What's on your Thursday Menu?

You crack me up!

Mornin' All!

I have a doctor's appt at 9:00 for another liquid nitrogen treatment for this damn plantars wart on my heel that will NOT go away! (it's been there for two years). We made some real progress with treatment #3 about three weeks ago, though, so maybe this will be it. I got up early this morning so I have time to exercise since I may not be able to for another three days or so - even walking around the first couple of days after a treatment isn't pleasant. Not sure how I'll get to class today since it involves walking a couple of blocks to the building. There's always Uber if I'm desperate.

I read something interesting last night in one of the scholarly articles my nutrition professor posted as an optional reading (I read everything for this class - even the optional stuff since this class is about obesity and weight loss). You know how some sleevers say they want sleeve because the part of the stomach that produces ghrelin is removed? Well oddly, bypass patients have a very low ghrelin level in the bloodstream, even a year after surgery (I suppose it could be low even after that - but they tested people a year out, so that's what they reported on). Our ghrelin level is very low compared not only to other obese people, but also to "normies". With sleevers, it doesn't appear that ghrelin has much to do with their reduced appetite - it seems to be more related to another hormone (I forget the name - but it was something I'd never heard of). I always figured it wouldn't make much difference ghrelin-wise which surgery you get, since I would think the major ghrelin-producing area of our stomachs is probably bypassed, but I know some sleevers think their surgery is the one that cuts off ghrelin production, so that's one of their deciding factors.

I really want to know if liposuction affects hormones, too, because I've read that statistically, post-WLS patients who have plastic surgery have better odds of keeping their weight off than do people who don't have plastic surgery. I don't know if that's due to some metabolic effect, or the fact that a lot of plastic surgeons want their patients to hold off on surgery until they've maintained a stable weight for a year (and it could be that people who can maintain their loss for at least a year are more likely to keep their weight off long-term), OR if it's because people who spend upwards of $50K on plastic surgery are more motivated to keep the weight off since they spent so much $$ on surgery - or some combination of the three. So far I haven't read anything about this - and my professor hasn't responded to my question (I emailed her about this). Removal of adipose tissue wouldn't appear to do this because fat cells release leptin when they're full, signaling to the brain to stop eating. So it would seem fewer fat cells would mean less leptin, right? - although I did read that some obese people are leptin-resistant. So maybe removing a lot of the fat cells resets it so they're sensitive to leptin again? I don't know. Hopefully I'll find out over the course of this semester.

QOTD: I still do a protein shake a day since I have a higher protein requirement than most post-WLS people (I need to average at least 100 grams per day, else my prealbumin level tanks). So I'm good at various concoctions (to keep things interesting...). An easy one is a "shamrock shake" - I use unsweetened almond milk, vanilla protein powder, ice, and a few drops of peppermint extract and a drop of green food coloring mixed up in the blender.

B: protein muffin

MS: protein shake

L: salad with shredded chicken and light dressing

AS: if I go to class, I'll take a protein bar with me. Otherwise, probably some Greek yogurt

D: haven't decided - but probably 1/2 a veggie burger on 1/2 a bun and some vegetables

have a great day, everyone!

That Shamrock Shake sounds good, Trish.

That nutrition class sounds very interesting.

I had a planter's wart when I was in high school. I recall that it took multiple multiple treatments to resolve the issue. Additionally, it required the clinic to use a scalpel to remove callused skin around the wart on occasion.

YIKES! Although I'm guessing they numbed it first...

Trish, I have a feeling you are good at note takings. Please take all the notes at this class, and if you can, share everything with us.

I will for sure!!

This is super interesting since my surgeon is one of the ones who told me the surgery removes the ghrelin- producing part of the stomach.

I think ghrelin is produced in different parts of the stomach, but most of it is produced in the fundus, which yes - is removed during the sleeve surgery. But this study said that it's some other hormone that suppresses hunger in sleeve patients - not ghrelin. Not sure how they figured this out. I know they measured various hormone levels in the subjects blood - so maybe the ghrelin level wasn't as low as expected in the sleevers? (it was very low in the bypassers). They said there was another hormone that also has a role in suppressing hunger that seemed to be responsible for the hunger suppression in sleeve patients - can't remember the name of it, but it was one I wasn't familiar with.

QJB your outing sounds delightful! PartlyPollyana and I enjoyed Portsmouth, NH the day we were there, despite the freezing (August) rain!

You are awesome to give me my own QOTD! My problem is that, though looking at me you may think "body by sweets", I am actually "body by savory" (does that even make sense?). I like allll the salty things. So I am getting LIFE from my cottage cheese and cream of wheat, and I am gagging down pudding and jello and yogurt. It must be a DNA thing. I would be happy to never have sugar ever again in my life - it would hardly phase me!

Since I'm tolerating everything well, I may try Hala's recipe for egg drop soup today. A friend sent me some super nutritious bone broth so that can be the base.

In super depressing news, I think I have to take my ass back to the ER. I have that serious side pain going on and it's not abating. I could just cry thinking I might be readmitted into the hospital, but it's too bad to brush off or ignore. Say some prayers or send some juju my way that they can diagnose it and send me on my way. I'm packing a small bag just in case - I now know what I need if I end up (waahhhhhhh) having to stay there. God I hope I get to come home.

I must say, I have about five good hours a day and then I cra****'s a good reminder that I am NOT back to normal, but it's nice to be able to be out and about for a little bit. Yesterday I went to Costco and got all the single wrapped treats for the two nurses floors. My nurses were incredible.

Hopefully I'll be joining the thread rom home tomorrow...I'll keep y'all posted!