Out With the Old--In With the New!

[Healthy_life2 8,330]

53 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Official 2 Month Update (SD 2.20.18 | Today 4.20.18)

I feel so different from the first 2 month (8 week) update. LOL. Ha! Actually just checking in. The scale has me as its little bi*ch this week. Too early to say if I see a pattern or not, but I am suspicious. I've decided my main barrier to weight loss is when the scale goes into a lull and doesn't give me the feedback I desire. It makes me say WTF and then go off plan--even in little ways. Yesterday despite being at 500 cals or below, I was up 1.4lbs for no good fu*king reason. LOL. Can you say "BAD MOOD?" Course you can. (NOTE: Yes, I fully recognize that I'm "saying" that the scale is making me a victim. I have power over my choices. I'm just saying this is the pattern I recognize from days gone by and it's one I seriously need to change. I need to reclaim the power. I'm nobody's victim. I have POWER to choose and to make healthy decisions.)

So what did I do? I'm nothing if not predictable...I had a head hunger day where I was a hungry hungry hippo looking for salty crunchy Snacks. I managed to stay on plan until Mr. F. came home from work and announced he wanted a snack despite it being 6:15pm. He didn't want dinner until later. I'm like, "Well, I'm starved and am ready for dinner." And he was like...okaaaaayyyyy.

So I made him a snack, then I caved to my poor choices. 1/4oz gruyere, 6 parmesan Whisps and 1 tbsp of Creamy Jiff doesn't sound bad on paper. It's a small snack of 163 calories; 9g protein; 4g carbs; 1g fiber; 3g net carb. But when you factor in that my daily calorie goal is 550 cals, it kinda sucks. (I'm trying to slowly raise calories, 50calories at a time to get to where I need to be eating. So this month's goal is 550cals/day and 70g Protein. Next month, I will go for 600cals/75g p.

Then last night at bedtime despite having a full dinner of 2oz chicken, 1oz broccoli, steamed, 1oz avo/tomato salad, I had another 1/2oz of ground turkey sausage mixture and 6 more parmesan cheese whisps.

Ended the day with a whopping total of 770cals; 81g protein; 39g fat; 25g carbs; 6g fiber; 19g net carbs. Now, you might say, but that's still perfectly fine for WLS! Remember, I'm only 2 months out. The biggest losses happen in the first 2 months and because they suppose that's when your intake is the lowest (source: research scientist at Baylor). So Month 1 loss was only 10.6lbs and month 2 loss was also only 10.6lbs. I'm suspecting that perhaps I'm in the genetic group with only 1 of the WLS success genes -- because of my slower monthly losses.

That means, because I'm not genetically gifted, I will have to work my ass off even WITH WLS to defy the statistics of WLS success. I will have to apply the rules of epigenetics through lifestyle control like nobody's beeswax. And you don't do that by caving to pressure and eating "safe" Snacks worth almost 1/3 of your daily calories. LOL. OK, beating over. Morale VASTLY improved. Moving on.

Today I'm starting PT again and next week I go for some kind of steroid injections into my right hip. They place the shot via xray. Don't know what the SI joint stuff will entail, the left hip bursa was easy and so effective. I'm dreading that they will want me on my tummy. It's hard to manage with my back and foobs that sit like rocks on my chest and with the chest neuropathy. So I've decided to post my stats and my progress pics to date because I know I get significant movement on the measuring tape during PT. Hopefully that will be enough of a "carrot" to justify the "stick" so that I continue working out and building strength and muscle moving forward.

SW - 222.4lbs (2.20.18)

CW - 196.0lbs (4.20.18) (-26.4lb loss since SD)

Neck - 15

Chest - 44

Waist - 38 (SD 41.5 in; -3.5 inches lost)

Hips - 47

Right Arm - 13

Left Arm - 14.5 (lymphedema)

Right Thigh - 25.5

Left Thigh - 26

(If I squint real hard, I can see the difference between the surgery day photo on the left and the Month2 photo on the right, but it's not as if I'm tearing up land speed records for losses since I'm only down 26.4lbs since surgery. But I have to deal with my individual reality and I know that the anti-cancer drugs I'm on will make weight loss more difficult than for most. It is my reality and nothing I can do to alter that fact. Hopefully PT and doing strength building will help boost my metabolism.)

