LisaLouBop

Some before and "during" photos!

Left is about 2 weeks ago, mid-Nov 2016. Right is late Oct 2014, about 483 in that pic. Almost 10 lbs down from highest weight!

Just some face comparisons.

Yeah! Good luck! We can do it!
Wow, Jim! Thank you for that complement! I just kind of unloaded! Glad it inspired! Also that. Carbs are EASY and EVERYWHERE! Well put. I mean, they're also way cheap too. So unfair. (Now I'm just going to pout!)
I am sure that the people that get "behavior fatigue" far outnumber the people that don't. More power to them! The rest of us need a little extra push, I think. I think I personally needed a LOT of extra pushes! But I am nothing if not stubborn!
I eat too much dairy to get that low I think. Haha. Om nom dairy! If I absolutely had to, I could definitely do it, but yeah I am right there with you. Even once I get to goal, I will ALWAYS have to keep the carbs down if I want continued success. This year has proven that to me.
Anna, don't get TOO depressed. Yes it is work. But it's much easier for us than other people. Everything that I did wrong this year I did because of things in my head. My stomach was trying to think FOR me, but my head wouldn't let it. Can you imagine? Keep working and you won't have to worry at all!
Tinanne, thanks for commenting. Don't beat yourself up TOO much. Everyone deserves a bite of frosted cherry pie now and then. If you're keeping on plan otherwise, it should NOT be a deal breaker. Your stall may have nothing to do with that. If it breaks soon, I think it's probably just part of the natural ebb and flow that happens to our bodies after WLS. If your carb indulges increase, and your stall lasts longer than a typical stall does -- a couple months at most?, then I'd say you need to make a change or two. That's what I did wrong. I just told myself I wasn't in control. It was just a REALLYLONGSTALL and had nothingwhatsoever to do with my increasingly poor eating habits. Hahaha. That car didn't stall! That car drove itself over a cliff bar and straight into mashed potato heaven! I have learned now that I can no longer delude myself like that. It's all about balance. Be honest with yourself and you'll do just fine!
I know the oft-repeated word on these forums is that every surgeon and dietician has different rules/philosophies and that you should follow what your doctor has said. But I'm also all about a second opinion. It may be worth it to talk to a different dietician/nurse or even a hotline that your insurance company may have. I only I know what works for me and carbs ARE NOT IT.
Here are a few things that are on the no-no list from my dietician:
grains (rice, corn, wheat, oats, even quinoa which is not technically a grain) and all grain-products (any grain-based flour, corn chips, bread, Pasta, pastry)
anything with more than 9g of sugar per serving (yogurt is a big culprit, read those labels!) including honey/syrup
dried fruit, peanuts, cashews (all other nuts are fine, I was told these are too carby!)
white potatoes, sweet potatoes
Beans of any kind including lima Beans and peas (not including green beans/sugar snap peas)
One I got a little farther out, she said I could have the occasional:
steel cut oats, black beans, quinoa, sweet potato, wonton wrappers (up to 2 at a time, which i used to make toasted tuna melt-type lunches)
I was told that fatty foods are fine and you only really want to start cutting those out if you have trouble getting close to goal/maintenance. For example she told me mayo is better than ketchup as a condiment (Duke's mayo has NO SUGAR and is one of the only ones on the shelf that has no sugar, if not THE ONLY one.) She told me to buy the tuna packaged in oil instead of Water. Eat full-fat cheeses, enjoy a slice or two of bacon, etc.
If you're looking for a more thorough list, I would DEFINITELY recommend checking out the list of allowable and prohibited foods on the 21-day sugar detox by Diane Sanfilippo. At certain levels she allows dairy. That's the level you want to look at. I ignore the whole "organic, pasture raised, antibiotic free, whatever whatever" guidelines simply because I cannot afford that! She also doesn't allow for sweeteners or Protein supplements which I also ignore. Other than those little quirks, it's similar to what a post-bariatric diet would often consist of. Only it's not 21 days for us. It's kind of forever!
Also! Thanks to both @ & @@mi75 for the encouragement!

