CHM

I want to like and unlike this 5000x to spam your notifications with likes so you can fully comprehend how much I like this. Do you, like, get me?

I'll play! CHM80, for anyone interested.

Yes! Yes!! YES!!!! Ah the infamous duck bill. The face of a generation...

@@LipstickLady Your prayers have been answered...here comes the underachiever to make you look even better!!! Another cat hater here. I don't do litter boxes. Or fur everywhere. Or thin, sharp claws. Or thin, sharp claws massaging my leg. Shall I go on? I can! And I'm sorry guys, but I HATE reality TV. Like, as in change the channel when even just the commercials for them come on kind of hate. I'll not pick them apart - to each their own. But they are not my own. I'm more into the crime based drama/comedy scene. I have no kids. It took years and years to settle on a side, but in the end the fact is that I just don't like them. And I don't want them. So much so that I ended a 10-year marriage over it (primarily anyway). I've not been to college. I couldn't decide if I wanted to be a lawyer, pastry chef, architect, or fashion designer, but I knew I didn't want to spend - and potentially waste - the money until I figured it out. I never figured it out. I have a terrible sense of humor, courtesy of a very literal and analytical brain. Barring the rare person who jokes in a way that I simply 'get', things tend to go right over my head. I'm the d0uche in the group who picks apart the joke's likelihood before realizing that everyone is staring at me and wondering if I'm for real. I am stubborn as hell when it comes to how to do things properly and efficiently. I have zero respect for the "because that's the way its done" arguement. You have to tell me WHY that way is best. Failure to appeal to my logic will result in me continuing to do it in the way that makes sense to me. I am the queen of typos. Seriously. If I didn't proof-read every sentence as I typed it, followed by every paragraph as I finished it, followed by the entire post twice before submitting it, followed by another edit or two after posting...yeah...my sh*t would be illegible. I am also constantly evaluating my grammar and choice of wording. I am the absolute worst liar. I'm virtually incapable of doing it in person. If an untruth is necessary, I either need to tell it indirectly (text, or possibly over the phone if I'm not emotional and can keep my voice normal), or find a kernel of truth to milk for all its worth. But if I lie and you can see my face? Yeah...game over. I am a dual Canadian/US citizen. I speak Canadian but spell American. I am a great cook AND a great baker. Cooking was learned out of necessity in my pre-teens, courtesy of food Network. My brothers and I laugh endlessly about our mother's horrible culinary skills. On the savory side anyway. Baking, by contrast, was passed down, and is quite the family art. Particularly cake decorating, which I hate doing even though I'm told that I'm quite good at it (okay fine, I know I'm good). I love to research things. Or should I say, I am an avid Googler. There is nothing I won't look up, and no time I won't look it up. I regularly awaken and reach for Google in the middle of the night to answer some random question that has popped into my head. It is by far one of the most used apps on my constantly-in-use phone, second only to the one that lets me talk to my boyfriend all day. I like to know sh*t, dammit! I love to sing. REALLY loud. Just as long as no one is around to hear it. Oh, and I think straws are good. Period. Oh come on, we all knew that one was making an appearance somewhere...

For the Coke you weirdo! And not much of a burger fan. You know...

@ Ah yes, I did not notice how soon post-surgery you are. I didn't start jerky until 3 months out. I've never tried roasted chickpeas. I'll have to look for them. I DO like my snacks salty.

@ I take beef jerky to the movies. I've never thought of stashing cheese in my purse to take along. It is a common 'car' snack though. @@KindaFamiliar I'll share a pizza and Coke with you. I'll be needing a straw though.

The slowed loss may be cycle related, or it may just be, as you've said, that you haven't much to lose. Personally I only had quick weight loss for the first month after surgery. I hit my first stall at 4 weeks and have pretty much had to fight for everything since. I lost more in the first 4 weeks than I have in the 3.5 months since. As for hunger, my full, physical hunger returned at 6 weeks. It is indeed quite uncommon to have it return so early, but it happens. Again, this may be cycle related for you, but it is a possibility that its back for good.

@@WitchySar I started in the same approximate range at 5'7" and 355 lbs. If I'm being honest, the possible effects on my skin were my greatest hesitation when I was on the fence about surgery. No, I was not exactly happy with my body's appearance at 355 lbs, but I wouldn't say I hated how I looked either. I was used to those flaws, I had spent decades coming to terms with them, and I was comfortable with myself. The thought of starting all over with entirely new flaws was quite unsettling to me. In the end, health won out over insecurity. I'm now down over 140 lbs and I have to say, at 35, it hasn't been so bad. I went into this assuming that "everywhere I see a roll now I'll see a flap later." The vast weight loss is indeed evident in the puckering of my tummy below my navel, but I haven't really developed flaps so far. My back has smoothed out nicely. My a$$ is still alive and kicking. I do have slight bat wings and a touch of excess below my underarms, but nothing I can't live with. My breasts definitely need a lift, but in all fairness, they did before surgery anyway. As for cup size, I shrunk from a C to a B somewhere in my mid-late 20's and fluctuate between a large B and small C now, so no real change there. The only area of skin that makes me want to cry is my inner thighs. I doubt I will ever come to terms with that area. I'm still almost 40 lbs from goal, but at this point I can't see the skin getting much worse - and I can live with most of what I see. Save for the thighs. Come hell or high Water, I will find the money to fix those if I have to prostitute myself on weekends. And a boob lift would be nice too - I imagine even more so by the time I can afford to do it, if ever. But all in all, it hasn't been nearly as bad as I was expecting. Though I tend to expect the worst. As for my partner's opinion on my skin...I'll let you know when he sees it. But I'm not expecting it to be much of an issue...

