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Agreed! Speak up and lay out what you want. If others aren't on board, do it for yourself! (and find people who would be on board ) side anecdote: i have different groups of friends and family. as my interests and lifestyle changed since surgery, i have found that so too did the groups of people i hung out with the most changed. the group of friends that i spent the most time with before are eaters and sitting-around-ers. the group of friends and family that i now spend more time with are the ones who are more active and down for whatever. i still hang out with the former group, just not as much i used to. i also made a whole bunch of new friends/acquaintances (from all the stuff i do now) that i share common interests with. i guess what i'm trying to say is that you are going to change. it may be a little unfair to expect all those around you to change as well. if they do, awesome! if they don't, its unfortunate, but don't let it stop you from doing what you want to do (with those that want to do it with you :). good luck! ❤️

1) a (well fitting) faja...i bought mine off amazon and had my mom tailor it to fit me...i was/am on the small side and those things did not come in my size...unless i paid $300+ (CAD) for them from specialty manufacturer. 2) a cane. dont laugh! i borrowed one from my mom because omg the back pain from walking around hunched over. i have not-so-fond memories of me hobbling around costco and the mall like a little old lady: 3) scar tape. it works. 4) a firm/hard pillow to sleep on to be elevated (i slept sitting up-ish) and to help get out of bed...i just took one of the back cushions from my couch downstairs and used it for as long as i needed. 5) a stool or something to sit on in the shower. i didn't do massages, but i've heard its helpful.

lol, ok i get the gist now! ok, so my updated response is: yes, i feel that way. if there is no food (or drink) it didn't happen. unless its like an exercise class or something, there is ALWAYS food involved if im out with more than just myself, celebration or not. and if its a celebration, the food always outnumbers the people like 10 to 1. i mean can u have a party or large gathering of people without food? ive never been to one without it in my 50+ years, now that i think if it...

are you able to go to a restaurant or other food-focused venue without feeling the need to eat beyond your limits? you are right, social events are almost always centred around food and drink..i learned early on that i enjoyed the company more than the food back during my weight loss phase (i'm 5+ years out now and i have to say i like the food just as much as the company, lol...but i digress...). if you can be around food and other eating said food without causing you angst, then i say just go to that restaurant or bar or party or whatever and enjoy your friends and loved ones. they can stuff themselves... you don't have to join in. if being around food is too much of a temptation for you, how about a hike, or a dance class/exercise class, the theatre, a spa day, afternoon at the beach, pottery/painting/kayaking/karaoke/climbing/omg the possiblities are endless! HOWEVER, i will say that even with the aforementioned activities, people are eventually gonna get hungry/thirsty and want to go somewhere or pick up something to eat, and then you are back where you are started. personally, i would push for trying to train yourself to be around food and not go to town, as its probably easier (and more realistic) to adjust yourself vs. adjusting everyone around you.. *HAPPY BIRTHDAY* in advance! hope you figure out a way to enjoy your day!!!

i had to google menieres. yikes...sounds horrible...like a bad case of dumping, all right! do you have to take meds everyday to maintain or only as needed? hope you feel better today! ❤️ ha! one man's terrible is another man's awesome! i would totally scoop out the insides of the tart and go to town...(in small bits over several hours then give the leftovers to a loved one ofc hahaha)

yep, in a bread and chips combo kick, i guess! "vegetable chips" (see packaging below) and some "crack chicken" (basically chicken salad made with cream cheese and ranch seasoning) on a slice of homemade milk bread, topped with some melty brie. 716 calories for the plate. obvs i was only really into the chips cuz i ate all of them and had like maybe 1/3 of the toast, tops. Mr ate the rest. (so gonna update my MFP log to 461 cals for what i actually ate) full disclosure: i am eating alot more calories these days cuz i drastically upped my exercise game (by choice, not necessity) and i figure i must be doing right cuz my clothes still fit, lol.

hmmm, good question! i *think* i started eating them after i got over my carb-phobia...somewhere around the 2-year post op-mark, probably.

