Arabesque

Always a good idea to get feedback from others. I was put on keto for the 2.5 weeks before surgery but that was all I did. Some will likely swear by it but personally I wouldn’t go back to it. Good to kick start a diet but not long term. Your surgery is the best kickstart you’ll ever find. The high fat intake on keto is the real issue for me. I’ve never enjoyed high fat foods & now I don’t have a gall bladder to help process all that fat. You may find your cholesterol temporarily increases while you are losing (it’s released from your fat). I believe it’s one of the reasons most surgeons & dieticians recommend low fat while you’re losing so you’re not adding to the risk. Losing large amounts of weight & high cholesterol levels also put you had a higher risk of developing gall stones. It’s why many of us end up having issues & have our galls removed post weight loss surgery. I’ve read keto can also screw with your blood sugar levels so if you have issues with diabetes it may not be your best option. Usually best to stick to your surgeon’s plan & dietician’s recommendations while you are losing. Slowing adding in new foods as you go. You’ll lose doing that & you will go into ketosis as well - bad breath & a smelly body awaits you 😉. You may find you end up developing your own eating plan which works for you & which incorporates aspects of many eating styles once you’re close to or in maintenance: keto, vegan, vegetarian, Atkins, intermittent fasting, etc. Whatever way you go it has to be sustainable & complement how to want to live your life. Good luck whatever you choose to do.

I use both. My weight at my GP when I asked for my referral to the surgeon (91kg) cause it was my weight when I officially started the process. I sometimes refer to my weight on the day of surgery (85.8kg 6 weeks later) because that was what I was right before I started benefitting from the surgery.

They are almost impossible to pass usually because of their size. Certain medications can help dissolve very small gravel but the side effects aren’t the nicest & until they are gone you will continue to experience pain. Have you had an abdominal ultrasound to see how many you have & how large they are? Best treatment is to have your gall bladder removed otherwise you will continue to experience pain. My surgeon said once you have one stone you will likely develop more. Gall stones can develop because of high cholesterol, prolonged weight loss, menopause or high bilirubin levels.

OMG what a terrible experience. I had a series of 3 or so bee stings over a short period of time when I was young. It was like I had a bees please sting me sign on my back. Each time the reaction got worse. My mum took me to the doctor with the last one - arm red, painful & badly swollen. He said each sting was creating a worsening allergy & if I got stung again the reaction could be life threatening. Scary! Possibly could have grown out of it but I’m not going to test it out by being stung. 😱 Yep I think you may win the title of the shortest among us @Lynnlovesthebeach. 🏆 I’m actually 5’3” and a quarter & that quarter was damn important to me for ages. 😂

Mmmm not sure @Kris77. That 3/4 of an inch is a lot. 😆😆😆

It’s likely just a stall. We almost all experience at least one, some experience a lot more. They usually last 1-3 weeks but can be longer. It’s just your body coming to terms with the changes: weight loss, reduced calories, etc. Your physical body gets stressed too & just sometimes needs to take a breath like we sometimes do emotionally & mentally. Keep doing what you’re doing & you will start to lose again. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

It differs person to person. Some say a couple of days some say a week. I didn’t drink much for the first 3 or so days because of pain on swallowing from swelling so the IV fluids likely compensated for me not drinking. I wasn’t peeing any more than I usually did. I weighed myself day 4 post surgery & I was 1.5kgs less. I didn’t notice much abdominal swelling either & had no gas pain at all. This was totally different after my gall removal surgery - gas pain for days, bloated & took 4 days of peeing like a racehorse to lose the 2kgs I’d gained. But as I said we’re all different. We retain fluids differently. Our body reacts to trauma differently. Our surgeons operate differently (mine uses little gas in bariatric surgeries but uses more for gall). We heal differently. As long as you realise any weight gain is likely from the surgery you’ll be fine. It certainly won’t be from eating copious amounts of food 😉. Hope all goes well with your surgery.

