Just so worried I'm going to regain.

[Chilliiee]

Have 3 doses of my last pen left and the last few weeks it's not really been working like it was. Probably because I'm actually below my goal weight, but I've been picking at stuff like I used to. Eating bits and bobs whilst cooking. Justifying eating the last of the Xmas Chocolate etc...

I've been on MJ about 5 months and REALLY thought my eating habits had changed in that time but seems like it was all the MJ and now I'm preparing to come off it I'm already slipping back.

I've had no loss for the last 2 weeks and just feel hungry.

I'm so sad and so scared.

I can't keep taking it for financial reasons and for the last pen of 2 I've had a bit of an ache in my tummy and I'm worried about that so really don't want to take a maintenance dose just in case.

I feel so good right now but I was such a compulsive/emotional eater and MJ solved it.

I really thought I had a grip on it myself but obviously not :(

Im surprised you met the criteria, are you very short?

Anyway, yes my bariatric nurse said I must keep within a 7lb tolerance, its easy to slip out of it and gain too much. Their advice ot me is to aim for the lower end of my target

Im surprised you can eat carbs like you describe, I cant even eat them, certainly no more than a finger tip size of bread anyway. Crisps make me feel ill

I know what you mean about milky and yoghurt products, they are difficult for me to get down, cause a lot of acid for me.

Sounds like you can manage with porridge, make sure you get enough dried fruit in for fibre if you lik that, then experiment with soups, can you add nut butters to get in fats and proteins, could you eat fish, add prawns or white fish to the soups? Bone broth or beef consume is good, baxters do one that is very high protien but its not cheap. Lovely though!

Your daughter has specific needs for now but you don't need to eat the same.
I have no knowledge of gastric sleeve and think someone more knowledgeable needs to advise on what you can eat. . Make a plan. You will be okay.

@soupfiend I was 11st 8lb when I started MJ. BMI was 31.

@Chilliiee pre-cooked, frozen chicken breast and frozen veg is a low-cal meal that is filling, low UPF and uniform.

I have never had any gristle, blood or fat in it and it is what I eat for my dinner most days. To add more flavour I crush a garlic clove into the chicken which I dry-fry to reheat and sprinkle some mixed herbs into the veg while it is boiling.

I know it is not what you want to hear but it really is as simple as calories in vs calories out. I understand it is not easy and there are physiological issues at play for most of us, but if you cannot afford to continue MJ and you want to maintain it is your only option and followed properly it will work.

What was your overall target, do you want to get to a specific weight or BMI?

Dont let the pursuit of perfect be the enemy of good.

Are you happy at this weight, can you sustain it?

My initial aim was 13 stone, the surgeon thought this was reasonble. I would still have been in the obese category and 3 stone overweight!

My new target was therefore just over 10 stone which even then is right at the top of a healthy weight. I would like to go lower but I will never get there!

I can't eat frozen chicken. The thought of it makes me heave. I know I have issues, I just can't do it.

My BMI was 30.1 when I started MJ

@Chilliiee my scales said I gained 8lb last week I nearly died bought new school hopefully the old 15yr old ones were broke

Is there any lean protein you can eat that you swap out, e.g., fish, chicken mince, low-cal sausages (you can get chicken and turkey sausages), turkey burgers, tofu, etc.?

I really like, but is expensive, that chicken substitute that Quorn makes.

Protein is essential to fill you. The ideal meal, satiation-wise, is one of protein, a small amount of fat, and a small amount of complex carb. You'll have a much better chance of sticking to a calorie goal if you can find a lean protein you can eat.

Dont focus on what you cant eat, just make a list of things you can eat and put it into a meal plan focusing on protein and veg where you can

So do you make your porridge with milk, there is protien in that

I use Alpha 01 collagen powders, its 9g of protein per spoon but as its a collagen powder its not a full protein, but its good enough for me. I havent found a protein powder that I can just put in coffee or tea that doesnt have artificial sweetners in it. The amino acid its missing is tryptophan which you can find in chicken, eggs, other foods, although I know you struggle with that. What about a chicken broth made with the bones?

Yes I really like quorn mince and quorn sausages but I was told they're really bad for you?

If you cooked chicken breaks in soup, shredded it and added a can of beans or lentils or half a bag of red lentils you would have a no gristle high protein meal.

