Creekimp13

There is no easy way out of significant obesity.

Thank you so much! I will keep in mind for sure of everything I eat and thank you for being proud of me. Most of my family could care less. Basically the only support I had was my husband. Everyone else was like that's good or didn't say a dang word at all. All I wanted was one wow after Everyone saw me. Now my goal is to hit 299 then 250 and so on. I am doing it for me and my kids.

I fasted for a lot of my life eating only one or two meals a day. All it did for me was slow my metabolism to the point I’d basically maintain on a 900 calorie diet regardless of my weight & how much activity I did.
WLS boosted my metabolism & I eat more now then I ever have in my memory without gaining.
There’s research coming out now that supports that Keto should only be followed for a short period of time & it can cause erratic insulin levels especially in diabetics. My dietician had me follow it only for the 2+ weeks before my surgery. Surprisingly, I did lose about 5kgs but that high fat killed me - awful.
But as with everything, what works for me may not work for you. You may have to try different eating plans or devise your own to find what’s right for you.
There’s only one thing you can count on: if you eat more than you need you’ll gain.

If vegetarians cut out refined sugar, white flour, and breaded/fried things...it's a lot harder to overeat. I'm not 100% vegetarian, but I eat meat maybe twice a week. I've found that eliminating those three things from my diet...refined sugar, white flour, and fried stuff.....makes controlling my calories a LOT easier. But oh yeah....you can be a very chunky vegetarian if you have an unquenchable love for fresh bread, Desserts, unlimited nuts and dried fruit....easy ways to make calories skyrocket and your weight can easily get out of control. That said...fiber is your friend and vegetarians eat more Fiber, generally. Fiber slows the natural sugar down and increases the good gut bug diversity.

No problem. I guess I'm referring to insulin resistance effect on different diets mentioned in the book. I certainly don't agree that the Keto he pushes is sustainable or healthy.

i still track every day - and every crumb that goes into my mouth!

Grits are on my approved list! You have a stomach (albeit much smaller), stomach acids, and a digestive system. You’ll be fine. Besides, no two bariatric surgeons ever agree on recovery protocols.

Excellent progress!

Your surgery is nowhere near your bowels. Fret not.
Good luck,
Tek

I had to loose 17 pounds for surgery. Was 350 now im 323 . im trying to get to under 300 before surgery
Sent from my LM-X220PM using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes. This surgery will help you control disordered eating....but it won't fix why you have disordered eating. Cutting out your stomach doesn't fix your head, and yes, lots and lots of people never come anywhere near goal and lots of people will regain the weight. Not what anyone wants to hear...but it's the truth.
Here's my version of "wisdom"... (lol)
1. Avoid extremes like the plague. Work on reaching a normal sustainable amount of calories eating healthy well-balanced foods. Crash diets and extremes don't work longterm. You probably already know this. Don't forget.
2. Losing weight at a breakneck pace is exciting and giddy....but can be crappy for your health and your longterm metabolism. You didn't gain it all in a year, you likely won't lose it all in a year. Work harder on making small meaningful permenant changes you can live with forever....than embracing extremes that will eventually burn you out. It's very easy to feel like post surgical extreme dieting is the new norm. Eventually, it catches up with you. The goal should always be a nutritious balanced diet with adequate (but not excessive) calories.
3. Find and see a bariatric therapist. Particulary, after surgery. Your disordered-eating brain still needs to be retrained. It has triggers you can identify and work through that will increase your success long term. Give your eating behavior history the care and consideration you give your new stomach. If depression and anxiety contribute to your disordered eating...address them. (This one is so important)
And these are just my personal ones...
4. Wear a fitness tracker. You don't have to go to the gym to increase your exercise, but you do need to be aware of how much you move and how many calories you're burning. My exercise is just walking more. It has made a HUGE difference in my health, endurance, fitness. Even if you're someone who has limitied mobility, or who "hates exercise"...you can give your metabolism a terrific boost just by adding a couple hundred steps a week.
5. Invest time in supportive people. Avoid unsupportive people. At least until you've got a good handle on how to manage your eating behavior and triggers.

