CowgirlJane

Oh, I forgot to share the good news! i think I actually like food more now - in maintenance - now that i am not driven to eat obsessively, but eat for health and sustainance. I enjoy good flavors, high quality and don't feel like I am missing out. It is a fallacy that you will never eat good tasting food again. It is true that your idea of what good food is changes alot. I would skip lunch before eating a McD super size me meal....

Some people have "last supper" syndrome going on where they feel like they need to eat everything NOW becuase their future life will sadly not be food centric. It is a big shift in mindset - but i think at some point, we need to kind of "breakup" with our old relationship with food. By the time i was sleeved, I was so OVER food - I would have been happy if I could just swallow a pill for nutrients and never have to eat again, never be faced with all those choices. Having said that - I was a hot mess and really struggled preop. I did lose 8# on the liver shrinking 2 weeks prior, but what I did before that was try to low carb, try to not gain. My BMI was also 52 and it is like my appetite had been taken over by some kind of madness. i was so hungry, physically hungry, - it was very hard. I had the good fortune to work with a practice that understood i was deep in the the throes of a metabolic disease process, and how very hard it had become for me over time to control my intake in the context of that driving hunger. No guilt was laid on me, they knew I was very motivated. i took their preop, post op, and weight loss instructions very seriously. It took me 14 months to lose 150# and get to goal. I made goal in Feb 2013 - so celebrating my 3 years, and still there. You do have to accept that huge huge changes are necessary or WLS will not be successful in the long haul. However, the surgery makes that easier - and for me - possible. I don't have the answer for you, i really don't, but this is a good time to do alot of soul searching about how much of yourself you are really willing to dedicate to the life saving effort of getting obesity under control. Don't be one of the people that just think the surgery will fix everything and then are sorely disappointed 2-5 years down the road when they have regained significant weight.

Where have you read that the vsg expires? All WLS become less effective over the years. Over time, our individual choices make or break maintenance. People regain post bypass too....for same reasons. I am 4 years post op - plenty of others even further out. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

@@feedyoureye it's discouraging, but I know you can get rid of 30#. My friend Mary has annual event - from Jan to about Apr she crash diets and loses 20-40# depending on how bad the gain. She is super super active in her daily life so when she stops eating junk, does 2 shakes a day plus a salad for dinner she drops weight incredibly fast. Then, in the spring through the following Christmas she gains 20-40#. I would be very stressed out by that pattern, but she has apparently done this for a long time. Anyway, it is hard with our history to not feel overwhelmed. i felt alarmed when i was solidly in the 160s, but in truth, although its been slow, it hasn't been that difficult to get back under my generous goal weight. I lose maybe 2-3 pounds a month if i am just tightening up a little and it is hard for my brain to except that as an improvement, but of course it is! We have talked before about that voice in your head - your coach. I will never forget my mom saying repeatedly "if you don't lose at least 10# a month, you shouldn't even bother". She didn't mean to mess me up and her weight problem was relatively minor, and after all this time - I still fight that believe system. But truth of the matter is, even if you only lose 2-3# per month, that 30# is gone by late summer which is incredible. I am not saying to limit yourself to my slow way, but just saying it felt more like I am still in maintenance, just being more careful. It doesn't feel like a "diet" just going back to basics and cutting back on the wine and other problem areas.

It's better if you can get someone to take your picture so that is great. I am sure your phone has the same timer feature, made it possible to do body shots although theyd be better with a real camera and photographer. My hair was really messed up - frizzy - as i had been laying on it so not its usual possiton. I might try again on a better hair day! First few pix I took, my face looked very pale - not sure if it is the lighting - so i upped the makeup. I am experimenting with blush techniques. Anyway, my point is, I am liking being in the low 150s, but to my eye, I am still a little fluffy. I don't mean fat, but i have a round look, not a lean look. Of course, the plan is to change that via working out once i am cleared for it but I am far far from too thin..

