Spinoza

Looks yum as always. I had a crap day at work today so am eating a handful of Doritos and sour cream dip. Yes I am weak in moments of crisis. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

OK so I have no experience with this because I have no interest at all in skin removal. WLS was, for me, all about the health benefits and way less about the aesthetic benefits but I totally get people who want both (and OMG see the photos on the before and after threads for detail and inspiration)!

From what I have gleaned in my 2.5 years here people's weight loss is in the single pounds category after skin removal surgery. Unless you started off in the 60s or 70s of BMI? The point isn't the added pounds of loss but more the making their bodies feel more comfortable to them.

I am also a huge believer in the concept of a new 'set weight' after surgery. Our bodies just seem to decide where to settle. Pushing beyond that is tricky. I would have been happy 15 or 20lbs above where I am at the minute. I didn't particularly push myself to get beyond that. But it feels like my set weight was decided by my body. I know that sounds strange.

You talk about feeling happy at your current weight plus or minus the weight you might be after removal of skin and whether losing a few pounds more might cause sag that you would have to address at a later point. Honestly I don't really understand that but I guess others will be along soon who might. It might be worth discussing in detail with your surgeon what your desired end point is.

Congratulations on your loss, it's amazing.

Hi OP, can you share some info and stats please so we can target our replies? Are you pre or post op? What's your surgery? Etc.

Sugar is the devil as far as I'm concerned these days. Yes there are (limited) times when I invite the devil in - Easter most recently - but as a general rule I try to avoid both sugar and sugar substitutes as much as I can. They are what made me obese in the first place.

Whole foods are your friends and always will be. Protein, veg, fruit. Carbs once you have space or are at your goal weight.

I think the title of your thread says it all. There is such a wealth of experience on this forum.

I started from a different place but so do all of us. I hope you can take this very scary step to change your life for the better. If you have specific concerns please say and someone here will have the answer.

53 minutes ago, The Greater Fool said:

It's your body, you can count whatever you d*** well please.

You are on your own track. No one else has ever been on your track.

If your medical team has an idea of "on track" then they are comparing your track to everyone else's tracks. That's their issue, not yours.

Comparison sucks the joy from life.

Good luck,

Tek

Absolutely this, if your head will allow it. Tek is wise.

But - as a fellow traveller who wanted to know what *everyone* here had lost at *every* stage in order to compare my loss to theirs and angst a bit (head thing!!!) you are doing so very well. My stats are available on request but you've lost 8 BMI points in the matter of a few months. You've got this 😍

I have now relaxed a bit, 2.5 years post surgery. I do still like to compare myself to others though because I'm that type of human. Totally in awe (and I really really mean that) of all the people who can walk their own road glancing neither right nor left. That's the absolute dream and the path to Nirvana.

I totally understand this. It's not a bad thing AT ALL to step away from the scales if they aren't helping you.

Honestly - if you stick to your plan you will lose more weight than you have already - much more. The issue is that the loss is never linear. If you get stressed by stalls and regains then maybe weigh yourself once a month and Celebrate your losses then. I was and am a daily weigher but I could tolerate the highs and lows associated with that.

Yes - the food volumes we can tolerate increase in the months and years after surgery. If you focus on a diet of Protein and veggies you're not likely to go too far wrong.

Wow a 6 month prep seems so long. Hard to stay motivated, I totally agree.

You're clearly eating what you should be because you've lost more than you need for your surgeon.

Honestly if I had a 6 month run into surgery I would have accelerated my adherence to the programme in the 6 or 8 weeks before the date itself.

Agree with the others - Celebrate your non scale victories (although you totally have scale victories too)! Look at where you are now compared to where you were 3 months ago. And then visualise where you will be once you have your surgery.

It's hard to stick to any eating plan for 6 months. I wish you all the best.

That's a really good tip. I carry foil in my bag all the time but not everything can be wrapped efficiently in that. Deffo gonna bring my own take out box in future - I have so many. Thanks OP!

Plateaus and regains are part of the journey for most of us. Weight loss is not linear - it's ups and downs and side to sides and all other possible bumps in the road. If you stick to your programme then you will lose - lots.

