LouiseC

I lost a letter. For the first time since high school, there is only one solitary letter on my bra size. I was not expecting this, but after struggling to find one to fit well, tried to drop from a double cup to a single and BOOM! It fits. I suspect this means I can now wear shirts with buttons. Wonderful stuff, but kind of like when I lost a shoe size it was completely unexpected and has left me bemused.

Whenever I hear the 'easy way out' thing, I want to challenge people who use washing machines and dryers to do their laundry. Don't they know they can cart it down to the river and beat it against rocks! And then there are those who use freezers instead of killing their meat every day. Oh for shame, how lazy! I won't even start on those who actually purchase clothes, completely made, from stores instead of milling their own linen from flax plants, and shearing their own sheep. Not their own sheep, that would be far too easy, wild sheep. They have to hunt and shear wild sheep for the authentic living not easy experience. I do what is right for me. Without shame. Without excuses. And if someone thinks I took the easy way out? Then I ask them why they feel they need to choose the path not so easy?

I would love to watch an NY episode of cops where that LV bag is searched while the Manolos fall off the feet of someone held down on the ground. Just sayin' I love threads like these. They remind me how lucky I am to live in a country that actually has freedom and equality. Though I am not without compassion and it does hurt to see such ignorance and ingrained racism in others, so much so that those who express it are at a loss to see it when they look in the mirror. It certainly puts my own struggles in perspective. That said....... Marijuana acts on the neurotransmitters in the brain that stimulate the senses. Taste is a sense. If you have food issues or food addictions, then the WORST thing you can do post surgery is continue to use marijuana. While your initial results may be pleasing, your long term results are likely to be below average. Take a clean break. If you are kicking the bad food choices, then kick the bad lifestyle choices. Taste is a sense. The reason marijuana users get the 'munchies' is because the taste senses go into overdrive. It's a case of 'once you start'....... You have a golden opportunity in front of you with this surgery to change your lifestyle. The best way to deal with the munchies post surgery is not to take marijuana. Weather you smoke it or vale it or eat it or stick it in your ear.

Wow, this is an unexpected question over a year later! Lol. I drank mostly wine, though there were a few nights where I had a pre dinner cocktail or two. Fast forward over a year and I can regularly enjoy a wine or two, or an occasional cocktail with no consequence. I just make sure I track it and make sure I burn it off. All things in moderation.

We are all different. I need to weigh daily, I step on those scales every single morning. It is essential for me in maintenance as I don't want the weight to start creeping on again and not be aware of it happening. I was in denial before my surgery, stepping on those scales every day keeps me authentic. I also still track everything. I want to know I am getting enough to eat to maintain, I want to track nutritional content and I want to know that I am exercising enough to burn off excesses when I enjoy them. At this stage I can't imagine not doing these things, they feel very necessary to me in my maintenance.

We don't get that show here, so I went for a bit of a look to see what was online. I found this page in which Penny is responding to the criticism in the many comments that follow. It is interesting. In the comments, her screen name is my life my story, or something like that. http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/my-600-lb-life/features/penny-update.htm

I Am not exaggerating. Or eggsaggerating (apologies for the worst dad joke ever). I have started cooking scrambled eggs the Heston Blumenthal way. I wish I had discovered this early post OP. That said, I can eat two eggs when prepared this way but only one any other way. Eggs, beaten well with a knob of real butter, salt and pepper and a dash of full cream milk in a glass bowl. Place bowl in a pot of water at rolling boil and reduce to a solid simmer. Continue stirring the eggs as they cook. I use a silicon spatula to clear the sides of the bowl. Cook until a creamy goodness is achieved and eat. Divine! It takes a lot longer than traditional scrambled eggs but it is worth every bite.

Don't know! They really don't need anything added, they are so good.

Is it just me, or does this read like an advertisement?

When you look around here, you will see very few people who ever regret getting the sleeve, but a considerable number who find the band does not work for them for a variety of reasons. A high number seem to go from band to sleeve revision. This would factor in my decision strongly. I always chuckle to myself when I hear people concerned about 85% stomach removal. I would be more concerned about the foreign object being placed in my body. We are all different though and good luck which ever path you choose.

Cleaning out photos off my phone I noticed something unusual. I take a lot of photos of food. I know there is a bit of a global trend in this direction but I am not instagramming them. Occasionally one makes it onto Facebook. But looking through, there is a lot of food photos! I think the ones I have taken at restaurants has been because it looks so good and I want to remember it! I have also used these to remember all I had so I can be honest on MFP. But the ones of meals I make at home? I dunno. I think it may be because I am proud of the presentation but then again I could just be making that up because it is not like they all get shared! Am I alone in this? Any crazy theories to explain this?

It was delish! Yes, I can have pork as protein. I am 20 months post OP so there isn't really anything I 'can't' have, though there are still some things that don't agree with me.

