Gottajustdoit

13 hours ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

Wow. That is crazy. I am sorry you are going thru this. I have had coworkers (that don't know about surgery) say I needed to eat more carbs etc.

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.

7 hours ago, Sheribear68 said:

Okay. Just had another NSV.

I’m at my local spa waiting for a massage to try to work these kinks of my lower back.
I go to this spa about 3-4 times per year.
Anyway, they have 2 sets of ladies robes: normal and plus size and they are on different sides of the locker area.
I learned this once to my dismay a couple of years ago when I showed up for a treatment and they were running low on plus size robes.
Until then I’d had no idea they had always led me to one side for a specific reason.
Needless to say, it was humiliating to be told (kindly) that they were waiting for a robe my size.

This time around after I checked in, they took me to the side with the “normal” size robes.

Progress

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!

14 minutes ago, EmzBee said:

Hey everyone!

Interesting hearing the talk about ssris... I'm intolerant to ssris (I get some fairly extreme side effects, like sleeping 18-20 hrs a day. I attempted suicide while on an ssri -- thus why I'm so hesitant to muck around with any drugs) *but* I've had hit a couple of seriously rough Patches lately and I'm in talks with a doctor about trialing medication.

I think they're hesitant to put me on anything because ssris are, like 'the first line of defense' in NZ, and GPs usually won't prescribe anything else. That and my GP isn't comfortable prescribing anything because of the surgery. *shrugs* I guess until they figure it out I'll just have to cope with, like, not being able to function like a normal human.

I had the same 5-month weight loss slow down/stall as many did, but in the past week I've lost 4 pounds! I really do think my body was still a-changin' even when the scale wasn't, but have to admit that it feels nice seeing the scale move a little

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!

3 hours ago, Deedee12 said:

Yup!!! Dysmorphia Sheribear!!! Because you look absolutely beautiful and slender and I can't even relate to how you see yourself in this adorable picture!!!!

Congratulations on the NSV on the plane!! I can only imagine how fantastic that felt!!! Well done!!!!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Sheribear! Wahooooo! You look great!

10 hours ago, Recidivist said:

I reached 150 this morning, which was my original goal weight. Before surgery I thought 150 was unrealistic and that I would be satisfied with 170. Now I've adjusted my goal weight down to 140 and am quite confident of reaching it. (I weighted 127 when I went into the Army!)

In reference to the body dysmorphia comment, I still think of myself as fat, and I'm shocked every time I see myself in a mirror or a shop window. I wonder whether that ever goes away.

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

6 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

That’s me now - my stomach. I can’t even enjoy my weight loss because I can’t stop focusing on the one imperfect thing. Lumpy, scars.... Only time will tell what more weight loss makes it look like. I’ve never been able to show my stomach my entire life and I was really looking forward to it....

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.

10 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

Like everyone else posted, I'm eating more too. And this post from Frou Frou - is so precise. I felt good about myself -really, really good... then I adjusted, now I feel "fat" again. How the hell could I feel fat when I'm smaller than I was in high school!?! There is some psychology going on here that I don't understand. I will say, during the "really really" good phase that I bought a bunch of bikinis. I was strutting around all over the place and even took some pictures. Well, that did it really. I saw the pictures. In my head I looked better.

The restriction is still working for me. I was on vacation from Thurs-Monday. I lost a pound. But it was an active vacation - boating, walking, swimming...

I can eat larger portions now, I am eating like 1/2 a hotdog, 1/2 a taco... and last night I ate 3 triscuits with easy cheese IN BED (gross). But I only ate 3. Meals I'm still eating 80/20 (80 being whatever sounds good/20 being lean meats and veggies). Weight loss has slowed, but I do feel better overall. Also the epidurals in my back have been alleviating my pain so I'm moving around more these days.

Overall better here....

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???

48 minutes ago, froufrou said:

I've had my mum staying with me for 6 weeks and I noticed that I was gradually eating more than I normally do. Not a lot, but enough to make a difference to my weight loss. My mum actually ate more than me and lost 2 lbs. I haven't lost anything for a while now, so it's back to basics - measuring and weighing everything. It's amazing what a head thing this is... I have just had half a cup of food, and in my head I am still hungry, though my stomach is saying otherwise! Crazy - it's a constant struggle.

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. 😱

9 hours ago, Sheribear68 said:

Quick post before Pilates class then I’ll go back later today and read back through the last couple days.

Wanted to post 5 month progress pics.
My cat kept trying to photobomb so I was trying my best not to laugh, but despite the weird look on my face, here is this months version

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

8 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

I rarely even order anymore. In fact I don’t go out to eat very often either. It took my husband a few months of going through the same exercise to realize this. I asked him to just let me split a plate with him he never wanted to. I think after seeing me waste meal after meal he’s finally coming around. I think we’re going to try to go out to eat this week and I will see if I have any success talking him into sharing with me!

10 hours ago, froufrou said:

I've been denied twice when I asked for something off of the children's menu, even with the explanation. If that's the case, I tell them I'm not eating and just let my husband eat. Crazy that some restaurants would rather go without any money than get some for a smaller portion.