26.4 lost is great! look at the difference in your neck and shoulders and arms. Black clothing is camouflaging my ability to see the rest. lol. * No need to use that statement to take naked pictures*

• I have "only worked hard for each pound lost"
• My body is "only getting healthier by the day"
• The scale is "only moving down to prove my weight loss is reality "

Your hard work and it's paying off.

[FluffyChix 17,418]

@newself Can't wait for your piccys! TY! ((hugs))

@Apple203 Yeah. Sigh. I don't know why I'm so afraid of upping the cals. Thanks for sharing the glimpse into your macros! Have my first support meeting tomorrow with the nutritionist and her group. Will report back if anything interesting.

@jenn1Thank you so much! Love your observations. Doubtful that nekkidy pics will ever willingly appear. Ha! But will work on lighting. Black is my uniform. LOL. But I might stretch it to a white tee at some point.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

Just remind yourself, this is a marathon, not a sprint! I had surgery 1 week after you and have only lost 28# since then. I'm happy about it even if it is slower than I'd prefer. Heck, I'd like to be under 200 already - oh, well! You are always so encouraging and supportive to others, send some of that back inwards and ROCK ON!

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

2 hours ago, jenn1 said:

• I have "only worked hard for each pound lost"
• My body is "only getting healthier by the day"
• The scale is "only moving down to prove my weight loss is reality "

@FluffyChix

the above are good examples of bad things often said

my favorite, frequent, bad remark is.....

I have only lost (X) lbs

hey bud - look forward to your "update" posts - your obsessive tracking of

protein, carbs, fat etc. are great (i never was that specific) keep

up the great job - i know you will

kathy

congrats

[FluffyChix 17,418]

Thanks everyone!

Ha @proudgrammy! I think I misunderstood Jenn1's post! Derp. My reading comprehension kicking up. But yeah, I've very guilty of the "I've only lost x pounds." On a bright note, I realized something was jiggy with my math and I'd picked up the wrong column from my spread sheet. Yay! So actually month 2 was a very respectable 14.something pounds. I'll take that any day of the week. The first month of 10.8 lbs felt very hard to swallow though.

Hope I'm not exhausting you guys. I love looking at the spreadsheets and identifying patterns. It's why I track the macros so crazy. But the good news is MFP makes it super easy to use. Since I eat so much of the same meals, it's simple to save my meals then select them on future days. Wahhhhoooo! That's one big advantage to eating clean and KISS. Not a lot of searching databases for the right food to input!

[Creekimp13 5,841]

I'm seeing some big differences in those photos...look at your shoulders...they're so much more square, less rounded....you're melting, woman!

Keep up the hard work!

[BostonWLKC 807]

There is totally a noticeable difference! Yay you!


HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17)
GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18)
GW#2- 180 [emoji736] (4/2/18)
GW#3- 160
CW 173
5’6”

[Frustr8 7,886]

Your feathers are starting to smooth,out nicely, every day you are becoming a sleeker fowl. Thanks for sharing the pikkys I am looking forward to month 4 and month 6 , for I believe. this. may only be the start, and I plan to stick around for the rest of the story. Hugs and a Yahoo!😜

[Biddy zz 🏳️🌈 1,004]

Hey Fluff

i am just back from China - yay to have easy internet again! I checked out your photos above - the thing I notice most is the way your arms lie closer to your body. I see it in my pics too.

I don’t know if it is shrinkage of side-boob, or upper arms (is it only New Zealanders and Aussies who refer to a ladies’ loose upper arm as her flubbadah or her flubberdubber?

Anyway, smaller that!

Your rate of weight loss - maybe slowed by how much you lost BEFORE surgery, @FluffyChix?

[Newme17 3,444]

Hey Dr Fluffy.... you’re looking great and you’re doing great! I admit, I skipped pages 12-31 of this thread...way too much to read at 12:54am. 😊 Glad to hear of a successful progress though! Keep up the good work hon!!