Agreed. Though it is a tightrope to walk for sure. I recently tried to have a conversation with my sister who has been gaining weight. Let's just say it did not go well. I was absolutely coming from a place of love and concern but she just wasn't ready to hear it. Or at least, she wasn't ready to hear it from me. I kicked myself afterwards.

I had this on Friday night when we went out for our anniversary. It is an appetiser of crispy pork with scampi, pickled cucumber and radish, and avocado. It was DIVINE. I didn't finish the cucumber.

New studies have found that drinking coffee in moderation does not lead to dehydration, that it beneficial for endurance and performance in exercise, and the mild diuretic effect of caffeine is not strong enough to counter-balance the benefits of Fluid intake from coffee consumption. So, a cup of coffee a day can be counted towards your fluid intake. Yay for coffee! But, yanno, do what your surgeon recommends........

I was told coffee was fine. In fact, I had a coffee before I left the hospital. It was a small one, and went cold before I could finish it, but it was coffee!

I don't feel bad when I lose weight. I feel fantastic. For me, once my body is burning the energy it has stored as fat, I become full of energy, positive, excited to work out etc. I am sorry, but I don't relate to your theory. It isn't how it works for me. Edited to add: The first three days of any detox from sugar feels awful though I am more in line with believing this is to do with the physiological addiction of sugar and the three day detox required to break this physiological addiction does suck. I don't think that is emotions in my fat though, more just the physiological withdrawal from the sugar. After day three, I am and have always been good to go. From then on, as long as I avoid the sugar, I am happy losing weight.

Oh and I moved super quick too! I returned from Bali on the 26th March 2012. I started researching surgery online soon after. I spoke with my husband and he was supportive. I contacted a surgeon late in April and had my first consultation on the 7th May. I booked immediately for surgery on the 30th May! Haven't looked back at all.

Three things. 1. Broke a lawn chair at a work event in front of colleagues and staff. Absolutely mortifying moment. 2. Went to Bali for a holiday with my very good friend from the US, we only see each other about once a year, and while there she beautifully, tactfully, and lovingly, asks me what has been going on and why was I gaining weight. She admitted to having been shocked when she had seen me when we visited the US the previous year, and even more shocked when we met up in Bali. Sounds harsh, but it led to the most honest conversation I had ever had about my weight. I love her all the more for having the balls (and the love) to raise it with me. 3. Seeing photos on my return from Bali. The above conversation snapped me out of my denial. From that point on I saw photos of myself and actually saw how big I was. It blew me away. I really had been in denial. Those Bali photos were the final straw. This one, in particular:

I did one day of the lemon detox diet. That's all I lasted. I started throwing up at the smell of the stuff.

It's not just the losing insulation thing, it is actually also about needed to exert less energy just to live. It was explained to me using the analogy of an electric mixer- use it to whip cream, no problems. Use the very same mixer to mix bread, and the mixer has to work harder, getting sluggish and heating up. You can feel it warming in your hand. It has to work harder as it is trying to move more mass and that energy generates heat. It works the same in our bodies. We are not generating the internal heat we used to generate just by having to move around more mass. It takes about two years post OP for the body to reclimatise and adjust.

I have some. I never knew I had them, though of course they must have always been there but now, they let themselves be known! I love them, even though they freak me out a little. I reach up to scratch an itch on my neck or rub my moisturiser in or adjust my bra strap and BOOM! I hit a W/T/F moment as my hand hits this weird, large, protruding bone! I haven't gotten used to it yet. I LOVE how I can see them now when I look in the mirror even if I am still unprepared for when I feel them sticking out like they do. Like they are meant to. An unexpected little NSV. Collarbones. I can sit here and play with them :-)

Myfitnesspal (MFP) for over two years very consistently. Stalls in my weight loss have often corresponded with a lapse in my MFP use. Polar watch to track calories burned and heart rate monitoring for my exercise. A decent set of quality kitchen scales A decent set of quality bathroom scales. A good quality blender. A small rice bowl for my cereal/yoghurt/soup etc and then use side plates for everything else. Lots and lots of 250ml freezable, microwaveable, dishwasher able containers for left overs, lunches, and planning.

Random question. Jane, can I ask how many pounds they removed? I am trying to get a sense of what weight I am carrying in skin and your before photos look very similar to my own...

Over twenty months out now and I still only rarely feel hunger. I have learnt the signs for when I am hungry ( light headed, weak, dizzy etc) and try not to get to that point but it can be hard when busy. I forgot my afternoon snack today and then after some intense cardio actually saw stars. Not good. I need to be as mindful about eating regularly as I do about what I eat. I don't always get it right :-/ I feel hunger around my cycle, for a couple of days, that started about three or so months ago. I also interestingly enough sometimes feel hungry when I have overdone the crappy carbs. Like the sugars want more sugars. But really, I know that I am not satiated because I ate crap and that I need to feed that hunger with real food.