This isn't forever, and you're wrong.

So I was thinking about philosophies and viewpoints that can help keep your goal focused.  

Thing the One:

One thing to point out is not to lose sight of the big picture - the weight loss phase is intended to be a short period of time (6-18 months, with some outliers), but the rest of your life is maintenance.  

So if you're having trouble being "ok" with those bland protein shakes, and you'd just love to have more than 20 or 40 grams of carbs a day, just remind yourself - this isn't forever.  Many of us have gone this long on trying to diet before WLS.  You can live through this temporary phase!

Thing the Two:

On the flip-side, also remember you've got to continue to commit to your lifestyle change, not just your diet.  You get to goal weight and start eating a diet that's 15% protein and 70% carb, I'm pretty sure you're gonna regain - a lot (sooo much less restriction with carbs, and the insulin spike helps you store fat and makes you hungry!).

If you're one of the people that have said "I got the sleeve just so I can eat the same things, but in smaller portions" I'm going to arrogantly say you have a losing philosophy.  Let's own up - the vast majority of us didn't get morbidly obese - or even bigger - from eating whole foods, organic foods, lean-but-protein-rich foods.  Most of us didn't surround ourselves in cages of fat from eating mainly what a nutrionist would eat, right?  And so a reminder that you can still be thin yet unhealthy.  

(My uncle learned this the hard way by having a heart attack, after a lifetime of racketball, tennis, hamburgers, and french fries.  That was his life until a few years ago.  Working out and fried/fatty food.)

Be healthy!  Live long!  Get to your goals and be active and eat well!  Don't just diet - live differently!

Thing the Three:

Have a Happy New Year and be true to yourself.

good things...thanks :)

As usual, the truest words spoken come straight from your finger tips.  How is the wedding planning going?  You do know that we will now hound you about it and stare dreamily out the window as we remember our day, pretty much in perpetuity or at least until the wedding happens?  You only have yourself to blame.

Are you... stalking me now?

Planning is going well - will message you some details.

Ruggie, I've been stalking you for ages, you just haven't noticed it.  :) 

By the way, it all your fault that I went and bought a Quest bar yesterday.  All of your thoughts on it had to be "scientifically investigated" by me.  You seem to be right again, I am not sure that this could become addictive to me, and might come in handy when I am not near a decent food source, like the times when I have to work six hours straight without a break at night.  This might work in a pinch.

Hooray!

There are many flavors to try.

Great Post!  You should copy it to your blog so it sticks around.

My favorite health/fitness quote is "Let medicine be thy food and food by thy medicine." I believe it was Socrates or perhaps Plato but pretty sure Socrates that said it.

I got fat by eating both. I have always been a healthy eater but I felt because I was eating healthy the chips and candy and ice cream weren't taking their toll. In fact my numbers just prior to my surgery were fantastic (low cholesterol, blood pressure of an athlete, good vitamin levels). Except for my sugar level which had started to creep up. I guess my point is that no matter how healthy you eat or live if you neglect one aspect or another it will catch up to you eventually. Its not enough to just focus on one aspect. 

This is like constantly waiting for a pitch, you can't take your eye off the ball. I spend 80% of my day thinking about the foods I can eat to stick to my plan, the exercises I can do to achieve my goal, and what I am going to do to keep it that way once I get there. It is unfair to my family and unfair to my employers but at the end of the day I will be around a lot longer to serve them both because of this.

Right... it's not really "unfair"; because as you say, you'll be around longer - and also, less of a burden to your family as you age too.  I'm fascinated by watching 70-year-olds - I see some of them playing golf, and some of them are in walkers.  Huge difference.  I want to be 70 kicking the ass of some upstart 40-year-old!

And I don't know about you (since you seemed to eat right more often than I), but once I started eating healthy and cutting sugar, I don't get sick from things like colds and flues nearly as often *knocking on wood*  I know that's something every employer appreciates!

I like the idea of food as medicine and medicine as food.  It's simple and brilliant.

I haven't had a cold or flu so far this winter. Everyone around me has had their share and me, since surgery, I have felt like superwoman...maybe instead of operating they had some strange radioactive spider bite me...? New powers of saying no to pizza!!!! Yay!!!!

I cannot recall the last time I was sick. I ate the good AND the bad so I always had a healthy supply of the good stuff. I also and not a big french fry/potato fan so I ate a lot of salads too. But I agree with what you are saying eating the healthy foods has kept me from getting sick.

Right before Christmas both my daughter and wife were coming down with a cold and I had them load up with vitamin c, like 6 times the recommendation on the bottle and they thought I was nuts. I made a deal with them, that if they weren't better by the next day I would wait on them hand and foot until they were better. Of course they both did as I instructed thinking they had an easy bet won and the next day they were back to normal and shocked that something so simple had such a profound effect.