ms.sss

I have to say though that my tummy tuck allowed my stomach muscles to be visible. I knew they were under there cuz I could feel them, but the TT set them free, so to speak (well, at least the upper ones, the lower ones, if any, are obscured by my preggo-tum). I can see some muscle definition on your own tight tummy. For kicks, maybe do like 50 situps and you will probably see them get more pronounced cuz they are so close to the surface now after your LBL. P.S. I understand if this is not up you alley, LOL.

...and Jennifer Lopez is FIFTY! wtf.

From where I was looking at it, I didn't get a sense of contempt nor disdain from GreenFeather's post. But of course I read it through a different lens, so how I received/reacted to it would be different. I find one of the inherent problems with this forum (and any forum, really) is that even though we always say don't compare, it's still being done and this often wrecks havoc on the mental state/feelings/self-assessment of the compare-r, especially if the comparison results in a self-finding that they are somehow lacking (real or perceived). And while the constant statement of "Everyone is different" is said over and over again, members will still offer advice/opinions based on their own experience. And works both ways: the reader can accept or reject said advice (with varying degrees of agreeably or vehemence) based on their own experience. With that said, I try not to take things personally on here, especially because it is difficult at best to determine intention and tone from letters and words on screen. I disagree with a good amount of stuff on posted here, and I may say so on occasion, but I figure its not my job (nor my inclination) to change people's minds. I offer only my opinion or experience, and they can choose to take it or not. As I do the same with them. But again, that's just me. And to borrow a line from @Healthy_life2: Off my soap box. ❤️

Actually I was talking about your header photo...the one with you wearing hat at the shoreline with rock cliffs behind you? Is that a recent picture?

Yesterday Wednesday, Feb 5 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1.25 yr PO Sleeve / 118.7 lbs ---------------------------------------- Yesterday's Exercise Goal: min 1 hour walk (did 1.5 hours) + 20 squats + 50 crunches + 50 leg lifts (started off doing it flat on my back, but my hip kept popping/cracking so I switched to jackknife position) CHECK! ✅ Yesterday's Calorie Goal: sub-1000 cals FAIL! ❌ everything was going to plan until BFF asked me last minute to go out for dinner and movie (PSA: Save your money and DO NOT go see "The Rhythm Section"). Then we followed up with drinks and dessert so....yeah. I came home a little too drunk and ATE. A. SLICE. OF. PIZZA. that was leftover in the fridge. I wasn't even hungry. I didn't even think, I just ate it. I haven't had pizza in over a year. I guess this is how it happens, the whole sliding back into bad habits... Sooo...i realize its not the end of the world (despite my annoyance at myself), and will do today what I didn't do yesterday (i.e., sub 1000 cals). Geez. P.S. Movie popcorn is the WORST! I entered what I ate AFTER the fact and was shocked to see that MFP calculated the amount of popcorn that I ate as 619 calories (popcorn + seasoning + fake butter) ! Whoa. ---------------------------------------- 9:00am - black coffee w/ stevia 1:30pm - salad greens + vinaigrette + carrots + apple + 5.7 oz pan fried steak in butter & bacon fat 4:00pm - black coffee w/ stevia + 2 oz chicharron + 1pm leftovers 7:00pm - 1 (out of 3) BBQ Chicken Lettuce wraps + 1 tbsp blue cheese dressing 9:30pm - 1/2 bag of movie popcorn w/ fake butter + 1/2 packet of white cheddar seasoning + 1 ATKINS Coconut Chocolate Bar 1:30am - 1/2 pecan butter tart + 2 tbsp vanilla ice cream + 1/2 glass red wine + 3 tequila shots + 1 vodka w/ diet cranberry juice + 1 black coffee 2:30am - 3/4 slice of pepperoni & bacon pizza ---------------------------------------- Totals: 2415 cals - 105g Protein 123g NET carbs - 137g fat

Ok, I am waaaay shorter (5'2") and smaller than you and a 47 yr old female. I got below my goal weight at the time (127 lbs) around 7 months, eating about 600-700 cals a day at that time. It took me a 2-3 months to work my way up to 1500 cals a day (both out of fear AND restriction). I did this by introducing: nuts/nut butters full fat everything avocados olive oil, butter red meats berries cheese chia seeds chicharron (yeah, maybe not the best choice, but I love it, lol) occasionally allowing myself previously off-limit foods (desserts, alcohol) I continued to lose weight and bounce up and down as I figured stuff out, I got as low as 113 in August and got to a scary 109 lbs last month after PS. This morning (at 1 year, 3 months) I weighed in at 118 lbs (me and my bod seem to be happy between 113 and 118). I am pretty lean, averaging about 12-15% body fat (so says the machine) and have a modest amount of muscle you can see actually see on my frame. You can see what my frame looks like in the Albums section of my profile. I normally run 5km a day and do 15 mins of strength training daily as well as do other activities (dance, bouldering, zumba, hot yoga)...though my PS recovery has put a halt on this and is depressing me...but I digress... I also normally average about 1800-2000 cals a day. Soooooo if shrimp like me can maintain with up to 2000 cals a day, it is not unheard of for a 6'1" guy with guns like yours to do at least the same (especially with your activity level).

