Arabesque

Congrats on your weight loss so far. It’s likely you’ve been experiencing a stall. They’re extremely common at the 3 week+/- mark & can last 1 - 3 weeks. It’s just your body taking a breath after all the changes. You may experience a couple of stalls as you’re losing. You’ll start to lose again. Stick to your plan & you’ll be fine. Good luck.

Congratulations. 🏆 You look lighter in spirit as well - look at that smile. It’s such a great feeling to reach goal. Very happy for you.

My doctors have always had me remove my shoes, belts, jackets & even my skirt at weigh-ins to get the most accurate reading without me stripping down to my underwear. If I had tried to increase my weight through trickery, I would have been caught. If you do & you’re discovered it could affect your approval process. Best advice is to be honest about all aspects of your weight loss journey.

Yes, you can take capsules after your sleeve surgery though you may have trouble swallowing them for a couple of day because of internal post surgical swelling. Generally we’re told we can’t take nsaids again after surgery. However, my surgeon allows me to take them because I rarely do - one less than once a month. Prolonged use of nsaids can cause inflammation of the stomach lining with side effects including nausea, diarrhoea, stomach ulcers & internal bleeding. Because we have a much smaller tummy the risk of side effects are increased which is why we’re told to avoid them. If your inflammation is aggravated by your weight, your weight loss may reduce your need for the anti inflammatories - fingers crossed. The other issue to consider is that some meds are absorbed in your tummy. Because we have a smaller tummy, the meds may not be fully absorbed. You will need to go through all your meds with your surgeon & prescribing doctors to see what meds you will still be able to take & to find alternatives for those you can’t. There are lots of people on this forum who take meds for similar reasons as you. They may be able to suggest some alternatives that are working for them you could discuss with your doctors.

That doesn’t seem like much food at all. How many calories are you consuming? I stopped drinking protein shakes the week I began real food (week 8). I get all my nutrients in & hit my protein goal every day by eating real food only. I don’t even take multivitamins (haven’t since I was 8 months out). If you’re not losing, you may be at your base metabolic rate. Have a look at some Dr Matt Weiner’s you tube videos on resetting your base rate. He has quite a few on this subject alone so you may have to work your way through the list of his videos. I find his videos very straight forward. He has a book called a pound of cure & associated website which may be helpful too. https://m.youtube.com/user/DrMatthewWeiner

This sounds very strange. I know requirements are different in the US from Australia but I did think, based upon other forum member stories, that if you met the bmi &/or comorbidity requirements at the start of the approval process you were fine. Almost all of us have to undergo a pre surgical weight loss regime. If we became ineligible for surgery because we lost enough weight on this diet to drop us below the bmi minimum, a hell of a lot of us wouldn’t have had our surgery. I would certainly be asking further questions of your surgeon & your insurance company. If your bmi is 41 I wouldn’t have expected you would have needed any associated comorbidities to be eligible for surgery. Good luck.

The mind is a powerful thing and learning how to manage your head hunger is probably the biggest challenge you will face. Some can do this alone. Some need the help of a therapist. Did you team recommend a therapist who is knowledgeable about bariatric patients? If not ask for a recommendation. I’m concerned you’re still experiencing pain. Were you given pain meds when you left hospital? Can it be managed with over the counter pain meds? Is it gas pain or surgical pain? If the pain is surgical & you’re still experiencing it contact your surgeon. Gas pain can persist longer. Walk. Try some gasX if it’s gas pain. I was allowed herbal or green tea & I found warm/hot drinks much more soothing on my tummy than cold. Try heating your coffee flavoured shake. I used to heat my chocolate shake & pretended it was hot chocolate - lol! It will get better. Undergoing surgery can be stressful & has probably stirred up a lot of anxiety & fear which is also feeding your head hunger. Good luck.

If your medical team did not provide you with a post surgical eating plan ask for one ASAP. At ten days out, most are still on a liquid only diet. For most it’s two weeks liquids (full liquids like shakes, broths, soups), 2 weeks purée (think sloppy no lumps - blend & strain thicker soups or meats with lots of gravy or stock, cottage cheese, yoghurts, etc.), 4 weeks out soft foods (moist, slow cooked, fall apart foods). Then finally 6 weeks out begin adding more solid foods. This staged return to eating is to facilitate the healing of your digestive system (you have lots of internal stitches/staples) & not put strain or undue stress on it. You need to be careful about what you eat. Each surgeon does have his own eating plan. While they are very similar, it is important to follow your surgeon’s plan.

