Pilot my best self

Thanks for sharing- what a beautiful bride! And she looks just like her mom! And where are you?? Scottish highlands. Such a scenic backdrop.

Truly an NSV!! 👍👍 I am looking forward to the day I can wear riding boots, for fashion only. (My daughter is the equestrian.)

Ok was that supposed to convince us you are over 50?!? Not buying it! Or you were blessed with fountain of youth genes!

Ooos

👍 I have wondered how long people continue to lose - How long after your surgery had you thought your weight had settled? And how much did you lose since that time? I wish I had thought to take a picture of all the clothes I donated because they are too big! I (gladly) lost 1/2 my closet! The rest are the clothes I thankfully didn’t get rid that finally fit again. NSV!!!!

You know you’re not supposed to upstage the bride! You look very chic. I hope it was a wonderful day- you look gorgeous.

Nothing matronly there! You look great. Congratulations and looking forward to seeing your non-matronly mother of the bride dress.

You look so good and love that bathing suit! Can I ask SW, CW and how long to get there for you?

I have thought about all the milestones (negative) that I hit before finally turning to surgery. These were NOT tipping points for me: -needing seat belt extender on flight -struggling to tie my sneakers -Winded walking to my office or up the stairs -prediabetes diagnosis And so many years of dieting struggles The tipping point was -getting an A1C test of 6.9 and a Diabetes diagnosis. - getting prescribed diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications. -And Not being able to go on bike rides with my daughter I felt so hopeless until I finally followed my cardiologists suggestion to attend an informational session for bariatric surgery. After another 4 months of considering all the risks (real and perceived) with taking this step, I could not imagine any other way that I would be able to lose the amount of weight that I needed to get healthy again. Just over 3 months later and 54 lbs down, I am only sorry I was so resistant to the idea of surgery to help lose weight. I feel more than hopeful again. I have a long way still to go, but it feels doable now. And I already feel so much success to be able to move more comfortably and no longer need the medication prescribed just 8 months ago! And I am getting my bike tuned so I can go biking with my daughter on the nearby bike path that I have avoided riding for over 5 years!!

You look great! Congratulations on such great progress!

I’m at 25 lbs down at 5 weeks out. I feel the same but try to remind myself that 5 lbs a week is a lot. If I can keep that pace I will be happy. But I do worry it will start to slow. Then I’ll be really discouraged. But I see others who are really losing much faster so everyone is really different. I’m a constant weigher too which probably contributes to my impatience. But it also keeps me focused on what I’m doing daily and how it might affect the scale. like others here, this is far more mental energy than I anticipated. I’m having difficulty getting in protein and water though I am managing to get it in - but it takes a full day. And I’m also finding myself exhausted by mid afternoon so I have not managed to increase my physical activity yet either as recommended. I keep hoping I’ll start to feel that energy bump soon.

Thanks puravida - I think you are right since I’m now able to eat regular textures and these are ingredients that are on plan. But to cat woman’s point, I should probably steer away from even healthier versions of chips and pizza for now. And keep it as strict as possible. I was also concerned that the really strong spices like jalapeños would not be good for my stomach at this point post op.

I have added some foods this week that filled some cravings - cauliflower pizza, cauliflower chips and finally gave in to my daughters pleas for Korean takeout. It’s the first time I have had take out or spicy food since my bypass 5 weeks ago. I had Daenjang stew which has spicy Korean bean paste and jalapeño broth and tofu. So tasty but I am worried it may be harmful to my stomach- I ate a cup and felt fine. Had another cup later. Still fine. Stomach wise I’m feeling fine with these additions but worry I’m moving too quickly to my favorite (nutritionally acceptable) foods. I worry too that denser foods will slow my weight loss but frankly I’m so tired of the protein shakes and chicken and seafood salads that I’m been having these past 4 weeks.

Thank you! Point taken. I am in need of some variety and am trying to find meals that are simple, tasty and on plan. But as you say, my priority is to maximize weight loss at this stage. It’s been going fairly well so far and I don’t want to disrupt the steady progress I am seeing. But I’ll keep that keto pizza in mind for some time in the future.

