ms.sss

you know me, i am not a morning eater, but i was feeling hungry this AM so fixed myself a bowl of....leftovers. went to a bbq yesterday and this is a sample of some of the stuff we brought home: - 2 spicy baked chicken wings - 1/4 cup of cantonese chow mein noodles, including what looks like half a giant shiitake mushroom - and 2 "bacon cream cheese bites"...these were my contribution to the party (see recipe/instructions below...they are always a crowd favourite hahaha. i made over 150 of them and there were like 10 or so left..and i took 2, ha!) anyhoo: back to my breakfast...311 calories for the bowl...and ate it all.

we were out doing errands and were super hungry so we went to the first fast food place we could agree on: a tex mex chain neither of has ever been to. was pleasantly surprised with my chicken taco. yes, this is a taco! but it was so overloaded that it basically eats like a salad, lol. ate about a 1/3 of it...i estimated the whole thing at 551 calories. will definitely be visiting it again later tonight for dinner!

another bowl of leftovers eerily similar to my previous bowl of lefto this will be the last time with these foods cuz they are getting pretty old 😂 fried fish cake, salt and vinegar chips, sirloin steak cubes, snow pea sprouts and some sambal/spicy condiment. also an espresso martini enjoyed beforehand (not shown) 472 cals for the drink and the entire bowl of food. (looks like i was really only in the mood for the fish cake and the chips, ha!)

@CarmenG: how long has it been since ur last poop? it may be time for a suppository...

afternoon snack: a bunch of stuff from the fridge: clockwise from top: - seasoned dried squid - king oyster mushrooms - snow pea sprouts - honey sesame braised cabbage - fried fish cake - black beans 361 calories for the bowl

i chose an arbitrary number of the mid-point of healthy BMI for my height: 120 lbs (which was more or less the weight i was up to my mid-twenties...im 50 now) By the time i got to 127, i called GOAL cuz i felt i was looking too gaunt and skelator-ish for my liking. I did continue to lose more weight, however, and for some reason or another, got down to a lowest-post-op weight of 109 around 1.5 years post op. fast forward a few years (i'm almost 5 yrs post-op now) and i've basically bounced around 115-120 for most of that time. This morning, i clocked in at 119.8 lbs oddly enough, despite the fact that i weigh about 7 lbs less than the time i called goal due to looking too sickly over 4 years ago, i actually look much, much healthier now. the rapid weight loss phase did a number to my appearance, i guess, and now that i'm on auto-pilot and eating more "normally" (i'm looking at you, carbs!), and getting a decent amount or regular exercise. everything sort of shifted around and settled so i no longer look like dead man walking. oh, and another observation: when i was a teenager, i weighed about 110-115, and looking as past pictures, i believe i actually look bigger back then despite actually weighing more today. soooooooo....that was a long winded way of saying that the number on the scale isn't always the best thing to determine the best goal weight for YOU. but of course its a good starting point, if one is realistic about it. Good Luck! ❤️

still looks good tho!

got a chance to visit my fave korean grocery store this afternoon, and picked up an assortment of "Banchan" (korean side dishes often served before the main courses). - fried fish cake - braised black beans - seasoned dried shredded squid - seasoned dried anchovies with peanuts estimated 338 calories for all, ate it all! i find i often prefer all the side dishes and accompaniments vs the main event whenever i go out to eat, so i love going here to stock up on 'em all. p.s. we actually were in the area because Mr. was donating/giving blood, and i thought i would try again to donate myself, but they said (again) that i was under the weight limit for my height. but they gave me pretzels and juice for my troubles. 🤷🏻‍♀️

i didnt have rice nor starch-based noodles until close to 1.5 years post op (by choice, not by mandate). i did have shirataki noodles though (a non-starch/carb plant-based noodle), and they sat very heavy in my stomach. plus they had zero nutritional value, ha. when i finally did get around to consuming rice and traditional noodles, like others above, they were/are veerrrrry filling and hang around in my stomach for what feels like forever. as for whether they are "allowed" it all depends on who u ask. i was cleared for everything (except alcohol) after 1 month. as with everything, if u really want it, try a bit and see how you and ur body responds. then go from there. Good luck! ❤️

leftovers for lunch! (i realize it may not look so very appetizing, but whatevs, it was delicious!) - a ladle of pork and preserved egg congee with soy sauce and white pepper - two deboned Popeye's Chicken spicy drumsticks with some Frank's red hot sauce - an espresso martini beforehand (not shown had i eaten it all, i would've clocked 641 calories. But i updated the MFP entry to 377 calories as Mr. swooped by to eat my leftovers before i was able to put it away for later lol (updated MFP screenshot added below)

this is actually why i go into my closet and try on stuff i haven't worn in a while on a regular basis. i REALLY dont want to try something on a year from now and be unpleasantly surprised it doesn't fit anymore. Plus i like to play dressup all the time, so... 😂😂

