ms.sss

ok, so ever since surgery, i've developed (and maintained) this quirk where i like to order/buy a large amount of food with the intention of at least having a taste of everything, but usually don't in the end. someone usually eats what there, other times it gets tossed (it a terrible waste of food, i know ) my sister-in-law's sister half-jokingly accuses me of trying to fat everyone up around me so i look skinny (she's kind of a B, lol), and Mr. also half-jokingly worries that i have some sort of reverse-eating disorder. in any case, i realize it's probably not normal, but im ok with it for now. as i write this im thinking this is probably not the thread for this post...i feel like this has become bit of a downer! my initial intention was to post this beautiful bounty that i picked up while coat shopping yesterday: and i am pleased to report that i indeed had a small bite of everything (except the caramel daquoise - not a fan of caramel), and the fam and some company ate the rest...they will all be fat by years end! mwha-ha-haha! 🙄 clockwise from top left: cappuccino daquoise, lemon shortbread slice, roasted apple cake, salted caramel daquoise) guessing i ate maybe 150-200 cals worth.

one of the perks of being a smaller size is that it takes a fraction of the time to buy clothes that fit AND are cute vs the length of time it took when we were bigger. you may find that you can just walk into a store find something off the rack and BAM, done.

at my two month mark it was christmas-ish and i along with the gazillion family parties, i had a wedding-like 50th bday party as well (not mine lol). eating was not an issue, i nibbled stuff here and there. i did bring a protein shake (or two) to every single event, just in case, but didn't need it at any of them. i could easily find something among the spread to eat. as for something to wear, i would probably nix the idea of buying a dress that fits u now. i can almost guarantee that it WILL NOT fit u in May. not sure if u are a hoarder of just-in-case "skinny clothes" like i was, but i was able to dip into this stash for a few months during weight loss phase for my dress-up needs. if anything, maybe wait until at least April to buy a new outfit?

i always feel a little anti-climactic after the holidays. so much go-go-go for weeks to basically flat-lining on the couch in a blink. be nice to urslef, and try not to succumb to the pressure to be "on" nor the guilt of being not. ❤️

dupe

no, weight loss doesn't stop on x date. it stops when YOU stop. it may take more effort as time goes on - because achieving calorie deficit is comparatively more challenging the smaller u get - but its not impossible. good luck! ❤️

dupe

side question: do ur pants still fit? sometimes the weight on the scale my not reflect the visual (i bring this up because loss of muscle mass was mentioned). the scale can sometimes be misleading, but your pants dont lie

dupe

i was told it would take anywhere from 1-3 months. i took over 3 months because i did too much too soon and busted open my stitches twice. oopsies. so at between 3-4 months i had no more bandages, all my stitches (original and new) had all dissolved, and i could stand upright and had about 85% range or motion in my arms...it took about 7-8 months for me to fully "raise my arms in the air and swing 'em like i just dont care" 😂😂😂 but essentially at about 4 months i could do everything i was doing pre-PS except for the aforementioned arm-swinging. (oh and i was swollen/bloated, in lesser and lesser degrees - mostly in my abdomen - for about 6-7 months...but this didn't stop me from doing anything so i don't count it as something to recover from, if that makes sense?) my surgeon did all three (breast lift, arm lift and tummy tuck) all at the same time. it all depends on the surgeon and how long they are willing to keep u under, at what speed the work, if they will have an assistant, etc.. he told me he didn't want me under longer than 6 hours and that he could do all 3 within those hours. i believe i was in the recovery room in 5 and a half hours. i will say though that i was on the smaller side on surgery day (doc said i was the smallest person he's ever worked on)...so this may contribute to the shorter surgery time? i dunno... i had very very little actual fat to remove...it was basically just excess skin. the "material" he removed weighed a measley 400g . but oh what a difference 400g makes lol.

i felt for a chicken salad sandwich, but we had no bread, nor lettuce, boo. so chicken salad, a piece of bacon, and....rice! lol. 321 cals for the whole bowl, ate 1/2 for now. will eat the rest later.

i felt for a chicken salad sandwich, but we had no bread, nor lettuce, boo. so chicken salad, a piece of bacon, and....rice! lol. 321 cals for the whole bowl, ate 1/2 for now. will eat the rest later.

