MrsGamgee

Guest B-side question:
What/where is the best beach you've ever been to/want to go to?

Day 2:
1st (easier) arm challenge: Done. 2nd arm challenge: Not going to do this one this month, will do the 3rd one instead... 3rd (harder) arm challenge: Done-ish. I didn't do the bicep curls. The big arm circles were surprisingly tiring! The last set of tricep dips killed me a little. Beach Pic: I convinced Mr. and the Kid to go for lunch downtown today so we could swing by one of our city's fake beaches and take a picture for today's challenge, lol. The pic below is Sugar Beach, which so happens to be right next to the restaurant we ended up eating at. Too bad it was overcast today though...

July 1st & 2nd:
Sunny day walking across the River
&

A sort of beach in VT taken in June

💜💜💜💜💜💜HAPPY JULY EVERYONE💜💜💜💜💜💜
Please feel free to share our challenge with anyone you think may benefit from it, link below:

😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

Day 2 of the top challenge calendar done. I did 20 minutes of elliptical at home. It is so hot out, I don’t feel like leaving the house today!
No beach pictures today but I’m headed to a lake with beaches tomorrow.

Checking in!

Goals for this month

Stay below 130
Walk at least a mile a majority of days
Do some of the arm exercises
Participate in the photo challenge

Here’s why I REALLY need to do this arm challenge 😣

The cravings can get super intense. I've found myself craving things I haven't had in years and years. I go in for major distractions when they get bad. Go for a walk, read a book, do some writing. I've had to seriously talk myself into closing the fridge and walking away from the pantry. I've been doing my best to keep danger foods out of the house, but with a husband and two wee-lings, I'm not always successful, and I swear those damn goldfish crackers call my name.

My first cycle post op was on schedule... ish. It was a really wacky cycle, with several days of spotting before anything really happened, and then it was hard core intense for 2 days, then done. Surgery itself can mess us up royally, and then throw in the estrogen (was stored in fat) that's currently being dumped into our systems, the sudden lack of nutrients/vitamins, and our poor bodies get thoroughly confused. I've read some women take a few months for things to regulate again post op.
My personal hormonal battle right now is wicked acne. I've never had acne like this before, even in high school.
Hope things even out for you soon!

I'm sorry you're struggling, and that your surgeon's team didn't prepare you better for what to expect post op. I respectfully suggest that you find yourself a therapist with experience in dealing with bariatric patients and/or eating disorders. Your surgeon's office should be able to make some recommendations. I'm assuming that you're in your first couple of months post op, when things are toughest. This is a season of your life, and I strongly urge you to find the emotional tools to help you.
As has been mentioned above, you need to find ways to be social that don't involve food. It is a great lesson for your kids to learn too, to set them up with a healthy relationship with food for down the road.
I wish you good luck and hope you find a way through the next few months.

smack that smile back!

Wow chili lime cashews sound awesome! I know trader joes has a thai chili almond which is soooo yummy!! I know I am trying to train myself into thinking like "I don't eat that" but right now it's more "I can't eat that" soon my body and mind will learn, thank you 🙂

LOL wee-lings thats so adorable!!! I know sometimes it's like how did these goldfish get in my mouth?! thank you for the input <3.

You are going through one of the hardest times in my opinion. The head cravings are crazy!
Things that helped me:
1. Closed my eyes and plugged my ears/muted TV during commercials so I didn't have to see the food comms.
2. Stopped all cooking shows/food magazines/limited FB or IG time so I wasn't getting the food cues shoved at me.
3. Got busy! I was a walking animal! Any time I craved, I would make myself drink Water until full. FULL. Then I had to take a 5-15 minute walk depending on my ability at that time.
4. Started doing creative things - puzzles, coloring, paint by numbers, crochet/knit/needlework.
5. Play solitaire and word games on mobile
6. Got out of the house and got sunshine/deep breathed
7. Immersed myself here and got support both here and in RL support groups.
8. Immersed myself in learning about doing head work to change behaviors and relationships with food, doing research on WLS, nutrition, longevity, intermittent fasting. Watch a LOT of YouTube on these subjects.
9. Kept food as minimal and low reward/clean as possible. Spent as LITTLE time as possible interacting with food. (ie grilling chicken and fish for multiple meals/days then just adding veggies to the meal so literally it took 5-10 minutes to pull a meal together for us--clean, whole foods).
10.Broke up with thinking in terms of "treating" myself with food cuz I "deserve" it. Cuz honestly? Treating myself with food is actually self-harming behavior. It doesn't contribute to my long term weight loss plan/success or maintenance plan. It's an abusive activity.
**I promise you, if you do NOT feed the cravings, the cravings go away and get less and less over time. For most of us, sugar, sweet tastes, and high glycemic carbs are the foods that light up our lizard brains (pleasure centers).