I totally understand your frustration - we all go through it. You'll be fine 😍

16 hours ago, kristieshannon said:

I’m almost 5 years out as well and am still cold all the time. I get teased at work about all the layers I wear. I have a heated throw blanket at home that I use whenever I’m reading or watching TV and have a heated mattress pad on my bed.

Yesss! Could not survive without my electric blanket in bed. I keep it on low all night, other than on the warmest nights (we have very few here ,LOL).

OMG old soul in a young body? Hilarious! 😂

On 4/2/2024 at 4:24 AM, Arabesque said:

It’s about making the best choices you can in the situation you’re in & try to keep to your portion sizes. Recently I had a couple of takeaways with my brother’s family. Fish & chips - I ordered grilled fish & salad, dressing on the side. Vietnamese - prawn & noodle salad but left the noodles. I’ve ordered wrapless wraps in the past where I literally get served the wrap filling.And steamed gyoza or dumplings & eaten the filling only. Don’t forget to ask to take your left overs home. If you don’t eat them over subsequent days, someone in your family will - lol!

Most places will make allowances to some point. Maybe you can order just the sides (salads or vegetables or eggs). Appetisers are usually the best for appropriate portion size but if those choices aren’t great maybe you could share a main meal with whoever you’re out with. Soups are always are great go to as well.

And if the best choices really aren’t anywhere near best, don’t beat yourself up. Tomorrow is another day. As long as it doesn’t become a regular occurrence you’ll be fine. You can’t always control every aspect of your life.

Absolutely this. Knowledge is power. Scan the menu, make your best selection and then only eat what you want or need to when it arrives.

Oh yes, must be even more tricky for people cooking for one. We all hate waste. Freezers are our friends.

Just adding my voice to the general advice to eat 3-4oz of Protein per meal (chicken breast seems best for you?) Then a couple of oz of green veg. Berries for Snacks if you really need those. Ditch everything else from that plate? I totally agree there's nothing awful on it but if you are fighting a new set weight (WLS can do a number on that) you might need to redraw the lines of battle.

Strictly protein and green veg till you're losing consistently?

Still a huge thing for me 2.5 years on. I feel cold almost all the time. I wear 2 layers outdoors in summer (Ireland though - it's not ever properly warm here), 4 layers indoors and probably 6 outdoors in winter.

Oh this is what I dreaded when choosing between sleeve and bypass OP. I had reflux for years but it always resolved when I lost significant amounts of weight. And returned when I regained. I gambled on my reflux being pressure related, had the sleeve, and I won the gamble. Other than spicy foods or too great a volume of food I don't experience reflux now. I totally accept (and did at the time) that it could have gone the other way.

I haven't heard of the procedure you describe as fixing reflux or a hiatus hernia. Maybe the more experienced members here will have?

I suspect that you're heading towards a revision. Your symptoms sound awful and very persistent, and you seem to have been prescribed everything to control them. Bad bad luck.

That has to be the way forward. What are the chances elsewhere in the world whilst big food companies are making billions in profit as populations become obese though? I have a horrible feeling that Australia might end up taking the lowest common denominator path unless there's a strong will not to.

On 4/16/2024 at 4:52 AM, Arabesque said:

I spent about $100 ($64 US) on just a few vegetables (handful of green Beans & sugar snap peas, bunch of broccolini & asparagus, some grapes, tub of baby tomatoes, 2x tubs labneh, 2 pork chops & 3 chicken schnitzels). The grapes were the most expensive but will last me a couple of weeks.

Then went to the grocery store & spent another $130 on 2L milk, pack cheese sticks, macadamia nuts, mixed seeds, 3 bottles sparkling Water, tub of hummus, 8 Protein Bars, bag of frozen mixed vegetables & a few other bits & bobs (deodorant, toothpaste,…). Two large bags worth.

All for just one person. And I’ll be at the shops again next week (to get those cucumbers 😉.)

Sounds super expensive Arabesque. Absolutely beats me how people are expected to eat even remotely healthily. Especially people on lower budgets. A tax on sugary and ultra processed foods that directly subsidises fruit and veg maybe?

On 4/6/2024 at 2:28 PM, GettinSkinnywithit said:

This has been my go to Breakfast this week. Two hard boiled eggs, half an avocado diced and mixed together in a bowl. I did add in a pinch or two of shredded cheese - I used some Kerrygold Dubliner cheese because that’s what I had already shredded. Spread the mixture on two slices of toasted Sara Lee 45 cal bread, no butter and sprinkle with everything bagel season. Adjust as necessary as the everything bagel can be salty. The mixture egg/avocado mix makes two servings so below toast is half the bowl spread on the toast. About 200 calories per slice.

