Arabesque

Walking is best. Keep them short, a lap or two depending on the size of the ward, three or four times a day. I’d walk to the sitting room at the end of the ward, sit for a couple of minutes & walk back (Well I did until I stumbled upon the man in his badly tied surgical gown standing in front of the window so the sun shone threw the gown highlighting all his ‘attributes’.)Though you may find you spend a lot of that first 24-48 hours sleeping. Gas X helps too. Listen to your body if it says rest, rest. Congrats on your surgery & all the best for the rest of your recovery.

Congrats on your approval. Your medical team (surgeon & dietician) should provide you with a plan to follow pre & post surgery. It should detail what foods you can eat & when (what stage) & usually includes recommendations for portion sizes, your carb, sugar &/or fat intake, protein & fluid goals & calorie goals or combinations of these requirements. (Mine was only portion size & protein& fluid goals.) If they don’t ask for one & ask for the additional guidelines if you’d feel more confident with more guidance. Plans can be different surgeon to surgeon & it is always best to follow the plan you are given. Generally, in weeks 3 & 4 you are in the purée stage. You can purée most things with sufficient liquids (gravy, stock, milk, water, Mayo, etc.) to get them to a thick gloopy texture. Still more swallow then chew. In weeks 5 & 6 you are in the soft food stage. Think tender, fall off the bone slow cooked meats, minced meat dishes with gravies or sauces, thick meat & vegetable soups. More chew & enough liquid to lubricate & allow you to swallow easily. Your plan may be different. There may be foods in your plan you can’t tolerate as your tummy can be fussy at first & your taste buds &/or sense of smell can become temporarily sensitive. I’m not a regular exerciser - never really enjoyed it, never reached the euphoric stare people talk about. I walked in the beginning. Then did some resistance bands. Still do some general stretching every day. Doing standing push ups at the moment too. I do a lot of incidental activity: do multiple trips up & down my stairs (why do it in one load when you can do 2 or 3), park further away from where I’m going, walk up escalators & travelators, jog up stairs, etc. Plus my low blood pressure (70s over 60s) means I get tired & weak more quickly when doing anything more strenuous. Also can cause a hypoglycaemic episode. Not a lot of fun so I’m careful.

Google is your friend. Stacks of exercises to tone your glutes available with a simple search. It can also be helpful to get a short program at a gym or with a person trainer to find out the best workout for you & to ensure you’re doing them correctly & not risking potential injury. Then you can do them at home. Can be a little pricy but sometimes they offer deals. You can pick up weights, resistance bands etc. pretty cheaply. I got my bands for $10 at Kmart in Australia. Remember you won’t be able to do a lot for a few weeks while your healing & recovering from the surgery. Walking will be your friend for that first month or so.

You can’t prevent loose skin. Your skin has been stretched by the weight you’re carrying. Think of your skin like an old, overused, stretched out hair band. Can’t make that elastic. band tight again. But in saying that there are factors that can influence how much lose skin you end up with. Age (younger skin has better elasticity & will bounce back to a degree), how much weight you have to lose (I had hardly any loose skin at goal but with the additional 12kgs I got more than a pinch more), how long you carried your excess weight & genetics. Some loose skin isn’t very noticeable under clothes. Mine’s not & I can wear body con dresses with regular underwear. Others resort to surgery. I don’t mind the lose skin I have. It’s a reminder & I feel I earned it through the effort I put in to lose the weight. Also I’d rather have some lose skin than all those kilograms. But that’s me.

All fluids count towards your goal - shakes, broths, soups, tea, milk, etc. I used to dilute my protein shakes & sip on them longer. If you use milk & yoghurt in your smoothie you’ll get in some protein which is the most important. Fruit can be dangerous. Though a naturally occurring sugar it adds up quickly especially in things like a smoothie where you can easily add in more than a single serve of fruit. Some plans restrict when you can begin to include fruit & which fruits you can eat. So be careful. Check your plan & check portion sizes. If you’re early out & only eating say a 1/3 cup of food a small apple, or a couple of strawberries exceeds the portion you can eat as a food. I found a good high protein yoghurt drink which was low in sugar (not added but predominately from the yoghurt itself) & low calorie. You can thin them with a little milk. It was a fluid & food.

