ShoppGirl

I’m not from the UK but in the US we have Wegovy as well. Maybe you will have better luck with that one. I think it’s pretty much the same drug but here mounjoro is primarily prescribed for diabetes and wegovy for weight loss. Not sure if your do as well, but there are also some compounding pharmacies that can make a similar drug here. I’ve been told to just be careful with those because they aren’t regulated. Some are safe though, my doctors office actually has one they give to their patients now that is compounded it’s almost $200 US but since not all insurance companies cover it that’s quite reasonable compared to the full Price of the brand. I hope this helps

I had a hard time working out what meant I was actually hungry too. I thought every little noise meant I was hungry until I quickly learned that was going to be more than half the day my stomach would be making noises. To include right after i ate. I’m glad you worked it out and you have a plan to differentiate between the two.

I am so sorry to hear you had to go through that. But your right, it was a perfect example of something life changing that you got through and you got through it sober. That’s amazing!! I am just hoping to get through this and figure out a way to help make some changes to the process. Dealing with all these insurance hurdles and the administrative red tape with all of these doctors offices is just way harder than it needs to be. I struggle with anxiety and I told a lady today that I am more anxious about getting the appointments scheduled and getting the staff to do my insurance authorizations or fax my records to other places than I am that I have cancer. I said I don’t know but that seems pretty backwards to me, doesn’t it you? I think I got her attention with that statement. But, I have been able to manage my anxiety pretty well without much medication which is a huge win for me. My exercise helps a great deal with my anxiety day to day. It doesn’t take it away entirely but it brings it to a more manageable level. Yoga is really good for it too so I got started with that new habit just in time. Have you tried the tropical variety of the sugar free popsicles? I absolutely love the pineapple ones. They are so much better to me than the old school flavors. I actually forgot that I have them in the freezer. I need to get back to eating them when the sweet tooth hits. I have a non scale victory. Well I guess it is a scale victory but it’s about more than just the scale. The support group that I belong to for cancer had a therapy program where you get to work with horses and they have a weight limit. It’s technically 180 but I told them I was a tad over and they said I should still be okay to do it. They make us do a whole medical packet and get it signed by our doctor so I won’t know for sure for a while but at least it wasn’t an automatic no like it would have been four months ago i hope you have a fabulous holiday and enjoy your trip. I bet that seat will be extra spacious for you. I haven’t flown since my loss but my best friend travels a lot for work and she has recently lost a bunch of weight and she mentioned how it keeps getting easier and easier for her. Not just to fit in the seat but the trip itself takes less out of her than it used to.

Yea I’m finally able to fit into the smallest of the clothes a friend of a friend has been giving me who had the sleeve a bit ahead of my revision. She is still losing so I’m hoping she does another purge soon. We have different styles so I don’t like a lot of the tops (she is younger) but it’s awesome to not have to buy jeans or exercise stuff or coats. She was even giving me her old bras which unfortunately are too small in the cup because that’s a big expense to keep buying. I am just thankful to not have to buy half as much and hoping for another haul soon. 🤣

Maybe look into the GLP-1. I bet you still have your restriction. You just need something to curb your appetite. My friend is on them and she has lost a lot. Actually too much too fast I think. I told her she should go back to the lower dose because it was working at a steady reasonable rate. Now she struggles everyday to get in much of anything. Anyways, at the appropriate dose they are a good option for many people. Dr Matthew Weiner talks about them quite a bit on his podcasts. He has some you tube videos too. Insurance coverage for them varies drastically from one company to the next but if they are covered and affordable you may want to ask your doctor if they are a good option for you.

It’s a huge win in my book. A total shame that they treated you differently (and ignored you before). People suck sometimes. Although I still wonder if it is really them or if we are just more approachable because of a new found confidence that comes with losing weight. Then again it seems like they would have approached you before BECAUSE you looked uncomfortable if that was the case. I always try to strike up some sort of conversation with the person who looks awkward in the corner at a party in hopes to make them relax so they can have a good time too. Maybe that’s because I know how it feels to be that person 🤷‍♀️ Regardless, it’s awesome that you’ve lost so much they wondered who you are. I bet my neighbors think something similar about me. Maybe not because I drive the same car but I had my sleeve in 2021 and lost a significant amount then gained it all back and now I’ve lost 75 pounds again. I’m sure they have some theories. 🤣

I had a very specific diet. Like a list of foods that I was allowed and I was not allowed anything not on the list. It was basically high protein low carb but it was still very specific.

