ms.sss

** Semi-long post Alert ** OK, so I was prescribed a PPI for 6 months and I was happy as a clam. After the 6 months, I stopped cold turkey and had foamies, burning throat, and the occasional spit up at night. I did this for about 3 weeks, and asked my doc to be put back on my PPI, and all was good again. At around the 10 moth post op mark, I did some research and spoke to my doc about weaning off it again. Both my research and my doc said that doing it gradually is key and to not give up and go back to full dosage as I'd have to start all over again. I started with taking my 30mg pill every other day, for about 1 week, and I basically got the symptoms every other day for a month. So I went back to full dosage and tried again. Here is what I did/am doing/will do and so far it has been more bearable and seems to be working... Alternating days of 30mg and 15mg (half dosage) for a month 30mg every other day for a month 15mg every other day for a month << this is where I am at now and and so far so good. Come February, I plan on going to 15mg every 3 days, supplementing with a Zantac of other acid-reducer as needed. After a month of this I'm hoping I will be off the PPI altogether and maintain with Zantac. ...I could probably make this easier on myself if I cut out spicy foods and coffee, but I'm not willing to do that yet. 😡 ** BUT LIKE THE OTHERS HAVE SAID, TALK TO YOUR DOC AND COME UP WITH A PLAN TOGETHER **

I didn't even realize that I wasn't supposed to have "relations" until after I was cleared for it. Easy Tip: He can stand. Pro Tip: He can plank. 😂

I think we are at the same party. Meet me at the bar. I had a flatter stomach and smaller thighs BEFORE this tummy tuck, sigh. My pants are tight, sigh. My right boob looks bigger than my left at the moment, sigh. I have resorted to stuffing my compression garment and armpits with ice packs, cuz my boobs and armpit incisions have started to ache lately, sigh.

P.P.S. @BigViffer, what can be seen in your profile pic is pretty HOT too, LOL.

HO. LEE. SH*T. Jake, you look effing HOT. P.S. Sorry for objectifying you.

Yesterday Friday, Jan 17 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1yr PO Sleeve / 115.2 lbs ---------------------------------------- Another unplanned extended stay at BFF's place. We dropped by to return a borrowed kitchen appliance and intended to stay for some coffee and snacks, but ended up staying for drinks and poker. The resulting indulgence puts a damper on my weekend plans as we have a small party to go to tonite which I had previously allocated for drinking and dessert-eating. I guess my pants are getting tighter this weekend... ---------------------------------------- 9:30am - 1 black coffee w/ stevia + 1 skinny tea latte 1:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + cucumber + carrots + 6 green grapes + 2 slices bacon + 1/4 cup tuna salad (tuna, mayo, celery, red ohion) + 1.5 tsp crunchy chili oil 3:00pm - 1 skinny tea latte + 1 Pure Protein Chewy Chocolate Protein Bar 6:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + cucumber + carrots + 6 green grapes + 1/4 cup tuna salad (tuna, mayo, celery, red ohion) + 1.5 tsp crunchy chili oil + 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1 oz blueberries + 1/2 fl oz pumpkin seeds 7:00pm to 2:00am - 2 oz garlic peanuts 3 oz spicy cashews 2 oz candied pecans 2 oz assorted cheese 2 oz assorted cured meats 1 oz KETO flax crackers 1 oz banana chips 3 oz dark chocolate 2 glasses red wine 4 tequilas ---------------------------------------- Totals: 3018 cals - 150g Protein - 218g NET carbs - 162g fat

HBD @MarvelGirl25 !! Your dinner looked delish ❤️, considering all the yumminess you were presented throughout the day, I'm pretty impressed you kept it at 1500!! P.S. Someday...in an alternate universe, I will convince you to take me out to dinner to all these great places you go to for like a month straight.

** Irrational Vent Alert ** So, am gonna be 1 month post op tomorrow and figured it was a good time to frustrate and annoy myself by taking out the measuring tape that I'm supposed to be leaving in the drawer. I mean I've been in a good mood for too long, right? Geez. 🙄 The two areas that have been the bane of my existence since PS are my waist and upper thighs. And measuring them this morning fed (irrational) fuel to the fire. My waist continues to be bigger than pre-op. While it has de-swelled by 4 inches since the highest measurement, it continues to be bigger than pre-op and won't allow me to button up my pants comfortably. I am sick of wearing leggings and joggers, with a special hatred of the leggings due to my swollen abdomen poking out giving me a pregnant look from the side....which gets worse when I have food in my stomach. And my effing thighs are getting BIGGER. I measured +1" a week after surgery, and this morning its up another inch. WTF. I am telling myself its because my swelling is moving downwards. That makes sense, right????? Though I think the TT itself may be partly the cause of the initial increase in size: perhaps the thigh "meatiness" moved up as a result of the yank and is now concentrated higher, which makes me think this is not completely a temporary thing. Arg. Anyhoo, @mousecat88, @sillykitty, @okayestmom... how are you finding the progress of the de-swelling in your stomachs? Have you noticed any thigh changes? On another note, have you purposefully adjusted your salt intake during recovery? (am thinking of doing this, but I heart salt...) ...and @catwoman7 : how far along were you when your swelling completely went away? Did you also notice any thigh changes?

