Disappointing 8-month surgeon's visit

You have been so marvelously successful! I have genuinely been impressed and inspired by your exercise levels and weight loss. If my surgeon and/or nutritionist were to tell me what yours told you, I would be upset too - and righteously rebellious. It is your body, your health, and your future. Not theirs. It is you who has worked so hard and so successfully all these months. To be honest, I find their contention that you need to gain confounding. Do you know what your body fat % is? To my mind, unless you have dipped (really dipped, not just hovered at the edge) into the underweight category, your surgeon and nutritionist should be applauding you instead of criticizing.

I personally would not listen to their carb-and-calorie laden advice. Why should you settle? It is worth noting that not all bariatric surgeons have the attitude yours does on this topic. Some would simply applaud your achievements, and regard you as one of their own success stories.

If it was me, from now on when it comes to carbs, starches, and calories, I would probably just nod, smile, and shine them on (all the while ensuring I was eating for optimum nutrition and vitality and maintenance weight-wise, of course!). I would continue to move forward into the kind of future i desired, avoiding trigger foods, but gradually adding in some calories via healthy proteins, fats, and complex carbs until I stopped losing and was truly maintaining.

Each to his own, and absolutely, different people can be entirely healthy and successful at quite different weights, but as for me, my goal is to be at a normal healthy weight, with a body fat percentage which is comfortably low, but never emaciated. You are already there and I sincerely honor you for having made all of the changes you have made to get there! Just like you, I want to look and feel my best - neither underweight, nor overweight, and definitely not obese. Been there done that! Just call me Goldilocks!

You've got a MUCH better plan for yourself than your surgeon or nutritionist.

Stick to YOUR plan.

Purposely start regaining just 9 months after surgery? Are they high? Odds are they have never been super morbidly obese themselves, and have no idea what carbs can do to people like us due to our altered metabolisms. Keep doing what you are doing (as long as your blood work and health status remains good, that is)... you will bounce back a bit next year if you are like most of us, and you will appreciate the cushion then.

Audrey

Oh no. Please do not listen to them. Looking at the recent pictures you posted you look perfectly healthy. It sounds like your surgeon is not used to his patients successfully losing 100% of their excess weight. That would make me not want to listen to his suggestions at this point.

I am 9 years out and I probably know hundreds of people from support groups in our area who had surgery the same time as I did. I'd say maybe 10% of us have maintained at a BMI of under 25. Please stay diligent.

That's crazy. Bread and rice? What kind of nutrition advice is that? I love em both but neither make me feel very good.

I do do think there's a place for carbs in a healthy diet but the emphasis has to be on complex carbs.

one of your replies said complex carbs are ok, in their opinion, but they are really not. They take a tiny bit longer to break down but they are still pure sugar and dump straight into your bloodstream they are also a trigger for many ppl because they are pure sugar. Don't listen to that advice either

Dark leafy greens are complex carbs. Broccoli, asparagus, green beans, squash, tomatoes, etc. are all complex carbs. Some plant foods are lower carb than others, but they're all complex carbs. IMO they should be incorporated into a healthy and varied diet, especially during maintenance. Complex carbs are not only starchy things like potatoes, whole grains, or sugary fruits. Right now, in my weight loss phase, I'm eating virtually zero carbs, but the time will come when I will judiciously add in more veggies.

Veggies are good to add. We are all so protein oriented that vegetables often get pushed aside haha. Not just for that reason but for space but they are 100% necessary just like you said. So is fruit. There are some fruits I will not eat because of sugar like bananas for example, but I love blackberries, lemons, clementines, and peaches. Fresh fruit of course, not canned.

For the last few months I have been eating good portions of non-starchy veg. I eat alot of green, yellow and orange veg. Over the last few weeks, I have been adding small amounts of fruit (apples, melon, berries) in as well. I have definitely enjoyed it (and it helps the bowels) but I am very careful about not eating too much because it causes weight gain and cravings for me. I intend to continue eating lots of non-starchy veg and with maintenance maybe adding in a bit more fruit (no bananas as you say). That seems reasonable and healthy.

During the summer my absolute favorites were watermelon and tomatoes. I would make my "BLTs" almost every lunch for awhile. Sometimes I would use a single slice of whole grain low carb bread, but most the time I just folded the lettuce in half and used it as bread with miracle whip on it (I dislike regular mayo) was always amazing. There is nothing more satisfying now, after surgery, than delicious veggies. Turnips are a favorite and full of anti-oxidants.