Brandeis

Today is my 6 month surgeryversary, and so I finally got my but in gear and pulled some dresses out of the closet to take "same dress" status shots. The results shocked the heck out of me. The first pic is probably at my biggest weight; around 317. The second is maybe 1 month post op (so about 45 pounds down) and the third one -- that's today. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm looking at these after pics of me and thinking....am I still "fat"? I guess technically I am; still fall just in that "obese" range. But I don't look at them and just sigh at my body the way I used to. Add to that that I go to the gym 4-5 days a week, walk about a mile and a third on the treadmill every mwf, can walk more than that when I'm out and about, and my perfectly stable sleep schedule -- and altogether, I feel like a pretty different person. Fun bonus shots of how much too big these dresses (which were slightly too small at my biggest) are on me now:

I'm six months out, about to make a happy cry status topic!!

I'm not from NYC but I am in Yonkers~

Fun fact about beans: the more you eat, the LESS you toot! Apparently your tummy builds up a tolerance so the more beans you eat, the less gas they'll give you.

Just a thought, but what about just straight up almonds? have like 8 of those for a good hit of protein...

I use it when I need it, but honestly, it does NOT have much protein at all.

After fluids stage, I have not been able to tolerate ANY protein shakes, they're super, super gross. I definitely suggest trying to supplement with real protein things, like said above ^ If you need a "quick hit", though, you might consider Fair Life milk~ It's protein enhanced milk, and they make a chocolate milk as well. Not the BEST for you, but it's quite good!

If you want a really MILD fish, I'd try some tilapia; it's the chicken of the sea, doesn't taste very fishy at all, and you can prepare it in many similar flavor profiles to the way you do chicken! If you want to be a bit more daring, I'd say go for some salmon; many people who don't like "fish" still like salmon, in my experience. It's very one of a kind! Personally, I buy the sodium-free marinades at the grocery store (teriyaki is great!) and I just pour it on the fish, then pop it in the over. I don't have times etc on my mind, but if you just google you can find those easily enough!

This is my too. I wish I had the strength NOT to weigh this often -- I think it's better for mental health, in many ways -- but what can you do. Just accept the ups and downs~

My prefs have changed some, but mostly in the direction of NOT liking things I used to like; there's nothing I used to hate that I really love now. There are a ton of cheeses I used to enjoy, that are too stinky for me now. And a lot of chicken is rough on my tum, and basically things that make me feel gross after I eat them -- well, they now just flat out taste bad to me. But you should DEFINITELY at least try things! I have to say that fish is one of the easiest things for me to digest, now...it's really great.

"can" is a hard question to answer. Probably, yes, you can! But the problem with watermelon is that it has a lot of sugar, and almost no nutritional value. If you're craving fruit, try to stick to berries; they're a much better choice, since they're high in fiber and other goodies~

I'm going to go against the flow and say I think I could have gone to the tournament, if I could just sit and watch! However, I would strongly suggest you get someone else to drive you~

I feel you so hard! I have about 10 outfits now, and that's IT. But I've also set aside a whole bunch of old stuff I really loved to take in once the time comes...

My doctor said that often we'll look sunken immediately after weight loss -- it's part of the process -- and that it'll slowly fade just a bit to settle into something that looks healthier. For now, ignore the haters (and to me, you look more than fine!!)

You could also be anemic, so I'd have them check that as well! It's possible you need iron~

I'm down about 65 pounds since surgery now, about 90 total! I'm also experiencing some hair loss, though; seems to be going around...

Mojitos are def going to be too sugary. My advice is to stick to classic/prohibition era cocktails; generally they have just a few ingredients, mostly clear liquors, and the mixers aren't too sweet. However, most also are based around gin, so if you're not a gin fan that probably won't do you much good lol! Whiskey's also pretty good; it's keto friendly, along with tequila. I have a friend who's doing keto and all he drinks is whiskey & tequila, on ice! But he gets the good stuff. (;

Trying on a 00 dress at torrid (size 10) for the hell of it, because it's the only dress left in that size, and having it FIT!!!!!!

I've been having a hard time with the crystal light powders recently, but I found these little crystal light liquid squirt bottles -- and they're way better! none of that artificial mouth-feel to them, and no residue left behind in cups/bottles (that always freaked me out a bit...) Maybe give these a try?

Felt pretty cute this week, so I took some more pictures!! And I found a really great "before". It's amazing how much my baby face has gone away...

For coffee, have you tried Fairlife milk? It has a bit of sugar, but not a whole lot, and it's enriched with protein. There's a regular and a chocolate, and each is a decent calorie/protein breakdown!

I would bet money that all the clothing you own was actually too small for you -- but you didn't realize / didn't want to go up a size. That definitely was true of me. Now, roughly 85 pounds down, I have some clothes that fit me perfectly, but that I was still wearing while I was bigger...

I'm personally against keeping it secret. For me, once I had the surgery (not before; I was feeling superstitious about it not happening before!) I have told literally everyone. Sometimes I tell strangers on trains or busses or lyfts or ubers. My bro is like, why would you tell the waiter he doesn't care?! For me, there's value in being honest about your journey. There's no shame, and it's a way to help other people out -- by being honest about the procedure, how well it works, etc. Sure, people are more impressed by me losing 80 pounds than me losing 80 pounds with WLS but who cares what those people think. If they're not supportive of me, they don't matter in my life.

I had a drink at about 4 months out -- my NUT told me that ~IF I CHOSE TO DRINK~ I should stick to clear liquors and no sugary mixers. My go-to is a gimlet, but I've only had 1 1/2 since surgery in Nov; it's gin + rose's lime juice, it's not great but not terrible either. To everyone who recommends wine: HOW?! I was told white wine wasn't a bad choice but it only took 2 sips to give me heartburn....

ahhh, I had a similar experience on a cruise! I felt like I ate so badly and kind of "accepted" that when I came back, I'd have lost no weight -- or worse, I'd have gained a couple of pounds. It was a shock when I stepped on the scale and realized I'd lost almost 10 pounds in less than 2 weeks!! wtf?! 247 when I left, and 237 when I got back... I think that these kind of resorts encourage a certain degree of activity that helps. At home, I sit a lot, all day, since I work from home. I go to the gym, but I wouldn't say I have an "active" lifestyle otherwise. But on vacation, woo boy! There were a couple days I hit about 7 miles of walking....