My love-hate relationship

lth,
I’ve had weight issues as long as I can remember. Lost weight in my mid teens when I began dating, and throughout most of my my 7 year Army service, although I had to lose 30 lbs. to reenlist.
Began my cooking career (‘79) at 170. Fast forward to my NOV ‘15 yearly exam, I weighed in at 299! My Dr warned me that I was a walking time bomb. His words were, “Ron… WHAT are you going to do?!”
Weeks later, I began six months of treatment at the NWMH Wellness Center, including sessions with Dr. Robert Kushner, the department head, nurse educators, weekly group and individual therapy, nutritionist and dietician sessions.
I chose the less invasive and problematic Sleeve Gastrectomy, and had the procedure JUL ‘16.
I lost 101 lbs in a year. 4/5 of my stomach was removed, drastically limiting my intake. Six and a half years later, I’ve put on 18-19 lbs, and much more cognizant of what I cook and eat. I can enjoy anything I want, just not every day. I like sweets, but am more of a salty/crispy fan. On a plateau, but trying to get back to 198.
This type 2 diabetic has previously had A1C levels as high as 9 or 10+.
One week ago, it was 5.5.
My therapist’s best advice was to indulge myself in any food I was obsessing over…away from home, but to not bring any inside. I’m currently about 90% compliant.
Intermittent fasting has been an effective technique.

Thanks for listening,
Ron Rosenbaum CEC

Congrats on your health journey. Intermittent fasting and not buying/bringing home from the grocery store chips and sugar laden drinks like colas and energy drinks has helped me.

In addition I would suggest for all of us on this food/gluttony forum to invest in a Fitbit or install a steps counting app on your smartphone and try to walk the minimum 10k steps a day which is a low impact exercise but pays huge dividends if you're consistent. You will be surprised at the few steps we take when we sit in front of the screen all day as our job or hobby. Walking and taking the stairs pays dividends in your mental clarity and weight loss over the long term. The mental clarity (from brain fog) from walking is from increasing oxygen and blood flow to the body from the low impact exercise.

This is a very good YouTube video from a blogger that lost over 100lbs on the benefits of walking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqpAxsloj-g

Many thanks for your encouragement, Polster. I used a Fitbit for years before retiring. Racking up 15-20K daily steps really helped keep the weight off, but I’m looking at a hip replacement very soon. Not sure how much short distance walking will help, but going to give it a try. Great suggestion.
Thanks again!

Evil Ronnie wrote:Not sure how much short distance walking will help, but going to give it a try.

Even short distance walking outside is good to get fresh air and increase blood flow to your body and help with mental clarity.

polster wrote:

Evil Ronnie wrote:Not sure how much short distance walking will help, but going to give it a try.

Even short distance walking outside is good to get fresh air and increase blood flow to your body and help with mental clarity.

True, polster…not to mention Vitamin D. Thank you!

"My therapist’s best advice was to indulge myself in any food I was obsessing over…away from home, but to not bring any inside. I’m currently about 90% compliant.
Intermittent fasting has been an effective technique."

I too am a Type 2 who was diagnosed at the age of 35 and weighed 3 clicks. I gave up beer, Coke, Mountain Dew and went hybrid keto/Atkins/Paleo. I also have been intermittent fasting since the diagnosis. Also ride peloton for 30 minutes daily at 6am and walk for 20 minutes after dinner, no matter what the weather. At 59 am healthier than I was at 35, weigh 180 and A1C is at 6.5, which is a far cry from the 12A1C 22 years ago. Still on meds despite docs saying if you lose weight you can reverse and get off meds.

My weakness is sweets. If anything sweet is brought into the house, I am certain to gorge myself till it's gone. A package of Oreo's might last 2 days. 1.5 sleeves per day, unless we have milk in the house, then all bets are off as and I might eat the entire package!! Same with cake, brownies, ice cream, pie, ...... I love your therapist's advise to do this outside and not bring it home. Thanks for the tip and good luck on your journey. Since hips are worn out, do you belong to a gym with a pool or does your town or local HS have public pool availability?

dirtyappraiser wrote:"My therapist’s best advice was to indulge myself in any food I was obsessing over…away from home, but to not bring any inside."

This triggered a memory of Al Franken's underappreciated "Stuart Saves His Family," where Stuart is talking to his food-obsessed sister on the phone and trying to calm her anxiety over turmoil at home:

Stuart Smalley:
"Okay, Jodie, I would never ordinally say this, but... is there any way you can get to a pound cake?"

Thanks for starting this thread. Yes to everything. Lifelong issues with weight. Weight would fluctuate, gave up and indulged. Doctors 'nagging' every visit. Pre-diabetic, thought my Dr. lied 14.0+ A1C. Changed my way of eating, 5.9 A1C a year later and got a pat on the back. Needed to start using cane. Gastric Sleeve 8/19. Down 115lbs. Need a hip replacement and think I'm almost there. I exercise as much as I can, weekly meal plan, try to prep & cook mostly one day/wk. Nothing is off limits to eat. I just try to keep it to one splurge a week. I've adjusted and don't have any problems finding delicious food that isn't bad for me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Much healthier, happier, and better quality of life.

