Lily66

Ahhhh. Hugs and more hugs to you! Reading your thoughts above, you have a very full plate right now and “Ideally, want to finish your studies and then get the surgery”. Repeatedly you express this wish. You deserve to complete your studies uninterrupted, so then you can devote more focus to your next life milestone, WLS. IMHO, I wholeheartedly agree on that strategy. I finished my master’s at age 40 while working full time and recall the dedication, focus and discipline required to keep it all rolling at a very high level. I also had L5, S1 microdiscectomy and laminectomy 18 months ago. To add in WLS and the preparation pre and post op would have stressed me to no end, and yours is a step more intense than mine, PhD and fusion. You’ve put so much into your journey already, and we’re talking a short time frame in the big scheme of things to finish your studies. I would focus on keeping your spirits up right now in knowing and believing it WILL all be accomplished within a very near term time frame. I do recall the horror of the weight gain with spinal surgery, but again, I would strive to eat as healthy as possible but don’t stress over it. Focus on the things you CAN control, finishing your studies without losing your ever lovin’ mind is right there at the top of the list. Throw off those chains of guilt that you’re not prioritizing your health! You ARE prioritizing it in being self loving and practical to not further overload. Breathe.... You got this girll!

Ohhhhh My! Your cedar plank grilled Halibut looks absolutely FANTASTIC!😋

My Dear Epicdreams2020, how beautifully you have expressed what no doubt, has been deep introspection. Bravo and Congratulations to you for doing the hard work and bringing it forth here. Yes, I can relate. This past month I have noticed my insidious little habits of sneaking bites of hubby’s cashews or 2 of his Hershey’s miniatures that the next day became 3, or a french fry from his plate that became 3, etc. have returned. The “treats” I bring home to him have lately been so that I can have “one bite”. Yes, I stop at one bite, but for how long will I stop? Yesterday, I read Catwoman’s comment that her appetite returned around month 5. Hmmm, I reflected, I’m exactly 6 months post WLS, so asked myself if I have REALLY prepared myself as much as I believed I had? The obvious answer was ‘probably not’, and now It’s time. To your point, there was for many of us a comfort of one sort or another in carrying the extra weight, often called “fat, the great insulator from life”, and somewhere in our psyche there must exist some sort of pull to recidivism that we must fight against. Awareness is our first step, acknowledging it the next, and a COMMITTED plan to STOP it the next. For me, it will begin TODAY and will be ONE DAY AT A TIME. Thank you for bringing this topic into the light of day. No doubt, others are right there with us and wanting out. My best wishes to you on all that you have achieved, the falling down, the getting back up. We CAN overcome!💖

Seems we have to find a Sweet Spot, where we can push exercise to max limit with the reduced calories we have to work with during weight loss phase, without setting our weight loss back. For me it’s a day by day adjustment.

If you’re having no complications, you and your PCP may be able to monitor your journey. You can order your own labs through www.requestatest.com. I have used them past few years and very simple. Go to their website, order the labs you want, choose the lab nearest you to go for blood draw. My WLS was 3/11/20, Covid took over right then, so my follow up appointments have just been brief and over the phone with surgeon/nurse. As long as I’m not having issues, all that matters to them are the labs. You can also seek out a nutritionist if you feel you need one. So glad all is going well for you!

Always amazing how people can interpret the same picture/photo SO differently. Didn’t see what you did...at all. No obnoxious lecture, no desire to punch a face. First pic, gently sharing her new found wisdom. Second pic was the old me too stuffed to move! Eye of the beholder moment.

EXCELLENT! And portrays EXACTLY how the new me feels vs the old me, over -fed-just-bring-me-my-blankie feeling! Amazingly accurate GreenTealael💓!

I’m nearly 6 months out and cooked (refrigerator prepared) pulled pork from Aldi for hubs last night, along with hush puppies, fries and onion rings in the air fryer (he’s tall & thin). I tried a bite of the pork while cooking to test flavor and it did not sit well. It had great flavor and he loved it but my tastes and desires have changed Big Time. There was no desire what so ever to try the sides I had prepared for him. At 3 months post WLS I was like you, my head and memory wanted to enjoy it and I felt a bit left out watching others. Now? I feel a knot at the back of my throat saying “I no longer like how that makes me feel”. So I live vicariously through his ooohs, ahhhs, yums and crunching, and instead of lusting after his food, I smile, ‘grateful for this gift of a new me’ and the memory is all I need. I’m serious, I no longer feel deprived of sugary fatty foods, I simply do not want them.

YOU GO JAKE!! Lookin Great!!

Oh my! They look SO yummy to me😁!! The macros appear to be there, but my reason for not having them around at this juncture is that they would likely join my list of trigger foods that could derail me waaaay too easily in a weak moment. If you’re more confident in your ability to discipline than that, go for it. If not, just easier to not make life more difficult than need be is my strategy. I could see their usefulness say a celebration coming up and you’d like to have your own treat instead of sitting out or eating high sugar being offered, but it would definitely be a very once in awhile not a regular thing.

Congratulations on your Amazing Transformation to health AND beauty! I’m about health first (at my age🤪) but boy when beauty comes along as a byproduct, what a “two-for” to Celebrate!!! I Love your attitude and thanks for encouraging us to JUST DO IT and FEEL the FREEDOM and JOY!

