Sheribear68

Lol, while I haven’t had that yet since surgery, there have been some close calls. My surgiversary will be in 3 days, so I’ll try to remember to post Thursday with a before and a current.

Everyone’s looking so great and glam! My secret confession: I’m hopeless at glam and trust me... elegant ain’t anywhere in my bio either, so I’ve decided I’m going to embrace who I am and accept that I’m the gal who wears her hair in a messy ponytail 90% of the time and would probably wear nothing except workout clothes if I didn’t have a job that required professional clothing. I don’t post here a lot anymore because my wardrobe is quite boring and uninspiring (it’s just smaller clothing than before, TBH) So.... I’ve decided this week I’ll post a different OOTD in my workout gear.

Holy moly guys! This day last year (Super Bowl Sunday) was my first day of all liquid diet I can remember being cranky and feeling sorry for myself bc here I was on the biggest food event of the year without being able to eat anything! This year, the food isn’t nearly as important to me. We’re not going to any parties, and I’ve got my usual food planned for the day. What a journey this past year has been.

Okay, so weird tummy issues seem to be gone, and I’m finally back to my “normal” eating pattern Finally got back on the scale this am and while I’m still in the 130’s, I didn’t drop this week like I was afraid I might after 2 days of limited calories. Went from 137.6 to 137.8 so I’ll count that as a maintenance “victory” So what are y’alls plans for the super bowl? Today I’ve started an ab challenge, and plan to run on the TM for a half hour, then household prep to get ready for the week (why oh why can’t a laundry fairy decide to come live with me?) and then I’ll be talking to my BAC peeps tonite. I’m not really a big NFL fan, so hubs and son will be watching, but we’re skipping the whole party thing and making it about what we want to do— not what pop culture thinks we should do. My food for today will be completely typical: Protein shake for breakfast, sensible lunch, then some leftover steak with salad and veg for dinner.

What’s funny is I was eating salad at 4 weeks PO. ZERO idea why it almost killed me this week.

Hello maintenance peeps! So I’ve had a weird week: Did 3 workouts  yesterday (one of them was low-key, mostly stretching) and worked 10 hours. It was so busy at work that I didn’t get enough calories in, but I got in about 50-55gm Protein (before 5pm). After my last Pilates class I was home at 7:45pm and hubs had dinner ready: pork tenderloin and a salad pack. By the time I got home I was STARVING. this wasn’t head hunger, I was legit HUNGRY. For some reason, the pork didn’t look appetizing at all and I dove straight into the salad mix. I dumped 1 cup salad mix (usually have 0.5-0.75 cups with 2oz meat) and wolfed it down within 5 mins. A whole cup of salad mix in 5 minutes. That wasn’t the worst part tho. I was still starving after that 5 minute and like an idiot went in for.....MORE SALAD. I was about 4-5 bites into another half cup when I got the worst intestinal cramps. Thought I was gonna die and had to put down my fork ASAP. spent the next couple of hours miserable on my couch and then didn’t sleep well all night. I’ve been battling intense nausea all day and have maybe had 24 ounces of Water and 200-300 calories today (1/2 a Premier Protein, 3 bites out of a P3 thingie, and half a pack of bariatric cream of chicken soup). I’m just now starting to feel quasi-normal again, though my tummy still feels slightly full. I was able to make it through work, but had to cancel tonight’s Pilates class. Has anyone else ever done anything like this to themselves and how long does it take to not feel as if your sleeve is full even when you’ve had next to no food in over 24 hours?

Okay guys, hubs and I have decided we are GOING TO THE BEACH this June. Can’t wait to start shopping outfits

Okay! We are having another one tomorrow! 7pm cst, I think

Sooooo good to hear from you! CONGRATS on losing 100 pounds!!! Omg, that’s such a HUGE milestone, and I’m happy to see you happy with it. Lol, I’d be careful about picking out too much in the way of clothing right now, because you’re gonna be shocked at how much difference the “last” 20-25 pounds will make in your bod. For example, here is my bod (5’7”, 51yo) at a weight of 163, vs 138, which is exactly 25 pounds. The difference is I was a tight size 10 at 163 in September and comfortable fit size 6 at 138. In fact, some of my size 6s are somewhat loose. I feel like a look great and healthy at both weights, but I still have that dress from this fall and it hangs off of me and I can’t wear it now. Finally gave it to my daughter who is a size 12 and she wears it.

