Arabesque

I read it as you’ll need to take the multi vitamin & also take the calcium (because of the plus sign) but you don’t need additional B12 as it is included in these meds (the recommended multi). The bad news is if you are one of those who will lose extra hair after surgery, you can’t do anything to stop it. Worrying about it will likely only make it worse - you don’t need additional stress. Remember we naturally regularly shed hair. After the stress of the surgery & the dramatic change to our diet, our natural hair loss cycle is accelerated. So the additional hair you lose was always going to be shed. Your new growth is still occurring but just at its usual rate. The hair on your head is dead & nothing can save that. All those vitamins & supplements that promise hair growth may do is help your new hair growth. Just like fertiliser won’t stop dead leaves falling off a plant but may help with new growth. Same with your nails. Once you get to your maintenance point & you’re eating larger portions & a more balanced diet, everything settles again. Even your face, which may look more drawn for a while, settles too. Your healthier diet will bring a lot of benefits to the quality of your skin, hair & nails in time too. Vitamins can be very expensive but it may be better to start with the higher quality recommended ones to begin while your diet is most restricted. My surgeon, dietician & pharmacist all told me that the vitamins kept behind the counter at the pharmacy are always the best quality in purity & quantity of ingredients. Apparently this applies to all over the counter meds. If they keep certain meds behind the counter buy those. All the best with your surgery & recovery.

I wouldn’t worry too much. It could just be your natural fluctuation especially as it’s only a couple of pounds. Your weight can fluctuate a couple of pounds through out the day as you eat & drink. Also consider whether you pooped that day & if you’re retaining fluids due to your hormonal fluctuations. Unless you’re being weighed at exactly the same time, wearing the exact same clothing on the same scales & you’ve eaten the exact same foods & the same volume of fluids, etc. you have to expect some differences in what the scale says. Each of my doctors keep their own records of my weight & I keep mine. They’re not the same & that’s ok. My fluctuation is a kilogram (2.2lb). Because you’ll be weighing yourself more frequently you’ll get to discover your natural fluctuation. It may be more or less but it’s just part of life. And as you’re just starting out in the process & are just starting to make changes to your diet, maintaining your weight is still a win. Way better than gaining. As you progress with those changes, you’ll likely notice your weight starting to go down. You’ll be on the pre surgery diet before you know it & then your surgery & your weight will very noticeably drop.

It’s also not just a case of whether you’re allowed or not on your plan but also whether you are physically able. Some find they struggle with the gas - tightness, feel full & bloated, excessive belching, etc. Some drink them without issue. Carbonation has always been an issue for me, terrible hiccups & discomfort, & that hasn’t changed. I didn’t drink a lot but also gave them up years ago because of the sugar content & artificial sweeteners. Didn’t & don’t miss them. I will drink the occasional tonic or soda water as a mixer or glass of champagne about once a month or less. I sip slowly &/or stir regularly so the bubbles abate. I do have a glass of sparkling water every day but I deliberately let it go flat.

Some plans encourage you to eat more than 1000 calories a day especially at your 11 weeks out. So don’t beat yourself up if you’ve had some days that you have. I bet even when you did you still didn’t eat the volume of food or at the same frequency as you did before surgery. I was only advised portion sizes never calories. I started at 1/4 cup & worked up to almost a cup by goal. One of the most helpful strategies I still employ is to ask myself if I need the next bite or do I just want it. Coupled with trying to stop eating before I feel full. Eat slowly and never be afraid to put your cutlery down, push your plate away from you &/or sit back from the table. Real hunger feels different to head hunger. Head hunger will go if I distract myself or delay eating for 30minutes or so or if I focus on drinking (warm is best). Real hunger persists. With head hunger I want a specific food or flavour (sweet, salty, etc.) but it often doesn’t satisfy the desire. With real hunger I just want food & nutritionally dense food satisfies it. I feel restless with real hunger like something is wrong. Head hunger usually affects my emotions - hangry or frustrated. Are you bored, stressed, frustrated or another emotion & is this what is driving you to eat? Are you eating out of habit or a time on the clock? A rumbling tummy often doesn’t mean you are hungry but it’s just your body digesting food. I rumble & grumble all day long but I’m not hungry. Stomach acid can make you think you’re hungry. PPIs can help with that. Nutritionally dense food like proteins are usually more filling than empty calorie, high sugar, high fat or highly processed foods. Have a chat with your dietician.

