PollyEster
Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Everything posted by PollyEster
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Correction: Body fat 17.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%. -
Profile: Bariathlete. Body fat: 17.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%. Starting weight: 292lbs. Surgery weight: 242lbs. Weight 21 weeks post-op: 151lbs. Weight 54 weeks post-op: 105lbs. Diet: 100% plant-based whole food diet. I eat all kinds of veggies both raw and cooked including starchy veg like potatoes and sweet potatoes, sprouts, herbs, all kinds of fruits usually raw, all beans and legumes, tofu and tempeh, seitan, whole heritage grains (such as sprouted brown rice, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, farro, barley, millet, quinoa, flaxseed, hempseed, chia seeds, cracked oats), nuts and seeds as well as nut and seed milks and butters, hummus, 100% stone ground whole wheat and rye bread, coffee and tea (limited. Limited processed foods such as stevia and pea milk. I don't count calories or carb-protein-fat ratios closely, but when actively training I have to eat for fuel and aim for 4,000 kcal/day @ roughly 65% carbohydrate, 13% protein, and 22% fat. The way I accomplish this is by eating 6-10 small meals per day. Pre-surgery workout (started 12 months pre-op): Worked up to 30-45 mins daily cardio. Light weight training 2-3x per week. When I first started, I could only walk 2-3 blocks before needing to rest and catch my breath. Post-surgery workout (started 8 weeks post-op): 1.5-2hrs daily cardio (running, swimming, cycling, rowing). Weight training 4 days per week. Post-surgery, I completed my first full marathon (solo due to 2020 covid-19 pandemic) in 4:48:02 and three sprint triathlons. Currently training toward competing in the next full Ironman, which will hopefully be held in 2021.
© © 2020 PollyEster
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Profile: Bariathlete. Body fat: 17.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%. Starting weight: 292lbs. Surgery weight: 242lbs. Weight 21 weeks post-op: 151lbs. Weight 54 weeks post-op: 105lbs. Diet: 100% plant-based whole food diet. I eat all kinds of veggies both raw and cooked including starchy veg like potatoes and sweet potatoes, sprouts, herbs, all kinds of fruits usually raw, all beans and legumes, tofu and tempeh, seitan, whole heritage grains (such as sprouted brown rice, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, farro, barley, millet, quinoa, flaxseed, hempseed, chia seeds, cracked oats), nuts and seeds as well as nut and seed milks and butters, hummus, 100% stone ground whole wheat and rye bread, coffee and tea (limited. Limited processed foods such as stevia and pea milk. I don't count calories or carb-protein-fat ratios closely, but when actively training I have to eat for fuel and aim for 4,000 kcal/day @ roughly 65% carbohydrate, 13% protein, and 22% fat. The way I accomplish this is by eating 6-10 small meals per day. Pre-surgery workout (started 12 months pre-op): Worked up to 30-45 mins daily cardio. Light weight training 2-3x per week. When I first started, I could only walk 2-3 blocks before needing to rest and catch my breath. Post-surgery workout (started 8 weeks post-op): 1.5-2hrs daily cardio (running, swimming, cycling, rowing). Weight training 4 days per week. Post-surgery, I completed my first full marathon (solo due to 2020 covid-19 pandemic) in 4:48:02 and three sprint triathlons. Currently training toward competing in the next full Ironman, which will hopefully be held in 2021.© © 2020 PollyEster
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Starting weight 292lbs. Surgery weight 242lbs. Weight 5 months post-op 151lbs. Current weight (30 Oct 2020) 105lbs @ 54 weeks post-op. Body fat 18.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%. Diet: 100% plant-based whole food diet bariathlete. I eat all kinds of veggies both raw and cooked including starchy veg like potatoes and sweet potatoes, sprouts, herbs, all kinds of fruits usually raw, all beans and legumes, tofu and tempeh, seitan, whole heritage grains (such as sprouted brown rice, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, farro, barley, millet, quinoa, flaxseed, hempseed, chia seeds, cracked oats), nuts and seeds as well as nut and seed milks and butters, fruits, hummus, 100% stone ground whole wheat and rye bread, coffee and tea (limited). Limited processed foods such as stevia and pea milk). I don't count calories or carb-protein-fat ratios closely, but when actively training I have to eat for fuel and aim for 4,000 kcal/day @ roughly the proportions suggested by Chris Carmichael (Lance Armstrong's former coach) as suggested in his book "Food for Fitness": 65% carbohydrate, 13% protein, 22% fat. The way I accomplish this is by eating 6-10 small meals per day. Pre-surgery workout: 30 mins daily cardio for 12 months. Light weight training 2-3x per week. When I first started, I could only walk 2-3 blocks before needing to rest and catch my breath. Post-surgery workout (started 8 weeks post-op): 1.5-2hrs daily cardio (running, swimming, cycling, rowing). Weight training 4 days per week. Triathlete. 12 months after surgery I completed my first full marathon (solo due to 2020 covid-19 pandemic) in 4:48:02. I am currently training toward competing in the next full Ironman, which will hopefully be held in 2021.© © 2020 PollyEster
