ms.sss

Well my birth control is in the form of Mr.'s vasectomy. LOLOLOLOLzzzzzz I have several friends who have IUDs and swear by it. I also have another friend who does injectables, but wants to switch to IUD based on our other friends' experiences. It is said that hormonal IUDs *may* still cause slight weight gain vs. non-hormonal ones, but I know at least 2 of these gals are using hormonal ones and have not gained any weight in the years they have been using it. Mind you they are never-been-fat girls, so that may be a factor.

I learned very quickly that I needed eat slowly. Not so much to eat less, but to avoid being utterly miserable from eating one bite to many. Eating slowly allowed me to recognize the warning that I was reaching my limit before I got there. Cuz it totally sucked when I got to limit. So I timed myself. I took one bite, set the timer on my watch for 2 mins. If after 2 mins I was ok to take another bite, I would; if I wasn't, I'd wait another 2 mins. If by the 3rd time I still wasn't ready, then I was done. Yes, my meals took forever in those early months! As I progressed, the number of bites between pauses increased, as well as the total amount I could eat in one "sitting". I can't remember when I stopped relying on the timer, but eventually I did, as I just naturally paused between bites. P.S. The timer was also helpful to remind me to eat. Lots of times I would forget I was even in a pause and if it wasn't for the timer, I would probably have just not eaten anymore. P.P.S Another thing I did was pre-portion what I needed to eat. I wouldn't put more on the plate than I knew I could (or should) eat. Good Luck! ❤️

Hi! The vitamins were a bit of a challenge at first for me. I think alot of (but not all) people have this experience?) My prescribed vitamin regimen was as follows: 1x multi tablet (regular size), 3x calcium tablets (horse pill size!) 3x vitamin D tablets (teeny tiny) 1x B12 chew-able (regular size) 1x Iron tablet (regular size) 1x Vitamin A tablet (teeny tiny) The teeny tiny tabs were easy to get down, no issues The regular size tabs were a bit of a challenge. I tried using a pill cutter to make them smaller, but the resulting powder make me gag. Same when I tried crushing them. The horse pill calcium tab was the worst. Actually, I take that back...the chew-able B12 one was the worst. It was like a grape-flavoured chewable Flintstone vitamin and was disgusting to me. Further, the multi and the Iron made me nauseous almost immediately after taking them. I was rarely successful in getting all what i was supposed to the first 1-4 weeks. By month 3-4, after some trial and error, I finally got a regimen down that I was able to sustain: Dropped the iron (my labs showed I didn't need it, plus it was making me sick) Changed the multi to a low iron one (see above) Switched to B12 drops, but then my labs showed I didn't need it so that eventually dropped. Started taking my calcium horse pills with a spoonful of yogurt and that made it much better...but then I discovered Calcium chews and loved them. They were chocolate flavoured and had the consistency of one of those square caramels. Yum. Vitamin A was dropped as didn't need those either. Vitamin D was no change, I had no issues with them from the beginning. I'm 2+ years post op now, and....not advocating this in any way...I pretty much stopped taking all my supplements about a year ago. No real reason other than laziness/boredom. I had satisfactory labs in all my followups up to that point, and had 2 more after that that continued to show I am A-ok. Even my bone density check last November was better than the baseline one I took 2 years ago (which sorta surprised me given all the weight loss as well as my age).

sorry...i think i'm over-posting on this thread today, but I am a little proud of what I made for dinner tonite, and wanna show it off. So....technically, I didn't eat any of this, other than a bite during cooking to test if the pork was done, but gonna post it anyway, so there! Didn't get a chance to take a pic of the buns after they were cooked (I wanted to cut into one to show the inside), but the stinkin' fam ate them all before i remembered to. Though they basically looked the same as before they were steamed. Also meant to steam some broccoli and throw together a cucumber salad, but totally forgot #oopsies. I have no idea what the calorie counts are. I'm pooped. I need a drink.

TBH, I'm not really hungry, I just seem to be having a wicked salty meat-y craving at the moment, and I'm doing something about it, ha. 27g of beef jerky + the lone slice of bacon leftover from the fam's breakfast this morning that none of them wanted to eat because it was too burnt: 120 calories total. Plopping in front of the TV to eat it all:

Yep, its that same Burrito. 🙄 Day 3 of working on this sucker and its pretty soggy now and probably unappetizing for most, but whatevs, I need to eat something. At least this is the last of it, and you (and I) don't have to look at at anymore. More Frank's Red Hot and sour cream: same estimated 230 calories. Ate it all.

First, how is is this Pho pic looking even more delicious than the first time you posted it?!?!?! Second, glad you got your hands on those wraps. I will continue to sulk in my Canadian Corner over the lack of access to cool grocery items. Third: I've never thought of getting a home use KBBQ !! What a fabulous idea. I have been in the market for a Japanese yakatori grill for years...after we went to a party once and our friends had the cutest little tabletop grill to cook for us. But I'm not convinced its the best to have charcoal burning indoors... Lemme know what KBBQ grill you end up with!