Keep up the good fight, everyone.

215

I have a running conversation with a high school buddy on the topic, 'what CAN'T we eat now?'. We're both 66, he has kidney & heart issues, mine are GI-based, and my flare-ups have gotten worse, even when I only occasionally go off the reservation. I'm 215, should be 185. Last 2-3 years--red meat, red wine, fried foods, red sauce, chocolate are to be avoided. Not the end of the world, but I'll admit I've actually dreamed of a Gibson's ribeye from time to time.

We grew up in Skokie, so our top answers to the topic were:

1) Eastern Style Beef Grinder (Dempster St.) - with red sauce, peppers on garlic bread. Just for the hell of it, about 5 years ago I stopped at the only remaining Eastern on Touhy near California, and picked one up. The smell was exactly the same, but this was a gut-bomber of epic proportions. Couldn't come close to finishing it, which is why I'm still alive writing this.

2) Jack-In-The-Box Super Tacos (Dempster St., again) - we have fond memories of meeting there at 1:00 AM, after dropping off our dates, to 'discuss'. And eat Super Tacos, which--and one can find this online--how they deep fry the tacos...twice! I suspect there may be one still 'with me' since the summer of 1974.

3) Superdawg (Milwaukee/Devon) - maybe the most enticing aroma of any fast food...ever. That nasal combination of beef, fries, green tomato, mustard, all packed into that little blue box. If they made an air freshener for the car with that, I'd buy it. And that was a late night snack for us too, along with a bunch tamale--yikes!

Come to think of it, I am happy I'm alive!

jnm123 wrote:I have a running conversation with a high school buddy on the topic, 'what CAN'T we eat now?'.

Interesting. My food addictions run the entire gamut of low to high end food, and I fight it every waking hour.
My therapist at NWMH said, “ There’s no food so good for you that you must eat it every day, and nothing so terrible that you must avoid it forever.”

Evil Ronnie wrote:My therapist at NWMH said, “ There’s no food so good for you that you must eat it every day, and nothing so terrible that you must avoid it forever.”

That's a great quote, Evil.

Even those items above I mentioned, I could probably once in a blue moon have half a Superdawg, or a quarter pound of Fish Keg shrimp, and be OK. Super Tacos or Eastern Style Beef--nope, done with that!

But I haven't gone down that nostalgic road very much, although I am curious to try the Buona Meatless Beef, made with Impossible. Even without beef, is that tactile taste there, even close to Al's? Someday.

But on the other hand, being in my mid-sixties, the mind rationalizes that within reason I'm going to have my ice cream or cookies or chips--for sure trying to keep portions small--but I'm gonna have 'em. At Woodman's the other day, I saw a little can of Pik Nik shoestring potatoes & had to have 'em. Went great with a tuna fish sandwich on wheat--a nice balance. And only ate half the can, so good for me!

By definition, we on this forum are very food-centric--consuming and talking about great food is what we do. That's why the scariest part of Covid--beyond dying of course--was the prospect of losing my sense of taste. Enjoying a salad or a well-constructed turkey burger is still a huge part of me!

jnm123 wrote:

Evil Ronnie wrote:My therapist at NWMH said, “ There’s no food so good for you that you must eat it every day, and nothing so terrible that you must avoid it forever.”

That's a great quote, Evil.

Even those items above I mentioned, I could probably once in a blue moon have half a Superdawg, or a quarter pound of Fish Keg shrimp, and be OK. Super Tacos or Eastern Style Beef--nope, done with that!

But I haven't gone down that nostalgic road very much, although I am curious to try the Buona Meatless Beef, made with Impossible. Even without beef, is that tactile taste there, even close to Al's? Someday.

But on the other hand, being in my mid-sixties, the mind rationalizes that within reason I'm going to have my ice cream or cookies or chips--for sure trying to keep portions small--but I'm gonna have 'em. At Woodman's the other day, I saw a little can of Pik Nik shoestring potatoes & had to have 'em. Went great with a tuna fish sandwich on wheat--a nice balance. And only ate half the can, so good for me!

By definition, we on this forum are very food-centric--consuming and talking about great food is what we do. That's why the scariest part of Covid--beyond dying of course--was the prospect of losing my sense of taste. Enjoying a salad or a well-constructed turkey burger is still a huge part of me!

jnm,
Half a Superdog does not exist in this 72YO’s vocabulary along with Al’s Original double dipped hots and countless other delicacies. I confess to having an affinity for White Castle doubles, freshly fried pizza puffs and fried tater tots.

jnm123 wrote:That's why the scariest part of Covid--beyond dying of course--was the prospect of losing my sense of taste.

Yes, this scared me too. Arguably more because I wouldn't be able to cook, or at least cook creatively, than because I wouldn't enjoy eating.

I wonder if any big pharmas have thought of a diet pill that temporarily deadens the sense of taste.

Thanks for this thread and congratulations Ronnie on your progress. That's a wonderful pic!