Thank you,i hope your husband is well. I can only imagine that being the caregiver that this hasn’t been easy on your bariatric journey either. Just being post op is pretty time consuming in itself (or at least it has been for me) and any big life curveball you throw in I assume makes for a pretty crazy schedule which make healthy choices that much harder. I know for me that I don’t need much of an excuse to be tempted to eat off plan so having no time to plan ahead makes the little obese voice in my head say it’s not your fault your too busy right now it’s okay to stop and have fast food just this once. But then this once turns out to be more and more often. That’s how I got to be obese was listening to that little voice too often. Luckily I did have a solid three months to get into some pretty good habits and I have really been trying to stick to them the majority of the time. I have a whole bag of healthy protein snacks that I just keep with me all the time in the car (I rotate them out so don’t stay there too long) since you rarely know when you start out what your day will end up bringing with these doctors. Or at least that’s how it has been for me. You start thinking it’s just one appointment at 8:30 am and don’t get home until late at night because you don’t even get seen until 10:30 and then they want two other things which you have to wait around to be squeezed in for those as well. I hate paying For and stoping for water so I bring a cooler with bottled water and protein shakes everyday since my surgery in case I get stuck out and don’t have time to eat on plan but now I also have my big bag of non refrigerated protein snacks with me as well. I can’t say it’s made me be 100% perfect but I’ve done far better than if I had to keep stopping on the road for sure. My favorite on the go snack is chomps pepperoni flavored turkey jerky right now. I do half a stick of that with a mozzarella string cheese or a baby bell light. Just 85 calories for 11 grams of protein and they are actually tasty. Them and the quest protein chips are my favorite go to options. Sometimes that’s lunch and then I end up eating what would’ve been lunch as a snack a few hours after dinner to get all my protein for the day since I need 90g.

Eating while out of the house is the absolute hardest for me. I literally have to go through all the things in my head to tell myself it’s okay to waste. It’s not my fault that some people are struggling to get food and I am not going to change it by eating more myself. And it’s not wasting money by doing what’s better for my health which is to only eat my one portion. It’s so sad that these things have been drilled into my head from a small child that some other kids don’t have food to fill their bellies at night so I have to clear my plate or it’s just wasteful to order something and not finish it, etc. I have to convince myself just about every time that it’s okay to be wasteful because it’s not really wasteful if we are enjoying ourselves without overindulging. That’s just us living our best lives. Now if I can find someone to split with or take it home and freeze it or something I will but if not, I’m not going to choose to go without or to eat it all out of guilt anymore. I really hope you enjoyed your friend’s birthday celebration. Your making me want to do a weekend away for mine this year. Mines not a big one or anything but I guess every year should be a special one. I did convince my husband the other day to go away for Christmas next year so hopefully I will get to see snow!! He never wants to go anywhere so that will be a lot of fun I think. Something to look forward to. I’m not sure whether I will still be in radiation treatments at that point or not so it may have to be a less active trip but if I physically can I really want to go snow tubing at least and snow boarding if I’m really feeling good. Last year for my birthday my friend got me a gift card for a store that is a ways away from us and we still haven’t had a chance to go. I think I’m gonna suggest that we actually make time to go and make a weekend out of it.

I wouldn’t even listen to that surgeon if you feel good and you’re still losing and you’re doing your activity honestly he’s just putting you in as if you’re a statistic. I really hate it when doctors do that. It’s like either. They think you’re lying about what you’re eating or they just assume that one thing works for everyone at the exact same rate. i’m doing OK I posted in another thread that I do have some medical stuff going on. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer so I have been juggling my weight loss and fitness along with a whole lot of doctors appointments and scans and chemo. Surprisingly I think that it is my yoga and my walking that have kept me sane. I did stop doing my cardio class because they told me that the chemotherapy is extremely dehydrating and it was important to not get myself to warm like to avoid being out in the sun for a long time or anything like that and as I already mentioned on here before I sweat quite a bit When I work out. I am fighting the urge to have carbs since Thanksgiving, but part of that I believe is the steroids I get with my chemo. They told me it wouldn’t be an issue because I would be nauseous anyways and I wouldn’t be able to eat much but I haven’t been nauseous one day so far knock on wood. The chemotherapy actually seems to have increased my metabolism to wear, even though I am eating little things off plan and exercising a bit less I am still losing weight. They assigned me an oncology dietitian who told me that she does not want me to lose more than I was losing before the chemo, which is about 2 to 3 pounds a week. At first I dropped like 6 pounds and we were pretty worried but I honestly think it was just water weight or something. anyways, it’s been a challenge as I’m sure it has been for everyone to juggle whatever life events. Everyone else is dealing with, but I’m getting through it. My habits of packing food like turkey, jerky and cheese sticks and protein shakes or yogurt smoothies, and taking with me and freezing things have been my lifesavers. I don’t always exactly want to eat that and I’m giving myself a little bit of grace right now because of my circumstance but trying not to be too forgiving at the same time. I am actually doing my walk right now because I was out of town for a doctors appointment today and then I went and did a wig fitting because I’ve lost my hair for most of it anyways and I literally just walked in the door and ate my salad that I picked up on the way home for my dinner. I’ve got to get this done and get to bed early because I have yoga first thing in the morning. I am honestly just so thankful that I started this weight loss journey when I did and that my nutrition and fitness are in such a better place because I really truly feel like that is helping me already and it will continue to help me get through all of this anyways, I really hope everyone else is doing OK as well. It’s a crazy roller coaster for sure but we’ve got this!!

