Lilia_90

I was the same. Nothing tasted good and I'm so not into sweet foods, protein shakes were a nightmare to drink and half a smoothie took me a whole day to finish (and they were gross no matter what I put in them). It gets better, I found that after the pureed stage I lost my interest in eating, it was only after I started consistent weight lifting and exercise (around 4 months) that my hunger returned. Hang in there!

Dinner: Spiced chickpea rice with caramelized onions, baby carrots and roasted corn. Cinnamon broth baked chicken and a side of tzatziki. I ate one thigh, 2 chickpeas and 2 baby carrots.

I can literally smell this through my screen! The look amazing. Do you struggle with who eats the food you make?

Thank you everyone for your replies, I truly appreciate every single one of you. Another thing I was wondering if you felt your restriction eased/loosened with time? I had friends who have gotten WLS and most tell me they were able to eat far more than I do at each stage (mind you they all lost a ton of weight). I feel that my restriction is fierce and I am only able to eat 3 bites comfortably and the rest becomes a struggle (I stop before feeling to uncomfortably full but sometimes it just hits me suddenly and hard). Does this get better?

LOL!! the feeling is very much mutual ?

You are another source of inspiration to me and I feel that we are very much similar (stats and progress and the love for food lolz) from what I gather through your replies and posts. I do not weigh daily and I do not track. I did track for 3 weeks a month or so ago and saw that I sit at around 800 calories a day (around 4.5 months post op) and now at over 6 months post op I still eat the same amount give or take. Even at my fittest and slimmest I never tracked or counted my calories and I don't think I will be doing that in my future if I am able to maintain my weight (with a little deviation that is). I also hate the weighing scale as it gives me so much anxiety (my heart starts thumping in my chest every time I step on it, I know I should talk to a therapist but I digress). What helps is that I exercise a lot and love working out since forever and it is sacred to me. I was traveling the past week and decided to have a little fun (to celebrate reaching the lowest weight I ever have) and allowed myself to eat normally (what the kids and the hubby were having) and that included burgers, bread, dessert (dumping is no joke, yikes!) and all things I didn't allow myself to eat. The portions were tiny mind you (thanks restriction). I decided to step on the scale once I was back and saw that I had lost 200 grams lol. I guess I should make friends with my scale and say hi multiple times a week instead of one. How do you keep tracking your calories without getting bored?

Thank you Arabesque. I love reading your replies as I feel you radiate positivity. May I ask if there are complete No Nos in your diet? Do you eat sugar/carbs when you feel like it? Or do you completely stay off?

Dinner: Toasted sourdough focaccia slathered with pesto and spicy mayo. Melted fresh mozzarella, blistered rosemary and garlic cherry tomatoes, sliced heirloom tomatoes, baby spinach, chili crisp, turkey for hubby and plain for me. This was so good, I ate 1/4 of mine.

Very Very sorry for your loss. Sending love and prayers your way.

Hi everyone. Soooo, here I am 6 months post VSG. Started at a BMI 33, reached goal at 3.5 months so kept changing goals and here I am at the 6th month mark having lost much more than anticipated and ready for maintenance (at a BMI 20 as of today, 126.7 lbs/57.6 KGs). I don’t want to bore you with too many details, other than that I bounce between a fear of becoming sickly thin (currently feeling that) and an all encompassing fear of gaining weight and going back to what I have become, it is kind of mind boggling. I read many many stories of how WLS patients gained all the weight back and then some, about them seeking revision surgeries or GLP treatments and it really freaks me out and my mind starts telling me to keep losing weight just so I don’t end up back where I started. I want to change that and start focusing on success stories. I have come across people with successful outcomes many years out but there isn’t many of them to be honest, and what I have noticed with successful WLS patients is this: - They made 360 degree changes in their lifestyles (cut all the junk, took up exercise and became very “clean” if you will). OR: - Still have fun but track their calories and weight DAILY. Very few have just lost interest in food and don’t do any of the above and remained successful. Given my history being at a low BMI and athletic my entire adulthood and only becoming overweight the past few years I can be very disciplined and committed. However I am human and I love going out to eat and trying new foods and restaurants, so for you the successful lot please enlighten me on the following: 1. What are your golden rules to successful maintenance? 2. How did you manage the mental shift (navigating fear and uncertainty) while transitioning to maintenance? I can’t seem to quiet my thoughts and anxiety around WHAT IFs? 3. How much indulgence do you actually allow yourself? I really need to strike that balance right now. Every single tip would be helpful. And to celebrate my 6 month anniversary, here’s a little before and after for y’all:

Poke bowls post workout. Hubby’s bowl: White rice, salmon, edamame, cucumber and carrot ribbons, avocado, spring onions. Added later: crushed nori, birds eye chili and a spicy mayo dressing (spicy mayo, ponzu and a little ketchup). I kinda like the before picture better lol. My sad bowl ? At least ate a decent amount. It’s pretty much the same sans the rice, had one bite of avocado and passed to hubby and barely had any dressing.