[clsumrall 535]

Official 2 Month Update (SD 2.20.18 | Today 4.20.18) [emoji6]
I feel so different from the first 2 month (8 week) update. LOL. [emoji6] Ha! Actually just checking in. The scale has me as its little bi*ch this week. Too early to say if I see a pattern or not, but I am suspicious. I've decided my main barrier to weight loss is when the scale goes into a lull and doesn't give me the feedback I desire. It makes me say WTF and then go off plan--even in little ways. Yesterday despite being at 500 cals or below, I was up 1.4lbs for no good fu*king reason. LOL. Can you say "BAD MOOD?" Course you can. (NOTE: Yes, I fully recognize that I'm "saying" that the scale is making me a victim. I have power over my choices. I'm just saying this is the pattern I recognize from days gone by and it's one I seriously need to change. I need to reclaim the power. I'm nobody's victim. I have POWER to choose and to make healthy decisions.)
So what did I do? I'm nothing if not predictable...I had a head hunger day where I was a hungry hungry hippo looking for salty crunchy Snacks. I managed to stay on plan until Mr. F. came home from work and announced he wanted a snack despite it being 6:15pm. He didn't want dinner until later. I'm like, "Well, I'm starved and am ready for dinner." And he was like...okaaaaayyyyy.
So I made him a snack, then I caved to my poor choices. 1/4oz gruyere, 6 parmesan Whisps and 1 tbsp of Creamy Jiff doesn't sound bad on paper. It's a small snack of 163 calories; 9g protein; 4g carbs; 1g fiber; 3g net carb. But when you factor in that my daily calorie goal is 550 cals, it kinda sucks. (I'm trying to slowly raise calories, 50calories at a time to get to where I need to be eating. So this month's goal is 550cals/day and 70g Protein. Next month, I will go for 600cals/75g p.
Then last night at bedtime despite having a full dinner of 2oz chicken, 1oz broccoli, steamed, 1oz avo/tomato salad, I had another 1/2oz of ground turkey sausage mixture and 6 more parmesan cheese whisps.
Ended the day with a whopping total of 770cals; 81g protein; 39g fat; 25g carbs; 6g fiber; 19g net carbs. Now, you might say, but that's still perfectly fine for WLS! Remember, I'm only 2 months out. The biggest losses happen in the first 2 months and because they suppose that's when your intake is the lowest (source: research scientist at Baylor). So Month 1 loss was only 11.8lbs and month 2 loss was also 14.6lbs. I'm suspecting that perhaps I'm in the genetic group with only 1 of the WLS success genes -- because of my slower monthly losses.
That means, because I'm not genetically gifted, I will have to work my ass off even WITH WLS to defy the statistics of WLS success. I will have to apply the rules of epigenetics through lifestyle control like nobody's beeswax. And you don't do that by caving to pressure and eating "safe" snacks worth almost 1/3 of your daily calories. LOL. OK, beating over. Morale VASTLY improved. Moving on.
Today I'm starting PT again and next week I go for some kind of steroid injections into my right hip. They place the shot via xray. Don't know what the SI joint stuff will entail, the left hip bursa was easy and so effective. I'm dreading that they will want me on my tummy. It's hard to manage with my back and foobs that sit like rocks on my chest and with the chest neuropathy. So I've decided to post my stats and my progress pics to date because I know I get significant movement on the measuring tape during PT. Hopefully that will be enough of a "carrot" to justify the "stick" so that I continue working out and building strength and muscle moving forward.
SW - 222.4lbs (2.20.18)
CW - 196.0lbs (4.20.18) (-26.4lb loss since SD)
Neck - 15
Chest - 44
Waist - 38 (SD 41.5 in; -3.5 inches lost)
Hips - 47
Right Arm - 13
Left Arm - 14.5 (lymphedema)
Right Thigh - 25.5
Left Thigh - 26

(If I squint real hard, I can see the difference between the surgery day photo on the left and the Month2 photo on the right, but it's not as if I'm tearing up land speed records for losses since I'm only down 26.4lbs since surgery. But I have to deal with my individual reality and I know that the anti-cancer drugs I'm on will make weight loss more difficult than for most. It is my reality and nothing I can do to alter that fact. Hopefully PT and doing strength building will help boost my metabolism.)