I was eating regular food from soft food. Just introduced new meats, vegetables, etc. slowly as I was able. Same with herbs, spices, etc. So basically what everyone else was eating just smaller portions. Some foods didn’t taste good to begin because of the temporary changes to my taste buds. And sometimes my tummy was just fussy & didn’t like some foods at times. Really it was just a matter of choosing more tender cuts & how they were cooked & prepared to keep what I was eating relatively moist & tender. I was eating bolognese with zucchini noodles, meatballs with gravy, slow cooked chicken chasseur (though the wine I added was disgusting), omelettes, steamed/poached fish, meat & vegetable soups, etc, in soft food. Was eating steak, chicken thighs, lamb, pork tenderloin with some vegetables pretty quickly in solid foods. Gave up shakes from purées & was eating ‘real’ food - just puréed then of course 😉. Guess it comes down to what you consider ‘regular’ food. As long as it complies with your food plan, & you’re meeting protein goals & not exceeding sugar, fat & carb recommendations you were given, you’ll be fine. You can always discuss options with your dietician to be sure.

Not heard of this before. Have you contacted your medical team? Could be an infection or some surgical oesophageal swelling pressing against the larynx??? If they used a breathing tube during your surgery it could be swelling or bruising from that. But do contact your surgeon.

The closer you are to goal the slower the rate of loss. It can be really frustrating when that goal weight is so close & it feels like you will never get there. Your weight loss slows as you’re consuming more so your intake is almost at what your body needs to function & so you lose little or nothing (maintenance). You have a couple of options. You can continue as you are, be patient & see how your loss progresses. You likely will eventually lose that 15lbs or close to it. Or you can do more activity or reduce your food intake but both of these options will have to be continued if you want to maintain the lower weight if they are the only ways to lose the weight. Always worth a chat with your dietician. It can be easy to overlook something or they may suggest something to shake up your eating plan. Not everyone gets to their goal but that’s ok. Sometimes your body settles at a slightly higher weight than you expected. Or you make eating & activity choices based upon how you want to live & enjoy your life (which are a major considerations for long term success). A way of eating or exercise regime that is too restrictive isn’t sustainable in the long term. All the best.

Try some high protein yoghurt to boost your protein intake. I disliked the shakes too & stopped them from purée stage. I bought & still buy YoPro by Danone (don’t know if it’s available in the US) which has 15 or 20g protein. They used to do a yoghurt drink too of 22 or 30g protein depending upon the size. Not what you’d call sweet - about 6% sugar from the fruit & milk. Watch some protein bars as they are really not much more than candy bars: low protein, high sugar & high calories. Check & compare the nutritional information.

Oh gracious no. I eat all meats (except offal - can’t do that) & seafood. I’m a carnivore. I was eating it from solid foods at week 7 & some in the soft food stage. Only difficulty is if the meat is too dry or too fatty but that’s easy to work around. I followed plan pretty much always until I hit maintenance at 6 months & all meats were allowed. I then made small changes as I developed my own eating plan based on how I wanted to progress & what would compliment my lifestyle. There’s a lot of similarities with my plan though. I eat most things but keep my my sugar intake very low, keep carbs to two serves whole/multi grains (no bread, pasta or rice) & keep fats relatively low. I don’t do fast food at all & rarely have take away (5x in almost 3yrs & carefully choose what I eat). I’ve put on a good kg recently which I’m hoping is because I’ve upped my protein & haven’t reduced other things enough to compensate - it’s a fine balance to ensure I still get in all my other nutrients. (I don’t absorb protein well since my gall was removed last year.)

Definitely get in contact with your medical team or go to your local medical centre asap! Dehydration is a big concern with many complications. You’re only managing a third of what you should be having. I had swelling to begin but it passed after a couple of days but it made swallowing difficult & painful. I did find warm drinks much easier to sip: more soothing on my throat & easier on my tummy. I even heated my protein shake. On day 9 most are still only on fluids - protein shakes, broths, cream soups. Make sure you’re only having a sip at a time & waiting in between. If your shake contains lactose, it may be upsetting your tummy because you may be a little sensitive to dairy post surgery (this is not uncommon & is usually temporary). Look for lactose free shakes. All the best.

I knew you were out west but couldn’t recall where exactly - Conclurry? My family is in Gatton & mum told me this morning they’d had 17in since early Wednesday. I’ve had similar in Brisbane. All our farms are flooded, water through packing sheds & through the offices. Higher than 2011. Mum & both brothers are isolated because of flooded roads & bridges & subsequent damage. One brother had septic back up in his house & same issue at the offices & packing sheds. And it’s still raining. Will be a huge mess to clean up. Said to mum: everyone is safe & healthy. Everything else is just stuff. We are a land of droughts & flooding rains.