I hear ya. I have long ago sized out of lots of (women's) brands myself. I don't know how you feel about these but: (a) some designers do children's clothes AND/OR (b) Asian designers have smaller starting points... ...there is also a good tailor or custom clothes designer? But yeah, feels sh*tty to lose all the weight, be excited to wear clothes and then nothing effing fits.

This ain't happening for none of us 😢  Halle! whyyyyyyy ? the bar is set too highhhhh Challenge accepted.

LOL, I have a penchant for stinky food (blue cheese, canned oysters, kimchee...) I just looked at your profile header image...you DO NOT look like you have a 19 year old grandchild!!! Wanna share your fountain of youth secrets??????

Salad greens + vinaigrette + carrots + apple + 5.7 oz pan fried steak in butter & bacon fat (ate about 3/4 of the salad almost 1/2 of the steak...rest will be for later) If I ate the whole thing: 468 calories - 35g protein + 9g NET carbs + 31g fat

Yesterday Tuesday, Feb 4 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1.25 yr PO Sleeve / 118.5 lbs ---------------------------------------- Yesterday: 2 hour walk + 20 squats + 2 planks + sub-1000 cals. Goal for Today: min 1 hour walk + 20 squats + 50 crunches + 50 leg lifts + sub-1000 cals ---------------------------------------- 9:00am - black coffee w/ stevia + 1 skinny tea latte 1:00pm - green tea + salad w/ vinaigrette + carrots + 2 fl oz tuna salad (tuna, celery, mayo) + 3 chicken wings 4:30pm - 1 skinny tea latte + 1pm leftovers + 3 chicken wings + 1/4 package of shirataki noodles + 1.5 anchovy fillets + 1/2 tbsp capers + 1/8 cup tomato basil pasta sauce 7:00pm - green tea + salad w/ vinaigrette + carrots + 2 fl oz tuna salad ---------------------------------------- Totals: 540 cals - 45g Protein 15g NET carbs - 31g fat

I'm aiming for Jessica Biel. Fit and toned, but not too ripped. I think if I keep working at it I can come close, except for the butt. The only way I'm getting this a$$ is though surgery.

actually now that I think of it...i want to add to the "something-I-wish-I-had-know-before-losing-the-weight": ➡️➡️ I would have scheduled my surgery so that the rapid weight loss phase was over the summer: Summer clothes are cheaper, and I would've been at goal weight by winter so I could invest in the more expensive winter clothes and not have to replace them... Running outside would have been easier when I first started. I was soooooo cold in the beginning, the summer heat would have helped comfort-wise. * I had my surgery in Oct. So my weight loss phase happened during Nov-May. If I could do it over again, I would have had the surgery in March or April. * Of course, if I lived in an year-round warmer climate, this would not matter, LOL.

Had I know how fast my body would change, I wouldn't have spent hundreds of dollars worth of interim clothes and tailor costs on items I would wear for less than a month 🙄

Salad greens w/ vinaigrette + carrots + cucumber + 2 fl oz tuna salad (tuna, celery, mayo) + 3 chicken wings + 3 tbsp hot sauce 233 cals - 20g protein - 5g NET carbs - 14g fat Ate almost all of the salad, about 1/2 the tuna & 2 out of 3 chicken wings...(will have the rest later)

double post

Yesterday Monday, Feb 3 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1.25 yr PO Sleeve / 117.7 lbs ---------------------------------------- Another day, another lack-luster effort to reign it in...I am now in "HEYYYY!!!" weight territory again. Didn't I just work myself down form this a couple weeks ago?!?!?...and now I'm back. I can't even console myself with inches measurements as I am bloated and especially swollen these days. Anyway. I am giving it the all-star effort to get back on track and get the good feels again: I dragged my lazy butt outside for an almost 2-hour, 10km+ walk earlier and I have to say I do feel better. I would feel alot better if I could have run it, but I'll take what I can get. I even did 20 squats and 2 x 1min planks. #smallVictories ---------------------------------------- 9:00am - black coffee w/ stevia 12:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + carrots + cucumber + 3 oz roasted brussel sprouts + 4 shrimp wontons 2:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + carrots + cucumber + 2 fl oz tuna salad (tuna, celery, mayo) + 1 soft boiled egg 5:00pm - 2 gin and sodas 7:30pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + carrots + cucumber + 2.5 oz avocado + 2 fl oz tuna salad + 2 oz roasted sweet potato + 2 tbsp garlic & herb cream cheese 10:30pm - 1 cup greek yogurt + 1 oz blueberries + 1/2 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1 tsp honey +1 oz beef jerky + 1/2 chocolate crinkle cookie ---------------------------------------- Totals: 1915 cals - 110g Protein 98g NET carbs - 94g fat

