ms.sss

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k...im gonna go out on a limb here and assert that the decision to have surgery is yours and yours alone. if you want to have surgery for health reasons, cool, go for it. if u want to have it for vanity reasons, cool go for it. if you want to have it for job opportunities, cool go for it, surgery is not reserved for those that "deserve it", nor only to those that "really need it". if you have the means and desire and the mental stability, then by all means, have it done. its your body, you decide what you get to do with it. dont let anyone guilt or shame you one way or the other. with that said, you sound/read like you still have some thinking to do about which way to go? nothing wrong with that. it took me an extra year and 2 back-outs from scheduled surgery dates for me to eventually decide to get mine done. you are ready when you're ready (or maybe you may decide its not for u at all). there doesn't seem to be any extenuating circumstances that requires an immediate decision in your post. take ur time, there is no rush. good luck! ❤️

best way to avoid the comments is to tell no one. i thought i could avoid it by telling the 5 people i am closest to AND trusted not to tell anyone: Mr., The Kid, Sis, Mom and BFF. Surprisingly, it was Mom and BFF who were the commentators. Mom asked why can't i just diet, and that she was scared for me to go under the knife for an elective surgery and to pls reconsider. I told her yes, i'll think about it, and did it anyway. BFF said something along the lines of "people use cliff notes to cheat on writing essays, this is your cliff notes for weight loss!" I let slide her poor attempt of a joke as we go way back, and i love her. I answered back along the lines of, yep i'll need all the help i can get! ...and did it anyway. though i will say i got way more (unwanted) comments as i lost weight by the people who didn't know i had surgery. i just became a master of changing subjects. good luck! ❤️

EVERY. KIND. im partial to the stinky cheeses (the stinkier the better...im looking at you roquefort) and love me a smoked aged gouda, lol. and a fresh cracked ancient wheel of parmesan is omg yum. oh and a really ripe goat cheese, or a super briney feta, a melty slab of brie with some jam...i could go on. I heart cheese. i'm with most of the folks here, no low fat, diet cheese for me...honestly, its not real cheese then. small amounts is the trick.

ok, so ever since surgery, i've developed (and maintained) this quirk where i like to order/buy a large amount of food with the intention of at least having a taste of everything, but usually don't in the end. someone usually eats what there, other times it gets tossed (it a terrible waste of food, i know ) my sister-in-law's sister half-jokingly accuses me of trying to fat everyone up around me so i look skinny (she's kind of a B, lol), and Mr. also half-jokingly worries that i have some sort of reverse-eating disorder. in any case, i realize it's probably not normal, but im ok with it for now. as i write this im thinking this is probably not the thread for this post...i feel like this has become bit of a downer! my initial intention was to post this beautiful bounty that i picked up while coat shopping yesterday: and i am pleased to report that i indeed had a small bite of everything (except the caramel daquoise - not a fan of caramel), and the fam and some company ate the rest...they will all be fat by years end! mwha-ha-haha! 🙄 clockwise from top left: cappuccino daquoise, lemon shortbread slice, roasted apple cake, salted caramel daquoise) guessing i ate maybe 150-200 cals worth.

one of the perks of being a smaller size is that it takes a fraction of the time to buy clothes that fit AND are cute vs the length of time it took when we were bigger. you may find that you can just walk into a store find something off the rack and BAM, done.

at my two month mark it was christmas-ish and i along with the gazillion family parties, i had a wedding-like 50th bday party as well (not mine lol). eating was not an issue, i nibbled stuff here and there. i did bring a protein shake (or two) to every single event, just in case, but didn't need it at any of them. i could easily find something among the spread to eat. as for something to wear, i would probably nix the idea of buying a dress that fits u now. i can almost guarantee that it WILL NOT fit u in May. not sure if u are a hoarder of just-in-case "skinny clothes" like i was, but i was able to dip into this stash for a few months during weight loss phase for my dress-up needs. if anything, maybe wait until at least April to buy a new outfit?

i always feel a little anti-climactic after the holidays. so much go-go-go for weeks to basically flat-lining on the couch in a blink. be nice to urslef, and try not to succumb to the pressure to be "on" nor the guilt of being not. ❤️

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no, weight loss doesn't stop on x date. it stops when YOU stop. it may take more effort as time goes on - because achieving calorie deficit is comparatively more challenging the smaller u get - but its not impossible. good luck! ❤️

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side question: do ur pants still fit? sometimes the weight on the scale my not reflect the visual (i bring this up because loss of muscle mass was mentioned). the scale can sometimes be misleading, but your pants dont lie

