FluffyChix

OMG! And sorry about the DD. Congrats again on your excellent work!

Yeah, I think it's pretty normal. Mine is on the low norm as well. Down by about 1/2 the level pre-op. Malnutrition would show up more in pre-albumin, the story of protein levels within the last 3 days. Albumin tells you about protein levels over the last 3 months.

Congrats! And it's orange! Is it the pumpkin one? Can't wait for you to make one!

IKR? I was like, CRAP! I could eat the hell outta that bit of nonsense deliciousness! LOL. I was thinking, bigger crap, I could eat 2nds or 3rds of her portion! *sob*

Wooohoo! Congrats!

Yes! It really does! I love my version of the recipe!

You should totally try the one from the Link I posted a couple pages back. Using the egg whites instead of whole egg + psyllium powder, plus part skim mozza. So damn good. Flavor them any way you want. Super low cal, low carb, lots of protein + fiber. And they really taste bread-ish. Not that metallic overcooked yolk taste from using the whole egg. I actually feel guilty eating them, cuz it feels like I'm cheating...but so far, the psyllium is counteracting the cheese so regularity is staying the same and maintenance doesn't appear to be affected.

Is that half of a mini waffle or half of an 8" waffle? Which chaffle recipe did you use? They look so beautiful!!! Yummy breakfast! I made vanilla ones for Sunday brunch. Had them with sf maple syrup and bacon and an egg and a couple bites of grits. So. So. So. Satisfying! And the payout for me is using the psyllium, I'm poopin' like a princess! It's a winner, winner, waffle dinner! Can't wait to try chocolate flavored then have peanut buttah on them!

You've got this @Sheribear68! Phenomenal work girlie!! You're amazing! Congrats!

Me2! I did great with it. I have at least 1 salad per day and had them routinely from week4 on.

It depends on my goals for the day. Some days I do IF or TRE (intermittent fasting or time restricted eating windows). Then I make sure to hit my protein goals for the day along with the calorie load/carb load I'm doing for the day. Other days, I eat to hunger. But the difference is, I will schedule my meals. 2-3 main meals. And I will allow a snack of x y or z (very specific choices at specific timings) if needed. So it is a structured thing, not grazing, not standing at the fridge wondering what I "feel" like eating. Nope it's more like (1 cup of veggies and Greek ranch dip-homemade, or 1 hb egg, or a lite string cheese + 1 slice BH turkey or everroast chicken, or 1/2 tiny gs apple with 1/2 oz walnuts-raw), that sort of thing. Some days I schedule for a sf popsicle at night, or a sf jello, or sf protein pudding, or chia pudding.

Ok, MickeyD, move over! There's a new sheriff in town! LOL. This might become my favorite breakfast meal! I give you the mcchaffle breakfast sammy: I over toasted it in the pan when I was reheating it. My bad. But it still tasted delish!!! I took this girl's version of the chaffle and changed it to my standard where I use ACV and baking powder in it and spices like onion and garlic powder. Cuz I think it adds to the flavor. Only 54cals and 3 net carbs per chaffle! Each recipe makes 4 mini chaffles or 2 large chaffles. This breakfast included 1oz of grape tomatoes. But you don't have to add them. Also, you can poach a single egg, I just added 15g of egg whites to make it thicker and add a little more protein to it. Here's Keto Rewind's version of the Chaffle Recipe. Really incredibly waffle-like! And here are my ingredients. I just mixed everything together with a fork and then divide it up into 4 mounds and cooked each mound for 2 minutes. I didn't grease my mini chaffle maker. I divided the 56g of mozzarella into 28g of mozzarella in two. Half goes into the batter per the link above, and have gets divided up between the 4 chaffle batters to sprinkle the extra cheese to make it crispy on the outside. Here are my ingredients:

Here you go.

Super duper cute all of yas!!!!! Gosh, @AngieBear you are shrinking so quickly!!!!! Hope you didn't spend a ton on your new wardrobe cuz you won't own it long girlie!!!! Congrats!

