ms.sss

i was pretty tired/sleepy/nappy for about two weeks. i slept ALOT. soon after that i was infused with what seems like never-ending energy and have been an energizer bunny ever since (and im 5+ years post op). i don't sleep alot compared to others now...probably average 5-6 hours of sleep a night (and i don't take naps, lol). i don't feel tired or anything when im awake tho, so i guess its not an issue?

surprise, surprise : a salad. i cut up one rib from yesterday's slow cook for a protein topping. also a pic of the leftover ribs.

...further to above, figured i'd add a more current pic. this one was taken just now (4 yrs, 3 months AFTER the arm lift). you can see i'm not as defined as i used to be (i don't do as much strength training as i used to), but i'm still not flappy. in this position, you can see the end of my scar near the elbow, and a sliver of a much darker/redder scar at my armpit. like i mentioned, i historically scar terribly, so my results are worse than normal, scar-wise. alot of folks here have virtually invisible ones at the same point as me.

i had an arm lift (and breast lift, and tummy tuck...all in one shot in Dec 2019). i always disliked my upper arms. when i was thin (and thought i was fat) i was self conscious of what i thought was the size of them and rarely wore sleeveless tops. then when i actually got fat i NEVER wore them. if i had to go to an event the warranted (an arm-baring) dress, i always wore a shawl. fast forward to the weight loss and i was left with some saggy jiggly upper arms. while they looked okay when my arms were at my sides, i really did not like the look of them flapping in the wind when i raised them, lol. and i raise them alot, ha...i'm one of those raise-your-arms-in-the-air-and-wave-them-like-you-just-don't-care kinda gals, lolololzzz. so i had them done about a year post op (6-ish months after i reached goal). LOVE EM. while i did wear sleeveless again after the weight loss, i feel a lot less self-conscious about them after the arm lift. and really, it makes all the difference :).. now i do have very prominent scars on my arms (i scar very badly, and knew this going in), but for some reason the scars dont bother me as much as the flapping did. Go figure. recovery is no joke though, i'll be honest. had i not done too much too soon, i would probably have been good to go by 6 weeks...but i didn't, so my recovery was more like 3+ months. that was over 5 years ago now, and i've been wearing tank tops and other sleeveless tops all year round since, hahaha. it really all boils down to what YOU are comfortable with...i was told by countless of people that i didn't need to/shouldn't get it done. but i got it anyway, because the only person who can say i need it is ME. if you have the means and the desire, the option is yours. Good luck! ❤️ some pics: 1st link: 6 months BEFORE the arm lift 2nd link: Day before VS 3 weeks after arm lift 3rd link: 6 months AFTER the arm lift

i added a tsp of decaf instant coffee crystals, diluted it with extra water so it wasn't so thick. and blended it up with ice (also added a couple tsps of Benefibre :). Also, i had to buy and try a whole bunch of different brands to find one that wasn't so sweet...ended up sticking with Isopure Low-Carb Dutch Chocolate powder. worked for me

speaking of salad...here is yet ANOTHER salad meal that me and the Mr. shared for lunch (greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, avocado, brussel sprouts, mixed nuts, roast turkey & my trusty vinaigrette. i ate maybe a 1/4 of said salad. i also ate one of these AMARETTI cookies i baked this morning (see below..so YUM omg)

same. i like to cook at home as well. though truth be told, i think i get more joy out of the planning and actual cooking than i do of the eating of it. i guess cuz i'm not the best cook, and my stuff is not nearly as pretty as the food prepared by professionals lol. funny enough, for the past couple years me and Mr. have been going out to eat - or taking out - MUCH, MUCH more than we used to...which our relative empty-nester status is mostly to blame. it's just so much easier and FUNNER to feed ourselves from outside than for me to cook for us at home (especially since i don't eat much and i like to eat/taste lots of different things). though today i'm currently slow cooking a pot of bbq ribs for dinner to be served with mashed potatoes and salad as the Kid and her friend are coming over. you should smell my house right now! yum....

