Arabesque

Never heard of either of those things before but then my classes were at 6pm & my friend & I would have dinner after.

Kitty mustn’t be a salad lover like his mummy. 😉

Insurance in Australia doesn’t cover pharmaceuticals in there same way as the US. Prescription meds here are either on the PBS (pharmaceutical benefits scheme which are meds subsidised by the government to keep the costs low - about $31) or not. If you have private health insurance they may cover some of the costs of non PBS drugs but I think it depends on your insurance company and your cover. My insurance would pay the difference in the cost of a prescribed non PBS med and if it was a PBS drug. So if non PBS drug cost me $35, I’d get $4 back. Think ozempic is on the PBS but there have been lots of shortages & there are restrictions on who can be prescribed it (diabetics only I believe). Not sure about the other semaglutides. Wegovy only recently became available here for weight loss - it’s not on the PBS currently.

Do you track (weigh and measure) everything you eat and drink? Are you following the plan set by your surgeon and dietician? Are you meeting your fluid (alcohol doesn’t count) and origin goal every day? Are you focussed on eating protein rich and nutrient dense foods? Yes, alcohol will slow your weight loss. Did your surgeon really say live your life? Did they mean alcohol? Did they know how much you drink? Did I drink alcohol while I was losing? Yes. I had a gin & tonic at around month 3 (nursed it for hours) and then a couple of single glasses over the next 6 or so months after that. This first 6 months to a year or so are a gift. You want to embrace this time to lose the majority of your weight. So yes, you will have to make some sacrifices but for these few months it’s so worth the lifetime of future benefits. Doesn’t mean you can’t go out and socialise. It just means you have to make best choices you can in whatever situation you’re in and put yourself first. The reset diet of returning to the liquid stage is an old wives tale. You’re not trying to reset your tummy but reset your head, your thinking. You can do this.

There are lots of averages around weight loss and the different surgeries but, trust me, there are a myriad of differences around those averages. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s how they get those statistical averages. Everyone loses at their own rate and as with all averages, some will lose more or faster and some will lose less or slower. You’re losing and that is the only thing you should consider. If you are losing any amount, you’re winning. Celebrate every pound you lose. You’ve lost 10kgs! That’s amazing. Congratulations!

You tend to experience constipation &/or diarrhoea post surgery. The constipation will often remain a regular occurrence. Initially it’s because of the surgery (blood and digestive irritation from the surgery and then because you’re on the liquid diet & consuming so little & not having much to poop out. Best advice is to try to keep on top of it. Add some soluble fibre to your diet, set a routine for a stool softener or similar. For example I’d take a stool softener (coloxyl)or similar if I hadn’t gone in three days. (Going every 2nd day was pretty common for me especially while losing.) Now 5 years out, I’ll take one if I haven’t gone for 2 or 3 days. (I’m on Creons and they tend to firm things up and slow the progress through the intestines which doesn’t help.) Some people swear by smooth tea, or regular miralax. You may have to try a few things but you’ll discover what works for you in time and it may change as you progress and eat more and a greater variety of food types.

That seems about bright. I was eating about a cup at 6 months which is what my surgeon advised. Slowly I was able to eat more until I am where I am now. So about a good cup of vegetables and about 3 or 4ozs of protein. My portions fit nicely on an entree plate (9inches/23cm). Doesn’t matter how large a portion you eat you can still enjoy and try a variety of foods. Five years out and my restriction is still there too. Not as tight as it once was but it can still shout no stop when it wants too. But yes, picking is the devil. So easy to lose track of how much you’ve actually eaten and because it’s usually such small portions, whatever you have left of your restriction, isn’t going to kick in. I have specific times I snack and I generally don’t snack or pick outside of those times (of course there are odd times or situations when I don’t stay the course perfectly). @SleeverSk did you speak to your GP or your bariatric surgeon about GLP -1 meds? Wonder if your surgeon may be more open to you trying it if you only spoke with your GP.

Me. My hand’s up. I do. I love soup. Make it often too. Easy and nutritious. But I do get not being able to eat solids and liquids at the same time. I used to do what @ms.sss said and drank the liquids first and then slowly ate the solids of a soup. Also give yourself time, it may be something that gets easier as time passes.

@ShoppGirl just had a revision to Sadi. She’ll likely respond to your post but you could message her too and also read some of her posts about it. She struggled to find much information and personal stories from others who went through the same revision. Keep us updated about your experiences.

Brag all you want. You’ve earned the right too. Congratulations.