The cravings can get super intense. I've found myself craving things I haven't had in years and years. I go in for major distractions when they get bad. Go for a walk, read a book, do some writing. I've had to seriously talk myself into closing the fridge and walking away from the pantry. I've been doing my best to keep danger foods out of the house, but with a husband and two wee-lings, I'm not always successful, and I swear those damn goldfish crackers call my name.

The cravings can get super intense. I've found myself craving things I haven't had in years and years. I go in for major distractions when they get bad. Go for a walk, read a book, do some writing. I've had to seriously talk myself into closing the fridge and walking away from the pantry. I've been doing my best to keep danger foods out of the house, but with a husband and two wee-lings, I'm not always successful, and I swear those damn goldfish crackers call my name.

I hear you. I'm not a month and a half post op yet, but today looking in the mirror was hard. I had been noticing some changes in my chin and neck, but today all I could see was my big round face. We all have good days and bad days. Try to hang on to those major victories you've achieved when you're feeling down.

mmmmmmm.....Goldfish crackers, they're the best!

Bravo!

Sent from my SM-G960W using BariatricPal mobile app

Canada Day/game day food... 1/2 a grilled smokie (reduced fat and salt) and Tomato wedges. Didn't work out too well, but I had to try.  

Sent from my SM-G960W using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi @CashmereAndBones
I had really bad craving days! I got my RNY in another city, and recuperated in a hotel - watching FoodTV (which I don’t have at home!). Dreaming of fried food, of diners and baking, while eating Protein Soup from the bariatricpal store! And feeling ever so sorry for what I couldn’t eat.
But it passed. Now I have very limited ‘cravings’ - I am well below any goal I imagined and I find myself thinking ‘ooh, I would like some chilli-lime cashews’ which is new! But cake or jelly Beans at work are still hard to resist. And I am learning, this surgery is not a ‘get out of jail free card’. If I eat that crap, I will gain.
I can’t recommend strongly enough - use this time to forceably retrain your mind. Reprogramme yourself. Not ‘I can’t eat that 😪’ but ‘I don’t eat that 😋’...

Canada Day/game day food... 1/2 a grilled smokie (reduced fat and salt) and Tomato wedges. Didn't work out too well, but I had to try.  

Sent from my SM-G960W using BariatricPal mobile app

The cravings can get super intense. I've found myself craving things I haven't had in years and years. I go in for major distractions when they get bad. Go for a walk, read a book, do some writing. I've had to seriously talk myself into closing the fridge and walking away from the pantry. I've been doing my best to keep danger foods out of the house, but with a husband and two wee-lings, I'm not always successful, and I swear those damn goldfish crackers call my name.

The cravings can get super intense. I've found myself craving things I haven't had in years and years. I go in for major distractions when they get bad. Go for a walk, read a book, do some writing. I've had to seriously talk myself into closing the fridge and walking away from the pantry. I've been doing my best to keep danger foods out of the house, but with a husband and two wee-lings, I'm not always successful, and I swear those damn goldfish crackers call my name.

Prior to surgery, I don’t think I had any unrealistic perceptions of my body. I was fat, and I knew it. I may not have liked it, but I knew it.
Now, however, I suspect I don’t know exactly what I look like, as in, if I’m normal looking or too thin. I also suspect this is because I’m not used to the smaller me yet and just need more time getting re-acquainted with myself.
Time will tell.

Day 1
Arms done. (K, I’m gonna say it, the arm exercises are a tad on the easy side. Now, of course since I said it, I will likely soon find it gets exponentially harder) Did some butt exercises...I wasn’t sure how many reps to do for full effectiveness, so Mr. suggested I do a single exercise until I start to feel the burn, then do 10 more. I did 3 different exercises, and needless to say, my glutes are on fire. Here’s my sunny (Happy Canada Day 🇨🇦) pic. Actually had our holiday weekend BBQ yesterday, and ate waaay too much (comparatively) and am paying for it a little today. I probably had more carbs in one day yesterday than I did the entire past week, and today I’m feeling unnaturally bloated...my lower stomach feels rock hard. It’s like I have abs or something, lol. Maybe thats my secret to a firm tummy...Carbs! Sure would save $$$ in plastics.