Arabesque

The hair loss can be shocking and frustrating but save your money on supplements, special shampoos & treatments. Unless you’re lacking in the specific nutrients you require for hair growth they won’t help. The hair loss is temporary and for most lasts 3-4 months (regardless of taking supplements or not). During this time of stress and hormonal changes, your usual hair loss cycle is accelerated so you lose more hair but it is hair you would lose at some point. Your new hair is continuing to grow just at its usual rate. Meet your protein goals and ensure you’re getting in the nutrients, take a vitamins you’ve been advised to take. A blood test will show if you’re lacking in anything. Many of us cut our hair shorter as shorter hair always looks thicker and bouncier than long. And it will take less time for your new growth to reach the length of your shorter hair. Also there is no real evidence in support of collagen for hair growth (hair is made of keratin not collagen). Want to take it for your skin, go for it. I agree with @SpartanMaker: as collagen isn’t a complete protein it can’t be counted as part of your protein intake and you’ll get more collagen per dose/serve of a collagen supplement in powdered form than a capsule. It dissolves well & isn’t filling like a protein powder. If the hair loss persists or the loss is excessive, a dermatologist will be the best for you to see for help and other causes of the loss than just weight loss.

I bet you’ve tried a lot of diets and tried many different exercise plans & I bet you’ve were committed to them too but didn’t continue because they didn’t work for you or were to restrictive or had negative side effects, etc. If diets and exercise programs alone worked no one would be obese. People have to change their thinking about how they look at obesity. Obesity is a disease. There are psychological, physiologically, emotional, genetic & other complex & nuanced factors behind obesity. Unless your critics are obese they cannot understand what you have experienced. If you had a respiratory disease, heart disease, cancer, etc. would they say you’re cheating or taking the easy way out by having surgery or taking meds?? You have made a choice to become healthier. You have made a choice to be there for your family and friends for a long time. You have made a choice to be able to live your life as you want to live and enjoy it. Weight loss surgery is not an easy way out. There is no easy fix. Surgery opens the door to an opportunity. What you do with that opportunity is up to you and the long term effort you apply to it. Good on you!

Offer to be the designated driver. Nurse one glass for hours (did that a lot & still do it but for an hour or so now). Say you’re not really in the mood to drink. Or you have been fighting a headache all day & you don’t want it to come back. Or if you’ve realised you’ve been drinking a bit lately & decided to have a dry couple of weeks. They will notice your weight loss soon if not now so you could be semi truthful and say you’re making a few changes and trying to lose some weight. Whatever you decide to say add you’re glad to see them and to spend time with them & make sure they know you’re okay with them drinking or eating whatever they want.

Some people tend to have more diarrhoea than constipation in the beginning. A friend did - she wore disposable knickers for a week after her surgery. It’s just one of those things we can experiences differently. It could be related to stomach acid (it takes a while for our body to realise we don’t need as much as we did because we’re not eating as much & the excess irritates the bowel). A PPI will help with this if you’re not on one. Could be a lactose intolerance. Some people develop an intolerance temporarily or for life after the surgery. Try a whey free shake if it might be this & see if it improves. Could also be your body excreting old blood from the surgery (especially if your poop is darker) or another way to excrete all the fluids. Or it could just how your body is reacting to the change to your digestive system until it gets used to the new system. If it persists check with your team though. All the best.

