Recidivist

Since I transitioned to a Whole Foods Plant Based diet a year ago, I have maintained my goal weight without difficulty, and I eat all I want, with no counting or measuring. The center of WFPB are fruits, and veggies of all kinds, including lots of the starchy ones like sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, etc. I eat apples, bananas, daily avocado, and all sorts of fruit, but no juice. Whole grains and legumes play a big role for Protein, along with nuts and seeds. There is no sugar, added oils, or processed foods. I easily get 60 gm of protein a day, and the ability to eat unlimited volumes of food is so satisfying and filling. I eat at least 10 servings of fruit and veggies daily, and get about 60-70 gram of Fiber a day, and this is one key for feeling full all the time. Anyway, I am healthy and strong and love not feeling enslaved to macros or calorie counting. This has given me so much freedom in my eating, and I know it is healthy and sustainable. Just food for thought.

I eat a couple of servings of fruit a day. I also eat vegetables - almost all of them. I rarely do potatoes, though - but I eat sweet potatoes (small ones) probably 2-3 times a week in fall & winter.

I can’t believe I forgot this thread. I found it last year ( well year before now) when I was still losing, I so could have used it this last 12 months.
It’s lovely there are many familiar faces here & though I know about a lot of your experiences, I’ve found reading about your specific issues & learnings about maintenance helpful & reassuring.
Some of the things that have resonated are:
Feeling like I’m eating all the time.
Eating to a routine not hunger cause I’m often not.
Finding the balance so I don’t lose more which I still struggle with. I’m going to get in trouble when I see my surgical team in a week & a half cause I’ve lost another kilo since my last appointment. That’s 11.5 down in 12 months. And no, eating Christmas cake, my steamed marmalade pudding & custard or champagne for days did not change my weight at all! Not even 100g.
The drinking eating balance. I find I sort of can drink green tea & eat my mid morning crackers together without much of an issue but I do this slowly over an hour. But at other times the least time between I can manage is 15 mins before or after & only sipping.
My restriction is still pretty active. I wrote briefly about this in an update earlier this week.
Being scared to put weight on again. Not just a kilo or two but 10+ Because I think if I put on that much, I’ll put on another 10 & another ... & I’ll be back where I started.
I’m still very careful about what I eat too (well 99% of the time). Avoiding as much sugar as I can, keeping to whole or multi grains, low fat. I regularly eat fruit & vegetables. Predominately green vegetables: Beans, sugar snap peas, asparagus, broccolini, lettuce - no starchy ones except the odd bit of carrot. I also have fruit twice a day: blue berries on my rolled oats & then apples, grapes, cherries, strawberries, lychees, mandarin, rockmelon, watermelon or paw paw at night after dinner.
I don’t consider them empty calories cause they’re full of essential Vitamins & minerals. I don’t take any vitamins or use supplements in my diet so it’s essential I get these in through the food I eat.
Yes, the fruit has sugar but it is naturally occurring & not added. I do suffer a little from hyperglycaemic so the sweetness in the fruit helps. Yes, they are carbs but again I look at them as a naturally occurring carb & they’re fibre rich not like processed carbs in bread & Pasta. We do need some carbs in our diet to help regulate our insulin, for energy, to keep us regular, etc.

I had bypass 21 months ago, but the principle is the same. I can definitely eat like a normal person, just smaller portions. Mind you, I have dramatically altered the eating habits that made me obese in the first place. I now am very careful to avoid carbs, fat and sugar. (I can eat all of those things without any ill effects, which surprised me.).
One of my biggest reservations was having dinner with friends after surgery. At this point, I can order off the menu and eat a healthy dinner without anyone being able to tell that I've had surgery (although I don't usually finish my meal or order dessert).
In short: yes, I can eat like a "normal" person.

I had bypass 21 months ago, but the principle is the same. I can definitely eat like a normal person, just smaller portions. Mind you, I have dramatically altered the eating habits that made me obese in the first place. I now am very careful to avoid carbs, fat and sugar. (I can eat all of those things without any ill effects, which surprised me.).
One of my biggest reservations was having dinner with friends after surgery. At this point, I can order off the menu and eat a healthy dinner without anyone being able to tell that I've had surgery (although I don't usually finish my meal or order dessert).
In short: yes, I can eat like a "normal" person.

The same thing was happening to me at about the six month mark, and I was afraid I was going to end up being too thin and not being able to stop the weight loss. I ended up lowering my goal weight from 150 to 140, and I still ended up at 132 at about the 9-month mark. My weight stabilized there without my changing anything about my diet, and then I gained another ten pounds before landing where I am now--and I've stayed here for about nine months now.
I'm definitely eating more than I was during weight loss. As Arabesque mentioned, it can be tricky to find the sweet spot where you are no longer losing or gaining. Once you do, maintenance is really quite rewarding.

I had bypass 21 months ago, but the principle is the same. I can definitely eat like a normal person, just smaller portions. Mind you, I have dramatically altered the eating habits that made me obese in the first place. I now am very careful to avoid carbs, fat and sugar. (I can eat all of those things without any ill effects, which surprised me.).
One of my biggest reservations was having dinner with friends after surgery. At this point, I can order off the menu and eat a healthy dinner without anyone being able to tell that I've had surgery (although I don't usually finish my meal or order dessert).
In short: yes, I can eat like a "normal" person.

A seven-pound gain is insignificant, particularly if it's the result of lockdown and the holidays. Don't beat yourself up about it! Early in my weight loss journey, I thought I had to be perfect all the time and would feel guilty about exceeding my calorie or carb goal for the day.
I've learned that when I do make a mistake I just need to put it behind me and focus on the future. You lost 112 pounds, so you obviously know what you need to do. Forgive yourself for the seven pounds and focus on getting back on track!

