Arabesque

Actually, I was just talking to my surgeon’s colleague this morning about the noisy poltergeist I have in my tummy. She laughed & said it’s a very common side effect but some are noisier than others. It’s caused by our body digesting & absorbing nutrients so it’s a good sign your body is doing what it’s supposed to be doing. She also said you can often see the ripples going across your abdomen as the digested food is passing through our digestive system. Guess what I’m going to do when it happens again 😆. As @Sunnyway said it is not a sign you are hungry & should eat.

Try to keep your food moist & tender. Don’t be afraid to use gravies, sauces, etc. to help make swallowing easier & you won’t miss drinking while eating as much. In time you’ll be able to reduce the amount of time between eating & drinking & many can even drink to varying degrees while eating. If your mouth feels super dry, try some biotene mouth spray. The straw thing is one of those things that some surgeons say no & others don’t have position. Still can’t understand why some are told not to use a straw but can use sippy cups & water bottles with those sucky tube nozzles. But … 🤷🏻‍♀️ I used them initially until I realised I could drink more easily from a glass or mug.

There is no right or wrong rate of loss. There is just what is right for you because we lose at our own rate. Many factors influence your rate of loss: age, gender, starting weight, genetics, etc. You’ll find in all your weight loss experiences there are averages but with all averages some do better & others not as well & that’s ok. There’ll also be things you’ll have in common with some people & things you won’t. Remember, how fast or slow you lose doesn’t affect whether you reach your goal or not. There are some things you can depend upon. The more you have to lose the faster you lose to begin. The closer you are to your goal the slower your loss will be. And you likely will experience at least one stall (usually lasting 1-3 weeks). Good luck.

Some people do experience hunger. Though I think some of the hunger people feel post surgery is head hunger. The surgery alone is stressful but add in not understanding if what you’re doing or feeling is right, the dramatic changes to what & how much you can eat, etc. makes you more anxious & emotional. For many of us, when we were stressed or emotionally upset we turned to food & now we can’t. Suddenly the thing we depended upon to soothe & comfort us is gone & then we feel even more anxious & upset & want to eat even more. Stomach acid can make you think you’re hungry when you’re not too. Hunger pangs don't necessarily mean you’re hungry. They often just mean you have acid in your tummy & it’s empty. An empty tummy is not a bad thing. Ensuring you take your esomeprazole & keeping your fluids up will help ease hunger pangs. I’m not downplaying those who feel hungry after surgery but just suggesting what could be contributing & making the situation harder to deal with & manage. Real hunger feels different to head hunger. For me I get restless, toss, turn & know something isn’t right. With real hunger I don’t want a specific food or taste. I just want something to eat & I want it to be nutritious. I had to learn what my body’s reactions really meant & to recognise the real cues & signals: those from need versus want. All the best.

It’s all about moderation. Give a little here. Take a little there. When it comes to Christmas (no thanksgiving in Australia but Christmas is BIG here & celebrations can last a couple of days) I eat much the same way as I do any other day: meat & vegetables in the same portion sizes I usually have. We don’t tend to use lots of cheese, cream, heavy dressings, etc. anyway which makes things easier. I avoid sweet foods like desserts, cakes, etc. 99% of the time but Christmas Day is one of the rare times I will have something sweet: a little Christmas cake, a sliver of pudding, a little jelly & custard (no pavlova or cheesecake). I’m the one who always makes the desserts for Christmas & I make them using real sugar because I eat it so rarely & have such a small amount of the desserts it’s okay. This will be my third Christmas post surgery & it hasn’t caused a hiccup to my weight yet - fingers crossed it continues. I should also add we have at least an hour break between our main meal & dessert during which time we go for a walk around the neighbourhood to look at Christmas lights, etc., play cricket, swim (not me - lol) or play some other games in the yard with the little ones.

Yes, it is trial & error as to what will sit well in your still healing & often fussy tummy. Try puréeing some turkey thigh (breast is too dry & coarse) with gravy or stock. Won’t look pretty but you’ll be eating turkey.

At two months I’d lost about 12kg (26lbs) from my surgery weight & by the end of the 3rd month I’d lost about another 5kg (11lbs) so it was slowing by then. But as @The Greater Fool said, we all lose at our own rate. There are many factors that influence your rate of loss: age, gender, starting weight, metabolic rate, genetics, etc. I’d encourage you to have a conversation with your dietician & surgeon about your progress especially if you’re concerned & as you’re still predominately getting your nutrition from protein shakes. What does your plan recommend you should be eating at this point? Personally I gave shakes up from week 3 purée stage - was always my intention. At two & three months I was eating 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food 3 times a day plus a high protein yoghurt or yoghurt drink. Also had started adding vegetables & a little fresh fruit. But we are different in what & how much we can eat eat as we progress. I hear you about the dizziness & lack of energy. Dizziness caused by drops in blood pressure is not uncommon to begin (unless you’re like me & always had a tendency to low blood pressure & then you live with it forever). Try adding an electrolyte drink to your fluids each day to give you a good boost. I carried a bottle of diluted hydralyte with me everywhere for months.

