Lynnlovesthebeach

You’ll find people have lots of different experiences about this. I wasn’t interested in eating for months & wasn’t hungry. I ate to a routine because I knew I had to eat but it was why my calorie intake was lower than many. I experienced my first hunger at 8 months (& it was real hunger) but didn’t really get my appetite back or feel hungry more regularly until about 18months.
28 months post surgery, I still have days I’m either not really hungry or not really interested in eating. Yesterday, I didn’t finish my Breakfast & had my lunch for dinner. It doesn’t bother me because it helps me maintain & balance out those days I may eat a little more than I should.

Surprisingly good grilled chicken tenders from Cracker barrel (the creepiest decorated chain Restaurant IMHO 😅)
This is a “during” pic as I remembered to take it after I began eating. Missing from the photo are the mashed potatoes.
Plenty of leftovers ,possibly two more meals

Kids have been begging me to cut up the watermelon that’s been on the table for over a week so I did and we had pulled BBQ beef (Lloyd’s because I don’t BBQ) on king’s Hawaiian slider Buns, coleslaw (I poured the dressing on the bagged coleslaw mix. 😂🤷‍♀️), watermelon and Brazi bites (a frozen ready to bake version of Brazilian cheese bread) one of which I ate while making kid plates. For what I ended up eating it came out to about 215 calories.

So, I absolutely love to bake. It de-stresses me more than anything. Easy when visiting my parents since all of my family is nearby but when you live alone, it’s good to have folks that will take goodies off your hands gladly. Have a friend that is a teacher so she takes the extras to school (and she has people come in her classroom all the time to see if there are any Cookies ). Yesterday I made brown butter chocolate chip snicker cookies (there is a mini snickers inside and chopped snickers on the top). I ran out of snickers so the last 5 cookies were regular chocolate chip (and smaller as you need double the dough to make the ones with something inside); I kept one of the chocolate chip for myself which I will eat today and the other cookies were all out of the house last evening so no temptations.

Don't freak out. There could be a host of reasons why you gained two pounds. Maybe your food's extra salty. Maybe you're under a lot of stress. Maybe it's almost time for the monthly visitor.

But do track EVERYTHING. Download MyFitnessPal or MyMacros+ or Baritastic and log LITERALLY EVERYTHING you put in your mouth BEFORE you put it in your mouth. Including Water. Including coffee. Including the sugar and cream in your coffee. Including the oil you cook in. Including Salad Dressing.

Weigh things out—don't look at a piece of chicken and say well that's gotta be three ounces, get a $15 scale off Amazon or at Walmart and weigh it out. If you can't figure out how to track it, don't eat it. (You'll need to do this at some point after surgery anyway.)

Start "auditioning" Protein Shakes and Protein waters. You'll be surprised how full they make you even pre-surgery, and most are 150-200 calories and give you anywhere from 20-40 g of protein. Start by substituting one meal with the protein shakes. Once you're past that, substitute another meal with a Protein Shake (add a little salad or something with just a spoonful of dressing if you're still hungry).

Drink a cup of water before you eat if you're prone to binging so your stomach's fuller.

You got this. It'll come off and your surgeon will say, yep, you're good to go.

My mother of the bride dress.

FOLLOW YOUR PROGRAM! 15-17 lbs in month 1 is very normal. I lost 16 lbs the first month, and I started out well over 300 lbs. A 15-25 lb loss in the first month is a pretty normal range. I think the issue is that a lot of people's expectations are shaped by shows like "My 600 lb Life". You have to keep in mind that those people start at well over 600 lbs - so that are not your average WLS patient. Don't go back to all liquids if it's only an attempt to speed up your weight loss. You need to follow your program. The weight WILL come off if you stick to your program. I promise!

You've lost 15-17 lbs in a month! That's great! Just follow the instructions they gave you and it will happen. Trust you team. Good luck with your journey. It isn't easy but is so worth it!

I was shopping at costco today and walked up to a display of down vest type jackets. There was a woman looking at them as well. As I was digging through the pile she said “Oh, I already looked-they’re out of smalls in all colors”. Even two years post op it surprised and delighted me to have a stranger look at me and assess me as a size small. It made my day 😊

I just threw this together and it was really good!

