AZhiker

Thanks. It took most of the day to feel recovered - this is sooo much work, but I feel I need to keep setting goals to keep myself engaged in meaningful activity. After this bike "race" (over 7,000 riders last year! with 100+ mile, 50 mile, 25 mile, and 5 mile events) (My goal is just to FINISH!), I will start swimming again, since it will be so dark when I get off work. Also starting to work on hiking segments of the AZ trail - the plan is to do the lower, hotter segments in winter, and the higher,mountainous segments in summer. Grand Canyon segments next October. Woo hoo! And you are right about the fluid loss through expiration! I rode a new route today with some steep, challenging hills that had me really puffing - so I think I lost a LOT on those hills!

They are pure carbs, which I fear could lead to dumping with me. I am using RX bars which have 210 calories, 24 gm carbs, but also 12 gm protein. My hubby is also a rider, but he does the 100+ mile events, while I am just shooting for a 50. He also uses similar pure carb goo on his rides. I have been eating 1/4 - 1/3 RX bar every 6-8 miles and it seems to be working. However today I ate the last 2/3 of a bar all at once, and I got cramps in my gut and had to stop at a park restroom 30 minutes later. Soooooo...... it's all a grand experiment to see what and how much and how often to use these dense supplements. BTW, my ride was 3 hours today and besides 2 bars, I sipped down 50 oz of water. I was 3 pounds lighter when I got back. I know that is all water loss, but gee whiz, I was drinking the whole time and my pee stayed light colored. Amazing how much fluid is lost with activity.

I am also trying to tweak the best way to get in calories on high exercise days, without upsetting my intestines. So far, it seems to be working to eat a big bowl of cooked cereal (today it is oats, quinoa, teff, flaxmeal, amaranth) with protein powder and soy milk - at least an hour before exercise. Then use RX bars during the exercise. I will be riding for about 3 hours today, so we'll see if this continues to work well. My 50 miler is in 2 weeks, and I don't want to run into issues with diarrhea along the route - worst nightmare. Thanks for all the input.

Agree! I lost all my buoyancy. Swimming is a lot harder than it used to be! But fitting into a bath tub (and getting out) is sure a whole lot easier!

I am still glad that I told virtually no one. I want to be seen as a normal person who is working hard on lifestyle changes - not a someone with and asterick ("yes she's thin, BUT she had surgery.") The other thing is that some of the people I have been tempted to confide in are the same people who have come to me with other people's secrets - "I will tell you this, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else..." If they do that with with other people, I can be fairly sure they would do it with me. I once told a trusted co-worker about some struggles I was having at a job, and sworn to secrecy, she told another co-worker, who told another co-worker, who told the boss. As a result, the boss thought I was disloyal and made my life very difficult. I eventually resigned. The "telephone game" is just too tempting for most people.

Another strategy for optimal fat burn is to do your exercise during the fasting window, if you can. When I am doing IF, I do my stair climbing, arm and leg routines in the morning, before I start eating.

yes,please let us know

Ok, my calculated BMR is 1534. I will be expending about 1000 calories on my bike tomorrow so that means I need to eat 2500 cal. Sheesh, that's a lot.

Yup. Can't cut calories and train. So I'll keep on eating and maybe add some protein bars if needed. I worry about rebound gain once the honeymoon stage is over, but will cross that bridge when the time comes. There is always the IF tool to pull out. Such an interesting, unique journey for each of us.

Sounds like we are in the same place.

Yes, I am willing to let my body adjust - just don't want to get too thin. I fully agree that the mindset is challenging. For so long, carbs were taboo - now they are OK. It's hard not to feel guilty. I do eat peanut butter daily, I use tahini with cashew butter for my salad dressing/hummus, I do eat raisins and dried dates, I have either butternut squash or sweet potato daily, I eat about 1/4 avocado daily - get nauseous with any more than that. Also eat a crazy amount of nuts and seeds which have astronomical calories. Oils bother me. I clearly have fat malabsorption from the nature of my stools. Nuts and seeds are fine, but processed oils seem to cause some intestinal distress. No I am not going vegan. More like 80% whole food, plant based. A vegan can eat oreo cookies and french fries and still be vegan. I am committed to whole, unprocessed foods - as healthy and as nutritionally dense as possible. Many of my veggies come from my organic garden. I appreciate all your suggestions. I cannot tell you how many calories I am eating now - just that I am eating as much as I can, with no limitation except to be healthy. It seems pointless to count, as I can't really change it to make it more at this point. Such an interesting situation that I could not have imagined in a 1,000 years!

