ms.sss

i'm 5+ years out. i love food and everything about it (many on here know this about me already). i love the cooking, baking, making, plating, shopping, researching, testing recipes of it all. i love to watch all the tv cooking shows, all the travel food shows, all the cooking/baking/grilling competition shows. i like to look at pictures of food, smell it, take pictures and videos of it, watch people eat the stuff i make for them. one of my favourite pasttimes it to read restaurant menus in their entirety...like multiple times. i am always down to go out for food and drinks at restaurants/bars with fam and friends, i am always so excited to come up with my contribution(s) to pot-luck parties. love love trying out new restaurants...i have a list of bucket list restaurants around the world i am determined to visit. ...and i love to eat. but to be more precise, i love to TASTE. so small plate venues (dim sum, tapas, izakaya, etc) and tasting menus and pot luck parties are my fave: an abundance of choice and low commitment to just a single large entree. i have will taste all the "good stuff" (easy on the side dishes as they take up too much stomach real estate) and be perfectly happy. a.k.a. JOY lol. the one difference with how i enjoy food now is i no longer feel joy with the stuffing of myself. i have vague memories of actually feeling GOOD with a distended belly bursting with something i ate. Now its the opposite. the feeling of being full is very unpleasant to me (to put it mildly). and i think this is key, now that i think of it.... long story short, joy is still on the table...its just up to you where you find it.

i was 46 when i had my surgery at a weight of 235 lbs (im 5'2"). it was easy peasy lemon squeezy, really. i had some of the regular issues come up, but nothing i couldn't handle with relative ease. lost 120 lbs in 7 months, and settled into a weight of 115-ish lbs ever since. i am 52 yrs old this year and i weighed 117.2 lbs this morning. so yeah, age didn't seem to hinder me in any significant way. i personally think the less you stress and realistically manage ur expectations as well as be flexible and deal things as they come (vs overthinking all the what ifs), the more successful and and peace u will be. change and new experiences await u, enjoy the ride! ❤️

aaaahhhh ok... put this way, i'll have to say i did notice some unexpected body composition changes in the year immediately following rapid weight loss: - went from looking deathly skeletor-ish (gaunt and drawn and frail looking) to pretty healthy looking despite weighing less now than those skeleton days. - my hair is actually thicker and "healthier" and even slightly curlier than even before surgery (which was a very welcome surprise after all that hair loss from months 4-6 post op omg) - i don't get pimples anymore. like ever. - those weird dark little bumps on my upper arms are gone. - when i do any sort of sustained exercise it's immediately noticeable. for instance if i do like 30 situps or 60 bicep curls i look shredded right after. no joke. - my dentist says my gums have receeded faster than expected since the weight loss (dunno if this is related or a coincidence??) - despite probably being the most "fit" i have ever been since my 20's, i still feel unbelievably weak compared to my heaviest days. i swear i can't open jars anymore nor can i carry multiple bags or groceries at once like i used to. - i used to be bottom heavy (hips/butt was my widest part) now i am top heavy (shoulders/back are my widest part). - i no longer have armpit hair ...but this is likely due to my arm lift? so i never have to shave there...which has the side benefit of the skin lightening up in that area...no more dark armpits for me! yay! - i have no ass. like zero. looking at me directly from behind is semi-normal looking, but from a side view, its a straight line from the base of my neck to my knees. - the hump on the back of my neck is gone - not sure if this is related to my overall weakness, or because i just do wat more stuff now, or im just getting old, or a combination of it all, but i get injured ALOT. multiple sprains, torn ligaments, torn muscles, pinched nerves, tendonitis like everywhere, abdominal hernia, bruised ribs, carpel tunnel, ingrown toenails, omg. ive had more doctors/physio appts in the last 5 years than i've had in my entire life. times 2. ok...this post is getting too long. gonna stop now lol

well that's interesting...was not aware (nor experienced) this myself. assuming the changes are NOT related to exercise or lack therof? echoing BlondeP...what is different this year from last year for instance??? inquiring minds want to know!

yay! can't wait to see ur awesome results!

what you are describing sounds like the very common behaviour in our demographic of using food for comfort. you are going through something very difficult and your go-to self-soothing/self-medicating M.O. is not comfortably available to you because of your surgery. which makes your current difficult situation even more difficult and depressing to bear. is there someone (preferably therapist) that you could reach out to work through this with you? being able to deal with difficult situations in a different (and healthy) way other than with food would be beneficial not only now but also for your future. and yes, i know, easier said, but it all starts with one step in the right direction. and recognizing you need help is a good first step. good luck ❤️

i had the loss-of-fat-butt pain, as well as the mid-back and hip pains as a result of my body re-alignments to adjust for my new centre of gravity (or whatever the weight loss reason for musculature aches from body size shrinkage is!) those pains became non-issues the between the 1 and 2 year post op mark. however since losing all my stomach bulk/fat i can no longer sleep comfortably (unassisted) on my stomach...ill wake up with pretty bad lower back pain if i do. the lack of stomach no longer props my middle up makes my back hyper-extend when i lay on my front. i even have to put a pillow under my stomach when i get massages to keep the discomfort at bay. this was definitely unexpected. i mean never-fat people sleep on their stomachs all the time and they're fine. so we came to the conclusion that i have a weak back and need to strengthen it up. still a work in progress though...am 5+ yrs post op and it's still an issue.