I’m also about 5 months out from bypass. My surgeon told me okay to have a glass of wine at June family reunion (would have been @ 3 months), but suggested I try it at home first to see how it affects me post WLS. In general, he doesn’t encourage it because calories in should be Max nutrition during weight loss phase and drinking on so few calories/carbs cannot be good for us. Due to Covid, family reunion was cancelled so I haven’t even tried it. If your surgeon said one year, he may have a good reason for it-it makes sense.

Pckeys, you’ve touched on a real concern I’ve had...”Preserving BMR”. All of my life I’ve heard that weight gain is often a result of repeated very low calorie dieting that translates into a permanently lowered BMR, thus we pack on weight even easier each time. Will this extended sprint of 800 cal months create the same? If so, are we better off consuming 1,000 daily even if we perhaps lose at a slower rate? A question I keep intending to ask surgeon or NUT but have not. Hmmmm.

Life is filled with moments both up and down, so we pick our poison so to speak. I have a boatload of pre WLS depressed memories from over the years from ‘the mourning’s after’ (pun intended) “Why did I eat & drink so much😓! This head is banging and I feel so bloated!” Often times, I had been doing so well on whatever fad diet I was chasing at the moment to lose weight, only to trash it by a day or evening of wild gastronomic abandon. I don’t miss the self loathing that went with that lifestyle, catching a glimpse of myself naked in the mirror was too much to bare (pun intended again). When I find myself “missing that life”, I grab a quick memory of ALL that lifestyle gave me—a few moments of pleasure and loads piled high of downside. Your family and friendships sound like true friendships that are supporting the new you... nurse that single gin and tonic and Smile Eternally for The Gift you are working so hard to have!! We are controlling life, it is no longer controlling us!

Well, one thing that will be different and should help is that you will only be taking in anywhere from 600-1,000 calories max during the weight loss phase. After that, maintenance phase will get up to 1,200-1,400 calories daily range, depending upon where you find your body begins putting weight on and is no longer losing is what will determine the magic number for you to maintain. I know, this 600-1,000 cal daily sounds impossible, and prior to WLS it would have been for me. Your smaller pouch helps restrict you, as well as fewer hunger pangs. Congratulations on your 24lb weight loss! We’re same height and that’s better than I did pre-op. You can do this!!

Lisa you look the picture of Good Health! Congratulations!!! And Continued Success to you!

Yes! Congrats and Welcome! Finding this site will be a Huge help to you on this journey. I cannot even imagine having WLS without the tips, learning from experiences of others, support, motivation, community I have found here. It will help support your long term success if you stick with it, as so many long time veterans have done. All Good Wishes, and Enjoy the Journey!💝

I’ve been having Premier Protein Cafe Latte (which has the caffeine equivalent of 1 cup of coffee) since month 3 with no issues. Amazon went waaaay up on the price since it became so popular so i now do as you suggest, any Premier Protein shake and add a single espresso shot. No shakes, jitters, etc. I believe having our caffeine WITH a protein significantly helps all that. Lovely way to start my engine so I can head out and walk 40 minutes each morning in this always wonderful Florida heat🌞! Good luck and make it fun and happy!😄

Surgeon released me to swim at 2 weeks. We have a pool only used by hubs and me. A public pool may have tighter restriction (greater bacterial risk).

Looks fantastic😋! Yes, recipe pleeeeez, and Thank You!

Yay for you!! Congrats on arriving home! Wish you a day of regenerating rest. You’ve got this.👌

Ugh! Life can get so real sometimes. Hugs and prayers that today is better. They kept me an extra night after surgery for extreme nausea that set in late and difficulty urinating. Can totally understand your anxiety attack as so many things going on and then this idea that something else must be wrong, it’s not like what i heard this should be.😩 I’m serious though, the ride home was uneventful and within 24 hours I felt like a new woman...nothing like the fear I had felt only hours earlier. My prayer is this will happen for YOU!💝

Congratulations, Perfekt! We all remember the excitement😄, and on most days still have it! All best wishes, and sending healing thoughts your way.💖

I was experiencing same😧, found this on Amazon and it is Amazing! I use it at night before bed ONLY when i sense any odor and it really takes care of things for a good few weeks. Read reviews on Amazon...made my life 10,000 times refreshed!!😄

I had RNY 3/11/20 at age 66. Thrilled that i did this😄and hubby cannot believe how smooth it has been. I think he was afraid his life would change (as in he’d starve) but I still prepare tasty meals, I just add starches to his and eat my little protein, veggie, maybe small serving of fresh berries. I try to keep net carbs around 40. My only ‘complaint’ is that my rate of loss has been slowww, but my skin is already shrinking back much better than expected, so maybe slow ain’t all bad. I set a realistic goal for my weight/lifestyle at 150, no lower than 140. I want to be able to enjoy food/life/living/ without the huge sacrifice of maintaining 120lbs and looking older than my years. We walk every morning for 35-40 minutes right after breakfast and that sets my healthy tone for the day. I log in Myfitness Pal and wear a Fitbit for tracking and motivation. If I slip and go over my 800-1,000 calories, I pull back to compensate. If I eat less than 800 “Healthy, Nutritious Calories”, I find I don’t have the energy to be as active as I like to be. Bloodwork last week was perfect. Post-op BM’s can be a challenge, but you find a way that works for you. Sending you all positive energy that your journey is all that you hope it to be!🌟