Can’t give you any specific advice only share what I experience & honestly it can be erratic. Sometimes it’s easy other times not so much. It takes about 15 minutes (+/-) for water to pass through your tummy. I find I can sip up to about 5 minutes before I eat but it does depend upon what I eat & drink and I am still a slow eater so that likely helps. That’s water but say champagne I have to wait longer (the bubbles). The more dense the food the longer I need to wait too. Right now I’m sipping a mug of green tea and eating multigrain crackers with labneh. It will take me about 45 (sometimes longer) minutes to eat the 6 crackers & fillings & drink my 350ml mug of tea. Sometimes I can get a bit tight in my chest but a few minutes wait & it’s okay. I can eat soup without issue and that liquid & solids. It may be a matter of finding out your sweet spot time wise, the volume of liquid and the food & liquid combinations you can tolerate within the time window. I am 5 years out and I wasn’t doing this at 2 years. Think it may be another one of these things that just takes time.

Has anyone experienced an increase in their cholesterol levels? Before surgery, mine sat around 5 regardless of my weight (healthy, overweight or obese). In the first 3 years post surgery it was about 4. Then it went to 5 again. Okay I thought just where my body wants to be. But it’s 5.7 now. Like what?? My surgery follow up doctor suggested I speak to my GP about a coronary artery calcium store test. My dad had a higher cholesterol level but not enough for meds. One brother’s is about what mine is now but he follows one of those fat is good diet (I swear he slathers his toast with butter like an inch thick). My mum, other brother, aunts, uncles, grandparents levels are/were ok. Rest of my blood work was great.

Just a CT scan @ShoppGirl so super easy. A couple of minutes of lying down in a hospital given while the machine takes the images. It doesn’t completely rule out any issues but it gives them a good idea of what might be happening. And yes, as with mine, it’s a good base line to have for the future.

Damn about picking up COVID but so happy you had such a wonderful time. Look at those amazing progress you’ve made so far. Congratulations!

I did it for years too. It was focussed on breathing and stretching & included the flow routines so it sounds like what you will be doing. It did have a fancy yoga name which I can’t remember now. I loved it which is why I incorporated the stretches in the routines I do at home now. Hope you enjoy it too. It likely wouldn’t be considered strength training but many of the stretches and poses use your body weight so will it help build strength? Yes. You’ll also find that it slowly improves your general fitness too because of the broth work. I remember noticing the improvement when going to the camp we took our year 6 classes to every year. There was this big hill I’d always struggle to climb but a year after starting yoga I didn’t have an issue at all. Actually lead the way up the hill. I only wore slim legged track pants and a t shirt or fitted singlet top. Your bike shorts will be fine and I top you’ll feel comfortable in and bare feet are fine. Sure there will be people in the latest trendy yoga gear but it’s not necessary. I found a thick foam exercise mat at Kmart (here in Australia) which helped with my bony bits when I do my stretches now. See how you go with your yoga mat and look for a thicker mat if you need it. My yoga instructor used to provide latex bands to use for some of the stretches and we all just bought a towel which we rolled up to use if we needed extra support. Honestly you can end up spending a fortune on clothing and equipment so I’d hold off first to see how much you really love it and what you actually need. If you’re worried about your personal belongings, keep your keys, wallet, phone & whatever else in a bag and set it beside you with your water bottle. You could pop in your shoes & jacket (for when you start to feel the cold) too so you have all your belongings with you.

The more I think about it the more I think the creons I take are a contributing factor. They slow your digestion down as it passes through the intestines so you can absorb more nutrients. It’s used for malabsorption of protein, carbs and fats. Adds to my occasional issues with constipation. Fun! I’ve always eaten lean meats and while I eat more dairy now it’s still only about two serves of the recommended three serves a day. Can’t do the low fat or skim milk as I drink lactose free milk and reducing the fat makes it taste incredibly sweet & I can’t tolerate it. And the high protein yoghurt I eat (isn’t sweet) isn’t available in low fat. PS - The coronary artery calcium test gave me a score of zero the best you can get. At least I have a base score now for future comparison.

Coloxyl is a stool softener. A bottle has had a regular place in my bathroom cabinet since my sleeve - LOL! I’m going to take another one (not doing two again 😱) tonight @Spinoza as there was nothing again today. I only took one in the past if I hadn’t gone for two or three days and that would be enough to get things soft and moving again but two is obviously too much and cleans me out. Probably why I haven’t been for two days - had nothing left.

The only thought I had was a blockage of some sort. I was told I had a small buildup like a speed bump that was causing my slightly strange pooping habits. Told to double up on coloxyl on one day & then again two days later. Didn’t really do anything to help so I just live with it now but it’s not like the extreme of what you’re experiencing. Maybe a colonoscopy &/or an ultrasound may help identify a cause. Certainly the constipation will cause the bloating and bad gas. I’m recovering from a coloxyl overload at the moment. Discharge nurse told me to take 2 when I got home on Wednesday, two that night and two more Thursday morning, (I hadn’t gone for 4 days by Wednesday & you’ll remember how important it is to keep everything soft after a hysterectomy.) Well pooped 4 times Thursday & twice yesterday. Of course nothing today. Don’t know whether to take one again tonight or leave it for another day.

