ms.sss

Is transitioning into maintenance what you thought it would be? Hecks NO. For some reason, even though I was apprehensive about it, I thought it would come easier. I mean how hard is it to stop losing weight? I was a pro at it, based on previous experience. In my case, I didn't get to ease into it so I think its part of my problem. If I had done this the way I originally planned, I would have started easing into maintenance (i.e., increasing cals, etc) BEFORE I got to goal weight, so it would have been more of a slowdown to stop vs trying to stop something in already in cruise control dead in its tracks. I really don't want to lose any more weight/get smaller so I have slight anxiety about stopping the weight loss immediately. How easy has it been to “break the weight loss mode rules”? I think Im still adhering to my "weight loss rules" actually. I mean, I still weigh and portion and track my food, eat protein-forwardy, drink lots of water, wait to drink after eating, take my vites, refrain from eating past 7pm, limit carbs, stay away from pasta/rice/bread/added sugar, etc. The only thing I'm doing differently now is I increased my carbs a smidgen and I allowed myself a couple bites of a full-blown dessert the other day (though I paid the price for it, I think, by an unfortunate bout of barfing). Oh, and allow myself more liquor Did you ever think you would struggle to eat more after being obese? OMG. the fact that I am having trouble eating MORE is a mind-trip. The fact that I actually think I'm too small is unbelievable sometimes. But I think, at least right now, this struggle is a lot easier to handle, physically and mentally, than the struggle of being obese. If I had to choose between the two, I would take this current struggle over that one Every. Single. Time. Do you have some fear/anxiety about food, continued weight loss or gain? I do have some anxiety about the continued weight loss. I really do not want to lose anymore, and I am putting pressure on myself to find my "level" asap so it stops already. And you know what, I also have some back-of-my-mind anxiety about future weight gain. Geez. I think I need some time to get used to where I am right now and trust that I am doing the right thing and I can relax. Honestly, the weight loss was pretty quick and I don't think I've had enough time yet to "acclimate". I still see my reflection sometimes when I'm just walking around and don't recognize myself. I probably also have an unhealthy fear of carbs. May or may not be a good thing.

Me too.

I'm going to have to work my way up to these amounts of food, I don't think I can come close to that volume at this time... ...although these are good snack ideas to add to the arsenal! TY ... (i'm off to google some more snack ideas now )

we all should feel this way about ourselves, right???

So after the not-so-successful jump from 600 to 1000 cals, I went down to 800 cals daily a week ago in attempt to slowly find my maintenance level. Today I increase my calories to 900 a day (with macros set at 65g P, 56g F, 35g C for now). The week at 800 still resulted in a loss of 1.9 lbs, which i sort of expected, but don't understand (the week when I was at 1000/day, i lost 2.5 lbs??) As I said in an earlier post, I am no longer so occupied with the number on the scale but more so now about how small I am starting to look/am looking to myself. This continues to be an issue, and my level of sagginess seems to have increased at a faster rate these last few pounds. Now, my newest concern is my reported body fat percentage. I have one of those scales that measure all that, and while I know that it fluctuates greatly depending on water retention and recent exercise activity, but for the past week I'd say I averaged about 19%. Now, I am not what someone would say is a "fit" person (where a "fit" woman averages 21-24%), so this gives me some pause. I mean, according to what I've read, I should be at 25-32% for a normal/average woman. What are your fat percentages? And do you put any importance on this statistic to yourselves, personally?

Last night's Dinner: Strawberry, Fig, Candied-Pistachio, Cucumber, Feta Salad with a low-cal homemade Sesame Vinegrette. (the fam had it with a high-cal Honey-Lime Vinegrette, Lol) It was a low protein, high carb salad, but was so yum. I ate it all! (over 1.5 hours though lol)

This is very true. During weight loss, I would also eat until I was full (or finished my portioned meal, whichever came first), but it still took me waaaaaay longer than 30 minutes to do either.

If I did this, I would be eating basically nothing!

Good point. I would also assume that there are a lot more plastic surgeons per capita in L.A than Toronto...

Hero!

Me too! Yay, us!

Speaking for me, I'm done with the losing (I'm currently in an attempts to STOP the weight loss). And since my surgery is still months away, I hopefully and getting a built-in "stable" period, which btw, none of those I spoke to had any requirement of. Interestingly, all 4 of them seemed to be more concerned (if anything) with continued weight loss rather than potential weight gain as something that would affect the results of the procedure.

Yes. The good ones are booked up far in advance, apparently. My surgeon's office originally gave me a March 2020 date! The patient co-ordinator told me they were actually contemplating opening up a few more days in December that morning, and would put me on the first opened up day if one did. On the day I called in to place my deposit, 4 more days were opened up in December and I was able to get in on one. I really lucked out on the appointment front with this surgeon. 🤞🏼 P.S. I also asked to be put on a cancellation list if by chance anyone cancels/postpones their surgery, I would be offered it.

This.

I ended up going with a surgeon who has an extensive resume in "post-bariatric body contouring". The fact that he has done so many of these types of surgeries makes me feel more at ease. I saw endless before and after pics. He was able to advise me on aspects of the different surgeries that the other 3 surgeons I consulted with did not even mention. And he was the only one who advised me of a program on how I can apply to have insurance to cover a portion of the surgeries. The others only told me that my surgery was not covered by any insurance. So yeah, I think it's a good thing to go with someone who's been around the block a few times. I had actually already decided on another surgeon because this one didn't have a consult available until end of July. But then a space opened up and I decided to take it, and am glad I did. Going with this surgeon actually meant I had to push my date to December (his earliest opening), from my original plan of August, but I'm okay with it. I believe I'll be in better hands.

LOL, 1 in the Kid's tummy, 2 in Mr.'s tummy and 1 in mine. (the rest in the fridge...unless they ate more for breakfast this morning...)

honestly, i don't know!! i had forgot to spray with avocado oil before filling the pan, but they still came out nicely... (i scooped them out with a bowl scraper immediately out of the oven...maybe that helped??...or maybe because i put the cheese in first and then followed with the egg mixture??...or maybe it was magic after all...mwha-ha-ha-ha)

First meal of the day: Mini crustless quiche, or, as the Kid said: "Oh. So like an omelette." 🙄 106 cals, 2g carbs, 9g protein per serving. I ate one and was almost over-full.

Ok....so there may be a such a thing as too much Chia. So last night I had 95g of my protein-powder-shake based pudding with pumpkin seeds (calcuated 12.2g of fibre) and since I woke up this morning my stomach has been making the pre-diarrhea sounds and "movements". Yikes. Good thing the washroom is like 15 feet from my desk....

Ooooh...going to try this with some leftover tuna I have in the fridge....

Maintainers: Do you still see your nutritionist/dietician? Do you still get your labs done periodically?

I was hoping that the feeling of being cold would go away once the weight stabilized . P.S. Just visited your profile and saw that pic of you in front of the horseshoe...you look like a skinny robert di nero!

Congrats!

I see a huge difference too Yay, you!