ms.sss

i haven't been logging my food regularly for quite a while now as i felt like i could manage on maintenance autopilot. anyway, looks like i need to tweek my diet as i've been unsuccessful in bringing my weight back up to an acceptable level for months now. its kinda challenging as i've been eating out 90% of our meals all these said months, and its hard to guess the calories content of restaurant meals. gotta try tho. so here we go! my first tracked meal in a reaaallly long time: cottage cheese, blueberries, black pepper and anchovies (dont judge me! lol) 193 calories (easy to log cuz i made it, ha!)

pro tip: if you create an album on your profile and upload pics to that, you can add and delete to your hearts content. (if you want to share a pic in one of said albums in a post/thread, just copy and paste the urls into your post!) i do this all the time. ❤️

i got alot of the same responses/reactions about my decision to get an arm lift as well. i was told my arms weren't so bad, that they were fine, and that no one noticed the extra skin. Well *i* noticed. i always disliked my upper arms, even when i was "normal sized" as a teen, in my twenties, early thirties. one if my biggest sadnesses was having to wear a shawl on my wedding day over my awesome sleeveless dress because i was uncomfortable showing them. then when i started the road to morbid obesity, i absolutely HATED them omg fast forward to post wls and my joy of wearing tank tops again were marred by not up to snuff arms. so i got me an arm lift, baby. i wont sugarcoat it: recovery was a bee-yatch. mostly self-inflicted as i didn't listen to my doc and did too much too soon. i also have noticeable scars (im over 5 yrs post plastics, 6.5years post wls), which i knew going in as i historically scar badly. BUT, omg i love my arms. weird to say out loud but true. im sleeveless like ALL the time, even in winter lol. and because i love my arms so much i take care of them with regular exercise, ha! here is a link to my BariatricPal photo album of my arm lift before pics and progress/results over the years: there are pics 6m before arm lift, day before arm lift, and 1 & 6 months after, and one from last fall (5 years after arm lift) (im trying to find old pics of arm close ups where im not flexing, but it seems i only like to flex hahhaha) long story short, if you have the means/resources and the desire, do it! you only live once, may as well enjoy it with fabulous arms (or boobs or butts or noses) if thats what you want. good luck! ❤️

what @SpartanMaker said. increases muscle mass which drives up metabolism. good for physical health and side benefit of looking hawt. AND probably the number one, oft-ignored-yet-totally-obvious, underrated, oh-so-accessible producer of positive mental health...❤️ also...what @DaisyChainOz said. while it really doesn't matter what WE think you look like, you do look fab as ever. if u didn't see the number on the scale, would you still look pretty effing awesome in all those gorgeous clothes in your closet? but i get it, fear of going back to our pre-wls selves is a big thing in our demographic, no matter how unlikely that is your case. hugs. p.s. you know what i did last week when i was feeling down and annoyed? i bought a new pair of shoes. just saying...

agreed. if they called it a custard, i may have tried it, ha!

may not be a popular answer, but if you are looking for a high protein, high calorie, low density food, chicharron (aka pork rinds or cracklins) was my go to back in the day when i had very low stomach capacity and was trying to stop weight loss. worked like a charm. mind you they are also very high in fat (and depending which brand or how you make them, are also high in soduim) so keep that in mind.

dinner tonite: kale and pomegranate salad (yum!) + jerk pork w/ bitter greens (i've had better) + candied corn pudding (super duper yum). ate ½ the salad, a couple bites of the pork, 1 forkful of greens (which i spit out sorry), and on the left of the last pic, ½ the pudding and just a smaaaaaaall taste of the ice cream (i'm lactose intolerant and didn't have any pills on me, so i had to restrain myself, lol). the dessert on the right was mr.'s..a raspberry creme brullee, which i declined because it was soggy on top. i mean what self-respecting creme brulee is soggy on top??? no thanks.

dinner last night: i have a bad habit of ordering more food that i can eat which is both a blessing and a curse for Mr., who always gets tasked to dealing with my leftovers. i don't have an after pic, cuz yeah, he ate it all before i could (plus he ate all of his dinner too omg.). i have no proof, but i believe i ate 2 broccoli florets. 2 or 3 forkfuls of of the sauteed onions, 4-5 potato squares, 1 forkful of corn, and maybe 1/4 of that ribeye. i ate from the left side which was the fattier part...soooo yum. IMG_1644.mov

