ms.sss

yep. ive been gaining and losing the same 5-ish lbs for 4 years. like the others above, i always keep an eye on it. if i stay outside that range for too long (how long exactly depends on my mood, what im doing at the time - am i on vacation? am i sick? is it the holiday season? etc..), then i make conscious efforts to get back into my happy range. its said on here alot: its easier and less overwhelming to try lose 5-10lbs than to try to lose 50. With that said, sometimes we also have to weigh the desire to be a certain weight vs the willingness to put in efforts required to achieve and maintain it. I mean, sure weighing less than 115 lbs was a very accomplishing feeling for me (i was walking around like i was all that and a bag of chips) and i really liked how my body looked (but not my face, but thats a different story), BUT..i realized i was putting in waaaay more effort than i really wanted to. now (4.5+ yrs post) i put in just a small fraction of the effort and time and brain/thinking power i used to, in exchange for being at peace with staying under 125. i am much more relaxed, thats for sure. plus i still think i look pretty good, lol. I feel like i went off on a tangent there... Can people lose regain? Yes. Do u want to? That's up to you. Good Luck! ❤️

i just wrote a long-ish post about alcohol yesterday, ha. instead of putting it all here again, i'll just include the link for reference: take it as personal anecdote, a validation, or a cautionary tale, however u see fit.

ride it out. the aversion to food will abate eventually for most. Good Luck! ❤️

a fellow BP member recently DM'd me asking how i get up to 1800 cals a day when my stomach capacity is relatively "small". This is how. I eat often eat high calorie/low volume foods. Today's evening snack: 53g of chicharron w/some dipping sauce for a nice 319 calories. Ate it all. (I also went to an AYCE lunch with the entire extended fam for father's day today that clocked up 870 calories comprised of a couple cocktails, 2 cute little peking duck "wraps" a couple spoonfuls of tofu pudding and a couple bites of strawberry shortcake...no pics tho. Aside: i hate AYCE establishments: never feel like i ate enough to warrant the price, the food is at best, just OK, and you never have everyone all sitting at the table at the same time for hearty conversation cuz they all off getting food at different times. Just my 2 cents. Further, i had an entire sausage mcMuffin and 1/2 a hash brown that i ate off an on while sitting in a hairdresser chair getting hair extensions installed over 4+ hrs this morning ...more on that later! AND, i had about 1/3 cup of the bbq brisket that i brought over to my FIL that i made the other day.) so as of right now im at 1839 calories, if i don't eat anything else today. So yeah, thats how. btw: My chicharron snack:

Confession. My team said could drink alcohol after a year. Me being me, i had a couple sips of red wine around 3-4 weeks post op. Was really weird, i swear i could FEEL the wine travelling through my intestines. Then I had a couple sips or a sake-soju concoction around 2 months post. The aftermath still ranks to this day as one of my top 5 dumping episodes. *shudder* I had maybe 5 or so PARTIAL drinks of red wine or gin/vodka tonics throughout my entire weight loss phase. Long story short, I was "affected" really fast. I also sobered up unbelievably quickly. Now in maintenance (im over 4.5 years post op), im NOT proud to admit that i am probably (on paper), a full on alcoholic. i probably drink about 1-2 servings of alcohol a day (espresso martinis or red wine, mostly). I used to drink pre-wls, but nowhere as regularly as i do now. On the flip side, i would reach "embarrassing drunk" pre-wls, but have yet to get there post-wls. Yes, I realize i am justifying, but there u go. As i write this, im wary of newbies reading this, as i really dont want to seem to be endorsing my lifestyle. So sorry everyone! I guess what im ineffectively trying to say is (again) everyone is different, and it is my fervent hope that everyone knows their own personal limits and strives to stay within them. P.S. dont drink too much if u can help it! honestly its not worth the extra stress. I have way too many conversations with myself about this that its ruining my VIBE. P.S.S. i will now remunerate for the next couple hours if this post was a good idea or not. P.S.S. Happy Father's day today to all awesome dads our there!! ❤️

Touché. You are right, OOTD thread is FULL-ON bragging. Nothing humble about it at all. 😂 But where else can i I show off my awesome self without being called a Bee-yatch?!?! So thanks everyone for catering to my narcissism cuz i can't to it comfortably anywhere else ❤️❤️❤️

Bananas. They make me dump. Oranges. They give me gas. Kiwis. They make my throat itch (but this one was an issue even before surgery). Despite this, i still have some of the above in (very) small amounts on rare occasions, because, they are delicious. On the fruit front, i tend to lean towards berries (blueberries, raspberries and strawberries) more often than not. Oh, and i also love to eat avocados and watermelon when they are available. #yum

lol. i've been here for what seems like forever and that's the first time i read that! Love it. i kinda like the idea now that i've been in a "stall" for 4 yrs lololzzzzz

ooohhhhh all of that looks DELICIOUS!!! (esp that meat pie!!!) 🤤🤤🤤🤤

nah, there's also people of like minds just congregating to shoot the sh*t and have some light-hearted conversation with others who "get it". ❤️ p.s. if u really want to see some "humble bragging" check out the OOTD thread (of which im admittedly a regular participant! lolozzzz) but its awesome, and makes me and others feel awesome, so i figure its all good

