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I have a question, or maybe question(s) and comments.
I am nine weeks out and 41 pounds down. I started out at 255.2 and I am 5'10. I am thrilled with the weight loss and I have experienced a week at a time with no loss, then alot at once, nothing again, etc. Since I have been off and on diets for the last three years, the scale battle is nothing new to me. If it gets frustrating I just put it away. I am doing 60 plus ounces of water a day, 80 grams of protein, and anywhere from 600-900 calories a day. I try to make sure my calorie average is about 750 and I track it on my fitness pal daily so I know what I am taking in.
Here is my question/comment - I am really not following my doctors orders. He wants me to eat three meals a day only with NO snacks and five hours between meals. He feels it takes the body 3-4 hours to digest and get rid of food and that after the four hours it starts getting into the fat reserves and that is when you lose weight.
That is unrealistic for me. I generally have a protein shake in the morning or a high protein breakfast, fish and veggies or a salad with protein for lunch, and dinner varies. Then I'll have a protein bar at some point before karate class, and maybe some wheat thins and peanut butter or some other snack in the afternoon or after karate or gym.
He also doesn't want you to drink liquids other than water - like crystal lite, et****il you get all sixty ounces of water in. Some days I manage this just fine and other days my stomach just doesn't agree with plain water.
Is this so bad? I am aware of my food issues and what got me here - too much alcohol (haven't touched any); too much sugar (haven't had any at all), etc. Mostly portion control and mindless eating. So I am mindful. I have a food counselor - saw her before the surgery for the three years I was trying to lose weight, and I am seeing her now to make sure I use this tool effectively. I go to the gym 3x a week and I go to karate class 3x a week. I don't have any illusions about it being easy but I also know I will NEVER be the person who says they won't touch carbs again, will never drink diet coke again, etc. I just plan on doing things in moderation.
I am nine weeks out and 41 pounds down. I started out at 255.2 and I am 5'10. I am thrilled with the weight loss and I have experienced a week at a time with no loss, then alot at once, nothing again, etc. Since I have been off and on diets for the last three years, the scale battle is nothing new to me. If it gets frustrating I just put it away. I am doing 60 plus ounces of water a day, 80 grams of protein, and anywhere from 600-900 calories a day. I try to make sure my calorie average is about 750 and I track it on my fitness pal daily so I know what I am taking in.
Here is my question/comment - I am really not following my doctors orders. He wants me to eat three meals a day only with NO snacks and five hours between meals. He feels it takes the body 3-4 hours to digest and get rid of food and that after the four hours it starts getting into the fat reserves and that is when you lose weight.
That is unrealistic for me. I generally have a protein shake in the morning or a high protein breakfast, fish and veggies or a salad with protein for lunch, and dinner varies. Then I'll have a protein bar at some point before karate class, and maybe some wheat thins and peanut butter or some other snack in the afternoon or after karate or gym.
He also doesn't want you to drink liquids other than water - like crystal lite, et****il you get all sixty ounces of water in. Some days I manage this just fine and other days my stomach just doesn't agree with plain water.
Is this so bad? I am aware of my food issues and what got me here - too much alcohol (haven't touched any); too much sugar (haven't had any at all), etc. Mostly portion control and mindless eating. So I am mindful. I have a food counselor - saw her before the surgery for the three years I was trying to lose weight, and I am seeing her now to make sure I use this tool effectively. I go to the gym 3x a week and I go to karate class 3x a week. I don't have any illusions about it being easy but I also know I will NEVER be the person who says they won't touch carbs again, will never drink diet coke again, etc. I just plan on doing things in moderation.
I think that there are two types of disobedience out there
There's breaking the rules to get to desireable foods (and quantities) sooner
and
There's breaking the rules too modify a plan to work with your own strengths and weaknesses
If you are breaking the rules to eat what YOU want (like cake, cookies, etc) then that is something I would say is not necessarily bad, but definately unwise...and a sign of food issues that, if not controlled, will eventually undo your surgery
But if you are breaking the rules to work within the calorie limits, or within other limitations .... I don't see that as terribly wrong
If my surgeon wanted me to drink 64 ounces of water before I could have any other liquid, then it would be about 16 hours before I could do that..... more than 2 ounces per half hour and I want to vomit. I can't HANDLE pure water.
