sideeye

I lost something like 8lb with Montezuma's revenge in Nov, and it mostly stayed off. I certainly wouldn't advocate it as a weight loss plan, but it did kick-start my losses again in a serious way. Then again pretty much the only thing I WASN'T during that episode was dehydrated, my blood was 84% Gatorade by the end. Either way, just make sure you're hydrated and healthy.

You can find almost anything online - get the store to give you manufacturer and any other detail they have. Unlikely that it's only sold in one store. I've actually had artisans sell to me directly before after tracing back something I loved but didn't purchase in time.

Went out to lunch with an old colleague who moved to a different office - partway through the meal she put down her fork and said “Okay, I gotta ask - how is it that you look five years younger than when we worked together three years ago?”

What do you guys think about starting a new thread with the parameters right in the title? Something like "Sophomoreville - 6-18 months out" or similar? I'm realizing a lot of people might see these posts in their feed and never read the first page and pitch in directly from there, I've seen it happen with people accidentally posting in Vets. Or edit the title of this thread, if that's possible.

Amusingly, I read this as "I've been making sharing good food on dates seem sexy", because that's what I'm focused on: eating very small portions of the food I WANT TO EAT without making things all awkward. The problem isn't picking what I eat, at 9+ months that's down pat - I know what portion and content I need to get, and how those two balance out. But taking the example of diner breakfast, I was out with two friends from out of state. I didn't realize that they'd probably pick up the bill (I drove us all over the place) so when I looked at the menu, I did the exact thing you would - looked at the side of eggs, because if food is fuel that ticks the boxes. But then I thought "No, I really don't want that - what I want is the cinnamon apple pancakes with sausage", knowing full well that I'd be able to eat a few forkfuls of each and a couple sips of coffee, but also knowing we'd linger for a couple hours. So I ordered it, again knowing that I was ordering $10 worth of food and likely to eat $2 of it (we were headed to a hospital after and there would be absolutely no reason to take it to go). What I DIDN'T really clock was that my cash-strapped friend would pick up the bill. So personally, I am completely fine with either ordering a side or ordering a full meal and only eating the bits I want. But I do notice that it's a little distressing for everyone involved. If I don't order enough, then they get self-conscious about ordering a lot. And if I don't eat the whole thing, the money/food waste kind of crops up. And that's not even getting into the waiters who go into a panic when they have to bring back a nearly-full plate to the kitchen and want an explanation for the chef.

Man, it is really hard to eat out when someone else is buying. Two meals today, I ate (and enjoyed!) a fraction of the plate but even when your companion knows you’re post-bariatric, it’s hard for them to square enjoyment with “wasted” food/money. I get a take-home bag but old social conditioning hits hard. You’re stuck between making them feel conspicuous if you order far less than they do, or wasting food if you order a regular meal and “barely touch it”. Very odd that work dinners are easier to navigate than some meals with friends.

I was somewhere around the 22W range, now I’m solidly a 10/12. My family got me a delicious subzero coat for Christmas and it’s an L and fits absolutely perfectly, which shocked the hell out of me, I haven’t worn anything non-stretchy in L in a decade. It’s possible I’ll lose up to 50 lbs more and I honestly don’t know where it would come from. If I lose another 25 I’ll be chuffed, if I don’t lose another pound I’ll be fine. I am now Normal Human Woman Size, which makes life infinitely easier. As forewarned, I miss my breasts. I mean, they’re still here and attached to me, but barely. If I take off my bra it’s like a handful of Gak, which is entertaining but not very sexy. I think it’ll be the first thing I overhaul. I’m also starting to feel the seriously unnerving sensation of the skin on my thighs moving in a slight time-delay from the muscle within? I’ll step, and then feel the aftershocks across my skin. Hmmmmmmm. I am also getting a tiny little turkey goiter and am going to look into weird spa treatments with ultrasound and lasers because why the hell not. But when I’m wearing clothes I look and feel killer, so big whoop.

I like this space being 6 months+, it serves two purposes: screens out some of the topics that get brought up on literally every other thread in the forum, and groups together people in the same general phase of progress. It’s not like this same group of participants will stay static; new people will join and older ones will age out into the Vets space. So not a clique, just a phase. There’s nothing wrong with what’s happening on other parts of the boards. It’s good that people are able to ask questions about the process on the forum, but once you’ve cleared the post-op figuring it all out phase and aren’t yet at maintenance, much of the forum threads just become rehashed stuff that you’ve read 100 times (and I’m not just talking about the topics; EVERY thread gravitates to the same post-op concerns). Then the options are to either leave the forum, spend a hell of a lot of time in the Rants section, or try to carve out a single thread with a different focus. This is that thread. There’s a gap currently in the board’s design and this is an effort to bridge that gap.

Curious Yankee asking a quick question: do Southern sleevers feel like you have a more challenging time controlling food because of social and cultural pressures? This may be stereotypical, but I always got the feeling that southern life is more socially oriented around food than it is up north (life events, community events, religious organizations) and that the traditional foods tend to be less healthy. Also that people are more comfortable asking you personal questions, where northerners tend to put up a privacy wall. I mean, I can turn down an invite and no one blinks, or I can not eat at an event, and people are VERY unlikely to ask personal questions without me inviting them, but I know that’s not true everywhere. I could be totally wrong here, but I did wonder. Or do you feel like it’s basically the same experience wherever you live?

