FifiLux

Wow…..

Could you find the motivation to even start with a few small steps, like finding a way to get your Protein up even by way of including it in Water and that way two steps covered in one? Your body needs the protein and if you are not getting enough it could be contributing to your mood/fog.
So what if you haven't gone to the gym, I don't go, but I have made an effort to find a couple of fitness things I like to do. I know I could do more but hey I am doing more than I did pre-op so its a win win as far as I am concerned. I am not going to put unrealistic pressure on myself as I know I will fail, maybe that is the same for you?
For the alcohol you don't say how much or often you have a drink but if you can't go cold turkey could you even cut back or opt for a lighter drink? I have a drink (or three) when out with friends, its not the end of the world but I am realistic that it will probably impact the weight loss for a few days and I restrict myself to only when out, certainly not at home as that is a bad habit that I am trying to make sure I don't bring back.
Could you start writing a daily positivity list/journal of all the positives you are finding from the loss you have had so far? I started to do it to help me with the PTSD I am suffering from my surgery, I note just random things such as;
was able to jog to catch bus and not be mortified / was able to get through turnstile without turning sideways / so and so told me I was looking great / sun is shining and I feel energised / had to tighten jeans belt again
Small steps could help you out of the funk and get you on track as there was a reason you would have had the surgery and you don't want to get back there. It takes work but you have already made good progress but it will get harder to loose the lbs and you could end up with other health problems if you continue as you are. Does your doctor have a support team that you can reach out to? I think an honest conversation with them is needed and will help you, they can hopefully provide tools to get you in the mindset needed to continue. Don't feel ashamed to talk to them as I am sure you are not the only one how feels like you do.

I'm right at 5 months, and over the past few weeks, it has become HARD. In the beginning, I was dropping weight, had zero interest in food, and was totally motivated. But since the beginning of July, I've lost a pound. Actually, I've lost and gained and lost and gained that one pound multiple times. I've started feeling hungry sometimes again, and that's triggering all sorts of bad behaviors like getting up when I'm trying to avoid work (I work from home) and looking in the cupboard for a snack, not to mention craving sweets. It's been a constant fight. Not getting that reward of watching the scale dropping all the time kind of saps the motivation, I think. And the novelty wears off and you start to realize that you're in this for the long haul and maybe you start to rebel a little. You're not alone.
You say you're afraid of being judged, but you are judging yourself every time you do things you know you shouldn't do. You said it yourself. You're disgusted by what you're doing, but there's a reason you're doing it, and figuring that out is going to be the key to stopping it and changing.
I feel like there is probably a voice you hear in the back of your head telling you that you can't do this. Maybe there's literally someone saying it to you in your life, but most likely it's a voice in your head from a long time ago, one that sounds like you but probably was someone else when you first heard it. For me, it's my grandmother, and to some extent my dad. Never happy, never praising. Expecting perfection and scolding "for your own good" over every little thing. Ridiculing my weight despite being overweight themselves, but also overfeeding me because that's what they knew. Food was the enemy, but also a reward from emotionally stunted caregivers who had no other way to show affection.
When you can never fully meet expectations at a young age, you learn quickly that you will always fail. That may be the role you've played in your family. Maybe it's everything, or maybe just one thing, like being overweight. And when you start to succeed, it feels frightening because it challenges everything you have been taught to believe about yourself. If you're not "the fat friend", who are you? Or maybe being "the fat daughter" kept a jealous family member happy because you weren't "competition" that way. There are so many reasons we get into these patterns. But the point is, the patterns feel normal and safe. So you make sure you don't succeed and change too much or for too long. You're used to being disappointing to yourself. You can live with that. But admitting you're capable of succeeding and changing is really scary. Allowing yourself to challenge the roles other people want you to fulfill is the hardest thing you can do. At least that's my experience.
As for how to change, my first suggestion is talk to your team. That's why they're there, and they know what's going on because they've seen it before. Face it head on. Nothing they say is going to be any worse than what you are saying, and doing, to yourself. If you can get set up with a therapist, even better.
Second, get every source of temptation out of the house. The alcohol. The junk food. Whatever is making you stumble, get rid of it. Do your shopping online from now on, or curbside pickup because it is way easier not to give into temptation that way. You can't binge on what you don't have.
But skip the gym. It's really only about 10% of your success, anyway. Focus on Water, Protein, and Vitamins. You don't need the false guilt of the gym to make everything worse.
And third, get help from people you trust who are close to you if you can. Accountability is key. If going out to eat is an issue, tell your friends or family that you need their help not letting you go out to eat. Explain why you can't be around Snacks, or why you won't be ordering alcohol, and ask for their help. If you trust even one person in your life to tell what is really going on, tell them. You need another voice cheering you on instead of just your own head bringing you down.
Bottom line, something about what you are doing right now feels comfortable to you. It's a pattern that you can live with, even if you hate it. Something about what you were doing when you were following the rules was making you uncomfortable. Figure out what and why. You can't change your habits until you change that voice in your head, and until you can love yourself and cheer yourself on instead of being your own worst judge. But you have to believe you're worth it and be willing to do things that scare you in order to get past this fog and get to where you want to be.

