Going Backwards to move Forwards

The other day Spencerella posted about being deliberate in action and thought as a strategy she uses to reach her goals - whatever they might be. The idea of being deliberate really resonated with me and helped me see how "un-deliberate" some of my eating and planning has been even though I have been faithfully tracking.

Last night I did something I haven't done in quite some time - make VSG sized meatloaves using my mini loaf pan I bought pre VSG. While putting away the meatloaves in the fridge and freezer I thought about how I used to prepare VSG appropriate foods in advance quite regularly. Since being deliberate has been on my mind for a few days, I began to think about how I used to prepare a variety of very high protein, very low carb foods to have on hand to always be prepared. I always had turkey roll ups ready and made a batch of egg bites every week using different meats and low fat cheeses to keep things fresh and interesting.

Next Monday will mark my 4 year "surgiversary". I am very pleased with my journey and where it has taken me, and though some places were pretty damn dark, I needed to go to those places, too! I realize how much more deliberate I was about my food program and my journey to goal weight than I have been on my road back from regain. I am determined, I am disciplined, but I have not been particularly deliberate. So I have made a commitment to be more deliberate. Each day I'm choosing something about which I can be deliberate.

This week I'm being deliberate about a few things:

• learning how little food it really takes me to feel satisfied
• finding alternatives to minimize carb intake, including a return to some old post op favorites
• scheduling exercise because it is often the easiest thing to put on the back burner

My deliberate choice for the day has to do with an afternoon meeting and my choice of food. I am choosing deliberately to NOT have a Quest Bar - even though it's easy. I want to have fewer carbs per day, so I have a choice of cheese, or a greek yogurt, or an apple. None of these is what I would call low carb, but far, far fewer carbs than a Quest Bar. 

I read every few days about people who are early post ops that choose not to measure, track or log their food, macros, and calories. A sleeve will only take you so far on your journey to goal. Those who I know who have made it to goal have been determined, disciplined, and deliberate. Those who maintain their loss also have the same three characteristics.

I'm so grateful for the continued support and inspiration I get from this board. It keeps me coming back.

The other day Spencerella posted about being deliberate in action and thought as a strategy she uses to reach her goals - whatever they might be. The idea of being deliberate really resonated with me and helped me see how "un-deliberate" some of my eating and planning has been even though I have been faithfully tracking.

Last night I did something I haven't done in quite some time - make VSG sized meatloaves using my mini loaf pan I bought pre VSG. While putting away the meatloaves in the fridge and freezer I thought about how I used to prepare VSG appropriate foods in advance quite regularly. Since being deliberate has been on my mind for a few days, I began to think about how I used to prepare a variety of very high protein, very low carb foods to have on hand to always be prepared. I always had turkey roll ups ready and made a batch of egg bites every week using different meats and low fat cheeses to keep things fresh and interesting.

Next Monday will mark my 4 year "surgiversary". I am very pleased with my journey and where it has taken me, and though some places were pretty damn dark, I needed to go to those places, too! I realize how much more deliberate I was about my food program and my journey to goal weight than I have been on my road back from regain. I am determined, I am disciplined, but I have not been particularly deliberate. So I have made a commitment to be more deliberate. Each day I'm choosing something about which I can be deliberate.

This week I'm being deliberate about a few things:

• learning how little food it really takes me to feel satisfied
• finding alternatives to minimize carb intake, including a return to some old post op favorites
• scheduling exercise because it is often the easiest thing to put on the back burner

My deliberate choice for the day has to do with an afternoon meeting and my choice of food. I am choosing deliberately to NOT have a Quest Bar - even though it's easy. I want to have fewer carbs per day, so I have a choice of cheese, or a greek yogurt, or an apple. None of these is what I would call low carb, but far, far fewer carbs than a Quest Bar. 

I read every few days about people who are early post ops that choose not to measure, track or log their food, macros, and calories. A sleeve will only take you so far on your journey to goal. Those who I know who have made it to goal have been determined, disciplined, and deliberate. Those who maintain their loss also have the same three characteristics.