Well said @The Greater Fool. One of the reasons, we’re encouraged to avoid alcohol (besides the high calories of course) is to avoid the risk of swapping your food addiction to another addiction like alcohol. I watched my friend’s drinking increase very noticeably after her surgery. She did eventually realise but we were concerned for her. Not saying that’s you but it is something to be conscious of. Honestly, I had my first drink at 2 months for my cousin’s 40th. I nursed that gin & tonic for hours. I wasn’t really enjoying it as I did before surgery., plus my taste buds had changed & I was conscious of the gas in the tonic upsetting me. I only have a glass of alcohol about once a month now & I still take ages to drink it. My friends like a glass or several but my not drinking or drinking very little doesn’t affect how we socialise or celebrate together at all. Remember if you’re drinking you’re not eating & eating is way more important & even more so especially at a month post surgery. Alcohol is empty calories & you should be concentrating on nutritionally dense calories while you are losing. Because of your low calorie intake, any alcohol you do consume will have a greater impact on you. But, ultimately it is your choice.

I swear some nutritionalists just read from the one help sheet like first level tech support 😉. They can’t answer your question if it isn’t on their formulaic answer sheet. No help for individual needs. I was lactose sensitive until my surgery (the parasite causing it was removed with most of my tummy - whoo hoo). I still drink lactose free milk - it’s very similar to ordinary milk in texture & flavour & has extra long use by dates which I appreciate. Try some lactose free yoghurt & cheese - there are a few brands about you could try. Watch increasing your calories by increasing your fat & oil consumption too much or watch the types you add to your diet. You don’t want to increase your cholesterol. Try increasing your fruit & vegetable consumption & add good whole/multi grain carbs. Add some nuts. I think as I’ve told you before, I struggled to stop losing too. Others have too. I ate three meals a day plus 5-6 snacks. I swear I was eating all day long but I tried to ensure the snacks were nutritionally sound. It took a year for my weight to stabilise. I still snack about 4 times a day as I walk a fine line of gain or lose. I wasn’t too concerned while I was still losing because of that potential bounce back gain. Also my portion sizes are larger than what they were at 12 months so that helps keep my calories up too so that will likely happen for you too. Give yourself & your body time to settle. Your new set point may be lower than what you expected. And don’t worry if you think you look too thin or gaunt - this changes too once you stabilise. At 18 months, people would say I looked terrible & should stop losing (my uncle told my mother I looked like death). Now those people tell me how great I look. I hope you can find a more supportive & helpful nutritionalist or dietician.

It’s likely your low calorie intake. It’s not uncommon to experience drops is energy, sugar & blood pressure in the months after surgery. They can make you feel nauseous, weak, give you cold sweats & tremors - generally blah. Try some electrolyte drinks. Are you on purées yet? A wider variety of real food sources will give you additional nutrients. Ten miles!! 😱 So glad my surgeon didn’t give me that goal. I never did that when I was active & slim. Who’s got 2-3 hours to spare every day to walk that distance? Let alone the energy or fitness levels at 6 weeks. Good gracious. But that’s my personal reaction. 14lbs is fine so far. We all lose at our own rate. The bloating sounds like you may be retaining fluid. The lactose in the shakes may also be causing the bloating (early intolerance or sensitivity to lactose which is not uncommon after surgery). Try some lemon in your water as a natural diuretic & see if that helps. Look for some lactose free shakes or protein powders & see if that helps.

Drops in energy, sugar dips, blood pressure drops are not uncommon in the months after surgery & can make you feel light headed, have various degrees of nausea, cold sweats &/or general weakness. This could be what you’re experiencing. Try some electrolyte drinks. I found hydralyte really helpful. Hopefully, you will be like many of us when you near or reach goal & will need a puffer coat in mid summer when you go to the grocery store. Brrrrr! So cold. No fat left to insulate the body.

Don’t worry I’m not a crazy anti vaccer (I get the flu vaccine every year & have most of my life) & it is my intention to get it. First I was not eligible - too young (that doesn’t happen often these days!). We only have Pfizer & Astra Zeneca in Australia. A friend in medical research recommended the Astra Zenaca over the Pfizer because of the risk Pfizer may not be stored at the required very low temperatures. Then the stuff came out about AZ & clotting (& I’ve had a clot), then they said though Pfizer had to be stored at low temperatures it could be transported at higher temps (🤷🏻‍♀️). Then they said it’s a different sort of clot from AZ, then supplies dropped off for the Pfizer vaccine, then I had surgery, … Just not been straight forward. Anyway I’m intending to get the Pfizer when supplies are in at my doctor’s in a couple of weeks. We’ve been very fortunate in Australia & haven’t had many cases of COVID in comparison to other countries & even fewer deaths (think it’s about 30 000 cases & 900 deaths - still too many though). It has been heart breaking to see it’s impact around the world though. I get frustrated by those who refuse to wear masks & complain when we go into lockdown even for just three days. I’m also amazed at how many people don’t bother with sanitisers anymore, lean all over counters & hand rails, invade your space, etc. Sometimes, I want to slap them & remind them it’s not about their rights as an individual, it’s about the rights of the entire community to be safe & healthy. The needs of the many …