1/3 a buffalo chicken wrap and 12 sour cream and onion Pringles. 192 calories, ate it all! ( I feel like they should be more calories but this is what MFP says, so...)

@Lilia_90 you're on a roll! keep the food porn coming!!! p.s. i loooooooove ceviche 🤤

been going to the pilates studio almost everyday now (a few times ive gone twice a day, thats how addicted i am to it). got tired of washing the same 4 pairs of yoga pants every few days, so decided to buy some new ones! got these babies in 5 colours (black, pink, blue, red and these brown ones)...for $10 each! bonus NSV: finding my size in abundance in the clearance section! win! ...now i gotta buy some new tops..

lots of folks on here post about being disappointed in their amount of weight loss immediately following surgery. i *think* its because they did a lot of reading and remember the huge weight loss numbers then compare it to themselves. the people who have huge drops are the ones who have waaaaaaaay more weight to lose than you, and frankly, more than most people on here. someone said it on here before and i'll echo it cuz i think its awesome and bang on: "comparison is the thief of joy". you are doing awesome. you have lost 13 lbs in one month. and while you may not see it, i TOTALLY see the missing 13 lbs in your before and after pics. like i mean, you have you SEEN the side by side of your midsection?? you finished one month, and you have several more months to go. can you imagine what the result would be in a year if you keep this up? even if you just lost 5 lbs every month for the next 11 months. pretty effing awesome, i think. keep on keeping on, you are doing great.

just goes to show that BMI ratings are very generalized....because you do not look "overweight" at all in your "after" pic. you look pretty healthy and beautiful to me!

staying hydrated is really important...are you able to drink now? or are u still needing infusions? i was pretty exhausted the first 2-3 months...likely due to the fact i was barely eating anything. Around month 3, i started eating more did start to feel much better, to the point i actually started really exercising (beyond walking around the block i mean, lol) How many calories are you getting in these days?

Nothing is too slow, really. If you are losing weight, you are winning. We all get to same place eventually, more or less. At your current weight and height, 800 cals is well below your maintenance level so if you keep going, it'll keep coming off until u reach ur equilibrium (where your intake matches your expenditure...which is still a ways away, based in your info) You are doing great!

oops sorry also forget to ask ur height?

how much do u weigh currently?

hiya! do you have a team or doc to reach out to for guidance...you will find that calorie and macro advice will run the gamut on here, as our docs all have different recommendations! with that said, your intake will really depend you your own physiological makeup as well as if you are looking to lose more weight or maintain... at one year post, i was in maintenance, and was averaging about 1500-1600 calories with about 75g protein. i was also 5'2" and 110 lbs-ish at the time, doing about 1-2 hrs of cardio AND strength training 4-5 times a week today i am 5.5 years out and average about 2000-2200 (recently increased from 1800 because i am on an exercise kick at the moment: 1 hour of exercise 6 days a week) and weigh 118-ish on average. so the recommendation on your cals (and macros) will depend on how tall you are, how much you currently weigh, how much activity you currently participate in, and whether you are looking to lose weight or maintain.

wide or small doesn't matter to me, but i do like the patties flat...as in smash burgers...those are my fave. oh, and it has to have bacon, melty cheese and grilled onions at the very least. with a potato or brioche bun. yummmmmm

good point...should add that yearly labs should include bone density scans. be sure to remind your doc (if they didn't already order it) for a baseline bone density scan BEFORE your surgery.

