Crafty-in-Carolina

You are doing great! Some NUTs are obviously better than others. FWIW, I started out in a size 18 also and am down to a 6 or 8 petite now depending on brand and my surgery was 8 months ago. At my last appt, I was told that I'm doing great. So it sounds like you are right on track too. Don't let them get you down. We all stumble. Whats important is you get up after each stumble, dust yourself off, and try to figure out ways to avoid repeating the same mistakes. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Congrats!

So I'm 8 months out and gone from a size 18 down to a size 6. I'm 5-3 and 135# right now. I've been consuming roughly 1400 calories per day. Pre-op testing showed that I had a very high metabolism (blessing and a curse). I don't want to trash it. I have no trouble getting in my fluids and proten. I do a combo of either walking/running, yoga, and interval training 3-5 days per week. I have struggled with hunger from very early on post-op.... real hunger. Anyway, I'm still losing about a pound per week, but am thinking I want 130 to be my new goal. So I'm thinking ahead to "maintenance" nutrition. What would a healthy, balanced macro profile look like for me? I'm thinking I should do another follow-up with the nutritionist, but wanted to solicit input here too. I am not doing keto, nor do I desire to. I run and feel that I need some carbs for energy, though I stick to whole food/whole grain carbs and way less quantity than pre-op, think black beans, whole fruits and veggies. I do oatmeal and yogurt on occasion too. Anyway, I'm wanting to tweak my macros on myfitnesspal toward maintenance. Any suggestions? I was thinking 35/35/40 carbs/protein/fat??? Does that sound reasonable? Gotta figure out what maintenance calorie count looks like at this activity level. I get 12k - 15k steps per day. My lean body mass is supposedly around 96 pounds. Oh and here are a couple pics just because. No regrets!

Thank you so much for this info. I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. I lost my mother 18 months ago. It sucks. I'm very relieved to hear your results from nephrology though. It's reassuring.

Thank you! I'm probably around 100-120/day. Docs office says 80 grams is the goal. I'm pretty comfy with 100 as that's probably a 1:1 ratio with lean mass. I'll find out for sure at my 1 yr check up. Just not sure if that's ok long term or only for the short-term losing phase. I'm a little paranoid about my kidneys due to watching my mother lose hers. Dialysis is no way to live if you can avoid it. [emoji22]

Looking back at MFP diary, it looks like a lot of 25/35/40 carb/protein/fat lately. I am a bit concerned for my kidneys with maintaining such high protein over the long term. I should also say that I'm just as concerned for overall health as weight maintenance, so I do want a good macro balance. I don't seem to be super carb sensitive. My surgeon tests metabolism again at 1 year, so I have a few more months before getting a precise measure. So for now I can only estimate.

I am loving yoga now. I do some sort of walking/jogging, yoga, and/or interval training each week and actually enjoying it. Last summer I struggled thru some hiking on vacation. This year I'm actually looking forward to it. Life is good. Love the kitty litter idea.... very resourceful.

Yes! It certainly does. You look fabulous. Congratulations!

My wardrobe over the past many years has been varying shades of black or gray (see last pic). I have been shopping thrift stores mainly until I get to a place where my weight stabilizes, but decided I could use a couple of new items, so I decided to splurge. I bought WHITE pants!!! LOL. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but let me tell you, it really is. I've always carried so much of my weight in my butt and thighs and always chose dark colors for skirts and pants. It felt so good to buy a nice pair of white pants for spring, lol. In a size 10 no less. Squeeee!!!! 5 months out and gone from a size 18/20 in pants to a size 10!!! I am doing a celebration dance over here! No regrets!

ROFL!!! OK, you made me snort-laugh with that one. I call it snaughing. Wise words, my friend and I've taken them to heart. :-)

Wow, that is an amazing transformation! Did you have to make 2 trips? I'm just curious how they decide on which procedures. I know that here, we would typically have an initial consult before scheduling surgery. So I didn't know how it was handled when traveling.

It will happen before you know it!

Sadly, it's not difficult for me. I've had no food intolerances, no nausea, no reflux/heartburn, and my body reminds me to eat every 2-3 hours via hunger, though smaller portions than before and much healthier, nutrient dense food now. I was initially concerned, but my nutritionist said it meant my metabolism was revved back up again. It was not head hunger, boredom or emotional eating either. So I am eating 3 healthy meals, plus 2-3 snacks per day. In a way, I wish I had had at least some intolerances, but my surgeon confirmed that I was on track and actually surpassed expectations, so I guess I shouldn't "borrow trouble." But truly, I can see how easy it would be to eat around the sleeve over time with junk food. That's why I track everything, to keep myself accountable for both quantity and quality of food. The restriction is a wonderful tool, but my program stresses lifestyle change and establishing a healthy relationship with food during this "honeymoon phase" because eventually you are able to take in more, and if eating the wrong foods, a lot more. Sigh. It really isn't a simple fix, but I wish it were.

