Arabesque

That was 10 days post surgery??? OMG you look great @WishMeSmaller. How long will you have the drain? I get the post surgical fatigue. I did a few chores around the house last week about a week after my gall removal & I spent the rest of the day on the couch 😁. I can only imagine how it’s affected you after your bigger surgery. Pretty flash Halloween costume @Ellie64. Looks great on you.

Everyone slips at some stage. If you haven’t had any side effects you’re probably ok. But this isn’t a get out of jail free card or permission to do it again. The staged return to eating solid foods is in place to aid healing, not put strain or damage on your poor sensitive tummy. Remember you had a large chunk of it cut away & you have lots of staples & stitches inside. You will be digesting food slightly differently then you did before too. Congrats on your surgery. You’ll be fine. Just follow your program.

I’ve never been a big exerciser. I’ve tried it all but I have never experienced that endorphin rush people talk about. Sweat, muscles strain, exhaustion, boredom yes but no sense of accomplishment or joy so little motivation. After surgery I walked on my treadmill. I did this for a couple of months. Then my energy levels plummeted & I was exhausted so I stopped. I then bought some resistance bands & did that for a while. If I was someone who found satisfaction in being able to run 10km, swim 100 laps or lift 50kgs, maybe I would be motivated to be more active but I don’t. I don’t want to spend hours at a gym or on my treadmill. At 2 yrs out, I try to be active in my everyday. Deliberately make multiple trips up & down my stairs. Park further away from where I need to go. Use stairs where possible. Walk at pace. Walk to the local convenience store, etc. My calories intake is lower because I’m not overly active but I’m fine with that. How much you exercise & what you do is up to you. As I say all the time, you have to find what works for you & allows you to live & enjoy your life. @SummerTimeGirl - you may appear healed on the outside but you don’t know about your insides where the surgery actually occurred. If you think you’re ready to do more than just walk, have a conversation with your surgeon.

You said it yourself: it was one of the hardest thing you’ve ever done. You need to keep reminding yourself of this because the hard work doesn’t end. The battle continues. You never get rid of the cravings or the emotional drives to eat or the old habits & the temptations to eat are always around us. We just learn to recognise them better & develop strategies to manage them. People who say the surgery is cheating or the easy way are coming from a place of ignorance. They don’t know & don’t understand which is understandable if they have no point of reference. Then there are those who have weight issues but simply are not in the mindset to be proactive about their weight loss & they are critical (or envious) of those who are. People never say to someone who joins a gym or uses a personal trainer that they took the easy way out. They congratulate them. Yet the PT & the gym memberships are just tools too. If you don’t use them & take advantage of the benefits they can offer nothing will change. Enjoy your success. PS - I have loose skin but I’d rather have that then be obese. Clothes cover it. The only person who really sees mine is me. The other person who sees yours says you’re beautiful!

I fasted for a lot of my life eating only one or two meals a day. All it did for me was slow my metabolism to the point I’d basically maintain on a 900 calorie diet regardless of my weight & how much activity I did. WLS boosted my metabolism & I eat more now then I ever have in my memory without gaining. There’s research coming out now that supports that keto should only be followed for a short period of time & it can cause erratic insulin levels especially in diabetics. My dietician had me follow it only for the 2+ weeks before my surgery. Surprisingly, I did lose about 5kgs but that high fat killed me - awful. But as with everything, what works for me may not work for you. You may have to try different eating plans or devise your own to find what’s right for you. There’s only one thing you can count on: if you eat more than you need you’ll gain.

Be honest. Being in the right mindset, being able to do the head work we all need to do on the way, being able to cope with the emotional ups & downs & lifestyle changes will contribute greatly to your success. If you do the assessment & they decide you need some tools & strategies to work through any emotional issues, assist your focus or for whatever reason grab it with both hands. Good luck.

