As @FluffyChix stated in the original thread:

Quote

Let's share all our sophomore experiences, our angst, our struggles, our suggestions--let's talk about life! Let's become friends! You can be on any kind of food plan, do any kind of exercise or not, be gay or straight, engage in cardio or not--you just have to be in the "tweener" stage post WLS.

Not a Newbie but not yet a Vet - Sophomores have different challenges and are coping with an awkward middle stage, so please only post if you've passed the six month post-surgery mark!

1 minute ago, GreenTealael said:

Yes! I know we have to be vigilant but *sometimes* I feel like a Warden... That's when I know I'm too focused on diet/lifestyle

Sigh...I feel "comfort" when my inner warden is on duty. I am so effed.

Cuz I understand and remember all too well, the disaster that can happen when my inner hedonist appears and the lunatic takes over the asylum.

1 minute ago, FluffyChix said:

Sigh...I feel "comfort" when my inner warden is on duty. I am so effed.

Cuz I understand and remember all too well, the disaster that can happen when my inner hedonist appears and the lunatic takes over the asylum.

But it doesn't bother you so its your methodology. I NEED automation for things like food choices because i dont want to focus so much on it. Once in a while i begin to focus in again like i just had surgery... No bueno. Its all consuming and im still trying to lock down a sugar daddy

??????????????????

4 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

But it doesn't bother you so its your methodology. I NEED automation for things like food choices because i dont want to focus so much on it. Once in a while i begin to focus in again like i just had surgery... No bueno. Its all consuming and im still trying to lock down a sugar daddy

??????????????????

IKR? Wooohooooo on Sugar Daddies and lockin' em down!

We are all so unique and no one thing works for us all. My style would drive most people crazy and I'm the first to admit it is unbalanced. To me this is all about re-inventing ourselves and meeting our inner spirit and restablishing a trust and bond after one of us let the other down. It takes time and negotiation and trial and error. Right?

12 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Sigh...I feel "comfort" when my inner warden is on duty. I am so effed.

Cuz I understand and remember all too well, the disaster that can happen when my inner hedonist appears and the lunatic takes over the asylum.

I know what you're saying isn't funny, but the way you say it is hilarious! ?

10 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

IKR? Wooohooooo on Sugar Daddies and lockin' em down!

We are all so unique and no one thing works for us all. My style would drive most people crazy and I'm the first to admit it is unbalanced. To me this is all about re-inventing ourselves and meeting our inner spirit and restablishing a trust and bond after one of us let the other down. It takes time and negotiation and trial and error. Right?

True Story

Edited March 30, 20197 yr by GreenTealael

Nope, just no need to describe your protein at all....dense, moist, finger licking, stick to your ribs, decadent, succulent, mouth watering. ? I’m going to lose consciousness

5 minutes ago, NYJenn said:

Nope, just no need to describe your Protein at all....dense, moist, finger licking, stick to your ribs, decadent, succulent, mouth watering. ? I’m going to lose consciousness

Chewy...

Eh ? Eh ?

MEDIC!!!

Edited March 30, 20197 yr by GreenTealael

3 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

Girl that is terrifying!!!! ((hugs)) Ok, so in addition to your IF to have in the back pocket if you want to try for more satiety...try a 4-5 day test. Eat meals that are "DENSE" (am I yelling DENSE? ) Protein and very low carb with healthy fat...(ie Breaky: soft boiled egg with a little butter, a slice of avocado, a spear or two of asparagus) then see how long you feel full. At lunch have something like tuna salad or chicken salad (not very wet--no sugar or sweet in it) and have some carrots or celery or a lettuce leaf and then see how long it keeps you. dinner? Yep. DENSE hehe protein (but it can be MOIST if you want) + a couple bites of al dente broccoli and a little butter + a slice of avocado and a grape Tomato. See how long it takes you to feel hunger.

My guess is that even though your meals are small, your tummy has figured out that you are sending high glycemic carbs down your piehole and it's communicated with your pancreas. So the pancreas is dumping out insulin and your blood sugar is then going low and voila! Instant hunger, cuz your brain doesn't want to die cuz your blood sugar is too low. So you are on a blood sugar roller coaster. The way to flatten the peaks and valleys is to cut out/down on the high glycemic carb. (Which will suck for you--not saying full blown low carb, just sayin do a test, and then start testing some of the slower acting carbs like beans/lentils/quinoa/butternut squash/sweet potato/pasta...)