Gall bladder removal is not uncommon for anybody. Gall stones can form for a couple of reasons: high cholesterol, rapid & excessive weight loss, menopause, or high bilirubin levels. So it makes sense why many bariatric patients have their’s removed at some point. Some people can have gall stones for years that only rumble a bit so they don’t know they have them. They’re discovered because of the pre surgical tests so some people have their gall removed during their weight loss surgery. My stone was discovered during a scan to see why my liver function was off about 7 months after surgery. I’d have no symptoms but last June I really knew about it - very painful!!! So my gall was removed about two years after my sleeve surgery. Mine could have formed because of the weight loss, menopause or because I have high bilirubin levels. It was an easy surgery. My surgeon used the same incisions from my sleeve surgery & I was home the next day. I did have more muscular discomfort & gas pain though. My diet is generally lowish fat so I don’t have issues with that. But I have noticed every couple of weeks that I have a bout of diarrhoea (manifests more quickly than ordinary tummy upset attacks). My sister-in-law is the same. We think it’s a build up of digestive acids because the gall isn’t there to regulate it anymore.

You can depend upon the saying the closer to goal the slower the weight loss. My last two kgs were a b*tch to lose. So close yet so far. Don’t give up or think it’s over. You’ll likely get there in your body’s own time.

Stalls are extremely common & a natural & expected part of the weight loss process. The first usually occurs around the third week (hence the name the three week stall) but it can occur before or after that mark. They can last 1-3 weeks. They have nothing to do with you possibly failing. Think of them as your body trying to play catch up & get used to all the changes. It’s the equivalent of your body closing the front door & pulling the covers over it’s head much like we feel like doing when life gets stressful for us. Oh & yes, I did say first stall. You may experience a couple as you’re losing. Don’t be too perturbed if you’re not meeting all your fluid & protein goals every single day expesically in the beginning. As long as you’re making a concentrated effort & are close you’re okay. It does get easier when you’re eating solid foods & able to eat a little more. If I have a day when I’m lower, I try to be a bit higher than I need the next day & I’m almost three years out. And the constipation may continue until you’re close to or in maintenance & eating a much broader diet & eating more. At the moment your consuming very little food so you don’t have a lot to excrete. Not going every day is to be expected. Add a fibre supplement like Benefibre that doesn’t swell in your tummy. Add some vegetables & whole or multi grains to your diet as soon as you’re able. And keep on top of the constipation to avoid compaction & discomfort (pain) when you finally go. I took a stool softener if I had three days without movement.

Remember not every loses all the weight they expected to lose. The average weight loss after 5 years is about 65% of the total weight they had to lose to put them in a healthy weight range. And a hell of a lot of people have gained weight during the emotional turmoil of the last two years so don’t be too hard on yourself. Get out your old eating plans & information & go back to the basics. But trying to change a lot of things all at once is often doomed to fail as it can feel all to much to do. Make a single change & then in a couple of weeks make another & so on. Maybe to begin you could reassess & reduce as needed your portion sizes, ensure you’re getting in your 60g of protein a day, increase your vegetable consumption, ensure you get 2L of water in a day, swap out high calorie or less nutritious meals for better alternatives, or drop a snack, etc.. You can choose whichever one you think you can manage as you progress. Can you contact your dietician again? Did you have a therapist while you were losing? They could help you refocus your goals, offer advice & suggestions & look into your eating habits, etc. Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s you tube channel & his book A Pound of Cure. He has some good tips on resetting your body’s set point (BMR) & making changes to your eating. (He does encourage a more plant based diet but you can make allowances around that to your own eating preferences.) All the best.

