EmzBee

Guys I’m so excited

Not at goal yet, but I FINALLY am at a “normal” BMI

Not At GOAL - but Maybe Soon. Frustr8's T- Shirt will say:
ALWAYS AWESOME- NEVER NORMAL- why struggle into frustration? I would not have been born if the 🌎World didn't require ME for Something!

Looking very glam, Emzbee. Congratulations!
Recidivist is still in Washington DC. I leave for Denver on Tuesday for a week, then to Stockholm for a week, and finally to Madrid for a week before heading down under. (I'm taking the scenic route.) I arrive in Canberra on September 25. And don't worry, I've never been a big TimTam fan!

Emzbee--you're rocking it! Thanks for your photo update. Your hair also looks great--not thin at all. And the Timtams? They are soooooo good. We have them in the States now (I first tried them in Australia). Deadly.

So, I saw my surgeon and nutritionist today. Here are the highlights:
- My surgeon thinks my weight has stabilized (147 today) and that I should now start maintenance. She said I should increase my calories to 1200 per day to start with and see how things go. I can tweak it as I go along to find the sweet spot where I'm no longer losing nor gaining. She did say I can expect a gain of 5-10 pounds once I'm on maintenance.
- Both of them told me it's very natural to be able to eat more at this point. They said that eating more is fine as long as you continue good habits and know when to stop.
- My surgeon was actually happy that I'm able to drink so much Water and said it was not an issue. (I'm getting 90-120 oz per day.)
- They both said I should not be counting calories nor grams of Protein if I have a good sense of what works for me--and I do. They said the strict calorie counting and measuring was more of a learning tool during the first few months and was not intended to be a life-long habit.
- They said I should eat more fruits and vegetables, even if it means getting a bit less protein. That made me very happy!
Otherwise, they were very pleased with where I am. The surgeon said my saggy skin was not that bad compared to other patients, which made me feel better!

To me, the danger of this situation and her weight is the hiding of foods. When I was growing up, my step-father forbade us to have any sweets in the house. This, along with a lot of childhood trauma, set up a pattern of craving and hiding sweets. The high that the sweets would give me was amazing. My sister, who I shared a room with, actually started to hide sweets in a shoe box under her bed. She ended up with the opposite problem to me... very underweight. (She's definitely different genetically to me though... totally different build etc).
I am very aware of this with my daughter - who has autism and is 10 - and so I am really trying to not freak out about her eating sweets. I am not forbidding it, I let her choose when she has some (within reason). I am teaching her to stop eating when she is full. So far so good... she is on the bigger side of her weight, but I put that down to puberty, autism and genetics. I don't know the solution for you, but I would caution you about making things off limits. It led to a lot of bingeing for me.

If bra/panties pics aren’t allowed I will gladly remove. Here is a before and current. Pic 1 is 268 and pic 2 is 198. Notice in the side view that I’ve lost so much fat in my arms and chest that my arms now hang closer to my body so my fingertips hit a lot lower on my legs. I want to lose 60 more pounds, but it’s so far away it seems impossible. Adding my measurements also. I’m now wearing the lowest plus size they make. Almost in normal sizes!!

Oh I do also, but when clothes cover it, I LOOK pretty fine, and you take triumph where You Can.

Regarding saggy skin: I have it everywhere. I have the neck wattle and jowls, which make me look older than I did before. I've also got loose skin on my upper arms, thighs and butt--and of course around the waist. I look pretty good in clothes, but I'm still a bit shocked when I see my body in the mirror. Maybe I'll post some close-up pictures one of these days.
Regarding caloric intake: I'm not counting as scrupulously as I used to, because I haven't had any issues with re-gaining weight (so far). I was doing 500-600 in the first few months, and I'm guessing that I'm up to about 800-1,000 now. I'm seeing my surgeon again in two weeks and will be eager to hear what she has to say.

GOAL!!!!! I am so excited! Can hardly believe it. Still feel that 5 more pounds off would be good, so new goal is 144, It has been 40 years since I have been below 150 and I feel so good. The most amazing thing is to have so much energy and NO JOINT PAIN. Thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement in this journey thus far.
PS: So now I have a new problem. Looks like I just got stuck on a saguaro cactus! OUCH! (My ticker.)