I am so thrilled for you. Maybe next year you can go back and look for a similar hoodie in a small.

You remind me of years ago I had to get some medical records to take to another office and I skimmed over it and the doctor had referred to me as a well nourished female. I just thought that was a pretty nice way to say overweight.

I second his videos and podcasts as a very good information Resource. His Pound of Cure weigh loss is good book too.

In addition to that, it’s pretty uncommon but some people really do retain their hunger. Many on here who have experienced this said that warm liquids such as tea and broth help them to feel full.

Ooh and just be sure not to do what I did after my sleeve. I got all the way down to 18 pounds from my goal and I felt like such a failure that I let it derail me. Hopefully you will keep losing and don’t stop trying BUT, also have in the back of your mind that you have already done incredible and are far more healthy than you were even if you don’t reach this arbitrary number. I have a girl in my in person bariatric support group who did the same thing over TWO POUNDS. Our brains are very powerful and it’s great to strive for a goal but also be flexible and not crazy like I was and think it was a total waste and throw it all away. After I gained it all back plus some I would have done anything to be 168 or 178 again. Granted the sleeve was not appropriate for me and I probably wouldn’t have maintained at the 178 I bounced back to for long anyways, but I’m just saying that I gave up far too easily. Just a word of caution from someone who made that mistake.

So I went to Publix yesterday and they had some baked goods on sale BOGO because of the holidays which is hard to pass up. They had some muffins that I really like but of course I do not need any, never mind 8. I asked the lady do they freeze well and she told me that they come in frozen so she isn’t sure if I should freshen then again. So I asked if I could have some that were still frozen from the back and she got them. By the time I got home they felt more like refrigerated but I guess that’s okay. I put them into a freezer bag and saved one to eat right away. Something like that may be an option for temptation. I know for me it’s easier to resist if i know I can’t have it right now because i need to defrost it anyways. I will have some fruit or something instead.

