ms.sss

When I first started, I just walked (like once around the block). Now I'm running (about 30-40 mins a day/session). If you like to dance, may I suggest: TAP DANCING! I took it up in January this year and went to a few classes (but had to stop because it was hindering my plastics recovery, but I digress...) Anyway, I wanted to get back to it (I mean I have these awesome tap shoes that I bought and everything) and since quarantine prevents me from going to classes, I found some videos on YouTube to practice with. Not as fun as being in a room full of wanna-be tap dancing crazies, but good enough for now It really works up a sweat and is surprisingly a pretty good leg and core workout.

@JennieJuniper : Hey! I just realized we were both sleeved in Oct 2018! Yay, sister ❤️

I gained about 6 lbs over about 2 months...but is started just before quarantine, so I can't really blame it solely on that. It was basically due to eating more & being less active (which I suppose is the same reason for quarantine-gains). The gain took me over my "upper limit" so I stated to eat less and went back to running (which I haven't done regularly since plastics back in December due to recovery and all that). It took 2-3 weeks, but I lost those 6lbs as of last week and am back down to my "lower limit" (which btw, was a wake up call because historically I would have been able to lose those 6 lbs in a week with a real effort!). I haven't tried Noom*, but do what you can to address those 12 lbs if that is important to you! Addressing 12 lbs now is much more manageable than 50 or 60 later. It's a good that you recognize the contributing factors to your weight gain, because at least YOU KNOW what you need to address. Get up from the desk every hour or so and move around; try to stick in maybe 30 mins of dedicated exercise every day (maybe start at 15 mins if it helps to kick start yourself); figure out something else to do when you are bored other than eating, or keep off-plan foods out of the house & replace with better choices. I admit, I indulge with not-the-best choices every once in while...this is what I do when I recognize I am getting out of hand: If I want something that isn't the best choice, I'll get something to drink, and/or wait out 30 mins or an hour to reconsider. If after those 30-60 mins I still really want it, then fine, I'll have it. But more often than not, I won't want it anymore. This works for me, buy your mileage may vary. *Noom, from what I read is a food tracker + food idea provider + "personalized coach", which encourages healthy food and lifestyle habits with words of encouragement & a points "reward system", as well as an online community for further support. At $50 a month, the convenience of getting all this in one place *may* be worth it. BUT you could also get all the above for free from different sources if you are willing to make the effort (I use MyFitnessPal for food tracking...I signed up for the premium version for $50 a YEAR, because I wanted access to the macros, food analysis and export features, but you could probably get away with just the free version if you aren't anal like me, LOL.) Good Luck!

Congratulations! Yeah the first 6 months are the easiest, and its great you took advantage of it so well As for the exercise (unless you are an endurance athlete or serious weight lifter), it doesn't really contribute much to weight loss, its more really for overall health, well-being, body contouring. Food intake is the bigger determiner of weight loss. I hated exercise in beginning also. I basically forced myself to do it though (and I was really mad about it!). Now I actually love running and other cardio activities (who'd have thunk?), and I do it almost daily. BUT i still hate weight training. I figure it is a necessary evil and I force myself at least 15-20 minutes of it a day. It helps that Mr. is a fitness freak and is around for support & motivation (ie., physically dragging me to the mat, lol). Maybe get a workout buddy if you really want to get into it? P.S. do we get to see some Before and After pics?? We LOVE Before and After pics!

YUM YUM YUM. And water chestnuts! Thanks for the tip....been wanting something crunchy lately and I think that will do the trick, lol.

I was hesitant to reply to this, as I'm wary of the back and forth that will naturally ensue, but I just feel bad for the future newbie who would read this and be possibly led down a less-efficient track... With that said: I always feel like the term "starvation mode" is thrown around alot on here and used to explain situations that might not necessarily be 100% true or correct. The idea that one would NOT lose weight (or even gain weight!) OVER A PERIOD OF TIME at severely restricted calories + exercise with BMI classifying them as OBESE, is a fallacy. Sure, deceased calories may slow down your metabolic rate (as will inactivity, all over all mass reduction, etc), but it will NOT stop it until you are dead. And long before you get to that point, weight loss will be the least of your worries. Unless one has some serious underlying issue, an OBESE person eating less than NET 600 cals a day over two months WILL LOSE WEIGHT. Things get a little cloudier/less clear-cut when a person is at normal or under-weight, but that is not the case here. Further, I think less than NET 600 cals a day, every day, for more than 2 months straight is tough to do so far out of surgery, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than the "professional" fasters. But that is ultimately up to you. Google is your friend, educate yourselves. P.S. Sorry if this post will get some people upset! My intention is not to blame nor point fingers, or otherwise dismiss you. I honestly just want you all to succeed/feel awesome. ❤️