If vegetarians cut out refined sugar, white flour, and breaded/fried things...it's a lot harder to overeat. I'm not 100% vegetarian, but I eat meat maybe twice a week. I've found that eliminating those three things from my diet...refined sugar, white flour, and fried stuff.....makes controlling my calories a LOT easier. But oh yeah....you can be a very chunky vegetarian if you have an unquenchable love for fresh bread, Desserts, unlimited nuts and dried fruit....easy ways to make calories skyrocket and your weight can easily get out of control. That said...fiber is your friend and vegetarians eat more Fiber, generally. Fiber slows the natural sugar down and increases the good gut bug diversity.

the thought of regain is what has kept me on track for the last six years. I did bounce up 20 lbs after hitting my lowest weight (which admittedly was too low for me - I look better now), but that 10-20 lb bounce back during year 2 or 3 is extremely common, so I wasn't shocked by that. As for now, I know it'd be really easy to gain weight if I stopped paying attention - and the thought of that makes me pay attention! I still log my food and still weigh myself at least once a week so I can jump quickly onto any gain and get it back under control. This will probably be a lifelong thing...

You had your surgery on 5/20. So, 22 days ago, correct?
I had my sugery on December 5th and remember that I ate little teenie bits of everything at Christmas dinner 20 days after my surgery. Mostly, I had minced little bits of turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. Had no issues.
I will say one of the ONLY foods that still bothers me 3.5 years out...is corn. But typically only when I eat crunchy corn off the cob and don't chew enough.
Corn is worthy of caution...but if it was just a few kernels and you chewed it really well, I wouldn't worry. At 24 hours, if you had an obstruction, you'd likely be puking.
I think you'll make it:)

Doesn’t matter what diet you follow, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, etc., if you eat more than your body needs to function you will put on weight. It’s a sad but simple truth.
It doesn’t matter where your calories come from a calorie is a calorie (of course some calories come with better nutrients). You could eat a 2000 calorie burger, fries & soda meal & nothing else for the whole day or eat 2000 calories of lean Protein & vegetables but if your body only needs 1500 calories to function the extra 500 calories will be converted & stored as fat & you will put on weight.

I lived on carbs. Still do. The trick is avoiding overly refined carbs. Avoid processed sugar and white flour like the plague. Avoid white rice. Carbs that are huge in my diet include oatmeal, potatoes both white and sweet, brown rice, black Beans, beans of any kind really, eat beans they're nutritionally wonderful, chickpeas, whole fruit.
I count calories, get my protien and Fiber, but I never count carbs. A lot of my protien comes from plant based sources like potatoes and beans, so limiting unrefined carbs would never work for me.
Lot of different paths up the mountain.

What you are describing...(in my opinion) is a bariatric surgeon who uses his patients as advertisements to get business. People saw you shrink overnight and it made them believers...so now he's got more business.
Here's the problem... No one should ever be on a 600 calorie diet for any long period of time. It's unsustainable, unhealthy, and screws your metabolism to high heaven. It also exacerbates eating disorders and disordered thinking about food...which most of us have. (so says my bariatric therapist, dietician and surgeon)
My surgeon was part of a research project that examined post operative metabolic changes and diet long term. I'm still part of his study and will be ten years out.
We were encouraged to eat 1200 calories a day as soon as possible after surgery. I did this at three weeks post op. We were encouraged to eat lots of protien and few refined carbs. However...unrefined carbs with lots of Fiber were encouraged. I ate oatmeal, potatoes, whole grain toast, nuts, brown rice, etc. The only carbs we actively avoided were sugar, white flour refined stuff, and fruit juice (much better to get it in whole fruit which we were encouraged to eat).
I lost slowly, but I lost to goal. Have been at goal 3 years with the occasional 5 pound backslide...that I promptly address with the bariatric therapist, and lose back to goal. Never takes long...and a little gain is usually a cue that something is stressing me out and I'm regressing to old habits. My program emphasised addressing disordered eating and working on food addiction behavior with new coping behaviors. A bariatric therapist is integral. Don't be without one. Fixing your stomach doesn't fix your head.
I eat 1400-1600 calories a day and maintain well. I walk 10,000+ steps each day and try to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day.
I can eat absolutely anything I want now. I do have to plan for indulgent foods and make sure to balance the calories in my day...but after a while, it's getting to be second nature. I eat at events and special occasions and cut back a little for a couple days before or after. It works.
I think my gut bugs have changed (another goal of my program....to change the gut microbiota to resemble the diversity of a healthy weight person). I prefer whole grains, lean protien (lots coming from plant sources), love Beans, mushrooms and potatoes, I shop the produce section more than any other section of the store...love my fruits and veggies. One HUGE change....I pay attention to dietary fiber. I eat at least 25g of Dietary Fiber every day. Most of my fats are plant fats. I do eat meat, but not like most people on here. Meat for me is a special occasion thing, not a staple in my diet. Junk food doesn't taste like it used to. Very honestly. I don't like the taste as much as I used to. If anyone had told me that I would find french fries a turn-off...EVER...I'd have said they were a liar. Loved them. Have no interest in them now....go figure!
Everyone will have a hugely different experience and opinion....and that's ok. People should do what works for them. But my feeling is that my success is down to three things... Learning to balance and be aware of every damned calorie I eat. Eating a high fiber diet with tons of plant protien. Seeing my bariatric therapist PROMPTLY when I know I'm regressing to food addict behavior.
Wishing you the very best. I hope you find a sustainable diet you can tolerate and feel your best eating. Good Luck.