I'm a gay man who agrees with AZHiker. The advice and support I've received here have been invaluable. I don't consider my sexual orientation at all relevant to those discussions.
Two points of disagreement with AZHiker: I do think that age and gender can be relevant to our weight loss journeys. Men tend to lose weight differently (and more quickly) than women, and older people also face different challenges than younger ones. (I had surgery at age 59.)

I'm a gay man who agrees with AZHiker. The advice and support I've received here have been invaluable. I don't consider my sexual orientation at all relevant to those discussions.
Two points of disagreement with AZHiker: I do think that age and gender can be relevant to our weight loss journeys. Men tend to lose weight differently (and more quickly) than women, and older people also face different challenges than younger ones. (I had surgery at age 59.)

I'm a gay man who agrees with AZHiker. The advice and support I've received here have been invaluable. I don't consider my sexual orientation at all relevant to those discussions.
Two points of disagreement with AZHiker: I do think that age and gender can be relevant to our weight loss journeys. Men tend to lose weight differently (and more quickly) than women, and older people also face different challenges than younger ones. (I had surgery at age 59.)

I'm a gay man who agrees with AZHiker. The advice and support I've received here have been invaluable. I don't consider my sexual orientation at all relevant to those discussions.
Two points of disagreement with AZHiker: I do think that age and gender can be relevant to our weight loss journeys. Men tend to lose weight differently (and more quickly) than women, and older people also face different challenges than younger ones. (I had surgery at age 59.)

I'm also in Australia (Canberra)! I've posted this before, but isolation has made it possible for me to plan and monitor my eating more carefully than when I'm working, so I've managed it quite well. I've actually lost a few pounds in the last couple of weeks. (And yes, I try to go for a walk every morning, which is still allowed here.)

I've said it here several times before: exercise is not the key to weight loss--it's all about the diet. I did essentially no exercise during my weight loss phase (aside from walking) and lost consistently. Exercise is great for strength and stamina, but it's not going to be what determines the success of your weight loss journey.

Yes, I had a very hard time making that transition--and others along the way. The issue for me was that the more I was able to eat, the more choices I had and it became more difficult to make sure I was doing the right thing. It's so easy during the liquid phase because the plan is so simple.
However, you will continue to lose weight as you move through the phases. Ultimately, it's in your interest to adhere to the various phases so you can learn how to eat differently post-surgery (and for the rest of your life). You need to make peace with food and not be afraid to eat--although I totally understand what you are feeling!

I found myself craving pickles as well. I started drinking Pickle Juice, which was really satisfying. At first it was out of a bottle of pickles, but I found that you can actually buy bottles of pickle juice. Quite a nice discovery!

That would be my question as well. I did Optifast once and lost LOTS of weight--but it came back in less time than it took to lose it. I don't think this would be much different, as it doesn't permanently alter your digestive system.

As long as you are following the program and losing consistently, there is no such thing as too slow. A group of us who all had surgery in the same month lost weight at different rates, but we all ended up in the same place at the end, some sooner than others. You will be fine!

I understand and agree, AZhiker. I've been doing well so far, but I fear it will get harder to stay at my current weight as time goes on. Let's all check in here from time to time and compare notes--even if we've gained a bit. It will be good to know we aren't alone!

I've said it here several times before: exercise is not the key to weight loss--it's all about the diet. I did essentially no exercise during my weight loss phase (aside from walking) and lost consistently. Exercise is great for strength and stamina, but it's not going to be what determines the success of your weight loss journey.

I'm quite relieved to read this post. I am at 19 months and have also found that I can eat almost anything and in much larger quantities than I could even at one year. I also sort of wish that I still felt the same restriction (and lack of appetite) we all experienced early in this process.
Like all of you, I re-gained about 10 pounds from my low weight, and I think I actually look and feel better as a result. I am still pretty vigilant about avoiding carbs, sugar and fat, and I also eat what could be considered "normal" sized portions for a person without a large appetite. I do slip up from time time (particularly when invited to dinner at friends' houses) without any ill effects. So far it hasn't had much of an impact, but I do worry whether this will be the case for the next 10 years or longer.

I did that a lot at the beginning, and I still dream about food from time to time. In my dream I'm always eating a huge amount of forbidden foods. I'm also aware that I shouldn't be and feel guilty about it. I'm quite relieved when I wake up and realize it wasn't true.

I'm also male. I was 59 when I had the surgery and had a BMI of about 37.5. I'm now 14 months out and in maintenance.
I had more saggy skin than I had anticipated when I reached my goal weight after about eight months. Everything was droopy--upper arms, thighs, butt and chest. I was particularly bothered by my turkey neck and the folds on my stomach. I feel like my stomach has gotten a bit better in the last six months, but I would still be embarrassed to go out without a shirt. And the turkey neck is as bad as ever.
Would I do it again knowing about the sagging skin? In a heartbeat! I did this for my health and to improve the quality of my life. The skin issues are secondary and are all about vanity, not health--although i do look infinitely better in clothes than I have in decades.

As long as you are following the program and losing consistently, there is no such thing as too slow. A group of us who all had surgery in the same month lost weight at different rates, but we all ended up in the same place at the end, some sooner than others. You will be fine!

As long as you are following the program and losing consistently, there is no such thing as too slow. A group of us who all had surgery in the same month lost weight at different rates, but we all ended up in the same place at the end, some sooner than others. You will be fine!