ms.sss

I'll be "exactly" 5 ½ years post sleeve next week...started at 235 lbs. been maintaining below goal weight this whole time. depending on the day, i lost anywhere between115-120 lbs total since settling into the 115-120 lb range for over 4 years now. i do have a bit of an annoying reflux issue i have to deal with (i take the min dosage omzparole once a day), but other than that, no real complaints and life is more than good.

@Tazrok you will get lots of different advice here due to the plain fact the we ALL were given different advice as well. there is no one right way to eat really. but since you came in here asking if you are possibly missing something, ill dip in first a couple questions: 1) how long have you been eating this way? days? years? months? based on your descriptions and pictures, im guessing you are probably taking in about 1100-1200 cals a day (so long as there is nothing else u are eating or drinking?)...this leads me to my next question... 2) how tall are you? 3) are u insulin resistant? suffer from hypothyroidism? have PCOS? depending on your answers the responses to your post may change. as an aside, for most of my loss phase, i barely had any veggies myself. i had very little stomach real estate and chose to eat protein forward, up to about 5-6 months post op. (though this changed near the end of weight loss phase when i became a salad junkie ha). while the make up of your intake doesn't matter as much as the amount, the make up (i.e., nutritional value) is important for overall health and well being. same goes for exercise. p.s. i am also a lifetime grazer. it became necessary after surgery because i just could NOT eat alot at once and it has just become the way i eat now (i am 5+ years post op...and yep i have managed to stay below goal weight this entire time).

well, i freeze just about everything (including muffins and other baked goods: breads, cakes, etc). i usually defrost items in the fridge overnight and then heat up in oven or microwave. but i have put denser items into the oven frozen like breads (bagels & pretzels are the most suited for this method, i find). if your muffins are on the dense side, this could probably work, otherwise i say defrost in fridge overnight. either way, yes! you can freeze muffins lol

i was cleared for everything at 1 month post op. i'm pretty sure i had some raw carrots around that time and had no issue. i wasn't eating much at the time so i didn't test other raw veggies tho. but im pretty sure they would've been non-issues if i did. i have read on here of others who did have issues with raw veggies tho, so best way to find out for yourself is to try...small amounts tho, just in case!

nope not weird (at least for. me, lol). i actually prefer my cottage cheese savory vs sweet (so i'll add black pepper, salt, cayenne, garlic powder, and yes, i'll even top with anchovies, capers, bacon crumble, nuts, etc...) don't judge me, lol

wowza! the visual difference of your lost 4lbs is pretty significant! i don't think a 4lbs loss would have registered such a visual difference on me. nice!!

i like this ALOT. nice.

i also was not a fan of pureed stage to the point that i skipped it altogether. on the first day of pureed stage i blitzed some beef in my food processor, looked at it, took a whiff, then dry heaved as i dumped it all in the trash. decided i would just extend my full liquids food stage for an extra week and then go to straight to soft foods once done. worked for me (and also for my NUT who i told what i what i decided to do...she was fine with it). though pureed stage was around 1 month post of for me, and i was barely eating much anyway (like 300-400 cals a day i think), so it probably made no difference for me? *shrug*.

@Starwarsandcupcakes, while i love the neat, organized look of your grocery booty in your trunk, how the heck did they STAY so neat and tidy back there??? and how many trips did it take you to bring em all inside without bags?????? your pepsi stash looks just like our coke zero stash in the laundry room. haha. @Arabesque: i am always in awe with how much you Brisbainians (?) spend on blueberries. the shock of seeing a package of bluberries for $12+ AUD back in 2011 is still i story i tell people today (fyi blueberries are on sale in my grocery for $2.99 CAD today) prices of veggies change as they come in and out of season, just like other places. and every once in a while out of season stuff go on sale. i bought a single (large-ish) sweet potato for $1.25 this morning. as well as 1 english cucumber for $1.50. small bag of baby carrots for $2.50, and a crown of broccoli for almost $3.00. including some chips, a tub of sour cream, juice, chipolte powder and kitchen garbage bags, i spent about $25. am probably going to go grocery shopping again tomorrow (i forgot to buy garlic, plus i tend to go almost every day anyway and just buy a little bit at a time) i'll pay more attention and report back to you! lol.

the word diet mean different things to different people so the answers to your question will vary greatly across the board. from merriam-webster.com: a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed a diet of fruits and vegetables a vegetarian diet b : habitual nourishment links between diet and disease c : the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason was put on a low-sodium diet d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight going on a diet i usually use the context of definition A and D above. A : my diet is predominantly protein-forward. or D : no thanks, i'll pass on the cake. i'm on a diet. i cant say i had any significant positive nor negative experiences with "dieting" (as per my definition) or using the word "diet". i realize as i type this i am contributing exactly zero to this thread. *shrug* sorry!!

forgive me, i thought that was what we were doing.

who hates cottage cheese??? not me! i love the stuff.

development of what exactly? like physical development? (boobs? body hair? wrinkles? growth?)

so yeah, despite the produced fruits of my labours this AM, my snack of choice at the moment is: a handful of BBQ chips, a 5 chocolate covered cashews and 1/4 cup of regular roasted salted cashews. estimated 450 calories. (we'll see how much i eat of it, but most likely all of it will end up in me before the day is over...unless Mr. gets his paws in it...)

