Lilia_90

Oh I get these all the time! My own brother made a disgusted face the last time he saw me and was like "You don't look good". The funny part is that he was also sleeved and is the definition of skinny LOL, so that tells you, don't take it personally! My MIL keeps telling me that I'm "disappearing" and people generally tell me I've lost a lot of weight the minute they see me. I don't think it comes from a bad place, I think it's the shock of how they're used to how you've looked (for me it was only the past 5 years as I was always slim and fit) and I remind them that I looked like that my entire adulthood before my ankle injury and then they go quiet. Sometimes people are simply jealous. People who genuinely say it to compliment me will say things like "you lost a lot of weight and you look so good!" or "good on you!" or "you look amazing" and I know these people mean well and there's no hiding green monster, so there you go. At one point - when tipping into 50's (kgs) I did worry that I was going too low - but guess what, I feel AMAZING and I'm really happy with the way I look (flat backside and all 🤣) and that's all that matters. Also, hubby can't get enough LOL!!!

Another tip I would give you is the harder the workout regimen is to sustain the higher the chance that cutting back in the future would cause weight gain. Also, rely on your workouts to build and maintain muscle, enhance body composition and to get stronger (also to improve the way you look). Rely on a good diet to maintain a lower body fat percentage and manage your weight, abs are made in the kitchen!

I would suggest that. I have been athletic my entire adulthood with a really good muscle tone and maintained a really healthy weight for decades until a very bad ankle sports injury that caused my weight to balloon up. At one point I was exercising 6 days a week for 2 hours, that's when my weight suddenly went up 4 kilos out of the blue and I didn't know why. A few months later I was forced to cut back to 4 days a week (1 hour each) and my weight dropped on its own. What I found out is that 4 days of 1 hour workouts suited me much better than 6 days of endless time at the gym. Now that I am below goal weight I follow the same, 4 days of workouts (2 Pilates sessions and 2 heavy weight lifting days with cardio). My body is comfortable and the weight is melting off. I workout hard, but I rest hard as well. During the first few months I lost a lot of weight rapidly and I was weak and frail, so I stopped any sorts of weight lifting. The first week I started weight lifting again I was so incredibly sore and guess what, I hit my first ever stall since surgery, not only that but my weight even went up that week and took me a good 2 weeks to break through the stall. Muscle fatigue causes inflammation that causes water retention within the muscles. Rest days are just as important as workout days. I am not saying that this will 100% work for you but might be worth giving a try. Good luck!

I was at probably 200 calories at the two month mark. I'm not sure how they expect you to be consuming 1000 calories a day! I'm almost 7 months post op and not able to get to even 900 calories a day (mind you I workout hard at least 4 days a week, I lift and do Pilates and run and all sorts of cardio). It's a struggle to eat enough, and what I learnt is that I will not force myself to eat any more than I can, I will get there eventually so what is the point of rushing? I would say eat what you can and don't force it, the whole point of surgery is to eat less 🤣

I think this is could be the closest thing to an explanation! Thank you.

That sounds awful. I feel lethargic and extremely nauseous, but no sweats or shakes thank goodness.

Oh no! I love cashews!

I think this might be it. It definitely happens when I eat more sugar than usual. It feels like a reaction to the fast secretion of insulin. Prior to my VSG, I had insulin resistance and my fasting blood sugar was on the higher side. I think it is sensitivity to insulin that is causing this phenomenon lol.

I have! And I am always fine. It is any time I have more than a couple of bites of sugar that this happens.

Interesting! The main symptom I've experienced is extreme nausea. No chills or cramps and definitely no sweats. And this has happened any time I had more than a couple of bites of dessert or anything with sugar.

Made the fam Çilbir which is a turkish egg dish with a tangy and garlicky greek yogurt base, topped with poached eggs and drizzled with a hot spicy olive oil and butter mix. I love this dish but didn’t have any. I might have some for dinner. With a side of toasted sourdough.

Any time ♥️♥️

To me spice is really essential, I can’t have mild food unfortunately but luckily no acidity so far ♥️

Not that I know of 🤣 But always been a dream of mine.