A lot depends on you and how you respond post surgery & how long you stay in hospital. I slept a lot & wasn’t interested in reading or watching anything I’d downloaded. Didn’t have an issue with dry mouth or lips but they were pumping me full of fluids. Best thing I did was bring my own shower gel, own pjs & general toiletries. Nothing felt as good as that first shower, smelling nice and putting on my pjs. Wear home what you wore to the hospital. Disposable knickers. The possibility of very sudden diarrhoea with no warning is a real possibility. Wish I knew to bring them. I got up to do a wee, took three or four steps and whoosh. There was no saving those knickers and needed a shower. Those medical grade laxatives are super strong too and increase the risk. A friend wore hers first a good week after: wet farts! Make sure you have your over the counter meds (non NSAIDs pain meds, gas X, stool softener, Imodium, etc.) ready at home before your surgery. I got the scripts the surgeon gave me filled at the hospital before I was discharged. Make sure you have a script for nausea and a PPI as well as any opioids the surgery gives you. A heat pad can be handy to help with the surgical gas shoulder pain. Stock up your shakes, bone broths, cream soups as you’re allowed in the post surgery liquid stage ready surgery. Be warned, you may find what you enjoyed before surgery you dint like after as your taste buds temporarily change & I had a textural issue too. I found shakes too sweet and grainy & bone broths too salty so have a variety. I slept in my bed in my usual twisted side position from night two. No need for a recliner or to sleep propped up. I was the same with my gall removal and hysterectomy so it’s a me thing and may not be something you can do. Didn’t have any issues getting in & out of bed or from chairs. Just go slowly. Actually just go slowly is good advice for your whole recovery (it takes a good 6-8 weeks to be fully healed). And walk. Little and often is fine. All the best for your surgery and hope you have an easy recovery.

Have you spoken to your doctor about it or maybe asked about seeing a dermatologist? Do you think it is still more than what you usually lost seasonally pre surgery? (It can be easy to be over sensitive to seeing any hair loss especially after losing the amount many of do.) Have you noticed any regrowth? Regrowth is always a good sign. I have a little thin spot above my temple on one side courtesy of menopause and I use minoxidil (men’s 5% - the women’s 2% isn’t strong enough) and it’s been helpful. Maybe give that a go. It dyes take a couple of months to see the regrowth and you do have to use it everyday and for as long as your hair loss continues (which may mean forever). I know there are a few of us here who use it. Not sure if you’ve done any reading into telogen effluvium which is what our hair loss (result of stress, dietary changes, etc.) is called. If not you may find this a useful start. https://www.healthline.com/health/telogen-effluvium#treatment

okay, breath. There isn’t a number or hard rules about what we’re all supposed to have lost by a certain time - 2 months or any other time frame. There are averages around rate of loss, how much you’ll lose, how long it will take, etc. But, as is expected with all averages, there will be those who do more than the average and those who do less. And there’s nothing wrong with that. All the averages should do is give you are idea of what MIGHT happen not what WILL happen. Too many factors influence your rate of loss and how much you will lose: gender, age, pre existing medical conditions, mobility, starting weight, and so on. Some surgeons may have some expectations but unless you aren’t losing anything in the first months (except during a stall) you have nothing to worry about & can breath easily. Actually all of us have to go through trying to work all this out further ourselves. Simply because we are different and what might work for someone may not work for you. Always start with the plan given to you by your surgeon and dietician and then after the first couple of months, start developing your own plan and way of eating to continue your lose and then maintain. Do some research (be critical in your analysis of your research, avoid fads and influencer talk), talk to your dietician, your doctor, ask for advice here and try things out and see how you go. You’ll make mistakes along the way and that’s okay. Losing about 2lbs a week is nothing to be concerned about. 2lbs a week is generally thought to be a good rate of loss for anyone (surgery, medication or doing it alone). I always say celebrate every pound you lose. Congratulations on your weight loss so far.

Is Herbal life still in business? Gracious. They have had a bit of a controversial history over the years so I would probably avoid them too. There’s a lot of protein shakes available including through here. Sure others will recommend ones they’ve found to be good for quality (& value).

I was never given macros or calories just portion size recommendations & it came from my surgeon not the hospital. I was told to begin with 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée stage gradually increasing to a cup at 6 months. I was also told 60g protein & keep low fat & low carbs. And I clearly remember my surgeon drawing a picture of a plate and sectioning it off to show the portion of protein, vegetables and carbs on a plate I would be consuming at a meal when I was in maintenance. If you think you’ll feel more comfortable with having more guidance, keep pushing your dietician or surgical team. It comes down to what you feel you need to be most successful.

The shortage is here in Australia. Much lIke the one you had with HRT in the States in 2023. For us it is only the combined transdermal patch which is the one I use. Our therapeutical goods association is saying we could be looking at another 12 months. It’s already been almost a year. I got two lots in February last year but then there was none available. My pharmacy received a small order in October but hasn’t had any at all since. It’s staring to happen with the creons I take too. P Oh I know. Clothing is starting to get firm and couldn’t do up a pair of jeans last week. Waah! Never a good sign.

