Pilot my best self

I have thought about all the milestones (negative) that I hit before finally turning to surgery.
These were NOT tipping points for me:
-needing seat belt extender on flight
-struggling to tie my sneakers
-Winded walking to my office or up the stairs
-prediabetes diagnosis
And so many years of dieting struggles

The tipping point was
-getting an A1C test of 6.9 and a Diabetes diagnosis.
- getting prescribed diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications.
-And Not being able to go on bike rides with my daughter

I felt so hopeless until I finally followed my cardiologists suggestion to attend an informational session for bariatric surgery. After another 4 months of considering all the risks (real and perceived) with taking this step, I could not imagine any other way that I would be able to lose the amount of weight that I needed to get healthy again.

Just over 3 months later and 54 lbs down, I am only sorry I was so resistant to the idea of surgery to help lose weight. I feel more than hopeful again. I have a long way still to go, but it feels doable now. And I already feel so much success to be able to move more comfortably and no longer need the medication prescribed just 8 months ago! And I am getting my bike tuned so I can go biking with my daughter on the nearby bike path that I have avoided riding for over 5 years!!

I have thought about all the milestones (negative) that I hit before finally turning to surgery.
These were NOT tipping points for me:
-needing seat belt extender on flight
-struggling to tie my sneakers
-Winded walking to my office or up the stairs
-prediabetes diagnosis
And so many years of dieting struggles

The tipping point was
-getting an A1C test of 6.9 and a Diabetes diagnosis.
- getting prescribed diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications.
-And Not being able to go on bike rides with my daughter

I felt so hopeless until I finally followed my cardiologists suggestion to attend an informational session for bariatric surgery. After another 4 months of considering all the risks (real and perceived) with taking this step, I could not imagine any other way that I would be able to lose the amount of weight that I needed to get healthy again.

Just over 3 months later and 54 lbs down, I am only sorry I was so resistant to the idea of surgery to help lose weight. I feel more than hopeful again. I have a long way still to go, but it feels doable now. And I already feel so much success to be able to move more comfortably and no longer need the medication prescribed just 8 months ago! And I am getting my bike tuned so I can go biking with my daughter on the nearby bike path that I have avoided riding for over 5 years!!

I have thought about all the milestones (negative) that I hit before finally turning to surgery.
These were NOT tipping points for me:
-needing seat belt extender on flight
-struggling to tie my sneakers
-Winded walking to my office or up the stairs
-prediabetes diagnosis
And so many years of dieting struggles

The tipping point was
-getting an A1C test of 6.9 and a Diabetes diagnosis.
- getting prescribed diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications.
-And Not being able to go on bike rides with my daughter

I felt so hopeless until I finally followed my cardiologists suggestion to attend an informational session for bariatric surgery. After another 4 months of considering all the risks (real and perceived) with taking this step, I could not imagine any other way that I would be able to lose the amount of weight that I needed to get healthy again.

Just over 3 months later and 54 lbs down, I am only sorry I was so resistant to the idea of surgery to help lose weight. I feel more than hopeful again. I have a long way still to go, but it feels doable now. And I already feel so much success to be able to move more comfortably and no longer need the medication prescribed just 8 months ago! And I am getting my bike tuned so I can go biking with my daughter on the nearby bike path that I have avoided riding for over 5 years!!

I have thought about all the milestones (negative) that I hit before finally turning to surgery.
These were NOT tipping points for me:
-needing seat belt extender on flight
-struggling to tie my sneakers
-Winded walking to my office or up the stairs
-prediabetes diagnosis
And so many years of dieting struggles

The tipping point was
-getting an A1C test of 6.9 and a Diabetes diagnosis.
- getting prescribed diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications.
-And Not being able to go on bike rides with my daughter

I felt so hopeless until I finally followed my cardiologists suggestion to attend an informational session for bariatric surgery. After another 4 months of considering all the risks (real and perceived) with taking this step, I could not imagine any other way that I would be able to lose the amount of weight that I needed to get healthy again.

