The Maintenance Thread

[ms.sss 15,816]

5 hours ago, Stella S said:

I like that some out weigh their teen self. I weigh more by 12 lbs but am so much healthier!!!! I think I look better 30 years later but definitely older.

I think my teen self was much better looking. And firmer. With bigger boobs...

[Sheribear68 3,201]

Okay so I definitely weigh more than my mid 20’s self and waaaaay more than my teen self.
Jeez, I can remember when I got to 125 in my senior year in HS and cried bc I was “fat”.

Found this pic from 1995.
I was 27 and matron of honor for my sisters wedding. I weighed around 130-135 here and was upset bc I was 10 pounds over my college weight.
So this pic is 20 pounds lighter (and almost 25 years younger) version of me. I think now I’m def carrying less fat for my weight

Edited November 14, 2019 by Sheribear68

[ms.sss 15,816]

OMG, @Sheribear68, you remind me of :

[Cheeseburgh 3,084]

I was 6-8 lbs lighter in high school, I graduated in 1978 and have no idea how to compare. Clothes were sized differently, I played sports and I was less focused on my weight.

I did however have a butt, that seems to have flattened out.

[Sheribear68 3,201]

On 11/14/2019 at 09:43, Cheeseburgh said:

I was 6-8 lbs lighter in high school, I graduated in 1978 and have no idea how to compare. Clothes were sized differently, I played sports and I was less focused on my weight.

I did however have a butt, that seems to have flattened out.

True on the whole clothes sizes changing. Right now I’m an 8/10 and size medium and when I was 15-25 pounds lighter than I am today, I was wearing similar sizes.
Now the last time I weighed under 150 was in ‘96, because I got preggo in October of 96 and that’s when I gained the 90+ pounds and never recovered (until now).

Oddly enough, I had already had my son when that wedding pic was taken. My body bounced back within a year of having him, but not so much with my daughter.

[Healthy_life2 8,330]

On 11/13/2019 at 9:55 PM, Sheribear68 said:

Okay so I definitely weigh more than my mid 20’s self and waaaaay more than my teen self.
Jeez, I can remember when I got to 125 in my senior year in HS and cried bc I was “fat”.

Found this pic from 1995.
I was 27 and matron of honor for my sisters wedding. I weighed around 130-135 here and was upset bc I was 10 pounds over my college weight.
So this pic is 20 pounds lighter (and almost 25 years younger) version of me. I think now I’m def carrying less fat for my weight

Lovely photo. I agree with @ms.sss you do look so much like the actress from crocodile Dundee.

[Healthy_life2 8,330]

On 11/12/2019 at 11:30 AM, 2Bsmaller18 said:

This might be a dumb question.
I’m wondering when we have the honeymoon why does it end? Is it because we are at a stable weight near our body’s ideal for awhile or is it because our body becomes more efficient at absorbing calories (for bypass). Is it because we can eat more or we start to feel hunger or a combination of things? Could it also be just the nature of getting older and our metabolism naturally slowing a bit?

The honeymoon ending may be at different time range and individual reasons

For me, the honeymoon was over when life became normal. My high from rapid weight loss disappeared. The scale is not exciting or a motivator.

[ms.sss 15,816]

On 11/12/2019 at 1:30 PM, 2Bsmaller18 said:

This might be a dumb question.
I’m wondering when we have the honeymoon why does it end? Is it because we are at a stable weight near our body’s ideal for awhile or is it because our body becomes more efficient at absorbing calories (for bypass). Is it because we can eat more or we start to feel hunger or a combination of things? Could it also be just the nature of getting older and our metabolism naturally slowing a bit?

I'm not sure if I'm honeymooning still or not...my rapid weight loss is over, but I mean I am eating relatively "normally" now (read: more cals).

If I eat beyond my calorie burn level I will gain weight, if I don't, I will lose... 🤷🏼‍♀️

[2Bsmaller18 437]

I put in a call to my nut. to check in and ask about macro percentages now. in the meantime I came across this study:

http://bariatrictimes.com/carbohydrate-fat-and-protein-what-do-we-know-about-the-macronutrient-composition-of-the-diet-following-bariatric-surgery/

I am now at 1500-1600 calories. I seem to bounce around between 126-127 pounds but still have trending down so my guess is at this rate I will be 125-126 in the next few months unless I can increase my calories a bit. I am logging everything with an updated goal of 1600 calories.

I had a goal of 1500 calories for the past month but would really like to stay closer to 128 pounds and not drop to 125. I am anticipating plastics in the spring and the 3 surgeons I saw said I don't have a lot of fat left and what I thought was still fat ie love handles was just loose skin. I am anticipating I would lose another few pounds after plastics too.

So at 1600 calories my marco goals are: 40% carbs (159g), 30% Protein (120 grams but usually hit closer to 110), and 30% fat (53g) but seem to go over that due to whole milk and high fat nuts just to get calories in.

I am going to ask the nut. if that protein is too high. I eat a lot of high calorie nuts to get calories and protein in vs lean protein.

Any thoughts? Does that seem like a lot of protein? The carbs seem so crazy high since 3 months ago I was at less than 40 grams of carbs a day. I am actually eating a little bit of triscuit crackers or granola type of cereals to get Fiber and carbs in.

