Deedee12

Warning: This is a long Read.
Hey peeps,
Feels like its been a while since I've posted on here...I think because alot of my initial apprehension/anxiety/fear of navigating maintenance has basically disappeared. I feel way more confident and secure that I've got this in the bag, so long a I keep up with my "good" habits, i.e., tracking my food, weighing daily, take my vites, drink my Water, getting in some exercise.
Background reminder: I am almost 15 months post op from sleeve surgery, and I've been in maintenance now for about 7 months. I stopped weight loss mode at 127 lbs, and weighed in 115.4 lbs this morning.
Prior to the PS recovery stage I am currently in, I finally figured out that with my normal activity level (5km run daily + 15 mins strength training), my maintenance calories average about 1800-2000 a day.
My activity level for the past month however has been virtually null (save the last few days when I started walking 5km day, with the occasional short distance run in there somewhere), and my calorie intake has greatly varied day to day (MFP tells me I roughly averaged 1500 a day for the past month) and this combo has me maintaining 115 lbs.
Though I think the lack of exercise/strength training is starting to show on my body parts. My thighs are looking soft, the muscles in my arms and shoulders look less defined, my butt is actually looking saggier! How much this is related to the PS swelling or repositioning, I dunno. I am told I will not see my what my post-plastics final body for another several months. In any case, I am ACHING to be able to run like the wind again and work on some body toning.
Regarding food choices, I still stay away from bread, Pasta &rice. I have the occasional sugar-laden mixed drink (which I often pay for with dumpings), and my chocolate and Desserts intake has probably quadrupled (again, which I often pay for with dumpings). Regarding dumpings, I notice I am more likely to get more severe symptoms if there is nothing else in my stomach, which, when I am drinking or having dessert, is often the case.
I can definitely eat alot more in terms of volume than 6 months ago. Though my capacity is inconsistent in that there are days I can eat lots, and other days when I don't...and there seems to be no rhyme or reason for it.
I continue to believe that I am all that and a bag of chips, and my confidence in myself and what I do is filtering into my life in strange ways. I am so much less angry and annoyed. I have way more patience with others and feel like I am less judge-y. I am not harsh on myself anymore, which makes me less harsh on others, I guess.
I no longer really care what (non-essential) people think of me, nor do I feel the need to be liked and appreciated by them. On the flip side of this lack of concern, I am fine with "cutting the fat" from my life so to say, meaning that I recognize which relationships or interactions are worth working on and maintaining, and which ones I just step to side from.
I am quite comfortable with silences now.
All in all, I'm feeling pretty great, and quite happy where I find myself these days.
Ok, I didn't mean for this post to be so long and oh-so-reflective, lol. Just wanted to give a how-I-am-doing-in-maintenance update.
How are the other maintainers out there (new and old) doing? Would love to hear from you guys ❤️

I get dizzy when I have too many carbs. Im over a year out and probably could eat a small serving of spaghetti but if I overdo it, it makes my pouch feel like it’s going to explode and negative conditioning is very real so I stay away. 😂

When I make spaghetti for my family, I eat maybe 1/4 cup of noodles and a small serving of sauce/ sausage. Anything beyond that and the unpleasant dizziness kicks in... Just not worth it. 😅 I usually go to the gym or for a walk during dinner on spaghetti night. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

Tried on a few items I want to revisit this summer
still swollen but enjoying the progress so far

@MarvelGirl25 : I think you need to host a Ted Talk and school us on international cuisine.

Oh no! You were sooo close too! They call Patterson little Lima because of the large Peruvian population. Heres a pic of when I went for the first time. I was shocked by all the flags and how there was an area called Peru square lol. Hopefully you get a chance to go back. I went to a Peruvian restaurant that had over 60 dishes! At first that scared me but everything was really good and fresh. The food took forever to come out though. A good sign.

