Gottajustdoit

Did she know you had surgery? Either way, I am shocked that a friend would act this way. No one should force food on another person. Sorry you had to endure this.

Great progress! I need to use a gift card I have to get a massage. I used to get monthly massages at Massage Envy but had to cancel my membership when we moved overseas for a few years. I wonder how a massage will feel now that I'm 50-plus lbs thinner. I need to make an appointment soon! Congrats on moving to the normal-sized robes!

Getting the SSRIs just right is always a challenge. It seems we have a lot of options in the U.S. but none of them seems to come without some downside. Your extreme side effects are definitely scary. I hope you find something that works just right so you feel better. So great to hear about the vanishing 4 pounds!

Sheribear! Wahooooo! You look great!

Congrats on reaching that AWESOME goal weight! I've got 35 to 40 lbs to go. You must feel super great.

Hey Everythinganna-- I just don't see what you're seeing. All looks great! I get it though, I keep complaining about how old and wrinkly my neck looks now. My husband doesn't see it, but to me it is REALLY crepe-y.

A stricture? Wow, that's not good news at all! How does that happen? Are you still having trouble keeping most foods down? Keep us posted on what the GI test shows. NOT FUN! SO sorry to hear this.

Froufrou---what did your doctor say about the effectiveness of your SSRI? I also take an SSRI and have not noticed any changes yet...wondering if I will???

I'm feeling very similar. At 5 months out my appetite has returned and I'm able to eat quite a bit more than before. I find myself grabbing salty snacks way too often. For some reason I crave Chex Mix and salt & vinegar chips the most, as well as cheese and pimento dip with tortillas. I'm still able to stay away from sweets, but the salty snacks keep calling my name. I have been up a pound, then down a pound, then up again for about 3 weeks now. I am definitely able to eat more than a month ago--a lot more. I guess the pouch has healed but I hope I'm not stretching it. I was able to eat 5 pieces of mozzerella cheese rolled in proscuitto ham today. 5 pieces! A month ago I'd have been full with 1 or 2 pieces. I am terrified that my emotional eating is returning as I find myself wanting to just snack away at work. 😱

wahoo! Looking good. And I love the kitty!😀

Maybe next time just assertively order the item off the children's menu rather than asking if you can. I did that at Chilis (got the kids' quesadilla). I got an odd look, but I don't think the waiter wanted to say no, you can't do that. I am guessing it's more of the waiter's decision than the restaurant's policy most of the time...of course I've only done it once so I'll have to try it more often to see if what I'm guessing is true. And, of course, if you are doing takeout, they won't ask if you are 12 or under. 🙂

Looking great! I'm 5'6" and have a long ways to go to get to my goal weight, but I did buy quite a few summer items and it DID feel good to have the right-sized clothing on, especially at work.

I too loved my steak experience and will pursue it more often now. 🙂 Sorry to hear about your PCOS. I have a colleague with PCOS and it causes weight gain for her too. She is very frustrated because she eats so healthy and can't lose. I forgot to mention that during my short vacation back to my home town I also went to the Melting Pot to celebrate my Mother-in-laws' 80th birthday. If you haven't heard about this place, it's a fondue restaurant--lots of courses. My husband and I split a plate of meats, I had a few bites of his salad. The killer (and my favorites) are the cheese and chocolate fondue courses. I had two pieces of pretzel bread dipped in cheese and for dessert one brownie bite and one strawberry dipped in dark chocolate. I was happy I could enjoy the meal with the family. I don't do a lot of breads and zero pasta, but because the meal is over three hours, I was able to eat a few of my favorites. This was a wonderful feeling...to be able to eat small amounts of foods I enjoyed. I finally feel as if I'm getting the hang of this lifestyle!

I don't know--you might like a cheeky short summer hairstyle. I have a short bob and love it, although I could never grow my hair longer than shoulder length. If you have hair that grows fairly quickly, maybe you should go for it! I am definitely experiencing hair loss--it seems gobs come out in the shower. Although I have no regrets, I wonder how much more hair I'm going to lose. 😕

I have to say I have not regrets either at this stage. I now get the question: How much more do you want to lose? I'm at 170. I'd be happy to get to my goal weight of 140. I usually just say 25 to 30 more pounds.

