ms.sss

Hi @Yahoo! so i was updating your info in my trusty spreadsheet, but the info provided in the above two posts don't line up exactly...can you confirm the full details so i have the right info? 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE, HEIGHT 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery 8. Type of Surgery (Sleeve, ByPass, etc...)

keep trying different ways of drinking water until you find one that you can tolerate...and even when you do find one way that works, you find that later on it doesn't and you need to find another type/kind. I started off with room temp water for about a week (just worked out that way cuz i carried around a water bottle that i took microsips from and it just ended up being room temp lol) then switched to warm/hot water for about 2 months cuz that's all i could stand. i found i could drink much much more at a hotter temp vs cold. then warm/hot fell out of favour, and i HAD to have it ice, ice cold...with like crushed ice in it even (not cubed, CRUSHED!). this went on for another couple months. then i was all about carbonated water (like perrier), and i drank just that until i reached goal and for several months afterwards. now i don't seem to have a glaring preference, but i do seem to lean towards ice water, if i had to pick one.

i had low grade anxiety the morning of surgery. i remember a nano-second of PURE PANIC literally just before i was knocked out. I remember them telling me to count down from 100 (or was it 10?)...i got to like 97 (or 7..) and felt myself starting to freak out. the last thing i (sorta) remember was 95 (or 5??) next thing i knew i was waking up in the recovery room and my very first thought was "YEESSSSSSSS!!! I'M ALIVE!!!!!". the relief of it all allowed me to ignore whatever pain i may or may not have been in. when i did finally register pain, it was manageable. i took the hard stuff pain meds during my 1 day stay at hospital. i was sent home with an Rx for more, but didn't fill it...i was fine with just Tylenol. best description of it would be it felt like i did a ridiculous number of situps...more of an ache than a pain, if that makes sense. so yeah, alot of us had at least some level of fear/anxiety/trepidation. only way is through it! good luck ❤️

omg i just had a PTSD flashback.

well...funny how reading about others' drinking frequency seems to make me think i'm not that problematic after all? i was under the impression that i drank alot...but i guess daily drinking is not that uncommon????

ok, gonna throw my story on the table...take from it as you will, as a lesson to live by, a cautionary tale, or a personal justification...you choose. pre surgery i was also a weekend warrior, actually, more like a yearly quarterly warrior, lol. i had like a couple drinks every 2-3 months. probably got stupid drunk once a year or less. during weight loss phase (which lasted 7 months) i had maybe 5 partial drinks. i don't think i finished any of those drinks. my first "drink" was 3 weeks post op. I had maybe 2-3 sips of a glass of red wine. it was really weird, i swear i could feel the burning of the alcohol pass down my esophagus, through my stomach and along my intestines. my second drink was about 1 month later (christmas) and it was a very sugary soju-sake drink. again i had maybe 2-3 sips but this one resulted in my second worst dumping experience ever. *shudder*. the next 3 or so drinks were vodka or gin sodas (learned my lesson! less sugar!) ok. now its 2019, im in maintenance and i'm looking hawt and feeling awesome and me and mr. go on a couple vacations and i drink way more than i normally do. but its vacation, right? so its ok. i also took up smoking again after being smoke free for 10 years (but thats another story). now its 2020 and its effing covid, and i, like many others i know started drinking at home (i never did this before, i was always a go-out drinker) ...and now its 2024 and i drink every day. i don't get stupid drunk every day or anything (not that i'm trying to justify anything - i fondly call myself a high-functioning alcoholic), but i do drink every day. its at a point where others (i.e., my doctors and my hubs) are chastising me with the amount i drink. i know i drink too much and its probably doing a number on my health despite nothing showing up on any of my labs or whatever. i quit drinking for a month last year because my son said i couldn't stop drinking for a week. so i know i can stop (or at least slow down) if i really wanted to. trouble is i don't seem to really want to. last year, my OBGYN said i really should stop smoking AND drastically cut down the amount i drink. i told her i'm not sure i could do both, so i made her a deal and said i would stop smoking. i'm proud to say i have been smoke free for 9 months (after smoking for 4 years after quitting for 10, after smoking for 20...say that ten times fast, lol). its been surprisingly easy, but i think its because i can still drink. ANYWAY. i'm hoping to get into a mindset soon to address my drinking problem. i don't doubt my ability to reduce, but i'm not sure i will actually WANT to anytime soon. le sigh. so there you have it. i am the poster child of transfer addiction. despite all this, my weight has more or less remained unchanged (go figure). i continue to stay below goal weight this entire time. ....and i am literally typing this post out with an espresso martini in hand. dont judge me! lol. i am relatively chill about all this so even if you do judge me, i wont take it personally. p.s. oh, i should also mention that i get "affected" real quick and on very small amounts. and i also sober up real quick. this phenomenon is a purely post surgery thing. i needed lots more to get drunk before surgery....although my smaller size now may also be a factor....