I've notice the increase in Nikkei in the U.S. too, not sure whats making it so popular all of a sudden.
The term Nikkei is fairly new but the fusion has been around for a very long time in Peru. There was just never a proper name for it until recent years. Peru has the largest population of Chinese people in Latin America and second largest population of Japanese (Brazil is #1 for Japanese) which created the two fusions. Kinda makes me think of the banh mi sandwich Vietnam has with the French influence. Sadly I've never even tried one yet! Its on my food bucket list lol
I went to a Chifa spot in NJ pre-op. This is what it looks like so you have an idea. I ordered the wonton Soup and my brother and bf ordered the lomo saltado with arroz chaufa.
Instead of the traditional Chinese wonton soup that has a light broth, veggies (depending the place), and wontons, the Chifa one is heavier. Chifas version has roasted pork, duck, chicken, and beef all marinated with peppers native to Peru, veggies, and a million overstuffed wontons..... but seriously, these things are always overstuffed. I honestly thought i would never see the bottom of my bowl! You cant really see them because they have sunken down to the bowl, thats how heavy they are. The flavor is similar to the traditional Chinese but does have a little twist because the broth is made with different cuts of meat.
The lomo is basically a steak stir fry with french fries, tomatoes, red onions, peppers, and cilantro. The Chaufa is fried rice with a twist in flavor. It was a great meal and made me seriously miss Peru.


I feel your pain with being let down. It seems like once you find a good place, there isnt consistency. Oh and i love Ajiaco! I think its hard to find because its more of home dish, nothing too fancy.
Ill be trying a drink this Thursday! Im curious to see what happens lol
Whooo, sorry for hogging space, that was a mouthful!

Amen. I actually blocked someone not because they were directly upsetting me, but because they went over the top and were rude, condescending, and plain mean to more than just 1 person on a thread that was a 'support group' for a specific situation.
They have chased off some of the original posters and caused others to fear posting and no, I'm not talking about 'I'm afraid if I post my meals, they will point out that my carbs seem a bit high' or they will 'bust me cuz I had Cookies at Xmas and some wine and they are going to say that is why I haven't lost for X weeks'.
Everyone has a right to their opinion but when that opinion starts to become unproductive, and you move from an intent to help even with tough love to being rude and mean because by God you want your opinion HEARD then for me...that is giving opinions with malicious intent (maybe the poster doesn't even recognize it, but just like the majority of us having a history of bad coping techniques, maybe we should consider it is not just the ppl asking for help who may need some tough love..maybe the posters who want to ignore requests to please leave off with the destructive comments...should consider that this may be part of their bad coping habits showing up still(.
I think EVERYONE benefits from self examination. I ask myself in my work life, my personal life and here..is what I'm saying true...and is the reason I'm saying it to be helpful/i.e. what is the true intent of my heart...when I go from both of those being 'YES' to the 2nd one being 'NO', for me. I bite my tongue. Also, I have never been asked to please stop commenting on a thread but if that ever happened, I would leave them in peace and not keep decrying my right to post...
Thus...I have blocked 2 ppl in the 3 years I've been on this forum. Even though I had surgery just this past July, I've been around for a while...just offering my own personal perspective and how much I agree with the decision to block/flag for ignore - don't let anyone chase you away from your journey. Don't give up on a thread or leave if staying is TRULY beneficial to you and be prepared for some tough love but not for insults and rudeness.
Reminds me of a saying from marriage counselors (i have many friends that are in this occupation) that I've heard over the years: Do you want to be right or do you want to be married? Yeah, a bit off the precise topic...but sometimes at work we also talk about 'do you want to win the battle' or win the war?

Lol!!! Please!! They look simply irresistible!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Loveeeeeee

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I have never regretted the sleeve for a second. From pumping the pain meds, to changing my diet, to stalls. It’s all good. I would only get a revision if I got GERD, and no sign of it 14 months out.

Thursday, I went in y daughter’s room and found a pair of jeans that I could wear (she’s 19 and has been smaller than me!) and my friend said they were still a little baggy!! #winning

I went home for the holidays and actually enjoyed shopping with my family. I'm two dress sizes smaller than I thought I was and actually found beautiful clothes that fit in the clearance sections.

January sales. I have been able to buy so much at January sales, and I have been able to be PICKY. I bought a freaking ball gown! (There’s a purpose, this isn’t rechanneling food bingeing into shopping.) It all fits, now it’s a question of does it look awesome.
And just the purchase of the gown is novel. Before I would have (rightly) assumed the Quest for a dress would be maddening, that I’d end up in something that made me feel acceptable at best, and even if I went to the event I’d have to gin myself up for it. There’s a fair chance I’d skip the event. But now I’m looking forward to it!

We're going to the Dominican Republic in February and I have to make sure all my bathing suits aren't TOO BIG!

