Peace, Love, and Protein Shakes: Vanessa's Bariatric Blog

I have been in a weight plateau for several months, and it is really soul crushing and frustrating. My scale and I are not on the best of terms right now. I haven't been consistent with my exercise. I am trying to walk more, but it isn't enough. My exercise bike hasn't been touched in over a month. I really need to shake things up with my diet and exercise routine. I drink at least one protein shake a day. However, I would like more variety in my diet, so I eat solid foods on occasion, especially at social functions. I find myself snacking more than I would like as well. Yet each “variation” in my diet is only increasing my weight gain and furthering my plateau, so I am also working on being more mindful of what I eat. I used to keep food journals to keep myself accountable in the past, though, and found it hard to stick with.  It seems as if I'm stuck in an endless cycle. I want to control my diet and exercise, yet I am also a human being, and therefore, a

It's been three years since my surgery, and I've gone from about 360 pounds to about 250, which means that the "honeymoon" period in my relationship with weight loss surgery is way over, and I'm basically in maintenance mode. It's not the most ideal place to be, but it's not bad either. It could be so much worse. Issues and complications aside, I'm still here and surviving, and that's all that matters. I would like to eat more solid foods and have more of a variety in my diet, but a revision surgery on my initial gastric bypass operation isn't feasible with my current doctor until I lose at least 50 pounds. I think I can do that by the next year or so, but who knows? I'm not setting any strict deadlines at the moment. It's soul crushing and unrealistic to think that after three years post-op, I can actually lose 20 pounds in a month with minimal effort again. If I want to lose this remaining weight, I have to earn it, pound by pound