so i recently joined a new hot yoga studio (cuz i had do a temporary move...long story) and tried a spin class that is included in the membership. omg. i am now a convert! i love it. i always kinda laughed at it when spin classes were portrayed in movies/tv/pop culture, but i totally drank the kool-aid and am now a believer. it appeals to the competitor in me as i look at others' rpms and intensity level screens (yes, i know i shouldn't do this), and i love the loud dance music that drowns out all other sound and the go-go-go of it all. totally opposite of my other true love of yoga...maybe why it appeals to me. anyway, just a suggestion for something to try....u may be surprised that u like it (i totally was). good luck! ❤️

yep. mine still talks to (sometimes screams at) me, and im 6+ years out! often times i can FEEL the noises as well. though lately in the past few weeks, ive started to feel the rumbling not just in my abdomen, but also in my back! weird. we theorize its because i’ve got so thin lately that the rumbling can be felt everywhere as there is less mass to “travel” through or buffer the gastro “tremors”…*shrug*

i goaled myself for 120, smack dab in the middle of the bmi healthy goal range for my height, only because i needed a goal to head towards (i wasnt much of a lets just see kinda person back then…though i am now…but i digress) anyway got to 127 and i called goal cuz i wasnt interested in going lower based in what i saw in the mirror. plus i felt pretty great already. that was 6 years ago. since then i seem to have continued to slooooowly lose weight. i sometimes gain a little but my graph definately trends down over the years. especially the last 2-ish years. and im not TRYING to lose, just am due to my lifestyle choices and other circumstances (more active, got braces, tried out vegetarianism - spoiler alert, it didn’t stick lol). as of this morning i am 101 lbs. yes i realize its too thin. i was 98 lbs a few days ago, so im on it! so really, setting a goal can help lead you in a direction, bit the buck doesnt stop there so to speak. feeling good, liking/accepting what u see in the mirror, all the nsv’s should be considered. further, weight loss (or gain, by the same token) is not restricted to to the immediate months after surgery. if u stop losing, doesnt mean u cant lose more in the future. same as gaining…doent mean i wont gain weight back. nothing is static, things are always changing…you decide if you will change as well.

omg and lol *raises hand* i totally used to bawl during savasana at the end of almost every yoga class i took in the beginning!!! my instructors said its a common occurrence....something about releasing tension and emotion?? lasted about a month or so for me (mind u i went/go to class 1-2 times daily so i fast tracked the ugly-cry phase lol). i do remember it was very disconcerting at the time. when i try to explain it to non-yoga-ers, the best i could describe was that i wasn't feeling sadness nor happiness exactly...more like feeling overwhelmed, with what exactly, its hard to pinpoint...relief? gratitude? unworthiness? its been a while since i did that in class so my memory is foggy.... in any case, it normal apparently!

chiming in to say i had a similar start to running like AmberFL. (note though that i am a track or round-my-600m-neighbourhood-block runner, and not a follow-my-nose-runnner lol). started off walking around the track/block, then jogging one side of it, to jogging 1/2 of it, to jogging every other lap to full on jogging non-stop, then doing the same progression, this time interspersing with running. then longer and/or faster runs. by the end of my running heyday, i was running at least 5K every day (sometimes twice a day) with a longer 10K maybe once a week. then...i hurt my foot. didn't run for 3 months, and never went back to it with the same intensity. these days, i probably get a 5K in 1-2 times a week (less when its too cold). but i do get my exercise in other ways, so its all good. as for fuel, its been a while, but i do remember feeling quite hungry after runs and would actually eat food before noon (not my usual M.O.), could also be because i always ran on an empty stomach (by choice, i hate - and still do - the feeling of something in my stomach when i exercise). to the OP, its effing awesome that you are discovering a fondness for exercise...it really does make a world of difference, for your health, your sleep, your body's ability for recovery, your mental clarity....your overall well-being! plus, it makes you feel grrrrrrrreaaat and look hawt. ❤️

i actually thought i was in menopause at the time of my surgery...i hadn't had a period for almost two years just prior to that. about 2 weeks after surgery, i got a period, omg. and lasted for like 8-10 days. which is weird, cuz when i was regular, my periods lasted 4-5 days tops. and this one was HEAVY. after that, i got my period like clockwork, every 4 weeks, lasting 4-5 days again. guess i wasn't in menopause after all, i was just fat. which sucked (the period part not the fat part) cuz i really hate getting periods. then about 4 years later, i truly went into menopause. and haven't had a regular period since 2022. yay! but yeah, i as i understand it, hormones are stored in some level of fat, so when there is rapid weight/fat loss, your hormones are released back into your body (bloodstream?), and you are effected by it. so if hormones are the cause of your spotting, this could be why. but to be safe, pls have a visit with your doc or gyno. don't mess with reproductive health: if you can catch something early, catch it early. good luck! ❤️

