ms.sss

every week or so, i do the "fridge clean up", and toss the foods that are no longer edible and make attempts to salvage the foods that are on the brink of inedible. this morning i tossed a bunch of leftover chinese food, ½ a wheel of brie, an almost full tub of sour cream, and an unopened box mixed greens (this made me sad ) BUT here are some items i was able to save/repurpose/extend shelf life of: 1. leftover fresh parsley and super ripe lemon into...PESTO! 2. uncut cumber bought over a week ago into...SWEET AND SOUR PICKLED CUCUMBERS! 3. almost dried out baby carrots and the remnants of a tub of spreadable cream cheese and 2 old apples that i made into applesauce into...CARROT CARE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING (Mr. ate like 2/3 of the cake before i got to take a pic of it) and finally: 4: ½ a head of cabbage that i shredded to include in the filling of these EGG ROLLS! that i prepped to freeze and cook another day. phew. i feel very accomplished with my very productive morning...now im gonna go veg on the couch and watch tv!

@The Greater Fool, if you're haven't already said before, i heart you. u always so calm and wise and funny. the 3 things i admire most about others. ok, now that i got that love fest out of my system... @BlondePatriotInCDA, further to your discussion of the smells of different alcohol... now for me, the smell of what i weirdly all "brown liquor" always made me gag a little..."brown liquor" is what i call whiskeys, cognacs, brandy, scotch, dark rums, aged tequilas, etc. for those keeping score i only prefer to drink clear liquors (vodka, gin, clear tequila and rum) and red wine. anyway, my Mr. prefers the brown liquors...and over the years (decades!), i have come to not hate as much the smell of them (i still don't drink them tho lol). in a weird way i associate the smell with him and since i kinda like him, i seem to not be hostile to the smell as much. i mean i wont douse myself in it as a perfume or anything, but still. just a useless anecdote i guess. (i have no real reason to bring this up other than to make an attempt to lighten the mood on this thread 🤷🏻‍♀️)

40 down, 10 more to go... took about 9 months to get this far, so am projecting i should have the min amount im looking for in about 2.5 more months... but the more the better 🤞🏼 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE, HEIGHT 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery 8. Type of Surgery (Sleeve, ByPass, etc...)

hmmm...you could always try it, and, if it doesn't work for you say, after 3-4 weeks, then just go back to what DOES work? or, if it's causing you too much angst, and your current M.O. is not causing you any issues (which sounds like it isn't), why fix what ain't broke? there is no one-size fits all prescription...find out what works for you and go with that. good luck! ❤️

being on these forums long enough i would assume that one should realize by now that everyone is different. we say/post it multiple times a day, every day. i don't like weight lifting . it's don't like olives. i don't like talking about my wls. others don't feel the same way. i get that. we are all different people getting our own versions of joy. i may not make the same connections to things as you do, and thats cool. i mean, some people have sex every day while others don't. some people weigh themselves every morning others don't. some people read books while others don't. why do people drink too much and become alcoholics? alcohol is so gross. this line if thinking is the close sibling to why do people eat too much and get fat? being fat is so gross. to paraphrase you: "but how did you get to the point where <eating> was enjoyable enough to do it often <that u end up being 300 lbs>?" the incredulity in your post is loud and clear...but really, if u think about it, its not that impossible to understand (especially from the point of view from a person who was morbidly obese) your intention may be not to sound judgy...but in my very insignificant opinion, you kinda do. but i mean, you are entitled to say whatever you want. i guess i just wanna ask you to take a pause and reflect on how ur post may or may not have come across. sorry. 😔 i don't normally weigh in this heavily in anonymous internet chats as i hate confrontation, but this touched a wee nerve for me. (i may just delete this post after i overthink it to death...we shall see...i have already edited this post a gazillion times in my overthinking, ha.)

i started using soda water with my vodka and/or gin when i found out that tonic water had as much (if not more!) calories than a regular coke. as for bubbly, i started drinking it (i.e., perrier) instead of plain water to meet my water goals around 3-4 months post op. the literature i received told me i shouldn't drink carbonated beverages, but i did anyway and when i told my NUT what i was doing she didn't have any objections since i experienced no adverse effects. personally i like how carbonated drinks make me burp, cuz sometimes i need a little help to release some gas. but that's just me. ymmv.

39 down, 11 more to go... submit your stats if you haven't already and I will reward y'all with a nice little report, LOL! keep 'em coming people...!! 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE, HEIGHT 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery 8. Type of Surgery (Sleeve, ByPass, etc...)

