ms.sss

i don't normally eat pasta unless its homemade by my Mr. (he makes THE best fresh pasta, omg) so todays lunch is about 1 cup of his cooked pasta, tossed in butter and olive oil topped with grilled asparagus and sautéed mushrooms and some parmesan. 324 cals for the bowl. got though about 1/2 the pasta noodles, but ate everything else.

I had a "happy range" which i tried to stay within. if i went below or under this range for an extended period of time, i would take measures to get back into range. Now how long i determined was an "extended period of time" would depend on my circumstances. Am i on vacation? is it the holidays? Am i sick? Have i been getting enough sleep?, etc... But usually it was a week or two of being outside my happy range would i start actually doing anything. I will also add that i increased my happy range by 5 lbs about 2 years ago because i decided the effort to stay within that range was more trouble than its worth (i used to strive to stay within 115-120 lbs, but nowadays i try to stay within 115-125, which i have been able to do perfectly with zero extra effort...and its soooo much more pleasant this way) p.s. i'm 4.5+ years out.

yay, a couple responses! I figure i should l add mine too: 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE (at time of surgery) , HEIGHT F, 46, 5'2" 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) 11.8 lbs 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. 223.2 lbs 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery 201.0 lbs 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery 172.0 lbs 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery 138.1 lbs 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery 113.0 lbs

I had my panniculectomy covered by insurance, and just paid the difference to "upgrade" to a TT. The difference is an overall flatter, tighter abdomen with the Tummy Tuck. With the panniculectomy, they remove the hanging/foldover pannus over your lower abdomen, with the TT, they remove a lot more residual tissue, fat and skin in areas that go beyond the pannus. TT's also often involve muscle tightening (they sew your abdominal muscles closer together down the middle). Some pics i pulled from Google for a visual:

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

the Kid went to the Keg for dinner tonight and i went to town with her leftovers. 527 calories for the plate. Ate all the steak and veggies, but passed on the bread and a little less than 1/2 of the baked potato shown, so i figure i'll update MFP to read 242 for what i actually ate.

BINGO!!!

no, noooo, too much. i might orgasm. hahahahhahaha ?

Further, (doing a quick google search) i found that there was a class action lawsuit filed in Arizona against Alamanza back in 2018 for fraud and post-op care. I couldn't quickly find the current status of said case so i gave up...but the lawyer's for the case are from Gregory Law Group. You could inquire if have interest (scroll down and a number is provided to those who have issues with this doctor and are seeking recourse): https://www.gregorylawaz.com/results-1

man, sorry u are going thru this. hoping you get to a better place soon. i did a quick search on BP for Alamanza's name and found this from 2015: ?

Good eye!! lol this place did have Doubles on the menu too !

small tangent break from this very insightful thread: your smarty-pants science-talk is turning me on ❤️?❤️

i've ordered a kids size ice cream cone a few times (if i had to guess, less than 10 times since i've been in maintenance over 4 years now). i have yet to be able to finish a whole one in one sitting (im a dumper so i generally keep ice cream servings SMALL). i would order a cone and get a cup to put it in so i could store the uneaten portion in the freezer for a later time(s), if someone doesn't eat my leftovers for me.

5'2" female here, 235 lbs at the beginning of my 2 week pre-op diet. which put me at a BMI 43 I am including BMI here because asking about total pounds lost to a group of people with a wide range of starting weights and heights doesn't really give a good "view" for "comparison" (and we all know we shouldn't compare ourselves to others as it may lead to angst, but i also know that we all do anyway ?, i just hope that people don't give in to any angst it may cause...which is why i *think* @Arabesque responded they way she did.) with that said, i reached goal at 7 months, but continued to lose more weight for a few more months. To your question though, at 8 months, i had lost 116 lbs, which put me at a BMI 21.9 at the time. you are much taller than me, and according to your stats, your starting BMI is/was 46.5, so my 116 lbs loss would be equivalent to a loss of 157 lbs for you (i.e., for you to reach a similar 8 mnth BMI of 21.9) as im writing this i am already reconsidering pressing "Submit Reply" because i already know my experience is not the same as many on here, and I really dont want to endorse comparisons because i have seen/read how it makes people spiral. at the same time, you asked, so.... hopefully others will respond with the reality of the VERY varied results we all experience and you will see that everyone's experience is soooooo different. so there you go. do with this information as you will. Good Luck ❤️

chicken caesar salad for brunch. 290 calories, ate it all.

