ms.sss

salad. 555 calories. pretty much ate all of it.
YUM.

salad. 555 calories. pretty much ate all of it.
YUM.

A viewing of todays meals (might have dessert later who knows)
breakfast- oatmeal with almond powder and strawberries
lunch- romaine (cos), Tomato, cucumber, and chipotle black Beans and the snack also pictured is cottage cheese and strawberries
so dinner I made the kids pappardelle with Italian sausage, peppers and onions in tomato sauce, broccoli carrot slaw, and cider vinegar cucumbers. A child claimed the offending Pasta so I didn’t eat any. I wanted the peppers and onions more than anything but the broccoli slaw was really good. Go me!

nah, i get it, i'm a numbers gal myself, and i LIVE for tracking and data and spreadsheets!
ok,so if i were to respond to this specific statement then, my surgeon made his calculations with my weight when i first got accepted into the program...which was 2+ YEARS BEFORE my actual surgery (long story, but i backed out twice before i finally went through it).
granted, for ME, it didn't really make a difference because i was the same weight on my acceptance date in 2016, as i was 2 weeks prior to my surgery date in 2018. but im sure many others could not say the same if they were to use the same barometer.
long story short, "excess weight" is arbitrary, and the calculations are different depending on who you ask.
your best measure of success and progress in the endeavour of weight loss is yourself. is your weight loss graph trending down? yes? then YAY! again, you are doing great...but you don't need me (or anyone else) to validate that, you can see it yourself in your numbers and hard work ❤️ .

hiya! 1-2 lbs loss per week is NOT a slow loser at all.
its actually quite common/average.
you are doing great

like others have said, skin itself does not weigh alot. the stories you have heard about people losing 20-30-40 lbs after plastics, are either (A) folks who lost HUNDREDS of pounds, or (B) folks who had subcutanous fat under their skin, which was removed during plastics.). Most people fall under group B.
plastics is more about visual aesthetics (or comfort/life quality) vs actual weight loss on the scale.
My surgeon told me the "material" he removed from me weighed a grand total of 400g (less than 1 lb)....not at all significant on the scale, but VERY significant in the mirror.
getting a dexa scan is a good idea if you want to know what your physiological make up is. you could use the results of this scan to discuss with your surgeon what they anticipate your end result would be. unfortunately there is no way to know for sure what your results will be until you actually go thru it.
good luck! ❤️

(too much) Iron is notorious for resulting in Constipation.
i'm not a doctor, but the first thing i would say is to stop doing whatever is causing you pain and go do your PCP immediately for further guidance.

696 calories for this salad!
i blame the feta and cashews...lol
the seasoned tofu was absolutely yum and i am already looking forward to ordering it again the next time we do chinese takeout
eyeballing the after pic, im estimating i ate about 2/3 of this salad. will likely eat the rest later (at the very least will eat the leftover tofu...yuuuummmmm)

couldn't agree more. i still track my food intake (albeit not as rigidly, i eyeball and guesstimate alot more now) and i still weigh myself every day.
i'm 5+ years out, and i have managed to stay below goal weight this entire time.

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

like others have said, skin itself does not weigh alot. the stories you have heard about people losing 20-30-40 lbs after plastics, are either (A) folks who lost HUNDREDS of pounds, or (B) folks who had subcutanous fat under their skin, which was removed during plastics.). Most people fall under group B.
plastics is more about visual aesthetics (or comfort/life quality) vs actual weight loss on the scale.
My surgeon told me the "material" he removed from me weighed a grand total of 400g (less than 1 lb)....not at all significant on the scale, but VERY significant in the mirror.
getting a dexa scan is a good idea if you want to know what your physiological make up is. you could use the results of this scan to discuss with your surgeon what they anticipate your end result would be. unfortunately there is no way to know for sure what your results will be until you actually go thru it.
good luck! ❤️

(too much) Iron is notorious for resulting in Constipation.
i'm not a doctor, but the first thing i would say is to stop doing whatever is causing you pain and go do your PCP immediately for further guidance.

nah, i get it, i'm a numbers gal myself, and i LIVE for tracking and data and spreadsheets!
ok,so if i were to respond to this specific statement then, my surgeon made his calculations with my weight when i first got accepted into the program...which was 2+ YEARS BEFORE my actual surgery (long story, but i backed out twice before i finally went through it).
granted, for ME, it didn't really make a difference because i was the same weight on my acceptance date in 2016, as i was 2 weeks prior to my surgery date in 2018. but im sure many others could not say the same if they were to use the same barometer.
long story short, "excess weight" is arbitrary, and the calculations are different depending on who you ask.
your best measure of success and progress in the endeavour of weight loss is yourself. is your weight loss graph trending down? yes? then YAY! again, you are doing great...but you don't need me (or anyone else) to validate that, you can see it yourself in your numbers and hard work ❤️ .

