ms.sss

Tonite's baked item: Chewy Italian Ameretti Cookies! Ameretti cookies are by far my FAVOURITE COOKIE OF ALL TIME, and i used to always make the 40 min drive to my fave Italian bakery to get them. Tonite I made them myself for the first time, and they turned out pretty effing awesome *brushes imaginary dust of my shoulders*. 79 calories each. I ate a whole one. Here is the recipe I used. If you like almonds, or marzipan, or cripsy-on-the-outside-chewy-on-the-inside cookies, try this out! I reduced the sugar to 1 cup total, added 1/8 tsp almond extract, and roasted some whole almonds of which I pushed one into each cookie as they were set out to cool. Sooooo easy to make and soooooo yum. https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/chewy-amaretti-cookies/#wprm-recipe-container-10875

Most times I think Mr. is not really listening to me as I prattle away about this or that, but sometimes he reminds me that he is. A week or so ago I mentioned in passing that I miss eating a good bowl of poke and wondered if cauliflower rice would make an acceptable substitute. And tonite he brings home poke bowl take out with cauliflower rice for me. Awwwww, he does listen! LOL. It was/is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo yum, despite the fact it doesn't LOOK picture-ready. Shoyu salmon, spicy tuna, sweet shrimp & crab slaw over cauliflower rice, with shoyu sauce, yuzu mayo and what looks like every topping known to man (woman). It was unbelievably filling and I while it looks like I barely made I dent, I assure you I ate LOTS. My leftovers are in the fridge and I already declared HANDS OFF to all cuz I wanna eat more later. BTW, I thoroughly enjoyed looking up all the components in MyFitnessPal to come up with a calorie count (don't judge me). 521 calories for the whole thing. I probably ate 20-25% of it so far.

ooh i wanna do some glamping too before it gets too hot and mosquitio-y!!! Sounds like perfect Friday all right. Can I be one of your friends?!?!?!? But I may stay out a little longer.... ah yes...forgot about early morning runs when there is no one around but me and the birds...ahhhhhhhhh

I skipped the puree stage altogether....stayed on full liquids an extra week, then straight to soft foods. I tried to puree some beef once, took look and a whiff at the stuff, and was all um, no thanks. Though I did have cottage cheese as well as scrambled eggs made with lots of milk.

Oh my goodness, what AREN'T I looking forward to??? patio season dress weather driving with the windows/sunroof down and the music turned waaay up patio season daylight beyond 8pm smell of cut grass patio season walking to the corner store/grocery/coffee shop instead having to drive open toe shoes and pedicures ...did I mention patio season????

Snacktime! 25g of chicharron and some white vinegar, enjoyed outside on a lovely-ish afternoon (4ºC): 137 calories

I find that even with what a person is advised, there is still some tweaking to do at the individual level. There really is no one-size-fits-all method. I got to goal in 7 months as well (yay, goal sisters!), and it took me about 3-4 months to figure out what my maintenance calories were, eventually dropping another 12-15 lbs until I did. Granted, I have no real intention to get back up to that original goal weight, so am totally fine with losing those extra few lbs. For me, I credit my figuring stuff out by tracking everything (I recognize this isn't for everyone). Its in my nature to track/gather data, discover trends/patterns, fine tune stuff, etc....I'm anal like that. I figure i'll always have to be making adjustments (or make acceptances) and its just part of life. Always learning, always changing. Weight maintenance is no exception. Case(s) in point: I thought I knew what my no-exercise maintenance calories were, but obvs not. I also track my activity (well, at least when I had activity, sigh), and I realize I have greatly overestimated how many calories I burn during dedicated exercise....so PSA to those out there, don't but blind faith into your fitness trackers to tell you what your energy expenditure is. I also learned that ultra-low-carbing made little (if any) difference in my weight in the long term. All that my body seems to care about is total calories (though my stomach does still care about volume). In any case, kudos to you for recognizing an opportunity to tweak your behaviours and acting upon it. Eventually it will be second nature...until you have to tweak again. ❤️

On Fridays, I usually do an inventory of the perishable stuff in the fridge/pantry and cook stuff up before they go bad (or throw stuff out if they have). There was tofu, green onions and a bag of defrosted frozen clams on the need-to-use-now-list. So I give you: Agedashi Tofu, and Fried Clams w/ homemade cocktail sauce (who knew it was just ketchup and horseradish? not me.) I had 2 pieces of the tofu, and 5 clams: 145 calories.

Yasssssss!!

Even cheaper than that. An "in-better-shape" property has gone for 10-25K, but then renovations would probably bring it closer to 100-150K. Still a sweet deal though. Plus, ITALY. https://www.case1euro.it/ https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/italy-one-euro-home-buyers/index.html

LOL, yeah, not even on a Friday afternoon at the desks. But once we left the office, it was fair (and big) game. ... the more i learn, the more I realize I grew up on the wrong continent. I wonder if they are still selling those 1 euro parcels of land in Italy???

