ms.sss

funny raw celery is probably the one thing i purposely pick out of salads or veggie trays just never took to them pre or post wls! i can, however, eat/lick celery salt like its going out of style. aside:, cooked celery is an abomination and i don't even like to talk about it🤢

👆🏼Nailed it! esp the bolded part. in a way, its the never ending angst and shame spirals (and all the things they bring on) that are the death of us. not the food.

for most, it doesn't have to be this way...i am 6 yrs out and i still go out yo eat and go to dinner parties and have coffee and dessert. if anything, i probably go even more than pre-wls cuz i live to get dressed up and go out and socialize more now. and yes, its almost always centred by food and eating and drinking. i think the further out u get it gets a little less angsty cuz u have learned to trust yourself around food and know your limits in autopilot. i order whatever i feel for and generally just have a taste of it and the rest is generally eaten by my meal companions or becomes a take out box. or compost if it wasn't very good. i particularly like to go out with lots of people cuz then i get to taste all their stuff too. and yeah, we will rate the food in order of preference, critique them and discuss what could be better or left out, take pics for our IG, etc lol. i gave a bucket list of restaurants i am going trough locally and abroad. in fact i am on vacay right now and we came with a list of restaurants and bars and cafes and snack joints to try and have gone through almost all of them plus a few extra we thought would be interesting. i'd estimate we've visited (and ate at!) 40+ restaurants and bars in the last 9 days. and this doesn't even include the multiple food stalls we sampled at the 3 food festivals/night markets we went to. and for those that may be wondering, no, i did not regain all my weight back (i've stayed below goal weight since achieving it at 7 months post op, im 6 yrs out next month). aside: also may be worth noting that my travel companions are all normal sized and never had weight problems in thier lives (except maybe one of our group who is diabetic). i guess what im trying to say is that food and food-centred social situations and vacations can still be enjoyed (im probably an extreme proof of this) and we dont need to miss out and feel deprived if we dont want to. you can eat that burger (just maybe not the whole thing and definitely not 3 of them). and the beauty of eating less is you can have a taste of your friend's fries, a peice of your partner's steak, a sushi off ur kid's plate, a forkful of pie from the stranger at the other table...lol anyway, thats just my very looooooong speech on foodie-ism and food enjoyment years on the other side.

i started drinking carbonated water (i.e., perrier) around 1-2 months post op and haven't stopped since...it does make me burpy (always had), but i kinda like it lol. alot of the time the burps give me relief from pressure or fullness i often feel. i started drinking coke zero regularly again around 2-3 years post op. again no issue (that i am aware of at least). i probably drink at least one glass of coke zero a day. sometimes more, sometimes less, depends on where i am, what im doing, its availability, etc... but i mean if you dont need to drink diet drinks in particular, and you've gone long without and and can stay away, with minimal angst, i'd suggest just keep staying away, especially if u can do it with little effort. there are lots of studies out there that artificial sweeteners may not be the greatest for you so may as well keep staying away if u can. just plain carbonated water probably has less to worry about health-wise, tho.

im 6 years out next month. for the past 3-4 years i can (and do!) eat anything/everything in small amounts. (this includes all the things most say they don't eat or drink). i average 2000-2300 cals a day. and i've stayed below goal weight this entire time. and have not needed to buy bigger clothes lol. but i also exercise quite a bit. the exercise is all things i really enjoy doing so its not "work" for me. balance is important, but also getting rid of the idea and thought processes that something is bad or not allowed or forbidden or whatever. because this usually leads to angst and shame and guilt that does nobody any good.

My entire family wears On Cloud s. Me, Mr. and the Kid have multiple pairs of them for various purposes. The name is fitting as its really like walking on a cloud when i wear them. Here are the ones i wear for walking (i couldn't find them on the website, so i took a pic of mine...sorry kinda dirty, i'm on vacay and will clean them when i get home! lol)

neither can i! you look HAWT. RAWR!!! i love your work!

im retired and all my kids are grown so i've gots lots of time on my hands lol. i recently took up (indoor) rock climbing regularly earlier this year due to Mr.'s influence (he loves to climb and goes maybe 3-4 times a week), so i go with him more often now. i dabbled in climbing and bouldering before, but more as a fun occasional activity...these days though its more "serious"...i have my own gear now: no more rentals for me! lol and yeah its a workout alright. but not just upper body, there's a ton of leg work involved too. really, its a full body workout, back, core, butt, jeez even my fingers and toes. but its super fun, and very accomplishment-feeling when you successfully hit the top. p.s. im actually on vacay now and will be climbing my first ever "real" rocks (i.e., an actual outdoor mountain lol) this weekend...and pretty excited!