Wow #1: your skin on your tummy is FLAWLESS. It looks like a Barbie Doll tummy (in a GOOD WAY). Wow #2: the filler results is quite dramatic!! Even your lips look plumped up, and the right side of your mouth raised to be even with the left side. Was that on purpose, or a happy accident? Either way, WOW. *considers filler*

@chayarg, that IS a low calorie day. I think though when you are fasting, its a given that you won't reach protein goals? I'm thinking of doing a fast too to detox myself from all the crap I have been eating, and maybe lift me out of this bum mood I am in. Out of curiosity, what is the longest fast you have done? @Apple1 & @Losingit2018 : I had to google Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and educate myself on this (I have heard it mentioned on "House", but never really understood what it entailed). Now that I know, I feel for you guys for having to deal with this...and at the same time really impressed that you guys keep on truckin' with the weight loss efforts despite things working against you ❤️. I feel kinda bad now for being sucky about myself 💔.

@BayougirlMrsS : I heart you.

I am very lucky in this regard, and I know it (sometimes I forget, but most of time I am very grateful). I normally do exercise* quite a bit (min 5km run daily + 15 mins strength training daily + dance classes/zumba/hot yoga/rock climbing), so this helps alot with increasing the amount of calories I can consume to maintain. **...but because of my plastics recovery, I have been MIA on the exercise front for almost 7 weeks. I can feel the physical and emotional effects of the lack of exercise and I'm struggling with it at the moment. My 14-day moving average weight graph is inching upward and it is annoying me. So i really need to reduce my calories to make up for the lack of activity, but I'm in a sucky mood. Edited to add (After reading a bunch of posts and realizing it's up to me to make myself feel better, dammit): EFF IT!!! I'M GOING OUT FOR A WALK AND NOT COMING BACK FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR EVEN THOUGH I DON'T WANT TO AND AM REALLY MAD ABOUT HAVING TO DO IT. ...AND EVEN MADDER THAT I DON'T WANT TO DO IT.

I JUST CRIED. 😢

WHAT. THE.??? This belongs in Food & Wine magazine. (And if not for the potatoes, then in my tummy, lol)

Today I am feeling blue-y BLAH (even more blue-y BLAH than I have already been feeling this past week) I think the honeymoon phase of WLS and the high of my perceived success in this whole weight loss thing is losing its lustre . I am tired of looking at my body in the mirror hoping for my PS swelling to go away. My wasitline has increased by 3 effing inches in the past 3 days. I am annoyed that my weight has been creeping up which I know is a direct result of my ZERO-excerise regime. I am still eating the same calories, but not offsetting it with any exercise. The lack of exercise is partly due to my sore boobs and armpit, but really, is mostly due to pure laziness. I am below the upper limit of my happy place, but I have been averaging higher than normal within that range the past couple weeks. And the surprising thing is, I don't really care this time. And I notice that my previous food-vigilance has slacked. I am more often than not to give myself a pass on higher carby and sugary stuff. And again, I don't seem to care. I already know what will make me feel better but I have ZERO interest nor motivation to do it. Instead I am in the Pity Party thread griping about my own self-inflicted woes with much hand-wringing and pulling of hair (ok, so I'm not actually doing these things, put Pity Parties are all about drama, right??) I am in a legitimate funk. And shopping isn't even helping. Le Sigh.

So I haven't worn my abdominal binder in 3 days cuz all 3 of my binders were in the wash and I have been on a super lazy streak and hadn't folded and put away the clean laundry in the basket in those 3 days. I noticed this morning that the swelling on my lower abdomen had reduced significantly. HOWEVER. My waistline has INCREASED signifiantly!!! It is back up to +3" from pre-op. WTF? I guess the swelling moved from my lower abdomen upwards and across??? I'm not sure what I hate more, 3 month preggo look, or thick waistline. Le Sigh. Arg...so I put the binder back on anyway since I got my lazy a$$ of the couch and finally put the laundry away. I am really so over this recovery phase.