Hello there. My name is Jenn (you may know me from my personal blog, 
I had gastric bypass surgery nearly two years ago, and more than just my weight has changed. One thing that has definitely been affected by my weight loss is my sex life. My sex life has mostly changed for the better: I have more confidence, I have more self-esteem, I don’t mind certain positions as much, and Dan (my husband) and I can get closer to one another, literally. On the downside, the hormonal changes that go along with weight loss have caused some issues with orgasms – namely, it’s harder for me to have them because I can’t get “there” as easily. Picture having an orgasm as going from step 1 to step 10. It’s like I get stuck around step 5, then around step 7, then for the longest time, around step 8. Then, just as I’m about to give up, things speed up and bam, I’m at step 10. The orgasms themselves are just as spectacular, but the mental work involved to have them is exhausting at times.
But we make do, obviously, and overall our sex life is better than ever. And thanks to some high quality vibrators and the occasional dildo from EdenFantasys, my husband and I have plenty of things to do with and to each other. EdenFantasys always has an excellent stock to choose from, though my personal preferences lie with their selection of Evolved Novelties, Lelo, Tantus and Extase products.
Last but not least, if you’re interested in shopping at EdenFantasys, go enter my $50 EdenFantasys gift card giveaway! Oh, and use coupon code ES2 on your order to save 15%. 
Disclosure: EdenFantasys.com provided me with a gift card in exchange for this post.
I have learned (the hard way, of course) that there is no point in eating something that provides no nutritional value. At best, it does just that — provides me with nothing of value, and instead just gives me calories and fat grams. But at worse, it causes me to dump (here’s how I experience dumping syndrome: dumping syndrome). This morning I woke up with an incredible craving for Special K, and then Lucky Charms. While we do have both cereals in the house, I did the right thing and completely ignored them both, and instead went with my gold standard for breakfast:
I don’t know if it’s just one of those mornings where my stomach pouch isn’t interested in having anything, or if it’s something about that particular brand of protein powder (Muscle Milk), but right now my stomach pouch hurts and I am feeling rather icky. Blah. I hope it passes soon!
Nearly two years ago a representative from EdenFantasys contacted me and offered me my choice of product (within a specific price range) to review. At that time I was just a week out of gastric bypass surgery, and while I had lost an impressive 20 lbs, I was nowhere near a weight to even consider the sexy lingerie that the representative suggested. Instead, I perused the selection of vibrators and found one to my liking (if you’re interested, here’s the review of that product: Jenn.nu: [Sex toy review] Platinum Jack Rabbit). One perk of shopping with EdenFantasys: they always ship quickly and discreetly, so my curious mail lady never knows what kind of goodies are in the boxes she brings to my door.
But now I can get away with a size large in almost any top, and my sports bras and underwear are now both mediums. Whoo hoo! Now I just need to move on out of the size 13 range and into the 12s for jeans, and I’ll be happy.
And as far as lingerie goes, you better believe I can wear the large sizes that EdenFantasys carries. They have an impressive selection, by the way, and do not shy away from providing plenty of flirty, sassy and sexy options for the plus size ladies. You can use handy search filters on their site to find the exact size you need – here’s the range of sizes 1X-4X: plus size lingerie. And unlike other so-called plus size lingerie lines, the plus size lingerie that EdenFantasys carries really are plus size. Of course, you’ll want to check the size chart and any other specifications mentioned on individual products to be sure that you order the proper size! Also, take into account that some materials are more “giving” than others. Nylon and polyester, for example, generally have a bit more “give” than leather or satin.
Planning on ordering something? Make sure you use coupon code ES2 to save 15% on your purchase.
Protein, protein, protein. It’s all about the protein baby. In the last two years I have become protein-driven, and like a heat-seeking missile, I seek out foods that are high in protein. And without further ado, here is a generalized, no-specific-order list of foods and recipes that I turn to in order to satisfy my daily minimum protein requirements.