Ok, here it goes. I do major prepping for the week on Sunday. After church, I pop over to Spouts for the veggies and soy yogurt. Once home, I make a batch of granola for the week and store in jars. I shred up the salad basics (finely shredded brussell sprouts, red cabbage, carrots, with Romaine, spinach, kale.) That is BAG ONE. (Avocado and tomato added before eating.) Then I make BAG TWO which is the veggie munchie bag. I can add these to the salad, as well. (Peppers, carrots, celery, cucumber.) BAG THREE has veggies that I can steam or add raw to salad or use as munchies (cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash, summer squash, green beans, etc.) CONTAINER ONE is prepped fresh fruit (citrus, apple/pear, grapes, kiwi, melon, etc.). I use this in the evening as dessert, mixed with yogurt, protein powder, and granola. In my freezer I have frozen berries, prickly pear juice, and banana chunks for my morning green smoothie. (Kale, soy milk, prickly pear juice, berries, protein powder, piece of banana.) I have seeds, nuts, and whole grains stored in jars in my pantry. I usually make a batch of soup on Sunday as well, for dinner. Last week it was chili. Week before it was lentil. Before that it was split pea. Today it was CHICKEN with veggies and wild rice. I am conceding to some meat product one day a week at most - but only from my own home grown chickens, eggs, or from my neighbor who raises goats. I am trying to model the plant based eating after real world societies where 80-90% may be plant based, but with intermittent animal sources like fish, eggs, wild game. Animal proteins are also used in these societies for celebrations like holidays or weddings. So I don't have a problem with a little meat on a holiday. From what I have read, an 80% plant based diet has the same effects on longevity, heart disease, and cancer as 100%. So this is what I am attempting. Hopefully my labs will reflect lower cholesterol and less inflammation. SAMPLE MENU FOR A DAY: (I prefer to skip breakfast, but have been adding the meal to increase daily calories.) BREAKFAST: Green smoothie or multigrain (any combo of whole oat, teff, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, sorghum) cooked cereal with flaxseed, hemp, berries, soy milk (I usually use the cooked cereal breakfast before a training ride). LUNCH and afternoon: Legume/grain based soup (pea protein added), rice cake with peanut butter, black bean burger, 1/2 apple with almonds, Veggie munchies. Corn tortilla with refried beans/salsa. DINNER: "Budda" bowl (salad, beans, nuts, whole grain, seeds, tomato, avocado, olives, edamame, cashew "cheese" dressing.) Steamed veggies. DESSERT: Fruit/yogurt/granola bowl. Dark chocolate covered almonds. Occasionally some popcorn. That is a LOT of food. My pouch cannot handle any more.

Glad to hear you are OK and recovering. Sorry it was such a long ordeal, but now you have the first week behind you and you will start feeling better. Keep up the walking! If you get any soreness in your legs, let your doc know ASAP. You were down for quite a while.

Yes, I thought of that. I am eating quite a bit in the way of nuts and seeds, legumes, homemade granola, oatmeal, butternut squash, sweet potato, avocado, peanut butter. I add protein powder to smoothies and yogurt. I even eat some 80% cacoa chocolate covered almonds in the evening. Can't think of more calorie dense foods, except for adding sugar, which I cannot do. Sugar and wheat cause massive inflammatory reactions in my joints.

A very fair question, and one I am asking myself. I am eating lots of carbs, getting plenty of fat, and have even cut back on my exercise. Yet, I continue to lose. The only thing I can think is that my surgery must have given me a really hefty dose of malabsorption. This could also explain why I lost my weight so quickly. Maybe I need to do the opposite, since increasing calories seems to help a lot of people get past stalls, maybe I need to drastically cut calories and let my metabolism think it is going into starvation mode. However, that will not help fuel training for the 50 mile bike race coming up in 3 weeks. Oh well, I will let this play out for a couple more week and see what happens.

I keep losing weight, even with a much higher carb intake, using the Whole Food Plant Based approach. I cannot eat any more calories. I don't even count anymore - just eat as much food as I can, making sure it is all healthy and nutritionally dense. Each day I eat at least 2 pounds of veggies/fruit (mostly veggies), whole cooked grains, legumes, nuts & seeds. I look so boney, although my BMI is still good. I cannot get smaller than a size 10 pants or else I will have to completely change the clothes - again. I have never been a size 10 in my life and it is a good size for me. I'm just not sure about what to do at this point to keep from losing. 5 more pounds OK, but absolutely not more than that. Ideas?

never smoked, and gave up alcohol prior to surgery.