what i eat varies greatly day to day so i don't really have a "typical" menu of eating. food: but i do generally "eat all day" starting around 12-1pm and eat something or other every hour or so until about 7-8pm. what it is depends on where i am, what i'm doing, who's with me, what's in the fridge, how lazy i am, etc. ha! though there are days that i dont eat anything at all until 6 pm because i got distracted or just forgot. when i do eat, i generally eat about 2000-2400 cals (when i'm tracking). activity: i do some sort of dedicated exercise every day, for at LEAST 60 mins, but usually more: i go to hot yoga every day for 1 hour (a couple days a week i go for 2 hours); i do pilates 2 x 60 mins a week; run 5K 1-2x a week, rock climbing 2x a week (i go for an 90 mins or so but am only actively climbing for maybe 20 mins...rock climbing is EXHUASTING...it mostly resting, lol). plus i do other non-regular activity: walking, hiking, swimming, dancing, volleyball, tennis etc, etc....

ah, then i totally misunderstood. my bad, sorry! i was under the impression you were feeling healthy...i see know that you are totally not. with all your ailments, i would go back to your doctor and request some help! not sure this is something your nutritionist can take help you more than you doc can with if all your labs coming back satisfactorily..(besides the anemia, but this is par for course as you mentioned...) (also. maybe cut back on the workouts until you regain your strength??)

...but how do you FEEL? (it sounds like your med team is not so very concerned..?) put aside outside (non-medical-professional) comments and opinions, and even your own assessment of what you see in the mirror... do you FEEL good? do you have energy? can you go about your day physically unhindered or diminished? if yes, you are probably best served by working on the mental self work vs the physical stuff. easy to say, i know. you've done awesome, and in my insignificant opinion, you don't look sickly nor bony to me in your (clothed) pics. but i just suggested to block out others comments so ignore me! lol good luck! p.s. again, in my insignificant (non-medical) opinion: for someone your current height, weight, and reported activity level, 1600-18000 cals at 35g of carbs is weight loss level cals/macros. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Tonight's dinner...a little bit of something from everyone's Japanese take out order! clockwise from top: - sushi rice with bbq eel & unagi sauce & Japanese omelette - Chicken karate with spicy sauce - 1 takoyaki (octopus fritter) estimating 350 cals for the plate, i ate it all! i also had an espresso martini (not shown) - 141 cals - beforehand! oh, and one marzipan confection (shown below, isn't it adorable?!?!?) - 133 cals - afterwards! so...for those keeping track, that adds up to 624 calories total

i'm with @catwoman7. i am sooooooo pleased with my much smaller boobs now. clothes fit soooooo much better (no more gaping buttons, or required safety pins); exercise/running is so much more comfortable (no black eyes, lol); bras and bathing suits no longer dig into my shoulders; i can go braless and be completely fine. i love it. my boobie before and after: (note that i am quite small...5'2", 113.5 lbs this morning, so my bra size and the boobs that fill them will not look the same on a bigger frame). oh, also i had a breast lift in dec 2019, so that totally helped with the deflated-sagging-boob-tube-sock look.

ah, but if you aren't in a formal relationship and are only "hanging out", they are called CHUMpagnes with Benefits.

ok. i may be in the minority here, but this statement does not sound like an actual compliment. it a backhanded one, really. you deserve an actual, genuine compliment, without a subtle dig nor veiled criticism in it, given freely, honestly and all that. you are beautiful. not annoyingly, but ACTUALLY.

omg omg so i totally did a scorpion handstand in yoga class this morning!! it was only for like 3 or 4 seconds, but still! (also i fell out of it on my side and kinda bruised a hip, but its all good) i wish i had a picture of it, but no cameras allowed during class...lol, so you'll have to take my word for it. in case you are unfamiliar, this is a scorpion handstand: (yay, me!)

dem GUNS! LOVE it!!!!

i wasn't prescribed any stool softeners after surgery...but i probably should have, as it was 11 days post surgery when I had my first poop (omg, it was a doozy). i had to keep on top of my "regularity" for about 2-3 years after WLS with a curated regime of Benefibre, Miralax, MOM and glycerine suppositories, depending on my need, as constipation was a annoying problem for me those years. I'm nearing year 6 now (end of Oct) and haven't needed any extra help for about 3 or so years. I am "regular" now in the sense that i go about every 3-4 days with no discomfort in between (which is a huge departure to my schedule pre-op when i would go multiple times a day!). I think you need to monitor your own schedule/needs/comfort and act accordingly as we all have different pooping paths, ha! Edited to add: coincidentally, my constipation issues sort of stopped a few months after i stopped taking my supplements/vitamins...not sure if this is related, or indeed just a coincidence. i also started eating more carbs around that time so i dunno....?

exactly that!

im 52. and still called the baby.

