ms.sss

Hmmmm....i have no idea how much it weighed! (i bought a giant brisket from costco and used about 1/4 of it). But size-wise, it was about 4-5 hands across, and about 3 inches thick, LOL. 10h hours on low. I put a rub on the brisket night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight: 1 tbsp brown sugar (or stevia & molases or swerve) 2 tsp smoked paprika powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 3/4 tsp mustard powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper Next morning, put the meat in the slow cooker with the BBQ sauce on the bottom, squishing the meat on top of it, fat side up. After the 10hrs, i put the sauce in a sauce pan to reduce, then put the meat on the grill for about 10 mins on each side basting constantly with the thickened sauce. If you try it, share pics, please! I love looking at pics of everyone's creations...

I got myself the Withings Body+ Scale a month or so after surgery. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Auto sync, multi-user friendly (up to 8 users) integrated iOS/Adroid apps. https://www.withings.com/ca/en/body-plus# (I have it in white, and it goes nicely with my bathroom decor, ) Between me and the rest of the fam, its probably the most used appliance we have in the house, besides the fridge, lol (we all weigh ourselves everyday, Mr. sometimes multiple times a day...cuz he likes to check his water composition before and after workouts) *though as with all home-scales, the data provided (in terms of body composition) may or may not be truly reflective of your stats. But i figure if you use the data from the same scale (and not across multiple different scales), you at least have a baseline to work with. Edited to add: oh, and battery life/usage is pretty good so far with this thing, we haven't had to change the battery yet and its been over a year of daily usage x 4 people (my old digital scale needed battery changing like 3-4 times a year)

...also easy on the pain meds (if you are taking them) they contribute to the constipation..

4 garlic cloves, minced 0.5 cup apple cider vinegar 1.5 cups ketchup (i use the no-sugar added ketchup from Heinz) 0.5 cup brown sugar (i use .5 cup stevia + 2 tbsp molasses, there is also a swerve brown sugar out there, but I haven't tried it yet, but should be fine) 2 tsp black pepper 2 tsp onion powder 2 tsp mustard powder 2 tsp cayenne pepper (use less if you don't like it too spicy) 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp cumin 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (the fam likes it sweet, so sometimes i may add a little bit of honey in there) mix it all up in a saucepan, let it simmer on med until it gets all syrupy (fyi it thickens more as it cools) Note: for this recipe, I added all these ingredients into the slow cooker along with the meat and then thickened it up afterwards when the meat was done (this way it has all that meaty goodness infused in there also, especially because I had a rub on the brisket...)

Its BBQ season! BBQ beef brisket (in the slow cooker for TEN HOURS, then finished off on the grill, which, btw, was inspired by that glorious slab of meat posted by @MarvelGirl25 a couple posts up...) + grilled garlic butter corn (a little burnt, oopsies) + a tub of cole slaw i got on sale at the grocery today (too lazy to make one from scratch) ...also toasted buns for the fam (but sans bread for me) with some Gorgonzola for that touch of funk, lol. Anyone else a big fan of stinky cheeses??? I say the stinkier the better.

Mmmm...blue cheese dressing...🤤

Don't sell yourself short, 50lbs in 4 months is NOT slow. You are doing great so far, congrats!

Yikes!

I had low blood pressure in the early months out of surgery. No fainting, but I would definitely get woozy and my vision would darken quite a bit when I got up quickly or moved suddenly. At the time, my doc said to try to increase my salt intake. Around the 5-6 month mark or so the frequency of these episodes reduced greatly. I'm guessing its because I started to eat a little more "normal" at the time vs. the extreme calorie/carb restriction before that. I'm 1.5 yrs out now and rarely have them anymore (if at all...the last time was probably 3 months ago...but I just had PS and wasn't eating much, so there's that). @JessLess, curious as to what your doc had to say? P.S. As for heart rates (according to the data collected from my watch), pre-surgery it was probably around 85-90 (resting). For 6 or so months after surgery it went down to about 55-60 resting. Now it looks like I average about 70 beats per minute (resting). Another interesting thing I found is that pre-surgery, DURING EXERCISE, my heart rate would go up to as high as 188! And I probably wasn't even exercising very hard. Now, after say, a 5K run, it barely goes up further than 150. Further, my recovery time (the time it takes for my heart to go back to "normal") is like 70% faster than before. Just goes to show how much my weight before was probably slowly killing me.

MyFitnessPal !

omg, i've been back and forth from the tv room to the kitchen like a gazillion times the past couple hours tonite, looking for something to snack on. I'd open the pantry, contemplate the array of the fam's snacks in there (peanuts, chips, cookies, chocolate covered granola bars, popcorn) then say "nah". Then I'd go to the fridge deciding if I should have one of the macarons in there...or to the freezer and think about helping myself to the ice cream or one of those Drumstick cones, or maybe I should defrost the cheesecake.... MAN, I have a lot of junk in my house! Been telling myself that if I REALLY want one of these dessert-y things, I can, but I have to wait until tomorrow. Makes me wonder if I may not have such resolve in the future, and maybe consider limiting the amount of junk in the house...? (though I'm sure the fam may not approve). We'll see. Anyhoo...I did end up fixing myself a snack in the end: 1/2 cup Cottage cheese + 1/4 cup mangoes + 1/2 fl oz pumpkin seeds + cayenne pepper + black pepper + salt. YUM. It totally hit the spot:

Ok, i realize this may not LOOK appetizing, but it really was delicious! Thai green fish curry with broccoli, bamboo shoots, onions. I had it with cauliflower rice, and the fam had it with regular rice & homemade pita chips. Edited to add, looking at the pic now, it doesn't look so very green, does it? I may have put in too much coconut milk (but it was still yum, so there.)