😢😢😢

omg. im totally gonna have a t-shirt made with this slogan.

i'm 5+ years out. i love food and everything about it (many on here know this about me already). i love the cooking, baking, making, plating, shopping, researching, testing recipes of it all. i love to watch all the tv cooking shows, all the travel food shows, all the cooking/baking/grilling competition shows. i like to look at pictures of food, smell it, take pictures and videos of it, watch people eat the stuff i make for them. one of my favourite pasttimes it to read restaurant menus in their entirety...like multiple times. i am always down to go out for food and drinks at restaurants/bars with fam and friends, i am always so excited to come up with my contribution(s) to pot-luck parties. love love trying out new restaurants...i have a list of bucket list restaurants around the world i am determined to visit. ...and i love to eat. but to be more precise, i love to TASTE. so small plate venues (dim sum, tapas, izakaya, etc) and tasting menus and pot luck parties are my fave: an abundance of choice and low commitment to just a single large entree. i have will taste all the "good stuff" (easy on the side dishes as they take up too much stomach real estate) and be perfectly happy. a.k.a. JOY lol. the one difference with how i enjoy food now is i no longer feel joy with the stuffing of myself. i have vague memories of actually feeling GOOD with a distended belly bursting with something i ate. Now its the opposite. the feeling of being full is very unpleasant to me (to put it mildly). and i think this is key, now that i think of it.... long story short, joy is still on the table...its just up to you where you find it.

i was 46 when i had my surgery at a weight of 235 lbs (im 5'2"). it was easy peasy lemon squeezy, really. i had some of the regular issues come up, but nothing i couldn't handle with relative ease. lost 120 lbs in 7 months, and settled into a weight of 115-ish lbs ever since. i am 52 yrs old this year and i weighed 117.2 lbs this morning. so yeah, age didn't seem to hinder me in any significant way. i personally think the less you stress and realistically manage ur expectations as well as be flexible and deal things as they come (vs overthinking all the what ifs), the more successful and and peace u will be. change and new experiences await u, enjoy the ride! ❤️

aaaahhhh ok... put this way, i'll have to say i did notice some unexpected body composition changes in the year immediately following rapid weight loss: - went from looking deathly skeletor-ish (gaunt and drawn and frail looking) to pretty healthy looking despite weighing less now than those skeleton days. - my hair is actually thicker and "healthier" and even slightly curlier than even before surgery (which was a very welcome surprise after all that hair loss from months 4-6 post op omg) - i don't get pimples anymore. like ever. - those weird dark little bumps on my upper arms are gone. - when i do any sort of sustained exercise it's immediately noticeable. for instance if i do like 30 situps or 60 bicep curls i look shredded right after. no joke. - my dentist says my gums have receeded faster than expected since the weight loss (dunno if this is related or a coincidence??) - despite probably being the most "fit" i have ever been since my 20's, i still feel unbelievably weak compared to my heaviest days. i swear i can't open jars anymore nor can i carry multiple bags or groceries at once like i used to. - i used to be bottom heavy (hips/butt was my widest part) now i am top heavy (shoulders/back are my widest part). - i no longer have armpit hair ...but this is likely due to my arm lift? so i never have to shave there...which has the side benefit of the skin lightening up in that area...no more dark armpits for me! yay! - i have no ass. like zero. looking at me directly from behind is semi-normal looking, but from a side view, its a straight line from the base of my neck to my knees. - the hump on the back of my neck is gone - not sure if this is related to my overall weakness, or because i just do wat more stuff now, or im just getting old, or a combination of it all, but i get injured ALOT. multiple sprains, torn ligaments, torn muscles, pinched nerves, tendonitis like everywhere, abdominal hernia, bruised ribs, carpel tunnel, ingrown toenails, omg. ive had more doctors/physio appts in the last 5 years than i've had in my entire life. times 2. ok...this post is getting too long. gonna stop now lol

well that's interesting...was not aware (nor experienced) this myself. assuming the changes are NOT related to exercise or lack therof? echoing BlondeP...what is different this year from last year for instance??? inquiring minds want to know!

yay! can't wait to see ur awesome results!

what you are describing sounds like the very common behaviour in our demographic of using food for comfort. you are going through something very difficult and your go-to self-soothing/self-medicating M.O. is not comfortably available to you because of your surgery. which makes your current difficult situation even more difficult and depressing to bear. is there someone (preferably therapist) that you could reach out to work through this with you? being able to deal with difficult situations in a different (and healthy) way other than with food would be beneficial not only now but also for your future. and yes, i know, easier said, but it all starts with one step in the right direction. and recognizing you need help is a good first step. good luck ❤️

i had the loss-of-fat-butt pain, as well as the mid-back and hip pains as a result of my body re-alignments to adjust for my new centre of gravity (or whatever the weight loss reason for musculature aches from body size shrinkage is!) those pains became non-issues the between the 1 and 2 year post op mark. however since losing all my stomach bulk/fat i can no longer sleep comfortably (unassisted) on my stomach...ill wake up with pretty bad lower back pain if i do. the lack of stomach no longer props my middle up makes my back hyper-extend when i lay on my front. i even have to put a pillow under my stomach when i get massages to keep the discomfort at bay. this was definitely unexpected. i mean never-fat people sleep on their stomachs all the time and they're fine. so we came to the conclusion that i have a weak back and need to strengthen it up. still a work in progress though...am 5+ yrs post op and it's still an issue.