Yesterday Thursday, Jan 16 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1yr PO Sleeve / 114.9 lbs ---------------------------------------- Man, thank goodness I have all these Keto chocolate snacks, otherwise I would be going to town on Mr & the KId's stash of REAL chocolate... ---------------------------------------- 9:30am - 1 black coffee w/ stevia 12:00pm - 1 skinny tea latte 2:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + cucumber + carrots + yellow bell peppers + red onions + 3 oz avocado + 1/2 cup cashews + 1/2 oz almonds + 5 oz pan fried chicken + 1 tsp crunchy chili oil 7:00pm - 7 oz assorted sashimi + 2 slices beef tataki + tamari + wasabi paste 9:00pm - skinny tea latte + 1 KETO choco-coconut fat bomb + 1 KETO ChocoLin flax cookie + 1/2 tbsp almond butter + 1 fl oz garlic peanuts + 1 oz dark chocolate ---------------------------------------- Totals: 1475 cals - 105g Protein - 42g NET carbs - 92g fat

Tonight's dinner: Takeout sashimi #yummmmmm Assorted sashimi + 2 slices of beef tataki (not shown) + tamari & 1 tbsp wasabi patste ...ate it all save for 1 shrimp, 1 yellowtail & and the 2 salmon, which I will likely eat tomorrow. 294 cals - 44.5g protein - 2.5g NET carbs - 10.6g fat

YAAAASSSSSSSSS!!!!

Wednesday, Jan 15 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1yr PO Sleeve / 115.4 lbs ---------------------------------------- Had a couple late night visitors last night and my day's menu went out the window. I had given up halfway into the night logging into MFP cuz I knew it was going to be crazy, but I then I relented later on and logged the rest anyway after the fact. I'm pretty sure I got everything... NOTE 1: I hesitate to post these kinds of days on here cuz I'm not sure how it is going to be received or influence, but it is what it is, so just remember, I am NOT in weight loss mode and eating a menu like the one described below may/will affect you differently than ME. ---------------------------------------- 9:30am - 1 black coffee + 1 skinny chai tea latte 12:30pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + cucumber + carrots + jalapeno + 1 oz apple + 6 green grapes + 2.5 oz avocado + 3.5 oz pan fried chicken 3:30pm - 1 skinny chai tea latte + 1/3 cup cottage cheese + 1/2 oz pumpkin seeds + 1 oz blueberries + 1 oz dark chocolate + 1/3 cup cashews 6:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + cucumber + carrots + 6 green grapes + 1oz avocado + 1 oz apple + 2 tbsp Pico De Gallo 9:30pm to 3:30am: salad w/ vinaigrette + 3.5 oz pan fried chicken + 2 tsp spicy crunchy chili oil + 1/2 avocado 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1 oz blueberries 3oz deluxe mixed nuts 3oz various cheeses 1 slice prosciutto 1 tbsp fig jam 1/2 tbsp balsamic glaze 2 After Eight chocolate mint wafer 1/2 oz candied ginger 4 KETO chocolate cookies w/ 1 tbsp almond butter & 1/2 tbsp gingerbread cookie butter 3 skinny amaretto sours << I got mild symptoms (slightly racing heart, lethargy, though I was pretty tipsy by then) after the second mixed drink around midnight, went away in about an hour and then drank a 3rd one over a longer period of time with no ill effects...unless you count the small watery-ish poop I had this morning...?) 2.5 glasses of wine ---------------------------------------- Totals: 3573 cals - 161g Protein - 201g NET carbs - 203g fat

Those are some good looking weight loss phase numbers, LOL. How did you feel? Re-doable? Also...172.4 lbs, that's a new low, yes??

I'm a sleeve. I totally dump.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Are you trying to access via phone? It's much easier doing it on the website: Top-right conrner, click on the down arrow beside your avatar, and you will see the options to update:

@GreenTealael..but wouldn't your recent BL help you defy some gravity? You'll prolly look better than the model, honestly.

@Robert's60thBdayCake ... AWESOME. @Sophie7713

@Sophie7713: adorbs, as usual. R is lookin' SHARP. And that cake! It deserves a shoutout all on its' own....

