ms.sss

@GreenTealael : I loooooooooove those mini sweet peppers. I could probably eat 1/2 bag if I took my time. YUM. Also, does BF prefer the alt pasta vs. regular pasta? @MarvelGirl25 : thanks for the recipe lady! What cut of beef did you use? Also, you should really consider authoring a food blog or YouTube channel. Your food is ridiculously awesome looking. ❤️🤤

Same. I have a acceptable 5 lb range. I also weigh myself every day. If I am over the upper limit for 3-4 consecutive days, I cut calories/watch what I eat until I hit my lower limit. I've done this 3 times already in the past 1.5 years. Each time took progressively longer (1 week, 3-4 weeks, 3 months). Mind you, I was also progressively less dedicated each time, lol. This is one of the reasons why I am a daily/regular weigh-er. I have read too many times how others "suddenly", gained weight, that I don't want to not keep an eye on it myself, so I'm not surprised at "sudden" weight gain. P.S. This is not to say that your "acceptable" weight range is permanent...this can change as things change ❤️ (i.e., if I get over my upper limit again too soon, I may up my range by 5 lbs...its not worth it to me to have to keep watching my calories...i'll take the 5lb hit. But so far so good.)

If you reeeeaaaaalllllly want to up your calories/gain weight now beyond what are currently able (I personally wouldn't until you are further out and/or in the "Underweight" BMI category", but that's just me), you can look into weight-gain products that body-builders or the elderly use....lots of healthy calories and and very little volume (ie., Creatine or Ensure Plus).

Do you know how many cals on average you are eating daily? What's your activity level like? If you are consuming less than your TDEE, you'll lose weight. How long ago did you have surgery? If it was within the last year or so, generally, it takes a bit more of a concentrated effort to get calories in. Further out it gets easier. If none of the above applies to you, you may want to get your thyroid checked. An overactive thyroid can lead to unintentional weight loss. Left untreated, it can cause issues with your heart, bones, muscles, fertility, etc.... P.S. Your current weight is still considered to be in the "Healthy" range for your height. ❤️

Clarification: The followups and involvement of the original surgical team is fully covered by provincial insurance (in this case OHIP) for a max of 5 years. After that we are dealt with by our PCP's (again covered by OHIP). Unless one is specifically referred to a specialist by their PCP (who must determine if there is a need), then the patient must pay out-of-pocket, or get covered by private insurance (i.e. usually supplied by their place of employment, or acquired as a private individual) @Lookin4answerspostop11+years, you are correct that OHIP won't cover nutritionists, nor most services of a NP (unless they perform common services employed by your PCP, in which case the PCP bills OHIP), but OHIP will cover GI Specialists if referred by your PCP for medically necessary services. So I guess in your case, you need to convince your PCP that its "needed". There are no shortages of PCPs in my area (but I'm in T.O.), so theoretically one could just keep going from doc to doc until one finds one that is sympathetic to one's cause. Do the docs at the walk-in clinic accept permanent patients? Alternatively, you can contact Tele-health and see if they can give you some advice, either for your symptoms, or for more info on where to get a PCP. ...of course all this is moot if you have private insurance.

Holy Sh*t. I think I just had a food orgasm. This looks soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo crazy delicious. Was it slow-cooked? (Oven/Dutch Oven? Stovetop?) Instant-potted? Detailed recipe PLS!

OMG of course I remember Shanza! The supermodel-tall fabulousness who once accidentally took a pic of her daughter in the background in the bathroom (i loved that pic!) Welcome back! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I should really also take a hard stance on my pee. We're the ones in charge, right? LOL I am a (self-diagnosed) borderline insomniac. But now that I have an awesome bed set up, I may sleep more (or at least lay down more and maybe just stare at the ceiling).

OOTD: Bed Edition, Update: My pseudo-pillow-wedge-feather-bed hybrid was a success!! I think I need to mass produce these suckers and sell them. LOL. Since the feather bed that I folded in half is so pouffy, when I lay down in the middle of it, the sides go up. Its like I'm in a nesty-cocoon! Love it. Mr., however, is not a fan. Says he feels like he is being "denied access". LOLOLLOLzzzz. Edited to add: Hmmm...looks like this product is already out there...for babies. LOLOLOLzzsss

