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PollyEster

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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PollyEster last won the day on July 9 2020

PollyEster had the most liked content!

About PollyEster

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  1. PollyEster

    5 months post-op

    Correction: Body fat 17.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%.
  2. PollyEster

    5 months post-op

    Profile: Bariathlete. Body fat: 17.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%. Starting weight: 292lbs. Surgery weight: 242lbs. Weight 21 weeks post-op: 151lbs. Weight 54 weeks post-op: 105lbs. Diet: 100% plant-based whole food diet. I eat all kinds of veggies both raw and cooked including starchy veg like potatoes and sweet potatoes, sprouts, herbs, all kinds of fruits usually raw, all beans and legumes, tofu and tempeh, seitan, whole heritage grains (such as sprouted brown rice, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, farro, barley, millet, quinoa, flaxseed, hempseed, chia seeds, cracked oats), nuts and seeds as well as nut and seed milks and butters, hummus, 100% stone ground whole wheat and rye bread, coffee and tea (limited. Limited processed foods such as stevia and pea milk. I don't count calories or carb-protein-fat ratios closely, but when actively training I have to eat for fuel and aim for 4,000 kcal/day @ roughly 65% carbohydrate, 13% protein, and 22% fat. The way I accomplish this is by eating 6-10 small meals per day. Pre-surgery workout (started 12 months pre-op): Worked up to 30-45 mins daily cardio. Light weight training 2-3x per week. When I first started, I could only walk 2-3 blocks before needing to rest and catch my breath. Post-surgery workout (started 8 weeks post-op): 1.5-2hrs daily cardio (running, swimming, cycling, rowing). Weight training 4 days per week. Post-surgery, I completed my first full marathon (solo due to 2020 covid-19 pandemic) in 4:48:02 and three sprint triathlons. Currently training toward competing in the next full Ironman, which will hopefully be held in 2021.

    © © 2020 PollyEster

  3. PollyEster

    5 days post-op

    Profile: Bariathlete. Body fat: 17.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%. Starting weight: 292lbs. Surgery weight: 242lbs. Weight 21 weeks post-op: 151lbs. Weight 54 weeks post-op: 105lbs. Diet: 100% plant-based whole food diet. I eat all kinds of veggies both raw and cooked including starchy veg like potatoes and sweet potatoes, sprouts, herbs, all kinds of fruits usually raw, all beans and legumes, tofu and tempeh, seitan, whole heritage grains (such as sprouted brown rice, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, farro, barley, millet, quinoa, flaxseed, hempseed, chia seeds, cracked oats), nuts and seeds as well as nut and seed milks and butters, hummus, 100% stone ground whole wheat and rye bread, coffee and tea (limited. Limited processed foods such as stevia and pea milk. I don't count calories or carb-protein-fat ratios closely, but when actively training I have to eat for fuel and aim for 4,000 kcal/day @ roughly 65% carbohydrate, 13% protein, and 22% fat. The way I accomplish this is by eating 6-10 small meals per day. Pre-surgery workout (started 12 months pre-op): Worked up to 30-45 mins daily cardio. Light weight training 2-3x per week. When I first started, I could only walk 2-3 blocks before needing to rest and catch my breath. Post-surgery workout (started 8 weeks post-op): 1.5-2hrs daily cardio (running, swimming, cycling, rowing). Weight training 4 days per week. Post-surgery, I completed my first full marathon (solo due to 2020 covid-19 pandemic) in 4:48:02 and three sprint triathlons. Currently training toward competing in the next full Ironman, which will hopefully be held in 2021.

    © © 2020 PollyEster

  4. PollyEster

    12.5 months post-op

    Correction: Body fat 17.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%.
  5. PollyEster

    12.5 months post-op

    Starting weight 292lbs. Surgery weight 242lbs. Weight 5 months post-op 151lbs. Current weight (30 Oct 2020) 105lbs @ 54 weeks post-op. Body fat 18.2%, down from pre-surgery measure of 59.4%. Diet: 100% plant-based whole food diet bariathlete. I eat all kinds of veggies both raw and cooked including starchy veg like potatoes and sweet potatoes, sprouts, herbs, all kinds of fruits usually raw, all beans and legumes, tofu and tempeh, seitan, whole heritage grains (such as sprouted brown rice, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, farro, barley, millet, quinoa, flaxseed, hempseed, chia seeds, cracked oats), nuts and seeds as well as nut and seed milks and butters, fruits, hummus, 100% stone ground whole wheat and rye bread, coffee and tea (limited). Limited processed foods such as stevia and pea milk). I don't count calories or carb-protein-fat ratios closely, but when actively training I have to eat for fuel and aim for 4,000 kcal/day @ roughly the proportions suggested by Chris Carmichael (Lance Armstrong's former coach) as suggested in his book "Food for Fitness": 65% carbohydrate, 13% protein, 22% fat. The way I accomplish this is by eating 6-10 small meals per day. Pre-surgery workout: 30 mins daily cardio for 12 months. Light weight training 2-3x per week. When I first started, I could only walk 2-3 blocks before needing to rest and catch my breath. Post-surgery workout (started 8 weeks post-op): 1.5-2hrs daily cardio (running, swimming, cycling, rowing). Weight training 4 days per week. Triathlete. 12 months after surgery I completed my first full marathon (solo due to 2020 covid-19 pandemic) in 4:48:02. I am currently training toward competing in the next full Ironman, which will hopefully be held in 2021.