Premier Protein vanilla shake
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 ice cubes
Blend until ice is crushed

31 g protein
12 g carbs
3 g fat

My daughter is getting married tomorrow (again, they had a tiny little COVID wedding last year, this is a re-do with all the relatives). Tonight is the very casual rehearsal dinner. I’m bound and determined not to look matronly. I’ll post my dress tomorrow :)

I'm doing a Mud Run in a couple weeks and I confess that I have spent more time trying to figure out what to wear that weekend vs actual training!
Got these running pants and sports bra delivered today and decided this is what I'm gonna wear. Suitable for getting muddy, yes?
I guess now I can spend more time preparing for the run! 😂
P.S. Yes, I still wear scar tape on my arms!

Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of my sleeve surgery. I am so glad I did this, and wish I'd done it years ago! It hasn't been without struggles, and I had hiatal hernia surgery in June 2021 because my sleeve had "slipped" up into my chest cavity. Still... all is good, I am SO MUCH BETTER since having the hernia repair, and I have kept all my weight off. I am just happy, and want to say to those with doubts... YOU CAN DO THIS!!

It sounds to me like the revision is really to correct the "turn" in your pouch so that you can actually digest your food and get adequate nutrition instead of vomiting it back up. That should allow you to eat more so you don't continue to lose weight. Good luck with your surgery and congratulations on your weight loss. You look great in your picture.

It has only been a week and sometimes the fluids they give you in hospital need to work their way out before you start to see any progress
Promise, exciting changes are coming soon! ❤️

I gained 6 lbs overnight from the fluids they put into me. But I've also been peeing like a racehorse.

Just stick to the plan.

I gained 10 lbs. from the day I was admitted to the next day when I left the hospital. Took awhile for all those fluids they pumped into me to exit my body. As long as your calories are low, and you're following your surgeon's plan, it'll come off soon.

I lost 9 lbs on my pre-op diet and gained exactly 9 lbs from the fluids in the hospital when I went home the next day. I lost 6 of it the first week and another 6 the next week so I was actually -3 in 2 weeks. I didn't think that was fair at the time either. Next month I'll be 3 yrs post op and have had no problem maintaining well below my original goal.

When I got close to my goal, one day I noticed everything I bought recently (mostly summer T-shirt dresses) had horizontal stripes and I never had a second thought about it in the store! Now, I try to buy bright colors like red, lemon yellow, lime green because ...well, because I can! I figure if I'm purchasing a size XS, I can get whatever I want...it doesn't have to be black!

I had a small NSV today. I put on a size large t-shirt and it actually fit! This is surprising to me as I am a slow loser and thought it would take longer for this to happen! I've had other victories but this one stuck me as the shirt I tried on has been in my closet for years....and I can finally fit into it!! I can't wait until I shrink into the rest of my clothes!
Many best wishes and small NSV's to you all!

I’ll just say I had a wonderful time and my worries were for nothing ❤️

Last night was Back to School night for my 1st grader. Well you know how small their little desks and chairs are, and they had the parents sit and their child's desk.
I fit perfectly! I think I looked really cute sitting there too, if I do say so myself. I would have taken a selfie if I could have gotten away without anyone noticing. Ha ha ha!!

I guess my strange one at the moment is that I can cross my legs!! I find myself doing it a lot now…
I was in the car and I just crossed my legs over and it’s so comfy! I had far to much thigh chunk to do this before…

it’s these little things that mean the world 🌎

Ha ha ha! Actually, just be yourself. Most men have dad bellies and man boobs. If you are yourself he will feel better about being himself. If he’s not nice, kick him to the curb, or better yet make him dress up in the outfit above.

Well, i’ll echo the others here in saying trust your doc. He has actually seen you and treated you, and I would assume he would be in a better position to advise YOU, than someone who’s never met you.
On the other hand, your peace of mind is paramount, so if you believe you will be better served by another, then by all means go that route. You *may* be hindering your future success if you don’t trust your doc…so go with one you do.
P.S. Nothing is stopping you from waiting a couple more weeks before YOU feel comfortable enough to go swimming. He didn’t say you HAD to go swimming, only that you CAN.
Good Luck! ❤️