How committed to this are you ???

I am committed to treating my body with respect. I have not treated it very well in the past. It gave me some gentle warnings. I am so glad that I listened to the warnings and took action. I eat healthy foods in the appropriate amounts. I am three months out and feel terrific. I am already looking ahead to how I will carry my commitment to treating my body with respect once I enter the maintenance phase. We all make mistakes during this process. I use those mistakes as a lesson to empower myself. My greatest power is the ability of choice. I can choose to make healthy eating choices. I have accepted the fact that eating "non plan foods" is in fact not a reward, but a detriment to my commitment to respect my body.  

Post these words in your hearts, folks--Commitment and Compliance--make them a mantra.  I am discovering that anything I really "need" in a grocery store can be found around the outside perimeter- fresh produce, dairy, meat, and only the occasional pass for coffee, tea,  spices, or good for you oils.  Let the processed foods be of my own making- garden canned and frozen veggies and fruits, homemade yogurt-cheese,etc in the fridge.  Loving this life--Instead of consuming and sleeping it off, I find myself producing and creating alittle bit more.  So grateful.  Bonnie

Amen to that, Commitment and Compliance. (Tenacity to win the battle)

Thanks Frisco

88 Lou

Honest question for you - isn't it better to eat a quest bar for breakfast that keeps me satisfied until lunch vs. a greek yogurt that leaves me hungry in 2 hours?  (Unfortunately, at this point, I cannot stomach eggs.)  Looking for good breakfast options...

No.

You need to find some natural foods that will quell things just as well.  Possibly consider the timing of your meals and how much water you're drinking as well.

The Quest bars are a fantasy and you can get much better hunger control without them.  Unfortunately, my breakfast plan does use eggs so I can't help with the best suggestions.

As an occasional quest bar eater, I agree 100% with you.  The cleaning we eat during weight loss the better.  I really don't want to go into a debate on whether quest bars can hinder weight loss but from my personal experience, I am NOT losing while I eat them.  Maybe that is why I feel I have reached a maintenance point.

Anytime I have gotten my weight down to it's lowest, before & after WLS, I really had to cut back & be super strict.  How bad do I want it?  Apparently not bad enough ... I can say I struggle with food ... yes.  We all do at some point & some more than others but when you see the numbers, you can see who is more committed and who isn't.  By me saying this, I am not saying it's ok to eat more of a variety of foods or anything like that.  It's just I know I am in the majority of people post WLS who struggle.  I actually do not know any WLS people at my work who have NOT gained some weight back.  It does seem like a lot of the people I know off of OH have gained back anywhere between 15-30, a few even more.  BUT these people are also not committing to the newer way of eating ... the was we really are supposed to.

So as you say, how bad do we want it?  If we want it, we will cut out the crap.  For me to get back to my lowest, I need to lower these flippin calories to 800-900 again, maybe even lower as the rest of this weight comes off.  Will it be hard?  F yes it will.  Carbs low, etc.  Commitment & compliance.  It's really the only way to do this.   

And keep in mind that commitment includes rolling with the punches that life throws at us, not just finding a new normal and cruising. We may be humming along on maintenance and some life event may cause a disruption in our "routine". We need to be focused enough to adapt our "routine" to a new normal to stay on track or suffer the consequences.

I couldn't agree with you more.  I was given the gift of 15 months of not being hungry.  I eat whole foods for a number of reasons.  I then started maintenance  and thought I was supposed to do something different.  I have now learned that I didn't have to.  All I needed to do was continue eating as I did during the losing phase.  I no longer would lose as my weight was down 130 pounds.  I tried a protein bar.  For me they are candy bars. I can't eat them.  I tried popcorn another no no for me.  I know what to eat and only eat whole foods that I prepare.  I occasionally go to dinner and order fish and veggies very fresh.  However, the world does not revolve around my food plan. Sometimes I feel so self absorbed that I focus so much on this.  I have commitment and most times been in compliance.  Last year life hit hard when my sister was diagnosed with cancer.  I spent many days in the hospital which does not have my kind of food.  Some days I just didn't eat.   I am not recommending this, but I was able to do it.   For me suffering the consequences is not so much the weight gain, but the emotional anguish that comes along with it.  Today I was committed, but lost my compliance by making a poor choice.  I packed breakfast and lunch committed.  Having been feeling emotionally off since Thurs.  Something I can't identify so don't know how to deal with.  I have waited committed and been compliant.  My addiction tells me that somehow eating something off on my food plan will help.  It doesn't.  Working on compliance.  I guess forever.  

Motivation and commitment have always been interesting topics - especially related to weight control.  I've always been a person who accomplished whatever I set out to do but weight loss was always a total failure no matter how hard I tried.  My surgeon convinced me it was possible and he is right. I have to work at it but I have had to work at whatever else is worthwhile. 

Those of you who are just getting started - I can't emphasise enough how important it is to establish ha*****anges during weight loss phase as well as just getting the weight off. Those new habits will pay off big time years down the road.   diane

Plus real, home made, clean food fills me up  My restriction  works when I eat it, not to forget I feel better and it tastes so good!

Anne