Whoa! In 5 Days...so excited for you, @Sophie7713...it's gonna be a game changer ❤️ Keep us posted!! P.S. Don't forget to take BEFORE pics...not for us, but for you ❤️

Hi @KlaPV: See below... pre-diabetic: tested and resolved by my 1 week post op appointment PCOS : n/a fatty liver: tested and resolved by my 3 month post op appointment infertility: I never checked if I was infertile (I'm 47 and we are done with kids!!), but my period was very sporadic pre-op for years, sometimes going months & months without it, and it was very, very light if/when I did get it. I thought perhaps I was transitioning to menopause. My first post-op period was within a month of surgery and it was HEAVY (so heavy I thought something was wrong, lol). Then I've been clockwork every since, every 4 weeks, with medium flow (just like when I was skinnier years ago). acid reflux (mild to moderate - no GERD): n/a** ** BTW, with your mild to moderate acid reflux you may want to lean bypass...??

I did not suffer from GERD pre-op so my Doc left the decision up to me. He told me he does do more RNY's and that it is the "Gold Standard", but that is because its just been around longer. He has seen successes (and failures) among both. He told me he feels that that success lays more with the patient than the type of surgery. He wanted me to choose whichever one I felt most comfortable with to my body. Ultimately, I chose Sleeve because: I didn't like the idea of re-routing my intestines I wanted to have my pyloric valve intact I wanted to be able to take NSAIDS (or time-realase meds) if I ever needed to I didn't want to increase my chances of dumping (Boo on me: I dump anyways ) I didn't want the malabsorption effect and have to take more vitamins (Boo on me again: I was prescribed the same vitamin regimen 🙄 ) I stuck to my plan pretty strictly during weight loss phase and got to goal in 7 months with a 110 lbs loss & a BMI of 23 at the time (I am 14 months post op now with a total loss of 120 lbs & a BMI of 21) Honestly though, I'm pretty sure I would have got to the same place with either surgery. Do your research, take in the advice/recommendations of your doc/team, and go with your gut ❤️ Good Luck! P.S. the one thing though that I thought was a "pro" for me to go bypass was that theoretically it was reverseable (I was totally scared at the time) 😂

@GreenTealael love the colour red on you 😍 @Winchell so great to wear dresses, yes? can't wait to see you in more !!

@chayarg : actually, I'm pretty impressed by YOU and your dedicated efforts to get back on track after so long after your surgery ❤️ . It ain't easy, but here you are posting your menus and working your way down. I was 235 lbs two weeks before surgery.

Warning: This is a long Read. Hey peeps, Feels like its been a while since I've posted on here...I think because alot of my initial apprehension/anxiety/fear of navigating maintenance has basically disappeared. I feel way more confident and secure that I've got this in the bag, so long a I keep up with my "good" habits, i.e., tracking my food, weighing daily, take my vites, drink my water, getting in some exercise. Background reminder: I am almost 15 months post op from sleeve surgery, and I've been in maintenance now for about 7 months. I stopped weight loss mode at 127 lbs, and weighed in 115.4 lbs this morning. Prior to the PS recovery stage I am currently in, I finally figured out that with my normal activity level (5km run daily + 15 mins strength training), my maintenance calories average about 1800-2000 a day. My activity level for the past month however has been virtually null (save the last few days when I started walking 5km day, with the occasional short distance run in there somewhere), and my calorie intake has greatly varied day to day (MFP tells me I roughly averaged 1500 a day for the past month) and this combo has me maintaining 115 lbs. Though I think the lack of exercise/strength training is starting to show on my body parts. My thighs are looking soft, the muscles in my arms and shoulders look less defined, my butt is actually looking saggier! How much this is related to the PS swelling or repositioning, I dunno. I am told I will not see my what my post-plastics final body for another several months. In any case, I am ACHING to be able to run like the wind again and work on some body toning. Regarding food choices, I still stay away from bread, pasta &rice. I have the occasional sugar-laden mixed drink (which I often pay for with dumpings), and my chocolate and desserts intake has probably quadrupled (again, which I often pay for with dumpings). Regarding dumpings, I notice I am more likely to get more severe symptoms if there is nothing else in my stomach, which, when I am drinking or having dessert, is often the case. I can definitely eat alot more in terms of volume than 6 months ago. Though my capacity is inconsistent in that there are days I can eat lots, and other days when I don't...and there seems to be no rhyme or reason for it. I continue to believe that I am all that and a bag of chips, and my confidence in myself and what I do is filtering into my life in strange ways. I am so much less angry and annoyed. I have way more patience with others and feel like I am less judge-y. I am not harsh on myself anymore, which makes me less harsh on others, I guess. I no longer really care what (non-essential) people think of me, nor do I feel the need to be liked and appreciated by them. On the flip side of this lack of concern, I am fine with "cutting the fat" from my life so to say, meaning that I recognize which relationships or interactions are worth working on and maintaining, and which ones I just step to side from. I am quite comfortable with silences now. All in all, I'm feeling pretty great, and quite happy where I find myself these days. Ok, I didn't mean for this post to be so long and oh-so-reflective, lol. Just wanted to give a how-I-am-doing-in-maintenance update. How are the other maintainers out there (new and old) doing? Would love to hear from you guys ❤️