X-Post from VSG Main-Maintenance and Regain

It's funny that you mention, cooking. Since WLS, I have found myself cooking more often and trying simple recipes. I cook simple things, but the point is, that I cook. This is completely new behavior for me. I agree with this, completely. When I cook, I know what goes into it, unlike prepared food from a store, which is too high in sodium, fat, and calories.

I totally agree with the food journaling part. If I could eat intuitively, I never would have become morbidly obese. I just don't trust myself. It helps to keep me mindful.


gail

Yes, and I think this is an interesting topic that doesn't get discussed much on the main board. I, too, have always been a cook/foodie and find that my cooking skills have absolutely been a positive thing in maintentance. Eating healthily doesn't mean that you have to eat dry chicken, twigs and greens...as Frisco so often proves, our diets can be beautiful, delicious and appealing. I actually believe that one of the reasons I have been successful in maintenance is that I've never liked fast food. I really think the mentality of eating out frequently at fast food restaurants where the food is loaded with fat, sodium and all sorts of other nasty stuff, is a real contributor to obesity in our country...

Lizanne

Me too Gail! I'm not much of a cook despite knowing so much about the food I'm eating. I don't always know how to put it together. But I cook every day simple healthy things like meat and veggie stir fries, beef jerky that is low salt for snacks, Soothing chicken soup and dessert is greek yogurt with torani suger free syrup. Pretty basic but it gives me peace to eat simply.

Ex-Gourmet cook here. The "Ex" now refers to the way I used to cook using wide-open carbs. I still cook fabulous meals today, but have learned how to modify everything I cook by leaving out the carb portion. Not that hard really, just leave the stinkin stuff out of the recipe-LOL! Lots of spices, fats, chilis, garlic, shellfish, cream, proteins, wines, vegies, and cheeses. I have lost 155 pounds still cooking gourmet meals. Of course, my portions are miniscule, but after 14 months, they seem like the normal gargantuan portions I used to eat.

you are still a gourmet cook. one doesn't need loads of cream and butter to be one. You have figured out that its possible to have exquisite food that is still healthy. And with eating only small portions, we can buy the expensive fresh fish and such. There is a crab stand 4 blocks from my house and one medium crab is enough for hubby and me. so good.  diane

I'm pretty new to maintenance, but I genuinely think that building good habits early in weightloss is the key. This is just an observation, but part of the difficulty of hitting goal and maintaining once you are faily lean is that your body doesn't have a ready energy store to burn.  Following 'the rules' you basically turn your body into a fat-burning machine.  Early on, you have a big calorie deficit, but you have thousands of calories stored that can be converted to energy.   Over time, as you get more lean, you have less fat to convert, and you effectively start to 'starve.'

Now that I have body fat in the low 20%'s, I'm leaner than I was as a teenage athlete.  At 15 months out, it's not so much that I can eat more or that I have 'hunger' -- I still have great restriction and virtually no appetite.  I now get physically ill if I try maintain the same calorie deficit, today, that was a breeze a year ago, or much of one at all.  Short term, it's that 'my body needs me to eat' kind of shaky feeling.  The longer term impact, as I found out, combined with a fairly routine bout of tonsilitis, was systemic illness. It took for months of increased calories supplements, and thyroid med adjustments to get back to baseline health.   It was like being a pre-teen, all over again, when I started to get my period again (TMI, I'm sure, but a serious health concern for women).

Where good habits come in is how I've increased calories, the choices I make, etc. I need to eat.   I just plan ahead to make sure I ALWAYS have an appropriate food choices at hand. I still eat protein first, avoid simple carbs, wait to drink after eating, etc.  These habits are so ingrained, they're  hardly conscious. 

Without those good habits, I could see easy regain. All it takes is trading the babybel's I packed in my cooler last weekend for a Big Mac or the protein coffee in my thermos for a shake while on the road.  The fridge in my office has 'emergency' tuna for nights I work late unexpectedly ; so, there's no reason to get doritos or cookies out of the vending machines which I should point out take credit cards if you're short on cash.  I have no desire for those things, now, but it's been consistency since day one in avoiding them and not being in a position where I NEED to eat but don't have good choices that keeps junk from creeping into my diet.