i have a oft-visiting hernia (it pops out sometimes, but i've always been able to pop it back in - yeah, i know, gross - also its not an umbilical hernia, but an incisional hernia a couple inches below and to the right of my belly button) sometimes it hurts a bit (when it protrudes a little), sometimes its excruciating (when it protrudes alot ), and sometimes it doesn't hurt at all (when its under the muscle). when its under the muscle, i can't feel it with my fingers. soooo...do u have a hernia? most likely not, but go doctor to make sure pls.. cuz if u do have a hernia, they very rarely get better on their own...they only get worse over time until u need surgery to keep it under control. ive been dealing with mine for about 5-6 years now, and i really should get it taken care of, just haven't got around to it. le sigh. good luck ❤️

google "waistband clip"... i've only seen lics of it used in front or the side, but i dont see why u couldn't affix them to the back (or at least side-back). full disclosure, i've never tried them myslef, but i did contemplate buying them during weight loss phase, just never got around to it. (im 6+ years out now and my weight loss days are long behind me)

ah, me too! my regrowth came back with a curl to it. but i LOVE it, it makes my hair look thicker than it really is. i'm 6+ years out now, so my whole head is now wavy (instead of just the top). hang in there, and just wait it out...you may love it just as much as i do.

i wouldn't worry too much about a 3 lb gain over 10 days, especially if you haven't drastically changed your eating habits and/or activity level. maybe if those 3 lbs are still there a month from now, you can do some re-evaluating, but until then, TRY not to stress (yeah, i know easier said....) case in point: 3 nights ago, i weighed myself and i was up 5.2 lbs. now i don't usually weigh at night, and i hadn't pooped in a few days, AND i JUST had dinner, AND i had a super extra-salty vodka caesar. then yesterday morning, i was a little over 1lb less than my "normal"...(i pooped! lol, and it was morning, my usual weigh in time). i didn't eat less nor more, i didn't exercise less nor more either. long story short, our weight will fluctuate (sometimes by alot) day to day. what matters is your average weight over time (and not over 10 days, but over months) good luck! you are doing great ❤️

i'm one of those that had a 3-fer. I had breast lift, arm lift and tummy tuck all in one knock out. i too tried to decide if i should space them out. since my surgeon said he could do them all under 6 hours (his max under time), he left it up to me. i initially decided just to do just the arms and boobs but then at the very last second decided to add the tummy tuck as well. i'm glad i did cuz my recovery was a bee-yatch...though all of my own doing...but i digress...and i'm glad i don't have to go through that again. in all, am super pleased with his work. my arm are nice and slim (i live in sleeveless shirts), my boobs are like teenager boobs (i can go bra-less no prob), and my stomach is (almost as) flat a board (i have 20 year olds in my yoga class who compliment on my abs on a regular basis...btw im 52). if you have the means and the desire to get plastics, go for it. its a total game changer. the hardest part is the recovery, but if you take it slow and do as your doc says, you'll be up and at em (and looking hawt) in no time. good luck! ❤️

something to note that i discovered many women (and men) don't realize is cup size is not static across band sizes (sorry if you do know, i just got the feeling that this wasn't clear in the thread above...) anyway... the amount of "boob volume" that can be stuffed into a 36C is actually LESS than the amount you can stuff into a 34C. along the same lines, that same 36C boob is larger in VOLUME than a boob in a 38C. sooooo... 3 women with bra sizes 34D, 36C, and 38B actually all have the same size boob (if they are wearing a properly fitting bra of course), however their TORSO sizes are different. with that said, 1) @ShoppGirl its reallllllllllly hard (impossible?) to tell what size you will be in the future. on top of that, it's equally (more?) difficult to determine if you will stay that way. 2) i do understand that you have a decision to make (under time crunches and duress, omg) but like everything else on here, its reallllllllyy hard to compare yourself and your outcomes to others cuz, well, you know... but since you asked, here are my deets: btw, 28D is like a unicorn to find in a retail store...i just get the sister size of 30C (which isn't that easy to find either, but at least better than trying to find 28D!) i didn't keep meticulous records of my changing bra size during active weight loss, so i can't say how quickly i changed bra sizes. i dont think i even bought a new bra during weight loss phase, just kept wearing ill fitting ones or none at all, ha. not sure i was any help here, but it there is anything to take away from this data of my sample of ONE, is that if you shrink proportionately as you lose weight, you will stay the same bra size (remember 28D has same boob volume as 30C, just smaller torso, which has nothing to do with implant size)...now, will you shrink proportionately? who even knows. 3) lastly, in my insignificant opinion (i mean i am just a stranger on the internet), if it were me, i would opt to err on the side of smaller vs bigger. i can always wear a padded bra if i wanna go bigger afterwards, but not much i can do to make a set too-big boobies smaller. good luck! ❤️