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i was told it would take anywhere from 1-3 months. i took over 3 months because i did too much too soon and busted open my stitches twice. oopsies. so at between 3-4 months i had no more bandages, all my stitches (original and new) had all dissolved, and i could stand upright and had about 85% range or motion in my arms...it took about 7-8 months for me to fully "raise my arms in the air and swing 'em like i just dont care" 😂😂😂 but essentially at about 4 months i could do everything i was doing pre-PS except for the aforementioned arm-swinging. (oh and i was swollen/bloated, in lesser and lesser degrees - mostly in my abdomen - for about 6-7 months...but this didn't stop me from doing anything so i don't count it as something to recover from, if that makes sense?) my surgeon did all three (breast lift, arm lift and tummy tuck) all at the same time. it all depends on the surgeon and how long they are willing to keep u under, at what speed the work, if they will have an assistant, etc.. he told me he didn't want me under longer than 6 hours and that he could do all 3 within those hours. i believe i was in the recovery room in 5 and a half hours. i will say though that i was on the smaller side on surgery day (doc said i was the smallest person he's ever worked on)...so this may contribute to the shorter surgery time? i dunno... i had very very little actual fat to remove...it was basically just excess skin. the "material" he removed weighed a measley 400g . but oh what a difference 400g makes lol.

i felt for a chicken salad sandwich, but we had no bread, nor lettuce, boo. so chicken salad, a piece of bacon, and....rice! lol. 321 cals for the whole bowl, ate 1/2 for now. will eat the rest later.

i felt for a chicken salad sandwich, but we had no bread, nor lettuce, boo. so chicken salad, a piece of bacon, and....rice! lol. 321 cals for the whole bowl, ate 1/2 for now. will eat the rest later.

at 7 months my triumph/sv was reaching a my "revised" goal. i basically called goal 7 lbs above my original as i felt as i was looking way too skelator-ish. I was eating about less than 800 cals a day at the time and decided to start upping my cals. got to about 1500 cals 3 months later and settled into about 1800 today (5+ yrs later) ..,i was up to over 2300 at one point, but i was an exercise fiend during that era. i was exercising min 1 hour a day (sometimes twice a day) almost every day at the time. Today im at it 1-2 times a week. despite all this i weigh less today than both my original and revised goals. go figure. AND, i dont look skelator-ish at all. SCORE! lol WLS is still one of the best decisions i've made so far. Good Luck! ❤️

dupe.

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i had 3 procedures done: arm lift, tummy tuck & breast lift. if i was told i could only choose 1, i'd pick arm lift every time. like u said, other areas are easily camouflaged by clothes/undergarments...but u cant hide ur arms in tank tops/short sleeves. ask ur surgeon what his thoughts are on ur results if you were to lose an additional 20-25 lbs AFTER an arm lift...it *may* be negligible? good luck! ❤️

not going to sugar coat it: recovery was not easy for me. i am not one to take pain meds, but i did after PS for almost 2 weeks. BUT: TOTALLY WORTH IT. I'd do it again for the results i got (even with the scarring - i scar terribly). I remember in the year after PS, i was all never again...im happy with my results and don't need anymore. NOW im contemplating doing something about my butt and my neck. hahhaa, never say never. PRO TIP: take your recovery easy and don't do too much too soon. I did not adhere to this and attempted to go running (TWICE!) too soon and busted open my stitches (TWICE!!)...which resulted in a longer overall recovery for me. 🙄

agreed!!!

wow that is one large kids size meal. what did the adult size look like?!?

the very first thought i had after waking up in the recovery room was: "YESSS! I'm alive!" ive read others thought the same thing, so as far as im concerned, its pretty par for the course. it's healthy to be cautious and experience fear (it's what keeps us alive most of the time!). but to be OVER-cautious to the point that it negatively impacts the quality of life of you or others around you, is not. for what its worth, from what you've said, and how your demeanour is expressed in your post, you sound like the healthy kind of scared. People may not always have the same thought processes as you, and they may also not always give you what you want from them. Find the ones who will. Or find a way to be cool with not getting what you want. Either works! Good Luck! p.s. my second thought was "omg my throat hurts!" 😂

i lost another 15+ lbs in the 6 months after i reached goal weight. i had to learn to get out of diet mode and into maintenance mode, which was unexpectedly difficult as i had a low-key fear of carbs and eating more and gaining all the 125 lbs i lost back in a one fell swoop, ha! anyway, i slowly ate more and more, but had a sort of physical limitation because i had very effective restriction, so i had to choose higher calorie, low volume foods. by the time my 2 yr post op mark hit, i gained back about 1/2 of the extra weight i lost. today, at 5+ yrs out, im still more or less the same weight. BUT my composition is different: i had more muscle mass percentage back then (because i was exercising much more recently then) so i am technically fatter now despite being the same weight. but i digress... anyhoo...short answer to ur question is eat more calories than u burn. it doesn't mean eat heaps and heaps of food, just choose higher calorie stuff: avocados, nuts, full fat cheese and dairy, olive oil, salmon or other oily fish, red meat, egg yolks, etc. ...and if you are able to practice moderation, chips (my go to was chicharron), chocolate, etc. if you can't practice moderation, then just don't bother going this route...slippery slope and all... you may lose more weight as u figure stiff out. though unless ur doc is worried, you probably don't need to either. oh, and no, i didn't meal prep, but i did grocery shop plan and execute to make sure i always had stuff at home i could eat/prepare. mind u i don't/didn't work outside the home so i was able to eat/cook on the fly. good luck! ❤️