Congrats on your success so far and it is a big plus in understanding your struggles to be able to work on them. Glad the Euros kept you distracted through the first few weeks.
A year out I find that my eyes are still bigger than my stomach and it takes me having to really think about it sometimes to realise I am full.
Another win you will be able to add to your list soon is that when you go out for meals you will probably be able to bring enough leftovers home to do a few meals 😀Two weeks ago a work lunch in the local Chinese meant I brought home enough from my one duck & rice dish to do another two lunches, three dinners and even my cat got a bit.

Could you find the motivation to even start with a few small steps, like finding a way to get your Protein up even by way of including it in Water and that way two steps covered in one? Your body needs the protein and if you are not getting enough it could be contributing to your mood/fog.
So what if you haven't gone to the gym, I don't go, but I have made an effort to find a couple of fitness things I like to do. I know I could do more but hey I am doing more than I did pre-op so its a win win as far as I am concerned. I am not going to put unrealistic pressure on myself as I know I will fail, maybe that is the same for you?
For the alcohol you don't say how much or often you have a drink but if you can't go cold turkey could you even cut back or opt for a lighter drink? I have a drink (or three) when out with friends, its not the end of the world but I am realistic that it will probably impact the weight loss for a few days and I restrict myself to only when out, certainly not at home as that is a bad habit that I am trying to make sure I don't bring back.
Could you start writing a daily positivity list/journal of all the positives you are finding from the loss you have had so far? I started to do it to help me with the PTSD I am suffering from my surgery, I note just random things such as;
was able to jog to catch bus and not be mortified / was able to get through turnstile without turning sideways / so and so told me I was looking great / sun is shining and I feel energised / had to tighten jeans belt again
Small steps could help you out of the funk and get you on track as there was a reason you would have had the surgery and you don't want to get back there. It takes work but you have already made good progress but it will get harder to loose the lbs and you could end up with other health problems if you continue as you are. Does your doctor have a support team that you can reach out to? I think an honest conversation with them is needed and will help you, they can hopefully provide tools to get you in the mindset needed to continue. Don't feel ashamed to talk to them as I am sure you are not the only one how feels like you do.

Could you find the motivation to even start with a few small steps, like finding a way to get your Protein up even by way of including it in Water and that way two steps covered in one? Your body needs the protein and if you are not getting enough it could be contributing to your mood/fog.
So what if you haven't gone to the gym, I don't go, but I have made an effort to find a couple of fitness things I like to do. I know I could do more but hey I am doing more than I did pre-op so its a win win as far as I am concerned. I am not going to put unrealistic pressure on myself as I know I will fail, maybe that is the same for you?
For the alcohol you don't say how much or often you have a drink but if you can't go cold turkey could you even cut back or opt for a lighter drink? I have a drink (or three) when out with friends, its not the end of the world but I am realistic that it will probably impact the weight loss for a few days and I restrict myself to only when out, certainly not at home as that is a bad habit that I am trying to make sure I don't bring back.
Could you start writing a daily positivity list/journal of all the positives you are finding from the loss you have had so far? I started to do it to help me with the PTSD I am suffering from my surgery, I note just random things such as;
was able to jog to catch bus and not be mortified / was able to get through turnstile without turning sideways / so and so told me I was looking great / sun is shining and I feel energised / had to tighten jeans belt again
Small steps could help you out of the funk and get you on track as there was a reason you would have had the surgery and you don't want to get back there. It takes work but you have already made good progress but it will get harder to loose the lbs and you could end up with other health problems if you continue as you are. Does your doctor have a support team that you can reach out to? I think an honest conversation with them is needed and will help you, they can hopefully provide tools to get you in the mindset needed to continue. Don't feel ashamed to talk to them as I am sure you are not the only one how feels like you do.