same. im almost 5 years out, and i STILL look at clothes on the rack and think its gonna be super snug on me. when i go shopping with the kid she ALWAYS tells me to try on the smaller size, but i always bring a bigger size into the change room with me as well "just in case". she basically right every time. and a lot of times even the smaller one she tells me to try in is too big. its weird because i was "normal sized" for a bigger portion if my existence than when i was obese, and yet i seem to have a longer memory of being too big for clothes. i figure all those times of things not fitting me nicely when i was fatter left a traumatic mark and thats all i seem to remember. 🤷🏻‍♀️

yup, yup and yup. yup, my hair starting falling out at 3 months. yup, started to notice less hair accumulation on the floor AND itty bitty regrowth hairs on my head around 6-7 months. yup, my hair was dryer and more brittle looking at that time. yup, by the time i hit around 2.5 years post op, those itty bitty hairs were the same length as the rest of my shoulder length hair (at the time) that didn't fall out. like @Arabesque, i also experienced the bonus of no-longer oily hair, AND no more dry scalp/dandruff issues, AND my new hairs grew in with a pretty little wave to them (yay!) AND it actually seems thicker and healthier now than pre-surgery (though this could likely be because of my better diet and overall health, AND because im so vain now i take better care of myself, including my hair, lol) i'm almost 5 years out now, and you would never think i ever had a hair loss problem. i know it doesn't help very much when u are in the thick of it, but TrY to keep in mind its only temporary. Good Luck! ❤️

i already know i'd like the hot sauce one, and the cheesy one! what are the other ones?? teriyaki? ranch? bbq sauce? blue cheese?? 😉

Tried my hand at Grilled Caprese. Pretty good, if i say so myself! Mr. forwarded this recipe to me because we were watching a cooking show where they were making focaccia and i was all, "i can do that!": https://www.thekitchn.com/grilled-caprese-focaccia-23552694?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Frecipes I only had whole wheat flour on hand, so i was not very optimistic about the end result, but it turned out super yum...that nutty flavour from the flour was delish. I did have to add an extra 1/4 cup of water to make up for the dryness of the whole wheat flour though, but it was all good. Baked it in a cast iron pan on the bbq. Gave it a nice smoky flavour! I calculated a serving as 1/12 of the whole thing. Ate a full "serving" with a generous lump of labneh: 249 calories.

*raises hand* 😆

loving those gloves!

with room to spare! lol Congrats!

speaking of yogurt, this one is my FAVE. it's SuPEr thick and lusciously creamy but u pay for it in calories (200 cals for 3/4 cup serving, and 10% fat!)...but sooo good.. i just buy the plain though, i find flavoured yogurts too sweet.

i'm almost 5 years out and i still can't. for me, liquids and solids together is a sure fire way to fill up my stomach real quick and result in uncomfortable fullness. i almost never drink while i eat, and for at least 30-45 minutes after consuming anything "solid" (though i have taken a VERY rare sip if something gets caught in my throat, or if i eat something too spicy, but if i do, that basically signals an end to eating solids for a while...otherwise i'll projectile vomit). like another above, i can drink liquids as much as i want right up until i eat something solid. after that, i need to wait to digest before even attempting to drink anything else. as a result of this i am often drunk before the meal when i am out to eat, because i drink my liquor BEFORE the meal (on an empty stomach, yikes!) it took a while to get used to, but now it's second nature. Even my husband and good friends know to wait to order our food until i'm almost done finishing my drink. p.s. i have even learned to eat soup to accommodate this quirk: i'll sip all the liquid in soups first,and leave anything "chunky" in it until last.

yesterday i offhanded-ly commented to Mr that i felt for some oysters. this afternoon he showed up with a crate of oysters and shucked 'em for us ❤️ ate them with an random assortment of leftovers from the pantry and fridge (peppercorn patè, sourdough bread, a single samosa, malaysian curry beef brisket and rice). also pulled out a subset of the extensive array of condiments we collect in the fridge lol. oh, and i quickly made a mignonette for the oysters. a pic of our table spread, as an MFP entry of what i actually ate.

so @GreenTealael's dessert pic got me jonseing for some baked goods, so when i walked by a specialty grocery store, i went in, high-tailed to the bakery and picked up these two beauties: a chocolate peanut butter butter tart and a lemon square! came home and cut out a quarter of each one to try. Verdict: the butter tart was like a 7/10. the filling was awesome, but the pastry was just a little too flaky for my taste. the lemon square was a bit of a fail. not nearly as lemon-y as it should've been. i rate it a 4/10. i only took one bite, but i should've taken a nibble instead, i feel like i just ate a bunch of unenjoyable and unworthy calories! 202 calories for the servings. just left a bit of the lemon square.

funny, as i get older i seem to like celebrating bigger and bigger. i guess im feeling more greatful for being alive for yet another year

funny, as i get older i seem to like celebrating bigger and bigger. i guess im feeling more greatful for being alive for yet another year

happy birthday!!! ❤️❤️❤️ (...and YUUUUUMMMMMM)