Day 1 - Calling all Vets - Questions for you all

There used to be a vets' group that I soooooo wanted to join because all the people I loved were in it. The owner decided to close it 2 weeks before I was 5 years out!

I was beside myself lol!

Question #1 (Q1):

How do you get past diet fatigue?

This is a serious problem for me. It has gotten worse. Most days nothing sounds good to me. I cannot even go shopping because if I find something in the store that looks good by the time I get home I don't feel like eating it.

Couple that with not liking to cook and a lot of days I have no clue what I want to eat. I have a pretty liberal food plan because of that and because I have such strict restriction that I can't really eat enough to do damage. Of course this is with avoiding trigger things like bread and sugar, which I avoid completely because of dumping.

Some days I can't decide what to eat so I just grab the first, easiest thing I find and just make it good enough. I have also found that I get a lot of food aversions and something I loved yesterday makes me gag today. And if I ever eat something that doesn't taste right that day I never want it again. For example, last week I went to a Chinese restaurant and had egg flower soup, which I have always loved. But this tasted slimy and I couldn't fini**** and now the thought of egg flower soup makes me gag. This has happened with a number of different things, really limiting what I can eat. I have a few things that are my go to things that I keep handy and have that. I also try to be open to trying new foods to get more variety.

Question #2 (Q2):

Do you ever lose the fear of regain? Or do you gradually accept a 5lb here or there and if you do how do you know when your on a slippery slope?

This is also very real to me because with my first WLS I re-gained 100 lbs. So I know it is real and I am very conscious of it. But I don't let fear rule my life. I weigh myself daily and if I see my weight going up even by a few pounds I watch myself for the next few days and get back to a comfortable level. It is far easier for me to lose one or two pounds than even five or ten.

I won't say I am lucky but so far, at nearly 9 years out I have not had any major re-gain or even gone more than a few pounds over my new normal weight. But I have also been around for a long time and I have seen many people who kept their weight stable for many years, even decades, who experience significant regain so I never get complacent. I am aware of the possibility and have a plan of action if I do find myself starting to re-gain. Of course just because I have a plan does not mean I would be able to follow that plan or even stop gaining. I've been down that road before and I know that once I have started gaining I am powerless to do anything about it for a long time, if ever.

Thank you Tazz for your open and thoughtful response!

I am sorry to hear that you have diet fatigue and that most days nothing sounds good to you. That must be very frustrating. Coupled with your severe restriction and food aversions I imagine that you must struggle to eat. I am glad that you have found a system that works for you and I hope that maybe one day in the future this will all be a thing of the past.

Thank you for sharing that you had regain after your 1st WLS. I love that you don't let fear rule your life. I think that is a major accomplishment. I too am a daily scale person. I need to know where my weight is at otherwise like I responded to DCGirl I could to easily bury my head in the sand and just ignore it.

Thank you for stating that we can never get complacent. Regain is a very real possibility for all of us and like you stated having a plan of action to stop the regain is important but also recognizing that even with a plan, we all can still regain.

Congrats on your 9 years of success!

1) I have a small variety of foods that I love and am happy to eat for most meals, sometimes even for all meals. I stick with those and I don't feel deprived. I do allow my self a nontriggering treat now and then. They are measured (never more than one level teaspoon) and on my safe to eat list.

2) I wouldn't call it a fear of regain but a very deep and real desire to never be SMO again. I believe that once I got out of the fear zone and into a comfortable acceptance of this is my life now, it made things so much easier for me.

Thank you for your response ljbarbara.

I must admit that I am full on jealous that you are able to have a non triggering treat now & then. I have zero moderation skills and I can't have just a bite or taste or teaspoon of something. Kudos to you for finding that balance.

I totally get your statement of "a very deep and real desire to never be SMO again." I am still in the "fear" zone myself and hope to one day be like you and get to the "acceptance of this is my life now."

Congrats on your continued success!

Thanks Daisey. It took a long time and lots of headwork to get to where I am now. I had to get to the point where I admitted I was addicted to food, just as people are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Those of us who are addicted to food have the extra burden of having to eat to live. A key point in that statement is having to eat to live. Rather than living to eat, (the constant cravings and thinking about what to eat all the time) I've learned how to eat to live. Big, big difference.

Edited to add two words

Barbara

I love this post!! I think there is so much missed potential in post op WLS people who choose to ignore the head work or are not even aware they need to work on their heads.

I also believe that a lot of people don't recognize they are addicted to food. They know they loved to eat but never actually considered it an addiction.

EAT.TO.LIVE

You're awesome!

Thank you Daisy, you're mighty awesome yourself!

1. I have single food item obsessions. I know today one of my meals will be plain greek yogurt with splenda and bran. It will be eaten in the green bowl because that's the right portion.
2. I have experience . I may be the pro at regain. Losing is very slow. What I've noticed is for many people regain happens when there are traumatic life events. I had a very bad year and took care of myself by eating toast. It's an easy rabbit hole to go down.

Thank you Deb for your response.

I too have single food obsessions. On one hand it makes menu planning and eating very easy and I can eat the same thing over and over and generally not get sick of it. I also have "my dishes." My bowls are a lot smaller than my husbands, as are my plates and cutlery too.

You have put into words what I have long thought about "for many people regain happens when there are traumatic life events." I agree with that 100%.

I hope your bad year has come and gone and you are in a better place and kicked that damn toast to the curb!