Weekly Maintenance Post

Sometimes the drinking is hard for me because I really do get very thirsty.  Getting in enough fluids has never been hard for me.  I had a real find at the thrift store yesterday.  I've been looking forever, ever since I left my super size mug somewhere, for a big, big coffee cup.  I saw one at Walmart but it was $10 and I just can't afford that right now but I was at Goodwill and they had basically the same one for $4 so I grabbed it.  It's the Bubba Keg 52!  I already have the big Bubba 32 so this is great.  I can carry around 52 oz and all I have to worry about is getting down 2 of them and I am home free.  I usually get in a few bottles, too, but with this I fill it with ice and protein coffee all day, or sugar free drinks like generic Crystal Light.
I still have a major sweet tooth I just have sugar free treats.  I dump so I don't take any chances with the real thing but I have lot's of sugar free things.  Sugar alcohols don't bother me at all.  In fact I haven't had any sugar free candy for a while and my constipation has been terrible for a few days and I wonder if that's why.  Maybe I need to go to Winco and get some.  I've been trying to save money since it's the week before payday but maybe I need to splurge a bit.  I have a treat or two (or three or four) every day, but I include my protein shakes and puddings as treats.  As long as I include protein in things I don't feel guilty.  If I could figure out a way to make a gluten free, sugar free German chocolate cake with protein I would eat it with abandon, lol.  I probably could, too, but I am lazy.  I have made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that were sugar free and gluten free and I added protein and they were delicious but I am too lazy to make them too often and they aren't even that hard.  I'm just not that into cooking, but I would have one or two a day and it was a treat and a protein boost all in one.  I have been making protein ice cream most nights and adding sugar free hot fudge and sugar free Cool Whip and having a hot fudge sundae for dessert most nights.  I guess I'll never be a health nut.

I go to Sonic alot and get the Route 44 Unsweet Tea.  It really helps get my fluids way over 100 per day.  Good idea on that large cup!!

I bought some Davinci Sugar Free German Chocolate Syrup and put it in my Chocolate Truffle Protein Shake at night with some sugar free whip cream - YUMMY.  It is like a milk shake.  It helps with my sweet tooth.

Maintenance IS hard work...even if you aren't sure you are done losing.

This is a requirement on RNY.  I'm not sure about DS or VSG - could one you please tell us if it is required for your surgery.

It isn't a requirement for the DS altho my surgeon thinks it is. I'm not a big liquids drinker at meals but we've ALWAYS had something to drink during a meal. I may drink about 2 ounzes total during a meal???? Actually what my surgeon says do after you reach goal is to drink a full glass of water about 15-30 mins before a meal to keep you from eating too much. And while that is a laudable idea, if I did that, I would not eat anything.

To be honest, my surgeon's office is clueless...I try and follow the nut that dh uses instead. She said to focus on protein and good fats/complex carbs.

What we've been doing is eating more protein and trying to make sure we eat 30 grams of protein before eating anything else. And yes, plenty of good fat since not having enough fat is not good for either of us.

No help on the sweet tooth...I have one too which usually stays in control by not having it in the house. But I don't deny myself...I just try to have something that also has protein in it. :) Glad I don't work outside the home...if we don't buy it, it doesn't come in...problem is, sometimes we can't resist!

Liz

Y'all have both done a great job.   I might should worry about fat, but I really use real cheese not the fat free stuff. 

Do you think it helps you since your DH has had WLS also?  My DH either won't eat some of the things I cook or he eats it all and there is none left for another meal...  He also brings junk into the house.

There are studies done that show a DS'er only absorbs about 20% of the fat we eat...that is for a 100 cm common channel. Normies are suppose to eat  The dietary reference intake for fat in adults is 20%-35% of total daily calories from fat. That's about 44 to 77 grams of fat a day if you eat 2,000 calories a day.

Okay, so go the low end...44 grams. Now, in order for a typical DS'er to absorb 44 grams of fat, we have to eat 5 times as much (remember, we only absorb 20%) So 44 grams x 5 is 220 grams of fat. That's a LOT of fat.

Fat free is tricky...in order to make it fat free, and TASTE good, they add sugar...can still call it fat free as sugar is a carb not a fat. And we absorb 100% of sugar.

Plus, not getting enough fat makes us constipated.

Yes, it does help...he was scheduled to get a VSG until I pulled from my first surgeon (*****fused to do a DS on me) and we found his surgeon...Dr. Pomp sat there and told us that for couples, having the same surgery makes life so much easier. Thank goodness I was still able to get the DS.

No worries about him eating too much, we always have leftovers. In fact, I am still figuring out how small to make our portions sometimes, LOL.

Liz

WOW, that is a lot of fat!!  Eating the full fat and peanut butter seems to help with the constipation for me.  I still have to take other things but it helps.

I can do some low fat things, but I do not like the taste of most fat free things.  I try to read the labels and go on that and like you said most things that are fat free have other things that we don't need in them so you are better off to do the real thing!!

I give up on the small portions.  I'm so used to cooking a lot, I just eat it all week.