I met up with a friend yesterday. She's seen pics of skinny me and saw me three months or so ago... and I was standing right in front of her and she still didn't see me! I could see her scanning around looking for me and I'm like 'umm, hi? I'm right here!' [emoji23]

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

I met up with a friend yesterday. She's seen pics of skinny me and saw me three months or so ago... and I was standing right in front of her and she still didn't see me! I could see her scanning around looking for me and I'm like 'umm, hi? I'm right here!' [emoji23]

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

Way to go! You shouldn't be embarrassed to post...you're looking awesome! Thanks to the rest of you posting photos. I work in a large Federal agency so I run into certain people every few months or so. Today one of these people did not even recognize me. That was a little weird, but it goes to show how dramatic my weight change has been.
I remember going to my first required support group after the surgery and how one guy said he was struggling with wanting to wear big clothes all the time. I thought that was odd, but I get it now. It feels so good to wear shorts that are actually loose and not digging into me. It feels wonderful.

It's my surgiversary tomorrow and I've lost 75% of my excess weight!
Setting a new goal of 69kgs, which would mark losing HALF of my bodyweight.

Wishing us all continuing happiness and success [emoji4] 

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

Physical eating problems are fine! I just don't eat tough stuff. Corned beef/silverside slow cooked, not steak or lamb. I go through phases of eating a lot of a particular Protein. For a while there I did really well with chicken, now not so much.
Had the wost dumping syndrome ever after eating four teaspoons of an ice cream I'd been able to stomach a full serve of about three months after surgery... seems I'm super-sensitive to sugar!

Where I'm still struggling is mentally. I struggle to Celebrate how far I've come. I struggle with significantly lower lows for no particular reason. I tried a non-ssri and it completely wiped me out, so I'm back to trying to manage on my own. Overall I'm good, but I never know when the next bad day is going to come and derail the progress I've made and send me flying two steps back.

*But* I'm still happy I did this and I'm here! [emoji4]

Hope you're excited about Australia, Recidivist! Sorry to hear about your friend... I'm sure her actions have more to do with her than you. In saying that, some cultures are different. Hubs and I are going to Christchurch soon and I'm totally expecting our close Korean friend to try to feed me up and tell me I'm too skinny. *sigh* Guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it! [emoji4]

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

It's so good to see how well everyone is doing 6 months out. So interesting hearing about how everyone is eating now, the challenges, and how friends/family are reacting. I am trying to get the last few pound off to reach goal and then would like to go down 5-7 more, just to add some wiggle room. Once I reach goal, I never want to see the 150's again. My mom and daughter weigh between 140-150 and they are actually feeling a little threatened! They have never really known me as anything but heavy, and although they are happy for me, it seems that they (my daughter, especially) are feeling a bit odd about me possibly weighing less than them.
I discovered a little life saver tip. I have several 70-100 calorie Snacks I make and freeze, and then when I might be tempted to grab something not so good, I can grab and nuke one of these. They are also a good supplement to any meal or to stave off the hungries on their own.
1) Mini quiches (made in cupcake tins. No crust, Made with eggs, milk, onion, mushrooms, cheese, broccoli and a few cubes of gluten free stuffing mix.) 80 cal, 3 gm Protein. (Good cold or hot.)
2) Turkey meatballs. (made with ground turkey, shredded zucchinni, eggs, onion, finely ground GF dressing cubes instead of cracker or bread crumbs). 100 cal, 6 gm protein. (Good cold or hot.)
3) pumpkin custard squares (made with pumpkin, eggs, milk, spices and a little Monkfruit sweetener.) 100 cal, 3 gm protein. (Just kept in fridge and eaten cold.)
4) I also keep a pot of turkey/veg Soup in the fridge. I cup only has 50 calories, 6 gm protein. A good way to get in a lot of veggies. It is very filling if I am feeling a bit hungry.
5) My final little treat is a sweet one that I use sometimes in the evening. It is the only sweet splurge I allow myself, and I have no sweet cravings. 1 TBS 72% cacao chips with 1 TBS (10 )raw almonds. Yum!!! 150 calories, 4 gm protein.
Best wishes to all the Feb 2019 buddies, as we approach the final stretch! Hugs to all.

