Chips, chocolate, crisps and junkfood

[shelbell]

While I was pregnant I had to eat a very high fat diet in order to stop losing weight, and so for the 9 months lived off junk food and grazed constantly. I thought that once I had Charlie things would settle down and I would be able to eat a healthier diet.

Nope.

Nearly 2 years post op, and I find that if I don't eat carbs and junk food daily, graze, drink with meals, and eat atleast 3 meals a day then my weight starts to drop again. To give you an idea of a typical day -

Breakfast - White bagel with butter and full fat philadelphia
Mid Morning - Crisps
Lunch - Fish finger sandwich, white bread with cheese and tomato ketchup
Through afternoon - chocolate, sweets, soreen with butter etc
Dinner - Spagetti and meatballs with tomato sauce and extra cheese.
Through evening - more chocolate, a magnum mini sometimes, maybe some bread and butter!

Every so often I'll have a high sugar drink like a pepsi or a milkshake, but drink it over the day for extra calories.

If I'm at home I try to have a hot lunch aswell as dinner for extra calories, so half a pizza or a jacket potato with cheese and butter for example! At work, if I can get out I go for fast food, if not its a calorie laden sandwich from the butty wagon. On my two office days I get a sausage batch on the way into work

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy junk food lol, hence needing the surgery in the first place, but I would love to eat a healthier diet with less carbs, less fat (I worry about gall stones) and more fruit/veg.

Do any other long term maintainers have this problem? Is it just that I have a particularly low absorption rate or something? My meals aren't tiny any more, they aren't huge or even normal, but with drinking with meals etc they are larger than this time last year.

 

[Sambucca]

Great post Shel.

I don't have the answers Im afraid as I'm still a relative newbie at only 8 months out. Very interested to see what responses you get though.

 

[hopelesscase]

funny how we all differ shel and i know yr 6 months ahead of me but just reading what yr having to eat makes me feel ill.

I manage to maintain by having one carb heavy day followed by 2 protien rich day with just one portion of carb with my evening meal as otherwise im hungry all day.

when i say carb rich i just have carbs at each meal but no refined carbs. I wonder if because you had to eat like that for the 9 months yr absorption has altered to such a point or it you ajusted yr eating to a healthy eating regime although you may loose more weight initially if yr body would adapt and you would eventually gain and maintain..

 

[candie]

Omg Shel do you not dump at all?
Hope you and the baby are doin well

 

[rosejohnson]

Hi Shell

Are you still breastfeeding? If so, I wouldn't try to eat much less calories than you did while you were pregnant as that is what your body is clearly used to.

My only advice would be to start making changes gradually, so still eating the same quantity but healthier choices, like wholemeal bread with margarine and low fat phildelphia in the morning, and trying to pick some lower carb options.

Also remember, with a job AND a baby to look after you are probably using a lot of energy, and don't have time to shop or stand and cook super healthy meals, don't beat yourself up for that, you have done amazingly well and if you aren't putting on weight your body is obviously coping with things well.

Rx

 

[shelbell]

Nope, not breastfeeding, and am very sedentary due to being disabled. Thats why I think my absorption must be particularly low!

Sally I do dump, but not on fats. I dump on refined carbs too but know my limits, and that has lessened over the last 12 months. I spread the sugary foods out over the day so as not to dump but still get the calories.

I'm wary of losing any more weight, as I am carrying a lot of excess skin which means my true BMI is less than my ticker shows, and when that comes off I don't want to be an unhealthy weight. I find that when I get ill (which is quite often) I lose weight. If I get a cold I'll drop 7lbs, and it takes me a month or two to gain even half of that back!

I'm hoping that over the next 12 months the mal-absorption will lessen, and I'll be able to eat healthier. I don't think I'm the only person like this, as I remember looking on another forum a year or so ago and looking at the maintaining menus and they were similar to mine, at the time I was horrified thinking OMG you are going to gain all the weight back but now I can see why the menus are like that. Hopefully by posting this other newbies and pre-ops will see that this is a possibility.

 

[Sambucca]

I'm really glad you have posted this Shel. Im still losing at the minute, but I remember you and others saying quite early on that I should start to think about maintenance *before* I hit target weight as it can take some time to get the balance right.

I am already starting to take steps to up my calories, although that has been extremely difficult this week with a nasty gallstones flare up - but I'm well aware, especially with exercising, that my body needs a lot more calories than it currently gets if Im to have any success of maintaining and not overshooting too far.

