ms.sss

Never say never. I’m 3 years out, and i can (and do) eat anything. Well, except excess sugar in one sitting (i dump)…when i do eat sugar (i.e., dessert) its always just a little at a time. I eat bread, cookies, chocolate, fried foods, sauces, the occasional pizza slice (albeit only when Mr. makes it, as its delicious), rice (in my sushi), pasta (again only when Mr. makes it), and drink alcohol. I go out to eat at restaurants regularly. I’d go even more if it wasn’t so Covid-y out there. So long as my average calories stays at or below my maintenance calories (i track EVERYTHING), then its all good. If my weight goes north of my self-imposed high weight limit (i weigh myself everyday) for 3-4 consecutive days, i cut cals for a while, until I’m in my happy weight range again. I had to do this 3 times in year 2…haven’t had to do it again so far *crosses fingers*. All my labs come back uneventfully. I have maintained below goal weight (127lbs) for 2.5 years…i was 116.6lbs this morning. So i figure I’m doing something right. Some people can have a similar lifestyle, others not due to a host of things (food tolerances, medical issues, temperament, activity levels, etc…). Where you will end up on the spectrum of “foodie-ability” can and will be determined only by you. Yes, you may be one of those that will not be able to “enjoy” food and keep weight off. BUT, you also may be one of the ones who do. Alot of it is up to you. My take is that you have to decide which is more important to you: the *possible* loss of your current food enjoyment OR the possibility of weight loss. There is no wrong answer. P.S. Of course, these aren’t the only two outcomes: there is also “possible weight loss with a NEW way of enjoying food”.

Lunchtime! (Technically breakfast actually) Baked salmon, beef brisket with BBQ sauce and 1/2 a sweet dinner roll: 370 calories. Ate one bite of the brisket and al of the rest. The BBQ sauce i poured over the brisket was too sweet to eat for first meal of the day. I put it back in the the fridge but I already know im not going to eat it later…got too turned off, boo.

Tonight’s dinner: Baked salmon, roasted garlic and chicharron (and an espresso martini beforehand, not shown) 399 calories. Ate (and drank) it all. P.S. There is a tres leches cake calling my name in the fridge. After I digest my meal I just may have some later (anticipate 200 cals for 1/4 cup of it…lol)

That was eaten throughout the day lol. No way I could down a 10oz-er in one sitting. if remember correctly, i had 3 or 4 go’s at that steak that day. The attempts after the initial ordering, were eaten cold straight out of the fridge (i didn’t want to reheat it lest it got cooked more over medium rare!) Regardless, it was as still delish!

If you were dumping, the vomiting would not give you releif. I read somewhere (was it this thread?) someone describing it kinda like an anxiety attack. Which sounds about right for my experience. Like a really bad, anxiety-ridden hangover…sprinkled with barf and diarrhea.

@GooseyGirl Great work! Keep those pics coming!!! Nothing beats a good progress pic to keep you (and others) motivated ❤️ I found the less I looked like my “before” picture, the more I was willing to share it. For a few months after reaching goal, i would show my “before” pic to anyone and everyone who asked (and i was even in my underwear in that pic!) Now not so much cuz no one cares anymore, LOL. But yeah, take those pics!!! Heres mine: https://www.bariatricpal.com/gallery/image/97490-progress_pics_v04/

(Deja Vu… i just replied to another thread in this similar topic, lol) Anyhoo, my surgeon weighed my removed “material” and it all added up to 400g (had a TT, arm lift and breast lift). But i was pretty small going in with very little body fat.

Im in Canada so this may be a little different from you: Panni was covered by insurance, but I paid the difference to get a proper tummy tuck..which is basically the muscle tightening and some lipo)…i ended up paying maybe 25-35% of the cost of a proper tummy tuck out of pocket. My surgeon (nor the other 3 I consulted with) has/had a “waiting period” at goal weight requirement. I had my PS 6 months after reaching goal…would have been earlier if my surgeon wasn’t so booked up…on the other hand it would have been 9 months if he didn’t open up a surgery day specially for me (thanks, doc!) Thoroughly happy with my procedures (i had a TT, arm lift and breast lift), and at 3 years post wls and 2 years post PS, my bod is still holding up just fine….and i get to wear bikinis with confidence! Oh, and regarding how much extra weight was lost —i know i am in the minority in this compared to other accounts i’ve read — i lost a measly 400g across the 3 procedures. But i was pretty small already, with very little body fat. He basically just removed skin. Good Luck! ❤️

Everyone is different, but for me the answers to both questions are a resounding YES. I can eat whatever (except excess sugar), but not at “normal” portions. If i had to guess, I probably eat about 1/3 of what an “normal” heathly, similar-sized person eats in VOLUME. But calorie-wise, its almost the same (i eat about 1800-2000 cals a day on average these days). And yeah, its not all diet food (as i sit here with espresso martini in hand and a small container of cashews i plan to eat after i drink this). I go out to eat at least once a week (more, pre-pandemic, as well as during summer with outdoor dining) and order what i want...especially now that i dont avoid carbs like the plague anymore, lol. I always have take home leftovers if my companions did not already eat my leftovers. I also drink regularly (mostly red wine or vodka with Kahlua or Clamato) You may be able to do the same, or you may not. This is something you will find out through trial and error. P.S. i was going to restaurants/parties with food at 3 post-op Granted, I barely ate anything (if at all!) those early days, but it was just about the company for me anyways. P.P.S. I am a little over 3 years out and have been maintaining below goal weight for 2.5 years. I’m 5’2” 116.5 lbs this morning. Im relatively active. Good Luck! ❤️

From a last minute road trip with Mr. a couple weeks ago. Don’t be fooled…it was effing cold that day, but i INSISTED we get in the outdoor pool/hut tub so I could wear that PVC bikini top I recently bought ?

