Lilia_90

What you ate wouldn’t have kept me full for 20 straight minutes LMAO

Breakfast (2.5 hours post a weight lifting and jogging session) 1 slice protein toast, 4 slices turkey breast, lite cheese, spicy mayo, lettuce and jalapeños. How I did: Had the rest an hour later. Approximately 314 calories for the whole thing. Also had a protein shake 1.5 hours prior.

I too am a fast eater, always have been. When I was at my highest weight I would eat so fast that I would get horrible indigestion pain on the right side of my stomach that would last 4 days. I still struggle with this, not nearly as fast as I used to be but I mentally need to remind myself to eat slower. During my first weeks post op I would set a timer for each bite, it took me ages to finish a meal. Nowadays if I'm really hungry I'll eat my first two bites really fast then my restriction reminds me to slow down, I almost always end up eating less that what I need to because of it, and then feel hungry again an hour later.

I couldn’t stop thinking about them (thanks lot) so I made orange dark chocolate peanut butter cups and stuffed two of them with jelly. Unfortunately didn’t get any of the ones with jelly, I had a whole one.

Oooooh yes. I know females who would not bring their husbands along if I'm there, and that was uttered to me in my face LOL. I will never feel threatened by other females around my husband, I am confident and never see any woman as a threat, but I guess this sentiment is not shared by everybody? 🤷‍♀️ But I also have great female friends who have done nothing but cheered me on and celebrated my success.

I second that. I am not the same person I was the past 5 years (being overweight and unhappy). I am a very different person and I feel I am back to being me, I really feel I regained my life - and personality - back. Let me very honest and transparent here. Growing up and through my adolescence (to this day, I am still in my early thirties), I have come to terms that men just stare, my sister regularly says "I don't want to be out in public with you because you just attract too much attention" I'm used to being hit on. I have trained my mind to ignore it, I don't think anything of it don't pay attention to it. During the 5 years of being overweight then obese, I was more conscious to notice if I get the stares as I used to? And I did, but they weren't as intense as they are now (mind you they are the worst I've experienced although I was athletic with a BMI of 22 my entire life) but I would say this has to do with the way I carry myself and not entirely the looks. I carry myself with confidence, I don't try to hide myself in baggy clothes, I laugh and smile more and I'm just friendlier and happier, so it's probably my sunshine personality LOL. jokes aside, it is a combo of being fit and in shape and a lovelier personality if I say so myself. According to my husband, he never even noticed I was overweight, he keeps telling me how shocked he was when I told him I've decided to get the sleeve, and he tried talking me out of it BUT, I asked him the other day if he preferred me now or a year ago and his default answer "both" but when I pressed him he admitted and said "Now, you look like a sports illustrated model" HAHA. But again, I come onto him more, I wear sexy lingerie, I tease him, I sit on his lap and I keep the lights on during intimate times, I am more fun and adventurous in bed. Mind you these are things I've not done for 5+ years or probably ever, I feel sexy and I act sexy with him and I can say that after 11 years of marriage, this is the best phase, I feel like we're teenagers again LMAO. As for other men's stares, I don't think anything of that, I've got the best one by my side!

All this chocolate talk had me reminiscing about those giant dark chocolate pb and j cups I used to make all the time (peek the halloween version LOL). I’ll head to the grocery store today to get the ingredients and make them again.

I used to eat it a lot but stopped when I got obese (reckon that was a cottage cheese curse?). I eat it now but it has to always be savory. I make cottage cheese bowls with chili oil, cucumbers, roasted cherry tomatoes, black and white sesame seeds and herbs, I dollop that and top it with an over easy egg. I also like it with protein toast. I've never had the sweet version (I see people eating it with fruit, nuts and honey) but I don't think that will appeal to me. I also blend it with avocado, chili, lime, cilantro and salt and it makes a great topping or dipping sauce. If you want ideas on cottage cheese combos follow Toasted Table on Instagram, she's the reason I have consistently eaten cottage cheese since my VSG.

I blend silken tofu with melted dark chocolate (I tried it with stevia sweetened chocolate too, orange chocolate which yielded the best results YUM) or milk chocolate if you're a fan (I'm not) then chill it in individual cups and it turns to the most delicious chocolate mousse, honestly can't taste anything but chocolate goodness, AND it didn't make me dump so that's a win IMO.

A good tip would be to have a mix fat and carbs every couple of hours to help you steady your weight so things like dates + tahini or nuts, Avocado milkshakes, full fat chocolate milk and a couple of tbsps. of peanut butter, Full fat yogurt with nuts, full fat milk with honey, just generally nothing low carb/low fat. For me personally, protein fills me up way too quick so maybe try high fat, high carb moderate or lower protein until you stabilize. Sorry you are going through this, please make sure to see your healthcare provider ASAP.

This salad was really good. Part of its appeal was in the dressing. Wild arugula, cucumbers, apple slices, pomegranate seeds, feta, pecans, parsley and white and black seasame seeds. The dressing is aged balsamic, honey, lemon, olive oil and salt.

I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It is these generational traumas that we learn to overcome and shield our own children from. Whilst my mom wasn’t a terrible cook she has severe obsession with her body image and has always made me very self conscious about my own body to the point that I attached (still do) my self worth to how much I weigh. I would never do that to my own children.

My mom force fed me, she was very strict about clearing my plate, then I grew up and she became the opposite and gave me a hard time about “how much I ate” 🤷‍♀️

That’s puff pastry!