Could you afford to sign up to Weightwatchers for accountability? The way the points system works it encourages healthier food choices, and the app is really good at helping with the mindset stuff as well as ideas of what to eat.

It’s just an idea, may or may not be for you as I’m sure you’ve tried it before.

It’s very easy to gain weight back by starting off with small bits here & there. There’s no right answer. If we all just didn’t eat the goodies, then we wouldn’t have weight problems.

None of it is easy, OP. Just try your best to eat as well as you can.

By the way OP, you know you said you feel hungry, one thing Ive learnt since having my sleeve is that what I thought were hunger pangs over many decades are not, they're symptoms of reflux

Im much more tuned in now into what my stomach sensations are, and when I get that feeling I know its not hunger, it cannot be. So now I just ignore it.

You need to unpick what is actual hunger and what isnt. Im a bit annoyed that Ive spent years stuffing food in to remove the hunger pang when I wasnt hungry in the first place!

Plus also fear of hunger, its ok to be hungry and just wait until your next meal

Hi OP

You're probably aware but with the sleeve, certain foods are called 'slider foods' and you can eat a lot before feeling full. (Crisps, chocolate, sweets, biscuits etc). This is my downfall!

But if you eat proper foods the restriction is still there.

I had a sleeve and I have re gained some weight and feel terribly guilty and shameful about it so I do understand where you are coming from.

Not sure why Flappingmadly got such criticism for her post. They’re quite right and it was kindly said imo. The op, through no fault of their own, is addicted to upf. I have the same issues with upf.

😂

I've never heard of Quorn being bad for you, although I suppose they are UPF. It's about balance though, OP, and what works for you.

If eating Quorn and veg stops you from binging on frozen pizzas or whatever, then it is good for you.

If we stopped eating everything the internet says is "bad" for us, there would be nothing left to eat.

I would focus on coming up with a meal plan of a few breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, built around lean proteins, carbs, and veg, that you can eat without it triggering a binge. Once you have those few meals you can mix them up without having to think too much about what you're eating.

It is what I did to lose weight last year. my meals were;

Porridge with peanut butter
Seeded toasted bread with sardines
Fruit and Fibre with Skyr and banana

Home-made salt and pepper king prawns
tuna salad with low-cal dressing
Lidl high protein micro meals

Chicken, veg and gravy
chicken stir fry
salmon stir fry

snacks: low-fat yoghurt, protein yoghurts, sugar-free jelly, fruit (tinned and fresh) boiled eggs.

For the few months I counted calories using an app but after a while, I got a feel for which meals and snacks I could combine without going over my calorie goal.

Not all of those things are "good for you" low-fat yoghurt is seen as the devil's food on MN but it works for me and that is the most important thing.

I'd say I'm also addicted to UPF. I wonder if the trick is to avoid them completely even when on weight loss injections, so that when you come off them, the addiction is gone? Or does the craving come back when you come off the injections?

That's a good idea actually, I can eat shredded chicken in fajitas much easier than chunks/cubes

I've come off MJ now at 8st 12lb. It's only really just within the "healthy BMI" window but I'm happy that it's a realistic maintainable weight for me. I could have continued to 8st or lower but it would have been a real miserable battle to try and maintain that weight. Where I am now, I would be happy up to 9st 7lb, so my goal is to maintain that window.

I'm 9st 5lbs and have 3 weeks of jabs left but last 3 weeks not lost anything.

My goal is to maintain at 9st7lbs

What dose are you on @Chilliiee? I only went as high as 5mg and then I went back down to 2.5mg for 6 weeks, thinking it might be less of a 'shock'. I found 2.5mg did nothing for me this time (after being very successful on it at the start( and I lost barely anything and was as hungry as if I wasn't on it at all!

We have fajitas quite regularly.
If shredded is easier for you mught be an idea to poach a few chicken breasts at a time, shred them and have them ready in fridge to use.

Are you getting support for your mental health or do you get any support due to your autism?

You are below target but are obsessing over not losing. I think having a child with ARFID will also skew the way you feel about food and I seriously think you need support with this rather than food suggestions from Mumsnet.

You are still so very trapped by food and even being below target is causing huge anxiety. i can see why, but don't think Mumsnet is the place for advice. Support, yes. Advice, no.