Stories from the other side (i'll be 6 yrs post op this Oct): Sleep: about 1 month after surgery, i was able to sleep through the ENTIRE night without getting up to pee or waking myself up with snoring for the first time in YEARS (decades?). it was (and still IS awesome). I am always well rested and have seemingly endless amounts of energy during the day. the only thing that is a bit of a downer is that i can no longer sleep comfortably on my stomach (which was my previous preferred sleeping position), i've long suspected my lack of stomach padding now seems to contribute to hyper-extending my lower back when i am on my stomach. so its back and/or side sleeping for me now. no biggie though, i've got used to it. Activity: as per my aforementioned endless amount of energy, i am like an energizer bunny during waking hours. i've become a bit of an exercise addict (who me???) and am probably stronger and fitter than i have ever been in my whole adult life (and i'm 52 yrs old for effs sakes). i also LOOK the fittest i have ever looked in my entire adult life...and i was already fit-ISH up until my mid-30s. it's funny and mind-blowing (and ridiculously ego-boosting) when the young 20-30 yr old girls in my Pilates and yoga classes come up to me after class and tell me that they aim to be able to do the things that i do in class, and, wait for it...want to LOOK like me. cray. zee. Fashion: don't even get me started. even before i ran out of "skinny" clothes to wear during weight loss phase, i was already in the throes of being an over-the-top-clothes-buyer (and shoes, and purses, etc lol) i've calmed down a little bit compared to those first couple years, but i do admit i could probably calm down a little bit more. i have way too many clothes in my closet (some of which i haven't even worn in public yet). not sure when i will cure myself of this habit, but i'll enjoy it until i do, ha! one last thing not on your list the deserves mention: CONFIDENCE. i found that i am just bursting with it (maybe too much as i really do think of myself as the absolute BOMB.). but the confidence is not just feeling good about and trusting myself, but it translates also as feeling good about others, trusting others, patience with others and self, calm, peace, courage, all the good stuff! of all the things, the confidence is the one i value the most. thanks WLS. (and thanks ME for doing what i needed to do to get here).

a little off tangent, but wanna share: have you ever head of the Wim Hof method? in a nutshell its a series of efforts that, when performed consistently over time can ease the symptoms of asthma (and other circulatory ailments ) or eradicate them altogether. (i've included 2 links below, an easy read and a more in depth one, choose according to your attention span lol). ANYWAY...my brother in law had been taking daily preventative steroid inhalers since he was a child (he's like 45 now). about a year ago he committed to the efforts outlined in the Wim Hof method (breathing exercises, cold plunges/showers, among other things) and for the last 6 months now has been completely off his inhaler. its really quite remarkable. note though there is some controversy regarding reports of drowning surrounding the cold water therapy benefits, specifically due to unsafe practices and implementation, but u can be the judge of that urself if u got this far and want to read more below easy read: https://www.wellandgood.com/wim-hof-method/ a little more technical read: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-44902-0

heya October 2018 sleevers! we'll be 6 yrs old soon! any of us still out there???

i was a 2-3 Diet Coke a day drinker pre-wls. stopped 2 weeks before surgery and pretty much stayed away for about 2-3 years. If I had to guess, i probably had maybe 10-15 over those 2-3 years (most of them consumed near the tail end of that period). around year 3 i started drinking Coke Zero and now i basically have at least one (or equivalent to one) a day...sometimes more depending on what environment i'm in (i.e., party, hot weather or whatever). I'll be 6 years post op in October and drinking it does not seem to affect my weight (i've stayed below goal weight all this time since reaching it at 7 months post op). but as with everything, YMMV. my experience may or may not be what you would experience. p.s. you specifically asked about diet drinks, but @summerseeker mentioned fizzy/carbonated drinks...so in case that is what you were also asking about, i started drinking carbonated drinks around month 3 or 4 and never stopped (i love me Perrier lol...i drink that stuff like water...oh wait, it is water, hahahhahahha).

i was already lactose intolerant before surgery...but afterwards it got worse. the same amount of dairy that i could get away with without a pill is no longer. now i have to take a pill before anything with cream or milk in it.