My understanding is that cool sculpting only affects fat cells & is for only minimal fat reduction. It’s been around for a while now. https://www.healthline.com/health/coolsculpting-does-it-work I only know of one person who underwent treatment for fat reduction on her hips & thighs - a local radio personality. I thought she looked pretty much the same in her before & after pxts. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Your skin is loose because you’ve reduced how much fat you carried which had stretched out your skin. If the little fat you have left in your ‘pooch’ is reduced further the emptier & more loose your skin may become. The only way to remove loose skin to to surgically remove it. I’m sorry this surgery may not be an option for you. Personally, I choose not to have skin removal surgery. I didn’t have a lot but it does ooze down my inner thighs & underarms & I have some sag on my tummy. All of it can be covered successfully by my clothes & I can wear fitted body con type dresses without a problem. Yes, there are somethings I can’t wear but I’m past super short shorts & skirts, boob tubes & bikinis. Honestly some days I look at my loose skin & wish it wasn’t there but then I remember how hard I worked & still work every day to get this loose skin. I earned this loose skin. It’s my gold medal. But that’s me. You have to do what makes you happy.

Hate to tell you but the only way to get rid of loose skin is surgery. Sad but true. Think of your skin as a hair band you’ve stretched out from lots of use. Ain’t nothing going to make it shrink back to how it was when it was new. Your skin is elastic too. How much loose skin you will have depends on many factors: age, gender, highest weight, how long you had been obese, genetics, etc. Doing weights will help fill in some of the loose skin & strengthen & refine your underlying muscle structure but it won’t make the loose skin disappear. Most of those ‘beauty’ type treatments like needling, radio frequency, uv lights, etc. only offer temporary fixes. Stop them & the effects disappear. When you near/reach your goal you may look a little gaunt but don’t worry this does improve. For about 12 months after I reached goal (& when I kept losing) ‘well meaning’ people often asked me or my family if I was unwell. But once I stabilised about 7 months ago, the comments stopped. My remaining fat seemed to redistribute. My butt isn’t quite a saggy & my face looks fresher & fuller. So don’t rush off to do drastic treatments. Give your body a chance to settle. I rather have my loose skin then be the weight I was.

I used to have a large glass of wine every night. I loved gin & scotch & champagne & a good martini. Since surgery I only have a drink about once a month. I don’t miss it at all. My friends all enjoy a drink or several but it doesn’t stop me socialising with them at all. I spend time with them to spend time with them not to drink. I take ages to drink a glass of alcohol now & often don’t finish it all. Sometimes I agree to a glass but only have a sip or two & really just hold the glass. I had my first drink at about 6 weeks post surgery - my cousin’s 40th. It took me hours to drink that gin & tonic - at least the tonic became super flat. My taste buds have changed & a lot of alcohol is too sweet now - even non sweet alcohol. Honestly I don’t enjoy it in the same way. I don’t enjoy champagne much anymore - the shock the horror! I haven’t had a martini in two years. I find gin & tonic best because of the bitterness of the tonic I think. I had my first scotch last month (I always drink it neat) & it was ok.

Wow? Too thin to give blood? I didn’t know that was a thing either. My uncle is sometimes told no if his BP is too low - guess they don’t want him collapsing on them! Well there you go there’s a 50kg minimum in Aust. Must be the same in Canada. To donate blood, the minimum weight is 50 kg. We need you to be above a minimum weight because the amount of blood your body contains is related to your weight and height. If our standard donation represents too high a volume, it's not safe for you to donate. Makes sense.

You would have to be very large portions very frequently over a prolonged period of time to stretch your tummy. And certainly if you had stretched your tummy this close to your surgery you would have had issues with torn stitches/staples & you’d know about it. How much have you lost since your surgery? How much were you expecting to lose at four weeks? A lot of people have very unreal expectations of how much weight they should be losing based upon programs like My 600lb Life. They lose large amounts of weight because they had large amounts to lose to begin. In my first 4 weeks I’d lost about 8kg (about 17lbs). This was a pretty reasonable amount for my height, weight, age & gender. Have you experienced the three weeks stall (though it can happen at week 2, 3, or 4)? With a stall, which is extremely common, you may not lose for anywhere from a week to 3 weeks. It’s just your body coming to terms with all the changes. You will start to lose again & you will likely experience stalls again as you lose. Ask your medical team for portion size recommendations. Most recommend 1/4 to 1/3 cup to begin but there are variations. Some are given caloric goals. Personally, it would take me three days to eat 2 scrambled eggs so three meals but some can eat more. I still think you should be eating a wider variety of foods to get a broader range of nutrients. Sweet potatoes are very low in protein. Are you meeting your daily protein goals? Are you tracking the caloric & nutritional content or your food?

