ms.sss

lunch: deep fried tofu and taro with chilli sauce.

estimated 300 cals for the plate, ate about ½ cuz i added too much (and consequently ATE) too much sauce and started to feel greasy inside so i stopped where i stopped.

THEN, i fixed myself a little teacup of homemade guac and naan chips...and ate all of it. 310 cals for that.

3 hours ago, AmberFL said:

But Idk when I should enter Maintenance?

Ideally, maintenance is achieved when you are living the lifestyle (in terms of intake and movement) that you can foreseeably do for the "rest if your life"...even more ideally, is if you can adjust your lifestyle as your circumstances change...

when u get to goal weight, you can start upping ur calories until weight loss stops. you may find you go under ur goal weight by a bit, but more likely than not, you will regain a few lbs until you stabilize (at, below, or over goal weight...u won't know until u know, unfortunately).

lots of us on here worried about losing too much weight...unless u have medical conditions, this worry doesn't last long lol.

i got to about 20 lbs below goal weight at my lowest. regained about 10 of those extra lbs within a year. and while i thought i was too small when i was at actual goal, i don't think that anymore, even weighing 10 lbs less.

long story short, if u can leave the worry at the door, do it. Unless u are sick or your med team is worried, just enjoy the ride!

you look awesome, you look like u must awesome. bask in your awesomeness!

was sooo hungry last night...i dont normally eat past 8pm, but i was hungry, AND i was determined to binge watch Bridgerton season 3, part 1 (spoiler alert: i did lol)

so i fixed myself a plate of leftover thai food and ate it over 3 or so hours:

clockwise from top: thai basil crispy pork belly, chicken massaman curry, deep fried taro tofu with chili oil sauce, coconut rice and a piece of roti.

im totally guessing maybe 600 cals for the plate? imma also gonna guess i ate about 2/3 of it (i didn't like the curry so left most of that alone, and just had a taste of the rice and roti. pretty much ate all of the rest.

p.s. am now waiting impatiently for june 13, when the remaining episodes of Bridgerton are released!!! i love me a period show.

and for funsies, the aforementioned bacon brownies!!!

lunch: yep, another salad! all the usual suspects/ingredients, with the addition of avocado, some leftover steak and a chopped up Popeye's drumstick.

enjoyed the salad out on my porch earlier this afternoon cuz it was so nice out! ❤️❤️

683 calories for the entire thing, ate the leftovers from the pic just now!

i also ate an additional popeyes chicken thigh with hot sauce, 2 snack yogurts, homemade guac with homemade naan chips, 2 espresso martinis, some chicharron, a small cube of bacon-brownie i made yesterday, and a handful of pistachios. which has me at 2128 calories so far today.

i still may eat some chips/popcorn while i watch Bridgerton S03 tonite tho!! so calorie count for today still pending.

my porch salad:

courtesy of google:

you can see that the stomach is in fact smaller after a revision to bypass. and main diff is bypass also "bypasses" the pyloric valve, while sadi/ds still makes use of it (as does the original sleeve).

...but how your surgeon would do either surgery "without touching" your stomach is a head scratcher.

can you go back to your surgeon and have them explain your surgery to you (with pictures, if need be!). dont leave until you completely understand. while we can offer our knowledge and experience, we are not doctors...and you may get conflicting info on here that confuses you more.

NON breakfast-eater here...never was. on the VERY RARE occasion i may eat something before noon (like if im specifically out for a brunch, or on vacation, or unnaturally hungry), but normally my first meal of the day is around 1 or 2 pm.

i find that if i eat something earlier in the day, i get tired in the afternoon. also i find that i tend to eat more overall throughout the day if i have breakfasts. am also not especially hungry in the mornings anyway.

1 hour ago, BlondePatriotInCDA said:

Its funny, or not but I didn't have any fold/skin rashes before surgery..but boy am I getting them now! No matter how much I shower, powder and keep dry all the extra skin on/under my pancake butt and thigh creases - ouch!! Its making walking painful. 😔

On a side note..I fit in the MRI easily now, before WLS I touched the edges.

side tip: document your rashes and skin issues (pictures, videos, with dates)...if u are ever in the position that u want to get a Tummy Tuck or panniculectomy, you can use the collected evidence for insurance to cover the cost (if this is available for you..)