Even with that little bump in the road, you have done a phenomenal job. You have the knowledge of a true vet, and I have no doubt you will get to where you want to be. Great post!
Oh, and I was 2 years out last August I find myself doing the EXACT same stuff you've been doing! What's with that? Something about year 2/3 I always see in these forums. Must just be boredom/complacency? Someone once called it "Behavior Fatigue". I just have to find ways to keep my eye on the prize and stay motivated! We must always remain vigilant!

Okay so my first year was phenomenal! I did so good! And this past year? Well... not so much. My loss slowed around the end of last year and continued to be slow/creeping for the first couple of months. Chalk it up to holidays, the stress after a move, poor planning, it wasn't a great time. And I should have followed that up with renewed vigor, but instead I re-introduced two things into my life that has made this year, frankly?, a complete waste!
1. Carbs! I started re-introducing them back in February. Just a little at first. But what was an occasional thing turned into an every day thing, turned into an (almost) every meal thing, turned into an (almost) every meal/every snack thing. It's a slippery slope. And the worst part about this is that I don't even enjoy them that much! They're just convenient and EVERYWHERE.
2. Snacking. Before I was mostly doing the strict 5-6 meals/snacks per day. It would occasionally deviate, but for the most part, that was my mainstay. After introducing carbs, the desire to snack became so much stronger. The more carbs I ate, the more I snacked, the more I snacked, the more I ate carbs. It was just a gross gigantic avalanche of snacking/carbing.
3. Facebook! Can I blame the fact that I re-introduced Facebook on this? I recently read (a real article, though I can't remember the name of the publication at the moment! I THINK it was NYT.) that surveys suggest that Facebook takes up more of our time than exercising, reading, and socializing per day COMBINED. COMBINED. That's... INSANE. To know that I've wasted good quality exercising (and reading!) time on Facebook (which I don't even really LIKE, which is why I avoided it for SO LONG.) is mind boggling to me. I haven't deleted the app from my phone yet, but I'm doing it tonight! I'll keep messenger because for some reason people prefer that to texting these days. STILL. This is unacceptable in my world view. How did I allow this to happen?
I have not technically gained weight this year because I looked back and I'm around the same I was this time last year. So that's... something? But with gains and losses, I did gain back about 25 lbs. You could say ALMOST 30, but the only reason I ever dipped that low was because I had mycoplasma pneumonia (the one with gastrointestinal symptoms) for 2 weeks in the middle of the year. Apart from that one week period where I had lost weight because of Illness, I'd been hovering at about 255 for a pretty long time this year. Then, when I stepped on the scale one week ago I was shocked to discover that I was weighing in at 278.5. 23 and half pounds higher than my (non-pnuemonia-induced) lowest weight!
The little progress that I did make this year, just kept being erased by my poor choices! I hadn't stepped on a scale since I'd been sick. I was in deep denial!