Many of you know my story. Was two months shy of turning 54 in 2019 when I got my sleeve. Lost all my weight & more and was successfully maintaining that low weight. I began gaining weight from puberty: about a stone a year. Then I started my 60-75kg weight diet/regain swing from my early 20s until peri menopause & menopause hit and then seemingly overnight I was 91kg. Nothing I did moved that weight. Hence my decision to get a sleeve. I experienced some weight regain (good 2 almost 3 kgs) almost 4 yrs ago after I had my gall removed. We worked out I had an absorption issue and wasn’t absorbing protein well or it turned out my HRT tablet (hot flushes, etc. had returned). Switched to a patch and lost the weight without doing anything & no menopause symptoms. Had a hysterectomy in September 2024 & then couldn’t access the HRT patch I was using (damn supply chain issues) & this is when my body turned against me again. ALL my menopausal symptoms returned: hot flushes, night sweats, poor sleep, headaches, creaky joints, acne, etc. & weight gain. Only three kgs so far but that’s in the last three months. And so here we go again. My body working against me. Since this regain began in January (used my last HRT patch in December & was my usual weight at the end of Dec) I’ve made some modifications to my eating. Dropped a snack, reduced some portions (which were still only recommended portion size or a little less). I eat pretty carefully anyway & stick closely to my plan of eating. Was eating about 1600 calories a day and now am probably at about 1300/1400. So at the very least I should have slowed the regain but nope. It’s scary & upsetting. I recognise it as being how my body & my hormones work (or don’t work!) but that doesn’t help. My doctor is trying to help me sort out alternative HRT but nothing is working yet as it all involves at least taking one tablet. I wish I was completely past all this hormone crap & I wish supply chain issues for pharmaceuticals were a thing of the past for everyone affected. I so wanted to be my maintained slim self when I turned 60 in 4 months. I always have been overweight at significant birthdays. This one was going to be different. The way I’m going I’ll be a stone heavier. Not overweight but more than I want to be & have been happy at. Very sad face.

Your surgeon (or their team) should provide you with a list of the liquids you can consume during the pre surgery stage. If they haven’t yet, ask for a list so you can start to prepare. There are variations between surgeons as to what you can and can’t have at this stage. For example some are three meals of protein shakes a day & that’s all. Others are four shakes. Some are two shakes plus one meal of a lean protein & vegetables. Some are not shakes but milk. Mine was keto. So you can see we can’t really tell you what your surgeon may require for this diet or require specifically for you ( your current weight, pre existing health concerns, etc.) But as a help, start weaning yourself off caffeine, carbs and sugars now because when you start the pre surgical diet the withdrawals from those foods can be pretty tough (headaches, lethargy, irritability, poor concentration, etc.) It usually passes after five or so days but that first week wasn’t called hell week for nothing by my surgeon’s patients. All the best.

I thought it was an after pxt too @catwoman7 & @GreenTealael & I went back and reread the post too. Yes, to have plastics or not is a very personal decision. I’m one who decided not to because I didn’t have a lot just a little all over (though I think it has got more noticeable as the years have passed & I’ve got older) and I tend to scar. I’m not one for a bikini, short shorts or waving my arms around so none really sees mine. My clothes cover it well even in body con dresses and skinny legging like pants. The only thing I’d suggest is to avoid lipo. You’re only removing more fat so you’ll have more loose skin. Oh and all those skin tightening treatments your local beauty clinic says will help, they won’t so save your money on those and maybe put it towards plastics if that’s what you decide to do.

Well of course people who work in a medical environment may come across people with issues. I mean if you have an issue you seek medical help. If you’re doing fine you don’t. I bet they have just as many if not more people coming for medical help or advice with lots of other surgeries as well. And how many are directly related to the surgery or related to pre existing conditions? Unfortunately a high number of obese people have a myriad of pre existing health concerns which often were what drove them to have the surgery. Side effects, hiccups or complications aren’t common. I know lots of people (friends, family, friends or friends, etc.) over the years who’ve had bariatric surgery and they’ve been fine. Tell them you’re doing well & your medical team is very happy & you’d rather they didn’t share negative stories because they’re not being helpful or supporting a decision you made for your health & to improve your life.