17 hours ago, Vanessa Correal said:

im just writing my thoughts, thank you for you answer

yep, sometimes we just wanna speak and have someone listen.

we are listening ❤️

so was the movie you saw any good? recommend, or no? im really looking forward to Furiosa to come out (i want Anna Taylor-Joy to be part of my friend group lol). 😂

"i eat a lot less than i used to...btw, i looove your shoes!! where did you get them???"

OR

"i eat a lot less than i used to...btw, i need your expert opinion on <insert topic here>"

i love food and still do.

there where a couple months in the beginning when i hated food, but it didn't bother me because, well i hated it, lol.

then for another couple months eating food was more like, meh. but i did like looking at it and cooking it...(thats a whole other story lol)

i eat basically whatever i want (except too much sugar at once), whenever i want. just in much, much smaller quantities at a time. dont get me wrong, im 5'2", 118 lbs and i can pack in over 2200 calories a day these days (im on an exercise kick), it's just spread out.

but in the end, you are ready when u ate ready.

i will leave u with this small tip: book your surgery if you can. if u do end up not wanting to go through with it when the time comes, you can ask to postpone to a later date. then see is you are ready then. if not, rinse and repeat. this way you may not have to "restart" the clock for qualifying purposes. this is what i did (not on purpose, just accidentally lol). i backed out of surgery dates twice...then finally went through with the third)

but not going through with it that first time is my single solitary regret of the entire WLS experience.

good luck! ❤️

i used MyFitnessPal (the paid version).

I've read of others who really like the Baristatic App aswell.

i am a big proponent of tracking and I credit the practice as having a huge positive influence to my weight loss and subsequent maintenance. i have tracked my food basically everyday since since my pre-op diet, and i have almost six years worth of MFP data to prove it! more (anecdotal) proof: i have weighed below my goal weight this entire time since reaching it at 7 months post op.

FOR ME, at first, i found that it held me accountable as i could see everything i ate, and then it turned into more of a data gathering exercise that i could use and examine to determine what changes i needed to make, if any. (note i also weighed myself everyday, and still do...)

plus i actually really enjoyed/enjoy doing it! ha!

...am not as militant about it now, as i eyeball and guesstimate more, but i still do track..old habits are hard to break!

its not for everyone though, and i get it, it takes a particular kind of person to keep doing it while keeping the angst at bay, let alone enjoy it.

but anyway, try it out...you may find u are that kind of person, or, at the very least help you manage ur food intake!

good luck! ❤️

i've self-diagnosed myself with reactive hypoglycemia (i think alot of us have on here probably)...aka late dumping syndrome.

i noticed it the first time i had (like 2 sips!) of a very sugary drink about 1 month post op. i've had it ever since, though i will say it is not as horrible as it used to be. A bad episode before was like wanting-to-die-on-the-bathroom-floor bad, bad episodes now are me passing out on couch for a couple hours.

management of it basically consists of not having too much sugar at one time, or on an empty stomach (note that what "too much" means to me will be different for someone else...so people need to figure out what thier own limits are). as well as having small regular meals throughout the day.

unfortunately i don't always do that so, yeah.

p.s. i'm 5+ years out.

6 hours ago, Bypass2Freedom said:

if you want to know their rationale, just ask! I am sure they will be more than happy to explain

this!

14 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

Anyone still using a food scale?

*raises hand*

i do!

not as often as back in the day, but yes, i'll use one if my guess-timating powers are off, AND if have access to one, AND i,m not feeling lazy. all conditions must be true lol. works out to maybe 3-4 times a week i'll use one.

but i don't use measuring cups or spoons anymore...i'm pretty good at visualizing volume, ha!

On 4/30/2024 at 5:07 PM, AmberFL said:

I wish I had your thighs! Mine are so saggy!

my thighs unexpectedly improved after my tummy tuck...i believe because when they yanked everything up, the thighs got some residual help, lol.

1 hour ago, GreenTealael said:

Are they comfortable?
Also Ive been doing at home pilates recently. I’m thinking about joining a studio but idk if I enjoy it. If you have tried the at home workouts, How do they compare?

well the biggest difference is that home pilates for me is just MAT pilates (i don't own a reformer, but am seriously looking into getting one based upon on the dact that i spend a ridiculous amount of dough for the studios)

i prefer reformer pilates so yeah, i'll go into the studio. i will say though that mat pilates are more challenging, but reformer is more FUN.

people! look at this salad! it like a work of , no??? lololololzzzz.

