food guilt...self indulgent rant

Sandy they are a small little nut. I added the link below so you can take a look. They are high in calories so you may want to watch how much you eat but the nutritional value out weighs the high calories as far as I am concerned.

I buy the package at Loblaws in their Natural Value setction. Its in the area that sells the organic products.

Sometimes I add them to my Greek yogurt as well or in a salad.

Ann

http://manitobaharvest.com/category/13/Hemp-Hearts.html

I think its going well Ann!  I am losing very little over the last two weeks but I have been eating like a horse as I have been exercising and doing tons of physical building (built large shelving for my garage and now a baby barn) so I am not upset.  I also haven't had the time to sweat how many carbs I'm eating so I'm pretty sure when I slow down by the end of next week I'll be losing again as I will reduce my over all carbs.  I'm trying to add veggies into my diet and I find most of them are carbs.  

I began at 309 and am at 215, rny on May28/12.  I'm happy, I'm wearing a waist size I have not seen since grade 7 and most of my shirts are large (down from size 55 waist and XXXL shirt).  

Wow that is fantastic Ian. Way to go!

In terms of the vegetable, although they are carbs they are healthy carbs that your body desperately needs. I have fresh vegetable all the time, I tend to focus on my calorie intake rather than concentrate on carbs.

This has works for me but may not be for everyone.

Congrats on your success so far, very impressive!

Ann

I would ignore what "other people" are eating and concentrate on your own body.

1.  You are tall.

2.  Sounds like you have a fast metabolism.

3.  You are not gaining weight, you are a bit underweight.

4.  God gave you a body to take care of.  So take care of it!

If you had a dog or a child that needed to eat more to stay healthy weight - would you feed it?  Of course you would!  You are your own master, your own best friend.

If you feel like you are eating all the time. I would go for more "calorie dense" options.

You've now officially become one of those people I hate, they get to eat what they want and not gain weight.

Life may change.  Just keep your eye on your weight and eat if you have to.  

Listen to HappyPants !  I just like saying that.

I'm lurking..

Sandy I think you're doing great  .. cept maybe for that "tape" in your head.  See what you can do about getting it to play another one? One that is more in keeping with your current HEALTHY lifestyle? Maybe one that says "I"m a winner because I reached this goal and now I'm gonna kick ass and show ME that I can maintain it".. or something like that..

just a thought

Ian.. you ROCK dude.. that's a ton of weight to drop. And what do you mean incorporate veggies into your diet???.. what have you been eating all this time? Veggies are not high carb, they have iron and all kinds of other healthy minerals and vitamins in them.. Especially the green leafy ones like Swiss Chard, Spinach etc  (   I think part of the reason we get anemic is because for how ever many weeks we are stuck on Opti-fart, then fluids, then full fluids blah blah.. you dont see any veggies for months) and yeah I know our tummies dont have the capacity to eat enough etc etc BUT.. I got a point here. I know I do lol

Ann.. I'm gonna have a look for these next time I go shopping.. I eat 2 tbsp of ground cashew in my salad every day, be it spinach, arugula etc (that would be green leafy stuff I'm talking about IAN! lol), and just as you said, while the caloric content might be a bit high, the benefits outweigh it.  There are other ways you can cut back on calories lol..

and you think YOU babble...lol

Ann, that's good advice to Ian about the veggie intake.  The carbs in veggies are nothing to worry about...much like the healthy fats in nuts. these things we need in our diet.  I usually eat baby spinach twice a day and if I miss it I notice that my body totally craves it.  I love my veggies and yes, they take up room in the pouch, but so be it.  I make a lot of stews with kale and other veggies to get my protein and veggie in at the same time.  Ian, maybe you should consider making some meat/veggie stew combos as a way to start with the veggies?  Awesome job losing, Ian.  You must feel great about it!

Sandy... Oh Sandy! *big hugs*

Ok... So when I joined OH you were struggling to stop losing still... And discovering what you needed to consume to maintain.

So you "found" the amount right now. That amount may (probably will) change when the malabsorbtion component kicks out.

I want to say something to you here though (please take it with the tone of voice I intend it to be taken with and hopefully that is firm and not harsh):

PLEASE... Be GRATEFUL that YOUR body has chosen to MAINTAIN at the caloric value an adult with a NORMAL metabolism maintains at.

I think you are doing lovely, and if you are one of the small percentage that needs to consume that calorie range to maintain then so much the better. Do it with healthy choices reflective of the changes you have made in your lifestyle. Keep an eye on things, and adjust accordingly because our bodies change frequently in our lives but please do not feel guilty because your body needs you to fuel it.

1800-2000 is high for post WLS but not in general. It will likely be my own number when I have to maintain. I lose inches (just not lbs) at 1200-1700 cal/day. I am going for the tool to help me with my portion control but if that means I have to eat smart but in that range I will. No guilt.

Hugs,
Shell

P.S. It is time to retire as a professional dieter and enter the world of professional maintainer. Think of it like changing your job description if you have to.