ms.sss

k. i did ultra low carb (<25 NET g per day), aimed to get 60g protein per day and just let the fat fall where it may that kept me under a certain calorie level. I have no idea what diet that would called. maybe calorie-restricted-modified-Atkins-2?? ...but im going to say this (and i know there will be opposing positions to it!): beyond the initial drop in weight when going low-carb, in MY experience, macro makeup has little influence on long-term weight loss than calorie deficit does. try different tactics, and find out what works for YOU. not everyone will respond the same way to a particular "diet". Good Luck! ❤️

i have a funny story (and also my favourite story to tell) as well about not being recognized: Me and Mr. went to a wedding about 8 months post op. One of my fave uncles of his was there and we went to go say hi (we hadn't seen him since xmas about 6 months prior). Normally when we see each other we talk each other up and joke about this and that like old beer buddies. This time he was oddly cold to me, not looking me in the eye and def not his jovial self. Weird. After the ceremony he came running up to me and put me in a big bear hug and lifted me off the ground, apologizing profusely. Apparently he angrily asked his wife who the h*ll this woman was with Mr. and why the eff did he bring her to a family wedding. He assumed me and Mr. broke up and skinny me was the new stupid girlfriend, and proclaimed he was NOT interested in interacting with him and said new girlfriend at this wedding 😂😂😂😂 ...at least i know whose side he'd be on if Mr. and i were ever to divorce!

i admit, had to look it up: par·a·gon /ˈperəˌɡän/ noun a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality. "it would have taken a paragon of virtue not to feel viciously jealous" i've got a new Word of the Day! now to try to figure out how to slip it into casual conversation later... 😂

first, an exclamation: wow! so flat! even with the swelling!! you're gonna have fab end results!! second, an answer to your question: i think i had swelling for about 8-9 months? but the majority of it lessened by about month 4-5. just a little bit of annoying swelling continued for another few months after that...noticeable only to me (and to Mr., who i forced daily to look at me from the side and to place a hand on my stomach and give me his opinion on the swelling, ha! ) and lastly: where did you get that black elasticized hip contraption??? not only brilliant and useful (i wish i had that when i was wearing drains!), but also kinda flattering for some reason?! lol 😂

food for thought: when u were obese and (i assume) eating larger amounts of food, do u remember how it felt to have people watch or stare at you and look on in amazement as u ate? can u remember how it felt when you got unsolicited advice about your appearance and mealtime habits? if it didn't happen or you don't remember, can u imagine? were you sad, angry, annoyed, embarrassed? ...now with that in mind, approach (or don't approach) your sister and enjoy yourself at family gatherings ❤️

ha! got my mitts onto the halloween candy in the foyer waiting to doled out tonight! chips, chocolate and some nuts (nuts from the pantry, not the halloween bucket lol) 418 calories, ate it all. (can i say how much easier it is to eat chips and candy vs my lunch 🙄)

first meal of day: biscuit, eggs, some of my homemade "moon cheese" (there was a thread about it yesterday and of course i had to make some!) now, i don't know why i continue to make 2 eggs whenever i feel for egg's because 90% of the time i just end up eating one of them, but there you go. 426 calories, and all the cheese and 1/2 of the rest.

I was officially 4 years post op last week, and i was gonna go do a 4-yr anniversary post with pics, but alas i got lazy. So for now here is my OOTD at 4 years, 6 days post op, wearing my laze-about-at-home clothes (when its too hot to wear a shirt, lol). Surgery Oct 2018 - 235 lbs Goal May 2019 - 127 lbs Today Oct 2022 - 119.2 lbs

meals on the weekends are often junky cuz its mr.'s turn to cook and he usually ends up ordering take out if we don't go out! so today it was pizza and wings! 436 calories. Ate the 3 wings & hot sauce, and 1/2 the pizza slice. Ugh. i feel stuffed (it was the pizza crust...they ordered it extra thick)

i've tried a couple flavours of moon cheese and it just didn't do it for me...i found them kinda heavy, if that makes sense. greasy without being greasy? i make my own version which i much prefer...grate some cheese (i use a cheddar and parm mix), sprinkle in a hot pan and melt. sometime i leave them flat like discs, and other time i clump em up into balls. let em cool, and then...YUM. yes, it requires effort, but it's delicious! and you know exactly what's in 'em! 💪🏼

the fruits of my boredom baking this morning: BISCUITS! I ate the one in my hand: 216 calories YUUmnmmm...warm biscuits....