Oooh the sparkles! I love sparkles. I’m sitting here (yet again) in yoga pants and an oversized (size medium) sweater top feeling distinctly UNglamourous. Waaaaaa.... I wanna go somewhere fun and wear something sexy and sparkly now. 🤣🤣🤣

This is so interesting. I thought i was in maintenance at 148-152, then suddenly dropped 10 more pounds and dropping about 1-1.5 pounds/week again. Surely this will stop within a few weeks, but the daily calorie struggle is real. As far as googling celebs, I recently found myself checking out that one picture of Jennifer Anniston and noticing that my body is probably smaller than hers (albeit surely with much more sags and wrinkles) This reality completely blew me away and I’m still trying to digest the fact that I’m wearing a size 6 now. Even a couple of weeks ago I called myself a 6/8, but even my newer size 8’s (the ones that ran small for 8) are getting baggier. Just for kicks, I tried on some size 4 Ann Taylor pants (bc that brand runs a bit large) and they fit like a glove. Didn’t buy them (because I never pay retail) but it was weird to see my bod fit in size 4 anything.

My secret confession is that I truly hate to cook. I do it a lot, but I can quite effectively hide this “deficiency” by using lots of shortcuts that I’ve depended on for years. Pre-packaged salad packs, pre-cut veggies, P3 packs, deli meat and cheese roll ups, store-bought hummus (rather than homemade), etc.... I love your cooked cereal (sounds delish) and yet I know I’ll probably never do it bc it won’t be something I’ll follow through on.

Omg!!!! You my friend look simply transformed. Your before shot shows how beautiful you already were, but you’re positively glowing with happiness now. Congrats on all of the hard work so far and I can’t wait to follow your continued success

LOVE the hair color and wow...... have you lost ANY hair? It looks so full and vibrant. The outfits you wear are awesome.

This is wonderful! I’ll be honest and admit that I still very much feel like a bariatric patient. I too don’t eat all of the food that I prep and log, so even though my logs say one thing, the truth of the matter is that many times I’m eating 3/4-7/8 of the food I’m packing and logging. I wish MFP had an option where you could just autocorrect the calories and macros down by 10-20% across the board bc then that would be a lot more accurate. My carb struggle is a very real and daily thing. Yesterday I logged over 40gm and it felt very odd and reflexively I wanted to cut back today to “make up” for it. Gotta get over that mindset bc I’m in the high 130’s and I don’t want to slide too much farther down. It’s a mind game. I’m wondering what on earth my subconscious is doing , and I’m working on working through it.

Okay, so I discovered these a few months ago: The multi ones are awesome bc you have to take 6 daily. I like it bc I can divide it up into 3x daily and it isn’t as concentrated and therefore doesn’t upset my sleeve. The iron has vit C with it, which is critical for absorption. 3 daily is the dose and I take them with food (but not with dairy) Then of course is the generic Miralax. I mix 1 scoop in my morning bottle of water and sometimes I need to mix a second if I get behind. These 3 things I do religiously every single day. It took awhile to build that habit, but it’s totally worth it

Kay, so heading back out to work soon, but I finished a challenge at the Pilates studio. 20 classes in 20 days. Lol, I finished in 17 days bc we are going out of town for the weekend tomorrow. Lately this has been my look. Not glamorous, and definitely no lipstick, but effective. I’ve really noticed more muscle definition in the last 3 weeks and I’m loving it!

