DAIRY QUEEN

I am willing to bet money that ice cream and cake were not a part of Dr Barkers eating plan for me at 2 months out. In fact, I'm pretty sure that at 2 years out it isnt.  I'm sorry but I feel like you are setting yourself up for failure in the long run.

Probably not part of his plan, but I have still lost 5 pds this week after eating the child's ice cream!  So, don't guess it hurt this one time?  I am not planning on making a HABIT out of it....what part of that doesn't everyone understand?  I simply made the choice to have one....... The reference to the cookies is in regards to one that was posted a few days ago........I was simply saying that there were posters there that thought the choice to eat 2 cookies was better than eating the whole sleeve of cookies.  I am not going to be making bad foods a regular choice.  My point was that I DID make a better choice.......even if by many on here's opinion it was not a good choice......... Besides, I have to go on my own, as I don't have a nutritionist........Never have seen one.  Didn't see any nutritionist before surgery, and none since.  When I had my surgery, I made my decision to lose weight and keep it off.  I fully plan to do that.  I am an adult and have the ability to know that my choices can turn into failure........If ,I choose to allow it to be a common occurrance; which I don't. As for the long run, I'm sure there are many that never thought they'd be having problems that are, and those that just seemed doomed for failure that didn't fail.  I've lost 40 pds in the 2 months.  Not one time during the 2 months have I had a stall or a gain.  (I know, that will happen, just hasn't yet)..... I am down a total of 52 pds since my first doctor's visit.  Doesn't that count for something?????? Sincerely, Cheryl

of course it counts for something--that's great. Seriously. You SHOULD be proud of yourself for the loss so far; however, you've had RNY--you're going to lose weight without even trying for the first several months. It would be almost impossible for you to eat enough to NOT lose, so while you've had success, keep in mind that it is largely the surgery's success to this point--that's where the whole concept of this honeymoon period comes from. The first 12-18 months are FAR easier than the rest of the way.Talk to long-term post-ops and they will tell you over and over that the food habits you develop now will make or break you in the long run. You seem to want to justify eating ice cream or cake or whatever and get acceptance for that. That's troubling to me as a reader because it sounds as if you're making excuses for eating bad foods. Do you have to deprive yourself of ice cream forever? Nope--but in this early stage, if I were you, I would really ask myself why I wasn't able to turn down ice cream, knowing that it was laden with sugar and calories. I was newly post-op during Christmas and Thanksgiving, so I understand about temptation and willpower. You have to make a decision whether you are going to let foods have the upper hand or if you have control. Good luck. And if you haven't seen a nutritionist, then you should absolutely do some research on your own to track down some suggested food lists and the like--those are resources that will be very valuable to you as you progress and hit those stalls that are in the future. I didn't have a true stall on weight loss until I was ten months post op--in the early phases, the weight melts off. Make the most of that!!

Cheryl, I just worry so much about people that are so early out and are already testing the waters.  I have lost 185 pounds and consider myself a success.  I didnt test the waters until I was well over a year out and I know that has alot to do with my success.  I go to Dr Barkers support group meetings and to other support groups and I hear of people struggling to get the last few pounds off for months, and pretty much every time, these are the people who do "occasionally" reward or treat themselves with bad choices.  I agree with Kim, you are so early out and your tool is doing everything for you now.  It is impossible to not be losing weight at this point.  Just please please be very careful. Try having something sugar free if you really need icecream, or try making a cookies and cream protein shake with some ice. Its a wonderful substitute.  I wish you the best!

Cheryl, As a disclosure I'll admit that I am in school to become a dietitian.... I am post up 4 years this month, and I have lost 250 lbs and still lose in much slower increments.  I am still clinically obese, but work hard to reach my ultimate goal.... I can't stress enough how valuable my constant reliance on my Dietitian has been. I had RNY and I suffer from number of vitamin deficiencies from time to time.  After my doc reviews my blood work, I consult with my dietitan in order to adapt my nutrition in order to address the deficiencies...This means eating different foods or using a supplement....The dietitian is associated with my WLS surgeon and will talk to me at no charge even this late in the game. I relaize tou have made a committment to make adult choices about your weight and diet...but most people really need professional advice in order to make these important decisions. Your efforts should be applauded, you are doing well...I'd be the last one to criticize anyone for eating an ice cream cone...We all make choices for good or bad....I am just concerned that you are making this effort without the benefit of people who are trained specifically to deal with meeting nutrional goals after, and before WLS....

Good Luck,

Kelly

So you think you have somehow done better because you didn't eat cookies? I'm confused...and fwiw, I wouldn't say that eating cookies was a particularly great idea, either.  Bottom line, it's your choice. You can follow the food plan that your nutritionist and doctor gave you OR you can go it on your own. Just be prepared to have you own results and those may be different than what the doctor explained.