ms.sss

Yeah, I guess it is a lot compared to what I used to do pre-op (read: NOTHING, lol). But I strive to be like @Healthy_life2 and @AZhiker and others who have done endurance races. I've got a Tri in my sights for next year...maybe then I'll consider myself an athlete 😉.

Ok, I'm not a super athlete by any means, but I also weigh more now than I did in high school (115-ish now, 105-ish back then), BUT I am definitely smaller in overall size now vs. then.

Do you notice the extra lbs? I mean, the scale may show a higher number, but do your clothes fit the same more or less?

I'm with @Orchids&Dragons, my hair was better back then. Nice and silky and shiny and thick. It's alright now I guess (especially now that its growing back in), but I miss the days when my hair would break barrettes/clips cuz it was so thick.

Day 13: What season of the year are you most grateful for? I love the colours, the clothes and the SMELL (like campfires and firemen 😉) True story: When I was a teenager, I had a part time job as a front desk receptionist at a retirement home. for some reason there were fire alarms going off there at least one a week. It was hands down my favourite part of the job: watching these huge guys walk in with their uniforms on (bonus points if the uniforms had dirt on them) and smelling like charred wood. So maybe my penchant for Fall may just be an extension of my fireman fetish...😆

oooohhhh love these...where are you all going? (specifics not necessary unless you want to share ❤️ )

I must be hungry or something. My mouth just watered when I read salmon. ...off to grocery today to pick some up, I guess!

Today, Tues, Nov. 12 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1yr PO Sleeve / 114.5 lbs ...had some friends drop by tonite bearing bottles of wine and snacks...I consider it a win I limited my wine intake to only 2 glasses. BTW, my self-imposed alcohol ban has been permanently lifted. My PPI-wean-off expirament seems to have proven that alcohol doesn't bother me as much as spicy foods, citrus, and laying down too soon after eating does. 10:00am - coffee w/ stevia + 2 earl grey teas w/ stevia 12:30pm - * ate about 2/3 of this * Salad greens + vinaigrette + 1/2 an avocado + 2.3 oz Air-fried Porchetta leftovers sans skin + Curried Chicken salad (2.8 oz grilled chicken + 0.8 oz gala apple + red onion + 1 tbsp homemade mayo + 1/2 tsp curry powder) 3:30pm - * ate the rest of the 12:30pm meal * + 1/2 cup full fat cottage cheese + 1.5 oz blueberries 6:30pm - Salad greens + vinaigrette + 1/2 avocado + 1 oz gala apple + red onion + 3 oz grilled chicken + 1 oz chicharron 10:30pm - 3 oz various cheeses + 3 oz various cured meats + 8 red grapes + 2 glasses of red wine Totals: 1882 cals - 125g Protein - 39g NET carbs - 113g fat

Thanks, during maintenance, I think so long as we do the best that we can, that we can sustain, then we are all doing great. I'm only a year out, but I'm hoping these habits of mine stick around for the long run....and I figure the more consistently I do it, there is a better chance of that

I can recognize some of my own behaviors on this list: Rigid rituals and routines surrounding food and exercise I weigh/measure/log every thing I eat. I weigh myself every morning at the same time, naked, before i eat or drink anything (like others ) I take my measurements every Wednesday. I strive to run 5k as the first thing I do every morning. Using exercise, food restriction, fasting or purging to "make up for bad foods" consumed If I have few high cal days in a row, or if I notice my weight creeping up to my upper limit, then I do buckle down to get lower...but not with fasting nor purging. Preoccupation with food, weight and body image that negatively impacts quality of life While I do think alot about food, weight and body image, I don't think it negatively impacts my quality of life* * So my last comment above I think, for me at least, is the measure I would use to determine if I've crossed the line to "Disordered Eating". So long as my behaviours do not negatively impact my health/relationships/self-confidence/financial status or somehow cause or contribute to continued anxiety/stress, then I consider them to be good habits that I execute to maintain my current (and desired) state of being. ❤️

Well, hope that doesn't stop you form wearing them because they are quite flattering and make your legs look like 50% longer...

Bwha-ha-ha-ha-ha!! Now that's something I never thought I would read on here (or anywhere for that matter). 😂

I realize most of my food (read: salads) looks the same. I may start using different bowls just for some variety, lol. I did go a little off script today by "chicken-salading" my grilled chicken staple . Super filling, will eat the rest in a couple hours. Salad greens + vinaigrette + 1/2 an avocado + 2.3 oz Air-fried Porchetta leftovers sans skin + Curried Chicken Salad (2.8 oz grilled chicken + 0.8 oz gala apple + red onion + 1 tbsp homemade mayo + 1/2 tsp curry powder) 471 calories + 29g protein + 8g NET carbs + 34g fat

In my second week I was doing full fluids: protein shakes, clear & strained cream soups - with no chunks or pureed stuff in it (pureed stuff wasn't on the table until week four in my plan). Other full fluids (I didn't eat any of these during weeks 2-4, but were on my allowed list): plain greek yogurt, no/low salt vegetable juices, cream of wheat. P.S. I would lay off the fruit juices though, they tend to have too much sugar in them....

Wear Sunscreen and Moisturize!