Could you find the motivation to even start with a few small steps, like finding a way to get your Protein up even by way of including it in Water and that way two steps covered in one? Your body needs the protein and if you are not getting enough it could be contributing to your mood/fog.
So what if you haven't gone to the gym, I don't go, but I have made an effort to find a couple of fitness things I like to do. I know I could do more but hey I am doing more than I did pre-op so its a win win as far as I am concerned. I am not going to put unrealistic pressure on myself as I know I will fail, maybe that is the same for you?
For the alcohol you don't say how much or often you have a drink but if you can't go cold turkey could you even cut back or opt for a lighter drink? I have a drink (or three) when out with friends, its not the end of the world but I am realistic that it will probably impact the weight loss for a few days and I restrict myself to only when out, certainly not at home as that is a bad habit that I am trying to make sure I don't bring back.
Could you start writing a daily positivity list/journal of all the positives you are finding from the loss you have had so far? I started to do it to help me with the PTSD I am suffering from my surgery, I note just random things such as;
was able to jog to catch bus and not be mortified / was able to get through turnstile without turning sideways / so and so told me I was looking great / sun is shining and I feel energised / had to tighten jeans belt again
Small steps could help you out of the funk and get you on track as there was a reason you would have had the surgery and you don't want to get back there. It takes work but you have already made good progress but it will get harder to loose the lbs and you could end up with other health problems if you continue as you are. Does your doctor have a support team that you can reach out to? I think an honest conversation with them is needed and will help you, they can hopefully provide tools to get you in the mindset needed to continue. Don't feel ashamed to talk to them as I am sure you are not the only one how feels like you do.

So after my post last week where I was .4 away from my goal, I am not 1.2lb UNDER my goal! So I am working on my macros to see what caloric threshold I should hit to stay around the same. Last week I was eating around 1100-1200calories and I still lost weight. Gonna stay around the 1200-1300 mark. Any input on this aspect would be great! I’m still working out 6 days a week (been an addiction lol)
Last week my sisters, mom and I had a spa day, laid by the pool with drinks after our massages and I couldn’t believe the difference in how I looked between the summers!
The drink in my hand is coconut mojito mocktail that was delicious but too sugary I had a couple sips because I didn’t want to 💩 everywhere 😂

They’re really good, and same - their music just takes me back to my late teens. Second time seeing them, 1st time was in Birmingham a couple of years ago. I danced non-stop for 2 hours straight and I wasn’t the only one 🤩 It will be chair dancing this time but will be just as enthusiastic!

Congrats on your success so far and it is a big plus in understanding your struggles to be able to work on them. Glad the Euros kept you distracted through the first few weeks.
A year out I find that my eyes are still bigger than my stomach and it takes me having to really think about it sometimes to realise I am full.
Another win you will be able to add to your list soon is that when you go out for meals you will probably be able to bring enough leftovers home to do a few meals 😀Two weeks ago a work lunch in the local Chinese meant I brought home enough from my one duck & rice dish to do another two lunches, three dinners and even my cat got a bit.

I saw them supporting Robbie Williams in Dublin a few years ago and they were really good, took me back years.

I had no pre-surgery diet plan to to follow but did have to 'check-in' to the hospital the night before so they actually cut off my food at 8pm that night and then I was only allowed Water until midnight. They also had me take a small amount of a sugar free isotonic drink at about 6am on the day of my op (8am), don't know why.

Have a great trip

Have a great trip

Oh I know but then nothing about my op went as planned from start to finish.
They all probably thought someone else had told me but no-one had and so far I have been too polite to raise it as a question or complaint but I will one day when I feel comfortable but at the moment I still have various different appointments with the team over the coming months so will wait.