There was a time when I ate fairly low carb but Protein only seems extreme. Calories come from either protein, fat or carbs. For example most vegetables have very healthy carbs but minimal protein and fat. meat is protein and fat while cooking oil is 100 percent fat etc If you don't get healthy fats (olive oil as an example) your skin will get dry. If you don't have some carbs you will be brain foggy and physically weak. This doesn't have to come from Pasta and rice - in fact there are carbs in lots of hidden places, but I can't function on less than say 20 g a day. I lost weight really well on a high protein, moderate fat, low carb plan.

Sane people do realize that the world keeps spinning when a formerly 300# person loses a bunch of weight. ..I mean 100...150...175# .... and then they regain 20-30? Still a huge victory in my book! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

Even the regain stories are just another angle on fat shaming. I hate that show. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

Some of the photos I took today.

Okay you win the asshat dating competition. What the hell is wrong with people? I am no prude but do people have ANY sense of what's decent and civilized? This whole thread was about that book that I am kinda ...ehhh on. On thing he did say is why the heck do single people (women ) participate in the lying cheating affairs? I guess lots of women cheat too.. . So why not let them all just do whatever this crap is together? I was pissed about wasting a night of dancing plus a dinner date on an effing cheater - I am not sure how I would have handled your asshat & company. It's probably just as well we don't find out... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

I think that show is despicable. I see 400# people RUNNING and I just visualize the damage to the knees and hips and feet. I see the public humiliating weigh ins and it is like the bearded lady at the circus. I don't know why that show has lasted. However, outside the context of the loser, I love Julian Michaels. I have a few of her DVDs and her words inspired me. JM said something at the intro of one of her workouts that was my motto...about transformation as a process, as the getting up everyday and doing it. It worked for me but ... I hate that she was part of the fat shaming, gross show. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

Thanks coops, you are completely right. I am trying to not take it personally but I really feel if I had never been fat, nobody would think being a normal weight is too thin. I shouldn't make so much of it, but sometimes I feel like they don't think I deserve it or something even though I KNOW that isn't their meaning. I was playing with my cell camera (it has a timer so I can prop it and take better selfies!) And even though I know I am a great weight, I look so....round .... in all the photos. I am happy with my body but damn I hate photos, I look old and fat in them.

A big local hospital has a bariatric support group that is Co facilitated by a therapist counselor type. I haven't seen him as a patient but he struck me as...not an idiot. Perhaps call a hospital with a bariatric support group and see if they have a decent therapist. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

Have you considered the possibility that it just won't fcck with @ VSGAnn2014 ?

I lost almost 200# from my lifetime high and got good results from skin removal..but I had realistic expectations too.

Sorry about your loss Denise. It's really hard. I think I am a little tired of people caring about what I way. If i had always been trim nobody would bat an eye...but since I used to be obese it's like I don't have the right to getting a summer beach body (ha) without someone commenting on it. It is not like I have an unhealthy low weight.... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

Not sure if you saw my remarks but I have decided to not fear regain because that leads to anxiety and potentially other issues...like eating disorders. I know it's easier said than done but I didn't go through all this to trade in my poor obesity related health and quality of life for a different set of unhealthy behavior. There are times when I feel the twinge of all this - it is tempting to look to feed the empty hole in the heart with skinnyness instead of food but i remind myself over and over...health and a good life is #1 - number on a scale, vanity etc are secondary..way down on the list . Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

So you are post op, right? How many grams of Protein do you get? Every program is different, I was coached to have 5 mini meals per day. I settled on 4 per day. The idea is not to graze but also to eat often enough that you can eat "small" and still be nourished. I have gone through no Protein Drink phases, but I can't meet my 80-100g a day goals without them. I am 4 years post op and maintaining. I think everyone needs to find what works for them, but I believe very strongly in "eating small" habitually to help keep that feeling of restriction over time.

Going to agree with Jamie on this one. There are so many fallacies about preventing excess skin.... I did strength and aerobics and was FIT by the time I got to goal. The muscles looked great when I got rid of the excess skin....lol Who told you that? I exercised every day, both cardio and strength training all throughout the process of losing 90 pounds over the course of a year. I was only 30 years old at the time. And I still had plastics to remove my excess skin. There are no guarantees. Can exercise help some with loose skin? Maybe. Can it prevent it entirely? Definitely not! Mostly exercise just allows you to "fill in" some of the loose skin with muscle. If you have close to 100 pounds to lose, no amount of muscle is going to fill in that much skin!

