After having my surgery cancelled last month due to the abrupt closure of my hospital's bariatric practice, I have a new date at another hospital in the area and can hardly wait for the time to fly by. I'm scheduled for gastric bypass on February 21. Any other February peeps out there?

@NickelChip

You look great! Your face seems to have changed a lot and that tummy is shrinking!

Being able to walk long distances without feeling terrible is so nice isn’t it!

Sorry to hear you’re struggling with reheated food - how are you reheating? Could you steam things ? I think that may help but if not let’s pray summer and salad season is round the corner!

@BlueParis Thanks! Yes, I see some changes in my face in the photos and when I look in the mirror, and also my arms and even my hand look thinner in the most recent picture compared to last month.

I've been microwaving, which may be the problem. Steaming would probably be the way to go. I brought home a delicious chicken shawarma from the weekend, but it dried out after a minute in the microwave and caused me all sorts of trouble. I wonder if putting it in a sous vide would work.

I have a fresh turkey breast that I think I will try in the slow cooker that I can then use the meat for my salads at lunch. I do well with raw baby spinach, red peppers, cucumbers, and carrots. I never thought to cook turkey in a slow cooker, but the package suggested it (along with 3 cups broth). Worth a try!

I'm so glad you're feeling a bit more at peace with your progress. I envy you being in London, although I swear you can freeze there in the middle of summer. But it's one of my favorite places. I had hoped to go for my 50th birthday this spring, but with surgery, it didn't really work out, so next year! Having spent the weekend away this weekend, I don't envy you all the travel because choosing foods while on the road is very hard. I feel like every time you go into a restaurant, it's some new server staring at your hardly-eaten plate and wondering what's wrong with you.

9 hours ago, BlueParis said:

I'm still stalled but feeling better.

I spoke to my clinic who said it is normal because I've lost more than goal at this point and had a lower BMI to start off with.

The clinic has said the stall may last up to a month which means I'm half way through the stall trying to be rational about it.

I managed a decent walk ( 15.4k steps) yesterday in my raincoat that helped.

I'm still in London for work and it is grey and raining but I bailed on my hotel and came to stay with my little brother (who lives here for his work) and it's a bit like being home. I hadn't seen him in a few years because we're not that close but he made me airfryer spicy tofu and asparagus for supper, offered to look over some work excels with me and to top it off he washed, dried, folded my laundry from my suitcase whilst I was asleep and woke me up with coffee in bed this morning. (I suspect he's been talking to my partner). He's made me feel very cared for and also said that even without weightloss in the mix he gets very very down when he has a bad stretch of travel for work and the weather is ****. He helped me find friends of friends to stay with when I have a week in Budapest in 10 days time so that I'm not all alone at a hotel again. And we realised we'll both be in Boston for work next month and can meet up there and we also sync'd our work travel agendas and found out we'll be in Singapore in October at the same time as our brother in law ( sisters husband) and so all three of us can stay together!

For my job the travel is going to be wild until the end of this year (wrap up of a 5 year worldwide project) and so I'm just going to have to "hack" it as much as I can.

I get back to Paris very late tonight and might see if I can move enough meetings around to take Friday off work and just spend 3 days for myself in Paris.

Hows everyone getting on ?

I am still basically stalled too. I fluctuate up and down the same pound over and over again but everyone keeps saying “you’ve lost more weight, haven’t you?” Ummm, no. It must just be shifting around. I know how discouraging it can be for the scale to not move especially after the quick initial weight loss right after surgery. I try to tell myself it’s a good thing because my skin seems to be bouncing right back and if I was losing too quickly it wouldn’t and then I would have the added problem of loose skin everywhere. I have about 25lbs left to lose so if we have a year to lose our weight I have 9 months to lose that weight. If you look at it that way it’s more bearable. Hang in there

3 hours ago, NickelChip said:

I had a nice weekend in NYC and the Hudson River Valley, and managed to get 25k steps in one day by walking from my hotel in the Financial District to a venue on W 26th St in Chelsea! It was a great walk and I didn't even feel exhausted by the end of the day. Sore feet, sure, but not terrible. I was excited to buy a bunch of new T-shirts for the summer at Old Navy as my old tops are very large now. I figure they should get me through to the fall, and at 50% off, it was a bargain.

My weight hasn't really moved much, but I was pleasantly surprised to compare last month's photo to this month's. 6 lbs wasn't a lot on the scale but seems to be more visible than I expected.

I'm still having trouble with vomiting if I eat anything reheated. It's making it hard because I just can't cook every single meal, and if I go to a restaurant, it's enough for 4 days but reheating makes me sick. It's getting warmer now so I'm opting for some cold dishes like smoked salmon and cucumbers or Greek salad with chicken. At least with salad, the chicken is okay a second time because it doesn't get reheated.

Looking good. You are definitely losing inches, even if the scale isn't moving like you hope it would. Walking 25k steps is awesome.

5 hours ago, NickelChip said:

I'm still having trouble with vomiting if I eat anything reheated. It's making it hard because I just can't cook every single meal, and if I go to a restaurant, it's enough for 4 days but reheating makes me sick. It's getting warmer now so I'm opting for some cold dishes like smoked salmon and cucumbers or Greek salad with chicken. At least with salad, the chicken is okay a second time because it doesn't get reheated.

Looking good!!

Have you tried moistening food when you reheat it? I was warned that reheating can make foods dry, and I may want to moisten them. When I reheat fish, I will put something on it. I've sprinkled water, put a dab of margarine, and even put some marinara sauce on it before. Dry foods just don't go down or sit well, and not being able to drink with food keeps it dry.

