ms.sss

Maybe I just need to dive in and try something hoping i like it. Tip? Start small, if you go too big, too fast, you may get discouraged and stop. I honestly started with walking around my kitchen island! After a week or so I ventured outside and walked around the block. It was only 600m around the block, but it took me roughly 20 mins to complete. But it was a start. I had also took a tap dancing class in month 2, but stopped going after the first class cuz I got crazy sore the next day (who knew tap dancing was so strenuous? lol). Looking back it was too advanced for my level at the time. Good news is I went back a couple months ago and I try to go to a drop in class once a week or so with my sister-in-law. Its crazy what a ton of extra weight can do I know right? The cruel irony is that the bigger one is, the harder it is to start/maintain, but its the opposite for the smaller person. Starting (and the next subsequent attempts) is the hardest part. But you've gotten this far, why not go even further...You can do it ❤️ I would love just 1% of that confidence you have! Nothing feels better than confidence. Period.

LOL, don't get me wrong, I still drink the Vodka, just minus all the mixers! Edited to add: But I am over a year out and been in maintenance for over 6 months....just wanted to add this to those still in weight-loss mode....

@Sophie7713 you and Mr. (and puppy) are A.DORE.A.BLE. I wanna go make an Xmas card now! Also, thumbs up with Mr.'s office decorations...love it @shanza the jeans are another score from the Kid's discards pile. Honestly, I am getting more mileage from her closet than the mall these days... @KaysMommy: You are looking positively skinny. The cut of that skirt makes you look so tall and slender. Also, yeah, being able to double my wardrobe by sneaking into the Kid's closet is a definite NSV!

Good point. A couple more days of low carb and the cravings will go away (that is my experience too). 4 lbs in less than a week!!!! YESS!!!!! I love it when people far out like you can make the decision and reign it in, cuz its totally doable. ❤️

Yesterday, Thursday, Dec. 12 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1yr PO Sleeve / 114.9 lbs ---------------------------------------- 3.5 hour lunch date with BFF yesterday. We went to a Chinese restaurant and then to a tea and dessert place. We shared a shaved ice dessert that was topped with sweet stuff and condensed milk (see the pic below...it's not the one we actually ate, because I forgot to take a pic, but its from the restaurants website). Anyhoo as you can see it is sugar overload. I had about maybe a 1.5 cups of it total and surprise, surprise, I got me some runs later on. Though it was actually kinda welcome cuz I hadn't pooped in about 3 days. So (TMI ALERT).... ...after I got to pass that "plug" (omg, I thought I was giving birth again) it was all watery nastiness after that. Sorry for the graphics. Then of course, I was hungry afterwards! On another note, I went for a run this AM with Mr. and he got me to do some sprinting intervals, and I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow. ---------------------------------------- 9:30am - Coffee-Tea-Cayenne w/ stevia 11:00am to 3:00pm - 3 oz crispy skin chicken dark meat + 1/2 cup braised eggplant & ground pork + 1 king oyster mushroom and 1 broccoli floret + 1 tbsp Sriracha + 1 tbsp hot chili oil + 1.5 cups mixed fruit tea + 1.5 cups shaved ice dessert (see below) 7:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + 1 slice bacon + 1/2 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1/2 tbsp grated parm cheese + 3 oz meatloaf w/ Keto ketchup glaze + 2 oz grilled chicken + 1.5 oz chicharron 10:00pm - 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1/2 oz pumpkin seeds + 2 oz blueberries + 2 tbsp dried cranberries ---------------------------------------- Totals: 1608 cals - 117g Protein - 79g NET carbs - 102g fat ---------------------------------------- Yesterdays Dessert (for reference), though ours didn't have the orange chunks nor the ice cream, but it did also have peanuts and crunchy oats. I ate less than 1/4 of it. It was HUGE. Plus we were chatting away so it melted and lost its appeal, lol.