It sounds like you are taking teh plan he has built, and modifying it sensibly to work with your needs and strengths and I don't see that as bad. Just .... examine your motives whenever you deviate.
One example that ONLY JUST made sense to me.... my surgeon didn't want us to drink half hour before meals. I thought that was stupid, and it only finally occurred to me now that people who get super full on liquids (I don't) might need that rule so that they will be able to consume their meals. For me, I didn't need that because I didn't have issues with liquids like a lot of people postop. It actually made me feel good that there WAS a real reason for the rule, but there wasn't a good reason for ME.
There's breaking the rules to get to desireable foods (and quantities) sooner
and
There's breaking the rules too modify a plan to work with your own strengths and weaknesses
If you are breaking the rules to eat what YOU want (like cake, cookies, etc) then that is something I would say is not necessarily bad, but definately unwise...and a sign of food issues that, if not controlled, will eventually undo your surgery
But if you are breaking the rules to work within the calorie limits, or within other limitations .... I don't see that as terribly wrong
If my surgeon wanted me to drink 64 ounces of water before I could have any other liquid, then it would be about 16 hours before I could do that..... more than 2 ounces per half hour and I want to vomit. I can't HANDLE pure water.
It sounds like you are taking teh plan he has built, and modifying it sensibly to work with your needs and strengths and I don't see that as bad. Just .... examine your motives whenever you deviate.
One example that ONLY JUST made sense to me.... my surgeon didn't want us to drink half hour before meals. I thought that was stupid, and it only finally occurred to me now that people who get super full on liquids (I don't) might need that rule so that they will be able to consume their meals. For me, I didn't need that because I didn't have issues with liquids like a lot of people postop. It actually made me feel good that there WAS a real reason for the rule, but there wasn't a good reason for ME.
~Lady Lithia~ 200 lbs lost!
March 9, 2011 - Coccygectomy!
I chased my dreams, and my dreams, they caught me!
That is another of my doctors rules - no drinking before meals - that I don't follow. Liquid passes right through me, and I drink water up until the time I am ready to eat. I do adhere to the no eating for thirty minutes after meals,though, because I understand you can wash the food out of the pouch and feel hungrier sooner.
I don't know why; but some days I can do water and others I cannot. On the days I can't, I add flavor to the water. I occasionally drink a black or white tea from Starbucks sweetened with Splenda or sweet and low; but only when I have the water in.
I know people who eat several small meals and still lose a ton of weight, so I don't understand the five-hours-til-you-burn-fat theory. I do hate to go in for a checkup and tell them I am not following their plan, though. But I will. I did last time.
I don't know why; but some days I can do water and others I cannot. On the days I can't, I add flavor to the water. I occasionally drink a black or white tea from Starbucks sweetened with Splenda or sweet and low; but only when I have the water in.
I know people who eat several small meals and still lose a ton of weight, so I don't understand the five-hours-til-you-burn-fat theory. I do hate to go in for a checkup and tell them I am not following their plan, though. But I will. I did last time.
Lady Lithia's answer was GREAT. So... what she said.
Many surgeons actually recommend 6-7 small meals/snacks per day. It keeps your blood sugar more stable throughout the day than 3 meals amd keeps your metabolism up.
Sounds like you are doing GREAT and addressing all the things that contributed to your obesity (and that's the real key to long-term success)! Keep it up!
Lora
Many surgeons actually recommend 6-7 small meals/snacks per day. It keeps your blood sugar more stable throughout the day than 3 meals amd keeps your metabolism up.
Sounds like you are doing GREAT and addressing all the things that contributed to your obesity (and that's the real key to long-term success)! Keep it up!
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Have any of you tried Medifast post-op? I'm nearly two years out, I've lost about 113 at my lowest, but at this point it's about 103. Long story short, I moved, changed jobs, life, etc and its been stressful and I've reverted to old stress eating habits. I feel like if I do something a little drastic, that might jumpstart my weight loss and focus. At my lowest I was at 154, right now I'm at 164. Ideally, I'd like to be around 145-150. Medifast seems sound from what I've read. It seems kind of pricey, so I figure that I can probably make my own soups and shakes and follow their program. Any thoughts? I'm scared to death of going back to my old ways and I really need help getting "back on the wagon".