I need to see the nutritionist. Due to a mix of work relocations and personal life chaos, I haven’t seen her in probably 6 months. I SEEM to be doing fine, the doc says my blood tests are good, but... best to check. I’m also in a kitchen where I can finally cook properly. Jury’s out as to whether this will be a good or bad thing (pro: healthy meals! con: recipe makes 4 servings). I’ll have to keep an eye on it.

Open to suggestions - never met a religious/cultural holiday that hasn’t got some good stuff to raid. And now since the holidays are mostly over: how did the relations/friends react to seeing you in the flesh? I was (pleasantly) dissected for most of the holiday as aunts compared the last time each of them had seen me with now, and also with me as a teenager, and with my mother, and then focused in on what had changed which month... They also decided that “something” had changed rather dramatically between Thanksgiving and mid-Dec that couldn’t be explained by a 6 lb weight loss. I told them it was a 24 hour sex marathon in Vegas, and because my aunts are great, they just cackled like lunatics and told me to add that to my swimming/walking fitness regimen.

I’m just an opportunistic atheist - pack Christmas into Christmas Eve, then celebrate Jewish Christmas with a movie and Chinese food the next day.

Christmas Eve: spare ribs, mince pies, gin, formerly egg nog Christmas: coffee, Chinese food, gingerbread cookies Boxing Day: leftovers of everything No sex, sadly. Will have to be 2019 resolution.

INTERESTING. I will try this, thanks!

Conceptually, yes - it’s an unhealthy drink so of course it’s good not to find it appealing anymore. But it’s also a drink I have maybe twice a year (Christmas eve and Boxing Day) and very much enjoy as part of a broader tradition of sitting in front of a fire with family while pine scents the air and the kids are conked out in their pile of toys and we’re all cozy and happy. This single, long-savored glass of nog was going to be my stand-in for gorging on stocking contents and dinner! Is it good? Reviews are mixed - some love it, some don’t. It’s an acquired taste, a sweet, spicy, creamy, alcoholic drink. Thicker than Bailey’s, but that same sort of blend of cream/booze/flavor stuff. It’s so rich that drinking it over a long time is advised. I HATE that I don’t enjoy it anymore!

I have had absolutely no notable taste changes since surgery, but... EGG NOG DOESN’T TASTE GOOD ANYMORE. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

Couple of things I’d note, 10 months out: - don’t compare yourself to others, focus on your own goals. - get familiar with the metric that the average VSG patient loses 60% of their excess body weight. Set expectations accordingly and train yourself to tell the difference between genuinely falling behind medically and just perceiving you’re losing slower than others (comparison) - keep in mind that this board is full of self-selecting success stories. We are NOT an accurate reflection of the group at large; those who lose less or struggle are less likely to post here consistently. - many people who go off-track get walloped by the habit/emotional side of things. Think about therapy before and after, and if you start noticing yourself sabotaging? SEE SOMEONE. - the honeymoon phase is about a year long. Don’t waste it. For me, this surgery’s been a fantastic experience. My best guess is that I was chasing a chemical high achieved when I overate; when I could no longer overeat, I couldn’t get the high anymore so all incentive to overeat dropped away. I think the experience is different for people who have habits like emotional eating or socialized/ritualized eating patterns. Then again, the experience is different for absolutely everyone, so all you can do is prep in a best-guess way and put forth your best effort. Good luck.

Haven’t done the tea, but a cup of coffee every morning tends to clear me out. And I haven’t done much to track this but I think sugar also does something similar, but more abruptly. Either way I don’t mind, it’s kind of nice to start the day that way.

The big incision stitch is what caused me pain too. Then one day I felt it go “POP” (which is a weird-ass feeling) and all was well.

1. Stash protein shakes everywhere, for emergency top-ups. 2. Bring a flask of liquid with me wherever I go. 3. If I feel like I need to go to the bathroom, GO TO THE BATHROOM. I used to be able to delay forever, no more. Coffee or sugar or carbs can kick in very quickly 4. Order very strategically at group events. Prioritizing appetizers, avoiding the Entree category, and planning for the meal by eating very lightly for the rest of the day is key. Share food whenever possible, and identify co-conspirators who will help you do that. 5. If it doesn’t fit, donate it or toss it. No more aspirational clothing purchases, no more “just in case” reserving of too-big clothes.

Chocolate Orgain shakes.

My folks were good with it. I told immediate family before surgery, and then sprung it on the rest of the family one by one, which was pretty enjoyable. Coworkers and friends get the info on a need-to-know basis; for instance, a new mom who’s struggling with baby weight got the full WLS story because otherwise it’s mean to make her think I’ve got some dieting secret, but the nosy gym fiend got stonewalled because he’s just rubbernecking. I thought I’d get the most resistance out of my parents and siblings, but surprisingly they all said that they know I research things into the ground, so if I say that my metabolism is broken and this is the best solution, they believe it. I mean, they’re right, I’ve spent much of my career as a researcher and that is my pattern, but it was really nice that they all listened, asked non-biased questions and were totally on board. And now they’re all just completely delighted because not only my body has changed, but my personality too.

I’ve been a model citizen for far too long, I am going FULL SAMANTHA.

I am also going to date again goddamnit.

My resolution is to swim a few times a week. According to my phone I walk 3-5 miles a day, but I want to do some actual toning and besides I like swimming. Another resolution would be properly cooking again. I’ve lived in a flat with a kitchen the size of a postage stamp for years, and now I’ll have one where I can prep actual meals without losing my mind. I swear part of my gain was not being able to cook what I actually wanted.