I lived on carbs. Still do. The trick is avoiding overly refined carbs. Avoid processed sugar and white flour like the plague. Avoid white rice. Carbs that are huge in my diet include oatmeal, potatoes both white and sweet, brown rice, black Beans, beans of any kind really, eat beans they're nutritionally wonderful, chickpeas, whole fruit.
I count calories, get my protien and Fiber, but I never count carbs. A lot of my protien comes from plant based sources like potatoes and beans, so limiting unrefined carbs would never work for me.
Lot of different paths up the mountain.

I lived on carbs. Still do. The trick is avoiding overly refined carbs. Avoid processed sugar and white flour like the plague. Avoid white rice. Carbs that are huge in my diet include oatmeal, potatoes both white and sweet, brown rice, black Beans, beans of any kind really, eat beans they're nutritionally wonderful, chickpeas, whole fruit.
I count calories, get my protien and Fiber, but I never count carbs. A lot of my protien comes from plant based sources like potatoes and beans, so limiting unrefined carbs would never work for me.
Lot of different paths up the mountain.

yearly labs and follow-up appts for life. If I'm too high or low on some nutrient, they'll adjust my dosage and re-check three months later. So the clinic is good about it - I don't know how many of the patients are good about keeping to this schedule, though...

It's different for everyone. You might talk to your group about the level of difficulty you're experiencing and see if they think it's normal. 4 weeks out, I could eat most things, but the stuff with a tough texture needed lots and lots of chewing and teenie tiny bites. Everyone is so different. How your body reacts is different. Surgeon's choice of how much to remove, how fast you heal, how much you swell....lot of variables.

Constipation is very common. Ask your surgeon's office for remedies that are safe for you.
As far as fears, anticipation, etc... It really doesn't hurt to see a bariatric therapist during this time of transition. It's the one thing I don't see mentioned enough. The surgery doesn't fix your head and the issues that caused the disordered eating...and it's essential to work on a strategy to deal with them.
Wishing you the very best. Congrats on your surgery!

Just had my annual Bariatric Team visit. At my clinic, we do this once a year for the rest of forever. Every year, we run a bunch of labs on Vitamin and nutrient absorption to make sure everything is still good, have a consult, answer a million questions for research, discuss any health concerns, and get weighed.
I was within half a pound of my weigh in last year. They were delighted. I was delighted.
I don't mind doing this, and I think it's extremely helpful to keep tabs on folks so that assistance can be offered as needed. I think monitoring nutrient absorption is a really good idea, too, since it can take a couple years to develop issues. How do other folk's bariatric groups handle distant post ops? Do they want ya'll to come once a year forever after that first year? I'm always curious how other clinics do things.

Just had my annual Bariatric Team visit. At my clinic, we do this once a year for the rest of forever. Every year, we run a bunch of labs on Vitamin and nutrient absorption to make sure everything is still good, have a consult, answer a million questions for research, discuss any health concerns, and get weighed.
I was within half a pound of my weigh in last year. They were delighted. I was delighted.
I don't mind doing this, and I think it's extremely helpful to keep tabs on folks so that assistance can be offered as needed. I think monitoring nutrient absorption is a really good idea, too, since it can take a couple years to develop issues. How do other folk's bariatric groups handle distant post ops? Do they want ya'll to come once a year forever after that first year? I'm always curious how other clinics do things.

It's different for everyone. You might talk to your group about the level of difficulty you're experiencing and see if they think it's normal. 4 weeks out, I could eat most things, but the stuff with a tough texture needed lots and lots of chewing and teenie tiny bites. Everyone is so different. How your body reacts is different. Surgeon's choice of how much to remove, how fast you heal, how much you swell....lot of variables.