Starflower

Nov 2018 to my 1 year surgiversary 1/25/20

If your doctor doesn't want you to lose anymore weight, you need to listen to her advice. Your all or nothing thinking could suggest you have developed an unhealthy mindset about starch (bread, Pasta, rice). Complex carbohydrates are an important source of delayed energy. Simple carbs give you quick energy but complex carbs breakdown more slowly and will maintain energy longer. One approach is to limit your diet to whole grain bread, pasta and nonwhite rice. These contain important Vitamins and especially phytonutrients you can't get in a pill or other foods. If you are not crazy about whole grain carbs, that might help you with your fear that you might start eating too much. You have been phenomenal by losing all excess weight. I am confident you can approach starch in moderation.

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I've been in maintenance for a few years now and even though I eat those things occasionally now, I don't very often. In my mind, I still don't have nearly as much stomach real estate as normal people do, so I want to make sure the food I eat is nutritionally dense. A lot of starches aren't. Although I do eat small servings of whole-grain carbs occasionally.

Another way to do it is to give yourself a "cheat day." If you get in the mindset that you only have those things one day per week, you can hold out if you're craving it until that day. I'm that way, but not everyone is.

Losing 202lbs is well and truly beyond phenomenal, so congratulations and well done on all of your hard work! That's a remarkable result!
Refined bread, Pasta, grains, and rice are simple carbs, not complex carbs (unless you are talking about less highly processed items such as Mestemacher bread, chickpea pasta, sprouted brown rice or wild rice, etc. which I doubt you’d be concerned about), and of course they are unhealthy foods that lack nutrition, cause rapid spikes in insulin levels and consequently fat storage, and have been proven in thousands of peer-reviewed scientific studies to cause both physical (neurochemical) and psychological cravings. These refined foods have been stripped of all fibre and nutrients and don't contain any phytonutrients. Only whole, unprocessed foods such as fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, tea, and some spices, contain phytonutrients. Ancient whole grains don't contain phytonutrients, but they do contain beneficial phytochemicals.
If certain foods cause you to crave more simple carbs, why would you consider eating them again? Long ago you broke the cycle of carb addiction that keeps eaters of refined carbs and processed foods in the cycle of obesity, disease, feeling hungry soon after meals, and craving more refined carbs. Deciding not to eat something that that you know for a fact has never worked for you isn’t a sign of an unhealthy mindset, it's a sign of clear, insightful, empowered thinking and applied wise boundaries. You're right to be wary, since trying to control consumption of refined and highly palatable foods is generally about as successful over the long term as trying to control drug addiction without abstinence from drugs. WLS forums are full of people who have eventually regained all of most of their weight as a direct result of making poor food choices. Every single thing you put in your mouth is not only either making you more or less healthy, it is also influencing the next thing you put in your mouth by causing a cascade of complex responses along the gut/brain axis.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy and embrace the health benefits of whole complex carbs such as vegetables, fruits, and ancient grains in your diet. By focusing on whole foods and complex, unrefined carbs, you'll naturally reduce your intake of sugar and processed carbs, keep your blood sugar stable, maintain a healthy weight, and still enjoy incredibly satisfying meals and treats. You’ll not only feel healthier and more energetic, you'll keep yourself out of the unrelenting refined carb addiction cycle so many post-surgery people struggle with. Trust your own self-knowledge, and embrace and cultivate your own insights into yourself. Brené Brown, among others, has some excellent thoughts in this regard.

@Starflower
i am the same. I fought my carb and sugar addiction for so long and even that didn’t prove enough until I had gastric bypass surgery. So I am terrified of falling backwards. I was in hospital for surgery and they kept wanting to serve me carbs laden foods! I had a small bowl of oatmeal when I had no choice and it was the only soft food I could stomach. But for me I feel carbs fuel my metabolic disorders and the addiction as well. You need to listen to yourself. Nutrition doesn’t need to come from traditional carbs.

ive allowed myself a little low carb granola on my yogurt, a manzano banana, sometimes a pear. There’s ways to get nutrition and not lose more weight without adding carbs.

I can’t add much you got great answers but I do understand how you feel.

Ultimately, it's your body and your choice. Trust yourself!
Some people really are better off staying away from carbs entirely because they really are a gateway food for them, while others really are better off eating them in moderation because for them, it's easier to stick to flexible rules than absolutes.
Personally, I sort of go the cheat day route. During the week, I drink a lot of Protein Shakes and am pretty strict about my one "real" food meal. During weekends, I drink less Protein shakes and leave more room for real food. I cook elaborate meals with my husband, and eat more carbs (but still absolutely no sugar). For me, I know that some flexibility helps me stick to the rules over the long term.