I had my first couple sips of wine 3 weeks post op. I had maybe 5-6 drinks the entire time I was in weight loss phase (and not even close to a full serving each time). Note: my weight loss phase was 7 months total. I took an NSAID a few times in the first month, but none since. Also, I think you are correct about the diff in surgeries. One of the reasons I chose sleeve was because I wanted to continue with NSAIDs with no issue (but jokes on me, I didn't need them anymore). Pot: I tried to smoke a joint in the first week after surgery cuz I didn't want to take pain meds (gives me constipation), and after 1 drag, I had an unbearable coughing fit that felt like I was busting my stitches, so that was the end of that. Didn't have any until almost 2 years later. Nicotine: I was smoke free for over 10 years until 2019 (1 year post-op) when I started again on vacation. Kinda regret that, but obviously not enough because I'm still smoking today.

My doc never told me to crush pills, I just tried it myself ONCE to try to make it going down easier (around week 2). All that did was just make it come back UP easier. YUCK. Swallowed them all whole ever since (with the exception of my calcium chewables when i discovered them...tastes like chocolate carmels, YUM).

My NUT said 50% veggies, 25% protein, 25% starch, and to aim for .6g of protein for every lb of body weight (for me at my current weight that is ~65g). With that said, I'm doing my own thing: Aim for 60g of protein (which I reach maybe 80% of the time) and total calories around 1800-2000 calories during "normal" times*. I no longer concern myself with carb nor fat amounts. Though truth be told, I don't think I was ever really concerned about fat amounts, so long as I was under whatever calorie level I was aiming for at any given time. *Am currently attempting to find am acceptable calorie level as I have been out of commission on the exercise front for about a month due to injury. Am going on about a month of ZERO exercise and in an attempt to avoid any weight gain, reduced calories to about 1200-1400...but this is too low as I lost 6lbs in the last 4 weeks. Still trying to figure it out. P.S. I'm a sleeve, 2.5 years out from surgery, and almost 2 years into maintenance. I've maintained my weight +/- 5 lbs this entire time.

Hi! I went through a period of reeeeaaaaalllly thin hair starting around 3 months post op. I'm 2.5 years out and its all back. YMMV.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I'll answer anyway. Note: I am only 2.5 years out...and I'm a sleeve. alcohol ? YES, regulary nicotine ? YES, regulary weed ? YES, partook probably once a week last summer, none since then. Nsaids ? YES, for 1 month post WLS, but none since cuz I didn't need them anymore. So far so good. P.S. Not to say that I am encouraging nor discouraging any of the above, just stating my experience. YMMV.

Heeeyyyy! Those pants look awesome! I never thought to get looser-fitting faux leather pants/leggings cuz I figured it would look trash-baggy. Now I see that I was wrong! Off to go shopping for zippered-fly fauxs... P.S. I love the shoes too. P.P.S. This thread continues to take shots on my credit card.

Yay! do you have more consults lined up? My insignificant suggestion would be to get 1 or 2 more since the two you already had where on opposite ends. Also, another suggestion would be to look into the type of incision each doc would employ. I had a straight line one done and while it's hidden just fine in regular bikini bottom, the ends of the incision can be seen if I wear a high cut one. If the leg-lengthening bikini bottom is in your future, you may want to look into the v-incision...i've seen others who had this type and would have gotten it myself, had I known it existed. Seriously excited for you! (I love all things PS, lol).

ahhhhh...just goes to show how different cultures are. Drinking during business hours (including lunchtime) would be unheard of when I was still working, let alone within the confines of the office walls. I may need to consider relocating to Europe so I can live amongst "my people" 😎

Yeah, I figured I would get a few concerned reactions. But it's all good, everyone's got their own stance on drinking. No bigs. As an aside, according to what bit of (north american) literature I've read, women who drink 8+ drinks a week (men, 15+) are considered alcoholics/excessive drinkers/abusers-of-alcohol. Which makes me and all my BFF's alcoholics these days, and my husband, and his friends, and more than half of my extended family...oh, and our next-door and back neighbours too (which we discovered last summer, when we were all in our yards...drinking.) P.S. We were in Italy, and there was an assortment of wine bottles every morning at the breakfast buffet. Which at first surprised me, but eventually accepted as pretty cool😂

Thanks, i have to get all my labs done every six months since surgery (except for the first year when I had it done every 3, then after 5 yrs supposed to be once a year). Im assuming this is done during my appointments, but I’ll ask at my next one in a couple months.

I had a breast reduction covered by insurance 15 or so years ago (i.e., pre-WLS). And yeah, it was covered because of back pain (I had huge boobs for my frame). Note: I'm in Canada and it was covered by my provincial insurance, dunno if that makes a difference one way or the other.... Fast forward to post-WLS, and I had a breast lift which wasn't covered by insurance. Though I also had a tummy tuck which was partially covered. Insurance paid for the panniculectomy portion of the procedure and I paid the rest (i.e., muscle tightening and lipo to flanks). To get these covered, I had to report my "issues" to my PCP and get his referral.

yeah, I had actually quit smoking for over 10 years until a trip to Europe in 2019 and started again there. Everyone we met smoked, so I was all, fine. I'll take that cigarette you keep offering me. And here we are 1.5 years later, like I never even stopped. But yeah, I should really quit one day....

