ms.sss

0mg, no..that would have been unbearable. We were in full lockdown from March-June, the we got a bit or a reprieve in varying degrees, but then back to lockdown just after xmas until yesterday. Hopefully we are in the beginning of the end 🤞🏼 P.S. my hair is like black-brown, lol (with some hints of grey...😜

We were in full lockdown up until yesterday. Now we are in “grey” state, which is one step below full lockdown. i.e., some more stuff is allowed to open, but with capacity restrictions, and we now “allowed” to go out beyond essential services & “exercise”. Sigh.

I'm afraid nothing will spare you from 100% of the skin drooping, but *my* mantra for taking care of your skin (obese, formerly obese, or never-obese) is moisturize, drink lots of water, and wear sunscreen. Good Luck!

In attempt to address the growing cabin fever in our household (and because it was such a sunny cloudless day yesterday), we decided to take a family road trip to the....Liquor Store. LOLOLOOLzzzz. But not just any liquor store, but the downtown, lakeshore-facing flagship liquor store for all of Ontario*, natch. This should have been a pic of both me and the Kid, but Mr. was embarrassed to be seen with us and left the area quickly before we could coerce him into taking our pic (he really should be used to our shenanigans by now). So yeah, that's me and Snoop Dogg, lololzzzz. Who'd of thunk he had a line of wines, haha. (That cardboard cut out was just screaming to be taken a pic with!) * <!--- BEGIN Breakout FYI ---> In Ontario, all liquor sales and distribution is controlled by the Provincial government. Outside of small batch breweries/wineries/distilleries, you can only buy liquor/beer from government owned and controlled retail liquor stores. On the bright side though, since the government controls it, the stores were deemed an essential service, and have stayed open throughout pandemic....AND they now have same-day delivery. The only thing though is that they introduced Monday closures province wide, which means that Sundays are really BUSY, lol. <!--- END Breakout FYI --->

It really depends on the person. I've seen many on here whose scars have basically disappeared in a couple months (looking at you @sillykitty & @mousecat88)...and others whose scars stick around for what seems like forever (looking at me, lol). I have had scars stick around for 5-6-7...10 years but all eventually heal enough so they are virtually invisible. Takes a while but they all get there eventually....my breast reduction scars from 2005 had just healed to near invisibility around 2017 (12 years!)...and then I got a breast lift, and I restarted the clock, lol. But will toot the steroid shots horn again though: I had shots in November and then again in January and wow, the difference is amazing. I'll try to post a pic later when I'm not so lazy....

If I wasn't sleeping (which was most of the time), I was walking. I didn't even spend any time on my phone (which is very unlike me). I packed a whole bunch of stuff that didn't even make it out of the bag. The only thing I did use that I brought were throat spray (for dry mouth), crocs (for walking the halls) and lip balm. On the ride home, I used the small pillow I brought to hold against my tum for when we drove over bumps. I didn't even use the toothbrush/toothpaste I brought (too tired)...and had stank mouth as a result, lol.

Would you believe I've never had crawfish??? Am assuming they taste like a cross between lobster and shrimp? How do you eat them? Do you peel them like shrimp or eat them whole like soft shell crab?

Can still be salvageable though, if u can’t exchange...cut into shorts/romper? With a wide belt to tuck in the extra fabric pooling at the sides of the torso away?

That's it. From now on, I'm making EVERYTHING mini!! Made some biscuits this morning and I had a little bit of dough left over that wasn't quite big enough to make a regular-sized portion, so I split it half and made two mini ones. OMMMGGG....they are sooooooooo cute! (...and delicious...but more cute, lol) Fried up an egg, cut it in half and sandwiched the halves in each biscuit. Each one is roughly 2 inches in diameter: 218 calories for both. I already ate one and am waiting it for it do digest before I start on the second one. Did i mention they are so CUTE?!?!?

I like the colour palette, but its waaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too big on you! Looks to me you need something 3 or 4 sizes smaller.

