Hit us with your top 2 or 3 secrets for success. What are you doing differently now, than you were doing then? I'm talking about the key things that allowed you to really achieve a mind shift that helped you fully utilize your new tool.

Inquiring minds! Cuz you know...I think it was Oprah who said, "Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome is insanity." hehe And, I know my bad self...I will relapse if I don't glom on to new strategies that can replace the old failed ones.

Edited October 17, 20178 yr by FluffyChix

Preop, eating just happened willy nilly, with little thought or plan. Hungry? Just go grab something.

Immediately after surgery there are rules. We have to consume just so much protein and water, while minimizing carbs and calories.

Eating becomes work. Goal-oriented, structured, planned-for, routine.

Now I have to plan ahead for the day. There are "yes" foods and "no" foods. I finally feel some relief... probably because hunger hasn't reared its ugly head. And I always know what I'm gonna eat.

Hey.. off topic!

My MIL brought like 16 kinds of junk food into the house one day while I was on the preop diet.

Now SHE is on a diet (jealous, much?).. and I could care less about cakes and such. Should I bring that stuff into the house? FIL and the kids can eat it...

*evil laugh* muhahaha muhahaha!

2 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Preop, eating just happened willy nilly, with little thought or plan. Hungry? Just go grab something.

Immediately after surgery there are rules. We have to consume just so much Protein and Water, while minimizing carbs and calories.

Eating becomes work. Goal-oriented, structured, planned-for, routine.

Now I have to plan ahead for the day. There are "yes" foods and "no" foods. I finally feel some relief... probably because hunger hasn't reared its ugly head. And I always know what I'm gonna eat.

Hey.. off topic!

My MIL brought like 16 kinds of junk food into the house one day while I was on the preop diet.

Now SHE is on a diet (jealous, much?).. and I could care less about cakes and such. Should I bring that stuff into the house? FIL and the kids can eat it...

*evil laugh* muhahaha muhahaha!

Nah, travel the high road on your MIL, cuz karma's a ******. But wow. Just. Wow. You were on the 2 week liquid pre-op diet when she did that? I woulda flipped my whicket. I'm ok on cakes and cookies and stuff, but shazam! I've never met a chip I didn't like. And I'm really trying to gird my loins for what it's gonna be like to drink liquid while Mr. Fluffy is chowing down on a ribeye or hambourgese. There might be blood shed involved...just sayin.

Do your "yes" and "no" foods change? Or can you count on a "yes" to stay a "yes"? How did you arrive at that yes/no list? Do you think your hunger control stems from the low carb element of the diet or does it come as a side effect to the WLS? Congrats on your success, btw! May I experience even a little of it!

If you don't mind my input[emoji4][emoji39]...i notice that not all no's stay no's and not all yeses stay yeses. Also if im really sticking to my plan i dont have room for much carbs and that seems to make me less hungry than if i had been eating things with bread all day. I'd feel like i was gonna keel over after eating but an hour later I'm verging on hunger. Still hard sometimes to say no to the "NO's" tho?

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@Torriluv87 Please, please, please input! The more the better. I hear ya on the low carb. As a pre-op, PCOSer, I'm highly insulinogenic, so if I eat a small serving of carbs, I firstly crave a bigger serving, and secondly, my blood sugar starts the roller coaster. I get screaming hungry within 2 hours of eating a huge meal...

Do you think the WLS gave you the benefit of the metabolic reset? My surgeon said that some will get immediately relief from incessant hunger, but others will not experience that same relief. Some will lose really fast and others will hardly notice a difference. God, I hope that's not me!

Are there other habits you've developed that really helps you remain successful and on track?

Aww shucks.. what's the fun of the high road? Yeah.. 2 week liquid h*ll... oh, I meant diet.

Tori.. thanks for chiming in. Half the reason I post when I do is to see others' responses.

As for my "yesses" and "noes"... during the first 2 months postop it was all constantly evolving. By 9 weeks, I had tried out most foods and had a handle on what baby tummy liked and didn't.

Then a week or so after that, someone on here asked "what a typical day" looked like. So, dutifully, I thought about it.

And I realized through answering that question, that there is such a thing as a typical day. The clouds rolled back, and I could SEE.

My yesses are always yes (but I count and measure.. yes to one apple, no to two). My noes are a bit flexible. Special occasions permit special accomodations. And if I want a 10 calorie lick of my hubby's ice cream cone.. I do it! And I don't feel guilty. Lol. But, just because we went out for ice cream doesn't mean I need a cone of my own. It's not a birthday. If I'm busy sipping on water, then I have something to do too. Ice cream isn't about ice cream.. it's about "going out".

But, say it IS a birthday. I take a full size serving of cake and ice cream and eat what I want. If it's a sheet cake of grossness I'll probably abstain and eat gently fried-in-butter sweet potatoes at home instead. Mmmm... sweet potatoes...

Yes, I've become a good-food snob.

Hit us with your top 2 or 3 secrets for success. What are you doing differently now, than you were doing then? I'm talking about the key things that allowed you to really achieve a mind shift that helped you fully utilize your new tool.
Inquiring minds! Cuz you know...I think it was Oprah who said, "Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome is insanity." hehe [emoji6] And, I know my bad self...I will relapse if I don't glom on to new strategies that can replace the old failed ones.

1. Don't stress. I'm constantly seeing people compare their progress to others and honestly who cares, as long as you stay focused, you will definitely get to where you need to be. So enjoy it.

