ms.sss

My go-to is Beef Jerky (homemade if I have on hand, but pre-packaged will do

hi @Healthy_life2, so glad to have you pop in...was hoping you would since you are one of the successful long term maintenance-ers who are active here! I think I have resigned myself to the fact that this is what I have to do (for now). Now what about water consumption? I assume this grazing strategy combined with the 30 min wait to drink will lower my overall water intake. At 5 yrs out, do you still wait to drink after eating? As for the carbs increase, I don't think I'm mentally ready to do that yet (at least not significantly). Like you, I think I have an unhealthy fear of regain at the moment. I am banking on the fact that I will get over this mental block as I get further out...

Me too: I still drink 1 protein shake a day to reach my protein quota. I also feel the same way about grazing - in the sense that it is not a good lifestyle eating choice - but I seem to be forced to do it these days as I am trying to increase my calories and grazing is the only method I am willing to employ to be able to achieve this (I mean, I could eat cake and chips, but that's probably not a good idea).

I'm a little over 7 months post-op and I still get that fullness/pressure in my chest when I eat too fast or too much. It takes me a really long time to eat, especially if I'm eating something dense. And when I say a long time, I'm talking maybe an hour to eat about a 1 cup (maaaybe 1.5 cup sometimes) volume of food. If I don't, I'll start to feel pain. And if I ignore it, I will eventually need to barf. It has gotten better as time goes on, in the sense that my volume limit has (slowly) increased.

Same. By PCP/surgeon/gym-addicted friends all say the only way I can get rid of my bat wings is to (a) gain all my weight back (b) work out my arms to build enough muscle to fill in the empty space my fat left (c) get plastics. Since (a) is a deal-breaker, and (b) will result in me looking like a young Schwarzenegger (I have ALOT of empty space!), I decided on (c)...which I officially have booked for this year. No pics from me either.

well that was a pretty picture you just painted. you should be a writer (if you aren't already!)... EDIT: actually...I just finished reading the rest of your perfect days, you all paint pretty pictures ❤️

I hear ya, I often lament the state of my upper arms. But you know what helps? Tighter clothes. Keeps everything in nicely. Leggings and fitted tops are my new best friends. As far as swim suits go, I plan on wearing some skin tight rash guards come vacation time this summer...

One or two months? Looks like you are less than 2 lbs from goal weight. You'll get there waaaaay faster than you think!

I'll go first: I am currently in the process of easing into maintenance myself and am a little at a loss of how to actually do it. My initial plan was to increase my calories every week or so, in hopes of finding that caloric sweet spot, but I am finding it a little difficult for a few reasons: First, my ability to actually eat more in terms of volume is a challenge. I feel like I am spending way too much time eating, and I find that I'm basically grazing and I don't think this is a good strategy. Second, I am having a mental challenge of allowing myself to eat more foods higher in fat/carbs. Switching from ultra-restriction to a more moderate intake of these macros is a mind-f*ck. Third, the combination of the above two issues result in me still losing weight. Even though I have increased my calories to about 1000 this past week, I still lost 2.5 lbs. I knew I wouldn't be able to just stop losing weight on a dime, but I figured it would at least slow down significantly due to the calorie increase. Which leads me to believe I need to address my macro distribution, and I am apprehensive (and unsure) of how to go about this. So how did y'all do it??

So I only had 13 net carbs by the time my last meal of day was logged today, so I figured I would treat myself with this while we watch Game 2 (GO RAPS GO!). Still eating it, but I plan to not have any leftovers. Meanwhile, beside me on the couch, Mr and the Kid are mowing down on chips and popcorn. I offered to make them a bowl like mine, so they didn’t need to eat all the chips, but they laughed. Geez.

Yes, I think it's pretty normal. Most people are prescribed a PPI post op (my surgeon issued me a 6 month prescription). Maybe see your PCP/surgeon and see if they think issuing you a prescription may help?

Sex is sooooo much better when I'm thinner. And even with looser skin, I am waaaay hotter than when I was obese. And not just because I am thinner, but because I am more CONFIDENT and sure of myself, and the weight loss was a big part in re-cultivating that. You are really worried about how you will feel/look after weight loss (I notice this is your second post on the topic ♥️). But are you happy with your situation right now? I'm guessing that you aren't since you are moving forward with the surgery. Change is scary. But if you put in the effort, it will totally be worth it. 100%. ♥️

Yay, you! Congratulations on all your hard work ❤️

I left the stem on and made sure that each slice had a bit of stem so it stayed together. For the outer-most slices (which had no stem attached to them at all) Just had to flip with a little more care, but they stayed together pretty much because I cut it so that those end pieces looked like a stack of leaves (easier to flip this way)

I'll gargle, but not sure I want to give up my bi-weekly ClearLax dose...