Thanks for posting the thread. x

 

[gaelic girl]

Hi Shell
Thanks from me too for this thread. I'm at the same stage virtually as Sam, i'm losing but JUST, now and its hard to believe that i soon will probably have to think of the "maintenance" stage. I can eat quite a bit too some days are better than others but i have definatly noticed my portions are bigger. As some of you know i do need to eat approx every two to three hours as i do get hungry and feel my mood changing if i don't! I still get cravings for junk food and try so hard to limit it to the odd treat, i have only ever dumped once in the early stages and i seem to be able to tolerate any foods (not sure thats a good thing though). Thanks for your honesty Shell as it is important to hear that it isn't an easy journey and we do all need to work at it! I'm sorry i don't have any advice as i'm a relative newbie too. Can't believe Charlie is 5 months already where does time go xx

 

[CCPM]

Not sure I can be much help Shel but hope that you can find a diet that suits and keeps your weight stable.

M

 

[phatgirl]

Shel, I am of absolutely no help here as I am struggling with the opposite problem. I am now over a year and a half out, still within my 2 year 'window' and I have GAINED about 7lbs (haven't adjusted my ticker yet ), pounds that I can't seem to shake. I am horrified as I do not drink while eating, I don't eat junk food every day and I try to stay away from simple carbs! I do however have a 'need' to graze as a side effect of my neuroleptic meds, I am in the kitchen every 2 hours looking for something, anything to eat and I can't seem to stop myself...so I can't even relate to what you are going through. I have been stocking up on low cal/fat snacks and actually counting bloomin' calories, uhhgg if you can believe that!

Just shows you how different each person and journey really is! I can tell that I would be one of those horrible stats of people who re-gain weight because for me a simple slide into my old habits and I would be obese, again!

Nic

 

[samsmum]

I am not a long termer but I do have to snack to eat enough to maintain my weight. I snack on things such as light/extra light philly on crackers, fresh meatballs from aldi, the odd glass of hot or cold skimmed milk, a handfull of mixed fruit and nuts and small fruit scones. Occaisionally I do snack on the not so good things such as wotsits, a biscuit or a slice of malt loaf.

My dietician told me it looks as 6 smaller meals may be the way I need to go now to maintain.

 

[Gail-michelle]

Bladdy hell shell!! i would luv that diet lol as I too am struggling at the mo. Gail x

 

[jo_ jo]

This is a amazing how different we are. I am this month a year out. Since December I have only managed to loose about a stone and a half.But twice since then for no reason i have put on 6 lbs and it takes me 2 weeks to get rid of it again. Strange how everyone is different. I still could do with 2 stone off. Good luck with trying to maintain I dont know how I am going to do it when I get there. I already know it is going to be hard to do

Jo
xx

 

[shelbell]

I think it makes a big difference that I reached my initial goal 9 months post op, so was still in prime losing time then.

 

[tendersage]

OMG shel reading this really highlighted to me how i am eating currently due to stress. I have maintained since november and only fluctuate a couple pounds up/down unless its water retention. I was told not to beat myself up about it by my analyst as my body is burning the calories off, however my Dietitian has also said to be warned that my body will adapt to the high calorie intake. I am amazed at the amount of sugary things i can eat when before my op it was savoury items i looked for.

 

[shelbell]

Just wanted to revisit this since my last check up at 2 years post op. The consultant confirmed that I have chronic malabsorption, which is why I lost the weight so quickly in the first place and why I have to eat a LOT just to maintain. Basically I have to carry on as I am, and it is likely that this will always be the case as it's not altered at all and I'm 2 years out.

Some weeks I think I don't want to get on the scales as I've eaten loads of junk, but then I remind myself thats how I got big in the first place and get on them, only to find I'm still the same or I've lost a pound or two! Charlie was ill last week and so I ate less, and lost 4lbs

My team said this happens in less than 20% of cases, and mine is quite severe so not common at all.

 

[Glenville]

That is interesting Shel. Do you know how much you were bypassed? Or, is that not the reason for the chronic malabsorption? xx

 

[shelbell]

No John, its just something that happens. Most surgeons quote absorption as being 30-70% of normal, so evidently some people end up at each extreme.

 

[swizzlestick]

Hi Shel

I've only just seen this thread.

Did you know that weightloss is also a symptom of lupus? a considerable number of lupus sufferers have difficulty maintaining an ideal weight and struggle to gain. It's actually one of the criterias when diagnosing the illness. I have to say I have never had this problem, as you can see mine was the opposite lol but I just wondered if this was a factor in why you are having difficulty maintaining.

The ironic thing is, another criteria is uncontrollable weight gain for a minority of sufferers, and whilst you can find info on sle and weight loss, its nigh on impossible to find the info regarding sle and excessive weight gain!

Xx

 

[shelbell]

Ooooh very intereting Phoebe My lupus kicked off just before my weight gain, so would make sense. Although the original kick off for the weight was high dose long term steroids.

Missed you lately, where've you been?