Are you getting your water in? btw...I am totally addicted to the cayenne in my coffee now (as I type here I've got a 20oz-er that I am nursing, LOL)...I also find that the cayenne seems to hold hunger/cravings/whatever at bay...but it may just be a coincidence, will monitor for the next couple days and see if there really is a connection... oh, and @FluffyChix: I did some experimenting with the ingredients you mentioned yesterday (sorry if my nerd is showing...) NOTES: I didn't have any lemon, but I did have lime. RESULTS: Made one with coffee w/ stevia, lime, earl grey, green tea & ACV + cayennne...did not like it. I think because of the lime. I couldn't taste any Green Tea nor ACV. Ditched the lime, upped the ACV...can taste the ACV now, but did not like it. Still could not taste the green tea Ditched the ACV & the green tea...YUMMMMMMM. Mr. said "add some Tumeric, it's good for you". Didn't change the taste but keeping in there cuz its good for me, LOL. CONCLUSION: My new fave drink is now: 20 oz Coffee + 1/8 tsp stevia + Earl grey teabag + 1/8 tsp Cayenne + optional 3/4 tsp Tumeric When I get some lemon I'll do a couple more experiments. Also thinking on days I need some extra cals and fats, I can put in some coconut milk.

It’s the guy with them GUNS!!! Looking good!!! Love a guy who pays attention to his feet. Those shoes are awesome.

Pretty, pretty Lady! Great job!!!!

So funny, I was just saying this on another thread: I totally miss extra, extra spicy Vodka Caesars with extra celery salt on the rim.

They belong to the Kid (shhhh don't tell her, lol). Although I DID buy it so I technically own them, right? Plus they don't fit her anymore as her feet have since grown... Anyways, I picked them up for her a couple years ago at Payless Shoes (not sure if they have this store in the U.S.?)

OOTD for another 3.5 hour lunch with BFF:

Are you effing kidding me. That Big Ass Salad is the stuff my dreams are made of. And it looks so restaurant-y 🤤

6 months of no exercising? That is strange advice. Outside of walking from Day 1, I started a regular exercise routine around month 2. Back then, this consisted of walking/jogging for a hour every day plus some class or other 2x a week plus a couple half-hearted attempts at lifting, LOL. I got to goal a little under 7 months (I lost 110lbs in those 7 months + 2 week pre-op diet). If I waited 6 months to start exercising, I'm not sure I would have reached goal that quickly. ...but everyone is different and gets different results from the same behaviors. For instance, I never understood the eat-more-calories-to-lose-more-weight strategy that is often employed on members on in this forum...but only because I saw different results in my own experience. You gotta do what works for you, right? ❤️

Hecks no. I never worked out pre-op. I barely even walked. I was in terrible shape and would avoid anything that would have me getting sweaty or out of breath or hurt my feet or knees...which was basically everything. Now I can honestly say that I love running. I also regularly enjoy hot yoga, zumba & swimming. I think I stated to like it based on on how I felt afterwards (endorphins, baby), and the sense of accomplishment. I feel like all that and a bag of chips after I finish a run or when I can keep up with the yoga instructor...my already inflated sense of confidence gets even more inflated. I love it, LOL. P.S. I do really hate strength training though. I do not enjoy it one bit and am generally angry when I do it, for reals...which is why I only do 15 mins of it a day....but i have seen results from it so I keep at it. It's a necessary evil.

LOLOLOLzzz...this is EXACTLY me and the Kid. She even convinces me to get larger-sized shoes/boots so she can "borrow" them.

You know, now that I think of it, I also went through a phase where I was craving spicy food...I remember it was during a road trip in April, so I would've been about 6 months post op too! Didn't last long though, maybe just a couple weeks... *Twilight Zone music plays in the background*

Nice! With your age and starting weight, I'm gonna guess then that you will be one of the lucky few who will not be cursed with loose skin after the weight loss! Take pics!!!