got a picture?

umm....5k runs twice a week is not "a little"! you are a runner even though you may not think it lol. you may not be running 10k most days like my mr. and his insane group of friends, but your runs def put u on the runner half of the general population

since we are talking about other exercise besides running and walking...want to chime in here that my current flavour du jour of exercise: REFORMER PILATES....kinda like yoga on steroids. i tend to go through phases of exercise types, and have tried countless forms of exercise to see what i like and they all come and go (hot yoga, regular yoga, aerial yoga, zumba, rock climbing, salsa, tap, pole dancing, kick boxing, cross fit, swimming, etc, etc). but so far running is the only thing that i have been able to keep an interest in this whole time is running (about 5 years now...) but methinks reformer pilates will make the long haul HALL of FAME for me (along with running), but it does tend to get expensive (running is FREE! lol). i've been doing reformer pilates 2-3 times a week now for the past 5 months and the interest has been sustained...well see! long story short, find something YOU enjoy doing, because that is the thing YOU will most likely keep doing long term. good luck! ❤️ p.s. i also do weight training twice a week...but RELUCTANTLY because i HATE it. i'll keep doing this until i can't (or won't lol) because i know its good for me. luckily my Mr. hounds me to do it every week, so that helps i guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ (but i still hate it!)

i def get more (positive) attention from men, which doesn't surprise me. but what i didn't expect was the increased positive attention from women (note i am a woman too lol). women are "friendlier" to me when im smaller vs bigger. female strangers will start small talk with me, ask me questions about my day or what im wearing, shoot me a smile or knowing look. offer unsolicited help or assistance. which makes me sad sometimes for all the "girl power" connections girls in bigger bodies may miss out on, especially those who don't have solid female friend groups already. lets be nice to people, people! i realize that others' behaviour towards me is affected by my own behaviour so there's also that, so if i project confidence and approachability, it attracts. let's love ourselves, people! (yes i also realize i went off on a tangent there...sorry!)

hiya! we can help figure stuff out, but my first question would be: have you spoken to your team or nutritionist/dietician about your situation and concerns? my second question would be: do you know how many calories you consume a day on average? 3rd question: how tall are u?

a couple weeks ago i remember your post about your struggle to stop losing...are you still losing while this hunger appeared? perhaps its your body's response to the weight losses...? if thats the case, then perhaps listen to your bod and eat more? i can imagine that eating more is in itself a struggle...it took me 3-4 months to get over the mental block to actually stop diet mode (and like 2 years to get over the mental block of eating bread/rice/pasta lol) if im not mistaken you just recently reached goal? (congrats again btw), my suggestion would be to give yourself a bit more time (ie several months) to find your happy spot, it usually takes a while before you get to the autopilot of maintenance...great suggestions above...experiment with (small amounts) of (preferably nutritious) foods and amounts and see what help with the hunger. keep an eye on the scale in tandem to determine any causal relationships with certain foods. but yeah, i know, "easier said...". good luck, and it CAN be done! ❤️

i prefer running cuz its faster, ha! takes me 25-30 mins to run the same distance as walking for 45-50 mins. not sure if i burn the same amount of calories though, as it depends on what my sustained heart rate is when doing either one.

i brought a whole overnight bag filled with "supplies" and barely touched any of it (including my toothbrush! hygiene be dammed when you are groggy and in pain lol) what i DID actually use were the following: 1) my crocs (any other slip on shoe would do)...for ease in putting on and off for walking the halls for exercise and going home in. 2) Biotin (the moisturizing throat spray, NOT the supplement). ugh, my throat was so sore when i woke up. i specifically asked the nurse to have it available to me in the recovery room, and used it throughout my stay. 3) lip balm...your dry lips will thank u. 4) small pillow to hug against you for the car ride home. those bumps on the road were killer. also useful to squeeze when u cough. everything else stayed in my bag. including my phone surprisingly. didn't even care to use/look at it. good luck! ❤️

i have heard/read this reasoning many, many times on this forum. im not sure, but i *think* this may be something relevant only to those with bypass (or any other surgery where the pyloric valve is not is use?). im a sleeve, and the reason i don't drink while i eat is because mixing liquids and solids results in making me feel overly FULL to the point i need to vomit. i've learned that (starting with an empty stomach) i can have liquids immediately followed by solids, with no issue. But under no circumstance can i have solids immediately followed by liquids (or both at same time)...otherwise, the aforementioned barfing results. so for ME, i don't need to adhere to the no-drinking-30-mins-before rule , but i definitely need to follow the no-drinking-(at least!)-30-mins-AFTER rule. YMMV. good luck! ❤️

am 5+ years out, can eat "normal" sized bites (but not normal-sized PORTIONS). also, nope, i still cant COMFORTABLY drink and eat at same time. you get used to it...