I only had an issue for the first couple of days because of swelling so was a little painful. And they were giving me oral pain meds in hospital the night after the surgery After the first couple if days the swelling reduced & I was able to swallow all my tablets easily just one at a time with a little break until my next sip. They were all capsules and not those big horse sized dry ones. So look around for capsules or caplets. Some things like vitamin D you can get in a mouth spray. Check with your surgeon though as you can see some have different requirements as to what you a take (swallow) or not.

It just depends upon your healing. I’m a side sleeper with a twist (so like an 3/4 side sleeper) and I was sleeping like that from when I got home. Yet others, like @SpartanMaker, sleep on their backs on a recliner for a while. After I lost weight I thought hey I might be able to sleep fully on my tummy now my breasts are smaller but no. I developed lower back pain when I tried. And I’m not the only one who experienced this. Apparently tummy sleeping puts undue stress on your lower back and causes an unnatural arch hence the pain. And without having a belly anymore I didn’t have any extra ‘pillowing’ to support my back arch from underneath. So it may be a case, like many things after surgery, of simply trying at random times and seeing how you go…. Unless your surgeon has specific requirements of course.

Exactly @Spinoza. It’s there all the time. Sometimes just a faint little voice whispering in the distance and sometimes shouting at you. Mine has been shouting a lot lately, Had to give myself a kick in the pants and getting it off my chest here has been a help. Always a such a supportive community here. Was actually thinking about asking my GP for a referral to a menopause specialist. She’s been great right from the start about prescribing HRT and putting me on alternatives when issues arose but I have been thinking I need some extra help. I reduced my estrogen a little last week (3 pumps down to 2.5) because of the bloating and sore breasts but now the daily headaches are back. Sigh! I see my bariatric follow up doctor later this month so I’ll what she says as yes, micro dosing had crossed my mind too. The man I was most surprised by with his bone loss was my cousin @SpartanMaker. He was a walker. Walked for miles, twice a day, up & down hills with his dog when he permanently retired. Still don’t understand that but he had a sedentary job which I think probably contributed and probably does for lots of men and women too these days. My dad was a farmer (horticulturalist) on his feet and lifting things every day. His bones were so hard that when he’d have his bone marrow tests for his multiple myeloma, the doctor would stand on the bed or kneel over my dad to put his weight behind the needle to get it into the bone Yikes!

Thank you @spartanmaker, @ms.sss & @DaisyChainOz. No I don’t work out as such. No gym and no running miles. Have never found any enjoyment in it at all which means I find it a struggle to do it & then I give it up. And I’ve done it all over the years. Plus I’ve been told by my retinal specialist not to do any strenuous activity which was when I gave up the 2x50 sit ups I used to do with my stretching & resistance band routines. Been doing these routines for more than two years now usually every day and even do a modified version if I’m away because I actually enjoy doing it. They include yoga moves and poses as that was the one thing I used to enjoy. Strength is pretty good. Had to buy all those new pants last year because my thighs had got larger thanks to the resistance bands & my shoulders are starting to look like I swim laps. Added a new stretch with my bands which is working on my forearms. I might end up looking like Popeye. LOL! Recently added some pulse squats to my routine as the other so called butt building things haven’t helped yet (it’s still flat and running down the back of my thighs 😁). So my metabolism should have increased at least a little over the last 2 plus years. Flexibility is good too as is bone density (had most recent scan last year). I started doing these routines because I was missing my old flexibility, to tone muscles and keep my bone density (was worried that my malabsorption may affect my calcium absorption too). Ugh, I don’t want to HAVE to add in another activity but …. Sigh! Actually bone density is becoming an issue for middle aged and older men too these days too @SpartanMaker. I know several men in their late 50s early 60s who have been diagnosed as having osteopena or osteoporosis. One was very surprised as he is an avid cyclist & thought himself very fit & healthy but cycling doesn’t help with bone density. He got tested after his wife, also a cyclist, was diagnosed & was worried. PS Buying shoes and clothing always makes me feel better @ms.sss. I bought a new dress last week & yes it made me happy (another Victoria Beckham) though I had to buy a larger size which then depressed me. It’s going to be my back up dress for my niece ‘s wedding. Waaah! PPS To add to my niece’s wedding & my 60th this year, I found out this week I have a school reunion too. Scheduling all my Botox, facial and hair appointments for the year now so I don’t look grey and wrinkled at any of them.