here's a tip i would have contemplated had i known: choose your tummy tuck incision (if u can) based on your preferred bikini bottom preference! my scar is straight across. so it is hidden when i wear a regular low cut bikini. BUT if i wear a high thigh cut one the scar shows on my hips....and i actually would prefer to wear the latter cuz it makes one's legs look longer! there is another TT type incision that is more V-like which is more suited to those. had i known, i wouldn't chosen that type (if it was an option offered by my surgeon) also... use silicone scar tape! i used it on all my scars but i was more diligent about it on my arms, and the scars there are noticeably lighter than other areas which i was lax on taping. and finally, like GT said: take it easy and don't do too much to soon. i tried to be superman and starting exercising/running way too soon and i busted open my stitches...TWICE. it probably extended my recovery by an extra 2 months. boo. im excited for you! plastics is a game changer! good luck ❤️!

omg lol if you think 2 times takeout in 2 weeks is alot, you may be shocked at how often we eat out and/or take out, ha! well over ½ our meals are prepared "outside" !

I never did do a 5-yr anniversary post (which was like 3 months ago, oopsies). Here is a reply I made to someone's thread about being newly sleeved. I had alot of fun composing it - despite it going off an a total tangent - and thought it had a five-year-sleeve-anniversary type of feel to it so I'm putting it here! Am also adding my requisite swim suit shot, but this one is from vacay last month, and its NOT a full body shot, AND I'm half in the water, lol. Its too cold around here for me to change into one now and take a pic. Plus I'm lazy. So i give you: "5+ YEARS IN 1000 WORDS OR LESS": #### Begin #### Day 0: YES!! I'm alive! Weeks 1-2: Ouch, this kinda hurts. I detest all food and water! I'm sooo effing tired, im just gonna lay down here and be found in 3 weeks, half-eaten by wild dogs. Weeks 3-4: Oh wow, I LOVE water! Eating is such a chore. I don't want to do it. I lost HOW MUCH weight?? Whoa, this thing is gonna actually work! LET'S DO THIS! Those dogs will be very disappointed in eating me. Months 2-4: Am I ever going to eat like a normal person?? It taking me for-EVAH to eat my tiny cup of food. I am sick of people commenting on how I eat. Exercise is so much funner/easier when I'm not so big! Let me sign up for EVERYTHING! I LOVE new clothes! I am losing my hair! Who knew salad is my favourite thing on earth? Months 5-7: If one more person tells me to stop losing weight or asks if i have a disease I'm going to sic my wild dogs on them. I guess this is life now: eating tiny bits of food all day long...I guess I can do that, small price to pay for looking HAWT and feeling A-MAY-ZING. I wonder if anyone knows how full of myself I really am.... Months 8-10: OMG.I CAN'T POSSIBLY UP MY CALORIES TO MAINTENANCE LEVEL! HOW AM I GOING TO STOP LOSING WEIGHT! I AM GOING TO WITHER AWAY AND DIE! Month 11: Oh. So THAT's my maintenance calorie level. That's not so hard. I'm not going to die after all. Ok, Ok, I'll just take this ONE cigarette from you, handsome Italian guy in Italy...even though I quit cold turkey 10 years ago...it can't hurt, right? Month 14: Plastic. Surgery. Month 15: *cries* Month 16: Whoa, I'm looking even HAWT-er than before. How is this even possible? I wonder if anyone has ever exploded from being so full of themselves.... Month 17: Why hello carbs, I've missed you. bread, Pasta, Rice, we shall never be parted again! Oh, nice to meet you for the first time COVID! How long are you staying? Month 18-21: All skinny and plastic-ed up and no where to go. Eff you COVID. I guess I'll just do a little online shopping for stuff to wear when I am finally allowed out of the house. Sure, I'll have that martini for Breakfast. Hey, my hair is back to normal...and its even nicer than before. Go figure. Years 3-5: Huh. I stayed below goal weight this entire time and I am the picture of satisfactory health...does that make me awesome? I dunno...my closet is bursting with clothes...most of which I've worn maybe once or not at all. How am I still smoking??? It was only supposed to be one cigarette!!! I think I may have developed high-functioning alcoholism? Food intolerances? Who me? Nah, I can eat anything and everything, EXCEPT large amounts of sugar at one time cuz, you know, I may pass out on the couch. I may not eat as much as everyone around me, but I don't want to anyway, so there! But let me cook for you, bake for you, make copious amounts of food for you! And no, i AM NOT finished reading this menu in it's entirety...I'm about to order enough food for 5 people...you better be hungry! Today I take no medications other than for my acid reflux (which unfortunately came on due to my sleeve surgery). I eat carbs and (small amounts) of Desserts, I drink alcohol. My last physical/labs 6 months ago produced no concerns - other than an abnormal thickening of my uterine lining, but that has since resolved. I have ridiculous amounts of energy, I rarely fight with my husband, I handle stress and annoyance like a grown up. I'm digging life. Oh, and I still look HAWT. *mic drop* P.S. i also finally quit smoking 5 months and 14 days ago. yay me! hopefully I don't meet another handsome Italian with an extra cigarette in the future. Edited to add: P.P.S. sorry..i meant to just reply about the first few weeks after my sleeve surgery and food progression, but my fingers got a life of their own as I typed out my reply. plus it was kinda fun writing this. I may cut and paste this into a more appropriate thread if I find one Good Luck! ❤️ #### END ####

