Konjaku Glucomannon & My Energy Free Food Kick

 Guys,

As you may know I'm three years out, not gaining weight, but eating too much for my liking. So I'm trying low energy foods like reishi mushrooms, bamboo shoots, soybean pulp, bean sprouts and the like.

My latest experiment is with Konyaku. This is  a gel that's used in certain Japanese dishes. The powder is not so easy to find in Japan, but is being sold in health stores in the US as an appetite suppressant. This is because it is tasteless, stirs into to any drink and absorbs 200 times it's weight in water. The good part about it is, the water absorption doesn't happen right away. So yuo stir it into your favortie drink and hardly know it's there. I haven't tested it, but I think you have at least 5-10 minutes before it turns into a rubbery fiber gel that helps you feel full.

Just had some. It feels like I've had a pretty good meal.

This looks like the cheapest link, but shop around:

http://www.iherb.com/ja/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=-6013837197839455410&at=0

And be sure to follow the instructions. Not sure if it can cause clogs or blockages if taken in large doses.

Best Wishes,

Dave

 Here's the Science Daily article that sort of set me off on this:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815130413.ht m

 And news is now telling us that eating habits are the "new morality!"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100676920&ft=1&f=1007&sc=YahooNews

 Weeeiiiird stuff! Half a teaspoon just turned a pint of sports drink into gel. But that had no effect on the taste. You have to drink the stuff pretty fast.

Why don't you post your current weight, BMI, and a normal daily food plan?  You may want to also post your exercise regimen.  You sound like you are becoming as absorbed with not eating as you once were with eating.  Either way, too much of your life may  be spent around thinking about food.  That would make sense if you were a nutritionist, but otherwise, maybe you should accept the fact that you have a finely sculpted body.

Your maintenance diet can be voluminous if it includes plenty of fiber including raw vegetables.  You have a much better understaning of good nutrition than most of us.  You may want to reflect on what your life is like now compared to how it was before WLS.  By the way, what was your starting weight and BMI at the time of your WLS?

Am I envious or jealous of your body?  No.  I grew up being thin and didn't begin to gain significant weight until adulthood.  I'd like to eventually get under 250 lbs because I know I could be a lot more mobile at that weight.  I know I should get below 200 but that's just a pipe dream now.  My immediate concern is to continue losing weight after leveling off about 1 months post-op after my 2nd RNY.  I'm now doing well and feeling better.

I would imagine that you are feeling good.  You are a strong member of our forum and you help many men here.  I surely welcome you comments.  I'm not really trying to criticize you.  I think one of our goals is to lose weight.  But, I think another one is to think and act like a thin person.  I remember when I was thin that I loved to exercise and that I generally had to follow a good eating plan.  But, I didn't obsess about what I was eating as long as I was having healthy meals.

Enjoy your life while maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle.  Bob

Hi Bob,

I had once been up to 305 when I was in my 20's, but was 280 at 44 when I decided to have surgery and only 260 the day of surgery. My BMI on surgery day three years ago was only 41 or 42. Now because of large bone structure and core musle and leg weight my BMI hovers at 26 or 27 (technically still "overweight"). I probably eat a little too much, probably 2000-2200 calories per day.

Yes, I do generally feel good. In spite of 8-10 hours of workout time per week, my quality and quantity of work (based on classroom evaluations and publishing and presenting) has improved since I lost weight.

I like to think about health related topics a lot, one of them being healthy eating. Mostly I'm experimenting to see how I can best maintain weight and just as importantly get full/ feel full. The Konyaku I tried yesterday for example, went through the pouch pretty quickly, but later cut a lot of cravings I had been having.

A similar example of my focus on health has occurred since my diagnosis with a thin spot in my rotator cuff muscle. A lot of people might do 2-3 exercises to repair that. I have been doing at least 15. Not only ones that work the inner rotator cuff muscles, but also exercises that help the scapula pull together on their own, so that they don't rub on the inner muscles. I've also been doing exercises which align the upper spine which achieve the same effect.  So, yes I do think about these things constantly and am constantly searchign the web whenever I have a free moment. Food is only one of my interested.

Hope You are Well,

Dave

I just want to make a correction to my previous post and say that I leveled off at about 4 months after my second RNY.  This was in part due to a bout of depression (I normally eat more when I am depressed) and a chemical imbalance since my shrink wouldn't change my antidepressants until I was about 9-10 months post op.

 Just drank a glass and then did one of my favorites, a "peanuts in the shell" feed (also high fiber). Although I'm sure the Konyaku jelly has, for the most part passed into my small intestine, I feel full on half my normal quanity.

I'am impressed.  Looks like a QUEST you're on.  I'am 62 and just looking for a 35" waist and normal daily exercise. My diets have paired down to label reading, smaller portions and gym 5 days a week . I've travel around the world many times and after all is said and done it all taste like chicken to me.Many Asian and sub cont . eats  are exciting but hard to put together here in states.  Burn cals looking for fix'ns
Let us know some favorite recip's
Good luck on this one

 My wife seems to like to do all of the cooking, so recipes are out of the question! Lately my quest has been not to waste food by taking in too much. I don't gain weight, so that is not an issue. 

I'm back at work today.  The lunchbox she fixed for me has the jelled version of Konyaku, large mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, soybean pulp (that one may be hard to find in the US. It' called Okara - leftovers from tofu production)  and I just wasn't getting full enough so I had my wife put in some strips of pork chop. Those seem to be most filling of all.

Best Wishes,

Dave