AZhiker

The 5:2 is a great option. As is ADF (Alternate Day Fasting) which is doing the same thing but as 4:3 or simply every other day. The research shows that the body basically responds in the same way - it starts pulling from fat reserves and starts killing off the "zombie" cells (old cells that just don't want to die.) Personally, I love the 16:8 or even 14:10. I feel better in the mornings without food right away. When I DID have to go back to early Breakfast on certain days, it didn't feel right and I was not as sharp mentally. On days when I train (like today - a long bike ride this morning) I have to eat a couple of hours before, but normally, I don't start eating til noon.
I totally agree that the restriction limits what one can eat in an 8 hour window, but you can stretch it to 10 hours, as well. And like you said, it has to be healthy nutrition - every bite has to matter.

Intermittent fasting knocked down the last 15 pounds for me. There are LOTS of threads on IF on this forum. Lots of us have used (or are using) one form or another. It is a powerful tool, not difficult, and actually very healthy for you.
I am not sure Keto is the way to go, as the fat content is so high. With bypass, we already have fat absorption issues, and I know my intestines are not happy with too much fat. Also, your liver has worked very hard to process all the fat you have already lost. You might have had fatty liver disease, as I did, before surgery. From what I have read, adding more fat for the liver to work on is not a great idea.
IF gives you the benefit of ketones, but without the high fat diet.

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 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.

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.

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.

You are right, it does seem like alot doesn't it? Especially if you are used to eating 700-800 cals for the past several months.
I packed in almost 3000 cals just yesterday, half of which came from snacking out of a mixed nuts canister all day, hahahaha. They were candied nuts, so probably not the best choice, but I probably still could have reached the same caloric intake if I ate the same weight in plain macadamia nuts. I would never have thought i would be able to do this 5 months ago (I've long since realized, it's really quite easy to do, intentional or not, LOL)
IF you want to up your cals, you totally can (again, only if you reeeeeaaaaaallly want to) and are willing to put in the effort to tweak your diet. Though it sounds like you are quite ok going at your own pace you've set for now, and accept any collateral weight loss over immediate diet changes. And that's totally OK. Actually, its awesome because you understand the choices and their consequences and you made one. And that is waaaay better than wringing one's hands in despair, and made impotent of making decisions, right?
You know yourself best, and what you are willing to do. You are doing great!

Thanks so much everyone for the positive feedback and the sensible advice.

I’m still not sure which way I’m going to go yet.
My addictive personality, perfectionism and type A persona some days wants to see how far I can go.
My science-brain and logic centers counsel against getting carried away.

Honestly I’m leaning toward the 80/20 rule and seeing if I can IF and keep carbs under control 5-6 days weekly and then allow myself a little flexibility the rest of the time and see where my body settles.
If I gain weight, then I know how to get back on track. If I lose weight, then I’m wearing looser clothes
If I lose A LOT more weight (over 10-15 pounds more) then I’ll really start to get worried and will have to come up with another plan.

I truly feel like another 5-8 pounds of fat being lost wouldn’t be the end of the world and my skin is already hopeless in places.
Then of course is the question of if/when my body settles into a different shape.
Good news for me is that the first place I would have plastics would be some kind of facelift so I still have more time to see where everything’s gonna settle.

I just had my gastric bypass surgery done yesterday and everything went good and doing a lot of walking to get rid of this gas.

I tried fasting for 2 days (16:8 pattern) and lost a pound. Promising so far! 🙂

I feel like I’ll need to tape those hand warmer things all over my body this winter ☹️

First off - hello, fellow Wisconsinite! *waves* OK, on to the real advice :-)
I can't really speak to long-term success yet, since I'm only about 5 months out from my surgery, but some of the best advice I've gotten came from a friend who had gastric bypass and gained it all back... he said that he tried too hard to be perfect, and that's what got him. It's taught me to embrace my imperfection and look at each day, sometimes each moment, as a clean slate. Just because I sneak some fun size candies from the dish at work doesn't mean this is who I am now. It means I made that choice once, and the next meals I have I can choose to be healthier. Self-forgiveness has been an incredible tool for me.
I'll also say that the gastric bypass has been an <i>amazing</i> tool for me. I literally can't fit in very much, and I experience just enough distress from eating certain things that it generally dissuades me from wanting to have them. As someone who also loves sweets and sugar, I find most of the time I pass on them now just because more than a couple of bites can make me feel miserable.
Anyway, sorry this is so long, but I hope some of this helps!

I’ve been doing this same thing. Caffeine was the hardest. But now the canine headaches are gone and I’m just down to my occasional fun sized piece of candy which is gone next Monday. That’s my drop dead day. Pre op liquid diet starts the 12th and I say goodbye to old eating thoughts and Bad foods forever. I’m very all or none and if I tell myself eating it will make me dump I’ll avoid it. I hate being sick that much.

I'm having my endoscopy tomorrow morning and I'm hoping for the best. I'm still having trouble with stomach upset and lately it seems my restriction is more than before. I seem to feel sick everytime I eat. I will let everyone know tomorrow night🤞

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.

Thank you for the reminder and adding a balanced view. This thread is kind of misleading to read sometimes because almost everyone on it is probably still a honeymooner

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.

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!

it's temporary for sure. Lots of us at 3+ years out really struggle not to regain. If I don't constantly watch what I eat, my weight starts to head north...

Very true! it may just be very temporary, not many of us are even at the 3-5 year mark yet (true maintenance yrs?)

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.

Sounds like we are in the same place.