My girl crush is growing... Not that the rest of your accomplishments aren't awesome, but what can I say...I'm just not that deep. How dare you dis cheese! Cheese is by FAR the best thing on that list!! Even better than straws. And we all know my position on straws... Now, to contribute to the topic, add me to the list of non-sharers. I am not ashamed. I am not intentionally trying to claim full credit for my loss (although in my case, the largest chunk of it was actually BEFORE surgery). I simply know myself and I believe I know those around me. I cannot handle negativity. At all. I take opinions and comments personally. Even in my mid-30's, I still care what people think of me. I care if I'm liked. I always will. That's just the type of person I am. I told my then-husband and his parents because it was necessary. Word leaked to his extended family and, while I was met with no direct negativity, my weight loss was all anyone ever wanted to know about. Not a gathering could be attended without having to field questions of how much I'd lost, or squirm away from those who thought it appropriate to touch my emerging collar bones or pull on my clothes to demonstrate how loose they were getting. I also told an old friend who'd had WLS a year before I'd decided to because - great as you forum folk are - I thought I could benefit from knowing someone personally who had been through it. And I have. Fortunately with divorce came a clean slate. Now the only one who knows, aside from the aforementioned friend, is my mother. Given my own history of eating disorders, she needed to know that my odd habits, tiny portions and bites, and shunning of entire food groups is not cause for alarm as the re-emergence of old habits. Aside from being relieved that I'm not sick, she didn't really seem to want to know and hasn't mentioned it since. And I'm more than happy with that. If anyone else asks, I will lie by omission. Working with a team of weight-loss specialists, high protein/low-carb diet, calorie restriction and portion control, increased activity, blah blah blah. The only way I can see myself sharing further is if someone directly tells me that they are considering WLS, I really like them, and I'm at least 95% certain that they are not a gossip.

I alllllllways bake my bacon. SO perfect!

Boiling is best reserved for older eggs. When they're too fresh the membranes are very tight and clingy, which makes a clean peel impossible. As they near or exceed their sell by date, the membranes relax and slide off easily. When I boil mine, I place them in the smallest size saucepan they'll fit in (the less room there is for them to thrash around the less likely they are to crack), add cold Water until its an inch above the eggs, then cover. I set the pan over a burner on high, then immediately remove it from the heat the moment it comes to a boil, setting a timer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes I remove the lid, set the pot in the sink, and run cold water in it for several minutes. This results in whites that are solid but tender, and yolks that are fully cooked but bright and creamy (rather than crumbly). Perfect, imo.

We might if you weren't simultaneously accepting bewbage offers... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Mine didn't! ????

209.3. First weigh-in and I'm already moving in the wrong direction...

Hey! I resemble that remark!

I didn't realize I had a @@KindaFamiliar mode. But welcome back! You were sorely missed. You may now resume your duties as the resident sh*t disturber...

Thank you. I shall be checking out those resources!

I'll draw up a contract and have it to you in the morning.

Ya gotta eat BOOBS out so they land there instead. Omg, is THAT how it works?!! Sh*t! I'm going to have an absolutely killer rack by the end of the summer...

Oh yes, the cold! I forgot all about the cold! THAT would have been nice to know before heading into winter during the bulk of my weight loss... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I've just moved back to Canada after spending a decade state-side. This was little more than a month after FINALLY finding a brand of Protein supplement that I actually enjoyed after my tastes were all thrown off post-surgery. Naturally this brand is not available in Canada, either for purchase or shipping, so I now have to start my search all over again. I'm in southern Ontario and found a GNC at a mall where I bought a couple of tubs of Total Lean 25 (which I'd used pre-surgery) to hold me over until I can find something I like better. The carbs are too high to really be my go-to, and quite frankly they don't taste as nice as the US versions did, so I'm definitely still on the hunt. What are the big nutrition stores here where people get their protein supplements? All I know are GNC, and a friend mentioned Popeye's, which I have yet to check out. Does anyone know of anywhere that either sells or gives sample sizes of a variety of brands? Any good online resources I should know about? Thanks!

I use Protein bars. Regularly. Even as a meal sometimes. Yes, even at home. In fact, I have one on most days. There are a few reasons for this: The first is convenience, obviously. There is always one in my purse, so if I get stuck out and about with no decent food options I have something to eat. Or sometimes its just too hot to cook. Or too late. Or I've gone too long between grocery store visits. Okay, okay, or I'm just being lazy. Happy?? The second is that I view a Protein Bar as a 'double' supplement. I buy kinds with a high Fiber content (B up, Quest), so in addition to boosting my protein I'm also keeping myself regular. This is probably a good part of why I don't tend to have the, um, issues that most post-WLS patients seem to have. The third is that I tend to have a hard time hitting my calorie goal in particular. Protein is often short as well. Despite my best efforts, at the end of most days, I tend to be short about 200 calories and anywhere from 5-20g protein. Guess what a B up or Quest bar has! About 200 calories and 20g protein!! Oh, and I find they keep me quite full for several hours. They definitely trigger restriction for me.

@@jess9395 Very helpful illustration. Thank you. It certainly explains why I sit the way I do. Since losing so much of my, ahem, padding, I find that if I'm going to be seated for more than a few minutes, I'm most comfortable leaning forward. I'll position my butt way back in the chair (as illustrated), cross my legs, then lean forward and either cross my forearms over my knee, or prop up an elbow on it to rest my chin on my hand. This can tend to make one look either overly interested or overly bored, but at least it saves the tail bone! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Also in! SW: 207.2 GW: 199 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App