Oh I know but then nothing about my op went as planned from start to finish.
They all probably thought someone else had told me but no-one had and so far I have been too polite to raise it as a question or complaint but I will one day when I feel comfortable but at the moment I still have various different appointments with the team over the coming months so will wait.

I have no guidance or experience to offer for the surgeon selection aspect as I went through the public insurance system where I live and once you go to the obesity clinic and they accept you (high BMI etc.) then the government takes care of the costs for pre-op testing, surgery, post-op tests and consultations. I did get a list of their surgeons to pick from, which I did and met her a few months out but then she didn't do the op for some reason and no-one ever had the decency to tell me, I only found out after the surgery!
For the Vitamins I was told to take the special bariatric ones just for the first year and then after that it was ok but if anything showed up in future blood tests to possibly start taking them again. I am only a year on from my surgery so I have decided (for now) to continue with the batch of bariatric vitamins I have at home and then just switch to basic over the counter ones going forward and not panic if I miss a day or three!

Never heard of Protein gel supplements (energy ones without protein but not protein ones) but people do add unflavoured protein powders to broths (bone broths are best), cream Soups, consommés, etc. As you progress you can add protein powders to any liquid or runny based food like yoghurt, instant rolled oats, Decaf coffee, etc.

I made small chocolate truffles that I kept in the fridge and had one or two when feeling like something sweet;
0.25 cup agave Syrup, 30 g chocolate hazelnut Protein Powder, 110g 100% cacao (no sugar) and 60 g smooth Peanut Butter. It made 15 balls;

I have no guidance or experience to offer for the surgeon selection aspect as I went through the public insurance system where I live and once you go to the obesity clinic and they accept you (high BMI etc.) then the government takes care of the costs for pre-op testing, surgery, post-op tests and consultations. I did get a list of their surgeons to pick from, which I did and met her a few months out but then she didn't do the op for some reason and no-one ever had the decency to tell me, I only found out after the surgery!
For the Vitamins I was told to take the special bariatric ones just for the first year and then after that it was ok but if anything showed up in future blood tests to possibly start taking them again. I am only a year on from my surgery so I have decided (for now) to continue with the batch of bariatric vitamins I have at home and then just switch to basic over the counter ones going forward and not panic if I miss a day or three!

I made small chocolate truffles that I kept in the fridge and had one or two when feeling like something sweet;
0.25 cup agave Syrup, 30 g chocolate hazelnut Protein Powder, 110g 100% cacao (no sugar) and 60 g smooth Peanut Butter. It made 15 balls;

I made small chocolate truffles that I kept in the fridge and had one or two when feeling like something sweet;
0.25 cup agave Syrup, 30 g chocolate hazelnut Protein Powder, 110g 100% cacao (no sugar) and 60 g smooth Peanut Butter. It made 15 balls;

You will do great and it is all the little things that add up to a bigger and better quality of life for a smaller you 😁
I still can't bend my knees like I did when I was a teen and can't do some of the pilates moves that my class does as I can't do childs pose, sit on my heels etc but I can already move better than before and that is huge progress.

It won't cure the arthritic knees and pain but it will help as you will have much less weight to be walking around with so less pressure on them.
I have no cartilage in either knee and have been getting steroid injections and also hyaluronic to cushion the joints and they only last a while. Doctors told me I needed both knees replaced at a later date but I had to loose weight first and my knees need to thin down more (as I have bad lymphedema).
I can already feel the difference now with the weight loss, I can walk further and faster without much pain. Whereas before I would not be able to sleep at night due to knee pain.
I will get another round of injections in September before my holidays just to be on the safe side and will see what the ortho says about my knees (I don't think they have slimmed down enough yet) and I think my knees have a few more years in them.

It won't cure the arthritic knees and pain but it will help as you will have much less weight to be walking around with so less pressure on them.
I have no cartilage in either knee and have been getting steroid injections and also hyaluronic to cushion the joints and they only last a while. Doctors told me I needed both knees replaced at a later date but I had to loose weight first and my knees need to thin down more (as I have bad lymphedema).
I can already feel the difference now with the weight loss, I can walk further and faster without much pain. Whereas before I would not be able to sleep at night due to knee pain.
I will get another round of injections in September before my holidays just to be on the safe side and will see what the ortho says about my knees (I don't think they have slimmed down enough yet) and I think my knees have a few more years in them.