So today is my 1 year post-op anniversary. Happy Anniversary to Me! (well I guess it would be more appropriate to say Happy Anniversary to me AND my sleeve...couldn't have got to this point without it). I started off at 235 lbs at the beginning of my 2-week pre-op liquid diet, and this morning I clocked in at 113 lbs even. That is a total loss of 122 lbs, or over half my original size (51.9% total body weight lost, thankyouverymuch). Most of the weight came off in the first 7 months when I reached goal. I lost another 15 or so lbs after that while I adjusted into maintenance. I am very happy ecstatic with where I am and have been maintaining more or less between 115 and 120 lbs for the past 4 months. (NOTE: as I write this I am a little bit under my desired range, but I have a cold so that's ok ). Here are some stats. I have kept meticulous records throughout this process, because well, I love spreadsheets, and I'm totally anal like that: You can see some pictures of me before surgery as well as some more recent pics in the "Albums" section/tab in my profile here at BariatricPal. I have an shock-inducing side-by-side before and after pic in just my underwear, but I'm not willing to share that with the world, LOL. Just trust me that you would totally go OMG. Hahahhaha. I was very strict with my diet during the weight loss phase. I kept carbs verrrrrrry low. I exercised almost every single day. I tracked every bite of food in MyFitnessPal. I drank at minimum 2 litres of water a day. I weighed myself every morning at the same time. I took my body measurements every Wednesday. Now, 4.5 months into maintenance, with the exception of the strict diet and low carb intake, I still do all these things. It became habit. A good habit. My restriction, while still very much there, is a lot less restricted than it was before. I only dump mildly now if I have too much sugar (while before I would barf/diarrhea explosively and basically need to lie down or pass out, now the discomfort is limited to a racing heart and an upset tummy). However, I still get the need-to-barf feeling and the foamies if I eat too much or too fast. While not as slow as before, it does still take me 45 mins to an hour to eat a proper meal. I believe my maintenance calories is around 1900-2000 a day (anything less than that, I notice the scale moving downward...a benefit of both weighing myself and tracking my food every single day). I feel like a totally different person now, and yet at the same time, am the exact same person that I was pre-surgery. I'm still me, just smaller, healthier, less irritable, more active, more CONFIDENT. I love to run, to go out with friends and family, to try new things, to go SHOPPING. Life is Good.

I have a question for you ladies...I am 47 and am thinking I *may* be entering perimenopause. Now, I may just be hypochondriac-y self-diagnosing (Mr. says I need to stop googling everything), because my only real possible "symptom" is that the past 3 weeks, I *think* I had 2 hot flashes. I say only symptom because I still have regular periods, no real changes in mood (except maybe for a few days when I started my quit-smoking attempt) nor sexual function, etc... Anyhoo, these hot flashes (or at least I think they are)...are not what I expected. I basically started dripping sweat for no reason at all, BUT i did not feel hot. In fact, I was semi-cold, but I needed to take some clothes off because they were getting soggy. The sweating lasted for like 3-5 minutes, then just stopped as quickly as it came on. So the question is: to anyone who had hot flashes before surgery, did your flashes change post-op? Given that we all seem to be freezing all the time after surgery, did you find that you weren't actually hot anymore during them?

...i did a little bit more googling last night about this and still came up empty-ish. which is odd, as I can usually at least find a lead to SOMETHING. The only thing that i could find that was remotely related was infection-related, but that seems like a reach. If this bothers me enough I may make an appt with my PCP and ask some questions. Right now I'm ok living in semi-ignorance, LOL. For now, will just googling sporadically and see if anything comes up.

Day 12: What 3 people in life are you most grateful for? Mr. The Kid. BFF. Honourable Mentions: Mom, Bro & Sis, 5th Grade teacher, latest hairdresser, the Girlfriends, the guy who helped me change my flat tire 2 years ago (and taught me a life skill to add to my arsenal!), my WLS surgeon.

What's the new colour? (and the old colour, lol?)

Today, Mon, Nov. 11 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1yr PO Sleeve / 114.5 lbs ...so normally grill up 4 or 5 chicken breasts at at time, chop em up and pop in the fridge to take out as needed to top my salads. I dont know whats up with this batch but I feel like they are super-extra-filling or something. I'm stuffed to my throat again after eating tonight's salad. Or, I may just be imagining things. In any case, I am DONE eating today and am posting my menu now. 8:30am - coffee w/ stevia + earl grey tea w/ stevia 12:00pm - salad greens w/ olive oil + carrots + jalapeno peppers + red onion + 3 oz grilled chicken + 1oz peanuts + 1 slice bacon + 1 oz parmesean 2:00pm - 1 oz chicharron + 1.5 Keto Snap Choco-Coconut Fat Bombs + avocado smoothie (1/2 avocado + 1 cup whole milk + stevia) 4:00pm - 1/2 cup full fat cottage cheese + 1 oz blueberries + black pepper + garlic powder 7:00pm - salad greens w/ olive oil + carrots + 3.5 oz grilled chicken + 1/2 an avocado + 1.5 oz almonds Totals: 1930 cals - 121g Protein - 48g NET carbs - 138g fat

This sounds like the makings of a yummy low carb "pasta" meal! Did you happen to take any pics?

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Thanks for stirring up early childhood trauma. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 P.S. ❤️

I actually found being in a low bed or chair was better for me in the first week or so. I would "roll" out of them onto my hands and knees onto the floor and get up. This way I was using my limbs instead of my sore abs. Getting into them I'd just do the opposite with the help of a sturdy low stool to put my hand(s) on.

@FluffyChix thanks for sharing your website...I took a quick look and it looks like a wealth of info! Will be perusing your recipe index extensively later...❤️