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OMG, Coops!!! You are looking absolutely darling -- LOVING the skinnies and the chucks. And I think you are "seeing things" in re: the apple shape, cos you just look small and super fit. I am SO JEALOUS of your bum, mine is flat and sooo sad.

Quest bars have about 17-20 g of carbs I think? But only 3-4 net carbs -- meaning, all the carbs are from fibre not sugars or anything. They have 20 g of protein. They are tasty and nutritionally awesome. I'm so hooked...

Aww, thanks -- so sweet of you. :-) I think Meg has it worse than me, as I'm not short of breath really, I can work out and all, I just have a hard time coughing and it's a very weak cough. Just weird, only happened after surgery also, like Meg's issue has. I'm really thinking of you, Meg, and hoping you find answers and a fix! <3

QUEST BARS, no doubt. Best ones ever.

:arf: Oh my sweet lord. Seriously?? Those sound SO GOOD. I can't believe the yumminess they come up with these days. Purely to torment us poor dieters!! LOL. I thought I died when I heard of pretzel M&Ms, but cinnamon ones sound heavenly. Wowsa.

Oh. my. god. SO WEIRD. My husband and I have been noticing for the past few months about how I can barely cough now, sounds like I'm trying to fake a lame cough. I find it soooo odd. And sometimes I have a hard time to really truly catch my breath, though I'm fine while exercising so far (touch wood). If you don't mind, I'd love if you updated when you know what's going on. It's a very weird thing and I don't know what's causing it... Good luck!!

Totally! Work those skinnies, baby!! I was wearing red skinny jeans from some youngster shop (Nafnaf, the name cracks me up) yesterday too, and I think they are pretty good. Love your new photo, you look so wee and cute!! Meg -- sorry to hear about the breathing issues, I hope they find a cause and cure quickly! Congrats on the size 12s. (I love EB boyfriend cut...FWIW, mine were smaller than my other jeans in the same size and I could fit 10s at the same time as EB boyfriend 12s...)

Okay, I'm just catching up on all the new posts, lol. I have always been a snacker, my plan has been three meals and three snacks all along, and I doubt that will ever change. It's the only way I can get in all my calories for the day. I do have mostly high-protein snacks (Quest bars are my current passion, but I also eat cheese, yogurt or boiled eggs for snacks) and carbs are not really a major temptation issue for me. That said, I don't really have too many bad snacky items in my house, aside from a few things my husband likes, so I can't be that bad even when I want to LOL. Work doesn't have very good snacky food either, so not much temptation there. I feel very lucky in that!! The one thing I've noticed is that I eat more chocolate now than I did pre-op -- not more at one go or anything, but I have never been a chocolate fan really, and now I have to have my dark chocolate a few times a week. So I do have that as a naughty snack every day or so.

Oh -- wanted to add that calories in/calories out is definitely how it works. BUT the same amount of calories don't apply to everyone. For some people, fewer calories in still amounts to weight maintenance or even gain, whereas others can eat far more calories and still lose. So the calories in/calories out equation has to be customised for what works for your body, and I think you learn it by trial and error and just getting a feel for things over time. I still lose at 1500 cals even if I'm not exercising (probably because I walk all over the place? I don't think my metabolism is anything great, so that must be it), but I know some people stall at that level, whereas others will lose at 1800 or 2000+ still.

They do not smash your boobs -- the upper part is stretchy but not sucky, the sucky part kicks in just around the bottom of your bra band. They are fairly tight, I like them that way, but they are not at all uncomfortable IMO. I've got a friend who thinks they roll up from the bottom, but I haven't had a problem with that at all -- full disclosure: I tuck them into my underpants LOL. I also think she was wearing one size too small, but I ain't gonna tell her that.

Coops -- I'm really glad you went out on the town with your girls and had some fun!! I think it's so important to enjoy the ride, not wait till the destination. I've been plugging along with my usual routine, and not tracking on weekends anymore -- which my Nut advocated from the start, but I've waited till recently to really do it. I don't think I eat much more when not tracking, though. I've recently blown through 2kg out of nowhere, went from 70 where I'd been sat for over a month, to 69 finally, and then two days later to 68. Knock me down with a feather! I am waiting to see if it sticks before I claim it.

OMG, that is SO TRUE!!! I about strangled myself the first time before I got it back off my head and read the instructions. LOLOL. I pull all shapewear up from the bottom now, regardless. Lesson. learned. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: ETA: I do still have one in size L and I do wear it sometimes, even though I wear a 6-8 now, it's still firm enough to curb the jiggly belly even though it doesn't still suck anything in. The M is still plenty snug and suck-y-in-y, so they may run a bit small?

OMG, these are my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. I am addicted to them and wear one nearly every day. I think they run true to size, so I wouldn't go up one -- I went by their size chart and was fine. I wear a size M in them still, and have been wearing M since size 12 now to size 8. They are awesome.