If i remember correctly, i took my multi and one of my calciums in the morning with a tbsp of greek yogurt (if i didn't i'd get nauseous because i don't eat in the mornings...never did, even pre-surgery, and still don't). then 2 more calciums with Vit Ds later in the day/evening. i only had to take iron for 1 week, and during that time i didn't take the calcium cuz they were sooooo humongous and i didn't yet learn the greek yogurt trick. i remember sometime around month 2 post op i started taking those chewable calciums (chocolate flavoured, yum!). did this for a couple months then went back to the ginormous horse tablets. now i am in no way endorsing the following (without talking to your doc first), but full disclosure, i stopped taking any/all vitamins/supplements around the 1.5 year mark. my doc/team knew this and had no concerns because my labs always came back satisfactorily....and continued to do so until my last followup with my surgeon at the 5 year mark last fall. going forward i suppose this will need to be monitored at my annuals with my primary care doc. oh, i should mention i'm also a sleeve....

i'm of the mind that if anything can make it easier to make better choices, then go for it (if you have the means and inclination of course). i'm also of the mind to try stuff out and see if it works for you. if it does, AWESOME, if it doesn't just drop it and find something else. @ShoppGirl...i (and many others im sure) have noticed your efforts and knowledge-gathering to prepare for your upcoming revision...you go girl, you sound like you are in a great mindset to tackle this head on. Good luck! (i'm rooting for you ❤️)

if i'm not mistaken, you are already at 30 BMI? Out of curiosity, who is enforcing a qualification weight for plastics? is this because you are looking to get it covered by insurance? (because if you are self pay, you can get plastics at any weight you want...) Though truth be told, when i was at 30 BMI (around 3.5 months p.o.), i could still totally see places where i could stand to lose some more fat. I don't think i was being overly critical either, i think it was just the truth. Am attaching a link to a collage i often share on here which is my progress in pictures the first 3 years (i'm 5.5 yrs now). I was at 30.4 BMI in the last picture on the first/top row. The very last pic at the bottom i was BMI 21.2. This morning i clocked in on BMI 21.6. one day i'll make an updated collage with more recent pics, but i'm pretty lazy, lol.

Reformer PILATES. All the benefits of cardio and strength without the stress impact on joints. Its actually touted as great for mobility (joints, rotations, etc). I have recently become a reformer pilates addict so i may be biased. I started about 6 or so months ago going once a week, then twice a week, and for the past month i have gone 4 or 5x per week (i bought an unlimited plan at a local studio). i feel stronger (legs and core...my arms still need work lol), waaaaay more flexible (i was already pretty flexible, but now i could probably join a circus), and my abs are pretty frickin awesome to look at these days. it can get expensive, but studios do offer starter packs at a heavily discounted price for first time visitors...a friend of mine just studio surfs and gets starter packs everywhere lol. I also second swimming for low impact exercise...i used to go lane swimming much more before, but now maybe go once every couple of weeks with my Kid. while i love the actual swimming, i hate the changing/showering/etc afterwards, boo. there is also tai chi (never tried), yoga (love!), elliptical (not my cup of tea), cycling (also not for me as it hurts my butt). but the most important thing is to find something you actually enjoy as you will be more likely to continue doing it Good Luck! ❤️ But seriously, try reformer pilates!!

your experience so far is VERY similar to what mine was (BMI wise, at least - as i am much shorter than you). we were both BMI 43-ish at start. we were both BMI 40-ish on surgery day. we were both BMI 30-ish at 14 weeks (yes, i tracked all my stats religiously and have all the records, ha!) so if there is anything we could glean from this series of coincidences (which, by the way, there ISN'T, because we are totally different people, and my experience is totally different and separate from yours, yada, yada), we can at the very least say that what you are looking for is POSSIBLE, since you seem to be travelling the same trajectory as i did, and yes, i got to BMI 25 (your goal) by my one year anniversary. To be more specific, i got to BMI 25 just a little after my 6 month post-op mark (6 months + 1 week to be exact) you're doing great. keep doing what you are doing and you'll keep losing until you don't (i also lost 2-ish lbs a week after the first 2 months...seriously we are like weight loss twins) many have said it before, and i'll say it again, losing the weight is the easy part (comparatively). keeping it off is where the harder work comes in. p.s. i am now past my 5½ year post op mark and i have maintained a BMI 21-22 since reaching goal almost 5 years ago. cross my fingers this continues, but i am not so ignorant that i actually believe i will be this weight forever...though i am definitely enjoying it while i am.