Started shedding at 3 months. Continued until about month 6-7. 2+ years out now and its all back and the same length as the surrounding almost-shoulder length hair. Sometimes I think it looks even thicker than it was pre-op, but that may just be wishful thinking, LOL. I took Biotin for like 2 weeks until I read it really does nothing for the cause of my specific hair loss, so stopped. Read @GreenTealael's post above RE: Telogen Effluvium

Yay @mae7365 for dropping 7 lbs and figuring out your water issue! Will add a couple other benefits of drinking water (on top of what you already rightly mentioned): Water is necessary for burning fat: "The process of metabolizing fat is called lipolysis. The first step of this process is hydrolysis, which occurs when water molecules interact with triglycerides (fats) to create glycerol and fatty acids. Drinking enough water is essential for burning off fat from food and drink, as well as stored fat." - Medical News Today Water is a natural appetite suppressant

For a change of pace (and because I have no new clothes to sport), I give you: OOTD, Bed Edition! Been in the market for a bed wedge pillow for months. Finally decided on one, put it in my Amazon cart, then the next day is was Unavailable. Arg. So I McGyered myself one using a feather bed wrapped around a couple firm pillows. Ta-da! The Kid said my side of the bed looks so Extra. Ha! Wait till she tries out this setup,..she’ll be a believer soon enough. P.S. I run colder than Mr. so I fold that blue blanket in half for extra warmth on my side. Its a weighted blanket we got as an Xmas present and I love it, but sometimes when I have to pee in the middle of night, im too weak from grogginess to get out from under it or put it back over me when im done (it’s effing heavy!) 😜 In any case, can’t wait to sleep tonight!

Same!!! Though people didn’t tell me this...i just told myself. LolZ

Vitamins: Costco Protein Powder: BodyBuilding.com (I was an ISOPURE brand consumer). This particular site was the best deal I could find online for shipping to Canada...there will likely be better alternatives if ordering and shipping within the U.S. Good Luck!

Was going to ask if the water issue was because of physical inability or aversion. But then you answered in a later post: Since it sounds like an aversion issue, you can perhaps try the following: Experiment with temperature. Immediately after surgery, I only wanted HOT, HOT water. A couple of months later, I only wanted COLD, COLD water. Try a couple drops of sugar free sweetener (preferably with Monk Fruit or Stevia as sweetener, studies have shown that Monk Fruit does not seem to affect blood sugar levels, as well as Stevia but not as well as Monk Fruit. Make a smoothie with lots of ice and lower-sugar fruits OR BP2 powder & instant decaff coffee crystals OR with your favourite low-cal/high-protein yogurt. Carry a water bottle or thermos around with you everywhere you go. Set a timer to remind yourself to take a sip at regular intervals. Good Luck!

My fridge is becoming a graveyard of partially eaten bowls of food and mini containers holding what Mr. calls "crumbs" of leftovers that I save for later. Its messing with my MFP food tracking cuz I log it for one day but then eat it over 2-3 days. Arg.

@Jnfinney : I went from eating my regular pre-op way (which was alot) straight into the 2 week liquid diet. Mine was 3 protein shakes a day. The first 2-3 days was a little challenging in terms of reminding myself that I'm not supposed to eat anything but my 3 shakes, but by day 3-4 it became infinitely easier. In fact, by the second week there were days that I only had 2 shakes and was just fine. If I remember correctly, I had no issues with energy levels. So like @catwoman7 said, if you can get through 2-3 days of sticking to the plan, it will feel less challenging going forward after that (at least that was my experience). Good Luck! P.S. Congrats on your upcoming surgery!! It'll be a game changer!

I checked Costco.ca online for my local warehouse, but didn't show anything...BUT Instacart for Costco, however, says its available for delivery in our postal code. At $14+ a package its a bit on the pricey side though! (especially when I buy regular carb-y wraps for less than a dollar, lol) Will give 'em a try anyway Thanks!

ooohhh...gonna see if they have these at my costco tomorrow...

Just an A, teach? Can we schedule an appt during your office hours to discuss? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

OMG. Hot Mamma Alert. Rawr.

My surgeon didn't have a goal weight for me, only that he said he would consider me a "success" if I lost 60lbs in the first year (This was calculated as 60% of excess weight, based on BMI 25 ideal weight). I had different ideas: I aimed for 120, which was just about the mid-range of "healthy" BMI for my height, AND was the weight I was when I met Mr. back in my 20's. I later changed this to 127 as I felt it was enough at the time. Anyhoo...I got to surgeon's goal at 3 months. I got to my revised goal at 7, then to my original goal anyway at 8.