Did your team give you portion size recommendations and guidance around number of meals & snacks if any a day? If not ask for some as you will find them helpful. The next advice is to stick to those recommendations. Are you eating slowly? It takes at least 20 minutes for the message to get through that you’ve had enough. If you eat too quickly you will get over full & be uncomfortable & you’ll really know it when your restriction kicks in! Take small bites, use small cutlery (teaspoons, cocktail forks, baby cutlery, etc.), put the cutlery down between bites, sit back from the table & wait a couple of minutes. Then ask yourself do you need the next bite or just want it. If you just want it put the cutlery down again. Personally I aimed not to feel full but to feel like I had enough & didn’t need more. As @SpartanMaker said it takes time to learn the difference between your real hunger and your full cues. Before eating take a moment to think about why you’re eating? Are you bored, emotional (sad, angry, frustrated, stressed, anxious, etc.)? Are you eating out of habit (like because you’re watching tv, a movie, it’s an old snack time,…)? Sneezing, hiccups, runny nose can be full cues for many. If you’re craving a specific food, flavour or texture that’s not real hunger. I get restless with real hunger as if something is wrong. It usually takes time to realise I’m actually hungry and then I can logically understand why I would really be hungry - missed a meal, didn’t eat much at a previous meal, etc. It takes time to understand all this, what your signals are, and what strategies to manage it all works for you. Give yourself grace while you’re working it out.

I agree, Check with your surgeon. I had low energy too and low blood pressure with several weeks. There’s no way I could walk around Disneyland. I couldn’t stroll around the local shopping centre for 30 minutes. Can you postpone your trip? I know your son is probably vey excited but he won’t enjoy it if you’re not at your full strength. Congratulations on getting your surgery approval.

I don’t like shakes. In fact I never had another one after the initial liquid stage. But you might find it easier to treat your shake as a drink with a protein bonus and not a meal or a snack as it can count towards your fluid intake. Dilute it a little more so it’s not as thick & heavy then just sip it throughout the day like you would water until you’ve finished it. Boost up the protein content of other drinks by adding flavoured or unflavoured protein powder to coffee, soup, porridge, yoghurt, etc. Find a good high protein yoghurt. That’s what I ate to boost my protein. Or you could try protein water. Lots of flavours available. I had pork scratchings/crackling a couple of times. Handy when travelling. Found a low salt one but it wasn’t worth it - no flavour. Need that salt. Keep to the recommended portion size though cause they can be very morish. Yum!

Soggy top crème brûlée? Sacrilege!! You have to have that crack or what’s the point of a brûlée. It’s just custard otherwise. (Not that there’s anything wrong with custard 😁.)

You look lovely. And you had a bouncy castle. So much fun! Congratulations on your weight loss so far, your size 14 win (yay!) & your fifth year anniversary.

Aah, stalls. The eternal battle of weight loss. But yes, you can continue to experience stalls of varying lengths until you stop losing. Plus you’re getting close to your goal weight (or your new set point) so your rate of loss can slow right down to what seems like nothing - like measuring loss in ounces not pounds. The last 11kg I lost took about a year so less than a kilo (about a pound) a month on average but in those last months it was almost at a dead stop with fluctuations until it finally settled & didn’t change. Did you carry most of your weight in your abdominal area? If so, this might be why you are still carrying weight there as it is where you had the most to lose. Losing an inch off your thighs will look like you’ve lost more than losing an inch off your tummy because it is a larger area. But it wouldn’t hurt to speak with your doctor about possible build up of lymphatic fluid or lymphedema given your history.

Yes, it was a lovely thought but … I avoid buying clothing of any sort for anyone unless I’m certain about what size they are but even that can be different label to label, fit to fit. Even someone who is about the same height and weight as you can wear a different size because of different body shapes. If I do want to buy clothing for someone I’ve snooped (helped with the laundry or checked a tag of something they’re showing me), asked a spouse, sibling, parent or child to find out what size someone wears or just asked them outright. What about asking if they still have the receipts so you can exchange them for smaller sizes?