I can imagine how much that toe hurts. I've done that. You have to hobble everywhere. Amazingly, despite the ice cream and corn dog, I did not gain any weight! In fact, for some reason the scale has not gone up once since the surgery. I have been on the slow and steady side of weight loss.

Thanks for putting things into perspective, idawn! Now that I'm back home I'm sure I'll get back on track. I was just surprised at how much I am actually able to eat now as well as the kinds of food I can tolerate. My gastric bypass pouch has actually finally healed I suppose. Thank goodness for that. I loved the 3oz of steak. Up until this past week, it's only been chicken, fish, and hamburger (and a bit of pork chop). I'm also able to tolerate iceburg lettuce--at last!

What is an NSV? It sounds good so I wish I had one. But no. I have some bad news.... We went back to my home town for the 4th and I wanted to do all my favorite things, some of which included food stops. We have a great lakeside corn dog stand and I ordered one...and ate it all. Then we went to the old ice cream stop. I was able to eat an entire chocolate kids cone. And for my son's birthday, I had steak (filet mignon) for the first time. Zero dumping. I am happy I could eat a bit of steak and actually eat a small amount of ice cream, but I am upset that I still craved the breaded corn dog and ice cream and that I actually ORDERED them. I haven't weighed myself yet (I'll do so in the morning), but I'm seriously in danger of sliding into old eating habits. At almost 5 months out, are any of feeling the food cravings come back and eating things that would have made you ill (dump) a month or two ago? I HUGELY enjoyed the cheats, but they are haunting me! Not to mention snacking on potato chips on the 13-hour drive.....

You look really great...and I don't see any waddly skin so yay for you! My brother asked me when/how the weight loss stops. I really have no idea! Thanks for explaining the epidural. I had only heard it used in childbirth. I've wanted steroid injections but as a Type 1 diabetic I understand it shoots the blood sugar sky high so I've never had one done. I can bet that reducing your breast size will help with your pain.

Interesting how our diets are all so different. Summer has always been a time for going out for ice cream. Funny, I still want to have the experience, but eating the ice cream doesn't really appeal to me. I do not crave sweets at all, but a brownie, etc. still looks delicious. So strange. My snack attacks are for salty foods. I have "cheated" with salt and vinegar chips and Chex Mix--just a few to get the salty crunchy taste. I have to be careful. My basic daily food day is below...I do not count calories at all and weigh myself a few times a week. Total weight loss is 55 lbs and it seems to be by the ounce, not the pound. I have not really had any "whoosh" moments...slow and steady. Morning: Premier protein shake Midmorning snack: green olives Lunch: Kind bar (peanut butter/chocolate), chili, or--more recently--iceburg lettuce with tomato, cheese, and egg with a bit of Ranch salad dressing Dinner: chicken breast, talapia, pork, or ground beef patty with cheese What is obviously missing is green veggies. 😞 I need to be better at getting in green veggies!

Fantastic!

I hear you on the back pain! I've already got arthritis in my spine and a pinched nerve in the neck. My knees were starting to hurt too so that was when I decided I had to get serious and scheduled the gastric bypass. Knees are all better, my the pain in my back and neck are ever present. I have wanted a breast reduction for a long time but am now waiting to get to my goal weight before I go to a surgeon for an opinion. I must say I do not like the way the girls feel---gravity is getting meaner and meaner.... I now this is TMI, but I literally feel them pulling my shoulders down more than ever, leaving me with horrific posture and more neck pain. What is the epidural all about? I have not heard of that for back pain before.

Good job! We are doing a 700-mile road trip over the 4th. Has anyone found success at what to order at fast-food locations? I have two teenagers and my husband likes to push through with as few stops as possible to get to our destination so food will be grabbing something at a gas station or driving as fast as he can through a drive through. I'll have my protein shakes packed, but wondered if any of you have cracked the fast-food code. Since my daughter works at Chick-fil-a, I am a pro at ordering the four-piece grilled tenders, but other options would be good to have.

Thanks for sharing the photos, idawn! You're looking amazing. Are you feeling well? You have thin hair like me, so I know how each strand of hair that comes out is daunting!

We are all on the same road but at different intersections. My weight lost has been a pound or two a week, slow and steady. I agree it doesn't make sense at all. For me, it seems as if I'm less diligent about getting water in. Protein no problem.