I had a very bad ankle injury in 2022 which reduced my mobility and I wasn't able to workout much or move because of the pain. I felt my weight creeping up because I was buying XL clothes and everything was still very tight (I had already put on 30 lbs the past few years so I was already heavier than I ever was) but I never weighed myself (my biggest mistake) so I had no idea how much heavier I was? I started entertaining the idea of WLS because nothing else worked (dieting, working out, even liraglutide) - mind you this was not even on my mind before - and saw the surgeon on Feb 2023 to see if he would even do it, and he said he would and that he recommended VSG for my case. Had a chat and decided I will put it on hold because I wasn't mentally ready. Fast forward to summer 2023 and we were travelling, we were in a water park and my 8 year old and I decided to go for a ride and I was panting going up the stairs to the big slide. While we queued the staff asked us to step on the weighing scale to see if we're under the weight threshold and I really didn't want to be weighed, my heart was pounding and my palms were sweating and once my daughter and I stepped on the scale the staff goes: "you're almost beyond the threshold but I'll let you go" and it was as if a slap was delivered across my face. I did the math in my head and realized that I have reached a weight I never ever saw even while pregnant (funnily I barely gained any weight in both my pregnancies and snapped right back). I came back from my holiday and booked my surgery for December. Best decision of my life.

Congrats on his graduation ♥️♥️

Congrats on her graduation ♥️♥️

I’m so flattered lol!! I am definitely not a professional chef but a very avid cook and baker, I love love love making (and eating) food lol!!

Some “healthier” desserts I’ve made the past few days: Top to bottom: Paleo almond flour tahini cookies Mixed berry frozen yogurt Flourless fudge chocolate chunk brownies I would have a bite after I’m done making them to taste and they all are incredible lol.

Some of my eats the past few days: Strawberry summer salad. I have an obsession with salads!! This one has baby spinach, strawberries, pomegranate seeds, cucumbers, walnuts, feta cheese, topped with crispy shallots and crispy garlic, with a pomegranate molasses dressing. My bowl below which I ate over the course of 3 hours. Chocolate basil seed protein pudding. 2/3 cups of basil seeds, 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk, 1 scoop chocolate whey, 2 tbsp melted peanut butter, stir and leave overnight. Top with berries and pumpkin seeds. I ate 3/4 of one.

I always appreciate your replies and wisdom. Congratulations on your successful journey, it takes dedication and hard work and I hope to be in your shoes at my 5 year anniversary! May you continue living your best life ❤️

Dinner: Lean beef enchiladas (which you can’t see ?) topped with a greek yogurt crema, tangy salsa, avocados and Chloula sauce. I used mission low carb mini tortillas, my hand is for reference. Ate 3/4 of it, guessing around 300ish calories?

One more thing to note is that I was never a breakfast eater prior to WLS, but after WLS I wake up and I'm hungry within 30 minutes which has never been the case. Most night I eat a tiny dinner (thanks restriction) at 6 PM and that will be it until the next day. So due to the tiny portions I have to eat earlier (at 10 AM) otherwise I am famished. So I have a coffee at 8:30 and then a small breakfast at 10 and then eat every 2-3 hours otherwise I don't get in enough calories. You could say I am grazer after WLS? I never was a snacker nor a grazer, but hey the pounds are melting off? I think what matters the most isn't how often you eat but what your total caloric intake is at the end of the day. If you eat a 1000 calories in the form of 3 big meals or tiny snacks every 2 hours doesn't matter.

I don't know if I am the right person to answer this as I'm a newbie (less than 6 months out), but I do get hungry every 2 hours and I need to be eating something every two hours if I have access to food (meaning not out running errands or busy with anything). But again what I eat is considered a very small portion which I assume is the case for everyone who's had WLS? Unfortunately if I'm not eating every 2 hours then I would barely get in 300 calories a day. So the point is, it depends on how much you eat that you feel hungry 2 hours later? If it is little food then it is completely understandable.

I workout 4 times a week, due still to still being early out (not 6 months out yet) I try to workout every other day otherwise I get too sore and my muscles don't recover because I don't get in enough protein and calories no matter how hard I try. I don't feel guilt per se but I feel restlessness like I should be working out instead of resting. I also feel sluggish on those days and my mental health gets impacted (I'm addicted to endorphins and dopamine, and to me exercise is therapy). With a history of being athletic my entire adulthood and working out consistently for decades, I don't feel good on the days I don't workout but I also remind myself of how I would feel the next day if I don't sit my behind down and give my muscles time to recover. So long story short you're not alone!

Quite proud to say I did

Dinner (and post workout meal): Roast Poussins stuffed with spiced rice and beef mince on a bed of caramelized onions, topped with toasted pine nuts, with a side of green beans and tzatziki. This meal was so good. Ate everything except the rice and removed the skin. My guess is 250 calories.

Hi there, I was 198 on the day of (height 5'6) and lost close to 27 lbs at my first month mark. What I'm trying to say is that every body is different. We lose at different rates and our bodies do what they feel comfortable doing. I had morbidly obese friends who were really really slow losers but kept losing until 24 months post op, but they lost it all! So please don't feel worried or demotivated because 13 lbs are fantastic! And it definitely is very obvious from your before and after! Plus losing slowly is much better for minimizing loose skin especially that you lift heavy objects for a living. You are doing great and you will get there, slowly but surely