Noted! corrected your 3 month weight to 189

Hi @Yahoo! so i was updating your info in my trusty spreadsheet, but the info provided in the above two posts don't line up exactly...can you confirm the full details so i have the right info? 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE, HEIGHT 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery 8. Type of Surgery (Sleeve, ByPass, etc...)

keep trying different ways of drinking water until you find one that you can tolerate...and even when you do find one way that works, you find that later on it doesn't and you need to find another type/kind. I started off with room temp water for about a week (just worked out that way cuz i carried around a water bottle that i took microsips from and it just ended up being room temp lol) then switched to warm/hot water for about 2 months cuz that's all i could stand. i found i could drink much much more at a hotter temp vs cold. then warm/hot fell out of favour, and i HAD to have it ice, ice cold...with like crushed ice in it even (not cubed, CRUSHED!). this went on for another couple months. then i was all about carbonated water (like perrier), and i drank just that until i reached goal and for several months afterwards. now i don't seem to have a glaring preference, but i do seem to lean towards ice water, if i had to pick one.

i had low grade anxiety the morning of surgery. i remember a nano-second of PURE PANIC literally just before i was knocked out. I remember them telling me to count down from 100 (or was it 10?)...i got to like 97 (or 7..) and felt myself starting to freak out. the last thing i (sorta) remember was 95 (or 5??) next thing i knew i was waking up in the recovery room and my very first thought was "YEESSSSSSSS!!! I'M ALIVE!!!!!". the relief of it all allowed me to ignore whatever pain i may or may not have been in. when i did finally register pain, it was manageable. i took the hard stuff pain meds during my 1 day stay at hospital. i was sent home with an Rx for more, but didn't fill it...i was fine with just Tylenol. best description of it would be it felt like i did a ridiculous number of situps...more of an ache than a pain, if that makes sense. so yeah, alot of us had at least some level of fear/anxiety/trepidation. only way is through it! good luck ❤️

omg i just had a PTSD flashback.

well...funny how reading about others' drinking frequency seems to make me think i'm not that problematic after all? i was under the impression that i drank alot...but i guess daily drinking is not that uncommon????

ok, gonna throw my story on the table...take from it as you will, as a lesson to live by, a cautionary tale, or a personal justification...you choose. pre surgery i was also a weekend warrior, actually, more like a yearly quarterly warrior, lol. i had like a couple drinks every 2-3 months. probably got stupid drunk once a year or less. during weight loss phase (which lasted 7 months) i had maybe 5 partial drinks. i don't think i finished any of those drinks. my first "drink" was 3 weeks post op. I had maybe 2-3 sips of a glass of red wine. it was really weird, i swear i could feel the burning of the alcohol pass down my esophagus, through my stomach and along my intestines. my second drink was about 1 month later (christmas) and it was a very sugary soju-sake drink. again i had maybe 2-3 sips but this one resulted in my second worst dumping experience ever. *shudder*. the next 3 or so drinks were vodka or gin sodas (learned my lesson! less sugar!) ok. now its 2019, im in maintenance and i'm looking hawt and feeling awesome and me and mr. go on a couple vacations and i drink way more than i normally do. but its vacation, right? so its ok. i also took up smoking again after being smoke free for 10 years (but thats another story). now its 2020 and its effing covid, and i, like many others i know started drinking at home (i never did this before, i was always a go-out drinker) ...and now its 2024 and i drink every day. i don't get stupid drunk every day or anything (not that i'm trying to justify anything - i fondly call myself a high-functioning alcoholic), but i do drink every day. its at a point where others (i.e., my doctors and my hubs) are chastising me with the amount i drink. i know i drink too much and its probably doing a number on my health despite nothing showing up on any of my labs or whatever. i quit drinking for a month last year because my son said i couldn't stop drinking for a week. so i know i can stop (or at least slow down) if i really wanted to. trouble is i don't seem to really want to. last year, my OBGYN said i really should stop smoking AND drastically cut down the amount i drink. i told her i'm not sure i could do both, so i made her a deal and said i would stop smoking. i'm proud to say i have been smoke free for 9 months (after smoking for 4 years after quitting for 10, after smoking for 20...say that ten times fast, lol). its been surprisingly easy, but i think its because i can still drink. ANYWAY. i'm hoping to get into a mindset soon to address my drinking problem. i don't doubt my ability to reduce, but i'm not sure i will actually WANT to anytime soon. le sigh. so there you have it. i am the poster child of transfer addiction. despite all this, my weight has more or less remained unchanged (go figure). i continue to stay below goal weight this entire time. ....and i am literally typing this post out with an espresso martini in hand. dont judge me! lol. i am relatively chill about all this so even if you do judge me, i wont take it personally. p.s. oh, i should also mention that i get "affected" real quick and on very small amounts. and i also sober up real quick. this phenomenon is a purely post surgery thing. i needed lots more to get drunk before surgery....although my smaller size now may also be a factor....

😢😢😢

omg. im totally gonna have a t-shirt made with this slogan.

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?