What does your plan say? Generally we’re advised no fruit to begin though plans are different & some are allowed puréed apple or banana (I wasn’t). Check with your dietician if your plan is unclear. It’s always best to follow your plan.

Congrats on getting your surgery date. Whoo hoo! What people eat at each phase depends on the plan their surgeon & dietician put them on. Most seem to be on purées for weeks 3 & 4. Think baby food, thick gloopy liquids. You can purée most proteins with gravy, broth, stock, milk, etc. to get the solid food liquidy enough. But you may find your tummy is a bit fussy & your tastebuds can be sensitive making things taste pretty awful so it can be a bit hit & miss but it passes. I blended up tinned salmon & tuna but it was disgusting. Eggs were good - scrambled, poached, or mashed boiled with Mayo. I also made slow cooked soups with meat & vegetables & blended well. I could have yoghurt which I ate every day & instant rolled oats made extra milky. But don’t worry if you struggle moving to the next food phase. Some need a couple extra days on the previous stage. We all heal & recover differently. Have a chat with your surgeon about what to expect post surgery & what you should be aware of or watch for with your surgery. Generally generally you can expect gas pain (they inflate your abdomen during surgery so they can see the operating field). It distends your tummy & stretches muscles & then has to escape your body - walking a little often helps as does Gas X - but it could take up to a week to dissipate. Surgical pain is generally managed with meds & many find by day 4 it’s greatly diminished to just general discomfort. Remember no NSAIDS. You may be swollen & have difficulty swallowing fir a couple of days. You may have diarrhoea &/or constipation. You won’t be able to lift anything over 10lbs +/- for a couple of weeks. You may not be hungry or interested in eating. You may be nauseous again meds help so ask for some if you need them. Sip slowly & sip often - stay hydrated. Take it easy & listen to your body. If it says rest, rest. Try some electrolyte drinks to give you a boost of energy if you feel you need it. Don’t be afraid to contact your medical team if you don’t feel well, pain persist or isn’t managed by your prescribed pain meds. It all gets way easier as you progress. All the best.

You shouldn’t be committing this far out. Are you eating too fast? Eating too much? Are you dumping by eating too much sugar or high processed white flour foods? Are you drinking while eating? It would be worth seeing your surgeon to discover what’s really going on. Golden rule is eat your protein first then vegetables if you ate able. Some plans say if you still have room some good multi/whole grain carbs but you likely won’t be able to especially if you are getting in your required protein first. 60g of protein a day is the usual goal. A simple google search will reveal the protein content of any meat, seafood, dairy, etc. Weigh your protein so you know how much you’re getting. Bread, rice & pasta are usually not allowed on plans because they are nutritionally poor food choices & are too filling. So a muffin would be a poor food choice & the cream cheese would provide very little protein (less than a gram for a tablespoon). Get in touch with your dietician & ask for some sample menu plans & recommended food lists as well as portion size recommendations,. You may benefit from being given macro & calorie guides as well. Rate of weight loss is individual. Some lose more quickly, others more slowly. You seem to be doing ok but factors like age, gender, starting weight, weight loss history, etc. all influence your rate of loss. But you’re happy with what you’ve achieved, and you should be, that’s the most important thing. Congrats.

At 8 weeks I wasn’t eating 1/2 cup. Two scrambled eggs would take three days to eat. But we are different & there are a lot of different plans some which encourage you to eat more than what I did. Hopefully your dietician will get back to you with more specifics around portion size, etc. which will best suit you. You do need to work at eating more slowly & taking small bites. Use smaller cutlery (I used a teaspoon for ages). Put your cutlery down between bites & wait a couple of minutes before taking the next. Distract yourself if needed. Have a conversation with your family between bites. Read a page, wait for an ad break, play a game of solitaire or sudoku online, listen to a song between bites or whatever. I still take ages to eat 30 - 60 minutes is usual depending upon what I’m eating. Remember it takes time for that message you’re full or had enough to get through & often by the time you feel full you’ve eaten more & are actually more than full. All the best.

Not shaving my legs for a week? Yikes. I’d be booking in for waxing the week before. 😆. I had to use an anti bacterial wash the night before my surgery too & wash my hair with it. Bit drying on the skin & then couldn't moisturise. Didn’t have to with my gall removal 2yrs later though 🤷🏻‍♀️ Sounds like you’re doing well so far - congrats.