How are you doing, Mikkey? Give us an update. Are you home yet?

The most brilliant strategy I have every heard was from an old cowboy who quit cold turkey. He always carried his cigarettes in his front left shirt pocket. He dumped the cigs and filled the box with cinnamon sticks that he could finger and suck on. Three in one! He had the security of the box in his pocket, he could hold something shaped like a cigarette, and he had the oral stimulation. PLUS his breath smelled a lot better! He said he did this for a year.

I dread the grocery stores - they are sooooo cold. If I need a frozen item, I almost run to get my item and get out! I work in a hospital, which are always cold. My fingers are freezing all day long - from the AC and also from hand washing all day long. My poor patients! I try so hard not to touch their skin!

I have found that with time, the skin actually is tightening up - especially under my neck, arms, thighs, and tummy. A few months ago, I was ready for a total body make over, but now I think best to let at least a year to pass after reaching goal - just to see how everything ends up. The boobs are hopeless, but the rest is looking a lot better.

Very interesting how the sleeve is gaining momentum. Also interesting that as the band % goes down, the revision rate goes up. The band just didn't measure up over time. I wonder what the actual revisions are: band to RNY, sleeve to RNY, Band to sleeve?

I hear you! And I'm in Arizona! I am wearing socks to bed and sweaters every where. This past summer was the most enjoyable I can remember - even on the hot days! I used to need the AC turned to 68, just to sleep. Now I am perfectly comfortable at 80. My fingers and toes get cold, too. What a difference a layer of blubber makes! there's a reason seals and whales can live in cold water!

Update on Whole Foods Plant Based diet. I continue to lose weight - I think 3 pounds in the past couple of weeks. I am not yet 100% plant based (still using some Greek yogurt, whey protein, and occasional egg in chaffles), but 90 % plant based. This means a lot more legumes, nuts, seeds and whole cooked grains. I am getting plenty of protein - no issues with that. A lot more carbs, which is so counter intuitive with weight loss, but it is still coming off. This morning before my bike ride I had a bowl of Old Fashioned oats, cooked with quinoa, teff, and amaranth. Added some hemp hearts, flaxseed meal, and barrel cactus seeds (like chia). Sweetened with raisins, and a little banana, with soy milk. Very yummy and filling. I ate this 2 hours before my ride. For lunch I had split pea/lentil soup with carrots, celery, onions. Also some fruit (cantalope and berries.) I added half a scoop of pea protein to the soup. Also had a spoon of peanut butter after my ride. Dinner will be a "Budda" bowl with shredded Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, romaine, spinach, cucumber, tomato, avacado. Cashew nut/nutritional yeast "cheese" mixed with apple cider vinegar for a dressing. Topped with slivered almonds, hazel nuts, dried edamame, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, barrel cactus seeds, and hazel nuts. Cooked beans, butternut squash, and cooked buckwheat on the side. If I have room, I will steam some squash and beans from the garden, along with some broccoli. I may also have a couple mini corn tortillas with refried beans and salsa. Evening snack is soy (or Greek) yogurt with mixed berries, mandarin orange, slivered almonds, and homemade granola. Sometimes I have a square of 80% cacao chocolate. I eat about 2 pounds of vegetables/fruit per day (mostly veggies). Legumes every day, seeds/nuts every day, whole grains every day. I am completely full all the time - never hungry. With prepped veggies always in the fridge, there is always something to grab if I feel the need for a munchie. I feel good - mentally alert, physically strong, sleeping well (better, in fact). I don't feel as "heavy" inside as when I was eating more meat. However, I do have to be careful for bloating and smelly gas. I found this to be a problem with raw broccoli and beans that I cooked without draining the soaking water. Even Beano did not help. Canned beans do not do this. It can be a problem with bypass patients, as our gut biome changes, and it is harder to digest and break down those particular foods. I just have to cook the broccoli and be careful with the home cooked beans. So far, so good. My fear about inadequate protein is completely dismissed. I am getting so much good nutrition and I hope inflammatory markers will be way down with my next lab draw in Feb.

You have to read Dr. Jason Fung's book, "The Obesity Code." It explains the whole thing very well and will release you from guilt and shame. I am thinking about giving it to one of our docs at the hospital who still holds to the manta, "Eat less, move more." It is actually much more complex than that. If that were true, all of us would be skinny. Goodness knows we have all tried. Read the book. It is really a good one.