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. 🙂

7 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

It is so funny – – every time I lose weight (enough to make a visible difference or hit a benchmark number on the scale) I kind of go into shock about my “new body”. Then, about two weeks later, I adjust and decide that I want to lose more weight. I am at that point now. Finally pulled the trigger and bought some smaller clothes. Some of them are actually too small and it’s making me feel OK about continuing to lose. I am closing in every week on my goal weight. At one point I decided I didn’t even want to hit my goal because it almost seemed too thin. Everything is relative, isn’t it?!

Also, my stomach (skin) looks pretty gross. In my clothes it is pretty flat now but the texture of it is well - horrifying. I guess my only resolution will be plastic surgery....

Size 6 shorts and a small T-shirt. Both new! I am proud of my new body and rocking it! I am 14 pounds away from my original goal weight of 100 pounds. Let’s gooooo!

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.

8 hours ago, Sheribear68 said:

Yeah trigger foods are interesting. I’ve decided that I will just flat not ever try bread or Pasta because I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to handle them.

Well if you gain weight you can sit in the corner with me.
After a nice week last week, I’m up 1.6 pounds since Wednesday., which means I’m down 0.8 pounds over 2 weeks.
You’d think by now I wouldn’t let that mess with my emotions, but I’m completely wrecked by it.
I had a GREAT weekend as far as avoiding bad foods or triggers and I don’t have cycles anymore so it’s not even like I can blame “that time of the month”

So I’ll maybe measure tomorrow and see if there’s any positive to be had, but today I’m going yo struggle because with this broken toe I can’t even do something good like go for a walk because walking pretty much hurts like hell right now.

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!

2 hours ago, froufrou said:

It should. Hang in there!

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. 😕

2 hours ago, froufrou said:

I have to say how happy I am to be able to fit into 'normal' sizes in some shops now. I feel more like myself and I am wearing dresses for the first time in years! I have NO regrets with this surgery. Despite all of the issues, I am very happy with the continuing results.

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.

8 hours ago, Sheribear68 said:

Yeah trigger foods are interesting. I’ve decided that I will just flat not ever try bread or Pasta because I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to handle them.

Well if you gain weight you can sit in the corner with me.
After a nice week last week, I’m up 1.6 pounds since Wednesday., which means I’m down 0.8 pounds over 2 weeks.
You’d think by now I wouldn’t let that mess with my emotions, but I’m completely wrecked by it.
I had a GREAT weekend as far as avoiding bad foods or triggers and I don’t have cycles anymore so it’s not even like I can blame “that time of the month”

So I’ll maybe measure tomorrow and see if there’s any positive to be had, but today I’m going yo struggle because with this broken toe I can’t even do something good like go for a walk because walking pretty much hurts like hell right now.

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.

1 hour ago, ldawn said:

This surgery is more about relearning how to eat, learning what full feels like, and fixing our emotional issues as opposed to never being allowed to eat these 5000 foods ever again because you had fat surgery. You had a couple things over a special weekend. As long as you don’t eat them often then it’s fine. I see nothing wrong with a 90/10 approach. Eating healthy 90% of the time w 10% of indulgences. No cheat days just a cheat snack or cheat entree or cheat side dish once or twice a week max.

If you find a food that triggers massive cravings I would avoid that, but don’t beat yourself up over this.

I find myself craving crunchy thing now. My dietician thinks it’s related to the long stretch of just liquid and soft foods. She recommended skinny pop popcorn instead of chips. Not as crunchy as I want but it satisfies the craving.

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.....

1 hour ago, Everythinganna said:

Oh and to answer your other question, an epidural is just what it sounds like. You know they use them for pregnancy and giving birth. It’s basically a pain block they put right into your spine or whatever disc is inflamed. I’ve had three in my neck and I just did one in my lower back today. I go back next week for them to work on another area. I also get facet injections Cortizone injections and trigger point injections. Basically I’m getting needle stuck in me every week.

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.

1 hour ago, gabybab said:

I have yogurt 1 T pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup granola for breakfast

Sopressata and cheese

Steak and broccoli

cheese, pickles

10 Rainier cherries.

Starbucks.

I still burn over 700 in calories by walking every days.

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!

2 hours ago, gabybab said:

Wow! Look at you! Congrats!

Fantastic!

14 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

Yes, yall I STARTED at 30 BMI, paid $10,000 out of pocket, and barely got qualified. I may have only had a 30 BMI, but here is a pre-op pic for comparison. I’m only 5 feet tall so every pound felt and looked like 2.

I have horrific back problems that control my life. Plan was to get the weight off, then get these HUGE boobs off to help my back. I’m going in for another Epidural this morning. I quit my job on Friday because of my back.... I’m going to be self employed now, at least for a while. I deal with a lot of pain - every day.

The weight loss hasn’t hurt, but hasn’t helped my back pain either. However it HAS majorly helped my self esteem!

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.

41 minutes ago, froufrou said:

Just got back from a roadtrip - I did not eat very well at all... but I didn't gain any weight, so I'm really happy about that!

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!

9 hours ago, Dubchild said:

First 3 months I could do no wrong and lost weight like crazy. This last month has been a very modest (in my terms) 8lbs lost and I’ve been stalled at the exact same weight for 2 full weeks

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.