I immediately joined a dietbet (which I'm going to lose because I'm losing too quickly!) and started eating right again. No carbs, veggies, Protein (at least 70/day), getting in my fluids, only eating 5/6 times/day. I began losing weight so rapidly that I couldn't believe it. Still can't. That was Dec 1st. When I weighed myself this morning. I'd already lost 12 lbs! This is TWO YEARS out from surgery. I haven't had ANY TIME this week to exercise (though I do babysit after work so I usually get all my steps in.) This tool still works! It still does EXACTLY what it's designed to do! And the REALLY remarkable part of this? Half way into this week, my dentist had to prescribe me an antibiotic AND a steroid. A steroid! Yet I still managed to lose 12 lbs. I feel like I JUST had surgery. These are astonishing numbers even if it's mostly Water weight. Even if I'd just lost 6/5 lbs this week I would have been astounded. 12 is beyond anything I ever expected.
Some things I've noticed this week:
1. I still don't miss carbs (much!)
It's hard to step away. But honestly? I just feel so dissatisfied with what I'm eating when I'm eating carbs. I've always been more of a meat and veggie girl. Carbs are just so abundant, so easily accessible and convenient, and so weirdly addictive even if you don't really love them, that it's just a habit I fall into that is almost exclusively environmental. I just need to REMEMBER that I control my own "food environment" if I make the time to plan!
2. I have to remember to take my Vitamins.
I still have them, I just have lapsed in taking them. Now that I really need them again, it's more important to remember!
3. I am going to the bathroom very infrequently, much like I did the first year post-surgery.
4. My capacity really is not as high as I feared.
When you nibble, stretch out your meals into long social affairs, snack frequently, eat slider foods, it can really be a bit of a mind trick. You start to believe that you can still eat like you used to. But you can't, you're just adapting what you CAN do, to what you WANT to do. If you want to eat more, you'll make it happen. You have to MAKE YOURSELF use your tool the way it was intended.
If I eat good quality veggies and protein, eat from start to finish (no stopping to chat OR BROWSE FACEBOOK for ten minutes in between bites!), I can still only eat ABOUT a solid cup of food before I'm comfortably full. Might take a few extra bites to make me UNCOMFORTABLY full depending on what the food is. I made a double-batch of Skinnytaste's Stuffed Pepper Soup (without rice) last week. Which is not very brothy and more like a stew. Yesterday I had a cup of that for lunch. (my ladle measures exactly one cup). By the time I finished the cup, I was UNCOMFORTABLY full. I actually should have stopped a few bites before I finished. Because it was stew-like, it was way more dense. For dinner today I had about 2 ounces of roasted chicken breast (which doesn't equal a half cup if you cut it up in chunks), about a half a cup of sauteed brussels sprouts, and a little less than a tablespoon full of homemade pimento cheese melted over the top. I was perfectly full by the time I was done. Not too full. Not still hungry. Just right.
5. I'm worried this will not last. I don't mean I'm worried I will fail again. I'm sure I will and I have a plan for that. (Get back on that horse, not 10 months later, but two minutes later!, etc.) I'm worried that I'll somehow do the same thing I did this week and for some reason I won't lose. I think I told myself for a long time this year that it wasn't ME and MY CHOICES that were causing me not to lose. It was something else. So I just have to remember that I am in control and I think these worries will go away. I'm really excited to get back to the gym too. Babysteps!
I'm so thrilled at this NEW START. I wonder if anyone else is in the same boat I am, or is in the same boat I was a week ago? Has anyone had long-term success with a re-start? After a period of not losing or a period of slight re-gain? What are you doing? What's working? What's not? How did you "re-boot?" Did you do the pouch test? What warnings do you have? Etc?
I feel like a newbie. It feels kind of good!