I was cleared for everything at 6 weeks (but I was walking since post-op day 1). I didn't actually do more than walking until about 8 weeks though...hot yoga, zumba, rock climbing, upgraded my walking to alternate jogging laps. I also did minimal strength training (and still do), but only because I hate it, not because I can't. These days I run 5km a day and do 15 mins of strength training on some body part or another every day. (Full disclosure, I was off my running routine for about 2 weeks to due illness and laziness, but am back on the wagon as of this morning!) I have loose skin. Agree with @catwoman7 as well: loose skin after massive weight loss is pretty much unavoidable except for the lucky few. Also agree with @Healthy_life2: strength training/lifting helps to tone and fill in a bit, but will not eradicate the loose skin completely. I will say this from my experience though: I really, really, really hated the look of my loose skin about 15-20 lbs ago, I guess because there was still some fat under there and gave it a rolling look. Now, that I'm leaner, the look is not as bad, to me at least (still hate it, but I'd remove the 3 "really's" now, lol). In my "problem areas", the skin looks more like wrinkled fabric now and is much more easily hidden...so this is less annoying to me. With that said, I am scheduled for an arm lift and breast lift revision (to address side boob) next week, which was scheduled 6 months ago. I was thinking I wanted a tummy tuck too, but I have since decided that I can live with it as the loose skin is limited to above my belly button (you can see a pic of how I hide this in the "Albums" section in my profile) ...my butt is another story. I have been doing lots of butt exercises but there doesn't seem to be much improvement there. Mr. says it may be because my ratio of running to weight training is too long-distance-running-centric: Weight training plumps the butt, endurance running flattens it. He suggested I add in some short distance sprinting in my runs, which I tried this morning, but I'm not sure I like doing it in and around the neighbourhood, lol...I will try it on the treadmill tomorrow. Wow, I just re-read this post. Sorry it's so long!

You're a twin?!? Do you guys look exactly alike???

Yesterday, Wednesday, Dec. 11 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1yr PO Sleeve / 115.7 lbs ---------------------------------------- ...went for a run for the first time in almost 2 weeks this morning! I was dreading it because I was feeling lazy and I was afraid that I would be all tired and winded and out of shape. Fear unsubstantiated! It was like I never stopped. I forgot how good it feels after a run. I can already feel that I am going to be hungry today though... ---------------------------------------- 9:30am - coffee w/ stevia 12:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + carrots + 1/4 cup tbsp imitation crab salad + 3oz grilled chicken + 2oz roasted brussel sprouts w/ bacon 3:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + 1oz gala apple + 1/4 cup imitation crab salad + 2.5oz grilled chicken 4:30pm - 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1/2 oz pumpkin seeds + 1 oz blueberries + 1/8 cup papaya + 3oz chicharron 7:00pm - salad w/ vinaigrette + 1oz gala apple + 1/4 cup lasagna sans noodles + 1 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1 oz brie + 1oz grilled chicken 8:00pm - 1 cup milk + 3/4 cup mango-pineapple sorbetto 9:30pm - 1 oz beef jerky + 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 2 oz blueberries + 1/2 cup papaya + 3 tbsp dried cranberries ---------------------------------------- Totals: 1905 cals - 154g Protein - 123g NET carbs - 87g fat

Challenge accepted. Will fix myself a cup of this later this morning.

btw, is this your age?

Speaking of learning something new, @chayarg,you have inspired my latest fave drink! I tried the cayenne in cold water yesterday --> it didn't mix in very well and I accidentally drank some clumpy fire bombs of powder that I needed to down some milk to put out. Then an hour or so later (I needed to recover!) I put some in hot water, it was ok, but nothing I would be interested in re-creating. Then this morning, I was having my coffee w/ stevia in it and thought hey, this could use some kick, and voila! My new fave drink was born.

I had to google this. I didn't know they where just another name for pumpkin seeds. I learn something new here everyday, LOL.