ms.sss

I was on Optifast too...had to do 3 a day for two weeks, my daily totals from this were about 600 cals. Though I remember the last maybe 4-5 days I only had 2 a day (was getting protein shake burnout). I had two flavours: chocolate and vanilla. The vanilla was way too sweet for my liking so I ended up adding twice the amount of water to the powder packet (I still have a few vanillas in my pantry that I never ended up using...i really should throw those out.) The chocolate was better, though I added 2 tsp of decaf instant coffee crystals to it to make it more palatable. Oh, and I blended them up with a bunch of ice when I drank them.

OOOOooooooh that looks delicious (sans the croutons 😂)! I haven't had a salad it what seems like for-eh-vah, as for some reason my Costco has been out of romaine lettuce for AGES. Whats up with that?!!? I may just bite the bullet and buy a ridiculously overpriced one at a regular grocery...which btw, has gone up in price as well! (I know its only a couple dollars, but it pains me, its the principle of it all !)

Hi! Haha, me too! So here is my assessment: Cellulite: I had some on my lower butt, upper back thighs, and inner thighs. After the weight loss, my butt no longer has that dimply look, but it is still saggy. It looks more wrinkly/deflated than cellulite-y. Same for the back and inner thighs, but to a lesser degree. They don’t look so very wrinkly, but they do look “soft”. I didn’t have any varicose veins, but I did have a VERY blue-y/purple-y spider vein about the size of a quarter on my thigh. It’s still there but not as vibrant blue. Finally, you didn’t ask, but I can also report on my stretch marks. I had stretch marks on my upper boobs, hips and the backs of my calves. The boob marks have significantly decreased (i see some but they are not as noticeable as before) My hip marks are gone...BUT, I had a tummy tuck so that would explain that. The stretch marks at the backs of the calves though, are also gone (and I didn’t have any work done there like the TT, so that is worth noting). Its weird to me that they are gone cuz i always thought those things were permanent. Even weirder that I just noticed this today. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Manage your expectations and try not to compare yourself to others (technically, that's 2, but you get what I mean, lol)

How did I miss this?? Congrats on GoOOOOOOOAAaaaaaaLLLLLlllLLLL! So excited for you and your upcoming PS. Smokin' hot bikini pics, here we come!!!!

Another bowl of random stuff for afternoon munchies: a snack can of tomato & onion tuna, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, some cucumber and tzatziki. Logged as 182 calories (a little less since I didn’t eat all the tuna, but I like to round up!)

Good point. If one’s pre-op diet is of the “higher-calorie” persuasion, one may continue to experience physical hunger (my pre-op diet was 3 shakes a day).

Definitely. Nothing says you can’t do weight loss on your own. I’m sure we all know at LEAST one person who lost a ton of weight and so far kept it off, sans WLS. It’s not impossible by any means. Also, nothing says you can’t change your mind and go the WLS route at a later time, either. There are many on here that had their surgeries in their 50’s (even 60’s and at least 1 - that I know of - in her 70’s). I am pushing 50 myself (though I often feel - and act - like i’m 17, lol). You know yourself the best, and will undoubtedly make the right decision for yourself TODAY. And if you have to make another decision later, so be it. P.S. Sorry to hear about the reflux. Waking up with a mouthful of acid is the WORST.

Hey! Get outta my brain! I am planning to make falafel tonight!!! Got a recipe to share??

So yesterday I figured I’d roast the garlic cloves I used for the souvlaki marinade from last night’s dinner for a bit of garnish. Turns out the fam loved them just a la carte and this morning, asked if I could roast some more to eat as a snack. ?! I was all, ok, but you all are weird. I had a sample of it and I am now a believer. YUM. I ate 3: 20 calories. Now we all gotta go gargle with some mouthwash for a while...

Alot of us on here got the surgery costs covered by insurance, so yeah, having to shell out $19K adds ALOT to think about. Its easy to say now that I am 2 years post op that I would totally do it again, even if I had to pay, but really, if I think about it, I’m not 100% sure I would have gone through with it knowing nothing of my outcome back then if I had to shell out that much cash. With that said: I started gaining weight about 15 years ago, and spent maybe the last 10 of those years morbidly obese. Yes, I had done diet and exercise several times...on THREE separate occasions I even lost 50+ lbs. The longest I kept those 50+ lost lbs off my body was probably 2 months max...until it started to slowly pile back on to return in its entirety plus some within 4-5 months. There was no mystery to this: I went back to eating the way I did pre-diet and stopped exercising. Now, with WLS, I have been able to keep the 120lbs I lost off of me for SEVENTEEN MONTHS so far. Again, there is no mystery to this: I eat much less and I exercise every day. Yes, I am doing this myself, but the WLS gives me a HUGE boost (at least with the eating part...I actually have no idea why I stay active all this time, and actually like it, GASP!) I have no illusions that I am immune to weight gain. Just because I had WLS does not mean I can’t eat cookies for every meal and sit on the couch all day (but it will limit me to the number of cookies I eat at a time). I have to keep doing what Im doing to maintain where Im at. So far, so good, but we’ll see I guess. In the meantime, I am grateful and satisfied with it all. Soooooo....this is my long winded response that I do agree with you that your immediate and long term success is primarily up to you, but the WLS gives you that extra “umph” to help u get there (and stay there). Good luck with whatever you decide!