I don't know anything about medifast
Check out these suggestions:
http://pamtremble.blogspot.com/2009/07/back-to-basics.html
Check out these suggestions:
http://pamtremble.blogspot.com/2009/07/back-to-basics.html
~Lady Lithia~ 200 lbs lost!
March 9, 2011 - Coccygectomy!
I chased my dreams, and my dreams, they caught me!
As a Licensed Professional Counselor, this is one of my "soapbox" items... so you'll have to keep in mind that I have VERY strong personal (and professional) feelings about this one.
{stepping up on soapbox and clearing throat...}
I despise things like Medifast and the 5 Day Pouch Test for people who have already had WLS. You already have one of the most powerful weight loss tools that exists. You just need to make full use of it.
First of all, those things are both nothing more than crash diets (and I consider the 5DPT a "fad" diet for WLSers). They put stress on your body and do not work in the long run. If fad diets or liquid diets DID work long term, none of us would have needed WLS in the first place.
Second, my bigger concern is that what these things do is reinforce the old (failed... repeatedly) "diet-deprivation-regain" cycle that kept most of us obese for years. Going back to basics, on the other hand (protein FIRST ALWAYS, lots of water except right after meals, and limiting simple carbs), will not only STILL get the weight off (just not nearly as fast as when you first had surgery, of course), but it will reinforce the HEALTHY eating program that will help you keep the weight off long term (and make the fad/liquid diest unnecessary).
Some people claim that they only use the 5DPT to "feel" their pouch restriction again. WIll ti do that? Yes, for most people, it apparently does. Here's a little "secret", though... you can accomplish the same thing by just eating somewhat smaller portions of a normal, nutritious, balanced diet. (Go back to measuring your food portions and limit yourself to 4 ounces of food per meal again. You will find the same thing will happen... you will be able to feel how small your pouch is (even though it is likely much bigger than when you were a coupld of months post-op.)
Ultimately, everyone has to choose. You can choose to go back to the past "diet-deprivation-regain" failure mode or you can choose the "back-to-basics"plan that has been proven to be successful.
{Ok, stepping of sopabox now.}
Lora
{stepping up on soapbox and clearing throat...}
I despise things like Medifast and the 5 Day Pouch Test for people who have already had WLS. You already have one of the most powerful weight loss tools that exists. You just need to make full use of it.
First of all, those things are both nothing more than crash diets (and I consider the 5DPT a "fad" diet for WLSers). They put stress on your body and do not work in the long run. If fad diets or liquid diets DID work long term, none of us would have needed WLS in the first place.
Second, my bigger concern is that what these things do is reinforce the old (failed... repeatedly) "diet-deprivation-regain" cycle that kept most of us obese for years. Going back to basics, on the other hand (protein FIRST ALWAYS, lots of water except right after meals, and limiting simple carbs), will not only STILL get the weight off (just not nearly as fast as when you first had surgery, of course), but it will reinforce the HEALTHY eating program that will help you keep the weight off long term (and make the fad/liquid diest unnecessary).
Some people claim that they only use the 5DPT to "feel" their pouch restriction again. WIll ti do that? Yes, for most people, it apparently does. Here's a little "secret", though... you can accomplish the same thing by just eating somewhat smaller portions of a normal, nutritious, balanced diet. (Go back to measuring your food portions and limit yourself to 4 ounces of food per meal again. You will find the same thing will happen... you will be able to feel how small your pouch is (even though it is likely much bigger than when you were a coupld of months post-op.)
Ultimately, everyone has to choose. You can choose to go back to the past "diet-deprivation-regain" failure mode or you can choose the "back-to-basics"plan that has been proven to be successful.
{Ok, stepping of sopabox now.}
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Thanks for that! I think you're right; I need to get back to basics. I just can't figure out why I seem to be so obsessed with food lately! Even when I start the day well, in the evening I am just searching for things to eat. I'm not even hungry; it's this overwhelming need to "treat" myself. I wish I could get my head refocused; I was so good for so long!
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