ms.sss

First, congrats on losing 162 lbs...that's quite an accomplishment! Weight loss does slow down the further out you get, and it does require a little more effort than those first months when the surgery did most of the heavy lifting. As for the cravings, have you been giving into them regularly? People often find that once you introduce sugar into your diet regularly, your body tends to crave it more. If this is the case, try to white-knuckle it for a few days, and the cravings *may* reduce in intensity. Try drinking lots of water when you want to reach for some dessert? Try finding something that will keep you busy: do you like to exercise? Maybe re-organize a room in the house, read a book, gardening? Also there have been lots of folks here who have had success with IF (intermittent fasting)...essentially you limit your eating time to certain windows of the day (or week). It may be easier to say, "ok, I can't have this food right now, but I can at 4pm" vs. saying you can't have it at all. If you are interested, here is a beginner's guide to educate yourself: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide Good Luck!

Ohhhh....this is a good idea! This is going on my list of corona-boredom-distractions... As for @KLUB, things I've been doing and with and without the fam (mind you my kid is a teenager...) cleaning out long-ignored areas of the house (basement, office) cooking/baking LOTS Running/cycling (when the weather co-operates) Participating in various 2wk, 1month exercise/strength "challenges" with the fam (lots of ideas on youtube). We are currently in a "race" to see who can successfully complete a yoga lift based on our abilities (spoiler alert: I'm losing) teaching the Kid to drive making friends with neighbours (which is funny because we've lived here for YEARS, and I only recently learned the names of my backyard-adjacent neighbours) perfecting "My Sharona" on expert level on Rock Band card games and Scrabble with the fam binge-watching various series on Netfflix & Amazon getting Ukulele lessons from the Kid aimless drives around the city with the music turned up HIGH staying in touch with friends and fam via online social networks/group texts spending waaaaay too much time on these forums... Yes, I still do get bored and I am ACHING to go out already (grocery shopping day is one of the highlights of my week!), but I try to do something mind/body stimulating several times a day so that I don't end up killing someone. And if all else fails, I'll take a shower or a nap, lol.

*Sigh*...I wish we had Trader Joe's up here...

Me too! A few years before surgery my period became very irregular, sometimes not showing up for months. I too thought i was pre-menopausal. My first period after surgery lasted almost two weeks. Since then, and presently (1.5 years post-op), i am regular like a clock and can pretty much predict what day it will show up....every 28 days.

hahahahaha...when I switched to the cica tape, I was taking less showers because I didn't want to have to change the tape so often. (I have a limited supply because I order it from the states, ship to my sister, then she ships to me. I *could* order them and ship direct to me up here, but its about 50% more expensive PLUS i'd have to pay duty!!) Anyhoo, I soon realized that the cica tape sticks to me like glue because even with multiple showers, this stuff just doesn't budge! Thank goodness, as I was smelling ripe when I didn't shower for a couple days, loloolololozzzz

Kofta kebab w/ homemade light tzatziki & romaine lettuce, tomatoes and quick-pickled cantaloupe salsa. Was the first time making these kebabs....sooooooo quick & easy! (Ate all the salad & half the kebab)

Yeah, I totally forgot about this warning. Before PS, i went on a couple vacays and did the whole laying on the beach in a two piece thing...exposing my wls scars...oopsies. I hope i didn't eff them up 🙁

Yeah, peanuts are pretty high in calories/carb comparatively (though I dunno if one would want to eat an entire cup of them! Maybe 1/4 cup would be better, lol) I try to stick to, walnuts, brazil nuts and macadamia nuts, myself. I also do almonds though (despite the higher carb count), because I LOVE them 😎

@rs yeah, cutting those strips in half are def a money saver. And the cica silicone tape is way better than others i have tried (thanks for the tip, btw)...they last much longer! i didnt know that about the steroid shots...i was supposed to get it in march but then covid happened. I’ll ask my surgeon whenever i get re-scheduled. As for massaging, i’ve been doing it daily but don't really see much Improvement. My arms especially have sections that are still pretty raised and reddish, and wide. My boob and tummy scars are faring much better, but while my boob scars are flat, thin and close to skin colour, my tummy scars are still reddish and wide (but flat, so there’s that). Oh and there are still days that I look 3 mnths pregnant! Le Sigh. Minor annoyances, really, but i am super pleased with the results so far, regardless. I wish quarantine was over AND that it would effing warm up already so that I can go out and wear cute tops to display my fabulous arm, lol! Do you think you might want to share a pic of YOUR fabulous arms??

Yep. Though i think chicharron is more like cracklings in that it also has a bit of meat on them (not just skin). They are super high and calories and fat (and basically zero carbs) so I wouldn’t suggest partaking in them during weight loss phase. But I totally went to town on them when I was attempting to stop weight loss.