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Pre-surgery, I never dared to imagine that I'd eventually weigh less after surgery than I did in high school, but at almost 11 months post-op, I'm tiny and do see myself as thin now. I also am finding that I deeply appreciate my loose skin (which is not too bad at all considering the amount of weight I've lost), perceiving it as a battle wound, perhaps even something to feel proud of in the way some women who've had a mastectomy are proud of their scars. I can honestly say I love the way I look. But more than this, I love the way I feel: strong, fit, healthy, and physically able to do anything I set my mind to. I ♥ VSG.
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Salad made with kale from the garden, smoky maple BBQ tempeh, homemade vegan parmesan. Ate it all! ?
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Thank you so much, MarvelGirl! Not to worry though, there's a lot that you don't see: for every dozen or so photos or dishes, there's at least one epic fail that looked like this ("before") in my mind, but ended up like this ("after") in real life! ?????????? © Elías García Martínez/Cecilia Giménez
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Mmmmmmm!! ???? your salad presentation, ms.sss!I have nothing but love for avo toast, especially when it includes everything bagel seasoning. This is soooooooo beautiful and nummy-looking!She’s been making these since about age 6 or 7. Simple no-bake recipes like these are perfect for younger kids; they can easily manage them on their own (with an adult nearby when using the mixer), especially if just rolling into balls or bars. I had a food blog for many years, and both my kids were helping out (and I use that term veeeeery loosely ? because basically it meant everything took 20 times longer and was 50 times messier) by the time they were 3 with little things like mashing foods, stirring batter, shaking liquids, kneading dough, rinsing fruit and veg, helping with grocery shopping, etc. Both had their first nylon knife and peeler sets by age 5, could read recipes (kids cookbooks) and make them without any help by age 6, and my daughter cooked and served an entire plant-based holiday meal for us by herself last year. She’s been obsessed with watching Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Jr. for years now. Since kids summer cooking camp was cancelled this year, we got her a monthly subscription service for a kit that includes ingredients, recipes, a video cooking lesson, a new kitchen tool, and fun dinner conversation starters – takes some pressure off of me, plus I don’t have to cook as often, win-win!Food memories are powerful. There are so many beloved childhood foods I will never eat again: mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter, buttermilk biscuits, scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves, beef bourguignon and beef stroganoff, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy, stuffing, quiche with ham and cheese, freshly made pies with butter pastry or pate sucree crusts, cinnamon buns and hot cross buns drizzled with icing, fudge, lemon curd, all sorts of cookies and cakes... especially pound cake and jam roly-poly. Rice and bread puddings, too. Within the first year after going plant-based, I occasionally tried an old favourite, but they just didn't do it for me anymore. As happens for many post-ops, everything was just too sweet or too heavy or too chemically or too uncomfortable sitting in my stomach. My palate changed completely. My food memories were better than the actual foods themselves. Occasionally, during moments of nostalgia or longing tied to fond memories of people and places, I still miss the memory or anticipation of eating certain foods, even though I love not eating them anymore and instead truly enjoy eating more nutritious, tastier, and health sustaining foods.Oops, obviously this is a Barbara Smaller cartoon. But BEK has done a many humorous interior design-related cartoons for the New Yorker as well. You might even have collected the whole set!This was our lockdown project; repurposing an old storage shed on our property into a summer cottage-slash-studio, instead of tearing it down. It was a quick-ish job because we just wanted to be able to enjoy it this summer, but we're using it so often that we've decided we'd like to have it year-round, so are planning on insulation and drywall, new wiring, etc. as next steps. There's always tea or soup on at the cottage!