Hi Lisa,
Here is a typical day's food under the diet I have followed over the past six months:
Breakfast
3 scrambled eggs
4 pieces of bacon
1 piece of American cheese (cooked in eggs)
lunch
1 Premier Protein chocolate shake
dinner
6-8 oz of lean meat (chicken or salmon or occasionally red meat)
1.5 cups lettuce
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
3 T bacon bits
3 T Olive Garden Italian Dressing
This comes out in the 1200-1300 calories range depending on the dinner Protein.< /p>
I hope this helps!

Heavy lifting. Weight lifting. Awesome.
I feel seriously revived in my pursuit of weight loss and feel great. I am going to be seeing the head trainer at my gym and meeting with the dietitian there to discuss specific macro nutrient requirements and get a basic training program going.
I know I'll probably never be to the point of looking like a true lifter, but I know I can go QUITE a way from where I am now and that has me on fire!!
I am done with grad school in the spring and i'm happy because after that it's just work (nurse-3 nights a week) and with both kids in school etc I can really devote a couple hours every day to the gym.
SO EXCITED!!!

I've never taken this before either. Here are my results. thanks.
Results: INFJ - The Protectors
INFJ (Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging)
As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.
INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.
INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be (e.g. a messy desk in an otherwise orderly work area).
The INFJ is a natural nurturer and is patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.
INFJ Strengths
•Creative – Combining a vivid imagination with a strong sense of compassion, INFJs use their creativity to resolve not technical challenges, but human ones. People with the INFJ personality type enjoy finding the perfect solution for someone they care about, and this strength makes them excellent counselors and advisors.
•Insightful – Seeing through dishonesty and disingenuous motives, INFJs step past manipulation and sales tactics and into a more honest discussion. INFJs see how people and events are connected, and are able to use that insight to get to the heart of the matter.
•Inspiring and Convincing – Speaking in human terms, not technical, INFJs have a Fluid, inspirational writing style that appeals to the inner idealist in their audience. INFJs can even be astonishingly good orators, speaking with warmth and passion, if they are proud of what they are speaking about.
•Decisive – The INFJ's creativity, insight and inspiration is able to have a real impact on the world, as INFJs are able to follow through on their ideas with conviction, willpower, and the planning necessary to see complex projects through to the end. INFJs don’t just see the way things ought to be, they act on those insights.
•Determined and Passionate – When INFJs come to believe that something is important, they pursue that goal with a conviction and energy that can catch even their friends and loved ones off guard. INFJs will rock the boat if they have to, something not everyone likes to see, but their passion for their chosen cause is an inseparable part of their personality.
•Altruistic – INFJs have strong beliefs and act the way they do not because they are trying to advance themselves, but because they are trying to advance an idea that they truly believe will make the world a better place.
INFJ Weaknesses
•Sensitive – When someone challenges or criticizes the INFJ's principles or values, they are likely to receive an alarmingly strong response. People with the INFJ personality type are highly vulnerable to criticism and conflict, and questioning their motives is the quickest way to their bad side.
•Extremely Private – INFJs tend to present themselves as the culmination of an idea. This is partly because they believe in this idea, but also because INFJs are extremely private when it comes to their personal lives, using this image to keep themselves from having to truly open up, even to close friends. Trusting a new friend can be even more challenging for INFJs.
•Perfectionistic – INFJs are all but defined by their pursuit of ideals. While this is a wonderful quality in many ways, an ideal situation is not always possible – in politics, in business, in romance – and INFJs too often drop or ignore healthy and productive situations and relationships, always believing there might be a better option down the road.
•Always Need to Have a Cause – INFJs get so caught up in the passion of their pursuits that any of the cumbersome administrative or maintenance work that comes between them and the ideal they see on the horizon is deeply unwelcome. INFJs like to know that they are taking concrete steps towards their goals, and if routine tasks feel like they are getting in the way, or worse yet, there is no goal at all, they will feel restless and disappointed.
•Can Burn Out Easily – Their passion, poor patience for routine maintenance, tendency to present themselves as an ideal, and extreme privacy tend to leave INFJs with few options for letting off steam. People with this personality type are likely to exhaust themselves in short order if they don’t find a way to balance their ideals with the realities of day-to-day living.
Famous INFJ's
•Benedict Cumberbatch
•Carl Gustav Jung
•Plato
•Leo Tolstoy
•Daniel Day-Lewis
•Cate Blanchett
•Agatha Christie
•Tilda Swinton
•Mahatma Gandhi
•Michelle Pfeiffer
Career Choices
•Clergy / Religious Work
•Teachers
•Medical Doctors / Dentists
•Alternative Health Care Practitioners
•Psychologists
•Psychiatrists
•Counselors and Social Workers
•Musicians and Artists
•Photographers
•Child Care / Early Childhood Development
INFJ In Summary ...
Seek meaning and connection in ideas, relationships. Want to understand what motivates people and are insightful about others. Conscientious and committed to their firm values. Develop a clear vision about how best to serve the common good. Organized and decisive in implementing their vision.

I spent five days in Vegas (business conference) and am far too cheap to spend money on a buffet when I could only eat a cup or so at a time. I bought a egg, cheese, bacon on an English muffin in the morning, ate half in the am, the other half as a late lunch. I had a few bites of pizza toppings or beef Jerky for dinner and a Protein Bar in between "meals" as a snack.< /p>
A lot of walking was involved and I came home 4 pounds lighter and the tightest restriction I've had in a long while.
Since coming home, I've avoided carbs like the devil, and have tried to only eat between the hours of 1p - 8p. I can now only hold 2-3 oz of Protein and my hunger is absolutely gone. I was a grazer before because of my schedule and my restriction. Since Vegas, there is no grazing and my restriction has me down to 1/2 - 3/4 (pushing it) cup at a sitting.
I've lost 2.2 more pounds in the last 5 days effortlessly.
Rambling thoughts here, but this confirms **my belief** that sleeves don't stretch (at least mine doesn't) and post op restriction can be revitalized.
I think there really is something to intermittent fasting or 5:2 dieting.

