Day 1 - Calling all Vets - Questions for you all

Experience...

yep!

Question #1 (Q1):

How do you get past diet fatigue?

I like to cook, and because of my food allergies, intolerance, and IBS, there is a long list of foods I should not eat. Over the years the list was getting longer, and I got really upset a few times. But I am trying to be a positive person, so eventually I started making list of things I can eat. And I realized that even with my limitations, my diet is very interesting and there are a lot of dishes that smell great and taste yummy. What I like or don't care changes a lot, but if I follow proper for me diet, I feel better and ... look better.

I always try to come up with a new meat-veggies combination and very often, any meal I make is nothing like another meal I had before that. Why? Because i use recipes as a general guideline, and I just put this and that, and little more of something else to come up with home cooked meal. There were only a few times, that the food did not taste good. And we don't mind takeouts, or ready-to-eat meals I can buy in some of the grocery stores. If I like something, I often make a batch and then freeze or other way preserve from spoiling. There are only the 2 of us, and we have 2 fridge, and a large frost free freezer in a garage. At any given time we have enough food for 2-3 weeks.

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?

I had 2 regains, each of them 25 lbs above my goal. The last one was last year, and I am back into my comfort zone, not too big - not too small. I would call it fear, just awareness. But having so many limitations on what and how much I can comfortably eat, I would gladly gain 20 - 30 lbs and maintain if I could eat bigger selection. I have dairy proteins allergies and it sucks. I love cheese, and yogurt, and whey proteins.

Both times I had regains when I really did not care if I gained or not. And alcohol was involved. Last year was really bad, because I drank to help with the pain from exercising and eating and digestion issues. At almost 11 years post op, I still have a lot of restrictions if I eat food that I am supposed to eat, like dense proteins, good fats and some veggies and fruits. What and how much I can eat without pain or discomfort is not enough to gain weight.

App 1.5 years ago I got sick and I lost app 15 lbs below my happy place. Without trying or wanting. After I took care of the issues, and I was able to eat a lot of different foods without serious pain, I just started eating. I also discovered I could tolerate beer and ****tails. I felt like a new person and went for it. For a few years my diet was very limited, then suddenly it wasn't. Or so I thought. Unfortunately, the " I am not longer allergic to x y z " did not last, and my allergies and intolerance came back with a vengeance, and weight gain. I tried to ignore all of that, but my body did not let me to.

So now I am back on a very limited diet. Paleo - low carbs. Since I went back to my "good" diet, I lost the extra lbs. But going back on a limited diet had very little to do with attempting to lose the extra weight, but rather to prevent the side effects from eating things that my body hates.

And as long as I follow the protein forward diet, with good veggies and even occasional starch, I keep losing weight. I can't eat enough to maintain or gain. I hope the loss will stop soon. I can safely lose additional 5 lbs. I am slowly adding more fruits to my diet. (berries, grapefruit, apples) I use fruits as a snack.

My biggest fear is transfer addiction, not weight gain. Alcohol usage can sneak on a person unless they really pay attention. I know a few people post op RNY who are in denial about their alcohol dependency.

Thank you Hala for sharing your experience and your open & honest response.

I am envious of you and that you like to cook. I don't mind cooking but its not high on my favourite things to do. I am just not creative or adventurous like you. I need a recipe and I have to know exact amounts. I freak out when people say "oh I just add a dash of this, or a pinch of that." LOL

I am sorry you have to deal with so many different health issues post op but I applaud you for getting over the hurt/anger and becoming more positive and learning to work with your limited food list. That takes a lot of strength and commitment. I need to start having some back up meals in our freezer as well. That is very smart!!!

I will be honest I am always fascinated by your story of regains and loss. I am really intrigued how you phrased that you don't have "fear" but "awareness." Kind of like what DCGirl and I wrote about how easy it is to put your head in the sand and not be mindful or have awareness and just eat off plan.

I totally get your using alcohol to deal with the pain. As you know I suffer from terrible migraines and I could easily see how I could become addicted to pain meds. If my PCP wasn't as concerned as she is about my pain med use I am sure I could have gone overboard but because I am restricted to how many pain pills I get I am able to keep that under control. IMHO there is something about dealing with daily chronic pain that makes a person (myself included) do things you would not normally do.

My wish for you Hala is you can find what works best for your body and your food restrictions and get out of pain without it causing additional health issues (like too low of a body weight).

I am so incredibly proud of you for recognizing that alcohol was not the answer and that you are aware (there is that word again) that transfer addiction is very real and could potentially be a problem for you.

Congrats on your continued success!

Thank you everyone for your replies and honesty, as a person with only a little over a year post-op I appreciate everything you have to say and your advice. The struggle is real for all of us, and how we deal with it is up to us.

Q1: I don't have "diet fatigue" -- but I am also only 5 years out. I decided when I had WLS that I would change how I see food. This means that I don't let myself view it as a treat, entertainment or something I do to pass the time. It's a work in progress constantly for me.

Q2: I have never lost the fear of regain. I even have nightmares about it. I cannot and do not accept a weight gain of 5 pounds. In fact, I fear that I often have gone too far the other way about small fluctuations in my weight -- but I also credit that fear with keeping me on track. It's a double-edged sword.

Hi Daisy, Thanks for doing this... I have been reading these but finally have some time to respond. I am 9.5 years post op.

Question #1 (Q1):

How do you get past diet fatigue?

I have it and it is real. I am so bored with my go-to foods like greek yogurt and almonds. I try to incorporate new foods in, but then I start to gain because new food take me off track easily. I wish I had an answer about how to get past it, but I don't really. I am jealous of people like Grim who can eat the same 4 things every day of their lives and not be bored.

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?

I don't "accept" it, but it happened. I knew I was on a slippery slope when I started this very stressful job, and I did what I could to mitigate the inevitable slide. I have regained a bit, but am holding steady from climbing higher. It is a daily struggle to find the balance between being kind and gentle to myself amidst the tough life cir****tances I find myself in, and not be too kind and giving in to all the bad choices.