I like capsicum but am allergic to chilli. At least you can pick the capsicum (pepper) out @OnMyWay1956. Try to go out to eat & order something without chilli these days. And they rarely identify it on the menu either or use terms that might indicate the presence of it. I have to ask if it’s in what I want to order every time I go out. It is frustrating when they recognise certain allergies but not others. I’ve had a wait staff tell me there’s only a little bit in the dish & it isn’t hot after I’ve told them it’s an allergy. They wouldn’t suggest someone with a nut or seafood, etc. allergy eat a meal with their allergen present. Oh gracious, a Queenslander with a Mango allergy - 😱. You’ll be kicked out of the state 😆😆😆. I love mango but they tend to make my restriction kick in if I have more than a couple of bites so sad. (You getting any of this rain @SleeverSk or are you too far west?)

Frustratingly, stalls can happen once or multiple times while your losing. They can last for a week to 3 or 4 weeks. If they persist, have a chat with your dietician/nutritionalist to review your diet. Sometimes a small tweak can kick start your loss again. I also think you’ve answered some of your own question by saying you’ve let your food choices slide a little (we’ve probably all done it at some time). Best is to get back on your plan re food choices, portion sizes, etc. I have a small window of calorie intake variation to maintain (don’t check my calories everyday but do random checks) & recently I’ve put on a little weight. I’ve realised, in my attempt to up my protein intake a bit (since my gall was removed I don’t absorb it well) I’ve increased my calories. Increasing my portion size of meat (3oz to 4), throwing in some beans to my lunch salads, etc. & there’s the reason for the weight gain. Though I reduced the amount of vegetables I was eating the calorie difference was not enough to compensate. Can’t believe I didn’t realise. My surgeon’s doctor has put me back on Creons to help with protein absorption & I’m going back to my previous eating habits.

You’ll work out your cues for real hunger & feeling satisfied. It just takes a little time. Try not to eat until you’re full though, but stop when you’ve had enough - big difference. The message you’re full actually takes a bit of time to get through & when you do think you’re full you’re likely really or overly full. It’s one of the reasons we’re advised to eat slowly. I still ask myself do I need this next bite or just want it? Never be afraid to put your cutlery down & sit back from the table.

Do they have nutritional information about their products online? That way you can compare them & work out the best option if they will fit in with your plan. If they’re high sugar or high carb give them a miss. If they sell protein water that would be your best & safest bet. Beside the social aspect, are you looking for a drink for food or for fluid? If it’s a fluid you’re looking for, & can’t have coffee because of the caffeine, can you have decaf? I could have green or herbal tea. So if I was out & about I’d take a break & have a cup of tea. I didn’t eat out until I was on solid food but if you are looking for a drink for food try soup or even just the broth in a pho or wonton soup which will give you some protein.

Just noticed my post said it was a Mediterranean bowl. Let’s try middle eastern - damn auto correct.

Can only claim ownership to about 5% of this salad. It was leftover from a lunch with my sister in law: a Mediterranean bowl. Halloumi, hummus, chick peas, grilled zucchini & carrot, roasted sweet potato, dukkha, cucumber, tomato, spinach & pea shoots. I added the diced chicken to the leftovers for dinner. Damn yummy.

Pooping or not pooping will be one a bit of a daily focus while you’re losing & constipation begins a regular occupancy. As @catwoman7 said your not eating much & what you are consuming your body is squeezing every last nutrient out of it so little to poop out. But do try to keep on top of constipation as it can be a battle to break it & not very pleasant & even painful when you do. If I hadn’t pooped for three days, I’d take a stool softener. I remember being told by an older woman many years ago that jumping up and down will get get things moving 🤷🏻‍♀️. I thought it was a bit risky after surgery as I didn’t want to risk a more ‘explosive’ conclusion. 😉

Keep fluids by your side. You’re more likely to sip if it’s right there. Some people use a timer so they sip every 5 minutes. The 2L or 64ozs we’re advised to drink is actually what everyone should be drinking each day. More if you are physically very active or live in a very hot climate. I’m still very vigilant. I have water beside my bed & I drink every time I wake (usually to pee because I’m drinking 😉) i also drink in the car. Sip when I get in. Sip when I get out. Sip at traffic lights, etc. I also found drinking warm/hot drinks easier & soothing at first. I could have green tea, which I drank anyway & I so enjoyed that big mug full I had everyday. I also used to dilute my shakes & soups/broths so I was drinking more. Remember all fluids count including shakes, soups, etc. Drinking water is habit forming. You’ll eventually get used to drinking a little often & will actually start to look for a drink. Also don’t worry if you are not exactly meeting your goal every day at first. As long as you’re pretty close & you’re working to reach your target you should be ok