Lumpy back fat is my NEMESIS!! I haven't yet found a combination of bra/undergear that combats this menace. Gah. I have some tops that have sleeves that make it a bit better, but can't wear those under a lot of things. ETA: Yesterday my 'high-waisted shaper' thingy gave me a GD BLISTER ON MY RIBS. Yeah, that one's going in the bin...

Oh, what kind of suit did you get? Mine has this 'miracle' thing going on that sucks in my stomach more than a pair of Spanx. :-o Do you have one of those tummy-sucking-in suits too? They really do work, and keep things all tight and stable. Unlike my flapping thighs LOL. Anyhow, I've seen your photos, and I really think you'll look athletic and cute in your suit.

Honestly, I've never been bothered about wearing a swimsuit, at any weight -- though it's a bit more difficult now that I have these weird melted thighs. But still, I really think there's no way to sort it in your head first, in my opinion -- you just have to put that thing on and strut about like you own the place. Brazen it out, you'll soon feel just fine... Plus, it's usually just a short walk between the lockers and the pool, so it's not like you have to be out and about in it much. GO COOPS!!!

Love it! You're looking great, and the smile is saying it all. :-) Your pictures make me miss NYC...

You are soooo lucky. Everything still tastes awesome to me.

Yeah, I'll GRRR with you on that one, as mine's been giving me grief as well. Gah! I injured it YEARS ago, why is it making a fuss again now? I did find out from my trainer that I was doing the elliptical wrong (who knew??) and using my toes too much instead of my heels, so when I focus on making the effort from my heels, my knee does much better. But honesty, who gets a flippin injury ON THE ELLIPTICAL?! Oy. Next up: Walking injury? Hmph. Coops, you're my stick-with-it inspiration so you can't give up!! My scales move so slowly as to be undetectable these days... I'm at 70 kg since at least a month now, would love to see a "6" in first position there any day now...! Keep going, everyone -- we are doing it, we will continue to do it!!!

LOL...well, I'm a bad advert for the sleeve and hunger eradication because I was only NOT hungry for like 24 hours post-op (and then I was dry heaving, which even curbs my hunger). So I never lost mine at all really. That said, having hunger isn't a problem for me because it makes me want to eat instead of want to cut calories more and more (an ED trick of mine that I don't want to get back into), and I also have a good full signal, so I just eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. Works out pretty well overall.

I was at the same (over)weight for so long (over a decade) that I didn't have ANY smaller clothes still hanging about; when I started losing weight, I was out of my entire wardrobe in under two months. :ack2: Freaked me out if I'm honest LOL. Those jeans look great -- well done you!!!

For me, personally, I had some verbal/emotional abuse from my father, which is precisely why I deliberately chose a spouse who was not like that at all. I overreact sometimes when he's even verging on the slightly negative in any way, so I know it's an issue for me that I am hyper-aware of. Though I imagine you will become this way too, probably. I hope so. Aw sweetie, we ALL wish you all the best for your surgery and will be very happy to have you join us on the sleeved side!! We will be thinking of you and waiting for your update afterward. Good luck to you!!

I'm really sorry to hear about your back injury -- I'm nursing a crap knee at the moment, and it IS depressing, so I feel you on that one. I am hoping that both of us improve quickly!! As for the food, I don't know what you've already tried, but I can NOT do 1000 cals or less per day. I have been losing on 1200 per day for the past several months. Not losing FAST, but still losing. I am now 1200-1500 per day and still slooowwwly losing. When I go too low, I don't feel at all good and that affects my whole sense of well-being and suceess. So I choose to eat more (almost all healthy choices of course, with the odd treat or glass of wine here and there ) and lose slowly, but not feel awful while I'm doing it. I don't know if there's any scientific basis to it, but I am convinced that I will ruin my metabolism (such as it is) if I go too low cal for too long. Have you tried going up on calories for longer than a day or two, to see how that goes? Best to you, as always. You are doing great, you have been all along -- and these down times are for sure part of the (challenging) journey. Here's to us both getting through this particular dip soon!! :-)

I completely agree with you. MAKES ME SO PISSY TOO. I hate when the so-called bariatric experts treat an RnY pouch, a Lapband and a sleeve as the same GD thing. They are not at all the same, and liquids have an entirely different relationship to a pouch as they do to a sleeve. GAH!!! I would SO IGNORE that stupid advice and follow more updated, sleeve-specific best practices -- one of which is Protein shakes and Soups FFS. Right, I'll stop ranting now. Good luck...

It's been less than two months since your surgery, why do you think it's a gimmick already? Have you lost any weight? Or is it just because you feel hunger still, that you consider it bullshit? Were you not hungry with the band? I never lost my hunger either, but that hasn't prevented my sleeve from being awesome for me. Objectively speaking, VSG is certainly not a gimmick, there's plenty of scientific research to show its effectiveness at the overall level. I guess maybe for some individuals it doesn't work? But you'd be the first one I've heard of for whom it simply didn't work at all, so I'm curious what your experience is like so far.