Oh I eat a variation on this all the time. Without the bread though - that still sits in my stomach like a lump of lead.

Avocado and (for me fried) egg is a match made in heaven. And yes, you have to have some seasoning. 🤩

On 4/3/2024 at 11:57 AM, MandoGetsSleeved said:

I guess this is really just a rant (and a warning): don't get comfortable. Pay attention and BEFORE things get out of control, get back on track.

Thank you so much for sharing. I hope you can get back on top of things and stay where you want to be.

I agree pouch resets sound drastic - we've all done boom and bust a million times. I hope you can incorporate better choices now that you've identified what's happening.

I also weigh myself every day. If I'm gaining I need to know. Whether I choose to do something about that, or when, is up to me, but I need the data!

I put on 5lbs over the winter and I am keeping a beady eye on that. Seems to have settled again for now so I'm not panicking and just putting it down to third year regain. Your post is encouraging me to remain vigilant though.

I'm the same height as you but not the same starting weight. I lost less than half what you have in the first 6 months - around 60lbs - not including my looooonnnnng pre-op diet. I continued to lose consistently for around 2 years, although the second year was a total of 11lbs (I think) so when I got close to my new set weight I was losing a pound a month, that's major fun but still a loss, LOL.

From memory I would have been eating around 800 calories a day at 6 months so 900-1000 sounds completely spot on.

Sounds like you're doing absolutely amazingly.

I believe I only restarted raw veg at around 5 or 6 months (I might have had lettuce and *maybe* cucumber before that) but luckily I didn't have any problems at all.

Loads of useful suggestions here (as ever!) Seems such a long time ago now.

I am the exception to the rule - after 2 weeks of pre-op Protein Shakes and 2 weeks of post-op liquids my first pureed meals were like the tastiest things I've ever had. I lovvvved them. I basically pureed a selection of whatever my family were having (I cook for everyone) with a bit of extra liquid (gravy was best) and gobbled it all down! Saved a couple of tiny portions (like a tablespoon or two) for my other meals that day or the next and hit my Protein goal mainly from protein yoghurts and protein shakes.

Strangely I didn't have Soup until the next phase but it's still a big go-to for lunch now, especially with lentils for added protein.

OK this is a biggie. You might want to treat alcoholic drinks like a big glass of sugar. Empty calories and not helping you to your goal - hindering actually.

However I am Irish and therefore have to acknowledge the fun/relaxation/social stuff associated with imbibing those totally worthless calories.

Lots of people who have previously had a completely healthy relationship with alcohol (even if on the slightly heavier side of healthy alcohol intake) can develop a very UNhealthy relationship with alcohol after bariatric surgery. You get a bigger hit, you get it quicker, and you get all the neurotransmitter rush associated with that that makes you want to repeat the experience. For lots of us it has been a big trigger for regaining weight. Just do a search for alcohol and read some of the posts here describing it as THE factor on people's regain.

Lots of others have been able to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol too.

If you do your research AND are aware of all that AND vigilant AND able to take immediate action if your relationship with alcohol changes then it might be OK to drink it earlier than your programme allows. Otherwise it might be best to just concentrate on the lovely honeymoon period when you lose weight with not too much effort.

I was sleeved 7 weeks before Christmas 2021 and negotiated a glass or two of bubbles over that first holiday season with my dietician. I have been able to continue to drink alcohol at my previous rate and not regain. UNTIL I stopped losing - that was about 2 years post op, 5 months ago. Since then I have been regaining (albeit very slowly). I do wonder whether if I had just ditched alcohol (my only sugar now) early on whether I wouldn't have put on 5lbs in 5 months. I know that third year regain is a thing, but I will never be able to say what effect alcohol may have had. It does seem to have stabilised for me and I know my regain is tiny (not angsting, LOL) just wanted to share my thoughts and my experience.

Sorry that turned into a bit of an essay. I hope it helps.

Long story short, my programme said no alcohol for 6 months, my (Irish) dietician said go right ahead.

So great to read your update. Sounds like everything went really well!