yum!

i did not know there was even Haitian jerk! This is our go-to jerk pork and stewed oxtail place. i always assumed it was jamaican...but now that i read the sign, its says "Caribbean", so i guess it could be either? how can i tell? p.s the entire place inside is like the size of my closet, and there is usually a line right out the door and down the sidewalk on weekends! (which is why i always go weekday mid-afternoons ?)

what is that yummy dessert looking thing in the pie tin????

this is true. though truth be told, i am a bonafide grazer since surgery....its my preferred eating method. ??‍♀️

i'm filthy from gardening so, NO. lol. but i'll do it later after a shower! ????

4.5+ yrs out, sleeved. i can eat about 1-1.5 cups of food at one sitting (more if its salad, less if it's dense protein or fluffy bread)....but if i eat bites at a time, here and there, over a long period of time, i can def pack in more.

Respectfully, and with no malice whatsoever, suggesting a therapist for auxiliary support is NOT bashing, in any way, shape, or form. ❤️ ESPECIALLY in THIS forum. Alot of us recognize (or eventually come to recognize) that there is alot of head work to do for long term weight loss success. Food addictions, emotional eating, self-medicating, self-worth, body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression, anorexia/bulima are just some the the many, many issues our community tend to suffer from en masse. Yes, there is diet and exercise, your nutritionist and your personal trainer can help you with that (as can the members in this board). As for whats going on in your head, thats what the therapist is for. The folks on here can offer a sympathetic ear and suggest anecdotal solutions, but the real work can be done with a GOOD therapist (unfortunately i also do recognize good ones are hard to find). anyways, good luck, and just know its not an insult here when someone suggests a therapist...it's actually a sincere effort to help. ❤️

Lunch: jerk pork with rice and peas (and a coffee martini beforehand, not shown) Ate it all. 380 calories (including the drink!)

man, now that u mention it, i haven't had one since surgery (October 2018) either! i used to get at least one every year or so. now the thought of my "uncleanliness" makes me shudder. yikes.

Fun fact: the most weight i ever lost in one month AFTER wls was the first post op month with 21 lbs lost (and i was about 225 at the beginning of said month). the most weight i ever lost in one month BEFORE surgery was 25 lbs (and i started off that month at 180-ish). so weight loss roughly the same-ish. and i was eating roughly the same-ish (i.e., basically nothing lol). i didn't expect to lose "faster" because it still boils down to calories in-calories out. maybe if i ate less in that POST-op month than i did that PRE-op month, sure. but i can't eat less than "basically nothing"! thats just math. and science. surgery doesn't make me burn more calories. its all restriction-based (though rNy does have a malabsorption aspect to it...but i digress). now the main difference is this: i re-gained those lost 25 PRE-op lbs plus packed on another 55 for good measure over the following 4 years. VS...keeping those 21 POST-op lbs off PLUS losing an additional 99 lbs on top of that over the following 7 months. im 4.5+ years out now and have continued to (more or less) keep all 120 lbs off for over 4 years (FOUR YEARS! that still blows my mind...i have never lost weight before and even come close to keeping it ALL off for even 4 MONTHS). yes, you will lose at the same rate doing diet and exercise as you would with surgery and it's associated physical restriction, IF (and that's a BiG IF) u continue with the diet and exercise. which leads us to the age-old question: so why didn't u? food for thought. ❤️