Oooh, I need the squat challenge. I’m going to start with the hard one and call an audible after I see how I do.
sleeve post op a year in maintenance.
Personal goal: Keep moving and exercising and build up muscle.
weight: 128-131 depending on day BMI 23? (Close enough)
Favorite flaw. I believe I’m taller than I actually am to the point of shock when I see myself in a group picture. I consider it a flaw vs. a delusion because otherwise it sounds like I’m insane.
No sugar for me. Besides making my joints hurt, I do not want to risk dumping syndrome. No alcohol, soda, or coffee, either. I have Barret's esophagitis and do not want to risk any further damage to tissues. I have also seen the incredible damage alcohol can do to the anastamosis after WLS (I am a GI nurse.)
After WLS, every bite needs to be as nutritious as possible. We can't hold much volume, and there can be decreased nutritional absorption from what we do eat. We have to eat the healthiest diet possible, with very little room for junk. All my 6 month labs came back really good for the Vitamins, Protein, and Iron, complete blood count, and chemistry, so I know I am doing it right. I do not eat processed foods or anything artificial. No soda or artificial sweeteners. The liver works very hard during rapid weight loss. It doesn't need any more work from processing junk. Refined grains and carbs jack up the insulin levels which result in fat storage, so that is why WLS eating plans are low carb. My carbs come from fruits and vegetables/legumes - very little from grains.
So in a nutshell, yes, there are foods you will give up - many for life because they simply are not good for you and will not help with your weight loss and maintenance. BUT..... you will discover so many healthy alternatives that after a while, the crap food doesn't even taste good anymore. My daughter made a gluten free cake today to test out a recipe for a wedding cake. I made a rare exception and had a tiny piece to help her assess texture and taste. It was a good cake, but so nauseatingly sweet I(I have not eaten sugar for 8 months) that I couldn't have taken a second bite if I wanted to. It has no appeal whatsoever. A few frozen grapes is about all the sweetness I can take. Your tastes change as you change your lifestyle. You can't look at these "forbidden" foods as deprivation. You have to reframe your thinking to see them as harmful and to look forward to the amazing payoff of eating healthy choices. Feeling so much energy, wearing small sized clothes, able to exercise without pain or getting winded, walking into a room and being one of the SMALLEST people there instead of the biggest, .... the list goes on and on. Any dietary "sacrifices" need to exchanged for a wonderful new life that awaits. Again.....you have to look at the benefits you GAIN - not the stuff you give up.
sparkles1073 got a reaction from FluffyChix in How many calories do you eat a day?