I'm so grateful for the continued support and inspiration I get from this board. It keeps me coming back.

Interesting.

I've recently undergone a similar mindset. I've decided to buckle down and will be approaching my eating from a keto standpoint (super low carb, moderate protein, higher fat). This requires planning, logging, and attention to what goes in my mouth. I find myself logging something before I eat it, to make sure it's ok, weighing and measuring, preparing my breakfast and freezing them (in this case, mini egg muffins): all similar to you, K.

These are things I did for the first 2 years of my sleeve, but once I got settled, and esp. once I got settled into my current relationship, went out the window. and with that, on came some bounceback, and then some more, and I can no longer deny that my winter jacket from 3 years ago no longer fits.

So, early postops and even those a year or two out, don't stop tracking. It's a good plan!

 

Congratulations on four years of successful sleeving, kairk. Even when you're less than successful, your thinking always sets you (and many of us) up to be successful once again. 

 

psychoticparrot

Deliberate is a great word !!!

We all have read the same posts over the years about the many different approaches.

Sorry to say this.....

Some* people are being set-up by their surgeons and programs to not do well.

Some* people are being set-up by them selves to not do well. 

Liberal surgeries and liberal plans tend to be "low percentage" routes.

Don't count carbs or calories??? Good luck with that because that's what your banking on.... luck !!!

Some* means NOT ALL, as a few can do it..... is that you? I can tell you it's not me nor the majority by a long shot.

Look around, do some digging it's all here. Find the people that have done well at this and you will see deliberate efforts.

Look for the people that claim no counting or very loose plans and you will see most lose some weight at first than it tails off and than they fade off.

Even some current posters here that speak like they know what's up, 2 years out but have not lost any weight in 6 months and still have a ways to go.... that should read as a low percentage route.

Here is another common term thrown around here every so often "There are many ways to skin a cat"...... don't believe it for a second, there may be several ways but certainly not many.

Look at people like Spencerella, Cappy and Kairk (and many more) and you will find deliberate approaches.

What Kairk has done in this past few months to figure out how to deal with a small regain has been a very deliberate and a very next level study on just about every aspect of this process. Every time he learns something and posts it, I read it because it is high level information that I bank away.

Deliberate is not a bad word, words like militant and vigilant have often been criticized on this forum by some people that claim "I had this surgery to be normal"..... well guess what, some* of us that got so fat we needed a medical modification are not normal and having most of our stomach cut out doesn't make us normal. If being deliberate, militant, vigilant is what it takes, than that's what you have to do or it ain't gonna happen.

Be deliberate, your success at this may depend on it !

I'm not asking anyone to believe me..... I don't really care if you don't, I just encourage you to do the research !

** There is another interesting thread on the main forum called "Surgery is no finish line"

frisco

Great post Devon.  This week I have been reading James Clear about what we say to ourselves and how one single world can make a difference on our perspective on things.  I think his comments mesh nicely with your post on being deliberate.

Clear suggest that instead of saying "I HAVE to exercise, I HAVE to eat more protein, ... we replace the word HAVE with GET. So I GET to exercise, I GET to eat more protein.  It is a take on positive thinking that is not so intrusive.  Immediately when I started to do this, I felt lighter and less put out. I felt more loving towards myself which is a major issues with me.  Acceptance and loving kindness are two areas I am currently working on.

Now, I just HAVE TO (sorry, GET TO) remember to do this until it becomes habit.

Congrats on 4 years to you and me too on the 6th.

I missed that post, but the idea of being deliberate is spot on! Karik, I really like that you also picked just a couple of things to be more deliberate about. I think that improves the liklihood of success to focus in on a couple of key items, and then work that until it is internalized before adding more to that plate. When you mentioned how you used to be so intentional about prepping food for the week, it made me realize just how much of that particular strategy I have let fall to the wayside. In my case, I do reasonably well staying within the calorie alotment for the day, but the choices that are filling those calories have really deterioriated since the weight loss phase. That is a slippery slope indeed, and is what caused my slight regain (now resolved). 

Excellent post!