We were on the road shopping for a new (used) car for my kiddo.

The rest of the family wanted good old BK Steakhouse....so we went to see that creepy king.

I had the veggie burger with all the veggies on it, just like they make it... and an iced tea. And I'll admit it...I ate a couple of my hubby's fries.

Could not eat even half of the veggie burger....but it was freakin' delicious.

Half a veggie burger= 200 calories and 10 grams of protien. Throw in 50 calories for the fries I swiped. A totally do-able lunch budget:)

I feel kinda victorious when I can find ways to enjoy out to eat crap with friends and family....in a sensible way that doesn't break the calorie budget or derail my diet.

Win-win. I like options. And the half a veggie burger option...is awesome.

Also found an AWESOME car for the kiddo:) Almost a clone of her old one, only blue this time instead of brown. She's super excited:)

We were on the road shopping for a new (used) car for my kiddo.
The rest of the family wanted good old BK Steakhouse....so we went to see that creepy king.
I had the veggie burger with all the veggies on it, just like they make it... and an iced tea. And I'll admit it...I ate a couple of my hubby's fries.
Could not eat even half of the veggie burger....but it was freakin' delicious.
Half a veggie burger= 200 calories and 10 grams of protien. Throw in 50 calories for the fries I swiped. A totally do-able lunch budget:)
I feel kinda victorious when I can find ways to enjoy out to eat crap with friends and family....in a sensible way that doesn't break the calorie budget or derail my diet.
Win-win. I like options. And the half a veggie burger option...is awesome.
Also found an AWESOME car for the kiddo:) Almost a clone of her old one, only blue this time instead of brown. She's super excited:)

Did you eat the bun?
How far out are you?

Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal App

I DID eat the bun:) I typically avoid white bread, but I counted it as my 75 naughty calories (allowed on my Mayo Clinic Diet)....so yeah, I know the bun is junk, but I didn't exceed my junk budget.

I'm six months out and loving my forever diet:)

I DID eat the bun:) I typically avoid white bread, but I counted it as my 75 naughty calories (allowed on my mayo Clinic Diet)....so yeah, I know the bun is junk, but I didn't exceed my junk budget.
I'm six months out and loving my forever diet:)

[emoji79] Where can I find that diet?

Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal App

Google it:) It's a diet designed by Mayo Clinic, one of the finest medical research hospitals on the planet.

It resembles the Mediterranean diet and Japanese diet. I like this because both of these diets are correlated with the greatest longevity of anyone on Earth...and the lowest rates of heart disease and cancer.

Lots of fruit, veggies, whole grains, lean protien. And 75 calories per day for "sweets" or other treats.

I love this diet because it's livable. You won't lose weight screaming fast like keto...but you will lose weight safely and steadily and not feel hungry or deprived.

Works for me:)

Edited June 11, 20188 yr by Creekimp13

The key certainly is “this is my forever eating” - I have over the years tried so many things billed as diets, but unsustainable. Right now this post surgery eating style is working great for me. I try to avoid sugars, but not seriously restrict carbs (lentils, beans etc). When I looked up this Mayo Clinic diet, @Creekimp13, I see it mirrors what I am doing most days.

I have a coffee shot/vanilla protein slushy for breakfast, lunch a simple salad of lettuce/tomato/bell pepper with cheese and meat (ham or chicken or maybe salami) and nutritious tasty home made dinner. Usually veggies with beans or lentils or tofu - and a good chunk of dairy as we New Zealanders love cheese! My favourite ‘treat’ is a ‘cake in a mug’ made with mashed banana, protein powder, egg, almond flour and fruit pieces.

BUT I was out with a new relative, they wanted to go to McDonalds. So I did, got a Big Mac with no sauce, and ate the burger pattie/cheese/salad and pickle and LOVED it! Was it a slippery slope? No. Have I been again? No, but I might.

Until I got gallstone trouble (6kg lost this month) I was losing about a pound a week (much higher at the start, 2-3lbs a week after 2 months, a pound a week after 4-5 months). A pound a week has suited me well, and now I can lift my calories a bit and settle in to my forever weight!

Edited June 11, 20188 yr by Biddy zz

I love your posts! They always show a balance is achievable and that having a healthier choice at BK isn’t some pathway for doom and failure.

1 hour ago, Creekimp13 said:

We were on the road shopping for a new (used) car for my kiddo.

The rest of the family wanted good old BK Steakhouse....so we went to see that creepy king.

I had the veggie burger with all the veggies on it, just like they make it... and an iced tea. And I'll admit it...I ate a couple of my hubby's fries.

Could not eat even half of the veggie burger....but it was freakin' delicious.

Half a veggie burger= 200 calories and 10 grams of protien. Throw in 50 calories for the fries I swiped. A totally do-able lunch budget:)

I feel kinda victorious when I can find ways to enjoy out to eat crap with friends and family....in a sensible way that doesn't break the calorie budget or derail my diet.

Win-win. I like options. And the half a veggie burger option...is awesome.

