A big appetite, little restriction, a new way to eat for life

Jun 23, 2016

Approaching 4.5 years out next month.  My gosh, I am hungry and active and can eat very much like a regular person (note, this is still much less than I used to eat since I never ate like a normal person before wls).

I have been leaning towards vegetarianism and now mostly eating vegan, primarily in response to my deepening committment to Buddhism.  I am feasting on vegetables, fruit, tempeh, tofu, beans, lentils, nutritional yeast, nuts and seeds, vegetarian protein powders and lots of supplements (maca, spirulina, kale powder, my usual wls vitamins, chia seeds, flax meal, probiotic supplement).

I am willing to bring dairy and eggs back into my diet if I am feeling out of balance, have bloodwork issues or feel like I'm lacking in protein, amino acids, etc.  But so far, I think the plant based eating style is the best one for me keep the weight off for life.

I am still exercising regularly.  My lowest weight was 134 and I regained and have now seemed to plateau for about 8 months at 160.  I'm 5'11 tall, so hope to stay at this weight for life and then I will still be in my healthy BMI range.  I am recovering from an eating disorder that only intensified post-wls.  I am finding the plant based way of eating to be very helpful.  The complex carbs in the beans really reduces my sugar cravings and I'm not binge eating anymore.  I have stopped tracking on myfitnesspal as I was calorie obsessed.  Instead, I am simply writing down everything that I eat as a means to stay mindful.  The only tracking I do is regarding protein grams.

Life is better in many ways because I am more healthy, more physically active and don't experience discrimination or stigma regarding my weight anymore.  I am generally less self conscious about my appearance, although my body image varies from day to day.  I can still have a feeling fat day....sometimes oddly followed by a feeling thin day.  Clearly, the body doesn't change much in a day and its psychological factors at play instead of body changes.

 #regain #mainteance #plantbased #vegetarian #longterm

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