What's on your Monday Menu?

Sounds like an actual magical time. Good thing the sled wasn't able to mush all the way north with you! Bet you have some breathtaking photos! Glad you're resting.

Good morning all and Happy Monday,

All these days are still blending together. I can see a path back to resuming life. My father is completely off sedation and should be transferred to his long term acute care hospital today or tomorrow. Last night, I had the entire evening to relax. It was so overdue. I really wanted to go see a Japanese punk band last night but knew I needed to take the time to let my body recover a little.

Weekend was decent. Got my papers in by Friday, midnight deadline. I even squeezed in a game of spades.

QJB & Grim - You are both hilarious. I love your collective sense of humor and ability to see humor in the gentle ribbing from your partner. This is only what I've been able to gather from these posts. I anticipate that you're both much more funny in person too.

WLS issue - need to share:

Body Image - I recently(last couple months) started having negative self-talk while looking at my unclothed body in the mirror. It happened big time over the weekend when my thought process seemed to stop on my body image. Previously, I was able to automatically reframe the negative thoughts with acceptance and 'that's how I'm supposed to look.' Pre-surgery, I knew that having so much loose skin is part of losing so much weight. I haven't had any real issues with my body image or appearance since surgery. I'm aware of body dismorphia. It's surprising to have these thoughts 1 1/2yrs post surgery. It seems that my feelings about body image started with my stomach skin hanging out the bottom of shirts that fit me otherwise. Then seemed to open the door to: my remaining stomach spare tire is still huge and really sticks out on those shirts. My underarms, Saggy chest skin, and hugungous thighs. Seriously, will I ever I lose weight in my thighs? I know that some of the loose skin will appear better when I'm able to start building more muscle. That being said, I also recognize the ways that's my life has improved vastly since the sleeve. Physically, I'm much healthier. All my levels are back within normal range. I was able to start my physical journey to maximize physical ability, mobility and reduce pain. My physical body has definitely transformed and so many successes along the way. I'm not focusing on the fact that the negative thoughts happened. I'm just aware of it now and will deal with it if it becomes an issue in the the future.Just wanted to throw all this out there. I'm planning on bringing it up with my bariatric np/dietician too.

QOTD - I like to sing but don't sing often in front of others. I have long wanted to take voice lessons. I think I sing decently but I'm interested in professional instruction. I sing alone mostly, specifically in the car, shower, and with music. Not a fan of singing at Karaoke(or listening to others there.)

Blue cheese burgers are my jam. I like when the blue cheese is made into a thick layer on the burger and put under the Sally(broiler) for 15secs.

B: Dannon Light and Fit Coconut Yogurt, Tangerine.

L: cobble together something.

D: Rotisserie Chicken or PP shake. Costco re-up mid day, hopefully. (It is pretty much a re-up since I immediately start thinking about buying my next case when my current supply is almost finished.)

I think that as you get more comfortable with what you can do with your new body, the way it looks will be less of an issue. That is what I have found for myself at least.

Having said that, I hate that when I wear more form fitting shirts, you can see the bumps and dimples of cellulite which was never noticeable with my 100lbs ago belly, lol. I found that wearing a tank top (not Spanx or compression, just a loose one, that adds a layer) that I tuck into my pants helps for me; maybe it would help for you?

Glad to hear the improvements that your father is making

The Body dysmorphia I am not sure if it ever goes away. I hate the way I look in the mirror. That is one thing I can not manage in my head.

Blue cheese is my Thing. Every time I broke a diet prior to WLS Blue cheese was always my go to. I like to put it on top on a rare cooked steak and broil it as well. If you ever have a chance try a Huntsman cheese. It is a game changer on a steak or burger. You will thank me if you never tried it.

My husband said he knew he would marry me when I ordered a bleu cheese burger on our second date

We all go through the body dysmorphia, we concentrate on the imperfections. I remember before surgery I just had a number in my head thinking when I get to that weight I will never complain again. Hah! A couple of weekends ago I tried for the first time the Vuori joggers that everybody in the world loves. Matt, you could hear me screaming in the changing room. I put them on and looked at myself disgusted with all the dimples/cellulites showing through the joggers. Took them off in a matter of seconds. We just gotta accept what we can change and the rest as a battle scars. All the cellulite, stretch marks, extra skin, etc. are our battle scars that we should be proud of, because they mean we are working on ourselves. I will always be a work in progress.

Matt-it is hard to change our self-image and negative self-talk. I am not a fan of seeing my naked body with the excess skin. I have noticed that some areas have improved with weight training and adding muscle but will have loose skin until (if) I have it removed. This does limit some of the clothing choices I make (i.e. cover those sagging old lady looking thighs and knees) but I do try to work around those issues to find clothes that I feel make me look good. Do you think some of the negative self-talk is related to the stress you have been under with your dad? It may be worthwhile to find a therapist to help you work through these feelings and issues.

I am so happy to hear your dad is making progress! Good for you taking time to care for your body and spirit when the opportunity arose.

Glad to hear your Dad is recovering. Positive thouhts your way.

You are in the right place to talk about body Image. I do not see myself as my wife sees me. I will walk around my backyard and house without a shirt on, I will not do it in a Public setting/beach/cruise. I wear swim or rash guards. I am able to get around it that way. I am fair skinned so wearing a swim or rash guard does not seem people to take notice. Many people wear them now...so makes me feel more comfortable.

When I am down about it, I change my thought process to the health benefits since surgery 11/14/14. I was on 6 different meds and now and am on one, due to family genetics/BP.

I feel your pain, need to find that balance that keeps your thoughts in a positive light

Ah, body dysmorphia is tough. I can honestly say I am not sure I have ever seen what I really look like in the mirror because I have always hyper focused on the negative. Even when I was a year post op and weighed just over 100lbs I saw a picture that Grim took of me and I wanted to burn it because I just saw fat knees. I wish I had better advice about how to overcome it, but just wanted to say it's common. Maybe not "normal" but common, anyway.

Congrats on working through everything you need, and yay for your dad, again!

The dysmorphia is real, and some days can be worse than others. It's definitely worth the conversations if you think there's someone who can help with it. I just read an article on OH about this. Will share the link when I can go back and find it. My bet is most of us go through some form of dysmorphia, and how we feel can differ wildly day to day. I hope tomorrow is a better one for you.