higher

Well all, since I hit goal this week, things took a turn for the better.
I've been looking to go back to work now for a while. I won't go back into actively practicing dentistry, but want to go into practice management and consulting. My hope was to travel quite a bit, and I've had several options present themselves that I've been interviewing for.
After speaking with a long time colleague the other day, he made a few suggestions that I acted upon. The result? I've received four more calls to interview for positions I never would have considered before, each challenging in their own right and outside my comfort zone, but hey-isn't that what this new life is about?
There was a fifth call I received from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Now, if you know me, you'll know it has been my intention for YEARS to move to NC! This position is at the dental school overseeing the post-grad dental students who are completing their General Practice Residency. To have a hand in shaping the future of a profession that treated me so well is damned exciting!!! (And let's face it-- the possibility of reduced or free tuition to UNC for one or two of my kids is freaking appealing too if I was on staff!!!)
My point is this--- never say never. Never say die. Don't quit. Don't give up. Don't cry uncle or wave a white flag.
So many personal things are changing in my life and family life...kids leave to begin their own life, relationships change or go away. The only thing we have control over is ourselves and doing something to shape or destiny.
Don't forget you. Don't squander the opportunity. Don't take it for granted. Don't be with people who drain you. Lots of don'ts.
But how about this:::
DO love yourself.
DO live outside your comfort zone.
DO expect to succeed.
DO expect the people who surround you to bless and enhance your life.
DO know that anyone can change.
DO know that you are worth it!!!
It's pretty simple, really.
Look in the mirror and just say "I Do" to yourself.
And then as you make it happen, you'll grow like the tulips coming up in Spring.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Amazing where a good attitude and hard work will get you! You are awesome.

I'm 5 months out. I don't eat the way that was "normal" for ME pre-op because I ate too much crap but the way I eat NOW is normal for skinny people. Small portions, hold the bread, no dessert- that's the "normal" lifestyle for all the skinny Manhattan ladies I work with. And I have wine at least once a week. So it depends what you mean by normal I guess.

@@OutsideMatchInside
That's unfortunate but believable. My weight definitely holds me back in my career. I've already started getting better assignments since losing. It's a combination of being perceived differently by others and an increase in my own ability to focus and perform as I get healthier.
It's not fair that people perceive the obese as less capable, less smart, less hard working but it's definitely a thing.

@@OutsideMatchInside
That's unfortunate but believable. My weight definitely holds me back in my career. I've already started getting better assignments since losing. It's a combination of being perceived differently by others and an increase in my own ability to focus and perform as I get healthier.
It's not fair that people perceive the obese as less capable, less smart, less hard working but it's definitely a thing.

It is brutal. Was brutal. Past tense now. I'm still fatter than most of these women but far from the fattest and I fit into designer clothes now. Not to mention I have always had better taste and style than most of them and that really shows now that I'm slimmer.

We are totally just fancy now. Not to mention I can now analyze a menu for the "right" choice in like 30 seconds flat and no one will even notice I'm ordering in any kind of special or weird way.
Living in NYC and being a professional, running in certain circles etc helps. I could tell people I'm on an all moon dust diet or I'm doing something Gwyneth Paltrow recommended and nobody would blink. Women I work with go on Soup fasts, juice fasts etc. High Protein low carb is super normal next to all that.

I eat as much as 1300 calories a day, never less than 850 and I'm very happy with my loss. I too am often surprised at how few calories many on here report consuming.
I'm almost 5 months post-op.

I was sleeved on 7/7/16.
HW 221
SW 214
I have my breakdown of loss by month:
June -7
July -16
August -15
September -8
October -7
November -9
I've seen others on this board who have lost at the same rate as I have or even faster express disappointment in their loss. But personally I'm thrilled and my rate of loss has exceeded my expectations so far.

I'm 5 months out. I don't eat the way that was "normal" for ME pre-op because I ate too much crap but the way I eat NOW is normal for skinny people. Small portions, hold the bread, no dessert- that's the "normal" lifestyle for all the skinny Manhattan ladies I work with. And I have wine at least once a week. So it depends what you mean by normal I guess.

@@blizair09 @@OutsideMatchInside
Yes that's totally what it is! I had a really lovely experience recently traveling for work trip recently. I was out to dinner with a senior colleague, a professionally dressed slender woman, at a gorgeous little French boite in New England. The waitress came over to see if we wanted the complimentary bread basket or no. I swear back when I was way fatter, or if I had been with a group of dudes she would have just dropped off the bread basket. But she knows when she sees two nicely dressed ladies visiting from NYC they will most likely leave the bread basket untouched. It was a great NSV.

I'm 5 months out. I don't eat the way that was "normal" for ME pre-op because I ate too much crap but the way I eat NOW is normal for skinny people. Small portions, hold the bread, no dessert- that's the "normal" lifestyle for all the skinny Manhattan ladies I work with. And I have wine at least once a week. So it depends what you mean by normal I guess.