Just over 3 months later and 54 lbs down, I am only sorry I was so resistant to the idea of surgery to help lose weight. I feel more than hopeful again. I have a long way still to go, but it feels doable now. And I already feel so much success to be able to move more comfortably and no longer need the medication prescribed just 8 months ago! And I am getting my bike tuned so I can go biking with my daughter on the nearby bike path that I have avoided riding for over 5 years!!

Yaaay i hope i have same results you look amazing

Sent from my SM-J737T1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m so excited for you!! Congratulations and can wait to hear about your progress. I was just wondering myself if PS for hanging loose skin around the belly is deemed medically necessary for most people or if you have to have a chronic medical issue - eg rashes. I’ve got a ways to go before then. But thinking ahead since I don’t have any Bitcoin to trade ☹️

Isn’t it funny the things we keep. Does the jacket have some special meaning or memory associated with it @ms.sss which made you keep it or did you just love it?
The 80s are back just not as extreme as we remember them thank goodness. I reckon with just those few adjustments you could wear it very successfully. Maybe you only need to replace the shoulder pads with smaller ones after you remove the epaulettes of course - lol. And I love that belt. If it vanishes from your wardrobe I bet the kid has it 😆.
Well the leather moto jacket went back this morning & I bought this one instead which I discovered during a random online search last night. It’s more shaped than my original one which I like but otherwise very similar. Much, much happier. The leather is softer too.
I love the texture of fabrics. I’m the one inappropriately caressing clothing in stores while making suggestive pleasurable noises. I’ve been known to touch or examine the fabrics of clothing people are wearing. Actually did it this morning though I do ask first specially these days of social distancing. One of the reasons I don’t enjoy online shopping I think.

Thanks for explaining why I am able to have so much more soup in a sitting. part of my problem is i have been given a range of foods to eat but no guidance on quantity. Only the instruction to eat Protein before fruits or vegetables. But I can’t imagine when I would ever be able to eat anything but protein. I also have not experienced having food come back up like I hear so many people talk about - not sure if it’s because I have not exceeded my new stomach (hard to believe) or if I just don’t have that reaction (also hard to believe). I do eat all my foods from 1/4 or 1/3 cup measuring bowls. But I have felt a range of tightness from mildly uncomfortable to painful for up to 5-10 minutes which is accompanied by having to burp. I sometimes feel exhausted or just blah after I feel restriction. I will be talking with the nutritionist so hope to get more guidance this week

like you said, everything feels so different it has been hard to read my cues yet. But this site has been so helpful in gauging what I am going through. Thanks!

It is comforting to know it’s not just me!! I’ll share whatever I learn from the nutritionist. Thanks.

And just in case anyone is wondering...



ps. Lentils are delicious! Signed: Legume Lover 🥰

Love your phone case. And your dress. And you in the dress.

just know that at the point you feel you've had too much, you've often overdone it and it can come back up. This early out, just follow your plan's guidelines. If they tell you you can eat 1/4 C (or whatever), then just eat that. Your nerves are still healing and you don't know your body's cues yet that you've eaten too much.
you won't get full on a full cup of soup because it's a liquid and goes right through you. You'll feel restriction once you move to solid food. It feels differently for different people, but I never feel "full" the same way I did before surgery. I start to feel some tightness and then know it's time to stop or it's going to come back up.

Hopefully by 6 months out we're not living on them, but Protein Shakes can still be useful. They are good when you're short on time or on-the-go. Or when you're far from your Protein goal but not really hungry enough to eat meat, cheese, yogurt, etc. To switch it up, I add a dash of Jordan's Skinny syrups to my Evolve protein shakes and warm them up. They're plant-based, so they don't curdle or thicken from being heated. Sometimes I'll sprinkle nutmeg on top. It's like a sweet, flavored latte but without the coffee. One of my favorite winter treats.