Im a cheese-lover too. I did stay away from it during weight loss phase, though. In terms of cravings, I always want salty things, even during weight loss phase (which is weird because I did drink a crap ton of water during that time...). I know I probably add way to much salt to food (then AND now). I also go through periods of wanting dessert. It usually comes after having some. I've read, and experienced, that once you eat something sweet, you will crave even more sweet stuff. So when I think I'm going too far on the dessert front, I'll cut it out for a few days and the cravings will go away. Rinse and repeat, lol. I did gain 6 lbs from around the the end of Feb to around the beginning of April (which sort of coincided with a hiatus I took from the BP forums, and corona-quarantine...coincidence?) And according to MyFitnessPal, I was averaging around 2500 cals a day and practically ZERO EXERCISE. So yeah, weight gain. And this wasn't a fluctuation. I held onto those 6lbs for a couple weeks... I have a personal upper weight limit I set for myself, and those 6lbs took me ONE POUND over that. I long ago made a deal with myself that if I go over my upper limit, I have to bring myself down to my lower limit. I realize this may sound extreme, but a deal is a deal. Sooooo...I consciously reduced my calorie intake and went back to running daily and doing some strength training and am happy to report that as of last week I got back down to my lower limit. I figure this is my life now. Will eventually have a period of gain, and if that gain takes me over what I am comfortable with, it will be followed by a period of effort to reduce that gain. I mean, I do love cheese, lol. (I realize that my comfortable weight range may change in the future, but this works, and is maintainable, for me, for now) @Meadow76: have you considered doing some sort of alternate day fasting? Lots of folks on here have seen success with it. Simply put, you fast (or limit your cals to 500 or so) a couple days a week and loosen the reigns the rest of the week. They could be like cheese days, and no-cheese days, lol. This way, it may be easier to lay off the snacks today because you know you can have some tomorrow... P.S. Sorry this was so long!

yay! What about Mr.? Edit: oh wait, you already said he came back positive. Does this mean you have to stay away from him??

Ok, yeah, at 5'2" and 195 lbs, you SHOULD be losing weight at 600 cals w/ your stated exercise, especially after 2 straight months of doing this. I'm really surprised that you aren't. Maybe consult with your PCP?

@Kimyana1, if you don't mind me asking, how tall are you and how much do you weigh right now? As the other poster said above, if you are close to "normal" BMI, the weight comes off sooooooooo much slower. (Though at 600 cals a day + the workouts you report, that would make anyone lose weight over 2 months...even a 5-foot tall, 100lb woman...so if that's the case maybe consult with your PCP? You may have some underlying issue....)

Check out this article (mind you its from COSMOPOLITAN, so it's no definitive scientific answer, but its a start, lol) https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/a46327/what-food-cravings-say-about-your-health/ << -- An excerpt from the "Cheese" section in the article above -- >> When you crave cheese... You're actually craving sugar. You might think of cheese as a potent source of fat and protein. But your brain knows better: Cheese also contains natural milk sugars. (See candy cravings above.) You're not getting enough calcium or vitamin D. Cheese and other dairy foods serve up calcium and vitamin D, and it's not uncommon to eat insufficient amounts of these nutrients. Luckily, your body produces vitamin D when it's exposed to direct sunlight. But if you work indoors or live in a cold climate, you might still fall short on D — which means your body might crave it in the form of grilled cheese. You don't eat enough fat. Cheese is a good source of this essential nutrient — and it's only natural to gravitate toward the gooiest and most delicious source.

I think about food all the time (and I'm 1.5 years out). I love looking at pictures of it, cooking it, reading recipes, smelling it, watching other people eat it, watching cooking/baking shows...lol ...I just don't eat as much of it as I used to. You may find that yeah, you think about it all the time, but when you do eat, you may not get the same satisfaction from doing so as you once did, and Pavlov yourself into a new way of eating...?

I've been able cross off lots of items on my can't-wait-to-do-when-i'm-smaller list, but the one of the things I haven't done yet that's at the top of said list is to go scuba diving WITHOUT having to pile on 20lbs of weights to hold me down (was always so embarrassed of this when everyone else was like using <10lbs). And I won't have to wear a Mens XL wetsuit anymore! @ChubRub: I hear ya on the pictures. There are probably more pictures of me just in the past 12 months than the are in the last 15 years pre-op total. Though I would highly recommend taking regular pics of yourself during weight loss phase...its awesome to look back and see how far you've come!