Appreciate that you're curious about - and open to - exploring plant-based foods! That's a pretty good cookbook, too, one of a handful that we use regularly. My kind, thoughtful daughter makes various energy bars for the family almost every week. She's only 13, but has already developed a great deal of capability in the kitchen (and elsewhere!). Years of massive kitchen waste and mess led to this point ?, but it was all worth it because she'll carry these skills and this confidence in herself for the rest of her life. We just use a food-safe silicone mold to shape them: I've found that something like this is roughly the perfect size for virtually every kind of post-op treat. Love the New Yorker and Bruce Kaplan. Thank you for that, and am attaching another of his cartoons in kind:
What procedures did you have, and when? Maybe I should mosey on over to your profile and have a look around for photographic evidence... I completely hear you on the unfortunate melted candle situation ??, yet I'm also conflicted about plastics for various reasons. Luckily there's no deadline for making decisions in this regard, but it's definitely on my mind more and more these days.Glad you asked this, rjan. I'm also curious about pain and recovery time after plastics. Being flayed, essentially, looks painful, and - no surprise - yes, it is! I'm not sure that I'll opt for plastics, but huge props ?♀️?♀️ to everyone who's gone through it.Is there a specific reason why you suspect HWA? For example, have you recently had lab tests that indicate low ferritin levels? Iron deficiency, including HWA, is common after bariatric surgery. Any doctor or surgeon can order lab tests for you: a standard bariatric post-op iron panel would typically include serum ferritin levels, serum iron, transferrin saturation, total iron binding capacity, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and hemoglobin level. There is also a specific test for HWA that you can request called HFE (hyperferritinemia panel). Since you’re possibly symptomatic, perhaps some of these tests would be covered by your health insurance, if you have it? It's best to have blood work done prior to starting any new oral iron supplementation, in order to get an accurate base reading. The symptoms you've described aren't limited to iron deficiency anemia, and there can be many other causes of these symptoms (as well as a number of other conditions aside from bariatric surgery that can cause HWA), so please insist on having this investigated. Would it be possible to discuss your symptoms and be tested by your regular physician, your old WLS clinic, or a local bariatric clinic in your area? I hope you're able to get this resolved quickly, and that you feel much better soon.????????????????????????? Ahhhhhhhhhh ha ha!! I knew it! ???? I've been wearing Rundholz since the first collection back in 1993, and have worn it (plus one other brand of footwear) exclusively for the past 12 years. I'm currently having as much of my existing wardrobe as possible tailored to fit. I'm absolutely unwilling to move away from the brand, so intend to buy the XS, one size pieces, and S in the S-M-L pieces and have them tailored as required. Trousers are easy to have taken in at the waist, and as long as the shoulders of the structured jackets and coats fit, everything else is possible! Have you previewed the AW 20-21 collection? DIP is particularly fun this winter (I have pre-ordered loads of it), as is Black Label, though I find the latter collection is oftentimes a bit too youth-oriented for my tastes. I lived in Melbourne for several years, and know all too well the difficulties you're presented with in trying to obtain the pieces you want. It's even more challenging to find Rundholz in Canada, but luckily there are many online shops selling the brand now. I also lived in Germany for many years, so was fortunately spoiled for choice in this regard.He's posted some new content on there over the past year or so, but I think the bariatric basics were mostly covered in his initial set of videos. Wish he'd do more updates, though his books seem to have taken up where the Youtube videos left off. When I was looking for a nutritionist who specialised in plant-based nutrition for bariathletes, his clinic was extremely helpful and didn't even charge me. You can also attend their WLS support group without charge even if you had surgery somewhere else (in-person support group on hold right now because of covid-19).If you do a bit of research on the internet, you'll find that he's not practicing and hasn't been for quite a few years. Maybe running MLM weight loss schemes because it's not possible to find employment in the medical field after losing various ethical and legal lawsuits (including a class-action lawsuit) and having your medical license revoked...Totally ❤❤❤❤ this look! Is that a Rundholz jumper?You look fantastic, and I hope you feel as good as you look! Congratulations!Required fuel (yes, I'm referring to the bariatric "c" word: carbs! ?) for distance cycling and running: raw vegan superfood squares, loosely inspired by these two recipes.
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