ms.sss

, all right! I googled "Freshwater" and HOLY CRAP! We walked by your building every weekday morning on our way to the Kids school!!!!! Soo funny. Our tree is so tall that even when I am on the second-to-the-top rung of the A-ladder (I won't go any further up!), I still can't reach the very top of it. We ended up lobbing the toys up there hoping that some would stick, LOL. In previous years, we'd drag it next to the top the stairs landing and reach from there....then drag it back. Yep, methinks you need to do more shopping to get more fitted bottoms...I'm sure your arm needs no twisting to do so, LOL. P.S. still loving that top!

I was just told to do determine for myself when I was ready to drive. With that said, I don't think I drove until about a month out...not because I couldn't, I just didn't need to. Though if I absolutely NEEDED to, I could probably have done it by about a week post-op. By then, going over bumps wouldn't have required me to hold my stomach anymore. BUT, leaning forward to close the door, turning to check my blind spot and twisting to put my seat belt on would have still caused me to wince a little bit.

Loose skin is pretty much a given with drastic weight loss for most. Like what @AZhiker said, it may not bother you either immediately or eventually. On the other hand (a la @ChubRub) IF it is in your means to do so, then getting the plastic surgery is a total game changer, in my opinion. I am thoroughly satisfied with my plastics-provided flat tummy, skinny arms and gravity-defying boobs, lol. But I do still have a saggy butt and soft-looking inner thighs...but I can live with those just fine. Whatever your path, my guess is you will look AND feel better than you do now with the excess weight, loose skin or not. Good Luck!

Ok, I’ll play! We are still negotiating whether or not to put up our tree this year cuz its huge and takes alot of work....but we are leaning towards NO...just gotta get the Kid on board with this idea. Anyhoo, for OOTD, xmas tree edition, here is a pic of the thing last year. It’s basically decorated with a whole bunch of stuffed animals the Kid accumulated over the years, lol.

Lololololzzz I probably made it sound more difficult than it really was. Should have said: lay bacon, spread meat, wrap, flip, cook and flip again.

We were in New Farm. I remember the name of the street our condo was located was “Refinery Parade”. It was about 400m up the riverbank north of that half-submerged red “Flood” art installation (is it still there?) . The kid would climb it every time we walked by it. Good Times.

Part of the beauty of wrapping the ground meat in bacon is that it keeps it all together nice and tight, so I don't need a loaf pan: The loaf pan you see in the pic was just for forming...I laid out the bacon in the loaf pan, brushed it all with the glaze, packed the meat mixture in, then pulled up the ends of the bacon around it. Then I flipped the whole thing out of the loaf pan and put the wrapped meatloaf directly on a foil wrapped rack (with holes poked in the foil) set in a roasting pan. At the end of baking, I took the foil of the rack, flipped the meatloaf over and broiled it for a couple minutes just to crisp up the bacon ends at the bottom. You could skip this step, though, if you don't mind a little bit of floppy bacon...the rest of the bacon on the top and sides are plenty crisp. I used 1/2 chuck (for moisture/fat) and 1/2 sirloin (for flavour). If you have a meat grinder, I highly recommend grinding your own meat vs buying pre-ground at the grocery. Just tastes better. And actually turns out to be more economical. AND you know exactly what is in it...I watched a documentary once about how some meat is ground and was not impressed, lol. P.S. Forgot a step: since this was cheese stuffed, I put half the meat mixture forming a little "well", layered in some shredded cheddar cheese, the put the rest of the meat mixture on top of that.

Cheese Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with homemade Keto ketchup (BFF made the ketchup for me and it tastes just like ketchup - actually better!) One slice (as shown) is 301 calories. I had a whole slice, with about 1 tsp of the keto ketchup (I have no idea what the caloric count of this is, so I'm just going to guess maybe 15 cals per tsp). This meatloaf was crazy filling and I probably ate too much as I am uncomfortably full. Was very yum though!

I think dark circles/sunken eyes are pretty common with drastic weight loss. Combine that with possible dehydration and/or nutritional deficiencies and you've got yourself a recipe to looking like Skeletor. If it helps any, my dark/sunken eye look went away a few months after I finished with weight loss phase...I'd like to attribute this to the increase in carbs in my diet, but I dunno.....*shrugs*

Oh I would love to go Brisbane, but then Mr. will want to come and I’d have to beat him off with a stick! Lol. @Arabesque if we show up on ur doorstep, will you hook us up with a fancy helicopter ride??? I did some digging in my photo archives for our time there and found a pic of them engaging in my absolute favourite pastime: lounging in our condo’s pool just watching the boats go by. Sigh. And to keep on thread topic (sort of), including a pre-wls OOTD (yikes!). I wasn’t even at my heaviest here...must have been about 200lbs-ish. I barely even recognize myself in these old pics anymore...I remember I couldn’t button up that jean jacket over my boobs/tummy...

Gentle reminder that just because something is KETO, doesn't mean it may be something one would want add to one's diet when in weight loss phase. Case in point: Keto Sans Rival Cake (cashew meringue layered with french buttercream and chopped cashews). I just free-handed the meringue layers so they look kinda wonky. Next time I'll use a form or pan, or maybe a piping bag... My slice pictured below, and even with using a zero-calorie sweetener, it still measured out at 205 calories (about the size of small-ish lime). Ate it all.