My update:
My hairloss has slowed down now, thank goodness.
As for eating, I can pretty much eat whatever now. I don't think I have had any dumping. Weirdly, there are times I can eat more than at other times - not sure why. I am not throwing up as much as before, but still do every now and then. My issues lately seem to be with snacking at night, so I'm trying to do the intermittent fasting thing... stopping at 8pm and not eating again till 11am. Not sure if that's enough time, but it's a start and is making me mindful about stopping stuffing my face with silly Snacks that I don't even really want.
The liquid sertraline is definitely helping - I can feel a difference in my mood compared to the pills. I really do not think I was absorbing them.
I hope everyone is doing ok! I'm so glad our February group is still going - I love reading your posts.

Oh p.s. nsv right here! My BP used to be ‘fair’ bordering on bad and my pulse was always near 100.

I'll chime in on the food intake topic. It seemed like all of a sudden a few weeks ago I was able to eat quite a bit more and a wider variety of things without any ill effects. It's so tempting to eat as much I can tolerate (but still good high-protein low-carb stuff), and I've given in a few times. I definitely need to get back to better Portion Control. However, I'm still prioritizing Protein, I avoid fat (although I'm a little bit more flexible there) and I have not (knowingly) had any sugar since surgery. I've been without a scale for a couple of weeks now, but I don't think I'm gaining weight. We'll see once I can weigh in!

Emzbee, congratulations--you look fantastic. However, I know that you've had quite a few challenges along the way. How are you feeling these days? Are you still having any issues?

FANTASTIC! And I see you are at the gym. If you are working out on your arms, do you see loose skin or are you building muscle there? I see no loose skin on you.

Okay. Just had another NSV.

I’m at my local spa waiting for a massage to try to work these kinks of my lower back.
I go to this spa about 3-4 times per year.
Anyway, they have 2 sets of ladies robes: normal and plus size and they are on different sides of the locker area.
I learned this once to my dismay a couple of years ago when I showed up for a treatment and they were running low on plus size robes.
Until then I’d had no idea they had always led me to one side for a specific reason.
Needless to say, it was humiliating to be told (kindly) that they were waiting for a robe my size.

This time around after I checked in, they took me to the side with the “normal” size robes.

Progress

5 months post-op today and down 72 pounds. It feels a lot better and I'm having more energy. I'm having trouble with my stomach. I can't really explain it, but is lower and possibly a burning feeling. It comes and goes and only lasts about 30 seconds to a minute. My 6 month follow up is in exactly 4 weeks and I will speak to my PA. We discussed it before and she said she would do a scope if it continued. So, I will be asking to do the scope. I take protonix daily, although I have missed it a few times. I sure hope it stops and won't have to do a revision. My Dr wanted me to do the DS, but I said no. However, I guess I might consider if this continues. I still have to lose 84 pounds to get to goal, and definitely will need plastic surgery on my arms, stomach and breasts.
Hope everyone is in a good place and may we all continue to do well! Love this group!💕🤸‍♀️

So proud of you Gaby! Can you believe how far this group has come? I remember reading post of groups that were six months out and thinking, I hope I will be like that. Now here we are ... not quite six months but really successful. I did have a NSV...I went to see my hair stylist and she did not recognize me at first. c-r-a-z-y. The last time that happened to me, it was because I had gained so much weight. This time when it happened I was happy as opposed to beating myself up for letting myself get that size. So proud of us!

Hey everyone!
Interesting hearing the talk about ssris... I'm intolerant to ssris (I get some fairly extreme side effects, like sleeping 18-20 hrs a day. I attempted suicide while on an ssri -- thus why I'm so hesitant to muck around with any drugs) *but* I've had hit a couple of seriously rough Patches lately and I'm in talks with a doctor about trialing medication.
I think they're hesitant to put me on anything because ssris are, like 'the first line of defense' in NZ, and GPs usually won't prescribe anything else. That and my GP isn't comfortable prescribing anything because of the surgery. *shrugs* I guess until they figure it out I'll just have to cope with, like, not being able to function like a normal human.
I had the same 5-month weight loss slow down/stall as many did, but in the past week I've lost 4 pounds! I really do think my body was still a-changin' even when the scale wasn't, but have to admit that it feels nice seeing the scale move a little