hubba hubba. 🥰😘❤️

Re: addictions i can’t say I’m well versed enough on this topic to dole out advice and offer solutions. But I can give support and personal anecdotes. Case in point: (While not about eating and food, I still think this has some sort of relevance) I had my first cigarette when was 15 yrs old. I worked my way up to a pack a day by the time I got to university (19 yrs old). Did this for TWENTY YEARS. Finally, I quit cold turkey in July 2011 when I was 38 yrs old. I was golden. I didn’t touch a cigarette for 8+ years. Not a single one. Then, in 2019, high off my success in weight loss probably, armed with an uncontainable confidence, I decided to have a cigarette while on vacation. Cuz i mean, can one really hurt? I could stop, obviously did before. Plus I’m on vacation, gotta live a little, right? I wasn’t even craving it, I just thought it would be no harm no foul since I had absolutely no intention to be a regular smoker again. I remember my husband tried his best to dissuade me. Le Sigh. That cigarette led to another, then another, then me buying a pack saying “I’ll only smoke on this trip”. Then I got back home and I still had some in the pack, so I said I’ll just finish these. Then I bought a pack at home, then another, then another…. Le Double Sigh. It is now 2023, 4 yrs since I stupidly smoked that effing cigarette, and I’m back to smoking almost a pack a day. Sometimes abstinence/the all-or-nothing approach is best for some people. I am not that type of person who could just have one cigarette and leave it at that. Should’ve known. What works for one person, may not have the same result with another. Do what works for you, people. ❤️

It really does depend on the person. We are all built differently and have different metabolisms. Some need 1000 cals to maintain, others need 2500+. I am 5’2”, 50 yr old female and I weighed 118.6 lbs this morning. I can totally maintain this weight at 1800 cals a day. I only do dedicated exercise about 1-3 times a week for about 30-45min. Been like this for the past 2+ years, and have pretty much stayed within the 115-120 lbs range the whole time. When I was exercising daily back in the day, I could easily pack in 2300+ cals a day. im 4.5+ years out. p.s. I also had skin removal at about a year post op, but that only removed 400g off the scale 🤷🏻‍♀️

I wasn’t given one, but would not use it, even if I was. 1) why broadcast how and why I eat the way I do to people who likely don’t really care. 2) just because u have a piece of paper saying u deserve a discount, doesn’t mean the establishment is going to. in the vein of what @The Greater Fool said above, if I was pregnant and “eating for two”, should I be offered a two-for-one meal? 3) leftovers are awesome. …but I get how others would be ok with showing such a card. To each their own ❤️

no pic!

i had my surgery over 4.5 years ago when i was 46 (yes, not quite 50, but still). while i was not quite menopausal, i was definitely peri-menopausal. i lost more than goal by 7 months post op: to that, while i can't quite comment on how menopause may affect weight loss, based on my own personal experience, i can submit MY own account on how menopause affected MAINTENANCE. its been over a year since my last period (im 50 now) - which i guess officially makes me menopausal - i haven't been "regular" for over 2 yrs), and so far has not affected weight (so far! *crosses fingers*) i have been more or less the same weight (give or take 5lbs) since stabilizing about 4 years ago. i think alot of how menopause will affect u is genetic and quite individualized. i have ZERO menopause symptoms. and according to my mom, it was the same for her. you may luck out, you may not. only time will tell. with that said, menopause does not mean weight loss and maintenance is unattainable. you may have to work a little harder than those who are unaffected, but it CAN be done. good luck and enjoy the ride! ❤️

who the heck told u that??

seems like its been a while since i've had one of my "big salads"....too much eat out and take out for the last little while... anyhoo, a salad: 324 cals for the whole bowl. romaine, carrots, tuna, chicharron, sesame seeds, wonton crisps, tartar sauce and vinaigrette. looks like i ate about 3/4 of it.

ahh but u are missing out on the wonderful world of tartares, carpaccios, koi sois, tatakis,....

i think most people (most, not all), are pretty run down and tired after surgery. i was dead man walking for about 2-3 weeks immediately after surgey, and just weak-man walking for the next few months after that. it does get better once you start eating more. worth noting that i'm 4.5+ years out, and i still don't think im as "strong" as i used to be pre-wls: opening jars and lifting every day things are just harder to do now. of course, i'm over 1/2 the weight/size i used to be, so i that explains some of that. hang in there ❤️

lol, i meant that NOT-horrible baby food meat does not exist (cuz they are ALL horrible 🤢)

i honestly think all the good wls advice in my head came out of my own mouth. hahahhahaha 😂 but seriously, this golden nugget came from my NuT, at around 3 months post-op, after i informed her i was not adhering to her guidelines: "Keep doing what works, stop doing what's not." Preach, lady. As for stuff said to me that was very UN-helpful, i cant even begin to choose. Good thing i rarely listen to other people, HA!

im not sure these exist. pureed meat...*shudder*

met the Kid's newest boyfriend for the first time yesterday. she told me their conversation afterwards went like this: Him: you didn't tell me u had a sister. the Kid: that was my Mom. Him: how old is she? the Kid: um, 50 Him: she looks like she's 27 (lol random number, but i'll take it!) Needless to say, he is welcome over ANYTIME. 😂😂

honestly, its not the weight loss that is outstanding between the two pics (which is very evident, btw!), but the projected confidence! Feeling good and looking it for the WIN! Congratulations! ❤️