I put myself on what I called a pre-pre-op diet. Very low carb, focus on Protein first. I did it best I could for about the month before my official 5 day pre-op diet started.

The way I look at it is you have a couple choices. Have the surgery, embrace the changes and more likely than not live a happier, healthier life, changes and all. He will come around. I've seen it a million times.
Don't have the surgery, probably live with regret and resent your husband because he'll be happy nothing has changed, but you will still be unhappy, unhealthy and obese.
It takes a little time to find your new normal post op. But in the grand scheme of things, that's a blip on the radar. Soon you'll be living life again, but in a different way. You'll be thinner, healthier and happier when you go to dinner, party's, the movies, out with friends, etc. You'll feel empowered to make good lifestyle choices. Your husband will see how much happier you are and will wonder why he even questioned you having the surgery in the first place.
You're 50 years old. Time to do something for you and not worry about anyone else thinks.

There was just a brief period pre and post-op for me where I was on a very restrictive diet. Barely a month in total.
I'm 5 months post op and I go out to eat all the time and have been without issue. I live in NYC and regularly dine at some of the world's finest and most exciting restaurants. I order chicken, fish, steak, burgers, etc - Protein and a side of salad or green vegetable. It's a totally normal way to eat.
I take home leftovers and have meals for the next day. It's great. Plus I hate to cook so it makes my life easier.

@@pixiesleeve I serve the greater good of the public through my career. I'm an involved and productive citizen, a loving and caring sister, aunt, daughter, granddaughter and friend. The sleeve is something I did for myself as an act of self-care. Which was rare for me but I've learned through this process that as I take better care of myself, I'm even better at all the things I described above. So I don't feel the need to share this one thing. It doesn't mean I don't care about other people who struggle with obesity- I just can't take that on in addition to everything else. And that's totally OK. You have to do what works for you and some of us will take better care of ourselves going through this on our own. Best of luck to you.

If you really want to keep it a secret like I do, you might want to consider lying. To start,I tell people who ask that I lost a lot less weight than I actually have. That way they don't start trying to guess how I lost 50 lbs in a few short months. It'S more than easy for them to believe I lost 20 through diet and exercise because they WANT TO believe that works.

No prob @@OzRoo ! It's one of my favorite words. Happy to share.

For my entire life pre-op I would get a runny nose and/or have a sneezing fit if I stufffed myself. The term for it is snatiation. It's happened to me a couple of times post-op when I was one or two bites over I think, so it's the same snatiation reaction.
A lot of random things make me sneezey though. LOL.

Heh, I think I've posed this question before myself. I'm sure it completely varies from person to person.
I'm averaging out to a loss of 2.7 lbs /week at just over 5 months out. Which totally blows my mind and is way higher than I expected.

Heh, I think I've posed this question before myself. I'm sure it completely varies from person to person.
I'm averaging out to a loss of 2.7 lbs /week at just over 5 months out. Which totally blows my mind and is way higher than I expected.

@@pixiesleeve I serve the greater good of the public through my career. I'm an involved and productive citizen, a loving and caring sister, aunt, daughter, granddaughter and friend. The sleeve is something I did for myself as an act of self-care. Which was rare for me but I've learned through this process that as I take better care of myself, I'm even better at all the things I described above. So I don't feel the need to share this one thing. It doesn't mean I don't care about other people who struggle with obesity- I just can't take that on in addition to everything else. And that's totally OK. You have to do what works for you and some of us will take better care of ourselves going through this on our own. Best of luck to you.

I hope my post wasn't misconstrued. I never, ever went off my plan and ate something I shouldn't. Especially in the early stages. I was super careful to follow my doctors orders and I recommend you do that as well. Your stomach is still healing from major surgery which is why you're on a liquid diet at 6 days out. My plan progressed faster than most, but I was still on liquid at that point for sure. I recommend you speak to your doctor about what you ate- be totally truthful and get some help.

I'm 5 months out. I enjoyed a wonderful day with my family. It was so nice not to overeat on Thanksgiving for once. It helped that our hosts this year weren't great cooks I guess.
I availed myself to the charcuterie platter around 2 pm and enjoyed some humboldt fog, high quality brie, and salami. When we sat down to dinner I had what I eyeballed as a 2-3 oz serving of turkey white meat, and a couple of bites of a roasted sweet potato. I put everything else on my plate but it just didn't look so great so I didn't bother! Skipped dessert and took the extra time to run around with my nephews. Great holiday for me.

Get a cloth measuring tape and take comprehensive measurements while you are still pre-op!
Measure your neck, chest, arms, waist, hips, thighs, calves, ankles and write it down somewhere. It's a great alternative to watching the scale and you'll find it thrilling to keep track of how many inches you lose in different places.