You are sending VERY mixed messages, @@Alex Brecher !!

I know I don't comment much, but I sure do a lot of reading and listening. This lady helped me quite a bit in the beginning, thought I'd mention her @@BLERDgirl here.

I know I don't comment much, but I sure do a lot of reading and listening. This lady helped me quite a bit in the beginning, thought I'd mention her @@BLERDgirl here.

I know I don't comment much, but I sure do a lot of reading and listening. This lady helped me quite a bit in the beginning, thought I'd mention her @@BLERDgirl here.

I know I don't comment much, but I sure do a lot of reading and listening. This lady helped me quite a bit in the beginning, thought I'd mention her @@BLERDgirl here.

I know I don't comment much, but I sure do a lot of reading and listening. This lady helped me quite a bit in the beginning, thought I'd mention her @@BLERDgirl here.

I know I don't comment much, but I sure do a lot of reading and listening. This lady helped me quite a bit in the beginning, thought I'd mention her @@BLERDgirl here.

I know I don't comment much, but I sure do a lot of reading and listening. This lady helped me quite a bit in the beginning, thought I'd mention her @@BLERDgirl here.

A strategically placed fan, with a straw and ice Water. Those, for the love of god, hot flashes had disappeared since the weight loss, but they are BACK now!!!!!

Dr K.,
Just back from dog route march. Sopping wet but appeared to have survived English monsoon. Relevant bits all seem to be in working order. WD 40 on stand-by just incase of any rust setting in.
Quick pic of swan that I saw whilst walking by the Long Water at Hampton Court Palace (I only ever walk in classy locations like Royal Parks!!!) for all the girls to oooh and ahhhhh over.

Upright seating position, shaft driven, sport tourer... I think I love you.

I ride a 2004 BMW r1150r. Incredible ride

Posterior Tibial Tendonitis, yes I have this. 5 years ago it started, but no tear was detected by the orthopedic surgeon. She put me in a boot, which I wore over 6 months. Then I went to a formed ankle brace and wore that for about a year. I can still feel it and I am careful. I can not go on my tip toes on that one foot - ever.
I am careful to buy shoes with excellent arch support, I can walk, run, bicycle any activity except tip toe stuff, ie: dance activities.

@@jaxmom
Good for you - what ever your doing, keep doing it.

I think my subject line says it all!!! Today marks my one month band to sleeve revision. I could not feel better. I was 177.4 on surgery day and today I'm 162.2. Yippee!!!!!!! I have about 20 more pounds to go. I know the hard part is ahead but boy, do I feel awesome. For some reason the surgery has given me an extreme burst of energy- I haven't felt this good in years. I've been working my bees and just found out they are doing so well I had to add a top box today. Yey!!!
So my lovely girls are growing, I'm getting smaller, it's spring in the South and life could not be better. Just wanted to share and wish everyone a great day and best of luck with their journey.
Oh!!! I should add that this weekend I'm going on a overnight kayaking trip down the Peace River to look for fossils with my 12 year old daughter. I haven't slept in a tent in over 15 years... I must be crazy. So if you don't hear from me after Monday... I have fallen prey to a gator or exhaustion. I'm telling you, this surgery has made me (crazy) superwoman.
I hope it lasts!!!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@csawesome ... really sorry this has been added to your plate now. Whether it feels like it now or not, those of us who've been through something like this will all tell you that eventually you will look back on this and see it as the beginning of something better. And yes -- the "divorce diet" has always been one of the most effective diets ever invented.
And @@gowalking -- I'm also sorry you're going through a break-up as well. Just means someone better for you will now appear, when you're ready. In the meantime take good care of yourself.

@@VSGAnn2014
Thank you so very much for posting this. A real eye opener.
Wiping the tears from my eyes, heading to the gym!!!!!!