Still dieting? Or is this how normal people eat?

[ditzeeblonde]

Have I been on this diet rollercoaster for so long that I don't want to get off??

I think like all of us I am totally over analyzing how I'm eating post op.... am I eating too much, too little, stretching my pouch, getting enough protein, eating too many carbs & the list goes on!

The thing is I had this op to take a step away from calorie counting, carb counting, weighing & watching everything that I ate but yet I find myself even more obsessed with it all!

Since my op I've been logging everything I've been eating, watching my carbs like a hawk (rarely going over 40g per day) which is exactly what I was doing before my op & then it occurred to me....

Should I just be listening to what my body wants, be guided by what its telling me? Should I still be watching my carbs so closely or is this why I've been feeling light headed & wobbly coz I'm not getting enough?

Isn't the objective of having this procedure so that I eat like a 'normal' person, don't obsess over calories, carbs etc & just go with the flow? Or is this how normal people eat, watching & counting things so that they don't put weight on??

Whats yr thoughts on this guys?? Is this normal behaviour post op?

ThanQ. xxxx

 

[cah-ching]

I see where you're coming form, I had the op to get away from the calorie counting too. Even my dietician agrees. However I think you'll naturally form a rhythm. No point in obsessing about your obsession with carbs/fat/calories/portion sizes instead try to chill as there really is no harm in being conscientious ... I still am in some respects.

Remember in 2/3yrs from now your current obsession will have served you well - it is still possible for people to gain wait having had a bastric bypass the girl from Wilson Phillips is a famous example...... Carnie Wilson's War: Weight Gain After Gastric Bypass - ABC News

The weight-loss may be dramatic but that in itself isn't the end of it for any of us. :hug99:

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Thanks CC as always wise words from you chick! :thankyou:

You just want to get it right don't you... none of us go thru a major operation just for the sake of it & I/we just want to get it right & make the most of this opportunity!

 

[Fashionably Late]

You are still early days. I was the same. But now I don't look at labels very much except to check protein. I feel very normal now and seem to be just like all of my "normal" friends.

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Thanks FL.... I shall carry on obsessing for a time then. x

 

[CCPM]

Its hard to get to grips with what's 'normal'. I find that if I don't watch it I'm prone to gaining as what I still can't control is my belief that I can eat big meals or my desire to do so. So I find I need to keep control. Don't log it down so much now because I know roughly whats what and what I can eat and remain stable or lose a little from time to time. I think thats always gong to be me as I gained so easily when I had that period of letting go at the beginning of the year. Eventually I've come to recognise its a reasonable trade off and that i will have to do it 90% of the time.

You'll find a rhthym Linzi where you know what works for you and how to keep it under control. Its early days yet but it will come.

Good luck you're doing great

M

 

[Karlos]

Losing the weight post op is really the easy bit, its once we reach goal and have to then maintain our weight that the hard part begins.

A very dear friend on another forum I use once shared with me the best advice I have ever heard regarding post op WLS and how to make it successful long term.

Her surgeon is a real stickler for following his rules and he has a 90% post op success rate for his patients reaching and maintaining goal, so he's worth listening to.

He told her that thoughts that WLS means you never have to worry again about what you eat or regaining weight are simply wrong. Post op we are on a diet for life, the pouch just takes the grind out of it is all.

I cringe when I read people six months out posting 80 lbs gone forever. Nothing is forever unless we work at it, unless we make the changes to our eating patterns, intake, and exercise regimes, we run the risk of regaining a portion of the weight back. The average is 10% weight regained, but some will regain 30% others will fail and regain up to 50% or more back.

Even at 18 months out I still plan my intake and watch what I eat. I'm not as obsessed as I was in the first year, but I still take account of what I put down my neck. I still ensure I eat protein first then when that's gone I'll eat carbs and fats. I still measure out my food as I have never been lucky enough to get my "You're full stop eating big boy" message system working again.

Good luck with it honey

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Thanks guys...

Very good posts there & its really clarifying for me what I thought.... never take yr eye off the ball or I'll be tumbling down that hill again!

Makes me feel good that I am watching this closely post op to what I'm having. x

ThanQ. xx

 

[Grace]

my mum was always slim, and though she was never on a diet in her life, she always 'watched what she ate'. At the first sign of her waist band getting tight she would cut down. I think that's how normal people eat. Not dieting as such, but keeping a mental checklist of what you're eating.

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Thanks Charis... thats a much better expression and yr right its what normal slim people do. x

 

[Grace]

Thanks Charis... thats a much better expression and yr right its what normal slim people do. x

Pleasure Linzi.
I do often think back to my mum and it is helping me with my eating patterns. She ALWAYS, for years and years, had 5 Jacobs multigrain crackers for lunch, with a sliver of cheddar cheese and a slice of tomato on each one. A scone was a treat, and she had a Friday treat night: a bar of chocolate, something like a Frys Chocolate cream. But other than that she ate small and healthy. She had a will power of iron! but she never gained more than half a stone in all her adult years, and as soon as the pounds went on, she'd be cutting down to shed them.

I think if and when I get to maintenance mode, I shall be trying to follow her example.

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Oh you'll get there Charis of that I have no doubt!

My Mum's the same if I think about it... as soon as her tiny size 8 trousers get a bit tight she does something about it & unlike me its not by the next size up in clothes!!

Its been really liberating thinking about this today & that if I want to have a sandwich its ok as long as its not everyday and as long as only one of my meals is carb heavy not all of them... when I'm talking carb heavy its a jacket potato or some baked beans or a sandwich made with wholemeal bread its not going to be a pack of biscuits or a ton of chocolate like it was before so actually its ok!

 

[slimmerkay]

It was this post of yours Linzi that prompted me to post my "confession" thread.

I do still log my daily food intake in myfitnesspal but that is to track my protein levels. I'm not interested really in how calories I consume but really think I should be to some extent. Otherwise those old habits will creep in again and again and weight loss will halt.

I suppose we have to find a healthy half way mark with the calorie counting.

 

[Jacquie Christie]

I'm really hoping that i don't ever have to count anything ever again, but not sure how realistic that is for, say, a year further down the line.

At the minute (4 months post op) i count nothing, eat healthy, protein first, with the odd treat here and there - and that is working!

When I reach goal I intend to try sticking to this, but maybe the treats will have to be less often??

 

[RoseA]

I'm really hoping that i don't ever have to count anything ever again, but not sure how realistic that is for, say, a year further down the line.

At the minute (4 months post op) i count nothing, eat healthy, protein first, with the odd treat here and there - and that is working!

When I reach goal I intend to try sticking to this, but maybe the treats will have to be less often??

That's my approach too. I don't count anything but I try to ensure I stick to the high protein, low carb, low fat, low/no sugar principles. I made a conscious decision when I went on holiday recently not to worry so much and to allow myself more treats, I was on holiday after all ! I came back and was astonished that I'd lost 6 lbs over the fortnight... more than I usually lose in that period ! So it just goes to show that we really shouldn't obsess, providing we are making sensible food choices. Must admit, I have gone back to drinking wine with my meals... albeit only half a small glass.I haven't noticed any problems and I don't seem to be eating more as a result.