Doesn’t matter what diet you follow, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, etc., if you eat more than your body needs to function you will put on weight. It’s a sad but simple truth. It doesn’t matter where your calories come from a calorie is a calorie (of course some calories come with better nutrients). You could eat a 2000 calorie burger, fries & soda meal & nothing else for the whole day or eat 2000 calories of lean protein & vegetables but if your body only needs 1500 calories to function the extra 500 calories will be converted & stored as fat & you will put on weight.

Congrats on your weight loss. Some people can guzzle down liquids others can’t. I can’t. I only experience that pain if I drink too fast or try to swallow too big a mouthful - usually when I’m not thinking about what I’m doing. I can take 2 sips at a time at most & then I have to put my glass down & wait before I have another.

You can always make your own tomato sauce/Passata & totally control the ingredients. It’s pretty easy. Just blanch your tomatoes & peel off their skin. Quarter them & cut out the seeds. You can cook them on the stove or roast them in the oven. You can cook up onion with the tomato too. Add herb & spices, salt & pepper as you want. Even a splash of balsamic vinegar - brings out the tomatoes natural sweetness. No need for sugar. When cooked blend & sieve. Freezes well too so you can make in bulk.

It will depend upon what damage if any you may have to your knees. But certainly reducing the amount of weight you’re carrying will take pressure off them. The balls of my feet used to ache & burn & occasionally my feet would cramp even in flat shoes but now I can dance for hours in heels pain free.

At 4 weeks I was about to start soft foods. I was only eating about 1/4 of a cup of food 3 times a day & took 20 - 30 mins to eat. I wasn’t hungry or really interested in eating. Plus some of what I tried to eat tasted awful & I couldn’t tolerate the texture of some foods. Sometimes it was almost like a chore to actually prep a meal & then if I couldn’t eat it … ugh! Don’t know if this is anything like what you’re experiencing. Do you have any pain or discomfort when you eat? (You could still have some swelling.) Is there a degree of anxiety about eating more solid food (damage your tummy, stretch your tummy, stop losing, …)? Not uncommon but certainly issues you need to raise with your medical team. Some people just need to go through the initial stages more slowly while others seem to zip through them without an issue. We heal differently. Our bodies react differently. Listen to your body. If it’s not ready to move on give it a little longer. If it’s ok, try a little more. It does take time to discover how this will all work for you. You will eat differently then you did before - when you eat, what you eat, why you eat. It can be scary & cause doubts about what you’re doing. We’ve all been there to varying degrees. Good luck.

It can also be an sign of diabetes or insulin resistance. ☹️ Don’t know if you have been diagnosed or if it has been raised with you as something to watch. Worth a chat with your medical team. The contraceptive pill can cause pigmentation on the face & neck too.

I wouldn’t worry too much about carbs at this point. Protein, protein, protein now. Wait until you’re on more solid food & eating a little more. Generally 100g of carbs provides about 400 calories. 100g of protein provides about the same number of calories. That’s a hell of a lot considering the stage your at, the portion size you can consume & that your diet should be predominately protein at the moment. Maybe the less than 100g was something to work towards as you progress??? Also, carbs can be a bit heavy on your healing tummy. But of course everyone is different you may be able to tolerate them earlier. You need to look for whole grains & multi grains but don’t forget you’ll get a lot of good carbs from fruit & vegetables plus a lot of other nutrients. Lentils, barley, beans are easy to throw into soups, stews, etc. or cook them up, throw in some herbs & spices & they can be a yummy side as well. And of course I love my milky rolled oats. Congrats on your surgery.