Well if you’re only eating one salad every two days and buying another on the third you are probably eating too little calories and your body is in starvation mode which sometimes you can actually gain. BUT, if you were to eat THAT same salad a couple of times a day and had breakfast too you would probably be eating too many calories to lose. Salad is very deceiving. They can actually have more calories than a bacon cheeseburger meal if you just add the good tasting stuff without measuring and counting and nutrition wise you aren’t getting a whole lot of what you need in a tiny portion of one salad as prepared. If I was you I would talk to a dietician about what choices are healthier options and how much protein you need. What you’re eating even though it’s a salad which sounds good is not the most nutritious option. First start by measuring and tracking what you’re having in an app. You would be surprised what you learn about what you eat by doing that. Most prepared salads have more than a serving of things like full fat cheese and croutons and the dressing packets they give you is far more than one serving as well. it sounds kinda silly but if you bring home your favorite salad and take the time to deconstruct it just once you can measure each thing and figure out exactly what’s in it (assuming they make it the same way each time). It’s always best to make your salad at home if possible so you can use lean or reduced fat protein and lower calorie dressings and choose healthier toppings but if you have to get it while your out you can use less of the dressing and ask for them to go light on the cheese and skip the croutons. Also, opt for grilled chicken and if possible ask for an extra fillet of chicken or two and add that to your leftover lettuce for your next meals. I do that at chic fila all the time. I make two meals out of a salad by getting a second fillet of chicken and making a grilled chicken Cesar salad with my leftover lettuce. But your focus will always need to be protein first since you do have a tiny stomach. Ask your doctor your personal goal but You should get probably be getting around 3-4oz of lean protein a meal and then fruit and veggies and then the lettuce is a filler if you have room. I prefer to bring my salad home so I can take off all the toppings and add just a tiny bit of lettuce and put that into a container. I prefer the toppings to the lettuce anyways. Also a good way to use less dressing is to mix any salad in a bowl like you would do ceaser salad and you get a bit on all the lettuce using less than you would if you just pour it over. And try to avoid the sodas like mentioned above. If you must eat and don’t enjoy water, try to find a drink mix that you like and keep a box of drink packets in your car to grab when you go in. Order water and mix in your drink packet. It’s way less calories and it’s cheaper. Note that the drink packets do have artificial sweeteners and there is evidence they aren’t the best for you either so plain water is best but they do have some made with stevia which my dietician says is the best option if I must have them. Tru lemon is one of the better ones. So many of us think we are making good choices when we are eating a salad or soup but they are not all created equal. And just eating a tiny portion of a less nutritious food isn’t the best option because you may lose weight this way but you’re not getting all the vitamins and protein your body needs. If you don’t get enough protein you may actually just be losing muscle mass and as we get older that is really hard to build back up. If you aren’t doing strength training this can be really bad. Measuring and putting things Into the Baritastic app and really looking at how much protein is In something and how much fat and carbs are in there as well as added sugars has really helped me to learn what foods are more nutritious choices. I think my protein goal with my sleeve was 60 grams minimum and with the SADI revision it is 90 grams. I was told that protein was the very most important thing but you also need to get fruits and veggies for the vitamins. And check your labs regularly to make sure you are getting what you need. I hope this helps.

My cousin hosts an annual cookie day and it’s this weekend. I decided a few months ago that I wasn’t going to go all day and make cookies. I am just going to pop by and say hello but that was enough for this year. It’s all about baking and that’s not my thing anyways but it’s for the kids so in terms of food there is nothing I can eat and there will be drinking too. There will probably be about 15 kinds of cookies (a few dozen of each) plus the sugar cookies the kids decorate all just sitting out on big tables and the whole house always smells so good. I know they are going to tell me to have a cookie and to take some home with me. Wish me luck not giving into temptation. Anyone else have a particular event that they are nervous about this season??

One thing I forgot to mention is that I also decided to just tell the women at my yoga class a vague version of what I am going through. Not because I am seeking attention or pity as some people may believe but because the doctors told me that with the first phase of chemo I need that I would no doubt be losing my hair and not to even torture myself trying cold caps because they wouldn’t work for me. I didn’t want to have to miss any days trying to hide that when it was inevitable that they would find out anyways. I can’t wear a wig to yoga without dying of heat stroke even if I can find one that doesn’t irritate my head and won’t fall off doing downward dog. Also, I have to wear a mask until class starts and I’m at my mat and far enough away from people. Also, with the chemo i do get a little dizzy at times and physically I have to take a tiny break once in a while which doesn’t go unnoticed I’m sure. I just decided that I have no clue what is going to happen with my body in days to come but I’m going when I can and doing as much as I can. I’m not missing something that is good for my health, weight loss journey and that I really enjoy just to try and keep something a secret. I have spent enough of my life hiding because of my weight and I have finally broken free of that. I’m not going back in that dark place ever again. I am usually a pretty private person so it was a big choice for me with sharing about the bariatric surgery and now with the cancer, but so far I am happy with my decisions for both. I just told them that I don’t want them to make a big deal about it that we are there to relax and do yoga, but I just didn’t want to feel awkward wondering what they must be thinking so I was just getting it out there. It was partly because I did the same with my revision surgery and it has worked out positively for me. With the sleeve I didn’t tell anyone outside of my best friends and that wasn’t successful so with the SADI i decided to try something different. I told the women in my crochet group and the one craft group because I have known them almost two years now (but not the one I joined more recently). They do ask how I’m doing or congratulate me on my weight-loss and ask what I’m eating and about my exercise, I briefly answer but then I will say enough about me we are here to craft and ask what they are working on today and that seems to work pretty well. So with yoga, now, I hope I can just walk in with my hat or wig and take it off before class begins and do my thing and when I take more an more breaks they will just ignore me. I’m sure it will feel really weird for me the first time when I’m bald because it was when i had to go really short and I was thinning with a head band covering most of the bald spots but everyone already knows about the elephant in the room now and hopefully we can just focus on YOGA. Food for thought for those with the decision about cancer and for those on the fence about whether to tell about their bariatric journey as well because people who see you once or twice a week notice things and they are probably wondering. It has worked for me to just rip off the bandaid and move on.