Not sure if this was on purpose or not, but what a great idea for those on the pre-op diet! EMPTY YOUR FRIDGE. Like @WishMeSmaller indicated above, the hungry feels will likely go away in about 3 days. If you can hold out 1 more day, you will be golden. AND if you keep doing exactly what you are doing, by the end of 7 days you could be pleasantly surprised with what the scale will tell you...which could give you the extra batteries and motivation to make it all the way to surgery day. ❤️ Good Luck!

I did. On day one of pureed stage, I blended up some beef and after looking at it, I was all "Um, no thanks". I did another week of full fluids instead and then went directly to soft foods as scheduled. Edited to add: I just remembered that I did try to eat scrambled eggs made with LOTS of milk to make it fluffy once during that week, but it didn't really do it for me, so that was that.

Maybe go back to campus ASAP and go through the first couple months post-op there. You can concentrate on YOU (and your studies) without the distraction of Mom. The first few weeks is generally the hardest and you don't need anything more that is necessary on your plate. ❤️ +1

Nice! I love the idea of making a post-surgery version of a pre-surgery food! 🏆 As Cher Horowitz would say: "PROJECT!!" *claps hands excitedly*...

I look forward to seeing your nails as much as I do your food....

Lol, just another Monday, I'm afraid. Cooking and making meals is like one of my transfer addictions...

Tonight’s dinner for the fam: Pork Souvlakis on a Bun, homemade tzatziki w/ fixins and some guacamole I had to make today cuz our avocados were getting too ripe. Oh, and some homemade seasoned pita chips (ya, i know, greek and mexican flavours...a bit of an old pairing, lol) I served myself almost 1.5 oz of the pork, some cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and about 3 tbsp each of the tzatziki and guacamole. Plus iced coffee with Kahlua (not shown) while I was grilling: 343 calories Ate it all except for a few of the onions, and there was some leftover tzatziki and guac that Mr. ate.

Nothing wrong with caring about your appearance, nor wanting to feel comfortable with what you see in the mirror. We all know that its not helpful to worry about something that may or not happen in the future, but we do it anyway. Maybe the goal is not to stop worrying, but to deal with the worry a little bit better. There are a myriad of things you can do, and something in there is bound to ease the anxiety (even if just a little)...just need to find it. Since you didn't ask, I won't list them out, but Google is your friend. To the question you did ask: My greatest fear was dying on the table. When I woke up from surgery my first thought was "Yes! I'm alive!" My current greatest fear is still also dying. After over 15+ years of being MO, I am so grateful to be in a body that allows me to enjoy so many aspects of life that I want lots and lots and lots of more years to do it.

For Ontario, the requirements are one of either: BMI of 40+, or... BMI of 35+ with 2 documented co-morbidities (i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc) If you qualify, your PCP has to refer you to the Ontario Bariatric Network, and if they approve you, its all pretty straightforward from there. In Ontario, it takes about 8-12 months from date of refferal to surgery (if attend all your appointments) Check out the OBN's website for more info: https://www.ontariobariatricnetwork.ca/ (or ask your PCP) Good Luck!

@WishMeSmaller: thought i’d add another endorphin-producer suggestion: SWIMMING! I had my first lesson of a swim class I enrolled in this morning (aside: i already know how to swim, I just want to swim PROPERLY and basically look as smooth and effortless as Mr. & the Kid...i am currently a very ugly, inefficient and “splashy” swimmer so I joined to learn proper form, lol...but I digress...) Anyhoo, one of the drills we did was laps with a pull buoy, which basically nullifies the use of your legs and forces you to rely on your upper body and core...and man, what a workout! Cardio and arms and back! I didn’t feel it in the core as much as i thought i would, but i think its because I wasn’t doing it properly. May be an option for you while u wait ur injury out? Your foot can get a break from gravity and excessive use, while still getting some exercise in...

Got distracted this AM, and just remembered I had to eat something (i still find it fascinating that this happens sometimes...) Apples, cheese & pistachios (plan on eating it all): 291 calories

That plate is interesting! Is it a painter’s palette?

My scars are still very noticeable in most areas (at time of this writing I am 10 months post plastics) Arms: these are what I consider the worst of my scars. They are the darkest and widest here. And the most raised. Oddly enough though, the parts of the scars that span both my armpits are almost totally gone. Weird. Tummy: this scar is dark, and for some reason is healing better in the middle (the part above my crotch) than at the sides (near the flanks). Boobs: the scars here are the best healed, while still dark, the are not as dark as the arms & tummy, and they are almost pretty much flat here. The scars around my nipple are also almost totally gone. All the areas that are still raised are the itchiest (doc says this means it is still healing?) Now I knew going in that it would take me longer than most for my scars to fade, which I am cool with. Most others you will find will have scars that are virtually invisible at the same stage as me.

Phew! Just had a marathon dinner seating! The fam just spent the last 3+ hours eating and drinking and chatting at the table! That was a long one, even for us, lol Had a glass of wine, about a 3/4 cup of beef stew (beef, carrots, peas), a slice of peach-ricotta-tart (about 1/10 of the whole) with some pistachios on top. I made the tart from scratch, btw, and am quite proud of it! 724 calories for everything I ate (the wine and dessert took up the majority of the cals!) P.S. I also feel like i should put it out there (for the new folks) as a reminder that I am 2 years out and my weight loss phase days are long behind me, and have been maintaining my current weight for well over a year. Dunno why I feel the need to explain, but whatever... P.P.S the "593"g on the scale includes the weight of the bowl...forgot to zero the scale before I put my food in it...oopsies (The bowl weighs 488g).