it’s time to buy smaller sizes when your clothes are drooping down or falling off you. The day my knickers almost fell off was the day I bought new underwear. 😆 Invest in a belt, some leggings (I buy black ponti leggings which have elastin not shiny Lycra so they look dressier especially with a jacket, long line cardigan, white button thru shirt, etc.), elastic waists, smock type dresses or tops. I found these styles carried me through a couple of size drops. I had three formal events to go to while I was losing. I found a loose straight through dress. First wearing I wore it straight but the ones after I added a sparkly belt. Took me through 3 or 4 size changes. As to working out what styles will suit you, the best way is to go to some stores & play dress up. If you don’t have a trusted friend, sister or mother to go with you, take pxts of what you think looks good so you can take time later to decide if it really does suit you. Do this out of the dressing room for better lighting & mirrors. You don’t have to buy. And don’t let the sales person convince you something looks great on you if you feel uncomfortable or not confident. It’s like some can scent your uncertainty & pounce, overflowing with compliments just to make a sale. You may find you enjoy shopping more when you can wear smaller sizes - so much more choice.

I wasn’t told this either but I just did a quick google search & discovered this site https://draxe.com/nutrition/sucralose/. Don’t know how reputable the site is but it does say sucralose can cause gastrointestinal problems: affects digestive enzymes, can contribute to irritable bowel, increase insulin levels, cause bloating, gas, … Who knows whether it will affect you in this way. But it maybe why you’ve been advised to avoid it. Best to ask your medical team why to be certain.

Yes, I had days like that. Very often actually. It’s why I stated eating to a routine - to ensure I got in some calories & nutrients. I didn’t mind if I didn’t eat all my portion but as long as I ate something nutritious. I felt this was really important when I was losing. My hunger started to come back at about 18 months but I still have times I’m just not hungry. Now on these days I’ll drop my snacks but still try to keep to my meals. I also tend to favour meals I pre made & froze on non hungry days. No fussing just reheat so I don’t lose what little enthusiasm I have for eating messing about prepping a meal. Good luck.

Lots of almond flour/meal recipes out there. Cakes tend to be moister & denser though. There’s several other low carb flours about like chickpea flour, flax meal, seed flours, etc. Some low carb flours are better for certain types of cooking than others. This website offers some alternatives, brands & recipes. It’s a bit pro keto but a good place to start. https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/low-carb-flours/

I agree with @The Greater Fool & @catwoman7 - kids menu usually have the worst food choices with poor nutritional value. I ordered appetisers, soup or salads. If I could take home left overs I would. When I was losing I would just quietly tell the wait staff I was on a medically restricted diet & they generally were fine with that. Some were so good they allowed me to order appetiser sizes of main course options or would remove ingredients from what I chose like just give me the fillings on wraps. I love places that offer share plates - you can just eat what you need & everyone else shares the rest.

Actually, I’m the opposite. I often find watching people eating in sitcoms, etc. a turn off now. Like ugh how can they eat that or eat that much. And I can happily binge watch cooking shows, Great British Menu, Great British Bake Off, British MasterChef (yep, much prefer the British versions) & Top Chef, without craving the food. Same with the chefs & restaurants I follow on Instagram. I think that looks delicious but that’s as far as it goes. May be it’s a time thing - the further along you are the less impact it has.

You are completely correct in your thinking. These are two very important steps - realising you have to work out how to make this work for you & then actually discovering what does work for you. I’m happy to share my experiences & what works for me, as do most on this forum, but there is no guarantee it will work for you. Our lives are different, our health needs are different, our food preferences are different, … Though trying aspects of what works for others is a good place to start. I weighed myself every day when I was losing too, still do almost every day & I do it for the same reason as you: accountability. In the past, I wouldn’t weigh myself I’f I thought I’d put on weight - if I didn’t see the numbers on the scales I could convince myself I hadn’t gained even if my clothes were tight. Complacency can be a slippery slope. We’ve all been there. I’ve lost weight so now I can relax my diet &/or reward myself with food treats. Finding another way to reward yourself for your weight loss successes (spa day, a new clothing accessory, new hair colour, a tattoo, …) can be helpful. I get a lot of satisfaction from discovering new non scale victories too like buying a smaller size, realising I’m the slim person in the mirror, my nieces & nephews sitting in an armchair with me, being able to put on tights or socks while standing up, etc. In the past, complacency lead me to regain any weight I’d lost. A big realisation for me was understanding that the changes I made to lose the weight have to be lifelong changes if I want to keep the weight off. Not just mouthing those words but actually enacting them. I try not to think of how I eat now as a ‘diet’ but just how & what I eat. I’m only two years out so I have a long way to go. Congratulations on your weight loss so far. Hope the rest goes just as smoothly for you.

