ms.sss

I bring a bottle of Sparkling water and some beef jerky in my purse.

I meant to post a before and after/progress pic earlier but I just got around to taking a picture this morning. Here it is...same dress, different bod:

Ah, who am i kidding? Anything while pooping makes me happy 💩 I'm thinking of updating my avatar to be poop now....

I had back pain (lower first then went to upper) for several weeks after surgery, and also hip pain while we are at it. My doc AND masseuse AND chiropractor all suggested more or less that it was because of the weight loss and my body was adjusting to my new proportions and centre of gravity, and should go away once my body got used to it (and i got in some exercise). And yep, by my 2 month mark the aches and pains were gone

#26 : Five things that make me Happy Pooping Spreadsheets Music Summer nights Pooping

same ♥️

So I had consult appointment with the first of 3 plastic surgeons I've lined up to meet and got some unexpected feedback. First he said that I "did not have that much excess skin". Which to me is just crazy talk. He said that yes, I am a good candidate for an arm lift, but that I did not have what he would call bat wings. ??? Second he said that based on what he sees from my previous breast reduction (circa 2006) and my laparoscopic scars from my sleeve surgery last October, that I have "pigmented scarring" and that I will likely have significantly noticeable scars after the procedure. 😞 He told me to go on RealSelf.com and find examples of this type of scarring and see if I was willing to live with it. Third, we also talked about Tummy Tucks and, and upon examination, said I could be happy with just a mini tummy tuck instead of a full one because my abdominal muscles are quite tight and that my excess skin is all below my belly button. Which is good news as a mini tummy tuck is much less expensive than a full one. Fourth, I thought it would be a separate procedure, but a reduction of the size of the mons pubis is included in the tummy tuck/mini-tummy tuck. Again, good news as this makes the total less expensive. Will be getting his quotes on the various procedures combined, un-combined, etc by tomorrow, so i'll see if the prices don't make me pass out. 2 more surgeons to see....

Excited for you Dont forget: walk, walk, walk, & water, water, water ! Good Luck!!

Gurgled then, still gurgle now sometimes. I could barely get to 500ml (17 oz) the first few days, sipping from my teeny measuring cup. But by the end of the following week, I was able to GULP down 2+ Litres (68+ oz) with not much effort. Give it time, it'll all get easier eventually

First meal of the day: Leftovers! Grilled chicken, grilled sirloin steak, old white cheddar cheese, homemade tzatziki sauce (Spinach & Kale salad w/ homemade low-cal dressing not shown). Ate it all. Took me well over an hour, but I ate it all.

I finally ran out of my stash of skinny clothes I have saved over the years, so I figured I'd go mall shopping this morning for some new summer threads. So I reached for size Small tops. NOPE i'm an Xsmall (if not smaller!) Then I went for size 6 dresses. NOPE i'm a Size 2. Tried on size 29 jeans. NOPE i'm a Size 26. I'm holding up these clothes and am amazed that my body managed to get into them. I mean they are tiny. And to me, I don't look anywhere near that tiny in the mirror. The other thing is that back when I was able to fit into these sized clothes , I was weighed much, much less than I do now. I mean, I remember being 105 lbs when I fit into size 4 pants back in high school. Stores must be using vanity sizing more and more...

Yes, I totally recommend the journalling/food tracking! As for the Biotin, I started taking it about 3 weeks ago (from a tip on this forum :), not sure if its doing anything, but i guess i can't hurt. The label says not to take for more than a month, so I'll do another week then check in with my PCP if I should/can continue *crosses fingers*.

#25 Stretch Heading to the gym now for Hot Yoga...will get like an hour’s stretching in there

My first class after surgery was a little after 1 month which was in early December (when I was cleared by my doc). I didn't go regularly until about month 2 (January)...I mostly go twice a week, but there are weeks when I only go once. I do both 60 and 90 mins, it all depends which day I end up going to the gym, as they offer different session lengths on different days. I used to go once in while until about 5-6 years ago and am glad to be doing it again. Though this time around I wear my jacket for about 30-40 minutes into it because I'm so effing cold and it takes me a long time to start sweating.