omg i was a notoriously slow eater during weight loss phase. it used to take me an hour to an hour and a half the first few months (despite the fact that i ate fractions of fractions of those around me). i learned to eat slowly by necessity. if i didn't, i would be in pain (or barf). turned myself into a grazer, and still basically am 4 yrs post. nowadays it takes me about 30 mins to eat about a cup of food in volume...but usually what i don't finish i'll get to later after some digestion.

yeah, they do that here too!

i brought some beef jerky with me during weight loss phase. nowadays i just eat the popcorn from somebody else's bag, lol...its not worth getting a bag for myself. im 4 years out.

slept in this morning (very uncharacteristic of me...im am early bird thu and thru!) ...so first meal of day is coming in pretty late: homemade chicken soup with pasta shells, topped with crispy fried onions: 292 calories, ate it all. This is an instance of me just guessing the calories since i was too lazy to input the recipe into MFP, and i didn't trust the cal counts of the ones already listed in their database. close enough!!

5 wisdom teeth!! you are super rare! I had 4 removed in my 20's (under general as well). now that i think of it, recovery from that was pretty rough too. (i must have blocked that memory!! lol) my jaw was HUGE with swelling. i had trouble swallowing (so my throat was sooooo painfully dry) and of course i couldn't eat. if i remember correctly i didn't eat for over a week and lost 10+ lbs...and i was like 115-120 lbs to begin with so i looked pretty wrecked.

snack (or second dinner? lol) im on an oatmeal love-fest these days after having it for the first time in YEARS last week! another first: eating raw bananas. i've had banana bread, cooked banana desserts, but i haven't had an actual as-is banana since before surgery four years ago. verdict: its kinda filling and im afraid the amount i ate, combined with the brown sugar i added to the oatmeal, may be enough to send me on a minor dumping episode shortly. oh well. 331 calories for the bowl, i ate pretty much all the oatmeal, and about 1/2 the banana. given the way im feeling now, bananas are off the menu again.

dinner: salad 🥗 215 calories for the bowl, ate about 2/3 of it.

no c-section, but i did have a tummy tuck. wls was waaaaaaaaaaay more tolerable than the TT.

lunch: bagel with butter, eggs & cheese. 546 calories (which seems like alot of cals, no??) Ate all the cheese and half of the rest.

weight loss didn't change my relationship per se, but it did change me, which did affect my relationship (among other things) for the better: i'm more confident, less tired, less annoyed, more patient. sex? also for the better (see reasons above, ha!) but i'll also add: im more limber/bendy lol.

looking fab! (my crop tops are in use all year long !)

omg yes. sleeping (or ever just sitting and getting up from a seated/laying position) after tummy tuck was the WORST! congrats on the TT btw, it will get better soon enough and it will be AMAZING!

yeah, in MY experience, going keto/low-carb is very effective for losing weight rapidly in a relatively short amount of time. BUT...maintaining this lifestyle long term is challenging for most (not all, but MOST) The problem with us as a community has always been KEEPING the weight OFF (i mean how many times in the past have we lost a bunch of weight only to gain it back, and sometimes plus more) So when most (not all!) get to the keto/low-carb burnout phase, or just slowly let things slide, there needs to be another plan in place to maintain one's current weight and usually thats just finding your own balance of calories and activity level...and make that your lifestyle. P.S. not to say that Keto/low-carb is not an unattainable lifestyle choice. i have several friends who have done this for many years (and one who's been at it for over 20 years!) ...interestingly enough none of whom have ever been obese...not sure if there is a correlation there...