What's on your Wednesday Menu?

I think I'm hysterical.

Hello Queen, Your Majesty, hIHG ness and my real favourite, Duchess Meghan lol and all you commoners too

QOTD: no idea, I don't know what it is. I'll google later lol

Question for anyone who wants to answer, I noted a thread from a RYN patient who had their op in 2019 but regained a lot. How does it happen? I'm 8 weeks in and I can barely eat anything haha I just can't imagine it but what happens? Eat around restriction? Dumping syndrome stops? (Not judging btw, genuine interest)

Food today has been meal replacement; yogurt, cheese, deconstructed hamburger again, protein water

Have a wonderful day!

It happens very very easily. For lots of different reasons.

I can't eat nearly as much as I used to. If we go out to eat and I get a cheeseburger and fries, I can probably eat just the cheeseburger, if it has a smallish bun. No fries. If I eat some fries, or if it has a thick bun, I'll eat half of everything, and bring the other half home. I used to be able to eat an appetizer, everything on my plate, and sometimes dessert.

But even eating less, I can still gain weight.

After a while, you'll easily eat more than you can now. Not as much as before, but more than now. You can "graze" -- eat a little bit throughout the day. You can eat higher calorie foods. A piece of chocolate here, a half a cupcake there, it all adds up. It can be healthy foods too. An extra apple or handful of grapes. A little exttra feta cheese or salad dressing. An extra serving of beans. It all ads up.

An extra 100 calories a day will be 10 pounds of regain in a year. In 10 years you're 100 pounds heavier. And an extra 100 calories is nothing. It's less than half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Toddlers eat more than that.

The worst thing we can do is take our foot off the gas. Start ignoring what we eat. Stop getting on the scale and weighing ourselves. Start pretending the dryer is shrinking our pants.

All of the above is just normal, everyday living. What if there is a personal, professional, or family crisis or stress that drives emotional eating?

I could go on. But regain is easy. Really easy.

Well said, Grim. I will also add liquid calories count! For me it was a lot of wine yet I only counted my food calories.

Liquid calories are killers! I'm lucky in that. Outside of protein shakes it's been years since I've had any calories to drink.

My doctors and nutritionist always ask about liquid calories. Outside of the protein shakes, it's 99.99% water and tea for me. They always assume there's sugar in the tea, too. Being from the middle of nowhere north, I'd never heard of sugar in tea until I hit Georgia. That was an unpleasant surprise, to say the least!

Explained well, Grim!

100 calories a day! We dont think of weight gain in that context, seeing this again in black and white is proof that accountability, tracking and importance of surrounding ourselves with friends that live the same struggle....

Grazing is my daily challenge. Joddie knows when I am thinking of food as I will pace....LOL...and then I need to get busy or I will cave in.

I can't leave food where I'll see it. It's too tempting.

I agree 100% fully. My regain of 30lbs I am fighting was due to covid and rotator cuff surgery. I ran a 5K every morning before work. I was faithful even running in temperatures below freezing. It was a beautiful high and I loved starting my day that way. Then I had to stop for 6 months after my surgery. I could walk but no running. I was so angry and just quit. I feel my eating is still on track but getting back to exercise has been a fight. I am at least going a mile and a half now with the dog, but I have to get my run back if I want to get back in the 30's.

A dog is the most wonderful way in the world to get exercise. I wish I was in a situation where I could own one. I know a guy whose wife died of cancer and a week later his dog also died. He was 70 years old and decided he would get another dog. He adopted one from a shelter. It was wonderful for him. The dog is a wonderful companion, and they get out and walk everyday. He has made new fiends in the neighborhood, and it keeps him from being isolated along with keeping hin in great physical shape. I am so glad that you got one. Hope to see lots of pictures.