I imagine there isn't a person on this board regardless of age or shape that doesn't have issues, particularly as our age catches up with us. I remember that at about 65-66, it seemed as if someone flipped a switch. And now health issues are more like whack-a-mole than anything else. Often, I find that simply pausing and realizing that you're not alone is a great help.

I too walk most mornings and find that it not only helps in many expected ways but also in some unexpected ways too--even though I walk at about 6 am, I find I usually sleep better on the nights when I walk.

I am very fortunate not to have particular issues but there isn't a day goes by but that I don't spend some (or too much) of it thinking about the current "issue(s)." I love the quote you shared.

To all who have posted on this thread, to all who have simply read it and agreed silently with some or all of it: remember you're not alone and keep at it!

P.S. My mom died last summer at the age of 96. But, sadly, it followed a long, steady downward spiral into dementia. She wasn't herself the last few years. And after one particularly bad week, my sister said something very wise: "Just remember: she's doing the best she can." And the even wiser, more important, corollary: "And so are we."

You have to do the best you can. But you can only do the best you can. No one is perfect; no one is capable of 100% foresight; no one is capable of 100% hindsight. As long as you are completely honest with yourself--which is essential--that's enough.

I've found that wisdom applies in so many parts of my life. Do I REALLY need that chocolate chip cookie? That steak? That [__________]? If I do, then I have it. But I find the more I practice that little mantra, the better I do. I have far fewer cookies than I ever used to. Or steaks, for that matter.

I learned a number of years ago that if I indulge myself with real butter from time to time (and not pretend that any of that fake garbage that's out there is a real substitute), I enjoy it that much more on those occasions when I do have it. Having it every day is not necessary. Sure, it would be nice, but in a way, it's even better when I have it rarely and truly savor and enjoy it. And even better, that way, knowing how infrequently I have it, I don't have the secret guilt that could accompany it if I were "sneaking it in" even more often.[/ soapbox]

Well, that's the other thing, Gypsy...

When we're in times of stress--I went through your deal for a few years before Covid with both my 95-year-old parents--invariably I'd resort to the comfort foods to placate my wounded psyche, but I wasn't enjoying it very much due to the gravity of the situation. A loss both ways--more calories/carbs with none of the pleasure sensations.

But those words...ask yourself if you really need it, and of course 'we're doing the best we can'. Bailing water out faster than it's coming in.

213.6
Haven’t used insulin in more than 30 hours.

Only used 30 units of long acting insulin yesterday
211.2 this morning
Thinking about Linzer torte, Linzer cookies, Brownies, egg rolls, Popeye’s fish sandwiches, veal shoulder chops schnitzel style, creamed chipped beef, Tendron de Veau…

Evil Ronnie wrote:Only used 30 units of long acting insulin yesterday
211.2 this morning
Thinking about Linzer torte, Linzer cookies, Brownies, egg rolls, Popeye’s fish sandwiches, veal shoulder chops schnitzel style, creamed chipped beef, Tendron de Veau…

You are hereby banned from Europe...and the Armed Services!!

jnm123 wrote:the Armed Services!!

Dream of creamed hamburger on toast instead...my FIL said this was the Army food of the 1950's featured in his nightmares.

Ron, glad you're making progress. There's no calories in thoughts! Or pictures, for that matter!

tjr wrote:

jnm123 wrote:the Armed Services!!

Dream of creamed hamburger on toast instead...my FIL said this was the Army food of the 1950's featured in his nightmares.

Ron, glad you're making progress. There's no calories in thoughts! Or pictures, for that matter!

The Army mess cooks made it with both dried and ground beef, and I loved both. BTW, the Army and Navy use different recipes.

jnm,
I’d go back in a heartbeat!


209.8 this morning

208.2

209.6 this morning. Had a few bouts of hypoglycemia yesterday, and self medicated with a coke and a candy bar. Moderate intake otherwise, but the scale can and does make me crazy. Today’s another day!

Hi,

Why not check out the scale less often? Once a week, bi-weekly or monthly, because you have a sense just by how snug your clothes may fit.

I checked a scale for the first time in a very long time a few months ago. Weighed less than last time, so I was happy. Now I get on every few weeks just to check the trends.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Why not check out the scale less often? Once a week, bi-weekly or monthly, because you have a sense just by how snug your clothes may fit.

I checked a scale for the first time in a very long time a few months ago. Weighed less than last time, so I was happy. Now I get on every few weeks just to check the trends.

Regards,
Cathy2

Great idea! A much better strategy, Cathy. I’ll let the OCD Ron know. Hope he listens…

Yup, or ignore minor fluctuations and look at the overall trend. After all, drinking a bottle of water adds more than a pound! For a while, that is.

Weighed in at 212 at my Dr’s office Friday. To say it’s been a frustrating month would be an understatement. I was given a Prednisone pack for spine/hip discomfort and extreme hyperglycemia quickly set in. ( Side effect of steroids for those who aren’t familiar.) Then came the over medication with insulin, triggering hypoglycemia, which drove over eating (the wrong stuff) to bring blood sugar back up.
Dr. prescribed PT, 2x weekly at Athletico with a referral to a pain mgmt. specialist.
Now… same thing all over again… at least 14 to go.