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Just another random food photo dump. More Asian chicken kelp noodles, balsamic chicken and veggies. Surimi salad and shrimp (only ate one shrimp). Stir fried tofu with zucchini, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Egg and cheese English muffin with tomato and cucumbers. Chicken and veggie fajita rice. Greek yogurt, caramel rice crisps, and blueberries.

Mini Pita pizza! 211cals, 22g of protein. Highly recommend the Joseph's brand for the pita. So soft & delicious

Okay so I have been following but not posting much for a little while. I have been frustrated, feeling like I don’t have much advice to offer others because I have been searching for my own answers and very embarrassed about my weigh gain. Anyways, for those of you who don’t know me, I had my surgery March 9, 2021 at 235 (5’8”). I lost pretty steadily down to 169 but then stalled for months on end until my appetite came back and I started gaining and continue to gain. I have been struggling uphill while searching for answers ever since. The bariatric team blames my psyc meds but the prescribing dr claims they are weight neutral meds. My family dr agrees and showed me an article about the cravings they cause but he ordered thyroid and diabetes tests too which came back fine but I continue to gain so I made an appointment with an endocrine doctor thanks to a few people on here who suggested it. I finally just seen the endo doc and My cortisol was elevated on the suppression test so I just completed the two day saliva test which hopefully will bring some more answers but what they have said so far is that it’s probably sub clinical cushings which takes a while to confirm. I thought about waiting until I had more info but they said it will be another two or three weeks for these results and I may need more tests after that. I guess MY diagnosis is not really the point anyways. My point is I have recently learned of three things that could be the culprit of my weight that were never tested before surgery and I wonder why they don’t mention these tests pre surgery. I mean They are simple blood tests. I even googled to see why the cushings thing isn’t investigated since it doesn’t resolve with bariatric surgery and all I could find was one article that said it is of course suggested if you present with any of the classic symptoms but in terms of a blanket requirement for people considering bariatric surgery this person felt it unnecessary because it’s not extremely common. I guess maybe that’s the view of my doctor too but I sure wish I was presented with the option at least. I am just curious whether these are things that are tested or even brought up by other people doctors prior to surgery or what others think about whether they should be. And perhaps to give some people things they can investigate first if they are on the fence about surgery. I just feel like the surgery was never going to work for me because it seems likely that the root of my issue is still there. I am maintaining SOME of the loss but according to what I understand about what I have read so far, left untreated I will steadily continue to gain. I know this is still up in the air and not a super common thing regardless but I can’t be the only one struggling with this pre or post surgery and I hope my experience can help someone else struggle just a little less cause watching everyone around me try to be polite as I slowly put the weight back on has felt even worse than being obese was to begin with. I am trying to hang In there for answers and give myself grace but it’s hard to not feel like a failure as I continue to gain and everyone now knows I had surgery and of course I have to wonder if I blew my one shot at surgery because I am doing these tests after instead of before surgery. Regardless, if you are someone who doesn’t really make a ton of poor food choices but just eats more than “normal” because you always feel hungry, consider a cortisol test before surgery. I wish I had.

Every surgeon has his or her own pre op diet and you are one of the lucky ones. In the 18 months that I have been regular on here, there have only been a few people who were so very lucky. You are also at a lower weight so will not have the same issues as someone a hundred pounds heavier like me. The pre op diet is more to shrink your liver as it gets in the way of this surgery. Surgery teams don't make mistakes like not telling you to do the pre op. You would know well in advance if you needed to start the pre op. Just enjoy Christmas and good luck with your surgery

As the clock ticks down to surgery day, I'm wondering if those of you who are post-op or are in the maintenance phase have favorite bariatric cookbooks or recipe blogs that you recommend. I see Amazon has some great bariatric cookbooks, specifically bariatric air fryer cookbooks, which I'm excited about in order to reduce cooking my protein in oil/butter. TIA! Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

when I was an early post-op, I found some recipes on the blog "The World According to Eggface" https://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ now I just modify regular recipes - you get the hang of it after awhile. Some really can't be modified to fit our plans, but many can...

Perhaps they would let you keep a bottle of better dressing there so that you can eat salads at least if you can’t bring your own meals entirely. (And maybe a ziplock with sOme lean protein to add to a salad). Or if your friends with who is cooking maybe they will cook it with the spray instead of using oils?? I know when I worked at a retirement community in the restaurant they bent the rules a little making certain to end up with an extra chicken breast since that’s all I really liked On the menu. That was years ago though and I was tiny tiny so of course everyone wanted to make sure I ate something back then. lol. Bringing food would probably be the easiest solution if they will let you. Regardless of where you go whether it’s work or play you will likely have to bring food with you the majority of the time in order to stay on track so it’s not a bad habit to get into. Depending on your usage, You may consider investing in a really good cooler if they won’t let you keep it in The fridge. I bought a yeti cooler post surgery and they are not cheap but it’s amazing. Keeps stuff cold with ice for days and for hours with just ice packs- in the car in the summer even!! The only issue I have are the size choices. I got the smallest actual cooler. The hopper I think and it’s still kinda big for a short outing but for drinks and food for the day it would probably be perfect. Regardless it easily fits bottled water standing up which is not a given with coolers. I keep a ziplock filled with crystal light packets in my purse and carry my water any time I leave the house which has probably paid for the cooler by now (I’m over a year and a half out though).

Doing pretty good so far. On day 5 post op. For some reason I couldn't get warm yesterday (no fever) . Went to be early with a weighted blanket. That finally warmed me up. I tried the warmed up premier protein shake yesterday (chocolate peanut butter). What a difference that made. Hope everyone is doing well.

Finally did it! I'm in pain, but waiting on pain relief. So happy that I'm finally here, on the other side of this process! Turning 0 in just over an hour, too [emoji16] Goodnight and good luck to you all Sent from my M2101K9G using BariatricPal mobile app

Further to my post a while ago, I had my first micro needling session about a month ago but I had derma pen which is deeper & more precise. My reaction lasted about four days instead of the usual 1-2 days of redness. I spoke to my cosmetic physician & she’s going to do subsequent sessions more lightly as my skin is more sensitive. I’m expecting to have 4 sessions in total six weeks apart. It takes about three months for your skin to go through a renewal cycle & therefore to see any results. I decided to try it because of my cystic acne scaring & open pores. If it helps with loose skin that would be a bonus. My doctor also recommends a maintenance session every year. This pxt is about 6 hours after it was done. It was more rash like in the following days & no makeup didn’t cover the rashy blotchiness.