Congrats on your weight loss. An amazing achievement.
I eat oatmeal often for Breakfast (at the moment it’s every day cause I’m over eggs) & did so through my weigh loss stage as it’s a good carb & was on my diet. (Mind you the couple of teaspoons I could eat wouldn’t had much of an impact.)
When I got to maintenance, my dietician recommended small amounts of whole/multi grain carbs. Crackers have been the easy choice for me as I didn’t want to go down the bread & Pasta route either. They’re good for carrying other foods like hummus, avocado, etc. & are an easy snack. And it’s nice to have a crunchy bite.

These few carbs have helped keep me regular (yippee) & have improved the skin on my face - not as gaunt looking anymore. They’ve helped me maintain & if I drop them I start losing weight again.
Amusingly, I bought a brown rice cracker during lockdown as my usual ones weren’t available - result was many smelly farts. Brown rice is now on my avoid at all costs list.

Nov 2018 to my 1 year surgiversary 1/25/20

Ok y’all are so nice I’ll throw my goal pic in. This is a Large shirt. I’m about 10 pounds away from it. This is my goal. To confidently buy Large shirts and stay in 34 inch jeans. Happy Friday Y’all!!!

I know this is a bit of a diversion BUT maybe permissible given the circumstances? I'm still in my grunge wear BUT my home office design studio was completed today! Now outfitted with new antelope patterned cow hide area rug over coir carpeting, mid-century modern sconces, cognac hued accent wall and library cabinet from re-purposed China cabinet. I still report to the office in my PJ's most days. Just not that motivated to get dressed with no where to go 10 weeks and counting! The boys were a great help in implementing the project + vision. ;]

2017 vs last month.

Love the beard! I think we need some close-ups! Lookin mighty fine there, Mr. Hagel...

Hey everyone. Sorry ive been MIA. Ive had A LOT going on the last month or so, as im sure many of you have. Just a simple friday outfit but i wanted to say hi to you all. Hope all is well. ❤️

I'm just messing around in my closet. Trying to throw some combinations together, lol!

...and here is one more. I am especially pleased that my butt has some minor protrusion in this dress, instead of its usual pancake look. #squatsAreMyFriend
My PS swelling is still hanging around on my lower tummy, but it is getting smaller....slowly.

Wow, I just went through several pages of gorgeousness. This is what happens when you step away for a while! Everyone looks soooooooo good. I would like to comment on every single one, but that will take me all afternoon. Just keep 'em coming ladies (and gentlemen ).
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
Like most, I have been living in work out gear (or pajamas, or underwear, lol) the past several weeks, so my OOTD game has been lacking. However, last week, I got a few dresses in the mail that I had ordered for an event I was supposed to go to, but was cancelled (eff you, Coronavirus).
So whats girl to do when she's all dressed up and got nowhere to go? Well, put on a fashion show and post it on the OOTD thread, of course:

Homemade Brocolli Soup
no after pic I can literally eat 20 bowls!

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Vegetarian Corn Chowder

dinner tonight! Shrimp with honey, lime, soy sauce + red chili flakes in wok. Ready in a flash. I just love Bird's Eye baby garden peas - This my last frozen pea package... They don't appear to be restocking them. :[

My husband made sushi with quinoa. I wish I had more room it was so amazing!! But now I get to eat it two more times 🤗

OK I’m new to the selfie game But I took a picture of my outfit for today. Very comfortable Carhartt T-shirt with Smoky Mountain brewery trucker style baseball hat. I have on blue jeans with Hiking boots. Guess I need to find a mirror and do pictures like what y’all are doing. Happy Friday

Hi Mark from Tennessee. Welcome. Congratulations on your awesome weight loss + maintenance of 137 pounds! We share that magic number. I'm maintaining a comfortable range of 119 - 122 sixteen months out. Share with us some of your favorite clothing. Off on errands today - not really dressing up for Zoom conferences or client business tasks behind the desk top computer these days. By the way, does anyone know what day this is today!? LOL

i should have taken the picture earlier.... wrinkles have set in. These pants were gifted to me.... and i love them.

Working in the days of COVID-19. Did an angiography in full gear later. FFP-3 mask, face shield and all. *sigh*