got a picture?

hiya! we can help figure stuff out, but my first question would be: have you spoken to your team or nutritionist/dietician about your situation and concerns? my second question would be: do you know how many calories you consume a day on average? 3rd question: how tall are u?

a couple weeks ago i remember your post about your struggle to stop losing...are you still losing while this hunger appeared? perhaps its your body's response to the weight losses...? if thats the case, then perhaps listen to your bod and eat more? i can imagine that eating more is in itself a struggle...it took me 3-4 months to get over the mental block to actually stop diet mode (and like 2 years to get over the mental block of eating bread/rice/pasta lol) if im not mistaken you just recently reached goal? (congrats again btw), my suggestion would be to give yourself a bit more time (ie several months) to find your happy spot, it usually takes a while before you get to the autopilot of maintenance...great suggestions above...experiment with (small amounts) of (preferably nutritious) foods and amounts and see what help with the hunger. keep an eye on the scale in tandem to determine any causal relationships with certain foods. but yeah, i know, "easier said...". good luck, and it CAN be done! ❤️

i brought a whole overnight bag filled with "supplies" and barely touched any of it (including my toothbrush! hygiene be dammed when you are groggy and in pain lol) what i DID actually use were the following: 1) my crocs (any other slip on shoe would do)...for ease in putting on and off for walking the halls for exercise and going home in. 2) Biotin (the moisturizing throat spray, NOT the supplement). ugh, my throat was so sore when i woke up. i specifically asked the nurse to have it available to me in the recovery room, and used it throughout my stay. 3) lip balm...your dry lips will thank u. 4) small pillow to hug against you for the car ride home. those bumps on the road were killer. also useful to squeeze when u cough. everything else stayed in my bag. including my phone surprisingly. didn't even care to use/look at it. good luck! ❤️

i have heard/read this reasoning many, many times on this forum. im not sure, but i *think* this may be something relevant only to those with bypass (or any other surgery where the pyloric valve is not is use?). im a sleeve, and the reason i don't drink while i eat is because mixing liquids and solids results in making me feel overly FULL to the point i need to vomit. i've learned that (starting with an empty stomach) i can have liquids immediately followed by solids, with no issue. But under no circumstance can i have solids immediately followed by liquids (or both at same time)...otherwise, the aforementioned barfing results. so for ME, i don't need to adhere to the no-drinking-30-mins-before rule , but i definitely need to follow the no-drinking-(at least!)-30-mins-AFTER rule. YMMV. good luck! ❤️

am 5+ years out, can eat "normal" sized bites (but not normal-sized PORTIONS). also, nope, i still cant COMFORTABLY drink and eat at same time. you get used to it...

agreed. i wish sizing would just be the exact measurement of a piece of clothing vs. some arbitrary number or letter assigned by the manufacturer. i have size 00 and size 6 in my closet. and i have size XXS and M's as well. at least my shoe size is the same pretty much across the board as well as jeans that are sized by actual waist circumference.

i've been buying creams, lotions, botox, masks, fillers, microneedling, morpheous8, light therapy, RF treatments for the past 4-5 years. i apply moisturizers and sunscreen and masks like its going out of style. honestly, i probably could have had 2 face lifts with the amount of money i've dished out so far. nothing stops the effects of aging (nor weight loss) permanently, and few things effectively pause it. surgical face lifts are the most effective (and longest lasting) defence against aging, sagging, wrinkling skin. i'm seriously contemplating getting one, but i scar horribly so im hesitant. long story short, creams and moisturizers will do little for damage already done, but can assist in keeping future damage at bay. microneedling, morpheous8, light therapy *may* work, but you require several sessions to determine if it will even work for you. botox and fillers have immediate effect, but don't last long and require ongoing treatments to keep up. face lifts are expensive (and surgical!) but will probably make you look 10-15 years younger for about 10-15 years...but then you'll need another one for touchup or upkeep. ....or we can embrace our aging faces (something i personally would love to do, but honestly am not ready to do yet hahahhahaha) ❤️

oopsies sorry...didn't realize u had a revision...(i am just a single surgery sleever)...disregard my earlier post!