I love all of this advice! I'm about 20months out and I can assure you that even without crappy life situations, I can gain weight with a blink of an eye. Maintenance for me is more of a dance around losing the same 5 lbs over and over and over again each week. LOL. The scale determines how abstemious I am for the day. If I'm at the low end of my weight zone, then I will have protein first, then al dente veggies + a tiny bit of healthy fat + some fruit or an after dinner snack of <100cals and very low carb super healthy or healthy-ish. If I'm at the high end of my 5lb zone, then it's back to my forever bariatric diet: protein first, al dente veg + a tiny bit of healthy fat. I keep things KISS for about 90% of my meals. That means, no fancy indulgent cooking. It's lean dense protein. It's steamed or roasted veg. It's a tiny bit of avocado and tomato with the meal. I aim for 1 cup of food by volume. I weigh my food into the cup. So for me that is 3oz of lean dense protein by weight + 1-2oz of steamed veg + 1tsp of healthy fat or 1oz of avocado (slider) + 1oz of grape tomatoes (slider). I will eat up to 1 1/2 cups of raw salad at a sitting. Made up on leafy greens + cucs + red bell pepper + purple onion + radish + a zero calorie dressing + 2 oz meat + 1 oz cheese or hb egg + 6g seeds or nuts (and that's 1 1/2cups total volume for the meal including salad). It shouldn't be more than 200cals in that salad. So don't slam with croutons and crap that tastes great but makes it as caloric as a full casserole meal. Only eat at organized times: 3 meals or 3meals + 1-2 small healthy snacks of 1oz protein. You can lose the regain. You need to work on your head. I'd seek a counselor who can help you with the self-hatred and depression you are fighting. Clean your kitchen out and rid it of ALL junk. Plan your meals. Log everything! Weigh and measure everything!!!! Don't exceed 1 cup of food at any meal. Drink your water! 100oz per day. For me to lose weight, I have to be at the 650-750 calorie level and <30g net carbs per day. The end. Otherwise it's just magical thinking for me. I have to FOCUS to lose. If I can do it. You can do it. I'm in maintenance at 900-1000 cals/day.

Eat real food hon. Let your tool do its job. Ditch the crap=Keto Ice Cream and Barney's Almond Butter with Lily's chips, enlightened bar...WAY too much processed junk. This is the time to break up with treats and nut up/knuckle down. Make your meals as lean and protein forward as you can. Don't start using "crutches" at this point. It is WAY early and chances are you will stall out long before reaching goal. This is the time to MAXIMIZE your weight loss. It's the time you will lose the most. Don't squander it. Follow your doc's plan. At this point I was at 1/4c per meal and 400-600 cals. ALL of it was protein + a bite or two of steamed veg + a tiny tiny amount of healthy fat (ie 1/2oz of avocado = 1/8 of an avocado).

Yep, there's a learning curve hon!! Now you know where the envelope lives.

That's the point I'm trying to make. You don't just "change" that overnight. How do you think things are gonna be different for you once your pouch matures? How will you cope when you hit the dreaded 3rd year where you are still eating the way you were pre-surg...but are now gaining at an alarming rate cuz you can eat as much as you could pre-surgery? (and appropos of nothing, LOL, I feel much more balanced today than I have in my life. Just cuz it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean that what I'm doing doesn't satisfy a need in my make-up. )

See, for me, this is key. Dr. Matthew Weiner talks about it so succinctly in this video. It's about what naturally happens to our tools as time goes by. And it scares the hell outta me. Cuz you know, it's gonna happen to the biggest majority of us. Our tools will mature and we will be able to eat more. So I kinda look on this time, the WLM, honeymoon period time where we DO have a good amount of restriction (or most of us do) as a time when we MUST try to change the way we relate to food and the kinds of food we choose. Cuz if you choose the right foods often enough, our body does come to preferentially want the better for us foods. So we have to use our time to the utmost so we don't end up screwed. Face down in birthday cake 24/7/365. Cuz those types of shenanigans got me all the way to the Obesity Ball. And I don't wanna attend another one...right?

Woooohooo! Congrats!!! I skipped cake too. I went for decaff sf cappuccino! It was craptastically delish with real heavy cream, frothed!

Wow! So sorry, I just read this. I'm so sad you've had this experience. I can totally understand your perspective given your set of circumstances!!! Bless you. I just pray that your current docs are helping you and that you get to heal!!! ((hugs))

@sillykitty Thanks so much for sharing your DXA results!!! I'm really thrilled at your results!! It shows you're very balanced for the most part and to the extent you do have more in one area, it's in the so-called "preferential" area from a metabolic/all-cause-mortality health consequences perspective! Ziggy zoggy ziggy zoggy Oi Oi Oi! Wooohoooo. (I can say, it kinda made me squint and cross my eyes with all the # and %s and advanced math. But it's also good to know if ever caught in a trap, which extremity would be the best one to cut off in order to escape or to make a weight goal...just sayin. hehe @Sheribear68 I think what you are going through is very normal and it's a process. But I think you also realize that you have to have a plan for how you approach it. I know scientifically without doubt, that you will analyze the situation, sit down and figure it out. Cuz that's how you roll mamacita! Congrats on being 5lbs from goal. I'm beyond excited. It's been such a privilege to watch you shrinky dinking. Your focus and drive are humbling and inspiring!

A meeeeeellllliiiiooooonnnnn percent it was worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Yay!!! Beyond excited for you!!!!!