Tracyringo

I have a reverse type body dysmorphia. When I look in the mirror, I still see my 30 year old self. When I see myself in photos, I barely recognize myself. I'm a size 18 right now, my surgery is in the morning. I have wondered how I will "see" myself.

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Body dysmorphia is definitely a problem for me! I literally have to tell myself "my size 4 jeans are now too loose, I couldn't possibly look fat in them!" My XS scrubs I wear to work are loose. Still, I can't pick out someone that I think is my size. I guess I really have no concept of my size!

So true...
Body Dysmorphia is a terrible thing. I certainly have a very dysmorphic view of myself despite all the changes (and there have been many especially ones I paid for) and it feels like nothing changes it I have no idea what to do.
Imposter syndrome is one I don't hear a lot of people admitting. Feeling that you've accomplished something, but you really didn't do much at all or it wasn't such a big accomplishment because it came a little too easily or the accomplishment isn't worthy of praise.
Stay strong everyone.

I agree with several of the above points. I find myself shopping way more, it’s so much fun buying cute clothes that I could never have worn before. Also, body dysmorphia. I feel so much worse now naked. I’m getting plastic surgery in January-a Tummy Tuck, breast lift & augmentation, and arm lift. I’m hoping it will help me feel better! If not, I’ll be seeking out therapy for it.

Not as far out as some of you but yes there are issues - For me
1. Definably Drink more now -
2. Very Thin and bump stuff and it dang hurts
3. Became more isolated since happy hour and food bashes are a thing of the past
But I agree love the new me for sure! Would do it again

Yeah well, there are some issues I doubt will ever get better and I know many people struggling with it, regardless of their weight or if they ever were overweight.
feeling of fat: I often have that "feeling of being fat". I guess the loose skin contributes to this. I know it can't be real. I wear mostly a medium size (depending on the brand I wear either small, medium or large) and that's not "fat". I also can see some bones and muscle definition when looking in the mirror. That's also not "fat". Usually the look in the mirror helps this feeling but sometimes it needs wearing really loose clothes (thanks for being able to wear scrubs at work) or the direct comparison to other people, e. g. in the reflection of a glass door.
I guess that comes with living in a weight and thinness - and lately also fitness - obsessed culture.
addiction transfer: not sure, I prefer to call it "obsession transfer". I tend to really get into the biohacking and clean eating stuff when feeling stressed, especially when some things are out of my control (like now).
Shopping I'm not so sure. One might say I spend too much money on unnecessary things and I wouldn't object but I don't view it as a problem as long as I don't get into financial trouble and I like to treat myself to some nice stuff. However, I'm not sure if that really has something to do with food issues. It could very well be that the issue is that money was always really tight when I grew up and went to university and when I finally got a "real" job I suddenly had money to spend.
relationships: together with the same guy since September 1994. We went through a lot of things together. We only see each other on weekends and during vacation time because of work and living in different cities and I guess that helps when people have a different lifestyle.

I am almost 3 years out. I am feeling the best I have felt in many years. My only problem in life is my dear hubby of 49 years passed a year ago. My doc said to be careful, after a loss people tend to stress eat. Not me.
Hang in there , life is what you make it.
I will admit to buying cute clothes , I justify it with he would have wanted me to look nice. His motto was if you look good, you feel good! So true!

I am now 2+ years out from surgery and still maintaining my goal weight. VSG has changed my life in so many ways. But there are negative things or challenges I rarely see people talking about. I'm listing mine in hopes others won't feel alone, please add yours if you'd like. I'm thinking this might be a bit therapeutic as I don't talk about this in real life as no one really understands unless you've been through it.
Things that have become very real for me:
*Body Dysmorphia is real. I currently wear a dress/jean size 6 and tops in XS/S. I know those sizes are amazing and I never would have imagined that's where I would end up. BUT...when I look in the mirror I don't see that size. I still see my butt as huge, My sagging stomach doesn't help but I just can't shake the "fat" thoughts when I see myself.
I recently read that part of this is due to the fact that we tend to over exaggerated what we looked like when we were overweight, so losing that weight still doesn't give us an accurate depiction of who we really are. I try and keep this in mind but I don't know if this will ever go away.
*Addiction Transfer. It took me awhile to realize this but I most definitely transferred my addictive eating to compulsive shopping. I've spent way too much money since going through this process. It's a constant struggle.
*Confidence and Self Worth. This is a good thing for sure. But, I have been struggling in my marriage for a long time. And for years I felt trapped because of my fear for being alone forever - which was driven by the fact that I was overweight and told myself no one else would ever want me. I have a different view now. I've changed physically and emotionally. My spouse has always had different philosophies on life than I have. He has never eaten well, never exercised, and has never wanted to become healthier. I had hoped my success would give him some motivation to do better but it hasn't. That combined with other major issues we have had led to my decision to end my marriage. It's ultimately a positive thing for me as I'm in a toxic relationship but finally have the emotional strength and confidence to do this. It's sad, but it's reality.

Had my revision on 11/19 and it only been 8 days but still having a hard time sitting up for long periods of time. I have to lay down at some points during the day. I'm able to get my Protein in since I have it in everything I eat and drink. So have to say it's not that bad now that the swelling in my stomach has gone down.

