ms.sss

had surgery 4.5+ years ago. i told a total of 5 people: Mr., the Kid, Mom, Sis & BFF...all of whom i knew would not say anything to anybody if i asked them not to. BFF was the only one who brought up the "cheat" word, but i was prepared for it, and just took it in stride. People around me would constantly ask about my evident weight loss (un-solicited advice about speed of loss, amount i ate, how much weight loss was "enough", how i sick i looked, etc)...and i too became a master-subject-changer (earlier OP has it right, people LOVE to talk about themselves, so subject-changing is relatively easy, for the most part). If its any consolation, as the months and years go by, you and your weight loss become old news and it is rarely, or ever, brought up again. ...Now...im going to bring up something that is sorta against the grain here: while i don't think WLS is "cheating" by any means (i mean, weight loss is not an exam for effs sakes! there are no rules or laws about how it should be done 🙄), i do actually sympathize with the idea that it was the easy way...or at least one of the "easi-ER" ways. In all my attempts at weight loss, no other method (at least for ME) was as "easy" to adhere to than WLS. Getting the sleeve helped me lose more weight in less time than any other time in my life. I had to put up waaaay more effort to control food intake in all my previous diets than i ever did with WLS. with WLS, it definitely was comparatively "easy". And the icing on the cake is that i have (so far) kept it off. I would only manage to keep the weight off before for like maybe 6 or so months. This time around, the weight has stayed off for 4 YEARS (again, so far - i am not so delusional that i will look like this forever...but i'll try lol) So in short (sorry it took so long for me to get here): 1. People suck. Ignore them, OR just feed their narcissism. 2. Suckiness is temporary. Ride it out until its behind you. 3. WLS makes losing weight easier. 4. You look fab!

4.5+ years out. This one made me laugh way back then, and still does:

YUMMMMMMMERRRRRR!

ah...i see what u are asking now...i just googled how to make labneh, lol. looks like u start with regular full fat yogurt then make it into a greek like one. though wouldn't starting with a greek-like one be more efficient?? 🤷🏻‍♀️ ...off to google more...

i've never made it...always just picked it up at a local bakery....it's definitely a thicker greek like yogurt consistency rather than the thin kind. though now that u bring it up, maybe i should try to make this from scratch...i do have a still-unused "yogurt" button on my instant pot! and i can add my own toppings...ooh the possibilities! lol (thanks for the idea ha!)

bunchy-lunch: texas chilli with rice, parmesan shavings, focaccia and pesto labneh (again, lol) 416 calories for all of what is shown. ate *almost* all of it...left about 1/3 the chilli & rice and one if the focaccia pieces, but someone ate it before i could take an "after" picture....

agreed 😂

feels like forever since i've posted an OOTD! its' skirt and tshirt weather over here today (finally!) ...didnt even need to wear a jacket (but i did get cold in the grocery store though...)

also, my "dinner" just now: provolone and kale focaccia and a couple tablespoons of pesto labneh (omg so good). it was 408 cals for all of it, butbased on the after pic, im gonna log 1/3 of the total as mr. already ate my leftovers.

been remiss about logging my food again since back from vacay. well here we go again! brunch: blueberries, pumpkin seeds and a couple dates: 181 calories ate it all!

i've pretty much been below goal weight since reaching it. i guess you could say i fluctuate, but it happens below goal. i stabilized in the 110-115 lbs range for about a year or two once into maintenance. but the past couple years i mostly live in the 115-120 range. though the past couple months i've ventured above 120 more often than i would like so im keeping an eye on it! (i still weigh myself every day)

old-ish timer here. not sure if my info fits the vibe here, but here it is anyway: 4.5 yrs post and am 114 lbs lighter today than i was when i started. i eat all foods like a "normal" person, but at much smaller quantities per sitting.

to your question: i lost 22 lbs first month after surgery, and 17 lbs the second month. after that it was roughly 10lbs per month until goal. lost a few more lbs while i figured out how to eat "normally" again, gained back a few, lost, gained the same few lbs, etc. today am still sitting below goal weight (i had surgery 4.5 yrs ago. but keep in mind i was 235 at start. lost 11 or so lbs during 2-wk pre-op, and am barely 5'2" tall. its may or may not be ur experience. but one thing for sure, stick with ur program and we all end up in the same place eventually. good luck! ❤️

smoked salmon cream cheese mousse atop mini potato cakes (omg so good, ate 3 and all the garnish) AND roasted beet tartare boats (not nearly as good, ate about half of one..too much "boat" and not enough beet) AND 1/2 bottle of wine, 2 espresso martinis, 1 vodka soda and a couple sips of some waaaaay-too-sweet lemonade-elderflower cocktail.

last pic on second row was was about 6 or so weeks before my PS procedures (arm lift, breast lift and tummy tuck) bottom row are all post plastics taken at different times (dates as indicated) im a little over 4 years post WLS and a little over 3 yrs post plastics today.

same.

daaaaaaammmmnnnnn! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

everyday is different for me. some days im food heavy in the beginning of my eating window, sometimes at the end, sometimes middle, sometimes not at all. all depends on how im feeling any particular days. grazing vs. snacking: i *think*, now that u guys bring it up, the diff between the two is scheduling and/or regularity. i guess for me, meals + snacks would be at set times more or less with set amounts. grazing is more like whatever: i eat when i feel like it, in small-ish amounts all "day" long (where "day" for me is generally 12-7 pm) note: i do eat outside this window on occasion but not often

im 4+ years post op. I've been grazing since the beginning and still do. I think it matters more how many total calories you consume than how many times you eat. so long as the higher frequency of eating times does not result in more calories overall (for your given situation), you should find it makes no difference. Good luck! ❤️

ok. was still a little peckish after the carrots so ventured into the fridge and got some ham and cheese. 124 calories...ate all the cheese and one piece of ham (turns out i wasn't that peckish after all) Bonus: a shot of a hungry kitty cat in the bottom left corner! ❤️

dinner (not a cake, but *almost* just as yum...I HEART BLUE CHEESE!!) 116 calories...ate it all 👍🏼

...then an afternoon snack and some Netflix. sweet and salty Kettle corn popcorn & some bbq chips. 435 calories for the bowl. split it with mr, and i ate about half (probably less, but i'll round up)

Mini tasting menu Japanese lunch. I had a taste (about a teaspoons worth) of everything, except the Chawanmushi (which i ate in its entirety) plus a miso soup with clams that i didn't take a pic of. For perspective, each bowl is about the size of a tennis ball. Est 355 calories for what i ate...mr. ate the rest. Clockwise from top: spicy salmon sashimi & avocado on sushi rice; braised beef tongue and tamago (japanese style rolled omelette); Chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard with shrimp and mushrooms), squid, Ikura (salmon roe) and a quail egg on sushi rice); seaweed salad in the middle.

OMG this looks ah-may-zing 🤤🤤🤤