    © © 2020 PollyEster

  6. Pre-surgery, I never dared to imagine that I'd eventually weigh less after surgery than I did in high school, but at almost 11 months post-op, I'm tiny and do see myself as thin now. I also am finding that I deeply appreciate my loose skin (which is not too bad at all considering the amount of weight I've lost), perceiving it as a battle wound, perhaps even something to feel proud of in the way some women who've had a mastectomy are proud of their scars. I can honestly say I love the way I look. But more than this, I love the way I feel: strong, fit, healthy, and physically able to do anything I set my mind to. I ♥ VSG.
  7. PollyEster

    Food Before and After Photos

    Salad made with kale from the garden, smoky maple BBQ tempeh, homemade vegan parmesan. Ate it all! 😋
  8. PollyEster

    Food Before and After Photos

    Thank you so much, MarvelGirl! Not to worry though, there's a lot that you don't see: for every dozen or so photos or dishes, there's at least one epic fail that looked like this ("before") in my mind, but ended up like this ("after") in real life! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 © Elías García Martínez/Cecilia Giménez
  9. PollyEster

    Food Before and After Photos

    Mmmmmmm!! 😍😍😍😍 your salad presentation, ms.sss!
  10. PollyEster

    Food Before and After Photos

    I have nothing but love for avo toast, especially when it includes everything bagel seasoning. This is soooooooo beautiful and nummy-looking!
  11. PollyEster

    Food Before and After Photos

    She’s been making these since about age 6 or 7. Simple no-bake recipes like these are perfect for younger kids; they can easily manage them on their own (with an adult nearby when using the mixer), especially if just rolling into balls or bars. I had a food blog for many years, and both my kids were helping out (and I use that term veeeeery loosely 😂 because basically it meant everything took 20 times longer and was 50 times messier) by the time they were 3 with little things like mashing foods, stirring batter, shaking liquids, kneading dough, rinsing fruit and veg, helping with grocery shopping, etc. Both had their first nylon knife and peeler sets by age 5, could read recipes (kids cookbooks) and make them without any help by age 6, and my daughter cooked and served an entire plant-based holiday meal for us by herself last year. She’s been obsessed with watching Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Jr. for years now. Since kids summer cooking camp was cancelled this year, we got her a monthly subscription service for a kit that includes ingredients, recipes, a video cooking lesson, a new kitchen tool, and fun dinner conversation starters – takes some pressure off of me, plus I don’t have to cook as often, win-win!
  12. PollyEster

    Remembering foods you can’t eat now

    Food memories are powerful. There are so many beloved childhood foods I will never eat again: mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter, buttermilk biscuits, scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves, beef bourguignon and beef stroganoff, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy, stuffing, quiche with ham and cheese, freshly made pies with butter pastry or pate sucree crusts, cinnamon buns and hot cross buns drizzled with icing, fudge, lemon curd, all sorts of cookies and cakes... especially pound cake and jam roly-poly. Rice and bread puddings, too. Within the first year after going plant-based, I occasionally tried an old favourite, but they just didn't do it for me anymore. As happens for many post-ops, everything was just too sweet or too heavy or too chemically or too uncomfortable sitting in my stomach. My palate changed completely. My food memories were better than the actual foods themselves. Occasionally, during moments of nostalgia or longing tied to fond memories of people and places, I still miss the memory or anticipation of eating certain foods, even though I love not eating them anymore and instead truly enjoy eating more nutritious, tastier, and health sustaining foods.
  13. PollyEster

    Food Before and After Photos

    Oops, obviously this is a Barbara Smaller cartoon. But BEK has done a many humorous interior design-related cartoons for the New Yorker as well. You might even have collected the whole set!
  14. PollyEster

    Food Before and After Photos

    This was our lockdown project; repurposing an old storage shed on our property into a summer cottage-slash-studio, instead of tearing it down. It was a quick-ish job because we just wanted to be able to enjoy it this summer, but we're using it so often that we've decided we'd like to have it year-round, so are planning on insulation and drywall, new wiring, etc. as next steps. There's always tea or soup on at the cottage!

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