New to the group

Hi,

I'm sort of in the maintenance stage and having a hard time deciding what to eat, and what foods to prepare that I actually like to eat! I don't eat pork and don't enjoy meat very much which has made it very difficult to eat protein through food and stay low carb. I have never been into cooking and am having a hard time deciding what to buy and cook.

I am one year post op and 10 lbs away from my goal. I was only 4 lbs away, but I gained and now I have 10 lbs to lose!

My cravings are back and I feel very weak in controlling them!

I need to know how to proceed before I gain anymore weight! I need to believe in my ability to lose weight now after the honeymoon period is over and I need to learn to maintain!

I am not very self motivated so I need all the support I can get.

Any ideas as to how to keep myself motivated, what to eat, etc... would be very much appreciated.

I just lost what I'd written...

But what I said was that to successfully maintain, I mostly eat the same things that I found that I enjoy and fit into a high protein, low carb, lower calorie plan. I don't like to cook either so look for easy recipes and freeze a lot for the future. I also keep some staples from Trader Joe's in the freezer.

Welcome!

I'm not really the one to ask about maintenance, but I can tell you that I have learned that more than anything, sugar is the gateway "drug" to regain for me. Sugar is followed by refined flour products (e.g. breads, baked goods, cakes, pies, cookies, etc...).

Through my regain I have also realized that I did not embrace the needed eating style changes needed to sustain my weight loss. I really deep down viewed VSG as another diet. When I hit goal weight I easily (and willingly in hindsight) allowed the foods that made me obese back into my regular eating life.

To lose and maintain weight now, I don't necessarily eat foods that I like, but instead focus on foods that are good for me. I really don't like vegetables, but love fruit. I make sure to have two servings of vegetables per day, but round off the lack of vegetables with fresh fruits - mostly berries and other lower sugar fruits. I have a hard time maintaining a super low carb way of eating, so I don't. I eat steel cut oatmeal every morning, and sprouted grain breads (rather than milled flour breads), and often include a grain with my dinner.

There is NO ONE RIGHT WAY to eat to maintain your weight loss, though there are those out there who vehemently disagree with me. My best advice is to develop a nutritionally sound way of eating that works for you. A good thing to remember as you embrace maintenance (and boy did it take me a long, long, loooong time to really own) is that refined carbs make you hungry.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I believe these few lbs I have gained are from the Acai bowls that I became obsessed with about a month ago! It lasted for a couple of weeks and before I knew it I had put on 6 lbs!

I know I overdid it with the Acai bowls and deserve to have gained a few lbs, but I didn't eat enough to have gained 6! Part of having wls for me was to not diet anymore! Well it seems like my fate is to struggle all the time! I know we say it's a lifestyle change, but people who are not obese don't eat like us after wls! I mean we are supposed to eat like an a organism that has no taste buds! I am still a human being that likes food like everyone else! I don't overeat and I don't eat cookies, cakes, bread, rice, pasta, fast food, fried food and anything that's high in carbs or fat, or calories. But I want to be able to eat healthy carbs like beans, and vegetables, I want to be able to eat a piece of cake every now and then and not gain weight! I can't eat something that makes me gag! Like Cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, etc...! and that's where I'm having a problem because when I subtract all the foods I can not eat, there is nothing left for me to eat!

I'm supplementing food with protein bars and shakes since that's the only thing I can tolerate eating that doesn't cause tremendous weight gain!

I want to like what I eat, and I don't know if I can change myself to the point where I no longer enjoy eating! I mean food is a source of energy, but also a source of pleasure for me and anyone I've ever known! I have not met anyone who doesn't enjoy eating yet!

Honestly, if I could eat bad tasting food, I would have not needed to have surgery! I wish I could just quit eating food like I quit cigarettes! That was much easier...

I honestly don't think I can sustain white knuckling this! I need a sustainable solution and maybe those who had their mouths wired shut had a better understanding of what this disease of obesity is. If it tastes good, it will cause regain for me! I feel doomed even though I've lost the weight I needed to lose, except for these last 10 lbs. which frankly I can live with if I have to! But I don't want to gain anymore and I don't want to suffer!

How can I change so I don't like food anymore? Is that even possible?

Hi Sepster, Welcome!

Just my 2 cents below....you have already had some excellent responses. I echo DianeS's advise of going thru old posts (including really old ones) for inspiration. I still do that on occasion.

I haven't been part of this board all that long, but I have yet to see anyone arrive that has maintenance figured out. We are all continually working on it so you fit right in. For myself, I suspect I will be constantly shifting this and that, forever. I am ok with that.

That said, I don't eat food I don't like. I do eat healthy carbs like beans and vegetables. You can too. As for as how you can change so you don't like food anymore? I don't know....I didn't find that necessary.

That does skirt up against a primary tenet of mine, tho, of not making food a primary focus. I love being ABLE to do so many things. Food no longer serves as the center of attention tho I still enjoy it and that would include things like cake, on occasion. (But, I am super fussy about the cake itself.)

If you don't know how many calories you need a day to maintain (or drift down), you might consider finding that number. Then, figure out how to spend those calories.

Best wishes, Shel

Welcome to our group. There is no magic maintenance. We each find our own paths but getting more protein and fewer carbs is the main thing plus heathy veggies. Tracking your food consumption and protein is helpful. If you look through older posts here you will see that is a habit of the successful. Indeed, there is a lot to be learned by reviewing posts in this group.

As for protein, eggs and greek yogurt are a good source if you don't like meat.

So start by tracking whatever you are doing for a week or so and then study the information and consider what could be done that is more healthy. check in here often. GL Diane S

Thank you Diane. Would you tell me how I can search the old posts for inspiration? I don't see a search option! and what specifically should I search for to find inspirational posts?

Thank you

Boy, do I have thoughts on this. But I'm still in NOLA celebrating Halloween and have to be in Kansas City this weekend for a funeral, so may not be able to respond until next week.

For me, as someone who tracked to lose all my weight (100 pounds) and still track 4+ years post-op, I know how many calories and how much protein I can eat and not gain weight. For me, that number is around 1800 calories and 100 grams of protein. But that's specific to my gender, my age (73), my current activity level, and my metabolic inheritance. Believe me, others' mileage certainly vary in both directions.

"Eating intuitively" for me doesn't work. Most days, although NOT when I'm celebrating Halloween in NOLA :) , I plan what I'm going to eat and report my macronutrients every day here to the group.

Over the years I've also worked up to 8 daily veggies and fruits a day. I exercise almost every day (yoga, aquarobics, walking). I have found that, for me, the nutritional value of WHAT I eat, in addition to how MUCH I eat, has an impact on my weight, i.e., all calories aren't identical in their impacts on the scales.

In short, I NEVER expected I'd be able to "eat what I wanted" every day and not gain weight. So I don't buy or keep in my home trigger foods I have trouble resisting.

Also, I've now eaten for several years mostly nutritious food that I truly like. So what tastes "good" has changed somewhat over time.

What motivates me is my enormous desire to remain active, healthy, and normal-sized. I simply ******g REFUSE to become fat ever again.

Very best wishes to you!