Oh, the unsolicited advice & sometimes hurtful comments. People do get over it & as @ms.sss sud it becomes old news. Now I just get comments about how good I look 😉. When you first loose the weight it is a bit of a shock to others & yourself. They (& you) have a picture of you in their heads & it dues to align anymore. Like they can’t recognise you anymore. It takes time to get used to how you look being so much slimmer & for that fat image to be replaced. Also you will find that once your weight stabilises your remaining fat seems to resettle around your body. At first it seemed I had lost my hour glass shape & I had no butt at all. Now, my waist is definitely there again & I have a little booty but my weight has not changed. If you are working on toning you’ll likely notice the resettling more. And don’t forget either that muscle weighs more than fat. As @ms.sss also said your weight will be lower if you have skin removal. So it is something to take into consideration. I think you may even find that the abdominal fat you see is really just loose skin. I didn’t go down the skin removal path as I don’t have much loose skin. (It doesn’t impede me in any way & isn’t noticeable even in fitted body con clothes.) There are a lot of factors that influence how much loose skin you end up with: highest weight, how long you were overweight, age, gender, genetics, weight gain & loss history, etc. So you can never really compare what you look like with others. Though we’re human & we can’t always stop ourselves doing that. 😉 I always say you have to find a weight you are happy with, are healthy at & can maintain without having to make too restrictive sacrifices that limit how you enjoy your life. Only you know what weight that is. Congrats on your weight loss. You’re looking amazing.

It’s been 4 days by which time the nurse told me i should see results but I’ve also read it can take 7-10 days. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I can see some difference but will probably need the little top up next week to get the missed spots. Also thinking about getting some PDO threads around the mouth area to take in the chin & nasal labia folds. These are the collagen threads not the barbed lifting threads. Apparently the neutraliser produces the same reaction in the body as bee & wasp stings not that it includes the actual venom. The concern is because our bodies overreact we may go to into anaphylaxis. So not worth the risk she said. I hope your family is more aware of your allergy than mine. We were all in our mum’s garden a few years back & I did this big dash away saying bees. My brothers laughed & teased me as only brothers can for being afraid of bees. I’m allergic I tell them & they look at me with disbelief & as if I was joking until Mum confirmed it. How did you find out about yours? Not by having an anaphylactic reaction I hope. Oh & congrats on your 3 year anniversary too @ms.sss. Whoo hoo! I so love that colour on you, @Sophie7713. You look fabulous. And I think that’s such a clever idea to tuck the legs in your shoes - like matching socks. I still think we should be eligible for a rebate on all the excess fabric we have to cut off to make clothes the right length. I think those velvet pants look amazing on you @WishMeSmaller. Legs for days, girl. Saw this yesterday. Finally payback!! 😆😆😆

Love that you massaged the kale & spinach. Sounds so intimate. 😉 I’m a giant bowl of salad every day person too regardless the weather. Chicken or prawns & never skimp on the dressing. Mmmm. Can’t wait for lunch. I used to scramble 2 eggs & it would take me three days to eat them @slimbunny so like you. Could eat one egg by maintenance & still can’t eat 2 scrambled eggs almost 2 1/2 years out. I sometimes make a three egg omelette with various vegetables & eat half for lunch & the other half for dinner. It took me a while to meet my protein goal every day but my surgeon was happy if I was close to hitting it. I found a good high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drink that helped ge close to goal so I didn’t have to have shakes (🤢).

Exactly as @Hop_Scotch said. It’s the way it goes for all of us. You may have odd weeks you lose more others you lose less but you’ll find your general trend, while still downwards, does slow. Just wish surgeons, nutritionalists, etc. would tell people this. It would save a lot of angst & worry. Heaps of home workouts videos on you tube from low to higher impact, strength training, yoga, etc. I bought some resistance bands & you could also buy some weight cuffs for ankles & wrists. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

You are absolutely correct @RickM. Though I should have explained that maltodextrin is used to sweeten (& thicken) foods. So the labelling while correct is also misleading. Maltodextrin is just a sugar alternative they use so they can say no added sugar but it has the same calories as sugar, will spike your blood sugar levels more than sugar & does nothing to reduce your craving for sugar & sweet tasting foods. It is a real challenge to find foods that don’t have added sugar, sugar alternatives or artificial sweeteners in them these days - nigh on impossible. I swear they’re all out to get us & keep that addiction going strong. It took time & effort but I’ve neutralised most of my desire for sweet things & find sweet foods are crazily too sweet. If I want anything sweet I go to fruit. Reading the nutrition panel & ingredient list is really important so you can make the most informed & best decision for you. But as I said the protein component is the most important consideration in the first weeks.

