of low glycemic veg a day. )

Yes, but tomatoes are acidic and that can cause some to not tolerate it well...It's a YMMV thing. I didn't do well with tomato or V-8 in the super early days. But after about 2-4 weeks (can't remember), nothing bothered me.

Check with your doc sweetie. I know they haven't called back, so call again. Be the squeaky wheel. Every doc is so so so diff. Don't blow your shot!