Ah, the tube boob. They are fine when they are "rolled up" into your bra (as mentioned by @catwoman7, lol), but kinda annoying when set free. Two words: Breast Lift (or Breast Augmentation!). Put all the money you would have spent on eating out in a jar (or better, a high-interest/return investment) and you'll end up with the funds for your choice ❤️

Bwha-hahahahahhaha. OMG. A long time ago I sent a pic to my daughter from a change room to lament how my back fat was oozing out of a dress I was trying on. She thought it was my cleavage.

Salads are ALWAYS exciting. Did you make the dressing?

for some reason, it didn't register to me the first time I read these, but: 1. @NovaLuna, you went from a 54 inch band to a 38?????? That is AMAZING lady...an effing 16" loss in your torso circumference is mind blowing (and you're not even done yet!). I can't find a "bowing" or "i'm not worthy" emoji so let's just pretend I inserted one here: ❤️. 2. @GreenTealael, I had to look up what an H was...that's a QUINTUPLE D 😳. Your back must have been made of steel....your boobs look fab now, so whatevs! (but whoa).

Ugh, I had terrible back AND hip pain starting around 1 month post op and it lasted for a few months (maybe 2-3 months if I remember correctly). I too chalked it up to my bones and musculature adjusting to the weight loss. It went away eventually...hoping yours does too ❤️

OMG, if they were candied onions, they would've been better...but they were just plain old fried onions...lol. I made sure to get the right container this time, thank goodness.

Couldn't find enough binder clips so am holding the material in the back myself and got The Kid to take my picture (she thinks I'm wacko). Doesn't look bad, eh? Decided I'm going to go get it taken in and have the sleeves removed (or maybe just tightened? they look a little matronly they way they are...) And then I'll have yet another dress that I can't wear anywhere! P.S. Check out my boobs! Gotta love how squishing them makes them look bigger, lololololzzzzz.

Eating my leftover burrito, 1/4-ish at a time. Added a few healthy splashes of Frank's Red Hot Sauce and a tbsp of sour cream: estimated 230 calories (ate it all).

LOL, yes, I meant "when you were bigger", sorry! As for determination of body types/shapes, I don't think it has to do with where the majority of your fat is located vs. your overall proportions. For instance, my measurements are 33.5(bust), 26(waist), 34(hips), and my legs seem to be the relatively fleshiest/densest part of my body. Based on these measurements, I should be a rectangle. BUT my shoulders are 36 (which have like zero fat on them) and this makes me an Inverted Triangle. In my neurotic research, a lot of calculators out there seem to ignore the shoulder measurements, which is weird, because the width of one's shoulders influences the overall visual shape. Take a gander at this article if you are bored: https://www.whowhatwear.com/how-to-find-body-shape-calculator This one is an easier read, and is Oprah, and she knows EVERYTHING...lololololzzz: https://www.oprah.com/style/whats-your-body-shape/all

Pics of last night's Brownie Batch Baking. I subbed half the required sugar with Stevia, as I'm thinking I am making too much dessert these days and I may be inadvertently fattening up the fam. I didn't end up eating any last night (but the fam sure did) as I opted for wine instead for an online party we attended. I did just have one of the peanut butter ones this morning and it was YUM...can't even tell it has 1/2 fake sugar (next time I'm going to go 100% Stevia): guestimating 100 calories

I'm 2+ years out. Mine got much better, but didn't totally go away. I'm used to it now (along with my burping and hiccups, lol)

Unfortunately, from what I understand, there is no real way to spot-lose or target fat loss to a specific body part, other than plastics. Generally, the first place you gain weight, is the last place to lose (while the rest of the body continues to get smaller). For me, its my legs. Even though I am pretty small (overall) now, my legs look bigger compared to the rest of my body. When you were smaller, was your bulk mainly in your midsection?

OMG. I wore a bra to bed to keep them in place. And to avoid the dreaded under-boob sweat. Yikes.

...double, triple, & quadruple AGREED

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

PSA: For those interested, write this down, as I had posted this info previously and it was removed 😥 (this may be removed as well....)

btw...i need more information on this item, pls!

Takeout for dinner tonite. Chicken & Steak Burrito w/ cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, red onions, jalapenos, cilantro, guacamole, corn, salsa & hot sauce. I meant to eat half of it, but I ate the first little bit way too fast and got the oh-too-familiar pressure in my chest. By the time the pressure went away, I was no longer interested. So unless someone in the fam eats it, it will be my meals for tomorrow (Plus I wanna save room for the brownies I'm currently baking in the oven, ha) Estimated calories for 135g: 200 calories.