at 7 months my triumph/sv was reaching a my "revised" goal. i basically called goal 7 lbs above my original as i felt as i was looking way too skelator-ish. I was eating about less than 800 cals a day at the time and decided to start upping my cals. got to about 1500 cals 3 months later and settled into about 1800 today (5+ yrs later) ..,i was up to over 2300 at one point, but i was an exercise fiend during that era. i was exercising min 1 hour a day (sometimes twice a day) almost every day at the time. Today im at it 1-2 times a week. despite all this i weigh less today than both my original and revised goals. go figure. AND, i dont look skelator-ish at all. SCORE! lol WLS is still one of the best decisions i've made so far. Good Luck! ❤️

dupe.

dupe

i had 3 procedures done: arm lift, tummy tuck & breast lift. if i was told i could only choose 1, i'd pick arm lift every time. like u said, other areas are easily camouflaged by clothes/undergarments...but u cant hide ur arms in tank tops/short sleeves. ask ur surgeon what his thoughts are on ur results if you were to lose an additional 20-25 lbs AFTER an arm lift...it *may* be negligible? good luck! ❤️

not going to sugar coat it: recovery was not easy for me. i am not one to take pain meds, but i did after PS for almost 2 weeks. BUT: TOTALLY WORTH IT. I'd do it again for the results i got (even with the scarring - i scar terribly). I remember in the year after PS, i was all never again...im happy with my results and don't need anymore. NOW im contemplating doing something about my butt and my neck. hahhaa, never say never. PRO TIP: take your recovery easy and don't do too much too soon. I did not adhere to this and attempted to go running (TWICE!) too soon and busted open my stitches (TWICE!!)...which resulted in a longer overall recovery for me. 🙄

agreed!!!

wow that is one large kids size meal. what did the adult size look like?!?

the very first thought i had after waking up in the recovery room was: "YESSS! I'm alive!" ive read others thought the same thing, so as far as im concerned, its pretty par for the course. it's healthy to be cautious and experience fear (it's what keeps us alive most of the time!). but to be OVER-cautious to the point that it negatively impacts the quality of life of you or others around you, is not. for what its worth, from what you've said, and how your demeanour is expressed in your post, you sound like the healthy kind of scared. People may not always have the same thought processes as you, and they may also not always give you what you want from them. Find the ones who will. Or find a way to be cool with not getting what you want. Either works! Good Luck! p.s. my second thought was "omg my throat hurts!" 😂

i lost another 15+ lbs in the 6 months after i reached goal weight. i had to learn to get out of diet mode and into maintenance mode, which was unexpectedly difficult as i had a low-key fear of carbs and eating more and gaining all the 125 lbs i lost back in a one fell swoop, ha! anyway, i slowly ate more and more, but had a sort of physical limitation because i had very effective restriction, so i had to choose higher calorie, low volume foods. by the time my 2 yr post op mark hit, i gained back about 1/2 of the extra weight i lost. today, at 5+ yrs out, im still more or less the same weight. BUT my composition is different: i had more muscle mass percentage back then (because i was exercising much more recently then) so i am technically fatter now despite being the same weight. but i digress... anyhoo...short answer to ur question is eat more calories than u burn. it doesn't mean eat heaps and heaps of food, just choose higher calorie stuff: avocados, nuts, full fat cheese and dairy, olive oil, salmon or other oily fish, red meat, egg yolks, etc. ...and if you are able to practice moderation, chips (my go to was chicharron), chocolate, etc. if you can't practice moderation, then just don't bother going this route...slippery slope and all... you may lose more weight as u figure stiff out. though unless ur doc is worried, you probably don't need to either. oh, and no, i didn't meal prep, but i did grocery shop plan and execute to make sure i always had stuff at home i could eat/prepare. mind u i don't/didn't work outside the home so i was able to eat/cook on the fly. good luck! ❤️

some food porn for your viewing pleasure! i always always take pics of my food but haven't been posting much of them as i used to. here is a sample of what i've been eating the past couple weeks!

17 lbs in one month at your weight this far out i think is not the norm. have you lost further weight since august? i.e., what do u weigh now? aside: we are roughly the same stats (tho im 5+ yrs out) and while i have been known to drop 5 lbs unwittingly in a month, i've never experienced a 17 lbs drop in a single month since way back in my 1st or 2nd month post op...but i weighed over 200 lbs back then) hopefully your doc/team has some answers for u now? ❤️ also: are you eating enough calories to maintain your weight, do u know? i have found that i need to eat alot of low volume, high calorie stuff to meet my caloric maintenance needs (and yes, often times this includes items not necessarily on a "healthy" food diet)

i re-read your initial post, and picked up on this line that i missed the first time... are you saying you lost 17 lbs (from a weight of 137-145) in one month? i.e., you ended up weighing 120-128 at the end of said month?

im assuming they checked when they did ur labs, but putting it out there just in case: thyroid issues?