It is confusing. I've read that caloric intake for women less than 1200/daily over an extended period of time will wreck your metabolism. Last thing I want is to be 5 years out and gain weight from merely looking at a piece of chocolate, lol. I tested at a very high metabolism and my doc had me at 1200-1400 calories by the 3 months out. I'm pretty active and started out with a lower bmi (with co-morbidities). I was losing only about 1 pound per week, but sure enough when my calories/carbs bumped up, I noticed my weight loss bumped up to 3 pounds per week. Crazy and seems counterintuitive. This also happened around the time that I added strength training to my normal cardio, do who knows. I imagine it there are huge variances between individuals. The down side to a fast metabolism is that I'm hungry.... all . the. time. I can foresee getting back into serious trouble if I'm not extremely careful about food quality and watching the macros. So I track everything. It's a pain, but less so the longer I do it now that typical meals and recipes have already been entered.

Hi, I'm in charlotte too! I can highly recommend Dr Voellinger with Novant. The office in Matthews is wonderful and I hear great things about Dr Kolash too. My PCP initially referred me to the Carolinas group (Carolinas Weight Management), but my experience with that office was horrible, so I switched and have no regrets. Let me know if you would like more info.

OMG, right?!?!? He was a puppy then. He is a full grown hound now, a stinky, drooly mess, but so sweet and full of love. Wouldn't trade him for anything! Yes, bassets are great!

Thank you for posting these. I watched them last night and again this morning. I really hate the "dumbed down" explanations we get for so many of the rules. This was very useful info and further cements my commitment to a complete lifestyle change as opposed to simply relying on restriction. I will be looking for more of his videos on youtube.

ROFL, yeah, I totally forgot to mention my old "no horizontal stripes" rule. I wasn't completely sure about that top, but loved the nautical look.

You can do it!!!

It feels so weird, but in a good way. The other thing is I have no belts because I never ever tucked a shirt in before. Never wanted to... until now. Now I need belts! LOL. Sometimes it's such little things that bring a smile.

You look awesome and I know you must feel fabulous too!

I really hate to sound vain, but wow, this is difficult to deal with. If I were a man, I would just shave the head and grow a goatee and be sexy as hell!!! But that doesn't work for the ladies does it? Just as I start feeling good about myself again, this. My hair has always been very fine and since the huge shedding that happened after the birth of my son 10 years ago, I have not had much to lose. For now, I'm disguising a huge part and mucho scalp with keratin fibers and root touch-up, but I may have to resort to some sort of a topper or something. I really worry that it won't grow back. My mother's hair thinned out so much as she aged and I'm guessing I've inherited that from her. Still wouldn't change course now even if I could. I did this for my health and I'm feeling really good, but damn!!!! This is what I lost when I washed my hair. Yes, I gathered it up from the drain and took a picture. I do not wash my hair every day, more like twice per week. Thinking of switching to a nioxin shampoo??? Do you think it would help? And just for the record, I get 80 - 100 grams of Protein daily, plenty of Water (70 oz min), I take my multi-Vitamin, plus a Biotin supplement. I know it's not the end of the world, but it sure makes it more difficult and time consuming to get out the door. Someone please tell me it will grow back!!! Also, any ideas for disguising this thinned out mess until it does? If you experienced hair loss, when did you notice thickness return? I'm 4 months out, so I'm guessing this is just the beginning. I will be bald very soon.

Yes! This stuff really works well on thin spots. Lately the only thing that keeps me holding my head up is a combo of root touch-up spray and the shake on keratin fibers. It also gives my fine, limp hair a little texture which is nice. I'm just thinking it would be nice to have a more long-term solution.

OMG, this cracks me up. I have to admit it did cross my mind that I don't want to take off my hair to climb into bed with hubby, lol. Again, I really appreciate your time answering all of my questions. I need to find someone who does this. Here in Charlotte, I'm sure there are lots of stylists who can do it, I just need to find out who they are.

Thank you so much for this wealth of info. You make the tape ins sound rather appealing, but I never knew how such things worked. Did you find it difficult to style your hair with the extensions since you have to be so gentle? I've always used a hairdryer + round brush = done. I may explore this further. I hate to have to visit a salon frequently, but I don't think I would like to feel the little bumps you describe. I can't imagine wearing a full wig in these NC summers, hot and humid... I imagine being hot, itchy and uncomfortable.

Thank you for the kind words Oak Park Lorena. I am not opposed to extensions, clip-in or otherwise. I'm curious though, did you get the kind that are sewn into your natural hair? I'm curious what kind of maintenance is required? How frequently must you visit a salon for upkeep? I would love to know more if you feel like sharing. I'm also curious about cost. I know they aren't inexpensive and that prices can vary hugely depending on location and skill of the provider, but just curious on ballpark numbers. And how do you find someone who really knows what they are doing? I feel word of mouth referrals are always the best bet, but I'm a bit of a hermit, so I have a tiny social network. Thanks for the info and congratulations on your amazing weight loss.