I actually only lost 2.1kgs in the two weeks before surgery. So relax you’ll likely be ok especially as you were only required to do 2 weeks. I did lose a total of 5.2kgs in the 6 weeks between getting the referral from my GP & my surgery. I started to make changes straight away to start preparing for the pre surgical shake diet I’d heard about & then I only had to follow keto for the two weeks. Not complaining though 😆.

We all react differently but for most it does tend to start around month 3. Just a thought but did you have a long pre surgical diet (months not weeks)? If you did maybe your protein levels have been low for a while already unless you were vigilant about your intake. If you also lost a considerable amount of weight during the pre surgical diet your body might have gone into shock earlier too & the surgery was the last straw so to speak. These things are what stimulate & accelerate our natural hair loss cycle & suddenly we’re losing handfuls of hair. Give your surgeon a call & see what they suggest why it’s happening earlier.

Once you’re settling into maintenance you can give those things a try. Some have success occasionally eating high protein vegetable based pastas and high protein breads. I’ve tried them a couple of times since I began maintenance but they still tend to sit heavily in my tummy so I’ve continued to avoid them. I used to eat them all the time but I don’t really miss them at all now. It’s funny how that happens. I’m really enjoying sashimi too at the moment. I’ve been picking up some fresh salmon from the grocery store then simply slice it & dip into some soy sauce. Easiest lunch or dinner.

Does your program require you to visit a therapist? Many have found success managing their craving as a result of seeing a therapist. They will support you as you work through what drives you to eat & help you develop strategies to manage the cravings. Ask for a recommendation from your medical team/surgeon to one who has experiences with bariatric patients.

Nope to potatoes cooked in any way. Too heavy & too starchy also. Converts to fat more quickly. Don’t miss it as I rarely cooked them for myself anyway. Sure my dad is rolling in his grave as he was a potato grower. 😁 Had a small amount of stuffing (teaspoon I guess) from a bbq chicken once. Didn’t really enjoy it. No homemade stuffing because of the bread & the butter we used to make it. But it’s a personal choice.

Wow. I always thought water was neutral neither acidic nor alkaline. Think we were told that at school. But maybe it depends upon what has been added to it to purify it etc. & its source. I grew up drinking rain water & I find ‘town’ water tastes terrible so I buy my drinking water now.

Some plans provide caloric goal, others portion size & some a combination of both. Mine was just portion size (1/4 cup to begin increasing to less than a cup at 6 months & goal) & low carb, low fat, low sugar & high protein. There were days all I ate was protein & nothing else to begin. I slowly added vegetables to one meal a day (about a tablespoon) & gradually increased the amount & added some fresh fruit as the weeks & months passed. In maintenance, I’m still careful about portion size, keep an eye on my calories, avoid processed foods & keep to lowish fats, lowish carbs (only complex whole & multi grain carbs) & low sugar. As most have said above, it is always best to follow your plan unless you can’t & then work out an alternative plan with your dietician. Also ask them for more direction & recommendations around calories, nutritional advice, etc. It’s important you feel comfortable & confident about your eating plan.

Do they still exist? Good gracious. They were huge decades ago but then got a lot of negative press. Corn syrup is the worst & should be avoided at all costs. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-high-fructose-corn-syrup-is-bad There are lots of protein powders available. You may have to do a comparison of their nutritional panels & ingredients to find the best & healthiest option. Always best to speak with your dietician/nutritionalist for their recommendations. Congrats on your joint surgeries.

Exactly. In maintenance you discover what works for you & allows you to continue to maintain your weight & if that includes the occasional snack that’s fine. I keep macadamia nuts, roasted fava beans & nut squares in my cupboard - lowish fat, lowish carbs, about 100 calories & 3-7g protein. Mainly to have on hand if friends drop by for a drink or cup of tea but I do sometimes have a nibble. Fava beans last week, nuts a couple of weeks ago, nut squares … can’t remember.

Used to say it wasn’t a real night out unless there was a haze of hairspray in the bathroom & all you could smell was Taft. Remember the big black cans of super hold Silhouette hair spray in the 80s (or maybe you’re too young). Superglue in a can. The only thing guaranteed to hold those gravity defying hairstyles we had back then. Lol!

Hope they don’t have the same narcotic effects as in Greek mythology (Odysseus & the lotus eaters). 😂😂😂

We’re only advised to drink what is the recommended intake for everybody - 2litres or 64 ounces a day. More if you reside in a hot climate &/or perspire a lot. Water flushes toxins out your body, aids brain function, improves your skin, takes pressure off your hearts as your blood is easier to pump around your bodies, regulates your body temperature, etc. Our body is 60% water & some organs are more than that. If you feel thirsty, your body is already in a water deficit. The good news is you don’t just have to drink water. Any liquids count. Just don’t make caffeinated drinks the main source. Your post surgery protein shakes, broths, soups, etc. will all count too. I get my intake from a combination of still water, flat sparkling water (I like the minerally taste as a break from only plain water which sometimes can feel heavy to drink), green tea & extra milk in my rolled oats. Add a squeeze of lemon, lime or other citrus to your water. In the weeks post surgery I doubled the water needed to make my shakes & hydralite (the boost of energy & electrolytes were helpful). I keep water beside my bed so I drink during the night & in my car (drink when I get in, when I get out & at every red light). I also find it easier to drink from a glass.