something to note that i discovered many women (and men) don't realize is cup size is not static across band sizes (sorry if you do know, i just got the feeling that this wasn't clear in the thread above...) anyway... the amount of "boob volume" that can be stuffed into a 36C is actually LESS than the amount you can stuff into a 34C. along the same lines, that same 36C boob is larger in VOLUME than a boob in a 38C. sooooo... 3 women with bra sizes 34D, 36C, and 38B actually all have the same size boob (if they are wearing a properly fitting bra of course), however their TORSO sizes are different. with that said, 1) @ShoppGirl its reallllllllllly hard (impossible?) to tell what size you will be in the future. on top of that, it's equally (more?) difficult to determine if you will stay that way. 2) i do understand that you have a decision to make (under time crunches and duress, omg) but like everything else on here, its reallllllllyy hard to compare yourself and your outcomes to others cuz, well, you know... but since you asked, here are my deets: btw, 28D is like a unicorn to find in a retail store...i just get the sister size of 30C (which isn't that easy to find either, but at least better than trying to find 28D!) i didn't keep meticulous records of my changing bra size during active weight loss, so i can't say how quickly i changed bra sizes. i dont think i even bought a new bra during weight loss phase, just kept wearing ill fitting ones or none at all, ha. not sure i was any help here, but it there is anything to take away from this data of my sample of ONE, is that if you shrink proportionately as you lose weight, you will stay the same bra size (remember 28D has same boob volume as 30C, just smaller torso, which has nothing to do with implant size)...now, will you shrink proportionately? who even knows. 3) lastly, in my insignificant opinion (i mean i am just a stranger on the internet), if it were me, i would opt to err on the side of smaller vs bigger. i can always wear a padded bra if i wanna go bigger afterwards, but not much i can do to make a set too-big boobies smaller. good luck! ❤️

neither am i...like SM, i won't get into it here, there is alot of info out in the google-verse that you can read about and come to your own conclusions. HOWEVER, if you reaalllllly want to add more weight/intensity to your work outs, a weighted vest may be less damaging as the weight is more evenly distributed over your body. my SIL goes rucking regularly (basically hiking with a weighted vest or backpack on) and she LOVES it. says she gets a good workout in plus swears it's fixing her posture.

omg, how did i miss reading that you have the same body part injured as me???!!?!? now i'm scared i'm eventually going to tear mine!!! yikes. arggggggg.....

sooo...let me be a cautionary tale for you. after my plastics i was so itching to go back to running that i did just that, at about 2-3 weeks post (i was told to wait 4-6 weeks). and wouldn't you know, i busted open my stitches in 4 different places. doc told me to wait another 4-6 weeks. and what did i do? i went running again, 2-3 weeks before i was supposed to. and yep, busted them open AGAIN,..only 2 places this time, but still. so because of my stupidity, i extended my recovery time by a good extra 3 months, and probably made those areas that re-opened more scar-ish looking had i not been so eager to move. but i get it, i was so upset about not being able to move like i wanted to, i would seriously ugly cry some days. though this may have been because of the hormones or recovery or the pain or the fact it was winter and dark, lol...in any case i was miserable for what seemed like a really long time. sooooo...take it easy, try not to worry about not being perfect in the exercise or food department (cuz i mean, you aren't 100% right now, how can you expect to give 100% ??) but yea, easier said than done. i know. p.s. full disclosure: i am currently nursing a double "proximal hamstring tendiopathy" a.k.a. yoga butt...been suffering from it for like 2-3 months now. physio told me to rest it, meaning stop doing forward folds and splits...but i mean basically EVERYTHING in yoga involves some variation of a forward fold or split! needless to say, i have not stopped and am totally in pain. AND i have a shoulder injury from falling on it a month ago and have not been resting that either. so yeah, if you don't want to end up like a sack of injury like me, do as i say, not as i do! ha! (i made a new years resolution to cut down on exercise this year, but as we can see, it is not going well. le sigh,) good luck! ❤️

it will really be up to you to find what you and enjoy doing...best to try different things and see what sticks. start slow and small! i started off with just walking....i then tried a gazillion other activities/exercises/classes and went through phases of interest. i'm 6+ years out now and the ones that stuck were: pilates, hot yoga, running/hiking, rock climbing, dance, and the occasional swim. as an aside, weight lifting and other gym-type machines are the bane of my existence. i never enjoyed it, and still don't. i went through a couple of years forcing myself to do it, but eventually stopped, because, well, i hate it, lol. but yeah, as mentioned above, find something you actually like, because you will be more likely to keep doing it. good luck! ❤️