Wildflower Bohême

I'm happy today because I have lost 109 lbs from my high weight! I downloaded a coloring page from Etsy to track my weight loss, and once I hit that goal (literally on New Year's Day), I downloaded another one with my next goal. It's fun to color with crayons (and kids water colors, when I couldn't find my crayon box for a while) I keep them on my big magnetic white board. When I'm in a stall or gain a couple of pounds, I don't/can't remove any pounds, because they're already colored in. I just wait until I can color in new spaces. I recommend trying something like this, if it resonates with you!

Great job on everything so far!! I applaud you on your dedication to moving your body!! I also take my measurements once a month, on the 1st. I totally relate to everything you said, including the early stall! I had a stall at 2 weeks and it lasted a month. I cried at my 3 week appointment, as I had gained 6 pounds. I thought my surgeon would think I was non-compliant, even though I was only getting 3-400 calories a day. She hugged me and told me that it was literally impossible for me to be non-compliant at this stage! It was just my body freaking out at itself, and the goal over time was to add a lot more calories. I haven't been able to do much more than a little slow walking, even at nearly 4 months out and just short of 40lbs down from surgery weight. I think it has to do with sleep, about which I have huge issues. I feel like once I get better with that, I'll be able to add a lot more movement. I'm hoping that will help get me through future stalls, which I know are very likely to come and are super normal. Still doesn't make it easy! Also having trouble getting my 64+ of liquids. It's a daily struggle that I don't always meet. My surgeon chose to leave the hospital and physician's group 3 months after my surgery, because the powers that be were making decisions about the program that she felt compromised the program's (and her) integrity. She's moved to a more holistic private practice now, and even though they don't take my insurance, she offers a special rate for follow-ups to her former surgery patients. I'm totally going to go see her for my 6 month f/u and beyond, because the hospital has now ended their bariatric program, and I adore my surgeon and her holistic attitude. I feel really lucky.

Yes, do it!! I love kayaking. Well, I did it once almost 20 years ago. But have been dreaming about it since. Once I'm able to sit on the floor again, I will definitely be trying it too! One NSV is that I am starting to see loose, wrinkly skin on my stomach and butt. It's not pretty, but it's a symbol of my hard work! Looking forward to having a jawline someday, not there yet~ A weird thing is that I weigh less now than I did 20 years ago (in my 20s), but I'm bigger than I was then. My low-hanging apron and jawline/neck, specifically. I guess body fat to muscle ratio? Plus just ageing, I suppose. It'll be a huge NSV for me when (if) I have my panniculectomy~

Thank you for posting this! I read A Pound of Cure about a year or so before my surgery. It really spoke to me. Looking forward to listening!

Wow, thanks everyone! I'll definitely look those up. I think I will try making something before the day, to see how my pouch handles it. Great suggestions!! 💖

I'm in Florida, USA and will be going to a Renaissance Fest in December. The theme for that weekend is "Celtic Christmas." I'm in the soft foods stage, so I can't eat what they traditionally sell at these kinds of fairs: giant turkey legs, meat pies, pub food, and general fatty/sugary things. Thankfully, their website says that those with "medical dietary needs" can bring outside food. So I'm wondering what kind of traditional UK or Irish food I could make and bring with me? They wouldn't need to be "period appropriate" (I think historical accuracy isn't always a big concern with these fairs) but I would like to get into the feel of it! By that point I'll have been cleared to have ground beef, soft dark meat chicken or turkey, fruits, and small amounts of butter or oil, in addition to the usual soft stuff, including vegetables. I was thinking colcannon made with cauliflower instead of potatoes? Something with meat would be nice too! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Just ate some cottage cheese before I saw this. Will try that next time, thanks!

That's really great that you're able to tolerate things so well! When I was having trouble getting liquids in, my surgeon gave me an example: in the first week post-op, one of her patients asked 'is it normal that I can drink 80 oz a day in the first week after surgery?' and she said 'it's normal for you!' I wouldn't worry, every person is different.

Had my first pureed meal just now!! Following my surgeon's guidelines, chicken and carrots. I'm doing fine right now, it all went down fine. Hopefully in an hour or two I'll still be fine. Feeling optimistic!

I have that pain too. Mine is not too sharp, but if it gets that way, I would probably call my surgeon's office, because they want to know if anything is wrong. I'm guessing it's just that the stomach still needs to heal after such a huge surgery. As far as sipping, I moved on to 2 ounces in a cup when I felt I could (they gave me a sleeve of 2.5 ounce cups to take home from the hospital). I think don't worry about the how much popsicle at once. Only do what you can tolerate. This is all my non-expert opinion of course.

I'm in the same boat. I find that when the sweetness is too much for me, cream soups, Lono Life bone broth, and regular beef or chicken broth (without the added protein - my surgeon told me to reduce protein products in the beginning if I'm too full to drink enough fluids) help quite a bit.

Thanks for your insight! I realized that even having a little bit, the rest of the package would be in my house, and then I'd feel like I needed to eat more of it. So it's better to not even bother with it. My therapist and I do lots of work with this, and it's an ongoing process for sure.

Thank you!! I'll probably wait for now, but I may try it in the future

Found my surgeon's answer about sugar alcohols in my paperwork: "Avoid sugar alcohols... If something you eat has sugar alcohol, make sure it contains 7 grams or less to avoid dumping syndrome." The Reese's has 12g, so that's my answer. Oh well, probably for the best. Thanks for bringing that up.

Hm, good point about the sugar alcohols. My doctor is letting me have peanut butter in the soft foods stage, as she and my dietician let me know at my first post-op appointment last week. For me, candy has been a trigger in the past, but not as much as savory things. I feel like on that front, I'll be ok. As you said, I too definitely want to move towards whole foods, but I would like this one day to have a little something, within reason, if I can.