ms.sss

Yeah, it is annoying seeing the number go up and down, especially when we are trying to lose! I am a daily weigher (I can't NOT know for a week, so this is what works for me, LOL). Anyway, maybe looking at your daily moving average may be easier on the nerves than your actual daily weight? Moving averages smooth out that line so it's not so spiky and annoying...

As the posters said above, every team advocates different things. With that said, I was originally told to ensure that 50% of my daily intake to come from (healthy) carbs. However, I didn't want to do that and kept my carb intake to 20g or less for the first several months. I told my team I was doing this, and they weren't overly concerned. Edited to add: and yeah, me too, I also made sure to get my protein in...

My water preferences seems to constantly change over time. At first I could only drink HOT plain water. Then I could only drink plain water with ICE. Then: carbonated with ice carbonated with stevia flavoured drops plain water with stevia flavoured drops and now, 15 months post-op, I prefer it plain and HOT again, lol. Moral of story: if you don't like it/tolerate it in a certain way, find another way of drinking it ❤️

^^ Exactly! P.S. Congrats on closing in on goal!!

We are of similar starting weight and age (though you are 2 inches taller and you had your surgery 2 months before me...but close enough! )... Are you looking to lose weight, or inches? I ask because this far out (given my diet and activity level), what the scale tells me every morning is starting to lose its significance (sort of). I weigh more right now than I did in high school, but I am much smaller in overall size now than then. I attribute this to a higher percentage of lean muscle mass...yes, I was slim when I was younger, but I was not nearly as fit. Given your own exercise regime, and higher muscle mass (which we all know is much more dense than fat), you may be better off comparing cm vs kilos, maybe?

Oh, I get sick from ice cream too...I still have it though. Its the price I am willing to pay sometimes! So long as I keep it in small amounts, I can handle a little bit of stomach gurgling and loose poop. But there are times I go a liiiiiittle too far.... P.S. I'm the same way when I inch closer to my upper limit. I start to say "HEY!" and buckle down a bit (like just last week!).

Nothing raises my blood pressure like agitated kids. YIkes. Wishing you good luck today!!

Me Too! It's my number one ice cream (and gelato) flavour. I'm on an ice cream binge right now...just now I had some ginger ice cream, and there is a 100 cal Good North protein ice cream bar in the freezer I'm saving for after dinner tonite, LOL.

@Apple1, welcome to the thread! Way to stay under 1000 cals to work you way back down to your happy place Wow you basically had just 1 meal and bunch of drinks yesterday! Is this your typical weight-loss menu? P.S. I don't subtract any exercise calories from my daily calorie counting (i figure any exercise is just bonus, lol). However when I do start doing some strength training in earnest (I only do about 15 mins a day right now) I probably might have to...?

Yesterday Thursday, Jan 30 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1.25 yr PO Sleeve / 114.2 lbs ---------------------------------------- Don't judge me: My first meal of the day yesterday was ICE CREAM. Followed by a date with the toilet. ...and I really need to start PVR-ing these tennis matches. I can't NOT sleep anymore!!! ---------------------------------------- 2:00pm - 1 black coffee w/ stevia + 1 scoop pistachio almond ice cream in a cup 5:30pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + carrots + 4 oz roasted chicken breast + 1 tsp horseradish mustard 7:00pm - 2.5 oz dried mango + 2.5 oz crispy orange beef 10:30pm - 1 Venti Starbucks Blonde Soy Americano Misto w/ a shot of sugar-free vanilla 1:30am - salad w/ vinaigrette + 3.5 oz roasted chicken breast +2 o crispy orange beef + 1 skinny tea latte ---------------------------------------- Totals: 1259 cals - 81g Protein - 87g NET carbs - 55g fat

Yaasssss! Love it!

...this is actually a good idea. I've read that the enzyme with the anti-inflammatoriy properties are concentrated in the stem of the pineapple,so maybe I can boil that part...? ...will research some more, thanks for the tip!

Your swelling at 5 weeks is like half of mine! I may have to go find some bromelain supplements (the enzyme in pineapple juice) as the I think I will likely dump if I drink the juice straight. P.S. you are so lucky that you kept your butt throughout the weight loss! va-va-voom...

Sooooo pretty, Sophie-soph!!! Glad to hear you have parted ways with those drains, it's so much better when they are gone!

I totally had to Google SX and the benefits of pineapple juice... P.S. ...and FOUR MONTHS?!?! 😭 ... though @catwoman7 quoted 6 months in an older post...I'll go with yours...lol

BWHA-HA-HA-HA 🤣 We need video evidence!!!

You have a SCOOTER. FOR. STARBUCKS. RUNS. Jeez. I'm lucky if I can find cups at the keurig machine at client sites.

The Open is what I think is the contributing factor to my current state of sickness! I have been getting very little sleep this past week staying up to watch the 3am EST marquee matches. I think it's wrecking havoc on my immune system. We went to the AO way back when we were living there...we always get the typical giant tennis ball souvenir at any tourneys we attend. Each year, we then pull out the appropriate ball from storage and throw it at the walls when we get upset (like this morning's semi-final)...

Thanks ❤️ I did get a little bit of worry planted in me since the appt with my doc. HIs "concern" about my inability to fully extend my arms got me all thinking and now I'm obsessed with stretching them out. I feel like a kid who is behind in class!

