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I am so happy today! 50 pounds gone! It has taken 3.5 months, which is longer than I thought it would take, but it's 50 pounds gone which is more than I've ever lost before regaining! I lost 25 pounds the first month and have been averaging 10 pounds for the last 2.5. I had to resign myself to NOT getting to goal by the holidays, but I have felt amazing, never deprived and my skin and hair look great! Slow and steady wins the race! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

There are a few other hormones besides oestrogen stored in our fat too including ones that regulate our appetite, insulin, metabolism & blood pressure. You may find that these go a bit crazy too. My cholesterol levels also went up as I lost weight & then settled back at it’s normal range after I hit my goal.

I can actually get down on the floor now and GET UP BY MYSELF! This is still quite amazing to me. There is a ton of information about WFPB eating online. Go to You Tube and watch "The Game Changers" and "Forks over Knives." That will give you a good idea. Basically it is WHOLE, unprocessed food. That means food as close to its natural state as possible. Whole grains, not refined grains, for example. No processed sugars, no animal products (that includes dairy and eggs), no processed oils (you use avocados, nuts and seeds and nut butters instead.) LOTS and LOTS of veggies and fruit, plenty of starchy veggies, lots of legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, no alcohol, no soda or artificial colors/flavors/chemicals, decreased salt. Many WFPB folks also avoid gluten (wheat, rye, barley) and I am highly sensitive to it, so have already avoided that for years. I get more than enough protein, tons of fibers and phytonutrients, eat all I want, am never hungry, have tons of energy, and am NEVER sore after workouts. Amazingly, my cholesterol always hovered around 225-235, even after losing over 100 pounds. Once I went WFPB, my cholesterol dropped like a rock to 152 (80 points!!!). My triglycerides and LDL also plummeted. Even with the low total cholesterol, my HDL went up to 80. For me, it is a lifestyle that I will maintain for life. It is change, for sure, but not actually hard to do. Most of my family is making the switch as well. You don't have to go 100%, either. When you look at the areas of the world (the blue zones) where people live to be over 100 and have virtually no cardiac disease, osteoporosis, dementia, cancer, or diabetes, these are all plant based societies. Does this mean they won't eat some fish or cassowary eggs if they find them? No. But animal protein is the exception or reserved for celebrations. They don't eat meat 3 times a day like most of the western world does. I will occasionally eat an egg (my own backyard chickens) or a little wild game meat. (The more I learn about commercially raised cattle, hogs, chickens, turkeys and dairy cows, the more I cannot bring myself to eat these products.) So there you go - probably more info than you wanted. I started this about 6 months after my surgery as I learned about it and once I was able to eat the volume that is required. I had to rely a bit more on the grains and nuts to keep my calories up so I wouldn't keep losing weight. I used pea protein powder as needed to keep my protein up. I don't need that now, with the increased legumes, tofu, tempeh, and soy/oat milk and yogurt. Now I eat a lot more of the veggies and legumes, and control my weight very easily with decreasing/increasing the grains and nuts. I did gain 8 pounds of COVID weight, but have lost all of it and some extra, just by cutting back a bit on the nuts and grains. It really couldn't be easier!

Hello, As someone who has endured multiple surgeries & realizing each person responds differently to surgery & post -op, you will do great! You will be euphorically happy. It is normal to have apprehension, the surgery will be over & you will resume the beautiful life you are entitled. I look forward to hearing all about it. All my best - Grace

Congratulations! I had a bypass on November 5th. I was worried about pain and what recovery would be like. I spent two nights in the hospital and had plenty of pain meds while there. I also took pain meds when I got home but not nearly as many. Get up and walk more than they tell you to. It can be exhausting at first but it really does help with gas pains you may have. Follow your surgeons advice, ask lots of questions if things are not clear. I am 10 days out and get tired but my husband and I hung new blinds a few days ago so I figure I am not doing too bad at this point. Good luck tomorrow!

Thats so sweet 😊 I think I had a really good surgeon. I did mine inthe UK at parkside hospital with Dr . Vasilikosta. I have social anxiety so I am not easy to be around . But he was really nice to me, friendly and understanding. We bumped elbows (instead of fist bumping , because covid) at the end haha. The surgery itself went really well. I woke up with little pain, not much gas pain and could drink relatively easily.

Head games Focus on a healthy happy lifestyle

I don't know if yours is hormone-related or not, but a lot of women DO experience hormone dumps after surgery. It'll usually stabilize a few weeks or months after the weight loss slows down.

you're in the three-week stall. Happens to almost everyone. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale if you have to. It usually lasts 1-3 weeks. as for the 2 lb bump up, if you've been following your plan, that's not a true weight gain. Could be water retention or constipation. Or maybe a hormone-related gain. Just give it a couple of days.

Thank you Ana, I see my nutritionist 6 weeks post op and I will follow your advice! I hope you find an answer and a way for you to feel better. Living trapped in 300 pound body is no life. Living constantly in the twilight zone and zero energy is also no kinda life either, not to mention adding loss of consciousness.