Went out to brunch with the kiddos. I was starving and decided to order half the menu (what’s new?) my order was the truffle scrambled eggs with parmesan at the back of the photo. The kids requested avocado toast with poached eggs which they both shared (and cleared). I managed to make a dent in my eggs but then got too full and packed the rest (after photo above). Eating out fills me up way too fast compared to home cooking, but to be fair I also had an oat milk coffee beforehand which probably didn’t help. The kids also ordered this gargantuan Nutella brioche french toast with caramelized bananas and caramel sauce on the side. They ate half of it and the rest got packed. It was unfortunate that hubby didn’t accompany us to clear out our leftovers.

What an achievement!! That is phenomenal!

Not crazy at all, that is dedication right there. I have gotten addicted to early morning workouts. My whole life I worked out later in the afternoon or late mornings when I had the chance. The past few months I started doing it at 5ish and getting it out of the way, it has transitioned to become the best start to my day. I really feel sluggish if I don't start my day with movement. Keep it up!

You look so good! Congratulations on such an achievement and you deserve this transformation. Wishing you a speedy recovery ❤️

Baked some delicious smelling brownies (I more than halved the amount of sugar). My little one was like “they’re to die for mama” and the eldest goes “you mean they’re to live for 🙄” with an eye roll. The hubs feedback was “please don’t make them again because I can’t stop eating them. These are the best brownies you’ve ever made” I omitted chocolate chips and replaced with drizzled nutella on top and pecans. Believe it or not I didn’t try them but will tonight.

I felt hunger from the first week post op, it never disappeared. In fact I was starving on the first week of liquids. at 10+ months post op some days I feel ravenous (especially on days I lift very heavy) and some days I'm not interested in eating. How did/do you cope? To be very honest the first week is very hard and generally the first 6 weeks are tough not gonna lie. I hated eating soups and mushy foods. I hated the feeling of my restriction but what made it all worth it was the progress I witnessed on a daily basis. The pounds were melting off and I was so ecstatic about that. Do you have/need coping mechanisms in place- if so what? I traveled. That really helped, I traveled at 3 weeks post op, 3 months post op, 6 months and 8 months post op. I went back to exercising and took up Pilates. I regularly checked in with a friend who's had VSG before me. All these things helped me cope plus the weight melting off!! Does it get easier? It really does. You will look and feel better, you will re-learn how to eat and it'll be okay. Do you have any helpful advice for a newbie like me? Take it one day at a time. Don't be too hard on yourself. Don't compare yourself or your progress to anyone. The first few months are a gift, use them but also free your mind of food anxiety and accept that you are not perfect and you will make mistakes and learn from them. Oh and indulge in movement you enjoy (it makes a big difference, physically and mentally).

Good eye! They are LMAO! I bought them just a couple of months ago and they’re already loose (size S mind you). Nothing like the snug lululemon and Alo yoga pants! They hug you just right.

I make a very similar mix for my kids and I top their oatmeal with it, sometimes even their pancakes. I mix it with raw cocoa powder and it makes oatmeal much more fun to eat. You can also top your yogurt with it with some berries.

I don't think I ate anything that made me sick post op, except for sugar (I am sure it is a form of dumping). At 10+ months post op I eat everything, and by everything I mean I can eat everything and feel fine, my portions are much smaller of course. I eat tacos, burgers, sushi, noodles, pizza and even dessert but in smaller amounts. I eat out 2-3 times a week. Here are some things I follow that help me eat what I feel for in moderation: - I do not drink my calories, other than an oat/almond flat white, all my drinks are calorie free. I do not drink alcohol nor sugary drinks. I drink water, diet soda and coffee and that's about it. - I limit deep fried food, I almost always opt for grilled/air fried/baked. If there's a portion of fries and I really want some, I will have one or two and stop. - I prioritize protein 90% of the time. On weekdays I always start with my protein, then my veggies THEN a tiny bit of carbs if I have space (most of the time there is not much space left). When I'm out for a nice dinner or I've ordered in I will eat my order the way it is and will not pick the protein first, so if I've ordered a burger I will eat it as it, or if it is sushi i will eat that and not worry about protein first, but that is only a couple times a week. - I make tweaks and substitute when taste isn't compromised. I love my big mac tacos but I don't want to be eating 200+ calories from a tortilla, so I substitute that with a mission low carb because I really can't taste the difference, or it's negligible. I also substitute wheat toast for protein toast (still occasionally eat sourdough because I love it and can taste the difference). I also opt for low fat milk/dairy/meats when I can, but I will not substitute cheddar for a low fat version for example because MELTED CHEDDAR 🤤 - I eat carbs in tiny amounts. So if I'm snacking and picked up a cookie, I will eat a bit of it or half at most. If it is a slice of cake I make sure it is tiny or I will eat half the slice, if it's ice cream it is half a scoop. I can't tolerate much of sugar and it makes me ill but I will taste/try. And it has to be WORTH IT. I will not eat something for the sake of eating it, I should really want to try/eat it, and if it ends up not being good, I will not continue eating it. - I workout a lot, I lift, I run, I do Pilates, I cycle and close my steps. I stay active. If you can control your portions and refrain from the "all or nothing mindset" it is very possible to eat what you like and maintain your results, at the end of the day it's calories in vs calories out. Also, my moto is that life is too short to be living miserably (I love food LOL). I will however say that I recommend that you hit maintenance first before exploring with the above. I was VERY strict during weight loss and ate 100% clean.

Not sure if this is a win? my weight has pretty much remained the same for 1.5 months now, but the last couple of weeks my arms, abs and legs have shown a lot more definition and my pants definitely feel looser. I’m more or less the same weight In both pictures but I can tell my body composition is different. September: October:

Baked some brown butter chocolate chip cookies and they turned out insane. The whole house smells of caramel/brown butter. I had 3/4 of one. Used much less sugar than the recipe called for and I still feel I could reduce it a tad more.