I ran 8 miles today! 🤮🥳

My sister gave me a structured dress for Christmas that’s a size 10 in a non-flexible fabric. It’s one that goes right up to my neck and has long sleeves. I took it out of the bag and thanked her, all the while thinking there’s no way this will fit.

Well, it does. PERFECTLY. I’m kind of boggled.

I also went on a two-week business trip with only carry-on luggage. I’ve been able to do this for vacations before, but never for a business trip. My clothes are smaller, I pack far fewer sweaters, and everything is interchangeable as long as I pack carefully - this used not to be achievable, since Slacks 1 only looked good with Sweater 3, and Skirt 1 could only be worn with Top 1... both my problem areas and the weird quirks of plus sized tailoring really made mixing and matching difficult. Now I can pack a pair of black jeans, and because they’re pretty high-end and I’m not overweight anymore, they just look great when paired with a sleek top and jewelry.

Agreed. Just the choice of wording can mean the difference between someone "hearing" you or "shutting you out" because they feel judged or even persecuted. And if they feel judged or persecuted, they are likely to not come back for more help they obviously need. I try to be mindful of that when I post replies. Tough love is great, if it is well delivered. We just need to be mindful of whether our help will be viewed as constructive help or not. The goal is to provide constructive help.

Recently went to VS for their semi annual sale and picked up this gem

I am showing legs today. Well, ok, they are covered in pantyhose, but still! Legs! I’m super self conscious about them, because I have varicose veins. I picked this dress up on a clearance rack a while ago. It’s pretty comfy and has some pretty black embroidery detailing on the bottom.

Since I’m painting, sanding or stripping something almost daily I bought cheap linen overalls. I haven’t used them to paint yet, they’re kind of cute and now I have to ruin them lol.

Now I have to go check out Shein.

The Mrs. and I out on a Sunday evening dinner date. Oh, I have crazy sock game too,lol!

Congratulations on an amazing journey the physical, emotional, and mental breakthroughs were very heartwarming to read and feel!! Bravo!!!!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Things got done this weekend............. Started with the underwear.... there is no reason one person needs 90 pair of underwear. Why do the call them pair when it's just one... Hmmmm. Got them down to 50.
So most of you know i had the band done in 2009 and got down to 143... size 6... very few 4's. Anyway, i never got rid of them because the weight came on 5lbs here 10lbs there... till i had put back 30lbs after the removal. Fast forward to Aug 28, 2019.. Sleeve. Back down, but lower than before and now a lot of the size 6's are too big. So my wonderful husband took me shopping Saturday at Chico's and left with 4 new shirts and 3 new pants. Went home and started the purge..... went through EVERYTHING in my closet and my skirts now fit and a **** ton of pants, all my dresses that were making me look like stuffed sausage... fit... Now i get to shop in my closet again.
I did manage to throw out a pile at least 2' high of stuff that is 2x too big. Tonight i get to go through Shorts, sleeveless tops and workout clothes..... after crossfit...
i can see a bunch of OOTD post....
Today, are a pair of olive chico's pants bought before band removal.... and a plain white shirt.... I know.. it's too big... but i love it. Pants are too big in the waist... but they fit everyplace else...

Also, for the few that seem to want to keep stirring the pot (FYI - one of the ones you may think is..I don't believe that is their true intent) and even one who stated 'there was basically no evil magic preventing us from losing' weight..not precise wording but close...if they want to continue to post despite begging to the contrary, you can go to your profile drop down and you will see a list of actions and one includes 'Ignore Users'.
I've added 1 to mine in the 3 years I've lurked on these forums and have added one more from recent issues. Just an option I wanted everyone to know they have. I do NOT want ppl afraid of being able to post...

Just got back from all those places with my family. I'm 4 months PO and it was so amazing not running/hiding from cameras!! My entire family was there and it was such a great and freeing time!!
After all that letting lose, I came back weighing less than I went

So Jake, have a fantastic time because with all that activities and walking, the weight keeps dropping no matter what your little pouch allows you to eat!! I wish I could say I was as conscientious as you, I wasn't and I was prepared for the consequences.

I'll definitely be following your adventures

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

@Miss Lis : If you want, you can post your stats as well as what you typically eat/drink (like EVERYTHING you put in your mouth in a day) and I'm sure alot of folks on here would be happy to help you troubleshoot ❤️