I saw it first in a food magazine at the dr.'s office a while back...I just subbed the marinade with my own homemade low-cal version. Next time though I will make the cabbage pieces smaller (maybe cut them in wedges instead), because the best part is the outer well-done areas, and the middle of the steaks ended up not as charred.

YES. It was indeed yum. The cabbage is very filling though. I think I'm grilling ALL our vegetables this summer...😋

First Meal of the Day: I had leftovers from last nights dinner I made for the fam: Grilled cabbage steaks topped with blue cheese, bacon & green onion. There were asparagus and soft boiled egg sides, but there were no leftovers of those this morning. (I didn't eat any myself last night because I was working on the leftovers of a salad all day) The first picture is of the cabbage steaks and asparagus on the grill (because you can't really see the cabbage in the plated dishes) The second picture is the original of the dish that Mr. and the Kid ate yesterday The third pic (not as pretty) is what I portioned out for myself today, I added some leftover grilled chicken to the meal. Ate about 1/2 of it and then Mr. swooped by and ate the rest before I could take an after picture 🙄. (So the MFP data should really be cut in half, but I'm too lazy to fix it right now...)

Yum. Your miracle biscuit reminded me that I am finally allowing myself to make (and eat!) some low carb bread. I haven't had bread in over 7 months and am sorta looking forward to experimenting (and tasting!) some recipes I've gathered....

Yeah...my PCP told me last week that I have to go back on cholesterol meds. I guess I have the hereditary kind *sigh*. Also, yay @RoRoKitty, you sound/read really happy and content, congrats!

Saggy Breasts? CHECK! Hair Loss? CHECK! Loose skin? CHECK! I knew ahead of time that these side effects were an inevitable part of rapid weight loss, so I was pretty much prepared for when eventually happened. Like @Diana_in_Philly said above, my boobs were already gravity-affected, so they didn't really sag much more, only deflated, nothing a good bra doesn't take care of. In all honesty, I do sort of miss some of the size (so does Mr.), but I wouldn't trade my smaller boobs for more fat. Neither would Mr. I'm way healthier now. The hair falling out freaked me out at first, but then I just chopped all my hair off into a pixie cut, which I wouldn't have been able to rock with my former bigger face. I love my hair now As for the loose skin, I am giving into my vanity and getting plastic surgery. For my arms and most likely my tummy. I could probably live with my stomach, its not so bad, really, but the arms are non-negotiable, which I hated even when I was obese. I have "un-firm" thighs and neck too, but I don't hate them enough to knife 'em out. You need to figure out what's important to you, but really, the ultimate goal would be to get healthy and live longer, right? Even if you aren't as firm and have less hair for a while?

Honestly no, not in one sitting at least. Though I often fix myself a salad this size thinking "Oooh yeaaaah, I could totally eat this!" Then....nope. I'll eat it all eventually....

First Meal of the Day: Grilled chicken + butter and Iceberg lettuces + red onion + goat cheese + homemade vinaigrette + homemade tzatziki (the Sharpie is for size comparison, lol) Before: After: Having one of those days where I was all jazzed to sit down and enjoy my meal, and then after a few bites was all "meh". Will try again later...

♥️ Wow, another month, another HUGE thanks to @GreenTealael for hosting yet another fun challenge ♥️ May Day #31 25 Pushups: Done, baby. May Goals Update: May 1st weight: 136.5 lbs / BMI 25.1 Weighed in at 126.3 lbs this morning (BMI 23.2), for a loss of 10.2 lbs this calendar month Aimed to get into the 120's this month, mission accomplished. This month, I got into the "normal" BMI range, reached the 100# loss milestone, and now weigh less than the weight I was when Mr. and i first met 22 years ago. Aimed to add another 30 mins to daily exercise. Was able to do this about 80% of the time this month, by adding another 30 mins to the daily walks. Strength training was a big fat zero this month, unless you count the handful of office yoga classes I've been attending that focus on core strength... Aimed to not miss a day of the push up challenge. Did miss one, but I tried to make up for it the next day (though only did half)...good enough! Finally, I decided to forgo my original goal weight of 120 lbs and transition into maintenance now, as I'm good where I am. ✌️ Looking forward to hear/read all the success stories/updates from the rest of you Thanks again @GreenTealael for this month!!