I am guessing that it is more that your tummy didn't digest the Pasta easily. If you are following your quantity guidelines it seems very unlikely that you are feeling any stretch. In fact, of people who say they have a stretched sleeve, I don't believe they report "feeling stretched" at all. It does seem kinda early for pasta to me as well, but i was on a pretty conservative program.... pasta is fairly low in nutrients an with that tiny new tummy, not the best investment in the limited capacity. No guilt or shame, just something to consider as you move forward and make food choices.

I had about 5# of skin removed from lower body lift and arm lift. I stayed about the same. Every once in a while, I read about someone who has a much bigger number - say 10-12# removed but they are people with a lot of skin. Dr Sauceda has some patients who need upper body lift etc., and not all of them are "normal weight" because when you used to weigh 400 (or whatever) 200 might be a great weight for you. Anyway, don't count on skin removal as a weight loss tool. i would also say that even though I had a lower body lift, i didn't do the vertical cut, and didn't do an upper body lift. I look great if i do say so myself but, i have excess skin on my torso still. This morning, I weigh 197 pounds LESS than my liftetime high so it frankly comes with the territory of losing that much weight. When I went down for my breast revision I talked to him about lipo around my torso and he told me that it wasn't fat. He could feel my muscle right under the skin, but it sometimes seems like it is a bit of fat that could be lipoed out but it really isn't. I guess a little off topic, but my point is that I love my results, I think I look great, I know I have a good body for my age (and frankly, not bad compared to many younger even) but it is far far from drumtight perfect. I had plastics 8 months after hitting goal I lost another 8# before i had plastics for a very specific reason. The rough guideline is your results are best if you stay within 10% of your "plastics day weight". So, I weighed 150 when I had plasctics which puts me in a range of 135 to 165 that I NEVER want to be out of. I find it to be a good motivation because the day I saw 165 on the scale last summer - I made big changes and now weigh 153! I need all the motivation I can get.

If you are lucky you see the headlights coming during the coffee date..... I was thinking the same thing!!! Then you meet them for coffee and the trainwreck shows up....

Actually, I have found the best meatloaf...and I don't care much for meatloaf. My recipe is restaurant worthy but does take some culinary skills as it also "presents" beautifully which not all meatloaf does. I won't bother with the whole recipe since it isn't particularly healthy but essentially you roll the meatloaf mixture out flat on a baking paper and put on a thin layer of sauteed mushrooms, onions and some cheese and roll it up like a jelly roll cake. You are supposed to top it with bacon, but that might be just too much. I bake it right on the paper on a baking sheet and it holds together and if you let it rest a few minutes, will slice nicely and look like the jelly roll cake. It tastes like the best cheeseburger you ever had. I make it about once a month and the kids devour it and I love it too.

2 different events separated by like 6 months. Marriee guy pissed me off but I had no commitment or investment. The man I dated, I was invested. I am not upset it didn't work out, I am hurt because it never had a chance and I was led to believe otherwise. In that case, I don't think he even realizes it, and it is complicated but it ticks me off that therapists push people to online dating when they have other really big stuff to address. He was doing it because he is trying to pretend he is ok and ready to move on, but he isn't. He is obsessed with many things, one of them his ex wife. Now I know why she moved out of state. I see everything he said about her in a whole different light.. I haven't seen him since May but I recently revived my dating profile and he is monitoring me....he checks my profile every day or two. I don't think he is so invested at this point he will do anything or bother me but he has issues and owns a freaking arsenal and does taxidermy... there is a slight unease for me even after all this time. An intelligent, highly organized guy with money and mad survivalist skills who is paranoid and I would argue delusional is unleashed to the dating world thanks to the prodding of his therapist. More than fear or unease, I felt hurt because I really thought it might work and I invested heavily from a time, energy and emotional point of view. My only real consolation is my friends were duped too, initially they all thought he was great too.