I think this may very well be the case. We all know how much I love me some carbs, the higher the glycemic index , the more I love them ?. I eat so few meals that don't include a fair amount of carbs, I couldn't tell you if eating dense, moist, chewy, succulent protein alone would trigger my hunger. I mean last night I had wings, but then had a beer, so, yeah, hungry.

When I get to a place where I'm gaining, or am just sick of being hungry, I'll definitely test this out. I'm kind of in the ultimate honeymoon period right now, so I'm just going to enjoy my carbfest while I can. I actually may need to start adding in some more fats, because I hit my all time low, my ticker weight, again this morning. Good news is I have a metric ton of macadamia nuts in the house right now from my recent trip to the Aloha state.

2 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

And when I do my low carb as I described to you guys and don't have any alcohol or wine or sugar free sweeteners/sugar free candies, omg. My satiety goes up up up and I'm happy with 1-2 meals per day (mostly of the proper size ) and I feel more peaceful. When I add IF in, it's even better.

Until I started hanging out with Jason Fung's Facebook group I had not realized the effect of even cephalic insulin response to things like liquid stevia. Thought that one was an "ok" one! But apparently not. Cuz when I dropped it too for the most part, my hunger level decreased even more. And I can tell the days I eat it, I'm hungry and looking for food.

Interesting how we are all so different. One thing I can say for certain is I have no hunger response to artificial sweeteners. I have been a long time diet soda, addict, I guess. I only gave it up for a short while post op. (Did you know a Double Gulp is 64 oz? ?) So I was drinking diet soda during times when I had no hunger, and it was my fluid I'd drink to stave off hunger when I was doing IF.

Veggie question:

We're all reasonably far out from our surgery, and our capacity has increased a bit. So, for those of you who only eat 2-3 meals/day, how do you get your veggies in? If I'm trying to get my protein in 3 meals, there is absolutely no room for veggies/fruit, NONE. So, I eat maybe 6-7 times a day. Some are protein + fruits/veg. Some are just fruits/veg. On the mixed meals, I hardly ever eat the protein first. (This is one reason that most of my meals are still sliders.) I love the fruits/veggies. Any advice is much appreciated.

9 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

I think this may very well be the case. We all know how much I love me some carbs, the higher the glycemic index , the more I love them ?. I eat so few meals that don't include a fair amount of carbs, I couldn't tell you if eating dense, moist, chewy, succulent protein alone would trigger my hunger. I mean last night I had wings, but then had a beer, so, yeah, hungry.

When I get to a place where I'm gaining, or am just sick of being hungry, I'll definitely test this out. I'm kind of in the ultimate honeymoon period right now, so I'm just going to enjoy my carbfest while I can. I actually may need to start adding in some more fats, because I hit my all time low, my ticker weight, again this morning. Good news is I have a metric ton of macadamia nuts in the house right now from my recent trip to the Aloha state.

Interesting how we are all so different. One thing I can say for certain is I have no hunger response to artificial sweeteners. I have been a long time diet soda, addict, I guess. I only gave it up for a short while post op. (Did you know a Double Gulp is 64 oz? ?) So I was drinking diet soda during times when I had no hunger, and it was my Fluid I'd drink to stave off hunger when I was doing IF.

I don't think I have much/any reaction to sweeteners, either. Hallelujah!

2 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

Saw this on the Facebook and was curious about all of us sophomores. Does this resonate with you?

For me, I can say I in no way miss "the old me". I recognize that self-loathing, whiny, sick, dying bia*ch and she still tries to lurk just below my new shiny paint and body.

I AM still getting used to the new updated model and I am still very frightened that it will all come back and work constantly to map out an action plan for fighting it at the 5lb zone rather than the 50lb zone.

How about you guys? How do you feel about this meme?

I think I had body dysmorphia pre WLS. Me right now, feels like the real me. I really feel like I'm the same person only with cuter clothes and saggier skin.

The only thing that feels foreign is my energy level. Looking back I just didn't realize that my feet didn't hurt in heels, that walking a mile was no big deal. But after being overweight and avoiding any form of exertion (outside of cardio), and having constantly aching feet, I totally believed that was the norm. Weirdly, little stuff like that is the only thing that takes getting used to.