It’s likely swelling from the surgery. I had the same issue for the first 3 or 4 days. It improved a lot after that. I found warm drinks easier to swallow than cold or room temp ones. That first cup of green tea I had was bliss. Don’t be afraid to warm your shakes. I used to heat my Chocolate shakes & pretend they were hot chocolate - took a real lot of imagination though 😉.

OMG! Just remembered I still had the dress. Da daa… The shirring doesn’t seem to have perished & if I keep my arms close to my body (so no one can really see my loose skin 😉) I think I can wear it again. WIN.

Didn’t have enough to worry about that when I wire them back then 😂. But I had a a dress & a jumpsuit with shirred bodices about 15yrs ago when I was an Aust size 10/12 & wore size 12E bras & I’d go bra less when I’d wear them. The shirring was firm & offered enough support. Oh the joy of being braless. Bliss! You look gorgeous in the newest dress & all eyes will be on you.

Add some soluble fibre (look for non swelling ones) to your soups, shakes etc. it will help make things a bit ‘firmer’. I used Benefibre for months to boost my fibre intake & help with regularity.

Maltodextrin is closely related to corn syrup & contains the same number of calories as sugar so the no added sugar line is really just twisting words so you think it’s better/healthier for you. What’s the protein content per serve? After surgery looking for a high protein content is important - gotta aim to reach that 60+g a day goal. Protein shakes are are the better choice because of their high protein content. Also try some bone broths. Don’t rely just on the low fat, no added sugar, lite, etc. labels on products - a lot of misleading advertising. Checking the ingredient lists (listed from the largest percentage to least) & nutrition panels will become a way of life. Good luck & hope your surgery goes well.

I ate the meat (bolognese) sauce alone but when I got to the next stage of solid foods I’d add fresh zucchini noodles occasionally primarily to ensure I was eating more protein at first. PS - the dried high protein vegetable pastas still contain flour so something best to try closer to or at maintenance. Personally I found they sat heavily in my tummy (even at about 2 yrs) but I may try them again in the future. Congrats on your surgery.

Aah, so it looks like the skirt is shirred. I love shirring. My mum made me a shirred top & shirred bodice dress for me when I was about 10 which I’ve never forgotten. Amusingly many designers have made the exact same shirred bodice dress in the last 12 months. Fashion does go around even if it takes 40yrs. Actually the dress would probably almost fit me again if I still had it. 😆 https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-au/shop/product/ganni/clothing/midi-dresses/ruffled-smocked-checked-organic-cotton-blend-seersucker-midi-dress/2009602782814 Oh, I hear you about the short girl problems. All the trousers that are loo long, sleeves drooping over my fingers & looking swamped in dresses & jackets. Sigh.

Aaah, the ‘tummy says no’ fun & games. So annoying cause you can eat something yesterday no problem, then today it’s no way & tomorrow it’s fine again. It’s why I described my tummy as a petulant two year old who’d randomly & unpredictably throw tantrums. Thank gracious it does get better.