so when i had my WLS, when i got home one the next afternoon, i was just under 2 lbs lighter.
but when i had my plastics, 2 days later (i was in hospital longer) i was 5 lbs heavier...and i was like 115 lbs at the time so that was a lot considering my frame. like @nickelchip my hands where like inflated balloon paws...(i'll see if i can find a pic)

nah, i get it, i'm a numbers gal myself, and i LIVE for tracking and data and spreadsheets!
ok,so if i were to respond to this specific statement then, my surgeon made his calculations with my weight when i first got accepted into the program...which was 2+ YEARS BEFORE my actual surgery (long story, but i backed out twice before i finally went through it).
granted, for ME, it didn't really make a difference because i was the same weight on my acceptance date in 2016, as i was 2 weeks prior to my surgery date in 2018. but im sure many others could not say the same if they were to use the same barometer.
long story short, "excess weight" is arbitrary, and the calculations are different depending on who you ask.
your best measure of success and progress in the endeavour of weight loss is yourself. is your weight loss graph trending down? yes? then YAY! again, you are doing great...but you don't need me (or anyone else) to validate that, you can see it yourself in your numbers and hard work ❤️ .

when it comes down to it, does it really matter?
if it does, then track both.
either way, you are doing great, keep it up

one of those days...it was 6:30 pm and realized i didn't eat all day (or drink for that matter...had a coffee in the AM but that was it...this could explain the headache i had all day...)
as soon as this dawned on me, i suddenly felt hungry.
i wonder if i didn't remember if i would feel hunger at all...?? 🤷🏻‍♀️
anyway, the only thing ready to eat in the fridge was the Kid's leftover pizza. so i ate a slice.
guessing 250 calories.
ate it cold (which i actually prefer over warm/hot pizza...i like my pizza cheese solid! lol)

5+ years out.
i do run colder than most people around me, but not nearly the level of cold i felt the first couple years after surgery. i slept with socks, a hoodie (the the hood ON), and a down comforter...while Mr. was just in shorts and no blanket.
i couldn't even wear a tank top IN SUMMER for long without having to slip on a sweater or jacket i took with me everywhere.
ugh and the freezer aisle in the supermarket was my personal hell.
now its not as bad and i can actually wear season-appropriate clothing alot of the time lol.
and/but i never sweat anymore in public...unless im at the gym or running, but even then, its like a spritz of sweat vs the pouring dripping waterfalls of sweat Water i used to produce from the slightest but of physical effort, like going up the stairs or just existing on a warm day.

so when i had my WLS, when i got home one the next afternoon, i was just under 2 lbs lighter.
but when i had my plastics, 2 days later (i was in hospital longer) i was 5 lbs heavier...and i was like 115 lbs at the time so that was a lot considering my frame. like @nickelchip my hands where like inflated balloon paws...(i'll see if i can find a pic)

one of those days...it was 6:30 pm and realized i didn't eat all day (or drink for that matter...had a coffee in the AM but that was it...this could explain the headache i had all day...)
as soon as this dawned on me, i suddenly felt hungry.
i wonder if i didn't remember if i would feel hunger at all...?? 🤷🏻‍♀️
anyway, the only thing ready to eat in the fridge was the Kid's leftover pizza. so i ate a slice.
guessing 250 calories.
ate it cold (which i actually prefer over warm/hot pizza...i like my pizza cheese solid! lol)

5+ years out.
i do run colder than most people around me, but not nearly the level of cold i felt the first couple years after surgery. i slept with socks, a hoodie (the the hood ON), and a down comforter...while Mr. was just in shorts and no blanket.
i couldn't even wear a tank top IN SUMMER for long without having to slip on a sweater or jacket i took with me everywhere.
ugh and the freezer aisle in the supermarket was my personal hell.
now its not as bad and i can actually wear season-appropriate clothing alot of the time lol.
and/but i never sweat anymore in public...unless im at the gym or running, but even then, its like a spritz of sweat vs the pouring dripping waterfalls of sweat Water i used to produce from the slightest but of physical effort, like going up the stairs or just existing on a warm day.

696 calories for this salad!
i blame the feta and cashews...lol
the seasoned tofu was absolutely yum and i am already looking forward to ordering it again the next time we do chinese takeout
eyeballing the after pic, im estimating i ate about 2/3 of this salad. will likely eat the rest later (at the very least will eat the leftover tofu...yuuuummmmm)

Looks yum as always. I had a crap day at work today so am eating a handful of Doritos and sour cream dip. Yes I am weak in moments of crisis. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

i def get more (positive) attention from men, which doesn't surprise me.
but what i didn't expect was the increased positive attention from women (note i am a woman too lol).
women are "friendlier" to me when im smaller vs bigger. female strangers will start small talk with me, ask me questions about my day or what im wearing, shoot me a smile or knowing look. offer unsolicited help or assistance.
which makes me sad sometimes for all the "girl power" connections girls in bigger bodies may miss out on, especially those who don't have solid female friend groups already.
lets be nice to people, people!
i realize that others' behaviour towards me is affected by my own behaviour so there's also that, so if i project confidence and approachability, it attracts.
let's love ourselves, people!
(yes i also realize i went off on a tangent there...sorry!)

another gratuitous OOTD swimsuit shot! my abs are becoming a little more prominent...not because im exercising or anything, but because we have barely eaten while we've been here! i am NOT a fan of all-inclusive resort food and basically have only eaten over easy eggs and cabbage and the tube of Pringles i bought on the plane, ha. Oh, but i have probably drank my weight in vodka sodas omg.