I added Benefibre to my morning shake every single day. And like @Arabesque , if i hit 3-4 days in a row poop-less, I’d take extra measures like a capful of Miralax. If still no luck, then next was Milk of Magnesia...and last resort was a glycerin suppository.

Like catwoman, I was FREEZING that first year. I was going to bed with the hood on my hoodie on. Starting around 7 months (which coincided with the end of my weight loss phase), I wasn’t as unnaturally cold. Still a little leas warm, but def not as HOT as pre-op. I think I still run on the colder side though (im 2 years out) as I still need to wear socks 24/7, and notice I often wear more/warmer clothes than those around me. But like others said, I ‘d rather this than sweating profusely at the slightest effort.

Don’t underestimate to power of the poop. I have been known to drop 3lbs after a big one. Are you currently taking anything to keep u regular?

Almost-Keto Apple Fritters Adapted from an Actual-Keto Apple Fritter recipe (I didn’t have any “vital wheat gluten”... whatever that is! So i used 1/8 cup wheat flour + 1/8 cup psyllium instead. Also, I skipped the glaze and used cinnamon and granulated monkfruit instead; as well as added baking powder) These things turned out MASSIVE (miscalculation on my part) and just one is the size of BOTH my hands! A regular serving should probably be less than half this size. 161 calories for each ginormous fritter (11g fat, 19g net carbs). Ate 1/4 of one, and the fam wolfed down the rest of them before they even cooled down (shhhh...don’t tell them there wasn’t any actual sugar in them!)

I tried going with a smaller window a long time ago but found that in maintenance that my weight can fluctuate up and down 2-3 lbs from day to day (during weight loss phase it was ounces). One big meal close to bedtime and i’m up 2lbs the next morning. One giant poop after a 3-day backup and I’ll lose 3 lbs. The bigger window/spread is for my sanity, lol I also like to do averages over time for the same reason. Woodworking sounds fun...have u run out of things to restore?

Had a NEED to eat something salad-y after that bit of corn dog and threw this together. Cole slaw from a bag + vinaigrette + 2 oz grilled chicken + 1 oz feta cheese. (Semi-pro tip: I grill a whole bunch of chicken breasts at a time, chop it up and leave in the fridge to top salads for this very reason) 147 calories. Will eat the rest later.

On a posting spree... My favourite carnival food hands down is the Corn Dog. I used to be able to eat two giant sized ones slathered in mustard and ketchup. Tried my hand at them this morning and unfortunately left them cooking for a tad too long so they are a little over-browned 🤨. And I haven't mastered art the dipping of them, hence the deformities, lol. Nevertheless, still delicious, just like I remember them to be (carbs and all!). Each one was made with 1/2 a hot dog dipped in the cornbread batter with diced crispy bacon mixed in. Had some extra batter left over and made some fritters out of them. 298 calories for one corn dog. I ate 1/2 of one with almost 1 tsp of Dijon mustard (after pic below)

For me the full feeling is nothing like it was pre-op. Before it used to be a bloated/stretched feeling in the area behind my belly button, now its a tightness in my chest bust behind my boobs. I felt this immediately after surgery when I ate/drank, but didn't know what it was until a month or so later.

WHoooooo-Hoooooooo!!

yaaaaay!!!

On a lighter note, I finally got around to dealing with a pumpkin I bought weeks ago. Meant to make a jack-o-lantern for halloween but got lazy (surprise, surprise). Anyhoo, I ended up making a pumpkin carbonara for the fam (no pic, sorry!..plus I didn't eat any of it anyway) and roasted the seeds with various spices. Pretty tasty. Ate about 1/4 cup: 134 calories

I hit two years out a couple weeks ago. And can attest to the ease of gaining weight. I have been gaining and losing the same 4-6 lbs since March. It's quite annoying. I'm not sure its because the surgery is losing it's effectiveness as much as its really just me eating higher calorie stuff and not being as regular with the exercise. If/when I put effort into my food quality consumption and exercise routine, I can still lose the weight (and I have, like 2-3 times the past 8 months, geez). I have been averaging closer to 120 more than I've been closer to 115 for months now. This morning I weighed in at 119.8, and while this is still under my red line, I've been hovering near my upper limit for what seems like forever. I think I'm coming around to the idea that I can accept 120-ish being my maintenance weight, as it takes practically no effort to maintain....but then this means my upper limit moves to 125, and I dunno if I'm comfortable with that. Well, we'll see I guess, I'm currently giving it another go to get (and stay) at 115-ish...but I admit, I'm not trying very hard. My clothes still fit so there isn't much of a motivating factor for me other than the number on the scale. I realize this may sound ridiculous, that I am fussing over 5-ish lbs that can't really even be seen. I always found it baffling when my slim friends would fuss over 5 lbs. *shrugs*

I see you are the littlest in your fam, too ❤️

*raises hand* My first period after surgery was VERY heavy (compared to pre-wls) and very LONG (it lasted over a week!). It continued (and still does - I'm two years out) to be comparatively heavier than before surgery, but the duration has gone back down to "normal" (for me, that's about 3-4 days). Another thing of note is that it comes like clockwork. I used to be very regular before I became obese, but then it became very irregular after the weight gain. The 1-2 years before surgery I would go months without it. I thought I was going through menopause or something, but I guess it was just being fat? Edited to add: I'm 49