Honestly I was already thinking that it was going to be one of the best decisions I have ever made the first week of pre-op. I had lost 8+ lbs that first week, and that basically set the tone for this whole journey for me. My mindset had done a total 180. The day I came home from the hospital I was off blood pressure meds. By the end of the first week, Mr. commented that I no longer snore; I no longer had to get up to pee multiple times in the night, and slept like a baby. By the end of the first month, I was off my cholesterol pills, had more energy than I had in years, and was down 4 pants sizes. Even though my stomach hurt like a b*tch that first week and couldn't stand up straight, that getting up and down from a seated/laying position was torture, that i felt like I exploded when I coughed (or sneezed! omg), that I was constipated for almost two weeks, that I had to relearn how to eat so that I would NOT projectile vomit that first month, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Best. Decision. Ever. If there was one thing I would have done differently (other than not letting myself get to my pre-op weight in the first place), it would be that I would have done this sooner. ❤️

Pretty!!

We have almost similar starting stats...almost: I started at 5'2", 235 lbs (BMI 43), 46 yrs old. I'm 1.5 years out now, and I am 5'1 and a bit (yep, I got shorter!) and 115 lbs, and a year older. I did get to goal weight comparatively fast (I got to 127 lbs in about 7 months), and yep, I ended up with loose skin. I had plastic surgery (Tummy Tuck, Arm Lift & Breast Lift) at 14 months to get rid of it. I think the majority of people end up with some level of loose skin. Some worse/better than others. A lucky few get none at all. Below is a side by side pic of what my bod looked like the day before wls surgery, then 4 months after starting maintenance, then 6 weeks after plastics. I will say that even if I didn't get plastics, my loose skin was easily hidden with clothes, and like some of the posters have said above, I'd take loose skin over my pre-wls fat any day.

My first drink was at 1-2 months. It didn’t take much to affect me. It was only a couple sips of red wine and i got tipsy pretty fast. But I also sobered up just as fast. Told my doc, he said to be responsible. (I find him to be more lenient and chill than others I’ve read about on here). It was a rare occasion for me to drink during weight loss phase (i dont even think I ever even was able to drink an entire serving when i did). In maintenance, it was a different story, though. 1.5 years out and i still get affected and unaffected at a faster rate than pre-wls. Use your honest judgement and the advice of your doc to make your decisions. Good Luck! ❤️

Loose skin is inevitable for most. I addressed mine with Plastic Surgery. But if you are lucky (not alot of weight to lose, are young, good genes, etc), you *may* come out unscathed. But IMO, I would take loose skin over 100 lbs of excess fat any day (but that’s just me). Good Luck! ❤️

Yeah...i was soooooo cold ALL. THE. TIME. Some people report this as lasting quite long. For me, I stopped feeling I was unnaturally freezing to death around the 9-10 month mark (a couple months after my weight stabilized). At 1.5 years post op, i *think* I feel cold and hot like normal people now...

Oh dear lord. You are a hero.

LOL, do whatever you need to do, lady. 😉

I think you are right, that you need to start keeping track of your calorie intake....it will give you a better idea of how much you should be eating to lose weight. Take a look at this calculator and input your data and it will give you a general sense of what calorie level you should be at to lose weight: https://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/ There are many other calculators out there, this just happen to be the one I used. Good Luck!

Couple questions...how tall are you? How many calories on average do you take in a day?

First, let me make the mandatory disclaimer that everyone is different. The experiences of each person on here vary GREATLY. With that said, my own personal experience was that I got actual physical hunger around the 8 or 9 month mark. Everything else was just cravings. (For the first 1-3 months I actually had food aversion. Later it would just be sporadic in the sense there would be days every once in a while that I just didn't want to eat) I'm 1.5 years out now and I definitely get hungry regularly. But not the ravenous kind from pre-WLS. And it definitely doesn't take as much food as it did before to satisfy it. I would also like to add that I have times when I just want to eat (even when I'm not actually hungry). If I'm not mindful, I could go back to just eating/snacking just for the sake of eating/snacking. So I have to be mindful. I realize this is going to be a life-long thing, and I'm fully prepared to do it.

I told 5 people: the Mr., the Kid, my Mom, my sister & my BFF. Of course, as the weight started falling off, others would ask how I was doing it; I told them I was severely restricting calories & carbs, as well as exercised daily. All of which was true. After about 9-10 months, people just got used to seeing me smaller and eating differently and they stopped asking questions/commenting. It's been 1.5 years now, and me and my weight are old news. P.S., I did, however, tell people I had plastic surgery to remove excess skin. I had PS over Christmas, and I had to explain to friends and fam why I was all hunched over and unable to lift my arms. Plus they would see the scars on my arms/tummy eventually (sleeveless tops!), so I couldn't really hide it anyway.