It annoys me when a doctor puts their personal position, values, etc. above the needs & wants of their patients. You want to do something about your physical & emotional health & well being & your doctor is stopping you. You’re not requesting anything dangerous to yourself or others, addictive or illegal. A friend had the same problem with her doctor who wouldn’t prescribe HRT. My friend has a degenerative spine problem & was experiencing quite a few menopausal symptoms. She eventually told her doctor she wanted the meds, listed the benefits, possible side effects & then said either you prescribe the best one for me or I’ll go to another doctor. She got a script. Maybe you need to lay it in the line to your doctor too. As your doctor, they should know the struggles you’ve had & everything you’ve tried previously. Also have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s web site: https://www.poundofcureweightloss.com/. You have to join & there is a fee ☹️ though I thought I joined (I get his emails) & I didn’t pay a fee 🤷🏻‍♀️. I’ve found his you tube videos (sorry) & books informative & useful. All the best.

A broth is just liquid so no meat, vegetables or noodles. If you’re straining it you should be okay. As alternatives, have you tried bone broths? Strained wonton soup or pho?

As @lizonaplane said constipation &/or diarrhoea are common after surgery. Some is from the surgery (which has affected & stressed your digestive system. Your tummy could be producing more stomach acid then you actually need at the moment which will irritate your intestines & bowel. Some is from the liquid diet. I too had an experience of the unexpected & sudden diarrhoea attach & didn’t make it to the bathroom. Yikes!! My friend had a good week of ‘wet farts’. (Her surgeon recommended disposable knickers for that possibility - she was very grateful she bought them.) Some develop a temporary intolerance to lactose which will cause diarrhoea too. Try a plant based protein shake & lactose free milk & other dairy products. Have you tried some Imodium? It was on my post surgical meds list. But give your surgeon a call to be sure. The worry is you’re not absorbing the nutrients/protein you need if it’s being excreted so quickly.

That does seem rather low (I wasn’t given limits for fat or carbs just keep low) but you are only eating a small amount of food at the moment. And there are good fats & bad fats. I’d ask if your fat allowance refers to all ‘total fats’ or just bad fats like saturated fats, trans fats, etc. Our body does need some fats to function effectively & that does include small amounts of saturated fats. if your fats are predominately coming from animal proteins (saturated bad fat) maybe swap in some more seafood (unsaturated good fats) & some plant proteins to balance your intake a little. But to meet our daily protein goals we’re going to be consuming fats. Little things help. Avoid processed foods which often contain trans fat (the worst fat). Look to poaching, roasting/baking & other cooking methods that require no added fat. Invest in an air fryer & a non stick fry pan. Watch low fat foods as some contain additional sugars, artificial sweeteners or other substitutes so the flavour &/or texture is similar to the full fat versions (read nutritional panels carefully). If you’re not able to see your dietician for a while, can you email questions to them?

Clotting is a concern after most surgeries. I only had injections for the first 24 hours after my sleeve & again after my gall bladder removal & nothing else. How long you need injections or anti clotting meds after your surgery may depend on your surgeon’s preferences, your own general health & medical history, etc.

Staring at the options at the butchers yesterday looking for inspiration when it hit me: pork laab salad. Can’t believe I haven’t made it since before surgery when it is so healthy & easy to make. Forgot to buy a red onion. Substituted cashews for peanuts & of course no chilli for me. Forgot to take a pxt last night when the mint & coriander looked all fresh & green so this is a pxt of the leftovers I’ll be eating for a couple more days. Doesn’t look appetising now but it was damn tasty. I’ll add some extra fresh herbs (it didn’t have near enough) after I reheat it.

Don’t take any of the cold meds before your blood test but I would tell them you have a cold. They often add notes to their paperwork when you have the test & they might add this information too. Also let your surgeon know you have a cold. They may get you to have another blood test the day before or of the surgery to compare results. All the best.

So sorry for your loss @Starwarsandcupcakes.