349 calories for the whole bowl. me and mister shared it at same time while watching tv, so im not exactly sure how much of it i ate. for logging purposes, imma just gonna say 1/2.

so yum.

so its one of those days...

haven't eaten anything all day so far cuz im just not into it (it happens). BUT im going to pilates in a couple hours so i need yo have SOMETHING in my stomach to get me through class.

so ate Mr.'s leftover bacon from this morning with a bit of ketchup. was tasty...i love anything salty, ha (better than nothing!)

4 hours ago, Lilia_90 said:

Late lunch:

salad. Grilled chicken, romaine, strawberries, cucumbers, olives and feta cheese. Here’s how I did (ate around 100 calories?). Salads fill me up too much, will try again later.

i am a total salad lover so this is like orgasmic for me 😂😂😂

...but i will block out the olives cuz they just not my thing lol

2 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

Maybe you just need to be the creative one

Agreed!

Speak up and lay out what you want. If others aren't on board, do it for yourself! (and find people who would be on board )

side anecdote: i have different groups of friends and family. as my interests and lifestyle changed since surgery, i have found that so too did the groups of people i hung out with the most changed. the group of friends that i spent the most time with before are eaters and sitting-around-ers. the group of friends and family that i now spend more time with are the ones who are more active and down for whatever. i still hang out with the former group, just not as much i used to. i also made a whole bunch of new friends/acquaintances (from all the stuff i do now) that i share common interests with.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that you are going to change. it may be a little unfair to expect all those around you to change as well. if they do, awesome! if they don't, its unfortunate, but don't let it stop you from doing what you want to do (with those that want to do it with you :).

good luck! ❤️

1) a (well fitting) faja...i bought mine off Amazon and had my mom tailor it to fit me...i was/am on the small side and those things did not come in my size...unless i paid $300+ (CAD) for them from specialty manufacturer.

2) a cane. dont laugh! i borrowed one from my mom because omg the back pain from walking around hunched over. i have not-so-fond memories of me hobbling around costco and the mall like a little old lady:

3) scar tape. it works.

4) a firm/hard pillow to sleep on to be elevated (i slept sitting up-ish) and to help get out of bed...i just took one of the back cushions from my couch downstairs and used it for as long as i needed.

5) a stool or something to sit on in the shower.

i didn't do massages, but i've heard its helpful.

2 hours ago, LAzouz said:

It was more about does anyone feel like if the celebration doesnt revolve around food then the celebration seems to not actually happen?

lol, ok i get the gist now!

ok, so my updated response is:

yes, i feel that way. if there is no food (or drink) it didn't happen.

unless its like an exercise class or something, there is ALWAYS food involved if im out with more than just myself, celebration or not. and if its a celebration, the food always outnumbers the people like 10 to 1.

i mean can u have a party or large gathering of people without food? ive never been to one without it in my 50+ years, now that i think if it...

are you able to go to a restaurant or other food-focused venue without feeling the need to eat beyond your limits?

you are right, social events are almost always centred around food and drink..i learned early on that i enjoyed the company more than the food back during my weight loss phase (i'm 5+ years out now and i have to say i like the food just as much as the company, lol...but i digress...). if you can be around food and other eating said food without causing you angst, then i say just go to that restaurant or bar or party or whatever and enjoy your friends and loved ones. they can stuff themselves... you don't have to join in.

if being around food is too much of a temptation for you, how about a hike, or a dance class/exercise class, the theatre, a spa day, afternoon at the beach, pottery/painting/kayaking/karaoke/climbing/omg the possiblities are endless! HOWEVER, i will say that even with the aforementioned activities, people are eventually gonna get hungry/thirsty and want to go somewhere or pick up something to eat, and then you are back where you are started.

personally, i would push for trying to train yourself to be around food and not go to town, as its probably easier (and more realistic) to adjust yourself vs. adjusting everyone around you..

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY* in advance! hope you figure out a way to enjoy your day!!!

8 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Turned out it was a rather severe bout of my meniere’s. Usually I get the crazy room spinning first & if I don’t take my meds I can be sick. This time sick multiple times first then the vertigo hit. Couldn’t take my meds in fear of more vomiting. And yes it was the old, pre surgery, muscle wrenching sort. Groan!

i had to google menieres. yikes...sounds horrible...like a bad case of dumping, all right! do you have to take meds everyday to maintain or only as needed? hope you feel better today! ❤️

8 hours ago, Arabesque said:

. Terrible, terrible temptation.

ha! one man's terrible is another man's awesome! i would totally scoop out the insides of the tart and go to town...(in small bits over several hours then give the leftovers to a loved one ofc hahaha)