I think you lose weight in different places as you progress. You might lose more in your legs or your breasts first then your tummy or butt. Much like when we used to gain. I noticed that my previous hour glass shape became more straight up & down when I lost my weight & many things that used to fit well at my smaller size now didn’t. I had a lot of baggy ass pants in my wardrobe that fitted well at my waist. Thankfully as my body resettled my hour glass shape has returned somewhat. Clothing sizes have been ‘adjusted’ a lot over the last couple of decades too to allow for changes to body shapes: broader shoulders, heavier thighs & calves, larger breasts, etc. Plus of course the whole vanity sizing thing. Also don’t get me started on the irregularity of clothing sizes not only across brands but within the same brand. It’s one of the reasons I dislike shopping online - I don’t know what size to buy.

Made soup again - I love soup as you know. This one is beef, vegetables & barley. Perfect for our winters weather. Cheated a bit though & threw in some frozen vegetables to cut back on the dicing (onions, celery, mushrooms & cauliflower was enough chopping for me today). When it cools I’ll bag it up (love zip lock bags) & fill the freezer.

Honestly, I wasn’t given a daily caloric goal. I was given portion size recommendations: a quarter to a third of a cup three times a day. Over time this increased to half a cup, 3/4 cup & then finally up to a cup. Almost all of this was protein & the remainder, if I could eat more, was vegetables. I also could add in snacks (fruit, yoghurt). My dietician would make recommendations of what foods to try to include in my diet (actually I used to make most of the suggestions & she’d say yes, no or wait). I saw her once a fortnight. Eat slowly & you’ll soon discover how much you can or can’t eat. Once you get onto solid foods it’s much easier to tell when you’ve had enough. Oh, and your taste buds have likely changed & some foods may taste disgusting, even ones you’ve always loved. Don’t worry, it changes back & they’ll be yummy again. Plus your tummy can be pretty fussy (a petulant 2 yr old) & throw tantrums one day & be fine the next. PS - LOL! I do tend to write long posts.😁 I guess because I know this process can be confusing & scary & I just want to ease people’s minds so they know they’re not alone in this. Plus I taught for years & then provided advice & information to others so I’m very used to including examples in my writing to help clarify information. Can’t break old habits. I’m sorry your family hasn’t been as supportive but at least you have your husband on your side. You’ll find lots of support here.

I looked gaunt when I reached my lowest weight (or as my uncle told my mother ‘like death’ ☹️) but a few months later I looked fine. I really believe too that things resettle in your body. You are doing well with your weight loss. Though it’s important to remind yourself that you’ll lose at your rate. Some people lose slowly, some more quickly. Both are the right way. But yes, unless your starting weight was in excess of 600lbs you’re not going to be losing the large amounts they do on that show to begin. And if you do watch that show, you’ll notice their weight loss slows the more they lose. Also during the surgery, they pump you up with gas & fluids & it can take days to rid your body of the excess. Add in if your constipated, & your scales may not go down & may even go up. (I had my gall bladder removed last week & when I got home 24hrs later I weighed almost 3kgs, about 6lbs, more. I lost about 2kgs in one day & another kilo over the next two days. I was peeing like a race horse & my bowels started working again.)

My last stall also lasted almost 3 weeks & I was only about a kilo from goal. Super frustrating. I just stuck to my plan & that last kilo went. It is possible you could have reached your low point but don’t give up. Just wait it out for a few weeks & see what happens. If you want to lose more you either need to reduce your calories intake &/or increase your activity. Congrats on your weight loss.