Also found an AWESOME car for the kiddo:) Almost a clone of her old one, only blue this time instead of brown. She's super excited:)

Good choice! I actually like that sandwich. I don't touch fries anymore because they actually taste kind of gross. I love a good burger with lettuce, tomato, and onion. They are soft, go down easy, and typically last me two meals. I can really only get half of it down.

Sustainability is certainly a key factor in long term success in this game - and I wouldn't be so sure that keto would be any faster, and they often are slower if they do it literally as they tend to run at higher calorie levels (they just lose a bit more water weight at the outset, which they give back at the end when they figure out what they are going to do for the rest of their life,) Likewise, I never did any of those diets but rather maintained a more classical balance of fruits, veg, whole grains, etc. along with the requisite protein, consistent with my caloric budget for weight loss - the same diet that I was on before surgery and now, years post-op, calorically adjusted for maintenance. If I need to drop a bit, dropping the calories around 20% does the trick without any panicky "back to basics" or "reset" diets.

Funny thing (not really) is that most of the other post ops in our support group, most of whom are 10-20 years out and maintaining a normal weight range, likewise never got into these extreme low carb diets and seem to be a lot more tolerant of the occasional indulgence or unavoidable junk ingestion than those who did these extreme diets and are always worried about slippery slopes and carb monkeys. A couple of years ago we even had an accidental pizza fest when the restaurant we usually meet at closed without warning and we had to go around the corner to a pizza joint. The doc bought a couple of pizzas, some shared while others ordered sandwiches (heaven forbid!), salads or something else. I ordered a lasagna as that is something that just isn't worth making at home anymore. Yet no one suffered irreperable harm.

Thanks for posting Creek!

I eat out often out of necessity, and sometimes out of desire. I've certainly had my fair share of fast food since I was sleeved. Life happens, it is impractical for most people to go the rest of their lives without fast food or only eating "clean", whatever that means.

I don't believe in the slippery slope theory. I actually believe the opposite. If I don't occasionally l indulge then I'm at risk of just saying screw this, and would eat whatever I want without any regard to nutritional values. But if I occasionally splurge on something, then I won't feel deprived, and it makes it easier to make healthier choices overall.

Also, like your choice of a veggie burger, I nearly always make healthier choices then I would have made pre WLS. I look up nutritional info. A Taco Bell Loco Taco is 170 cals, and I can only eat half of it, so I get that instead of a Chalupa. Panda Express Mushroom Chicken is 220 cals per serving, and I can eat 20% of the serving, as opposed to the Orange Chicken, which is more than double the calories. I LOVE Shake Shack burgers, so I order them protein style, and can eat about half the patty (not opposed to the bun, their patties are just freaking delicious). All of these can easily fit into my day, all the while keeping my calories low.

We have to be able to live life realistically, right? Its not every day that you are going to be able to bring your packed lunch. I don't think that half a veggie burger was a difficult splurge. Good on you!

I have been a food addict for 20 years. I worry that if I went to a fast food place that I would not be able to control myself from going back again and again. Like putting a crack addict in a crack house.

Or an alcoholic with a stack of muscatel bottles. I would hate to tell you how old I was when I finally found out what muscatel really was, oh from little Frustr8hood I had heard it mentioned. in a deprecating,tone. Like my relatives had the room to talk, I have a complex gnarled family ?, enterprising small business men (aka moonshiners) on Daddy's sides , strident WCTU on Mama's, That stands for Women's Christian Temperance Union , so family get togethers are noisy affairs, neither side processes any love for the other.
Anyway muscatel is simply raisin wine, cheaply made, easily accessible,at your local carry-out.Hmmm?

I had a grilled artisan chicken sandwich from McDonalds on Saturday. I eliminated the condiments and the bun, just because white bread makes me feel nauseous. I ate a couple of fries too.

Its harder to find options, but there seems to always be something to improvise with.

Edited June 11, 20188 yr by AshAsh1

I’ve never been a fast food person (in fact I don’t think I’ve been to Burger King or McDonald’s in the last 20 years). I did happen to go to Wendy’s a couple months ago and discovered their chicken sandwhich isn’t too bad (just ate the chicken no bun). I did something similar at 5 guys too and just ate some of the burger patty. Unfortunately none of that stuff warms up well so it’s a waste of a lot of food usually.... the fries smell good but at least for me make me feel sick immediately if I eat one.

good to know there are options out there!

I’ve never been a fast food person (in fact I don’t think I’ve been to Burger King or McDonald’s in the last 20 years). I did happen to go to Wendy’s a couple months ago and discovered their chicken sandwhich isn’t too bad (just ate the chicken no bun). I did something similar at 5 guys too and just ate some of the burger patty. Unfortunately none of that stuff warms up well so it’s a waste of a lot of food usually.... the fries smell good but at least for me make me feel sick immediately if I eat one.

Part of this is learning how to ‘survive’ in the real world with temptation so it’s good to know there are options out there!

Edited June 11, 20188 yr by Losebig

On 6/10/2018 at 7:48 PM, Creekimp13 said:

love this diet because it's livable.

And SUSTAINABLE! ???