ms.sss

oh the Weight-Loss-Phase-Constipation-Woes. I feel you. I was chronically constipated for months after surgery. I developed a regimen of adding 2 tsps of Benefibre to my protein shakes twice a day, drinking tons of water, and exercising/moving regularly. And if i hadn't pooped in 4-5 days i'd take a dose of Senokot or similar. If i still didn't go after more than week, then it was time for a glycerin suppository...which usually did the trick (only 2-3 times did i have to do 2 suppositories) I did notice it got better when i started eating more veggies and fat (i was mostly just eating protein during weight loss phase). Now i no longer do the daily Benefibre and poop pretty regularly every 3-4 days (which is a huge departure of having to poop 2+ times a day pre-wls). I only get constipated now during/after vacations...but i think thats because i have an irrational need to only poop at home lol!

👆🏼Full. Stop. I had hair loss (now my hair is flowy, full and fab at 4.5+ years post op). I had regular foamies, still do on the rare occasion, when i eat too fast or too much...but thats my own fault. I would dump, again my own fault, by consuming too much sugar...so i try not to do that. I had nighttime reflux, now controlled by going to bed on empty stomach, and taking the lowest dosage anti-reflux med. No more HBP nor cholesterol pills. No longer pre-diabetic. My liver is normal sized. My joints don't hurt. My feet nor back don't hurt. I am no longer always catching my breath. I am the fittest and healthiest i have been since my 20's (im 50 now). I have the confidence of a stuck up, the patience/chill of a zen master, and the energy of someone half my age. I am often front and centre in pictures (if i can help it lol.) I eat whatever i want (mind u what i want is sorta different now), in smaller quantities, and am perfectly happy with it. Life. Is. Good. So yeah, pros > cons. Good Luck! ❤️

im with u for ur entire list of post-wls habits, with the exception of this one above 👆🏼. I actually LOVE looking at old photos of big me now that im not big anymore. It was when i was still big that i didn't like looking at them.

not sure what u would classify as a "normal" meal...cuz i dont think i had what would be characterized as a "normal" (small-portioned) meal until after maintenance, for reals. but if ur asking when i first ate something not liquidy nor mushy...it was probably around 1-2 months and if i remember correctly, it was a fried shrimp.

we are/were ALMOST surgery-stat twins. i was 46 when i had my sleeve in 2018, i'm 5'2" and weighed 235 lbs 2 weeks before surgery...so a BMI of 43. Yours is 44.3, so yeah, ALMOST-twins! I got to goal around 7 months, and yes i has saggy skin. For me though, i had little underlying fat so it wasn't so much rolly-looking, but more like wrinkled-lumpy-bedsheet-looking. what fixed it? plastic surgery (i had a tummy tuck, arm lift and breast lift). my butt is pretty saggy still, and "hangs low" lol, but i can live with it. also the vertical skin lines on my neck gives away how old i am now but i can also live with it...sort of, ha! (in the link to collage below, the last two pics in the middle row are me 2 and 3 months before plastics. the last row is entirely post-plastics. i keep meaning to update this collage with more recent ones, as im 4.5+ years post-wls, but im lazy! i am still basically the same weight just not as defined anymore...i don't exercise nearly as much as i did back then.)

Not a new one, just a re-validation of previously-enjoyed one: I LOST weight on vacation. I've been on a few getaways in the past 12 months, and each time I come back, i'm always lighter than when i left (after i get rid of all my obligatory vacation-constipation backup of course, lol). I remember pre-surgery i would always come home 5-ish lbs heavier (even after a good poop) Guess this means i should go on vacation more! P.S. i also almost always eventually gain back the weight lost, but still!