Yesterday Wednesday, Jan 29 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1.25 yr PO Sleeve / 113.8 lbs ---------------------------------------- i am sick. I am sleepy. I can't sleep. My boob hurts. It's after midnight. Here is what I ate "yesterday". ---------------------------------------- 10:00am - 1 skinny tea latte + 1 black coffee w/ stevia 2:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + green bell pepper + 6 green grapes + 4.4 oz brussel sprouts + 2 sliced bacon + 3.5 oz pan fried chicken + 1 Russel Stover Sugar Free Truffle Chocolate 4:00pm - 1.5 oz dried mango + 2 oz pan fried chicken + 1/2 tsp crunchy garlic chili oil + 1 ATKINS coconut chocolate bar 9:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + green bell pepper + 5 green grapes + 1 fl oz blue cheese + 1/2 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1/4 cup garlic peanuts + 4 oz pan fried chicken + 1/4 slice lemon chiffon cake + 1/2 caramel dacquoise petit fours 11:00pm - 4 seed crackers + 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter + 1 skinny tea latte ---------------------------------------- Totals: 1887 cals - 92g Protein - 128g NET carbs - 91g fat

It's been 6 weeks since surgery...

<!-- DEEP. THOUGHTS. BEGIN. --> I put on a (new) bikini yesterday to take a picture of myself for this 6 week post op milestone. When I was cropping my head out of the picture on my phone, I was taken aback a little (okay alot) at how my body looks now. For some reason, I never noticed until yesterday how my abdominal muscles are so much more noticeable these days. I knew I had them (I could feel them under my skin), they just never stuck out they way they do now. And my new lifted arms look nice and trim and toned. My arms have NEVER been trim nor toned. I look at this picture and find it hard to believe that its me. I have never looked like this in my life. Even when I was a thin, 105 lb teenager, my body never looked as fit as it does now at 47 years old. Crazy. Thanks WLS. Thanks Plastics. Thanks ME. I am forever grateful and only wish I did more sooner. <!-- DEEP. THOUGHTS. END. --> Anyway, some 6 week post-op highlights/updates: SWELLING & PAIN My waist has returned to pre-op measurements (thank goodness). My lower abdomen and upper thighs are still bigger than post op. So my pants remain tight in these areas, but at least I can button them up now without feeling like I'm going to bust out of them. My right boob is comparatively hard and swollen (vs my left boob) and I have taken to applying ice packs to relieve the achiness. Of all my PS areas, my boobs cause me the most pain (which is fitting since they were the least of my worries in the first weeks after surgery) There are distinct areas on my various incisions that are causing some pain due to the sutures being expelled and breaking the skin when rubbed against. These areas don't bleed, but they ooze. I went for a run this morning and had to stop due to pain. Turns out a spot on the incision of my right side boob split open and bled quite a bit. I had to steri-strip it closed and put a large bandage on it. I still cannot raise my arms to its full extension. There is no pain, just tightness. I need to practice raising them more often. SCARS & SILICONE TAPE I have been using silicone tape for almost 2 weeks now. I take them off to shower and put them back on when I'm dried off. I prefer having silicone tape on my incisions than none. My incisions feel less "tight" (especially in my armpits); the tape holds down any wayward sutures, as well as protects them from any rubbing from my clothes. I don't put tape on any areas where the skin is broken. I put some tape on a couple old WLS keloid scars and I swear they are flatter! They are still dark, but they are not as raised as they were. I guess this stuff works. The areas that have not split nor rubbed raw are healing nicely (no keloids!). There are no raised areas except for one end of my tummy incision, at the exact spot where one of my drains were. And this was the drain that I had accidentally pulled on a and caused bleeding (and PAIN!) while I was still in hospital. FOLLOW-UP APPT with DOC Pleased with my healing, told me that the aches and pain and wounds and oozing is normal. Just keep washing my incisions with soap and water everyday. He applied some silver on all the areas where the skin was broken and it STUNG. But then he applied some silver on the part that I split open during my run and OH MY GOD it HURT. I cried. It's been 5 hours already since he put it on me and it STILL HURTS. I even took a pain killer and I still have to hold the area whenever I move. Told me not to wear the silicone tape all the time, and that I should have about half the day when they are uncovered. No need to wear compression garments anymore...told him I like them, and he said I can wear if I want to, but to have some time (half the day) not wearing them. I am cleared for all "controlled" exercise (lifting, yoga, running, etc). I am not to participate in any contact sports or activities with sudden movements (for some reason zumba falls under this category, lol). Apparently I have not been massaging myself with the correct degree of "firmness". He showed me how hard I should be applying pressure and OH MY GOD, the amount of pressure he applied HURT. I was not massaging anywhere close to that level. I don't even think I can! Speaking of massages, he said I can go get regular ones with my masseuse, no adjustments necessary. Told me I MUST stretch my arms more, as he was not too happy about how far I could raise my arms without feeling tightness. Told me I was in no danger whatsoever of undoing any stitches so I need to aim to stretch further and further and would like to see me have full range of motion by our next appointment in 1 month. Guess i have some work to do! The no swimming, nor submersing in water ban continues. That's all for now. Oh, and here is a side-by-side body comparison pic:

omg, I know how you feel...I've dropped an iPad (or phone) or two on my face on more than one occasion. Ouch!