yes...i had/have this issue. i learned to make sure i ALWAYS go to bed (or lay down) on an empty stomach, and sleep with my head slightly elevated. it has got a little better over the years (i'm 5+ years out now), but if im not careful i'll wake up choking on some bile/throwup very suddenly. this has probably happened 4-5 times in just the last 12 months alone...all under the same circumstance: i fell asleep on the couch watching tv after eating something. it used to happen much more frequently in the beginning, so yeah it got better...but i dunno if my reflux itself got better, or if i just got better at managing the triggers 🤷🏻‍♀️

first congrats on the weight loss! second: for someone going into their 60's your skin is phenomenal!! do you like bathe in tubs filled with moisturizer?? never go out in the sun??? amazing 😳 third: unfortunately you cant target weight loss to a specific part of ur body without losing in other areas as well. generally the first place you notice weight gain is the last place place it will come off. unless you have an underlying condition (which you can be found out by visiting ur doc), bigger midsections are usually the result of 3 main things: (1) genetics...do ur parents have higher-proportion midsection circumstances? (2) bloating...from ones diet that causes fluid retention and gas...cut the carbs! (3) inactivity... visceral fat lives on inactivity, and guess where visceral fat likes to hang out? around ur internal organs which are located in your midsection.

hiya @ShoppGirl! ive been reading all your posts about your decision making process on your decided SADI revision! i commend you for your quest in educating yourself around the whole thing. i realize im just a stranger on the internet with just a two cent opinion, but here it is anyway: from the sounds of it, your surgical team sounds ill-prepared to provide any meaningful assistance to you post surgery. at least not the kind of assistance it sounds like YOU are seeking. this may be a problem for you as i gather (from your posts) that you would greatly benefit from more structured guidance vs being left to your own devices. while posing your questions to a whole slew of strangers on the internet (i.e., us! lol) could definitely help, i feel like there are just too many variances in responses that can add unnecessary stress and confusion. would you consider having your procedure with an establishment who has more working knowledge with the SADI? while, in my opinion, a capable surgeon is a capable surgeon is a capable surgeon whose skill with a knife and needle is easily transferrable across procedures IF EVERYTHING GOES WELL (experience is golden when the unexpected arises) your surgeons seemingly lack of knowledge on SADI overall gives me pause. the fact that he/she seemingly isn't researching is at least half as much as YOU are also makes me go hmmmmmm. your dietician on the other hand is completely useless (though i have thoughts on hospital provided dieticians/nutritionists on the whole, which is beyond the scope of this post...but i digress...) with zero knowledge on how to advise SADI patients. personally i navigated my post surgery nutrition without the help on my nutritionist. i listened to her and told her what i was doing but i basically did my own thing by researching and reading (more medical journals vs anecdotal text) and doing good old personal data collection with trial end error. BUT that is just my nature AND there is a wealth of info on my sleeve out there. and while i didn't adhere to much of my NUTs recommendations, at least she HAD advice to give me. would you consider moving to a team with more (any!) experience with SADI and who are better equipped to guide u and answer your questions? you seem like a gentle-ish soul would benefit from a more hands on, knowledgeable team. of course you could also be a bee-yatch and i am waaaay off in my assessment of what i think you need from a team based on your posts! 😂😂😂😂😂 in which case please ignore the ramblings of this old woman hahahahha! BUT if i am even partly right, pls consider your choice of team and if u are setting yourself up for success (which u totally deserve) by aligning yourself with them. good luck! ❤️

i think it all depends on how much actual fat you still have left when you get plastics. even if you reach "goal weight" you may still be carrying subcutaneous fat along with the excess skin. i've read of folks on here who have dropped 10, 20, 30 lbs after plastics, so it has been done. me, I lost a grand total of 400g (i.e., 0.88 lb), so basically nothing....BUT it made a huge difference visually, so...

I was today years old when I learned that I’ve been saying it wrong this whole time! All my life i've said: “let’s go to Dim Sim” When I should be saying “let’s Yum Cha” dim sum is the food, yum cha is the process of going to get said food! (yep, I googled it…now I’m off to impress family and friends with this newfound knowledge)

well that's interesting! definitely interested in the outcome and/or whatever new developments arise. now im going do a little more digging on my end too....

i lost 10 lbs in the month after reaching goal. and then another 5 or so lbs in thr 2-3 months following. the fear of losing too much weight is a common concern to those who reach goal (or are nearing it) it doesn't last long. slowly up your calories if you can...if u cant now, trust me, you will have no problem later. if you continue to lose weight over months (not weeks as its way too soon for concern) and you dip below 18.5 BMI and your doc/team is concerned , then that will be your cue to be concerned. otherwise use this time to figure out what YOUR maintenance calories are (not what is recommended to you as we are all different and require different calorie intakes) and enjoy and bask in your success! congrats!

i was pretty tired/sleepy/nappy for about two weeks. i slept ALOT. soon after that i was infused with what seems like never-ending energy and have been an energizer bunny ever since (and im 5+ years post op). i don't sleep alot compared to others now...probably average 5-6 hours of sleep a night (and i don't take naps, lol). i don't feel tired or anything when im awake tho, so i guess its not an issue?

surprise, surprise : a salad. i cut up one rib from yesterday's slow cook for a protein topping. also a pic of the leftover ribs.