Unfortunately the feeling of failing is very common. A lot of it comes from poor information from your surgeon & your team. I don’t understand why they don’t prepare people better on what to expect. It would greatly reduce a lot of the anxiety people experience after surgery. Makes me angry. So sorry your surgeon & team didn’t private you & don’t seem to be on your side through this. Ok, first. The heady amounts of weight you lose at the beginning doesn’t continue. The rate at which you lose will reduce as you get closer to goal & are eating more. Losing about 1-2lbs a week is pretty average by months 3 or 4. Some my lose more, others less. You will lose at your rate. Many factors affect the rate (age, starting weight, previous weight loss history, gender, etc.). Stalls (plateaus) happen. Think of them as your body taking a break to come to terms with the stress of the diet & weight loss. You may stall from 1-3 weeks at a time. Every pound you lose is a win. Sorry but eating one meal a day is ridiculous. How are you able to consume 60g of protein plus a variety of other nutrient sources in one meal? It’s physically impossible for you! No wonder you’re feeling hungry. You are hungry!!! Do you have a dietician/nutritionalist? Once eating solid foods the goal should be introducing healthy eating habits (when you eat, what you eat, why you eat) which is why we’re advised to eat 3 meals a day & some (like me) are encouraged to add snacks as we progress to ensure protein & other nutrient goals are being met. Your portion sizes will increase as you progress too. Eat slowly. Don’t be afraid to graze on a meal for 30+ minutes if necessary. It takes time for the message you’re full to get through. I still try to eat only until I’ve had enough. (Do I really need the next bite or just want it?) Keep protein the biggest part of any meal or snack & eat it first if possible. Having a small amount of whole or multi grain carbs is ok - I was allowed to eat rolled oats from the purée stage. I even could have any fruit from around months 3/4. I went to my dietician every two weeks but honestly, I worked most of my eating plan out myself - she just confirmed I was making sensible choices & suggested some alternatives. You have to work out a way of eating that works for you & while you’re losing is the perfect time to begin. Do lots of reading (avoid the fad stuff - they’re never sustainable), reflect on your eating habits (trigger foods, foods you crave, what drives you to eat, weight gain/loss history, etc.) & how your lifestyle may impact your eating plan in the future (you have to be able to maintain a weight you’re happy & healthy at while still being able enjoy your life). A too restrictive diet will fail because it will limit you enjoying your life. You will get where you want to be. Good luck.

You look just smashing in that lavender grey rib dress & jacket @Sophie7713 and I love the buckle detail on your new shoes. The sheep is really sweet too. What’s the detail on the skirt of the lantern sleeve dress @ms.sss? It looks really interesting. The pencil skirt looks fabulous on you - I vote for getting it altered if possible. PS - Had some Botox for the first time this morning - not a Botox virgin anymore. Had it put in my chin - was starting to suffer from old lady chin & (hopefully) we won’t be wearing masks for ever 😉. Was actually looking at some cheek fillers but it wouldn’t give me the gentle lift needed. Plus because of my bee allergy I can never have fillers. Not because of the fillers but because of the neutraliser that reverses the filler (if ever needed). Learn something new everyday.

Actually while drinking it I thought I know someone who would also enjoy this 😂😂😂. And yes, it was refreshingly delicious on a warm Spring day in Brisbane (before the storm hit!) . OMG @Starwarsandcupcakes. Your cookies would tempt a saint. PS - If you want a giggle have a look at Grace Dent, the noted British restaurant critic, on Instagram being almost orgasmic eating roast potatoes dipped in mayo & white bread toast with Nutella & banana.

You won’t be restricted to just having to eat pasta & pizza when in Italy. Italian’s also eat a wide range of meats & seafood without pasta or rice. If you are limited by menu choices try to eat the protein in the dish before the pasta & opt for tomato based sauces not creamy ones. Pop into grocery stores & purchase tubs of yoghurt & any other available food stuffs which would keep up your protein levels. I love the card idea to explain your eating situation. By four months I was easily eating steak (thick cuts cooked to medium rare so still very juicy) but yes some can’t tolerate it yet. I’d contact the cruise ship line & ask them what foods you could take with you. Would think powdered protein shakes would be ok. Hope you have a wonderful time.

Had to look after niece #3 yesterday but before my brother went to a parent information session at her new school, we had a late lunch early dinner. My niece wanted Mexican & the only thing on the menu without chilli I could eat was … calamari (why is it always calamari?) as they could omit the chilli salt. It was a starter & the waiter said several times it was a very small portion & I’d want to order something else - good grief!! I ate most of it with some help from my niece. Also drank most of the passion fruit & lychee margarita. 😁