First, congratulations on your weight loss. Whoo hoo! I too struggle with energy. A lot I think is because of my low blood pressure, lowish heart rate & random hypoglycaemic episodes. I seem to have bursts of energy & then it’s like ok have to stop now. But these aren’t really new experiences. I always had a tendency to drops in blood pressure & hypoglycaemia & they always happened more frequently when I was thinner & I’m slimmer than I’ve ever been now. Have you spoken with your surgeon about what you’re experiencing? Where is the pain - joints, abdomen, back, …? NSAIDS, like ibuprofen, should be avoided. They’re too harsh on our much smaller stomachs & will cause irritation to your tummy & even stomach ulcers so if your pain is abdominal the daily ibuprofen could be the cause. My surgeon does allow me to have a single capsule very rarely. I go for months without taking one. I’ve only about 5 single capsules in almost 3 years & 2 were recently when my oozing discs decided to play up - so painful & physically limiting.

Sometimes family members & friends find it very hard to reconcile how you look now so to them anything smaller then what you were looks skeletal. It takes time for them to really see you. I had some of those moments too but they don’t say anything like that now & I’m smaller than what I was when they did. They went from stop losing, you look skeletal, & the worst you look like death, to you’re actually quite finely built aren’t you, to no comments at all. And yes, I got the very concerned inquiry as to the state of my health & if I was really ok too. It was from my minister - think she thought she’d have to add me to her daily prayers. By the way, I think you look great.

Thanks for the info about liquorice root & aloe vera @Abnormal Angie.

Try the instant 2 minute type of rolled oats first then progress to the traditional or cut oats on more solid food or when able to tolerate the coarser oats. Make in milk & make them fairly milky to begin.

Many experience a temporary change to their taste &/or sense of smell regardless of the surgery they had. It does pass but it can be helpful to break a desire for a specific food. For me it was sweet things. Can also be annoying if it’s a food that would be considered healthy. My favourite vegetables (asparagus, sugar snap peas, broccolini) were disgusting for a while.

Constipation is very common. But the dosage you’re having all sounds too extreme & are suffering as a result. ☹️ It may take a little while for your body to actually get back into some sort of routine after this & also to have anything to excrete. You’ve basically cleaned yourself out. I took benefibre every day & only a single stool softener when needed. Usually after three days of no movement to keep on top of it like @catwoman7. It wasn’t an every week thing. I also had rolled oats most morning from purée stage - good fibre. You’re not consuming much to begin so your movements tend to be small & you may not go every day until you are eating a greater volume of food each day.

Oh yeah, protein shakes are hideous. I even found the so called flavourless pea protein still had a unpleasant taste to me (& I love peas). I stopped them when I started purées. I loved yoghurt drinks too. I found a high protein one with a low sugar content (from the puréed fruit not added) & sipped it as a drink not a meal. I’m not a lover of tinned fish so I looked to fresh or frozen fish fillets (soft flaky white fish). If it was crumbed or battered, I’d only eat the flesh inside the coating. I did make a lot of slow cooked stew style dishes with some vegetables for flavour like bolognese & savoury mince, chicken (thigh not breast) casserole, etc. I also had very milky rolled oats most mornings (a good whole grain fibre & two sources of protein) so it was more liquid than solid & sipped it for a while. Nibbled on cubes of soft cheese like Jarslberg or string cheese too.

My thought was lactose intolerance too. I agree, try lactose free dairy products & plant based protein shakes.

Shorter hair often looks thicker & bouncier (less weight of the length to pull the hair down) so it can lessen how noticeable any hair loss is. Even though I had long thick hair I started to get that straggly thin look in the bottom 4 inches so I had that cut off about a month into the hair loss. Then I cut it to just above my shoulders after around three months of losing which is when it actually slowed & then stopped. I’ve kept the shorter length - much easier to look after. It doesn’t matter if your hair is long or short if your natural hair loss cycle is accelerated post surgery & with your weight loss, you’ll lose hair.