every week or so, i do the "fridge clean up", and toss the foods that are no longer edible and make attempts to salvage the foods that are on the brink of inedible. this morning i tossed a bunch of leftover chinese food, ½ a wheel of brie, an almost full tub of sour cream, and an unopened box mixed greens (this made me sad ) BUT here are some items i was able to save/repurpose/extend shelf life of: 1. leftover fresh parsley and super ripe lemon into...PESTO! 2. uncut cumber bought over a week ago into...SWEET AND SOUR PICKLED CUCUMBERS! 3. almost dried out baby carrots and the remnants of a tub of spreadable cream cheese and 2 old apples that i made into applesauce into...CARROT CARE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING (Mr. ate like 2/3 of the cake before i got to take a pic of it) and finally: 4: ½ a head of cabbage that i shredded to include in the filling of these EGG ROLLS! that i prepped to freeze and cook another day. phew. i feel very accomplished with my very productive morning...now im gonna go veg on the couch and watch tv!

@The Greater Fool, if you're haven't already said before, i heart you. u always so calm and wise and funny. the 3 things i admire most about others. ok, now that i got that love fest out of my system... @BlondePatriotInCDA, further to your discussion of the smells of different alcohol... now for me, the smell of what i weirdly all "brown liquor" always made me gag a little..."brown liquor" is what i call whiskeys, cognacs, brandy, scotch, dark rums, aged tequilas, etc. for those keeping score i only prefer to drink clear liquors (vodka, gin, clear tequila and rum) and red wine. anyway, my Mr. prefers the brown liquors...and over the years (decades!), i have come to not hate as much the smell of them (i still don't drink them tho lol). in a weird way i associate the smell with him and since i kinda like him, i seem to not be hostile to the smell as much. i mean i wont douse myself in it as a perfume or anything, but still. just a useless anecdote i guess. (i have no real reason to bring this up other than to make an attempt to lighten the mood on this thread 🤷🏻‍♀️)

40 down, 10 more to go... took about 9 months to get this far, so am projecting i should have the min amount im looking for in about 2.5 more months... but the more the better 🤞🏼 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...)

Ok, so there are lots of posts out there about concerns about speed of weight loss, amount of weight loss, how much is too much weight lost, how much is too little, etc. etc. The same responses inevitably come back, about how we are all different, we lose at our own rates, genetics, starting weight, height, gender, age are all factors, don't compare, etc. etc. But the reality is that no one really cares about the reasons for the differences, we all seem to just wanna see the NUMBERS. And then compare them to our own. Le Sigh. Sooooo....being a one who personally LOVES numbers and data and spreadsheets, I thought I would start a little project. I want to collect stats from any willing members and i will compile the data into a lovely spreadsheet and graph(s) organized by certain variables. Doesn't that sound like fun???? 😂😂😂😂 So, for FUNSIES, send me the following info (if you are willing!), and i after i collect a good-enough sized sample (say at least 100?), I'll do my thing. It may take a week, a month a year, depending on how many people participate. 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 * the final report will have names/usernames removed in an effort to a bit of privacy if you don't want to reply to the thread with the info, feel free to DM me ** of course this will not be in any way some definitive scientific report! - ms.sss

hmmm...you could always try it, and, if it doesn't work for you say, after 3-4 weeks, then just go back to what DOES work? or, if it's causing you too much angst, and your current M.O. is not causing you any issues (which sounds like it isn't), why fix what ain't broke? there is no one-size fits all prescription...find out what works for you and go with that. good luck! ❤️

being on these forums long enough i would assume that one should realize by now that everyone is different. we say/post it multiple times a day, every day. i don't like weight lifting . it's don't like olives. i don't like talking about my wls. others don't feel the same way. i get that. we are all different people getting our own versions of joy. i may not make the same connections to things as you do, and thats cool. i mean, some people have sex every day while others don't. some people weigh themselves every morning others don't. some people read books while others don't. why do people drink too much and become alcoholics? alcohol is so gross. this line if thinking is the close sibling to why do people eat too much and get fat? being fat is so gross. to paraphrase you: "but how did you get to the point where <eating> was enjoyable enough to do it often <that u end up being 300 lbs>?" the incredulity in your post is loud and clear...but really, if u think about it, its not that impossible to understand (especially from the point of view from a person who was morbidly obese) your intention may be not to sound judgy...but in my very insignificant opinion, you kinda do. but i mean, you are entitled to say whatever you want. i guess i just wanna ask you to take a pause and reflect on how ur post may or may not have come across. sorry. 😔 i don't normally weigh in this heavily in anonymous internet chats as i hate confrontation, but this touched a wee nerve for me. (i may just delete this post after i overthink it to death...we shall see...i have already edited this post a gazillion times in my overthinking, ha.)

i started using soda water with my vodka and/or gin when i found out that tonic water had as much (if not more!) calories than a regular coke. as for bubbly, i started drinking it (i.e., perrier) instead of plain water to meet my water goals around 3-4 months post op. the literature i received told me i shouldn't drink carbonated beverages, but i did anyway and when i told my NUT what i was doing she didn't have any objections since i experienced no adverse effects. personally i like how carbonated drinks make me burp, cuz sometimes i need a little help to release some gas. but that's just me. ymmv.

39 down, 11 more to go... submit your stats if you haven't already and I will reward y'all with a nice little report, LOL! keep 'em coming people...!! 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...)

Noted! corrected your 3 month weight to 189

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.