A Pound of Cure... thoughts?

I didn't get back to my pre-op energy (please don't freak out!****il nearly SIX MONTHS OUT. In fact, I was terrified that I was never going to be "back to normal" -- and I did NOT have low ferritin or iron stores -- nor did I have any complications at all. I returned to work about 10 days after my RNY (I teach at university) -- and truthfully, I could have used more time. I have NEVER been a nap person -- but I would come home absolutely exhausted. There were times that I could have slept in my car... I wasn't even tired like that when I was pregnant.

So, it wasn't my personal experience, either.

Right about six months, I started to feel back to my old self. At four months, I was getting better, but certainly not like I was pre-op.

I don't know when it happened -- but now I have 20x the energy of my "old self" -- so for me, it's only gotten better and better. The only exception to this was when my ferritin DID drop and I needed an infusion. However, within a week or two of that -- I back to my new found energy. In fact, that's how I know now when my ferritin begins to plummet.

I just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone -- and at least for me -- it did get better and better.

Exactly. (Although I'd add that any diet which cuts out an entire macronutrient is unlikely to be healthy/sustainable.) But, yes - any plan that helps you cut calories and that you can adhere to will work. It's the finding of that plan that's the challenge for all of us, eh?

I know nothing about this - what are the basics of the diet? (I'm clearly not going to chime in with advice or experience, I'm just curious!)

Okay. So the basis is, for women, 3 servings of protein a day (3-4 oz serving). 1 of those protein servings must be vegetarian (beans, by the list of acceptable proteins). Then, you are REQUIRED to eat at least 16 ounces of non-starchy vegetables a day, though they encourage 24 to 32 ounces if you can do it. Also, you can have all of the fruit that you want, as long as it's not canned or dried fruit. I looked at the list, and it includes fruit like banana and pineapple, but personally I am going to stay away from those types of fruit and just stick with berries. 1 table spoon of good fat (olive oil, coconut oil or butter) and 2 servings of raw nuts (non-salted and raw only), the fat and nuts are not a requirement to have, but you can't have any more than that. No processed foods of any kind, and no artificial sweeteners. No dairy, no bread or pasta, and no sugar. Basically, a strict paleo diet.

There is no calorie restriction at all. But with having the RNY and the bulk of food that is required, if I can stick to the guidelines, I can't imagine being able to eat a ton of calories, since I can't add cheese or lots of butter or cream sauces of any kind to the veggies.

I'm gong to do it for 2 weeks and see how my body and my brain react to it. I'm skeptical, but hopeful that it will work for me. Worst case, I eat a bunch of veggies and fruit for the next two weeks and then go back to low carb, protein forward.

The basics sound pretty solid and based on sound nutritional knowledge.

The one o_O that I have is that, holy crap, that's a lot of ounces of food! I feel like I'd need to eat 7 times a day to get all of that in! I look forward to hearing how it goes. How are you thinking you'll do your meals to get all the food in?

I haven't really had time to sit down and plan it. I will be able to get in 1 pound of veggies, no problem. They can be cooked veggies, so steamed broccoli and cauliflower can be a slider food, if you think about it. I'll have more time tomorrow to sit down and make an actual plan.

Aaah, is the weight pre-cooked weight? That seems more feasible since, you know, 1lb of spinach is like NOTHING space wise after cooking :D

Calories still matter. If it were me, I would track calories to see where I was. Things like "Eat all the fruit you want" send up major red flags for me.

my plan is still to track calories. I'll have to measure everything anyway, no reason to give up tracking now.

You can lose the weight. We all can. I wish a book could fix me. It is only temporary for me when I find things like this. I start out great then I fail. Not just with weight loss. I will look for every great new cleaning idea thinking it was going to make me a better housekeeper. Like I am one of the messiest people in the world.

Being honest with myself and trying to figure out why I am overeating is part of my crazy in my head. That needs to be fixed.

Our weight problem is something we have been dealing with a long time. Learning to love ourselves and know we are worth it.

I hope this works for you . I am not trying to discourage you.

Some people can use a book and it works for them. I know for me it won't help. Getting support and asking for help has been one thing that has helped me.