i'm 4.5 yrs post op now, so NSV's come few and far between, but every now and then a new one will pop up: yesterday i was sitting on a chair scrolling through my phone when i dropped it in my lap. i shut my thighs to catch it, it landed on one if my thighs, then it slipped right through between them and fell to the floor. my knees felt a little knocked, and i was thinking damn, i hope my apple-care warranty is still valid, then i realized whoa, my thighs are smaller than i think. p.s. my phone is ok! 😂

i'm 5'2", started at 235 at beginning of 2wk pre-op diet. was 223 on surgery day (12 lbs lost during 2wk pre-op diet) lost 21 lbs month 1 lost 17 lbs month 2 then roughly 10 lbs a month after that until goal (127 lbs) at 7 months post op im 4.5 years post op and clocked in at 121.1 lbs this morning (though i haven't pooped in like 6 days so im literally full of sh*t again lol) i know i actually weigh less but we'll have to wait till the poop fairy comes to know exactly what that is!)

this is true 😂

for dinner: leftovers in a take out container! a small slice of ribeye, teeny spoonfuls of spinach & mushrooms (drenched in butter omg) and a sad little piece of baked potato. this was leftover from mr.'s dinner last night and he didn't want to take it home (it's not worth it, he said). well, i insisted and i got me a nice dinner tonight, HA! estimated 186 calories (ate it all, yum!)

i think frequent hair washing (with shampoo) is more an issue for your scalp than your actual hair. i only "wash" my hair with shampoo maybe once every 1-2 weeks. all other times in the shower i "wash" with conditioner only (google co-washing). honestly nothing is going to prevent the hair that means to fall out from not falling out. you may delay it a bit (dont wash, dont brush, dont rub, don't tie up, etc). but its really just delaying the inevitable. enjoy your vacation, your hair will sort out eventually ❤️

mine started at 3 months post-op. cut off all my hair into a pixie because i hated seeing my scalp AND vacuuming up the CARPETS of hair accumulating in my bathroom. The Great Shedding stopped about 3 months after it started. im 4.5+ years out now and i have a full head of under-boob length hair that actually seems thicker & healthier than it was pre-surgery (probably due to my better diet and overall health) and it even has a wave to it now, which was unexpected, but appreciated lol. I didn't take any sort of supplement nor do anything special to my routine other than the haircut. Basically just waited it out. Good Luck, and hang in there!

My Fitness Pal, the premium version...which i keep meaning to cancel as i dont really need/use the extra features anymore. The free version would be just fine

another day another salad: 350 calories for the bowl.

more salad for lunch. they all look the same, don't they?? 😂 good thing i love salad. 343 calories for lettuce, chicken, figs and greek dressing:

felt like a burger tonite. 1/2 a five guys little bacon cheeseburger and some fries and ketchup. 564 calories for the plate (saucer). Mr. ate the leftovers. its really quite fascinating that he isnt overweight at all given all the food he eats for me.

so cute! (and presumably YUMMY!!) happy birthday GT's BF!

salad for dinner! lettuce, chicken and other stuff 310 calories, ate it all.

late lunch: toast w/ turkey, havarti, and tomatoes (w/ mayo, olive oil, basil and balsamic) 260 calories, ate it all.

dinner: panzenella salad, yum! 386 cals for the bowl. (i normally cut up the buratta and drizzle balsamic on it, but it wouldn't have made a pretty picture so i left the buratta in one chunk and added the balsamic after i took the pic) ate about 1/2 of it. again, so yum!!

breakfast of champions (ok not really lol) : chicharron i have not been eating much lately and felt i needed a calorie boost. this tiny snack tupperware cup of 3 peices of the stuff is 111 calories. (my cat sorta photobombed the shot haha)

methinks perhaps they aren't actually sugar-free....

i hear ya. i've been known to have a bowl of popcorn for dinner.

Bulgogi and lettuce (intended to make lettuce wraps but these leaves were too small! 😂) 305 calories for the bowl (ate about 1/2)

finally got a chance to eat something today (gym, vet appt and grocery shopping kept me occupied until now). anyway i was "starving" by the time i got home and i seriously wolfed this down: 1/2 a bagel w/ butter, havarti, and a dollop of labneh: 348 calories and ate it all!