I am frightened of regain. I mean right now I'm doing the opposite of what every bariatric nutritionist would advise. But if I followed the rules, I would still be losing. So I haven't done the psychological work needed for when this crazy fantasy land I am in comes to an end.

But, what I cling to, is my determination. I freaking love my new skinny wardrobe. I am going to be spending A LOT of money on plastics. I am too stubborn and vain to backtrack significantly. Additionally, IF was a revelation for me. I feel that IF is a long term sustainable option for me. Most days are truly not a struggle. I need a long term eat strategy that fits me. I could go low carb, but I know myself, and that would make me miserable. So I see IF as my safety net when the scale starts to go in the wrong direction.

7 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

I am frightened of regain. I mean right now I'm doing the opposite of what every bariatric nutritionist would advise.

But this is the crazy part! I've seen 2 nutritionists - one employed by the hospital and the other affiliated with my surgeon. The one who works with my surgeon is comfortable with where I am and my long term goals, which do NOT include getting to my absolute skinniest weight and maybe wreaking havoc with my metabolism in the meantime. I'm almost 5'7" and my goal weight is 150. I included in that calculation the fact that I carry extra fluids from edema in my legs and probably 10 pounds of excess skin that I likely won't have removed. So, taking that into account my "adjusted" weight is around 135, as I see it. I think I'm quite thin right now and don't want to lose more. The NUT at the hospital, however, thinks wls patients should follow the strict, low-cal diet until they naturally "bottom-out" and then adjust from there. I don't want my body establishing 900 calories/day as my new normal. It seems like that would make every day from that point on a constant battle.

I know this isn't the reality for everyone, and honestly, I probably (with this attitude) wouldn't be the weight I am now except for all my side-trips into complication-land. But, without the side-trips, if I had stalled out/hit maintenance at 160-170 lbs., I would have been perfectly happy. Just my 2 cents worth.

5 minutes ago, Orchids&Dragons said:

But this is the crazy part! I've seen 2 nutritionists - one employed by the hospital and the other affiliated with my surgeon. The one who works with my surgeon is comfortable with where I am and my long term goals, which do NOT include getting to my absolute skinniest weight and maybe wreaking havoc with my metabolism in the meantime. I'm almost 5'7" and my goal weight is 150. I included in that calculation the fact that I carry extra fluids from edema in my legs and probably 10 pounds of excess skin that I likely won't have removed. So, taking that into account my "adjusted" weight is around 135, as I see it. I think I'm quite thin right now and don't want to lose more. The NUT at the hospital, however, thinks wls patients should follow the strict, low-cal diet until they naturally "bottom-out" and then adjust from there. I don't want my body establishing 900 calories/day as my new normal. It seems like that would make every day from that point on a constant battle.

I know this isn't the reality for everyone, and honestly, I probably (with this attitude) wouldn't be the weight I am now except for all my side-trips into complication-land. But, without the side-trips, if I had stalled out/hit maintenance at 160-170 lbs., I would have been perfectly happy. Just my 2 cents worth.

Yeah, that makes no sense at all. If you are consuming below your BMR, and get to the point where you stop losing, doesn't that mean you've lowered your BMR to that super low point? Then wouldn't that guarantee regain, ot a miserable life of counting calories and hunger. F all that!

This is an example of why I wasn't a very compliant post WLS patient. Nutritionist are all over the place. I just took the commonalities of all programs (protein first, for example) and applied my own common sense, vs. strictly following the dogma of the particular nutritionist that was part of my program.

Gotta fly. BBL to answer here! Marking my spot!

6 hours ago, Orchids&Dragons said:

Veggie question:

We're all reasonably far out from our surgery, and our capacity has increased a bit. So, for those of you who only eat 2-3 meals/day, how do you get your veggies in? If I'm trying to get my Protein in 3 meals, there is absolutely no room for veggies/fruit, NONE. So, I eat maybe 6-7 times a day. Some are protein + fruits/veg. Some are just fruits/veg. On the mixed meals, I hardly ever eat the protein first. (This is one reason that most of my meals are still sliders.) I love the fruits/veggies. Any advice is much appreciated.

I honestly barely eat fruit outside of a few times a month these days if it's not in my yogurt. But i eat all of my hard protein on top of salad or cooked vegetables and go bite for bite...

Edited March 30, 20197 yr by GreenTealael