I catch myself wanting to eat when I am actually not hungry. I am still trying to figure this out after almost 6 weeks. Once you get to the semi regular diet things get better. Watch out trying to graze or eat when not hungry. I eat sf popsicles every night just about sometime 3 or 4. At 15 cals they work for me.

I am pre-op and just found gochujang.
Added it to Fire & Kettles beef broth to spice it up with some sesame oil and soy sauce. Gave it just the flavor I was craving without having to break the diet.

i will try the other spices you mentioned. Thanks!!

I know I didn’t lose a lot pre-op. Just 2-3 lbs. and post op I gained for the first few days due to fluids and swelling. Now I’m exactly 7 days post surgery and down almost 10 lbs. so I think it catches up eventually. I hope you are starting to feel and see a difference.
Btw-Had cottage cheese yesterday - 1 day before my purée phase starts but I couldn’t wait to eat some other than liquid. Pre-op I hated cottage cheese but yesterday it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted!😋 not sure if it’s my taste buds changing as others have noted or if I was just desperate for a change. Hoping I’ll feel the same about salads😉

So I bought the BariMelts dissolvable tablets and omg that awful after taste is so bad! I just can’t take them anymore. I just ordered regular capsules.

I'm getting ready to eat a cheese enchilada. A regular cheese enchilada, with a tortilla and everything! 😁

I have to admit I look forward to taking my Gas-X chewables. I don’t care what you think - it is the most pleasant thing I put in my mouth all day, so much so I took an extra one even though I didn’t think I needed it (more on that later). the taste was the perfect amount of sweetness and chewiness, I didn’t have to measure it and I didn’t get any restriction feeling.

I think we are all looking for honesty. I will speak for myself when I say this is a hella scary ride, with lots of risks and unknowns. i am most afraid that life post surgery will feel like a sacrifice at every turn - social gatherings, work outings, holidays, girls night out. But I decided that my health was worth the trade-off. So it is reassuring to hear from others here that not everything has to change. I knew this really but don’t know what parts might still be somewhat normal. I also know that if I go down that road of having Micky Ds and pringles or licking the fudge jar, I might just fall into those patterns that got me to this place. But it is comforting to know that maybe I could sit down and enjoy thanksgiving meals again or popcorn smothered in butter (really ms.sss, you had me at pop...).

tonight, 4 days post surgery, my daughter had a sundae and left the hot fudge on the counter. The chocolate fudge never smelled so good. So I knew in that moment that one day I will give in. I hope support and honesty from this site andfrom others will help get me back on track before I do much damage. It’s not about trying to be perfect but making sure I am never this unhealthy, uncomfortable and miserable again. For me that may mean I can’t go down that slippery slope too often. For now I am still driven by fear so I put it in the fridge with shaking hands and reached for some Gas-X.

Do you use an air fryer? I didn’t think fried foods were tolerable post surgery. Maybe if you are sleeve only? Looks delicious!

This creamy tortellini, spinach, and chicken soup is a very popular recipe for both the Instant Pot and Crock-Pot. Since I'm not eating Pasta, I made it without the tortellini and added extra chicken and spinach to make up for the lack of tortellini. It's good, but not mind-blowing (to be fair, maybe it would be with the tortellini). My 5-ounce serving:


This was also a perfect time to try out my new Souper Cubes. I've seen several people in the bariatric community recommend these. They are pricey (a set of two 4-ounce trays is $36.99), but I splurged because people say this brand is much better in quality than the cheaper ones. They do feel very sturdy and heavy-duty, and it's easy to pop the frozen cubes out of the trays.

I can fit 5 of these cubes in a quart-sized Ziploc bag. I usually use these glass containers (which I love and highly recommend), but the cubes in a bag are a lot more compact, and I'm not limited by the number of containers I have. I will definitely get a lot of use out of these and probably buy some of the other sizes, too!

WOW!!! Presentation looks as amazing as I am sure it tasted. That is one lucky fiancé', I'd say. Many best wishes and congratulations to the MARVEL-OUS couple. ;]