Lunch today was colourful. White fish and shrimp ceviche that was really spicy due to the fresh jalapeños (sooo good). Mexican rice and a strawberry gem lettuce salad with roasted almonds and goat cheese. I only ate a few spoonfuls of ceviche. Then a couple of hours later had a small bowl of salad.

Mine are literally sliding off my finger! I keep telling myself to go and resize them but I haven't made the time. Had they not been new (my hubby upgraded my whole set to a stunning 4 carat emerald on our 10th anniversay, which was only 3 months prior to my surgery) I would've just gotten new ones. I love my ring though and I just put "resize ring" on my to-do list!

I am at 6.5 months post op so relatively early out. Reached goal at 3.5 months but continued to lose (and still losing albeit slower). I have increased by calories by 200 and the weight loss hasn't stopped but that is all I can manage now. I will try to increase my calories gradually and see how it goes, from what I hear - and subject to you following your plan - it is unlikely that you stop losing before the 1 year mark. Best of Luck!

The whole dinner spread for the above post (for context, yes I’m anal and a perfectionist I know)

Dinner tonight: Smash burger tacos Big Mac style. Lean ground beef on a mini mission low carb tortilla (my hand for reference), melted cheddar cheese (real cheddar not the plastic one), sliced dill pickles, jalapeños and gem lettuce drizzled with a little homemade big mac sauce. This meal is one of my favourites. See how I did below. My motto is when you’re full, you don’t need to eat the last bite, so I left the last bite sitting there. 1 hour later I had one bite of the homemade roasted potato wedges and 3 broccoli florets.

Dinner: Homemade steaks!! I am so proud of how these turned out. Super juicy, super yummy and the homemade Chimichurri was out of this world good. I ate around 3 strips and couldn’t fit anything else, the meat was too filling.

Hi everyone. Soooo, here I am 6 months post VSG. Started at a BMI 33, reached goal at 3.5 months so kept changing goals and here I am at the 6th month mark having lost much more than anticipated and ready for maintenance (at a BMI 20 as of today, 126.7 lbs/57.6 KGs). I don’t want to bore you with too many details, other than that I bounce between a fear of becoming sickly thin (currently feeling that) and an all encompassing fear of gaining weight and going back to what I have become, it is kind of mind boggling. I read many many stories of how WLS patients gained all the weight back and then some, about them seeking revision surgeries or GLP treatments and it really freaks me out and my mind starts telling me to keep losing weight just so I don’t end up back where I started. I want to change that and start focusing on success stories. I have come across people with successful outcomes many years out but there isn’t many of them to be honest, and what I have noticed with successful WLS patients is this: - They made 360 degree changes in their lifestyles (cut all the junk, took up exercise and became very “clean” if you will). OR: - Still have fun but track their calories and weight DAILY. Very few have just lost interest in food and don’t do any of the above and remained successful. Given my history being at a low BMI and athletic my entire adulthood and only becoming overweight the past few years I can be very disciplined and committed. However I am human and I love going out to eat and trying new foods and restaurants, so for you the successful lot please enlighten me on the following: 1. What are your golden rules to successful maintenance? 2. How did you manage the mental shift (navigating fear and uncertainty) while transitioning to maintenance? I can’t seem to quiet my thoughts and anxiety around WHAT IFs? 3. How much indulgence do you actually allow yourself? I really need to strike that balance right now. Every single tip would be helpful. And to celebrate my 6 month anniversary, here’s a little before and after for y’all:

Everything looks really yum!

White fish Ceviche and Mexican street corn salad (made with a greek yogurt dressing). Below is what I plated for myself but decided to go for seconds for the ceviche and only had one bite of the corn salad (which was really good).

I go through these all the time lol

It is fresh chicken broth that we make at home and freeze or kettle beef broth that I boil and add spices to (mainly cinnamon and a little cajun) and bake the chicken in. The secret is to pour a little spiced broth while you’re baking your chicken (don’t simmer) so that the chicken juice mixes with the broth and result is extremely flavourful tender chicken