Seriously guys... the discussions are GREAT. I’m sad bc I have to work tonite, but this group as already done wonders for me

I have many trigger foods. Some are triggers for “just” a few hours, and some I’ll probably never have again bc I don’t know how much I’ll be able to trust myself. Wine and clear spirits slightly trigger my hunger, but any kind of mixed drink with sugars completely turns on my “I need salty, crunchy food and I NEED IT NOW!!!” cycle. When I indulge in wine, I make sure I also have high fat, low carb options like mixed meats and cheeses, Parmesan chips, and some nuts on hand. The fat fills me up and it’s quite savory. The nuts and park chips are for when I need a bit of “crunch” Because these items are low-ish in sugars, the cycle doesn’t escalate. I’ve had bread like twice in the last year: once was when I was out traveling and the sammie I ordered was literally falling apart without the bread to hold it together (I was driving, had no option) and the other was when I stole a bite of my husbands dinner roll at dinner. Promptly spat out half of it bc it tasted so nasty. I’m counting myself lucky on this, but I’m under no illusion: I’m convinced that if I were to regularly try out bread, my aversion to it might fade or even go away and I don’t want that. Therefore I won’t even go there. Last fall at a football tailgate, I did have a bit of ruffles and French onion dip and it completely made me lose control for a few hours (I was also drinking at this event). Salty, carby, crunchy things are my kryptonite so I will indulge with caution and the knowledge that If I do, then I’ll prolly need to fast for at least 16-18 hours the next day to detox. Strangely, I can walk right on by cookies,cake,pie,candy and it’s no prob. I had a half-slice chocolate mousse pie for Christmas (my all-time fave) and it was “meh”. However, after having it, I was craving the savory crunchy so I know the sugars turned on my lizard brain. At the end of the day, so not worth it IMO

Hello February family! Can you guys believe it’s been almost a year since we’ve had surgery? I’m curious as to what many of us are struggling with now vs what we THOUGHT we might be struggling with. I’ll go first: Never ever in my wildest hopes did I think a year ago that I would be struggling to eat enough calories to slow my loss. Guys, I’m planning menus more now with more attention to detail than I ever did during this process. Any day that I can actually eat up to 1100 calories (my goal for the last 2 weeks) is a major celebration. I mean, I could eat CRAP and get there, but I’m determined to do it with whole,healthy food, which is still incredibly challenging with this sleeve. Also, I still struggle with BD, and have to take pics a few times a week to really “see” how thin I am now. Wow.... typing out that I’m “thin” was difficult. Anyway, I’d love to hear of y’all s thoughts and see if we can work together to deal with some of our issues and move together as a group into year #2

LOVE these pants although with my short and stubby legs I fear I’d look ridiculous in something so trendy and chic. Angiebear, you’re continuing to disappear right before our eyes! I’ve said this before, but someday we all need to agree to meet somewhere fun and go on a massive shopping trip. Need all y’all to help me with my conservative ways and to try to get past not wanting to attract attention to myself and blend in with the background.

Okay so I just posted on the stall thread, but this discussion here is also relevant. Here is from 1 month PO, when I got this scale. I’d already lost 25 pounds and had my 2-week stall (which is why I got the nicer scale that had Bluetooth to help me keep track) What’s interesting is the time period from thanksgiving to first week in January. I thought I was in maintenance only to discover it was yet another stall. 🤷‍♀️

So this is something I think some of you might be interested in: I had 3 major stalls in my first 10 months PO. In spite of that, I managed to hit GW in my 8th month. Then at 10 months out (which was during the holidays) I found myself at the same weight for a month and I was thinking I was in maintenance. I was 5-7 pounds BELOW GW, so the maintain didn’t bother me. I put my scale away bc I wanted to just enjoy my new body and lifestyle and told myself I’d use how my clothes fit as a guide. Then about 2 weeks ago I was taking a selfie and noticed my clothes were baggier than I remembered. Got on the scale and was shocked to discover another 6 pound loss. During that 3-4 week period of time, I ate and drank with reckless abandon. I most surely didn’t “earn” that 6 pound drop. And since then I’ve dropped another 2 pounds while trying to INCREASE my calories. Stalls are weird and they can take you by surprise. That last one disguised itself as maintenance.

My work outfit for Sunday. lol, I’ve been behind in posting and I’ve lived in yoga pants since yesterday morning so I’m not posting pics of those..... Everyone looks amazing (as always). One day I intend to step up my fashion game (as soon as I win the lottery) Sweater is a size small and black pants are a size 6. Still can’t believe it when I put this size on and it fits

I wish! Sadly with a lifetime of working on my feet and intermittent issue with plantar fasciitis, I’m stuck with “sensible” shoes unless I want to be in agony