@SanDiego Girl : Ok, first the disclaimers: Disclaimer 1: I am not a medical professional/nutritionist...just an avid reader/googler. Disclaimer 2: The values below are very generalized and assumes that you have more or less an average metabolism, average functioning insulin regulation, average body fat percentage for your stats, etc. etc. TL;DR: If you want to skip my very long-winded dissertation below, the gist of my message is this: you may want re-evaluate your calorie consumption-activity level combo, cut the sugar, and manage your expectations. Now, your weight today is pretty much what it was when you had your metabolism study, so let's assume you still have a BMR of 1486. This means that if you all you did all day was sit like a statue and breathe, then you would burn 1486 cals for just existing. Your reported exercise can be classified as "Moderately Active" (30-60 mins of sustained elevated heart rate sessions 4-6 times a week). Add this to the regular activity of every day living (i.e., just moving), and your daily caloric needs would be approximately 2150 cals a day to MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT. To lose weight, you will need to consume under this amount (or up your activity levels) CALORIES Without knowing exactly what's in your lunch salad, nor what consists of your meat/veggies dinner, nor what amount of each, I calculated the you are probably consuming about 1750 calories (I arbitrarily assigned 300 & 400 for each of lunch and dinner). This means, using the oft-used statistic that a deficit (or gain) of 3500 cal results in a 1lb loss (or gain) of body weight, you theoretically should be losing on average 0.8 lbs a week. This assumes that you NEVER go over 1750 cals a day, and you sustain your current activity level. Based on your original post, it sounds like you aren't. **Note that this is not an exact science, and I personally think 3500=1lb is an overly simplistic assumption, but for the purposes of this post, lets just keep it simple. I digress...** Soooo....if you would like to lose a bit more, a bit faster, try cutting your current cals by a couple hundred (your teams suggestion to aiming for 1200 is sound in this case). Your reported typical daily menu above includes 880 cals of JUST SNACKS. Perhaps try cutting out the Starbucks and 1/2 the nightly Dove chocolates. Doing this alone will save you 245 calories a day. SUGAR Another more controversial suggestion would be to cut all (or drastically reduce) sugar/sweeteners. Not only is sugar poor nutritionally, excess amounts causes spikes in glucose levels, which may to lead insulin resistance: which means the cells in your body aren't as efficient at removing glucose in the blood, so it will store it as fat. Which is weight gain. Further, it is theorized that sugar begets sugar. When you are eating it, you want more. So if you can white knuckle it for a few days and get it out of your system, it is suggested that you will find that your sugar cravings will subside. EXPECTATIONS Lets say you keep your cal level at 1750 & moderate activity levels (and do not deviate from it). This still means you would theoretically still be losing 0.8 lbs a week. This also means you would reach your 180 goal in 50 weeks. Are you ok with this timeline? Can you sustain at most 1750 cals a day for 50 weeks? If you go above this level you will extend that timeline accordingly. Edited to add: remember that this 1750 max cal level will reduce as YOU reduce! You are quite a ways out of surgery and unfortunately don't have the extra tailwind that recently sleeved people have. Its very easy to get frustrated and give up when your hard effort results in what is perceived as slow weight loss. The typical manifestation of this frustration is to eat (and usually its like pizza or cookies and NOT carrots and yogourt). If you can figure out how to deal with the frustration for just longer periods of time (I mean no one actually expects this to be completely solved immediately by sheer will), you will already be a couple steps up in the game. Good Luck! ❤️ P.S. Am really sorry that this was so long. P.P.S I think its worth noting here again in the postscript the Disclaimers noted above: Disclaimer 1: I am not a medical professional/nutritionist...just an avid reader/googler. Disclaimer 2: The values below (sic) are very generalized and assumes that you have more or less an average metabolism, average functioning insulin regulation, average body fat percentage for your stats, etc. etc.

I dinno about restriction but def hunger. I don’t think I wanted to eat/felt hungry for like over a month. Ok, i just checked....maybe my memory is failing me..:MFP says I was ate within a range of a low-high of 1000-1400? Maybe i wasn’t as un-hunrgy as I thought....but i did lose 8 lbs (400g of it was from the surgery though), so i dunno 🤷🏻‍♀️ P.S. sorry, this post was kinda useless lol P.P.S Oh and i gained back those 8 plus some and then lost the some

Way to improvise! Lol