Nice work!! ?

This is why i log everything i eat. Calories add up quickly, man. This smallish breakfast sandwich is a surprising 511 calories. Ate the extra cheese and egg on the side and a little less than half the sandwich. If it doesn’t get too soggy, i’ll eat the rest later (this bread is quite filling)

????? *makes list of ingredients to buy to bake cookies*

Lol now a very late night snack. I don’t usually eat this late when i’m at home, but i’ve been feeling snacky for a couple hours now and decided to just eat something already. Cheddar, peppercorn pate, chicharron and some fig jam: 362 calories Yeah, i know, kinda a weird combination of snacks, lol Can u tell i’m having a salt craving?!?

A very late lunch: sashimi/maki takeout: 323 calories. Ate it all. YUM.

Not usually, but sometimes. And never to the degree of exhaustion from dumping.

When i was about 2 months out I had a couple sips of a soju-sake (sugary alcoholic drink) thinking it was just a couple sips and it was xmas, so what’s the harm? Anyhoo, about 10 mins later my heart started racing, and i started to feel tired. A few mins after that i got nauseated and had to poop (not the explosive, didnt make it to washroom kind, but urgent and loose nonetheless). Then i was exhausted and had to go to sleep. Figured it was dumping. About a month later i had 2-3 tablespoons of a VERY sugary, creamy fruit salad. This time it was like death. I had “material “ coming out BOTH ends, lol. Mr literally picked me up off the bathroom floor and carried up the stairs to put me in bed and i slept it off for a few hours. KNEW it was dumping. Sugar does not affect me as badly/quickly now (am 3 years out). But i still have to watch it. I can lessen the effects if i eat small amounts, ensure that i don’t eat excess sugar on am empty stomach, and try not to mix dairy and excess sugar at the same time. Case in point: yesterday i didn’t want to eat dinner (i made stir fry noodles for the fam and I don’t really eat noodles). I did end up eating 3 sour key candies later while watching tv (yeah i know that was dumb). Anyhoo, i got the heart racing, the onset of exhaustion and a mild death feeling and ended up going to bed super early. No poop or barf issues, but still unpleasant. P.S. Im a sleeve.

Green apple, carrots, cucumbers, cheddar, pepperette and roasted red pepper cream cheese: 348 calories, Mr and I ate it all while watching a pvr’d episode of Home Economics. I’m guessing I ate bout 1/3 or less? Hard to say. I logged the entire thing anyway.

Me and my doc count from the start of my 2 wk pre-op liquid diet. I was 235 two wks before surgery. Am 3+ years out today and weighed 117.5 this morning. At 5’2”, normal BMI for me would be ~135bs. So math says I am at 118% excess weight lost as of today. But as @catwoman7 indicated above, probably best to disregard the oft-stated 60% excess weight loss prediction. Its just an average and real life individual results vary GREATLY. Good Luck! ❤️

BBQ Pork on a stick. Ate 1/2, Mr ate the other half: 111 cals for what made it into my tummy.

Met up with some old school high school friends (who hadn’t seen me throughout my obese period in my 30s and 40s) and they said i still look the same and haven’t changed all these 30+ years. ?? Ha! Little do they know.:.? Also…was fascinated the other day when I discovered that I could get up from sitting cross legged on the floor to a standing position without even using my arms to get up ?

Do you mean liposuction? I had it years ago when i was “just overweight” and little bit again 2 years ago when I had plastics after reaching WLS goal. Here is an explanation of the process Mayo Clinic will have a better explanation than I ever would: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/liposuction/about/pac-20384586 From a practical perspective, the procedure is more for pockets of fat, vs. overall weight loss. It removes fat, but does not firm up skin. If you gain weight, the remaining fat cells in your body will just get bigger, so its not a permanent solution in that sense. Case in point: i still managed to make myself morbidly obese years after i had the procedure. And yep the areas i had it done still got huge. But if you have stubborn pockets of fat that don’t reduce despite weight loss in other parts of your body, its quite effective. Its usually employed during plastics procedures to get that sculpted look. Good Luck! ❤️

My go-to’s are vodka or gin sodas with lots of lime, espresso martinis (espresso vodka & kahlua…kahlua has a good bit of sugar though), dry red wine or vodka caesars (canadian version of a bloody mary…a little high in carbs though, and super high in sodium).

I’m one of those that DIDN’T do 6 meals a day during weight loss phase (or after). I was a grazer (still am) as i just couldn’t eat alot at one sitting. I would fix myself something and eat it throughout the day (often over multiple days). I was also not (never was, still not) a breakfast eater. I normally have my first food of the day at noon. As time goes by, you will figure out what works for you, until it doesn’t anymore and then you’ll have to figure out a new MO. Good Luck! ❤️

So did I, and i turned out just fine. I too was often lightheaded the first little bit, and went through a period of food aversion. From month 3 to 7, weight loss sowed down to roughly 10lbs a month (i was eating more, as well as getting smaller, reducing my need for calories) Lost another 10+ lbs after goal and been sitting there more or less ever since. Im 3 yrs out. I assume you have shared your lack of energy and other concerns with your doc and nut? And that your labs have come back with uneventful results? Unless your team is worried, probably no need for you to either. Good Luck! ❤️