I’m so excited for you!! Congratulations and can wait to hear about your progress. I was just wondering myself if PS for hanging loose skin around the belly is deemed medically necessary for most people or if you have to have a chronic medical issue - eg rashes. I’ve got a ways to go before then. But thinking ahead since I don’t have any Bitcoin to trade ☹️

I think this is great topic and am learning lots. It is making me focus on the amount now instead of waiting for what I used to feel when full. Though I am getting a little freaked out that any restriction could damage my new stomach. tonight I tried fish. Now on my list of textured foods. After just a few small bites my chest felt so uncomfortable- I think it was just too dense. I can’t imagine my stomach was actually full - I kept burping to try to relieve it without success (we’re all friends here, right?). Took about 10 minutes to resolve. It was the most uncomfortable feeling I’ve had. So I will probably go back to purées for a day or two.

It is comforting to know it’s not just me!! I’ll share whatever I learn from the nutritionist. Thanks.

Thanks for explaining why I am able to have so much more soup in a sitting. part of my problem is i have been given a range of foods to eat but no guidance on quantity. Only the instruction to eat protein before fruits or vegetables. But I can’t imagine when I would ever be able to eat anything but protein. I also have not experienced having food come back up like I hear so many people talk about - not sure if it’s because I have not exceeded my new stomach (hard to believe) or if I just don’t have that reaction (also hard to believe). I do eat all my foods from 1/4 or 1/3 cup measuring bowls. But I have felt a range of tightness from mildly uncomfortable to painful for up to 5-10 minutes which is accompanied by having to burp. I sometimes feel exhausted or just blah after I feel restriction. I will be talking with the nutritionist so hope to get more guidance this week like you said, everything feels so different it has been hard to read my cues yet. But this site has been so helpful in gauging what I am going through. Thanks!

Gas-x was helpful to relieve the gas pains. I also used a roller on my back to help as well. It worked to Relieved that upper back pain so I could get to sleep. I couldn’t do it on the floor so used it against the wall. Hot herbal tea felt good and I could drink those more easily. oh and Benadryl cream- I had an awful reaction to the numbing medication that made my stomach so itchy. Good luck!

I almost did the same thing as you but opted against the baby food for a different reason - the ones I looked at weren’t as high in protein as I was looking for. for purées, I have stuck to the few things I could do easily and had morejjkk protein: cottage cheese, egg with a little gruyere added, split pea with ham (it’s a little thick so I can usually only do 1/2 cup at a time) and ground turkey with a little taco seasoning or chicken puréed with a little Mayo. I was told to have fruits and veggies only after finishing the protein- but it’s all I can do to eat the protein so I don’t know when I’ll be able to add fruits and veggies. I have not gotten the foamies yet and haven’t really reacted badly yet except having to burp when I get to my limit.

I have been worrying about this too. I am 3 weeks post op for gastric bypass. I don’t feel very hungry at all so am just trying to get in my macros and liquids. But I am trying to increase my protein from non-shake sources. I find I can finish an egg or a cup of soup in one sitting. I may start to feel restriction so wait a few minutes between bites but am am usually able to finish In 30-45 minutes. It seems odd that I can eat a full cup of soup or egg without getting full. But I wonder if I am just supposed to stop eating upon that first feeling of tightness. I have my meeting with my nutritionist this week and will be questioning her but what do folks here use to guide their eating especially during this stage when there’s not much feeling of hunger. I am also thinking adding protein powders to my meals may be the only way I can get my protein without takin at least 2 shakes. This process is more challenging than I expected. Thanks!

Lol - I will have to try the banana trick. Cant have coffee yet. But have been crushing the pill with a meat tenderizer and mix it with plain yogurt and peanut butter powder just to make it somewhat tolerable. I even tried blending it in a little bit of milk but that was a fail. It’s sad when taking a vitamin is the worst part of the day...

Lol - I will have to try the banana trick. Cant have coffee yet. But have been crushing the pill with a meat tenderizer and mix it with plain yogurt and peanut butter powder just to make it somewhat tolerable. I even tried blending it in a little bit of milk but that was a fail. It’s sad when taking a vitamin is the worst part of the day...