Today is the day...

I am getting back on a program...It won't be the post op diet. When you are further out, mentally it just isn't enough for me. I will most likely follow Weigh****chers, just on a lighter scale. I was scared going to the gym and everyone/ myfitnesspal saying I have to up my calories. So, I will eat higher calorie good nutritious food on workout days. All I want is to take off the bounce back carb weight and tone, and I know it can be done. Just a little determination and self control and I will get there... OH yeah and sweat and maybe few tears of joy!...LOL..

How did I get here...I fell into the sweet boat and haven't seemed to get out.. Oh and potatoe chips and anything else that i can slide on in through...Oh and those 1/2 point Weigh****chers bars are the devil...Sometimes, I feel the protein bars can be just as bad...

I almost forgot!! Have let wayyyyy to much bread into my life!!!

Happy sleeving!

Hugs

Donna

Donna, I am cheering you on, I know you can do this!  I think it's hard for people who are early out, ( I should say, it would have been hard for me), to realize how much effort and determination maintenance can be.  It is not the same as before surgery, it is much easier, but it is still hard and it is still work.  If you are following WW, are you eating a certain number of points?  Are you limiting calories?  I am curious how this would work for us.

Hi Elinaa

Thanks for the cheer!!! I think it was with your recent posts that got me to thinking to do the same and be open about it. It will help. I am allowd 30 points a day and I have figured it out to be right around 1200 calories a day...I think if they told people that they would freak and not as many would be able to do it. But, with a post op person...Its more doable. In my thinking.. With the 1200 calories you can use them as you like. But we all know, it has to be with certain food groups to work!..It does work, if we work it!!!

Hugs

Donna

Donna,

I am super proud of you for doing this and for being open about it.  I have found that telling others about my journey, both the good and the bad, helps me and other people to be realistic about things.   There really is no winning at this, except if you define wining as going forward and not giving up.  No one can do this process perfectly, we are all works in progress and always will be "in progress" until the very end.  There is no shame in regain at all, it is just part of what happens to most of us at some time in our journey, we might as well give each other huge hugs and keep working toward better health together.  I know I sometimes tick people off when I post about a gain of a few pounds and my desire to "get back to my goal", but in truth, posting about it is cathartic for me and helps me do what I know I need to do to stay on my program.  It is good to know that these little posts of mine help people too, not just upset people who think I am being unreasonable to want to maintain a certain weight.  

As far as WW with 1200 calories, I think that sounds very doable.  I would really encourage you to work with your pyloric valve if you are not already currently doing so.  It really helps me to eat fewer calories and stay fuller longer.  Dr. Cirangle talks about this issue quite a bit and Frisco has some fantastic posts about it.  I think we might be emptying our stomachs a bit faster than normies and working with the pyloric valve really helps.  Good luck to you and keep us updated as we are your cheering section and we will encourage you, support you and push you forward when your own strength weakens.  Take care and many hugs to you.

I have to laff Elina, because at Weigh****chers I wanna yell out!!! Stop eating all the carbs for your points and focus on the protien, fibre, and dense fruits with peelings!! It will close off your pyloric valve!!...And you will get the weight off a tad faster!!!...I kid you not, something will come out of this mouth at some point...But, it will be done in class..Hehe..I don't wanna come off as a biotch that knows all!!

Hugs

Donna

 Elina,

Can you share more about how you "use" the valve? I want to use this tool to the best of my ability because I can definitely tell what slider foods are to me and I need to stay aware from those for sure! 

Thanks,
Ro

Hi Ro,

I believe it is really important to understand our new anatomy and how it works so that we can maximize our restriction and minimize our hunger.  If you do a search on this site for pyloric valve and Frisco you should be able to find some fabulous posts from him describing how this valve works and how to eat to work with it rather than against it.  I think it's definitely worth it to do this research.  Because Frisco did such an amazing job fully explaining this, I would almost rather you read his original words than my summery of his post, but the ultimate point is to eat dense protein first at every meal and to refrain from drinking for at least 30-45 min after a meal and to eat fibrous veggies to "plug" up the valve as snacks.  It helps to understand what opens and what closes this valve so that we can reduce hunger.  After you research it on here, please feel free to ask me or Frisco any questions about this process, if we don't know the answer, we have a support group with our doctor coming up this Wednesday, and we can always ask him.  Good luck to you.

thank you SO much for the clarification!  THat is essentially how my surgeon has instructed us to eat. Dense protein first, then veg, then starch (if you have room for those!)  The hard part is within ourselves and ensuring we are eating the right things, like always starting with the proein.  When I eat dense protein I defintely have excellent restriction and eat less and cannot drink for a good 45 minutes. 

I will certianly search for additional info.  Thanks as always Elina!

Here is a great re-post from Frisco.  It helps to know the "why" of things in order to stay compliant, at least it really helps me.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/VSG/4508494/Frisco-Pyloric-Valve-Basics-101-re-post/

Great post ELina, that was helpful!  Thanks very much!