I went the swim shirt & shorts route. I’m very fair so the more sun protection the better for me.

I coloured my hair every four weeks over the three odd months my hair was shedding (gotta hide the greys) but my hair was not being lightened which can damage the hair strand. If it did any additional damage or prolonged the hair loss I don’t know. I’d have an conversation with your colourist & may be just do a few strategic highlights & not a head full.

You should be pretty healed by then but certainly check with your surgeon - they all have different restrictions. Can you use a wheelie bag? You may experience some periods of low energy so take some electrolyte drinks or powders with you. Build up your walking stamina in the weeks after your surgery. Start slow & see how you go.

At a month post surgery, I would expect you would be on soft foods & eating a much wider variety of foods than just put eggs, sweet potatoes & a shake. At the soft food stage I was eating minced meats dishes, thick meat & vegetable soups, slow cooked stews, rolled oats, yoghurt, soft poached fish, scrambled or mashed boiled eggs, …. As long as it’s moist & doesn’t require a lot of chewing you’ll be fine. Even if you were still on purées there’s a lot you can eat - just keep it sloppy. What does your plan recommend for each stage? If you didn’t get a list of recommended foods from your medical team, ask for one. Yes, your tummy can be pretty fussy to begin. If a food upsets you just give it a break for a week or so & try again. Some people struggle with chicken (usually the breast cause it’s too dry), others with beef. Turkey was too dry for me. Some can’t tolerate eggs. Others don’t have problems at all. If avocado is making you burp & it felt like it was stuck, I’d give it a break for a while or at least make it sloppier with more lite Mayo or lite sour cream, etc. You don’t want to be straining your still healing digestive system. Vomiting is not the only signal, you’re not ready for a food yet. It’s just the most dramatic one though many of us don’t vomit but just get the foamies (excessive saliva that you spit up). That stuck feeling, tightness across your chest (restriction), excessive burping & gurgling, etc. can mean you’re eating too quickly, the food is too dry, or your tummy doesn’t like it at the moment.

Congrats on your surgery. It’s not uncommon not to feel full in the liquid stage. It’s because nerves were affected during the surgery & they have to heal. More importantly fluids go through your digestive system more quickly & because you should only be sipping, not drinking large quantities at a time, you’re not really even near filling your new smaller tummy before the fluids are emptying. The purpose of the staged return to solid foods is to protect your tummy after surgery & allow it to heal. You have a lot of stitches &/or staples internally & they need to be able to heal without having undue stress being placed upon them. And yes, a lot of the not feeling satisfied is in your head. We’ve all been there in one way or another. You’re not alone. There is a difference from feeling full & realising you’ve had enough & stopping before that full feeling kicks in. It takes time for the fullness message to get through (it’s one of the reasons we’re advised to eat slowly) so when you feel full you’ve really had too much. It’s all part of learning to listen to your body & not your mind. Just coming to realise 1/4 cup of food is enough can be challenging. It takes time but you’ll get there.

I go to fine dining restaurants often & I only order an entree (your starter). I also study the menu before I go so I know what I can order in advance. I’ve avoided degustation menus since my surgery almost 26 months ago because it’s just too much food. Even though each course tends to be between an appetiser & entree (your starter) in size the amount of food adds up quickly. Plus the plates tend to come out quickly pushing you to eat too fast. Since COVID a lot of restaurants in Australia only offer set menus which does restrict where I can dine unfortunately - I’m not paying $100+ for 2 or 3 courses when I can only eat one. Look for a restaurant offering an a la carte menu for your anniversary - don’t delay your celebration.

I think the story that 10lb equates to a dress size refers to when you’re at or near your healthy BMI range. I remember when I’d lost my first 14kg (30lbs) my clothes were just looser. There were a couple of things I could wear that were a size smaller (from my multi size wardrobe) but they were a looser cut. Also we all carry out weight differently & we may notice a top is looser first but not the bottom or vice verses. My butt seemed to get smaller first & I had a lot of baggy ass pants that still fitted me around the waist. Now a couple of kg can put me up or down a size.