How is everyone?

I'm still stalled .... It's been 19 days!

@BlueParis About the same here. I've lost all of 4 lbs in the past 30 days. I hit a low of 199.2 lbs 8 days ago and immediately bounced up above 200 lbs the next day. Now I've been losing maybe 0.2 lbs a day if I'm lucky. Back down below 200 this morning finally, but still above where I was. No rhyme or reason to it. The frustration is real.

1 hour ago, BlueParis said:

How is everyone?

I'm still stalled .... It's been 19 days!

I'm doing okay here. Eating the past few days has been blah. No matter what I eat, I'm uncomfortable afterward—nausea, heaviness, or pain. I know I need to slow down! Sometimes, I let myself get too hungry. Then I'm so looking forward to eating and it's not a pleasant experience. It's weird! Right now, I'm staring at the food left on my plate, and I want so badly to eat it, but my chest is heavy and sore, and it feels like food is backing up.

I'm grateful that the scale has moved every week—sometimes not much, but it moves. I'm not looking forward to stalls, even though I expect them to happen. I'm almost under that 200 mark and hope to get there in the next week or two!

We all need to hang in there!!!

2 hours ago, BlueParis said:

How is everyone?

I'm still stalled .... It's been 19 days!

I was 236 lbs. 2 weeks ago. The last few days I've been bouncing around 225-227 lbs. I thought it was my scale not being very accurate. But, the scale at the gym (which is a better scale) was doing the same thing.
Sorry to hear that you're dealing with a stall. I hope it breaks for you soon.

@RonHall908 Love the new profile pic! You're looking fantastic!

@Nickelchip Your under 200lbs goal is like my under 70 goal ... it's taking a long time to happen but it's going to be such a nice feeling when it happens! Hang on in there as says @LisaCaryl. @LisaCaryl I hope the unconfortable feeling passes soon.

12 minutes ago, BlueParis said:

@RonHall908 Love the new profile pic! You're looking fantastic!

Thank you!

On 6/2/2024 at 1:04 PM, BlueParis said:

How is everyone?

I'm still stalled .... It's been 19 days!

I’ve slowed wayyyy down weight loss wise. I’ve only lost about 6 LBs in the last month which doesn’t thrill me. Since I rarely eat 800-1000 cal a day on average I guess I’m going to have to start exercising (which I despise ?) but i know it’s better for me.

I’m only losing a pound or two a week. It’s super slow!!!! I had my post up appt which wasn’t super informative. I’ve lost 40lbs so far. Not all of my bloodwork was in yet so I’m waiting to hear how my vitamin levels are. She said the stuck food lasts til 6 months then comes back at 12 months and 18 months ?‍♀️?‍♀️ and I’m expected to lose my weight over 18 months. That was about it. Other than the stalls will get longer and longer she said. Ughhhhhhhh. Some days I feel like I’m where I was pre surgery trying to get the scale to move even though I know that’s not the case. I have started only weighing once a week now instead of every day so that’s less frustrating. Knowing we are all stalling definitely helps me to see it is just the way things are and I can’t rush it. Thanks for the continued support ❤️

29 minutes ago, Noelle74 said:

I’m only losing a pound or two a week. It’s super slow!!!! I had my post up appt which wasn’t super informative. I’ve lost 40lbs so far. Not all of my bloodwork was in yet so I’m waiting to hear how my Vitamin levels are. She said the stuck food lasts til 6 months then comes back at 12 months and 18 months ?‍♀️?‍♀️ and I’m expected to lose my weight over 18 months. That was about it. Other than the stalls will get longer and longer she said. Ughhhhhhhh. Some days I feel like I’m where I was pre surgery trying to get the scale to move even though I know that’s not the case. I have started only weighing once a week now instead of every day so that’s less frustrating. Knowing we are all stalling definitely helps me to see it is just the way things are and I can’t rush it. Thanks for the continued support ❤️

I'm glad weighing once a week is helping. Sometimes it's difficult... I want to get on the scale way more often and sometimes do. All my adult life I have considered a loss of 2 pounds a week to be right on track. The first few weeks of this got me spoiled with bigger losses. At this point I'd be very happy with a consistent 1 - 2 pounds a week. It seems like the slower it comes off, the easier it is for my body to adjust.

An NSV, well, not really a victory, but a surprise... I had to go to support group at the hospital last night. I was running late and threw some jeans and a T-shirt on after my shower. I hadn't had those jeans on in a few weeks, and oh my gosh, they were huge! Not just the waist, which is elastic, but the legs were so funny. I didn't have time to change them, and they are my favorite jeans. In fact, I have a pair that is 4 sizes smaller in my closet waiting for me! lol.

Dang it! Back up to 200 today. I could see the digital scale contemplating telling me 199.8, but it decided nope. I've had days with tons of exercise. Days with no exercise. Days with over 1000 calories. Days with barely 500 calories because what I ate made me sick. None of it does anything to move the weight. I get on the scale daily because I like to see the graph as a visual. But I'd like it better if the number went down.

On the bright side, my blood work all looks pretty good. A bit low in Vitamin A, zinc, and prealbumin, but so far no one has said I should change anything.

@LisaCaryl I love the NSV with the jeans! What a nice surprise, even if you did get stuck wearing them to your group.

I have one more week of school runs and after school activities before my kids are out for the summer. At that point, I am going to make a weekly meal plan and try out some new recipes from the bariatric cookbooks that are gathering dust because I've been too busy. I've also found a workout video to try with my pilates bar resistance band set, so that's going to happen this week, at least once.