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Had the revision done at 7 30 am this morning weighing in at 180 my original goal weight. The first 12 hours were horrible. This was a very painful surgery for me and I don't know if it was because they also took the hernia I had. ( I believe they said they took it and not fixed it but I am still on the drugs. ) I have been given morphine to start with then they switched me to dillata because the morphine wasn't cutting it. I am back on liquid hydro now. I wasn't able to urinate either for the first several hours and I am still having a hard time with it. I have been crying through most of the day. Pain, anxiety and lack of sleep have been my companions as they are still not letting visitors in. I cant tell if I still have GERD . The gas pain has been in my neck and shoulders it sucks. I did 3 laps around the ward at 1 am to see if it would help because I thought I had read it helps with the gas. Well I will keep updating my progress here. Good night

Thank you Grace🙏
My surgery was actually 2014. It’s been so long that I forgot 😛
I recently had an arm lift, Tummy Tuck & breast lift. Which is another reason I don’t want to do it. I take omeprazole daily. I have not met with another surgeon. I’m sure it’s inevitable though😭

I had my sleeve done September 2016. I lost 145lbs. I now weigh 165lbs & my acid reflux has not gotten any better. I know I need a revision but I’m scared & my doctor moved away😭

I'm a big fan of "healthy" junk foods IN MODERATION. However, I didn't start eating them until I was in maintenance.
A couple of words of advice. First, you need to be sure that any such products you eat are high Protein, low carb and low sugar. There are lots of protein bars out there that claim to be healthy but are very high in carbs and sugar.
Also, these Snacks can be a slippery slope. Since they are high protein and low carb, we tend to see them as "safe" foods and there is a temptation to over-indulge. They are definitely better than traditional junk food, but calories are calories regardless of how they are ingested.
My advice: wait until you are in maintenance and enjoy on an occasional basis to satisfy cravings, but don't make them a habit.

I don't think the foods you've listed are healthier. They might have less calories sometimes (sometimes not) and they add protein so you don't have to plan your meals as much (I'm still using protein foods like bean Pasta, powders, bars etc. to boost my protein intake), but most of the foods are not healthier than the original version. There might be exceptions.
That said, one needs to differ between "healthier foods" and "foods that might help with weight loss" as these are by far not always the same.
My take on e. g. a protein Cookies is: "I would've eaten a cookie anyway, might as well eat a protein cookie if it's yummy as well."
Same with cake: when I make a cake, I put Protein Powder into the flour (I've posted my apple crumble cake a few times already). I prefer it over "real apple crumble cake" just as I prefer bean pasta over regular pasta so it feels like a win-win situation. Is it really healthier? Well, I don't mind the stevia in the protein powder, some people would though.
Protein chips can be nice or nasty. The nice ones usually seem to be sold out, lol. I usually go for roasted chick peas instead.
That's a question only you can answer.
For me, being able to have all these things and being able to eat what I like seems to be a huge factor in not gaining weight.

Bottom line is if YOU are happy with your rate of weight loss (and ur labs some back satisfactorily) then u don’t need to change anything, really.
You know yourself best and can tell more than us strangers if this is a slippery slope or not. Some can handle it and keep it in check, others may have more difficulty, and should consider refraining.
P.S. I ate almost 2 cups of mushroom “chips” for dinner the other day, so yeah, it happens, lol. BUT: I’m 2+ years out and in maintenance for over 1.5 years.
Good Luck!
Edited to add: oh, and to answer your original question: no, I didn’t eat these types of food during weight loss phase.

I love them too. I don’t eat them everyday, but I do eat several per week. Sometimes I just take a couple of bites of one after a workout and save the rest for another day. As for your original topic question, I don’t really see Protein versions of junk foods as “gateway” foods. That might be because I usually find them to not be satisfying. I would rather just do without. If they are satisfying to you, I think eating them in moderation is the key. It seems like a bad idea to replace “real” foods with protein snack foods on a consistent basis, IMO.

I eat those kinds of things occasionally, but not as a regular thing. I'm afraid they'd get my mind craving the real thing.

I am very picky about the Protein bars I eat. I love Built Bars not only because they are amazingly delicious, but they are also fairly low in calories (130 to 180 calories) with 17-19 grams of protein and 5 grams of sugar or less.

These are extremely trying times for anyone, much less one going through weight loss. During the day try diversionary tactics--take a walk, watch some TV (but dang it, the food commercials are brutal...) The nighttime munchies are tougher. Talk to your dietician and see if you can incorporate a very small night snack into your total food consumption for the day. As long as you are still losing weight it probably won't hurt, although eating and going right to bed can certainly give you heartburn.
Alka Seltzer had these chewable heartburn gummies that have some melatonin in them. They do have 30 calories and 6 grams of sugar per dose, but they will help you sleep.
Good luck--you got this!

I'm worried about the "restriction". A lot of VSG revision patients have said the same thing. They do not feel any restriction. Which goes to show, the mental part of this is so hard. Good for you. Keep up the hard, but good work.

Yes I’m tired too. But dang that’s a lot of weight that’s great!! I was 216 on surgery. Day and now 203. So 18 pounds in 22 days. Not getting enough Protein makes me so sleepy. I can only do like 40g.

I am good just really been feeling weak a lot I have lost 27 pounds since 10/26 which I am happy but I am so tired all the time did you feel like that

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I have been weighing in pretty much everyday for over the last 3 years. Keeps me honest.

I rarely have the alcohol in the house. I started grabbing a few shot bottles at the gas station here and there. I also started drinking where alcohol was served wherever I went . I have not had anything to drink in 2 days now and am doing okay.

Small world !!! How are you doing?