Fabulous!

Girl....you are smokin' HOTTT (sorry for objectifying you). Congrats on the weight loss, and am even BIGGER congrats for keeping it off 3 years out! (...adding you to my list of heroes )

I'd like to add that I don't drink liquids while I eat not because it flushes through, but because it makes me barf. I feel like the liquids just sit on top of the food and has no where to go but up (especially if my stomach is full). Yuck. I will drink right up to starting a meal, but not during, and not for at least 30-45 minutes after my last bite. Edited to add: oopsies, you were asking about bypass... I had the sleeve. Sorry!

it will provide the data that will be able to tell you more accurately, yes. Also, I didn't realize that your stall has been for only 10 days. If that's the case, I think its waaaay to early to worry about weight loss stoppage.

The calculation results I posted already accounted for your stated exercise (i.e., "moderately active") ...though like @catwoman7 said above, trackers are notoriously unreliable. If you really want more accurate information, you can get a heart rate monitor (a real one, like the ones attached around your chest...not an apple watch or other wrist wearables, which are also not very reliable). How long have you been at a stall? When was the last time you saw a weight drop? P.S. I too, do not give myself "credit calories" for any exercise performed. I'll stay at my maintenance calories whether I run 5K or not. P.P.S. Further to the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of trackers: I'm 5'2", 115 lbs, and my watch tells me that I burn 277 calories when I run 5K (which takes me a little less than 1/2 an hour to run)

I think the weight you "should" be is the weight where YOU are most comfortable at AND can MAINTAIN.

...also, i think that crediting 500 burned cals for 4 miles of walking seems a little high...?

@tjgillman : first, congrats on all your hard work and weight loss! Though you may not think it, but a 100lbs (45kg) weight loss in 10 months is NOT slow. It is average to above average. Second, based on your height, weight, gender & daily activity, at a very high level, in order to lose weight you need to be taking in roughly LESS than 1800 cals a day (I got to this very general number using the calculator at https://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/) Sooooooo.... if you are averaging 1300 cals a day, weight loss at this time for you will be relatively "slow" compared to before, when you were bigger Doing the math: it takes a calorie deficit from of at least 3500 to lose a lb. based on your stats, you need to get below 1800 to lose weight. you are taking in 1300 which means: every day, you have a deficit of 500 cals. sooooo... that means it will take you 7 days to lose one pound (3500/500) IF you are in fact taking in 1300 cals and are moderately active EVERY DAY. If you want to speed up weight loss, you'll need to create a bigger calorie deficit (which does NOT mean eating more nor exercising less) Good Luck! ...and again congrats on the weight loss, you are doing great!

@KellyRenae : people gain weight because they take in more calories than their body burns. Period. It was/is easier the first year after surgery because you physically cannot eat more (in volume of course, if you just eat cookies then yeah, you'll eat around your surgery). Also, we are much bigger in the beginning, so its a bit easier to shed lots of weight. The smaller we get, the less calories we need (unless you supplement with regular exercise). The amount of calories it took for you to lose 15lbs in 1 month before will not be the same amount of calories to lose those 15lbs now. It may even cause you to gain weight, depending on your BMR. As several of the posters said above, its going to be life-long thing to maintain one's weight (especially for us ex-morbid-obesers). Keep an eye on it, re-evaluate, adjust as needed. It's not going to be a "set it and forget it" kind of thing. I was pretty strict during weight loss phase, and for many months after that. I slacked off in Feb/March (by not exercising daily, not weighing myself every morning, eating too many desserts, etc) and gained 6 lbs. Previously this would have taken me 1, maybe 2, weeks to get rid off with very little effort. This time around it took almost a month with dedicated effort. Soooo...it was a good reminder to me that if I don't keep an eye on things, things can go south relatively quickly, and losing a 6lb gain is waaaaaaaay easier than losing a 40lb one. Good Luck!

My hair started falling out at 3 months too. I couldn't clean the bathroom floor often enough from the carpets of hair that would accumulate. I took my vitamins as advised by my surgeon, but nothing beyond that. The falling out stopped around 7 months post op. I'm 1.5 years out now, and it's basically all grown back (the new hairs are generally shorter than the rest at this point still, but time will fix that. Long story short, its pretty normal, and generally resolves itself down the road (but yeah, it does get pretty alarming when you are in the throes of it!) Some info if you are interested (the process is called Telogen Effluvium : https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321590#treatment

Tonite's dinner (I made them eat salad! bwa-ha-ha-ha) Salad (romaine, cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, pickled beets, almonds, mozzarella, soft boiled egg) Oven roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Homemade spring rolls from my awesome father-in-law

Wanna share ur lemon drop method? 😉

No need...can make ur own: corriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, ginger, black pepper, salt (plus fresh parsley, minced garlic & grated onion) hmmm...after typing that all out, i guess getting a pre-made spice mix may be a bit easier...guess it depends how much time (and spices) you have on hand, lol