Thanks, I often wonder about that...though if I had an addiction, its probably already been transferred. To drinking, smoking, cooking, shopping, exercising, screen time, spreadsheet making, vacation planning, pouring over the forums of BariatricPal. All activities one person or other have commented I do too much of. *shrugs* P.S. oh, and forgot to include: counting calories and weighing myself every morning.

There are a few controversial topics that get some strong (and not-so-strong) opinions/responses on this forum. Alcohol consumption is one of them. With that said, I am a maintainer and a regular drinker. Aside: I have mixed feelings about saying this even as I type this, as I don't want to inadvertently influence someone to drink if they are of the type who may spiral. I often drop hints about my drinking habits in more light-hearted threads (i.e., the food thread or the clothes thread), but in threads specifically asking about alcohol by those in the early stages, I have pause. But, we are all adults here and can make our own choices, so here goes: Prior to WLS, I didn't drink regularly, but if/when I did, I drank ALOT. Think sloppy drunk. It was always at parties or nights out, and never at home (if we hosted parties, I'd drink, but not get drunk cuz I mean, I had hosting responsibilities after all, LOL). During weight loss phase, I must have drank maybe 5-6 times the entire time. And it was very little, less than 1/4 of a single serving, if that. The first time I drank after surgery was 3 weeks post op. I had 2 sips of red wine at a party, and it was weird...I remember feeling the liquid in my stomach and the warmth of it travel through my intestines and I got surprisingly tipsy for so little that I drank. The second time I had a drink was 3-4 sips of a soju-sake concoction around 1-2 months post op and I had the most horrible dumping experience soon after. Like laying on the bathroom floor horrible. It was the sugar in it. The handful of times I drank after that (during weight loss phase) I stuck to gin/vodka sodas & dry red wine. I was definitely affected with just a few sips, and the effects wore off pretty quickly. Now, lets talk maintenance. Freed from having to stay under a self-imposed calorie limit, I drank more. I drank more often than I did pre-op, but less overall, even including my occasional pre-op benders. I no longer only got to sloppy level when I drank, but to just a good buzz. And again, only when I was out and about. I'd say I had maybe 1-3 drinks a week. I still got buzzed relatively quickly (less than one full drink), and the effects did not last long (less than an hour). There were maybe 4-5 times I got pretty trashed during this time (i'm guessing on like 5-6 drinks), all while on some vacation or other, and once at a wedding. Then came lockdown in March last year. I was about 1.5 years out when Covid reared its ugly head, and just under a year into maintenance. My drinking increased exponentially over a couple months. These days, I drink at least one drink a day (usually two, occasionally much more, on those nights we have an extended dinner seating time, or when it was patio season last summer). Now according to the literature I have read, based on volume alone, I am an alcoholic. Go figure. Am I concerned? Honestly nowadays, not really. I did contemplate it in the beginning, especially cuz Mr would keep bringing up how my drinking has increased (in a joking way mostly...but he should talk, he drinks every day too. Almost always has...his drinking also increased with Covid. Granted, he has more mass than I do and has the metabolism of a hummingbird). It's been almost a year of this daily drinking now, and while I believe I could benefit from cutting down, I don't see it as an issue at the moment in terms of any decrease in quality of life or my own safety or the safety of those around me (but I suppose this is what anyone who drinks would say). We'll see. Back in the summer we agreed that each person in the house can call a "dry day" at any point and everyone must abide to no drinking that day. Though to date, no one has called it. That probably speaks to the mentality we got going on here, lol. I did a couple "dry weeks" on my own accord months ago, just to prove to Mr. & myself I didn't have a problem...these weeks went by uneventfully, but I'm not sure if it really proved anything. Very long story short, while I'm not advocating nor discouraging drinking either way to anyone, as with anything else in life, the hope is that you can be self-aware enough to know what YOUR acceptable limits are and try to stay within them. Sorry this was so long. Good Luck ❤️ P.S. In case you were wondering, I have pretty much maintained my weight (115 lbs +/- 5lbs) this entire time. Last year I reached my acceptable upper limit (120 lbs for more than 3-4 days in a row) twice and then switched gears to get back to 115. First time took me 3-4 weeks, second time took me 3-4 months (granted, I didn't try very hard). Today I am actually 6 lbs under my "normal", BUT I'm in transition at the moment as I've had zero exercise for about a month due to injury and i'm trying to offset that with a reduction in calories...and yeah, I haven't found the right level yet...so this is temporary, as far as I'm concerned. BUT I'm still drinking, lol, am just having less dessert 😜 P.P.S. I also smoke. But that's a whole other topic...