...further to this: in my case (i'm 2+ years out), I have this nagging feeling that I spend way too much time on here (that, and Mr. often remarks that I spend way too much time on here 🙄) that the idea of just "moving on" may be in part behind the lack of longer-term vets. The majority of the discussions on here are more catered to newbies or those just entering maintenance (and, as you said those vets that are looking to address issues), and there is only so many number of times one can say "it's normal" before it just loses its lustre. Though I did thoroughly appreciate the thoughts and comments of the few longer-timers when I was first coming up, so I use that as a reason to stick around (that, and I'm totally addicted, lol).

Definitely island beach appropriate....I can imagine it flowing in the breeze. So what are YOU going to wear??

Yep, when I was younger and thinner I had a non-issue neck. Then I gained weight and I suppose any aging/slackening of the skin in that area was camouflaged by the excess fat. Fast forward to after weight loss and my neck was actually the first thing (after an arm lift) that I realllllllyyyyyy wanted to get done. Didn't end up getting it done as it didn't bother me as much after a while, but now I think it looks odd. Its not so very flappy nor droopy (but it is definitely NOT firm), and I have these weird vertical lines of skin that makes it look like I have a giant hole in my neck (see 1st pic below), and it gets more prominent when I'm smiling. Weird. Depending on your age/genes/amount of weight lost, the degree of sag will vary. You won't really know how your neck will fare until you get to your desired weight. Of course there is always face/neck lifts. I've also recently read that botox is injectable into the neck muscles (I didn't know this!) that results in a firming look. Will be asking about this at my consult next week. See second pic below of a before/after pic I lifted from a random site. So there is hope...(I hope!) P.S. I'm 50 this year.

Some suggestions: buy smaller amounts? only buy food that you really want to eat? pre-portion groceries into cute containers and freeze them? (same goes for already made food)? IF you can muster the patience to maybe cook even just once a week, or every two weeks, you can whip up a sh*tload of food, portion and freeze. Then just take out what you need when you need it. Also, regarding bringing measuring cups to restaurants....a long time ago a member posted these she used. These would probably be a little more portable than actual measuring cups.... https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/portionmate-meal-portion-control-rings-nutrition-tool Good Luck! ❤️

@catwoman7 Hey! I have a consultation with a facial plastic surgeon in 2 weeks!!! Its was sort of a what-the-hell appointment-making just to see if i produce interest. I have a derma-fillers consult next week which I am more leaning towards (cuz my history of poor scar healing kinda puts me off on doing any further surgery on my face)...we shall see.

Seriously I would love to have you all over for a meal (and drinks!) if the stars ever align....

Lopping off inches of hair can be quite traumatic, no? This style flatters your face shape and makes you neck look long...plus it puts your fab clavicles on display! P.S. If you tell me your hair is naturally that curly I will cry self-centred tears.

Sharp. Now you are Prince Harry with an edge. 😎

I love friends like these ❤️

Lunch from earlier: Salad. Doesn't it look even MORE delicious cuz its OUTSIDE?!?! So sunny today I had to take it out back to eat. Didn't last long out there (too cold), but still. Ate it all: 238 calories. Dinner: mushrooms, asparagus, a slice of bacon and scallops. Mr. was the chef tonite. It was DELICIOUS. Ate it all again: 282 calories (this includes an espresso martini, not shown)

If you are comfortable with it, I would suggest speaking with the surgeon again. Get the REAL down low about the reasons why it has to be done in 2 surgeries (if at all). The surgeon's decision overrides them all.

Is there a reason they want to do 2 surgeries? can they do both surgeries at once? That would greatly reduce the price....

@Recidivist: Um, are you aging backwards? I remember a post of a pic you posted a while back of you standing in a plaza or sorts (wearing pretty cool socks, if I recall correctly) and you look much younger in this pic than what I remember from that old one. I always thought losing weight made people look older, but I am seeing more and more evidence that this is just not the case all the time. Nice! Also: congrats on your efforts, you look pretty amazing (and happy ❤️)