Ok, so here is a interesting anecdote. When I reached goal (127), i was constantly getting the comments that I was too gaunt/skinny/sickly looking. And I guess I even I thought that way to a certain extent. Now I am 12lbs lighter than that weight and I look waaaaaaay better (both in my opinion and others). I *think* that most people find that you start to fill out a bit (or the weight re-distributes, or something?) when weight loss phase is over. Another theory is that I added some carbs back into my diet after goal, and that contributed to "puffing" me up in my face and other areas to look me less gaunt.

Technically the size of your stomach will be the same (if not smaller) as I understand that the revision from sleeve to bypass is just the re-routing of intestines. That said, *technically* you will have at least the same restriction, if not better. The difference is the pyloric valve. Since the bypass skips this part of the digestive tract, "slider foods" will essentially slide through with the by-pass. So, as long as you keep to dense foods first mantra, you *should* not see much difference in restriction. But like @catwoman7 said above, each person will get a different experience. Congrats on all the weight you've lost, btw...you look great in your profile pic! +1 on this as well. I gained 6 lbs over a couple months (feb-march) and it was not as easy to lose it as it was a year ago. While before it would take 1-2 weeks with little effort, this time around took about a month with dedicated effort. So I can only think that a year, two years, from now it will be even more difficult....

Yoga (lots of videos to follow along with on YouTube), multiple short walks around the block, wall push ups, biking?

I also went through a period when I wanted to stop losing weight and up calories. Try: nuts, nut butters, olive oil, potatoes/starchy veg, full-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, regular cheese), salmon & other oily fish, avocados, and my own personal favourite: chicharron!

Can you ask the your doc or pharmacist if they medication comes in other forms? (I took Omeprazole in sublingual tablet form for the first 3 months, then switched over to regular capsules afterwards). Also, you can try mixing your crushed meds with a little bit of greek yogurt...

Ah, ok, I would think that since it's only been a month (I incorrectly thought you have not lost weight for the last SIX MONTHS @800-1000 cals), this is just a normal part of the process this far out from surgery. Weight loss does tend to plateau as you progress. So long as you stay the course (especially at 800-1000 cals), it will eventually pick up again. Good Luck!

Maybe I misunderstand...how long have you been stalled, and how many calories do you/did you average during the stall?

I started shedding at 3 months, kept going until about month 7. I'm 1.5 years out now, and it's pretty much all grown back. Mind you the new hairs are about 3-ish inches long so they stick up in some places, lol. I know eventually they will grow long enough to lay flat.

I'm thinking that at 270 lbs and 5'6", 1000 cals a day would be sufficient to lose weight on. I did a quick calculation with your stats and theoretically, you *should* be losing at anything less than 2400 cals/day...! Have you been at 1000 cals a day the entire 16 months?

BFF came by yesterday to "join" us for dinner (we sat on the porch, she stayed on the driveway, lol). I made her and the fam loaded noodle bowls (udon, lobster balls, pork & leek dumplings, carrots, edamame, corn & green onions in broth) ...I had a modified version for myself with shiratake noodles & grilled chicken:

lessons, please! (my nails are HORRIBLE).

There were a couple times I’ve used suppositories and didn’t get results in an hour (or the day, for that matter). I just tried again the next morning. This did trick for me...I’ve never had to take more than 2 days in a row. The instructions on box said use only once every 24 hours, and to not use for more than 7 days. Though i dunno if I would use it for 7 days...! Like OP said above, make sure its up far enough. You should not be able to feel it when its in properly. Also, I laid down on my side while I waited for it to work... Good Luck! Hope u get relief soon...constipation is the WORST!

$0 for both the questions above. I have an own personal issue with paying out of pocket for something that can be covered legitimately under other means...even if it means delaying/waiting for it a bit (but that's just me!). Everyone will have their own reasons for paying/not paying to fast-track their surgery...so if one has the means, and wants to fast-track, then go for it. It's your money, you can spend whatever and how ever much of it as you want! Good Luck!

I don't know anymore if I exercise "a lot" (I think its all relative now, cuz I think Mr. exercises ALOT, but he doesn't seem to think so), but I do try to exercise regularly.

I had an Arm Lift, a Breast Lift & a Tummy Tuck about 4 months ago. ALL. AT. THE. SAME. TIME. While it was nice to have it all done at one shot vs. scheduling multiple surgeries, recovery was a b*tch. Insurance covered the Panniculectomy portion of the Tummy Tuck, but I had to pay for the difference between the two procedures, which was the muscle tightening and the lipo on the flanks. I paid for the Arm Lift and Breast Lift in full. Insurance also covered the hospital stay & medical equipment/peripherals. Its funny because at my one year followup/appointment last year, my surgeon asked if I would be willing to come in for a photoshoot so I could be on a poster or something....and I was all, um, no thanks. LOL. It was very flattering, but yeah, NO.