[catwoman7 11,278]

34 minutes ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

I put in a call to my nut. to check in and ask about macro percentages now. in the meantime I came across this study:

http://bariatrictimes.com/carbohydrate-fat-and-protein-what-do-we-know-about-the-macronutrient-composition-of-the-diet-following-bariatric-surgery/

I s.

I had a goal of 1500 calories for the past month but would really like to stay closer to 128 pounds and not drop to 125. I am anticipating plastics in the spring and the 3 surgeons I saw said I don't have a lot of fat left and what I thought was still fat ie love handles was just loose skin. I am anticipating I would lose another few pounds after plastics too.

As an aside, if you don't have much fat left, don't count on losing much after plastic surgery. Skin doesn't weigh very much. A lot of people lose less than five pounds unless they had a lot of fat (and therefore a lot of lipo). I only lost 2 or 3 lbs (I had very little fat left, too)

[ms.sss 15,816]

38 minutes ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

Any thoughts? Does that seem like a lot of Protein?

What is your exercise/activity level like? And do you have any muscle-building goals?

[ms.sss 15,816]

1 minute ago, catwoman7 said:

As an aside, if you don't have much fat left, don't count on losing much after plastic surgery. Skin doesn't weigh very much. A lot of people lose less than five pounds unless they had a lot of fat (and therefore a lot of lipo). I only lost 2 or 3 lbs (I had very little fat left, too)

Yep, my PS surgeon said that I will lose basically nothing in terms of poundage, as I am all skin removal with no significant Lipo, if any at all (any lipo, he said he would employ only if he feels the need to contour when he gets in there)

[FluffyChix 17,418]

28 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

Yep, my PS surgeon said that I will lose basically nothing in terms of poundage, as I am all skin removal with no significant Lipo, if any at all (any Lipo, he said he would employ only if he feels the need to contour when he gets in there)

OK, I'm just gonna have to call bullsh*t right here. LOL. What's your PS gonna do? Stand over the OR table and wave a magic wand over you? Cuz where is your extra skin hon? You shrinky dinked and from what I saw of your vacay in Brazil or wherever you were? Didn't you show a bikini pic and you have tight skin everywheres?

Just sayin.

[Healthy_life2 8,330]

1 hour ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

I put in a call to my nut. to check in and ask about macro percentages now. in the meantime I came across this study:

http://bariatrictimes.com/carbohydrate-fat-and-protein-what-do-we-know-about-the-macronutrient-composition-of-the-diet-following-bariatric-surgery/

I am now at 1500-1600 calories. I seem to bounce around between 126-127 pounds but still have trending down so my guess is at this rate I will be 125-126 in the next few months unless I can increase my calories a bit. I am logging everything with an updated goal of 1600 calories.

I had a goal of 1500 calories for the past month but would really like to stay closer to 128 pounds and not drop to 125. I am anticipating plastics in the spring and the 3 surgeons I saw said I don't have a lot of fat left and what I thought was still fat ie love handles was just loose skin. I am anticipating I would lose another few pounds after plastics too.

So at 1600 calories my marco goals are: 40% carbs (159g), 30% Protein (120 grams but usually hit closer to 110), and 30% fat (53g) but seem to go over that due to whole milk and high fat nuts just to get calories in.

I am going to ask the nut. if that Protein is too high. I eat a lot of high calorie nuts to get calories and protein in vs lean protein.

Any thoughts? Does that seem like a lot of protein? The carbs seem so crazy high since 3 months ago I was at less than 40 grams of carbs a day. I am actually eating a little bit of triscuit crackers or granola type of cereals to get Fiber and carbs in.

I love that you are finding different studies. It’s important to find a long-term sustainable way of eating that works for the individual. Healthy eating studies change and evolve over the years. Advice for your nutritionist is better than my two cents. *smile*

I’m reading fast food genocide. lowering protein macro’s. Taking advantage of healing and protective properties in adding fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, Beans with a combination of vegan and animal protein. I think we can all agree that processed and fast foods are crap and will compromise your health.

If your goal is to retain or build muscle, your protein macro will be higher.

The bariatric mantra of protein first. I question if it applies when you are maintaining. Most of us can easily get our protein goal in with real food as we progress. It applies if you have tight restriction and its hard to hit your macro.

Not all carbs are created equal. My carbs are higher and mainly plant based. ( I will eat processed packaged carbs on occasion.) flexible works for me years out.

[ms.sss 15,816]

14 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

OK, I'm just gonna have to call bullsh*t right here. LOL. What's your PS gonna do? Stand over the OR table and wave a magic wand over you? Cuz where is your extra skin hon? You shrinky dinked and from what I saw of your vacay in Brazil or wherever you were? Didn't you show a bikini pic and you have tight skin everywheres?

Just sayin.

LOL, thanks, but: My ARMS!!! My SIDE-BOOB!!! (and that bikini pic had the wrinkled fabric look above my belly button hidden with a tube top ) Once I get closer to my surgery date, I'll post some Before Pics for posterity. Though I will concede that I came out the other side of this weight loss thing much better than I anticipated I would, skin-wise (thank you, universe).

P.S. though don't get me started on the state of my butt...