Apparently they leave your ovaries unless your menopausal so that’s likely why you still had yours from 28 years ago and they took everything of mine. Oh yes hospital food is awful. Plus at my hospital they have an app through which to order your meals & your water. OMG the worst app ever. Ordered a jug of water (to take my meds) and a cup of tea early one morning but then couldn’t order breakfast 90 minutes later because the app said I’d already ordered breakfast! Rang to order instead and the wrong meal was delivered. Oh we don’t have natural muesli anymore I was told when I complained so they bought me an high sugar, high fat, high calorie alternative! Grrrrr! Everything was all spicy and pasta & pizza & burgers for people in hospital!! I lived on clear soup (salty or flavourless) and jatz crackers and cheese (threw up the cheese) & hummus. No weight drop for me though just constipation & peeing out the fluids for days. Hope you’re recovering well.

Liquid diets or liver shrinking diets before surgery are very common. Different surgeons will want patients to follow specific diets (like all liquid) prior to their surgery usually for about two weeks though can be for longer or shorter. The aim is for you to lose a little more weight before surgery, thus making it safer, and to shrink your liver so the operating field is more visible and your tummy and digestive system easier to access. Different patients will fe given different plans to follow based on their weight, current health status, surgery, etc. Some are given weight loss goals to reach like you, others not. For example, I was put in Keto and not given a specific weight loss goal just had to lose some. I lost 4.5kg (9.9lbs) in just over two weeks. Just follow the diet plan you’ve been given & you’ll be fine.All the best.

Soup is usually fine to have. I was drinking soup from liquids. Broths & cream soups in liquids, thicker or puréed soups in purée, & slow cooked soups with well cooked meat & vegetables in the soft food stage. The issue is not the soup but the noodles. The noodles in your chicken noodle soup like pasta, rice and bread swell in your tummy. So you fill up with what is a food that is low in nutrient content and protein and not with protein rich and nutrient dense foods you really need to be focussed upon eating. Strain the soup & drink the broth and you‘ll be fine & still get the flavour you enjoy (just not the texture). It’s not forever though I still don’t eat those starchy, simple carbs as I find them too filling and too heavy in my tummy.

Very common for you to experience temporary changes to your sense of taste and sometimes smell after surgery. Everything became super salty or super sweet and certain textures (like the grainy texture of the shakes) became off putting for me. And yes, sometimes foods you didn’t enjoy before become enjoyable though that can change back. For me it was smoked salmon which I strangely began eating regularly once on real food but a few weeks later it was back to nope it’s too strong & rich. I actually embraced the aversion to sweet and lost my desire for a lot of it.

Generally most things are raw like meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, oats, barley, etc. If I ate rice or pasta I’d do it cooked like soup. But yes as @SpartanMaker said apps tend to specific raw or cooked when you log your food.

I hear you. I hate being sweaty & all flushed in the face with exercising. I never felt the euphoria that avid exercises say they feel. All I feel is oh God I’m exhausted & thank goodness that’s over. Ask any of my friends or family and they’ll tell you me and exercise don’t go together. I used to enjoy yoga especially the stretches because it reminded me of the ballet classes I took when younger. So that’s what I started to do: a few yoga stretches. Then I got some resistance bands and googled a few things to do with those. I also added wall pushups & a few other things to increase flexibility and strengthening. As I described in an earlier post, I spread these out across my day 5 or so minutes at time. Or start by adding something while doing something else. Boiling the kettle stretch your quads. Cleaning your teeth do some deep knee bends or raise and lower your feet to work your ankles. Reheating your lunch do some wall pushups. You said you enjoyed aerobics. You’ll likely find some old aerobic videos on You tube & you could do a couple of routines (one song each) across the day. Right from after my sleeve surgery I began by upping my every day routines yes like taking extra trips up & down my stairs to do chores. For example, this morning I went up & down my stairs twice to bring up a couple of bottles of water. Could have done it in one trip but got more out of doing two. I’m 4 days out from a hysterectomy so I’m a little restricted at the moment though I started doing some my exercises day 2 in hospital. Now I’m home, I’m starting my bands again.

One cracker isn’t going to make a difference in the pre surgery diet. Best advice though is to ensure you stick to the post surgical staged return to eating diet - no cheating then. That diet is in place to support your recovery & healing - remember all those cut nerves and staples and sutures holding your digestive system together. When tempted remind yourself why you’re doing this. You've got this. All the best.