Congrats you’re awesome. Are you still drinking your Water?

[clsumrall 535]

Congrats you’re awesome. Are you still drinking your Water?

I remember you saying sip sip walk walk
I’m still pre op and because I’ve already lost the weight they wanted me to I still have 2 more months before surgery. They said I will loose slower because we were closer to 39 BMI already

[FluffyChix 17,418]

Thanks ladies for your support and kind comments!!

@clsumrallOh my yes. I drink about 120oz of liquids per day (with at least 80 of that from water). But you are right. The RD said yesterday because I'm so low in BMI that I will be losing slower. She also said I'm not eating enough. Surprise. Right? LOL. So I'm upping food today to 700 cals and working up to about 850-1000cal per day range.

@birdynz Welcome back! Yeah love the flubberdubber! I shall use it forevs! It's def FD cuz I don't have any upper fat at all since the BC surgeries and recons. It's all super tight and flat and small foob mounds.Not even back fat on the upper torso.

I wore boyfriend jeans to yesterday's support group and they said, "You need to buy new clothes that fit you." LOL. So I may go try stuff on at Old Navy and Kohl's this week. At least I'll know what size fits over mah bum!

[Apple203 1,314]

Have fun shopping!!

[FluffyChix 17,418]

What Am I Eating Today - New Goals 700-850 cal/74g protein/30g carb goal working toward 800-1000cals/day - End of Week 8

So I thought I'd jump on and share that the RD did indeed go a little ape-**** on me for only eating 550cals and 65g prot. She said the Protein wasn't the issue but at that low calorie level I wasn't possibly meeting my nutritional needs and Vitamins are not food. *le sigh*.

I agreed to up my calories while trying to keep the same basic food volume. And truthfully, that's not hard to do--an ounce of avocado here, a teaspoon of olive oil or butter there, an ounce of GS apple or a slice of regular cheese and blammo! Presto chango! 700-850 calories. Boom baby! It's a tiny tweak, not an order of magnitude change. But it does require re-doing many daily meals that are so easy to just plug into MFP and then saving them as new meals. Meh--it can happen.

But what's harder to prepare for is the jump on the scale which I know theoretically will be temporary. But this morning, seeing 197.2lbs on the scale after only 2 days of eating until full (finally) and I'm up almost 2 lbs. I hope the scale doesn't continue to move upward. I have added more carbs, fats, and cals--GS apples, some berries, GG Bran Crispbreads, LC Flour Tortillas, legumes, real cheese, nuts, bacon!--but clearly, not all at one time.

The RD kindly suggested I back off from the obsession and not track my food. But, that's just crazy talk. LOL. I will adjust to the nutritional goals that she wants though and will tuff it out for a week or two even if there is a rise on the scale. I guess, better to know now than later. Right? So effective immediately I'm aiming for between 700-850 cals/day this week. (Oh, she said to just do it all at once, not try to step it up 50cals/2 weeks like I'd planned--that it would take too long to reach the target level.)

This morning I have a meeting so needed an easy Breakfast. I used the 1/2 of a side of my Egg McMuffinless with bacon that was leftover and added my take on avocado toast--the ever-popular staple of millennials the free-world over, and grape tomatoes (my staple "fruit"). Now in my defense, I actually like the chew factor and Fiber of eating cardboard--so my GG Bran Crispbread works very nicely as my toast substitute. However, it's a very sucky sub for my famous Asiago Parmesan Pagnotta bread made into toast that I make every Christmas for our carb monkey family. It's absolutely crazy good made into avocado toast.

I will admit now, that I'm less snappy/irritated in the past couple of days and feel like I have more energy. Shocker!

1/4 Egg McMuffinless with Bacon + Avocado Toast and Grape Tomato

serves 1

1/4 recipe of Egg Bacon McMuffinless

1 slice (8g) GG Bran Crispbread

1oz avocado

1 wedge lime

freshly ground black pepper

1/2oz grape tomatoes

Nutrition: 113 calories; 5g protein; 7g fat; 9g carbs; 6g fiber; 3g net carbs; 0g sugar

Edited April 23, 2018 by FluffyChix