2. Fix all of your emotional mental issues- if you're able to figure out why you were eating the way you were before, or even re build broken confidence during the process it will help tremendously and prevent you from falling off the wagon. This whole process is mostly mental. Sometimes that may even be as extreme as cutting off people in your life who aren't where you are mentally or not supportive.

3. Be your own boss. Don't do anything you don't want to do. For example, i despise boring cardio and "bariatric specific shakes" i hate how they taste. So i avoid both at all costs. I truly enjoy all of my new found healthy foods. I enjoy working out too, its now my stress reliever. I do things like boxing and weight lifting or swimming because i actually like it. If you love what you're doing and view it as a hobby instead of a chore you will most definitely be more successful.

Take constant full body selfies even if you don't like where you are physically yet, seeing that will remind you of how far you've come and you won't want to go back.

I hope that helps someone. I made a post a long time ago with a million tips that helped me.

Aww shucks.. what's the fun of the high road? Yeah.. 2 week liquid h*ll... oh, I meant diet.
Tori.. thanks for chiming in. Half the reason I post when I do is to see others' responses.
As for my "yesses" and "noes"... during the first 2 months postop it was all constantly evolving. By 9 weeks, I had tried out most foods and had a handle on what baby tummy liked and didn't.
Then a week or so after that, someone on here asked "what a typical day" looked like. So, dutifully, I thought about it.
And I realized through answering that question, that there is such a thing as a typical day. The clouds rolled back, and I could SEE.
My yesses are always yes (but I count and measure.. yes to one apple, no to two). My noes are a bit flexible. Special occasions permit special accomodations. And if I want a 10 calorie lick of my hubby's ice cream cone.. I do it! And I don't feel guilty. Lol. But, just because we went out for ice cream doesn't mean I need a cone of my own. It's not a birthday. If I'm busy sipping on water, then I have something to do too. Ice cream isn't about ice cream.. it's about "going out".
But, say it IS a birthday. I take a full size serving of cake and ice cream and eat what I want. If it's a sheet cake of grossness I'll probably abstain and eat gently fried-in-butter sweet potatoes at home instead. Mmmm... sweet potatoes...
Yes, I've become a good-food snob.

I can def relate. I'm a food snob too. I just refuse to waste my money and my 4oz per meal on crappy food lol. It's not worth it.

The top 2 things that I am doing now that I wasn't doing then...

I snack on wholesome food. Before, I snacked on crap. I couldn't sit in front of a television at night without some salty snack in front of me. I loved popcorn. I air popped it myself, but added plenty of popcorn salt to make up for the lack of oil or butter. I now snack on raw nuts, healthy fruit, veggies, turkey and even cheese. I like making my own P3s to meld different flavors. These still pack on calories, but who am I fooling, if I ate chips, I would probably consume three or four servings in a sitting (over 500 calories). I am content with 1/2 ounce of raw almonds, 1/4 ounce of cheese, and 1 ounce of deli turkey (175 calories). This also holds me over for a few hours where the chips would satisfy me until I was done eating them.

I now work my entire body in the gym. I used to just work upper body, because I already had big thighs, and didn't want to increase their size as I refused to purchase waist size 46 pants. My 44s were already a bit snug in the thigh area. My legs were the first place that shrunk after surgery, and I decided to devote 1 or 2 days per week just on them. After all, the legs and buttocks are the largest muscle groups in the body. You can benefit from a metabolism boost by working those areas.

I don't go out to eat much, but when I do, it is easy to just get a salad. I have always been a guy to refuse to go to a steakhouse and pay $9 for a salad. I wanted to get my money's worth, and besides, it was a cheat meal anyway. The only way that I would get a salad would be if it came with the meal. I now just get the salad. If I'm feeling brave, I might get a soup and salad.

So...it all boils down to choices. I make better choices. I choose better fuel for my body, and choose to work smarter in the gym.

Oh yeah, I don't stress about my weight any longer. Before surgery, I was on the scale everyday. If I worked hard that week, and only lost a pound, I would be pissed to the point of having what I like to call Sabotage Monday. I still worked out, but would eat whatever I wanted that day. I would then wake up on Tuesday feeling full of guilt. Now, I don't care as much about the scale. I physically see a difference in the way I look in the mirror, and the way my clothes fit. That is enough for me. Sabotage Monday is but a distant memory.

The two biggest changes I have made are to make sure 90-95% of what I eat is healthy and nutritious and I exercise (run) 6 days a week.

In the first three months post-op that meant weighing and measuring everything. I needed to learn what a proper serving size was and it kept me from accidentally over eating. My sleeve is very restrictive and I have learned just how much I can eat. Meals are simple when they are all healthy I don't have feel guilty ever.

I eat very little processed foods. I do allow for a little treat every once in a blue moon,( half a cookie or a bite of pie) I plan all of my meals and I take my lunch to work everyday. I still eat out a couple of times a month, but I can easily find healthy choices.

I am eating a WFPB diet, but whatever diet you are eating just stick to the plan, exercise, and you will lose the weight. I am at goal, 5 months post-op

@Apple1 Great tips. Congrats on exceeding your 1st goal btw!! That's so exciting!

2 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

@Apple1 Great tips. Congrats on exceeding your 1st goal btw!! That's so exciting!

Thank you @FluffyChix.

It feels good. I don't think I am done losing yet, but I am at a healthy BMI now so everything else is just icing on the cake. I am happy right where I am.

Calorie counting and exercise. Started logging everything I eat or drink on MFP to help maintain a deficit and bought a bike that I take down to the beach every other day.