- Protein powder: Bariatric Eating’s Inspire, Isopure, store-bought protein powders (generally you need more liquid to mix these up, so I prefer the more expensive but much more efficient and “compact” bariatric-specific powders such as Inspire and Isopure)
- Protein drinks (watch the “smoothies”, as they’re often very high in sugar!)
- Milk (1 oz = 1g of protein; go for low-fat or even skim to save on the calories)
- Greek yogurt: Chobani, Yoplait
- Cheese (try to choose low-fat so as not to go over on fat grams), especially sharp cheddar
- Cottage cheese and ricotta cheese (don’t like to eat these by themselves? Add them to a cooked item, such as mashed potatoes; or, heat up a bit of spaghetti sauce and seasonings and mix in the cheese to have a nicely seasoned “Italian” dinner!)
- Eggs (did you know that just one large egg has about 8g of protein? Scramble it with a bit of milk and a sprinkling of cheese and that’s easily bumped up to 10-11g!)
- Ground beef (may be tough to tolerate; try mixing in some low-fat gravy or even spaghetti sauce to give it some much-need moisture)
- Chicken (white meat, no skin, definitely not fried!)
- Fish, crab/lobster/shrimp cakes (bake or broil)
- Egg noodles (the perfect substitute if you’re pasta-intolerant, as I now am; a 1/4th serving of uncooked egg noodles has about 8g of protein)
- Beef jerky (tends to be chewy, so your teeth are in for a workout)
- Beef & ostrich jerky (found in GNC and other health food stores; has a more “pasty” texture that makes it easier to consume)
- Protein bars – but these can be iffy, as many don’t offer a lot of protein without offering a large bar, which may be too large to consume (I really like Supreme Protein Bars)
I’ll update this list and re-tweet it to Twitter as more additions are made! And if you have any to add, please comment!
I’ve been holding steady between 168.2 lbs and 169.2 lbs, which makes me happy, since that means GOODBYE 170s (until I pack on four pounds worth of water weight prior to starting my period next week, of course).
Top: Me, August 2010, 199.2 lbs
Bottom: Me, October 2011, 169.9 lbs
What a difference 30 lbs makes, huh?
When it comes to keeping yourself in check after gastric bypass surgery, there’s a lot to focus on: portions, protein, nutrients. But you can’t just go by cup measurements (in 1/4th cup increments) or recommended serving sizes and call it a day. Once again, we’re back to the pesky fat grams. If you go by cup measurements or serving sizes, there’s a very good chance you’ll be overeating, even if you’re not taking in portions that are any larger than recommended by your surgeon or dietitian.
For the past month I have been very strict in checking not only portion sizes, but the calories and fat grams that are served up with those portion sizes. And more often than not I determine my final portion size by those calories and especially those fat grams. So instead of that one tablespoon worth of salad dressing with 16g of fat, I’ll take just half of a tablespoon worth, saving myself 8g of fat.
Try it – if you find yourself stalling after weight loss surgery or even after a regular diet, keeping those nutrition labels in the forefront of your mind may be all it takes to get you out of an annoying plateau.
Yesterday was my six month gastric bypass anniversary. Now that I’m six months out, I have a really good understanding of what does and doesn’t work for my body. I know what happens when I get protein deficient (hair loss, major tiredness), I know what happens when I eat certain foods, and I generally know my limitations for things.
As of today I am 213 lbs., which is my lowest weight so far. To say I’m excited is an understatement! Not only am I excited to have reached a new “lowest”, but I’m also very excited to get over the three week plateau that kept me bouncing between 215 and 217. I’m now 118 lbs. down, and I’m just 53 lbs. from my goal weight. I say “just” in conjunction with needing to lose another 50+ pounds because when I first started losing weight, I had over 150 lbs. to lose! What’s interesting is that when I reach 165.5 lbs., I can honestly say that I’ve lost half of myself.
Here’s a nice before & after comparison:
And with that said, I have a protein shake to go work on!
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