Ultimately, it is up to you on what you eat or not eat. Your success on this path you have chosen will be determined entirely by the decisions you make Good Luck!

I led a very sedentary life for about 15 years before surgery (which directly explains my massive weight gain during that period). Today, I do at least one hour of some sort of exercise every day, and while I wouldn't go so far as to say I LOVE it, it has just become part of daily life that I just DO. Like breathing. Or getting dressed every day. With that said, I do hate weight training which is why I only do it for about 20-30 minutes 1 or 2 times a week (a necessary evil though, to maintain/build muscle mass. Boo.) I do find that I prefer going to classes. Something about being around others makes it less boring. I enjoy Zumba and Hot Yoga. I started going to a Cardio Pump class which is ok (but is basically weight training disguised as aerobics) so I don't think I'll last long there. I have gone to a few Spinning classes, which I like so far, but I can't keep up with the rest of the class yet so I am working on it. When I can find someone to go with me, I'll go climbing/bouldering at a gym nearby, but partners are hard to find, and climbing/bouldering can get expensive! I also do a lot of walking, which I thought would bore me out of my mind, but turned out to be my favourite form of exercise. I put on my headphones and just head out the door and come back an hour later. The time just flies by it seems...which is a good sign In short, find something that you like to do, you will more likely stick to it and make it part of your everyday life. Try out different things until you find the activities that work for you. And it doesn't have to be just going to a gym or classes...you could join a sport team, take up running/hiking, swimming...the options are endless. Good Luck!

$20 for tape? No thanks, I've got duct tape in my kitchen drawer. McGyver approved. 😆

#23 Text an Old Friend I'm going to count something I did two weeks ago for this one: About 2 weeks ago, I re-connected with an old high school friend over Instagram, of all places. Prior to meeting up for lunch soon after texting, we hadn't seen nor spoken to each other in over 23 years. And it was great because it was as if we had not been apart for so long, we just picked up where we left off. I love those kinds of friends. ♥️. #24 Be Creative My attempt at being creative will be to make dinner for the fam out of different leftovers and ingredients that are about to expire in the fridge

OMG. Looks like they already did!! https://www.instantlifts.com/online-store/Skinnies-Instant-Arms-Lift-Bye-Bye-Flabby-Arms-Need-a-Short-Sleeve-to-Cover-p8473037

I don't use any shaper wear, per se, but I do wear tank tops/camisoles underneath my tops all the time, but for warmth, lol. Oddly enough, my arms look just fine when they are down against the sides my body, and also look fine when I hold they straight up as in "stick 'em up"-raised, but man, anywhere in between these two positions, it looks like I'm ready to take off and fly. The Kid says I could just wrap the excess skin around my arm and tape it in place. Nice visual, eh? I did a quick google on arm shapers just now, and I just may invest in one, if anything they could at least keep me warmer. Which one did you like?

Not sure it this is quite an NSV, but... I have been crossing my legs all the time since I was first able to do it again comfortably months ago. However, I notice that lately, doing so actually been starting to hurt! My knees are getting bony and are digging into the side/back of the leg that rests on top of it when I am crossing my legs. It probably doesn't help that I tend to wrap the foot of upper leg behind the lower leg...ouch.

On a normal day, each meal consists of 1-2 oz of some sort of protien & 1/4 to 1/2 cup of some sort of veggie OR a protein powder smoothie (protein powder + instant coffee crystals + Benefibre). Here is what I ate yesterday (wasn't a good veggie day though...).

You look AMAZING!

At four months I was down a little over 70 lbs, so you know, I wouldn't write it off You're so lucky your hair is staying put. My hair started falling out in January (3 months post-op), I cut it all off in response. It doesn't look as thin when its shorter. I was at 80g of protein at first and was dropped to 70g by my team in January (lol, I wonder if that is a coincidence). But the hair shedding does seem to have stopped, so I'm hopeful.

I think it's doable (mind you, I am basically just as far out as you are). Everyone will be different, but if your own monthly losses aren't tapering out significantly yet, then I would *think* your own honeymoon period is still going strong, right? But seriously though, looks like you've already lost about two-thirds of our excess weight. You're already waaaay ahead of the game in terms of averages. Congrats!