I didn’t perm my hair but I did regularly colour it without issue. You’re not losing hair because it is unhealthy. You are losing hair because your natural hair loss cycle has been accelerated. Perming shouldn’t be any harder on your existing hair then it was before. (I remember perming was always very harsh on my hair - drying - but that was a long time ago now. ) Maybe consider giving your hair a break for the couple of months while you’re shedding more. It will only benefit the hair you have left. But if you’re concerned ask your hairdresser about the general health of your hair.

Aah the dangerous slide of becoming complacent &/or over confident. We’ve all been there at some time in our pre & post surgery lives. Don’t get too down on yourself especially as you’ve realised what happened & are ready to get back on track. Sometimes a good way to start is to just drop or change one thing. Then next week you change or drop another. Small wins. What I’ve learnt from those on this forum who are a long way post surgery is that they continue to track & monitor & make adjustments according to what’s happening in their life. I try to do this too. Sure, I don’t track & measure my food every day but I do random reviews of what I’m eating & carefully monitor new additions to my food choices. I’m very conscious about everything I put in my mouth - nutrients, protein content, calories. I do track my protein & water intake every day. If I eat more one day I try to eat less the next. If I was under on my protein yesterday, today I’ll aim to be over. Unfortunately, I think we will always face challenges with food. We just have to keep focussed on making sure it doesn’t win. That’s my goal now anyway.

Get a blender. Chewing multiple times just leaves you with a tasteless mush in your mouth. Blah! You still really shouldn’t have to chew at puree stage. Add stock, broth or gravy, etc. to help blend meats down to a nice sloppiness. I also tried using cottage cheese & ricotta but it was still too thick & didn’t taste pleasant. Mayo was way to sweet. I was allowed scrambled eggs - made them with milk & made them pretty runny. I did buy a couple of jars of baby food as a back up. You can chew more on soft foods. I ate a lot of mince based meals (rissoles/meat balls, savoury mince) with lots of gravy & slow cooked meats in casseroles & stews. The near should just break down ver easily with a little mash with a fork.

I stopped drinking my protein (except for a high protein yoghurt drink I sipped on most afternoons) from day 1 of the purée stage. It was always my intention to get all the protein I needed (60g a day) from real food & not from shakes or supplements. (They were disgusting & I hated them.) Did I make my goal every day? No & it took a little while to be able to consume enough those first 2 months but eventually on average across a week I did or was pretty close. I just made sure everything I ate contained protein (except fruit). I also looked for ways to boost the protein like made scrambled eggs & rolled oats on milk & added more to make them sloppier. Add skim milk powder to your milk to boost the protein (can be sweet though). Didn’t care if I grazed on a meal for ages either. Lunch usually was just protein - a chicken tender, fish or any leftover meat from the night before.

The calories you need to maintain will depend on many factors like age, gender, metabolic rate, how active you are, height, build, etc. Yes, you will be eating much fewer calories than you did before surgery (but let’s be honest that was why you were overweight - it’s why we all were) but the calories will increase as you progress & are physically able to eat more. To begin, I was eating <300 calories, <900 by goal & now eat about 1300 to maintain at my weight. But I’m also female, older than you, have a small frame & am not very active. It all comes down to that basic equation: to maintain a weight the calories you burn must equal the calories your body burns to function. Eat more than you need you gain. Eat less you lose. If you want to maintain at a lower weight eat fewer calories. If you want to maintain at a higher weight eat more calories. I eat way more food now in a day in terms of volume than I did when I was overweight. I eat way more frequently now too. The difference is the number of calories I eat & the quality of the food I choose to eat.

Becoming lactose intolerant after surgery is not that uncommon. There are lots of lactose free & plant based dairy products available these days - cheeses, yoghurts, milk, ice cream, etc. You may have to try a few to find the ones you enjoy most though. I use lactose free milk but mainly because it has a much longer shelf life than ordinary fresh milk but also because if I have a lot of ordinary milk I can have issues. I have no trouble with cheeses or yoghurt. I don’t understand the chewing 30 times thing at all & am very glad I wasn’t told to do that. If your food is soft & moist enough you shouldn’t have to chew it down to a flavourless mush before swallowing. That’s why we use blenders in the purée stage or use a fork to mash what you eat a little first. I was able to eat milky rolled oats (instant 2 min ones) from purée stage. Easy to fix at work too. I used to microwave reheat scrambled eggs often (2 eggs lasted me three breakfasts). Can get a bit rubbery though.