hiya and welcome. want a story, lol? here's mine:

the smaller you get, the slower the weight comes off. you don't need as much calories to move your 160-pound body as you did to move your previous 240-pound body. At 700 cals a day you are still below maintenance cals for your height and current weight. so if you just keep going, you will drop pounds. It may drop at a slower rate, but slower weight loss is still weight loss. also: RE: increasing calories with limited stomach real estate...swap out one of your veggie portions for 1/2 an avocado (200 cals). add olive oil to your food (119 calories per tbsp). add cream to your coffee (50 cals per tbsp). spread almond butter on a cracker (100 cals per tbsp).

i haven't been on here as long as catwoman, but in the 5+ years i have been, i've read of exactly TWO people who required a feeding tubes and who were/was regular contributors*. If i remember correctly, the first was an older lady in her sixties or seventies and she had a bybass (not a revision). I remember she had a whole slew of complications and was on a PICC line for months. The second one was younger (twenties i think), and i can't remember which WLS surgery she had but i do know it was not a revision either. She was not as sick for as long as the former, and was ok by the time she dropped off BP. I haven't seen either of them on the boards in a couple years. @alyssaajoan: are you worried about needing a tube? *i mention regular contributors, because i have read posts on here from people who write up a single post about problems they go through and disappear from the forums. i can't say for sure they are all trolls, but i take those posts with a grain of salt.

i used to think it was mild dumping syndrome, but realized it was just me approaching fullness! i had googled it way back when and while there are lots of reasons for it - and mostly all totally harmless - the common thread reason is that digestion requires blood to be sent to the stomach, which leads to the heart needing to pump a little harder to send it there. now why i never felt nor noticed it before, i dunno...lol

Isopure: Dutch Chocolate flavour. I found this brand to be the least sweet and low carb option for me (i found that i really did not like sweet drinks anymore after surgery). I would have 2 scoops of it, 1 tsp decaf instant coffee crystals, 2 tsps Benefibre, 500 ml water and a handful of ice. Shake it all up in shaker bottle/cup and enjoy!

...which leads me to: this fine looking salad i prepared for lunch. greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, broccoli, mushrooms and the fried up leftover protein from earlier. logged as 503 calories for the whole thing. i ate...nothing (yet). as often happens, the excitement of eating and prep has waned by the time i was done, and now i no longer feel like eating it. i'll want it later fo sure tho! so for now it will wait for me patiently in the fridge

had some leftover roasted chicken and pork belly. not enough for a meal for the "regulars", so i fried em up all crispy to use as salad toppings:

i get the pressure in my chest also. also i notice that my heart rate increases. weird.

nope, doesn't look like you are doing anything wrong. you are losing weight, you are feeling good and your doc has no complaints. sounds like you are doing everything right. my first 3 months post op was all about food aversion and stomach restriction. i didn't make my protein goals for 3 months. my was tired and faint-y. everyone gets to their "place" in their own way and speed. no need to change what ain't broke.

salad! greens, cucumber, avocado, cherry tomatoes, leftover roast chicken, homemade vinaigrette and seasonings. 285 calories, shared with Mr., estimating i ate maybe 2/3 of it.