Oh, I forgot to mention for breast cancer if someone is considering reconstruction afterwards, which I am, the cosmetic surgeon said there is no rush for his part. They are going to put in expanders during my mastectomy and they can stay in a pretty long time safely. This means that I can wait until I reach my goal weight to do the cosmetic part. The way it works. Is they put in the expanders in and they are like deflated balloons that are sewn to the chest wall and slowly inflate them a little bit at a time each week until you find a size that suits your body. But if I’m still actively losing, that may be too big so they can also deflate it if I want to until I find a size that is comfortable for me and my body is settled and then schedule the surgery. Since that’s just the cosmetic part, the cancer will already be gone. Well, I know that when I lost weight with the sleeve, I had bounced back weight. So I think I’m going to stick with the expanders for a while and just make sure that my body doesn’t change before I commit to something in a surgery. They did say that if you gain a significant or lose a significant amount of weight and the implant shifts or whatever that they will do surgery again, but of course that’s costly and painful and I’m already just about sick of doctors so I’m sure by then I won’t want to do that. Anyways, that is an option someone else may want to consider as well. Some doctors tried to push doing both parts of the surgery in one, skipping the expanders and just putting the implants in right away, but my doctor did not recommend that for my situation.

There should also be a state insurance commisioner or dept that may be able to help. Just type in “state of _____ insurance…” and you should find a few places to try. It’s gonna take some time for sure but take good notes of who you call and talk to and when and if you leave messages or if they say they will call you back put a note in your calendar for the day after you should hear back so your can follow up if they don’t call. Tell them this is the second time you called and you talked to so and so on such and such date and they were supposed to do X. Write out your exact story in a concise but detailed manner and ask everyone where you file a written complaint and send it to them. It’s pretty tedious and it’s certainly not fair you should have to do it but it may work.

Still struggling with some bad choices since thanksgiving. It’s not all the time and I am not gaining or anything but I’m not losing much either.. I do have some other stuff going on and I’m on steroids which is not helping I’m sure but I’ve got to figure out a way to break this carb cycle regardless. I know that the key to it for me is just white knuckling for a few days until the bad cravings go away but I just hope that I can work this out before Christmas and I guess I will have to choose my nutrition over all the holiday yumminess. 😢 On a good note in spite of a crazy busy schedule I have continued to prioritize my fitness and I’m doing good there. In the past I would’ve just thrown in the towel and went back to my old ways completely. I Hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying their holiday season.

You know what. I was doing so well and feeling so good with my nutrition and exercise. Then Thanksgiving and some medical stuff happened and I have been allowing some bad foods to slip in and i Am starting to notice I’m waking up more at night and waking up feeling fatigued. It’s honestly not worth it. The food that nourishes your body is such a good way to think of it because bad food is like cheap gas it just doesn’t make our bodies run very well and can cause engine failure. Ha. I think I just thought of that. Or I heard it somewhere and just think I did. Anyways, good for you with your nutrition. It is pretty amazing to realize the difference between a lifelong diet and a lifestyle change

Some people are just pigs. I wish it hadn’t happened to you at all, but you know what, better then than down the road when you may have been settled In with the guy expecting forever. I hope you find someone who wants you for YOU!! They do exist, just gotta try and ask the right questions and hope to weed out the jerks. I think if I was looking for someone new I would probably show them pictures and my extra skin and see their reactions as soon as it started to get remotely serious just to judge their reaction. If it’s all about how good you look now (basically implying gross before) or how you have such a pretty face or hair, etc you may have your answer. I wish you the best of luck in finding your Mr right but in the meantime keep up the good work on your own health and happiness.

Some of the protein drinks did leave sort of a film on my lips that you may be thinking is chapped lips. If they are not tender it’s probably just the film. I also got it on my tongue with some of the brands and it was pretty gross looking but came off when I brushed of course. If you are prone to chapped lips be sure to have something with you in the hospital though. Many people complain about that there. Really not sure if it has to do with the surgery in some way or just because it’s so darn cold but it does tend to be an issue. Good luck on both of your surgeries.