Arabesque

I’ve found that sometimes my tummy just says nope not today. I eat basically the same things every week but there are odd days when what I’ve eaten just goes straight through me. It could be exactly what I ate the day before or I’ve often been eating for weeks. I can even have it again in a day or so & no problem. I don’t eat spicy food because of a sensitivity/allergy so I can’t blame that. Trying to eat slowly is more difficult when dining out. Your fellow diners have finished their meals & you’re barely a third through. Your chatting & focusing on your eating. Wait staff hover wanting to clear the table. Etc. That’s why I have problems then. Aah, yes, cold food. I take 30 to 60 mins to eat so my meals always get cold. You get used to it but sometimes I reheat in the microwave. Oh just remembered I used to be nauseous almost every day from my multi vitamins. (Don’t take them anymore.) took one in the morning & one at night after I ate which helped a little. Just a thought. But if you’re concerned have a chat with your medical team.

Two years out & yep I do. Probably more I want to lie down versus nausea now often coupled with my restriction kicking in. It can happen when I go out to eat & eat a little too quickly or if I’m not fully hydrated. Sometimes it’s when what I’m eating isn’t sitting well. Had lunch with a fellow sleever this week & after lunch we both groaned & said I need to lie down. Quite funny actually. We both had an all day keto breakfast. I had some bacon for the first time in ages & I think it set me off. She said the last bite did her in.

Everybody should always aim to drink 2litres/64oz of water a day. We’re more than half water & should replenish it frequently. You need more in hotter climates, if you exercise & perspire a lot or if you drink lots of caffeinated drinks (they dehydrate you). When you feel thirsty you are actually already well on the path to dehydration. We were told your urine should be straw colour & the lighter the better. I drink about 1500 ml but also consume water rich fruit & lettuce (lots of it) every day which ups my consumption. I truely pee all day & all night. Before surgery I used to drink at least 2litres but there was a lot more of me then. Your skin & brain function improve & your blood is pumped around your body more easily all by keeping your fluid levels up. Actually all your organs function better. (Back in the early 90s in Australia we began encouraging children to have bottles of water on their desks & to drink all day long to aid brain function & improve general health. It’s became a big societal change. People carry water with them everywhere now. Should have bought shares in water bottling & refillable bottle companies back then. 😉) If I’m not well hydrated I have trouble swallowing food & develop choking phlegm in my throat & often dry retch now. My blood pressure drops & I feel weak.

@ms.sss you said exactly what I was thinking looking at @WishMeSmaller - far out Brussel sprouts. Abso Fing fabulous @WishMeSmaller. Lined up for 105mins for the CJ Hendry exhibit ‘Straya’ this morning. She unloaded 70 tons of sand in the exhibition hall & everyone got a pair of thongs (yes the bottom of mine did print the F word in the sand). It’s amazing what she can do with a pencil. I knew I should have kept Catherine’s yr 6 illustrated creative writing book. Her early works could have funded my retirement.

It’s the weight loss cycle. Lose then stall. Lose then stall. Some people will say to increase your calories or increase your activity to break it. I just stuck to my plan & the stall broke. This won’t be your only stall. Some last a week others may last three weeks. They’re just your body taking a breath to catch up on all the changes. You will start to lose again.

Neither my surgeon nor dietician gave me calorie goals to follow while losing. They did recommend 1/4 cup of food from purée stage slowly increasing as I was able to eat more as long as it was low fat, low sugar, low carb. I wasn’t eating 300 calories in that first month. I remember my surgeon drawing a picture of a side plate, then drawing a circle of protein & a circle of vegetables & saying that’s about how much I’d be eating at goal. He also outlined the size in my palm. He was pretty right. I was told a daily goal 60g of protein & then slowly add vegetables & fruit to my eating as I progressed. I saw my dietician every two weeks for almost a year (COVID ended it) where we discussed what I had added to my diet & what I thought I’d try next. I can go back to her at anytime. It took me about a year to find the sweet spot in maintenance & to stop losing. I’m really not active so I maintain my weight through calorie control though I don’t religiously measure & count calories except when I add new foods or do random checks to ensure I’m not slipping. I keep to about 1200 calories give or take. Awareness of portion size & nutritional value of what I eat are my key considerations. I prepare most of my food so I have control over the ingredients & how it’s cooked. I eat protein (average 60g from meat, seafood & dairy), vegetables, fruit & whole/multi grains (some crackers as a snack & rolled oats). No processed carbs & I avoid as much sugar, sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners as I possibly can. No fast food in my life & I’ve had takeaway three times since surgery (braised chicken & cashews & skinned steamed gyoza). No carbonated drinks except for tonic, soda or sparkling water. I don’t allow high sugar or high fat food in my house - if it’s not there I can’t eat it. If I have people over, they take home the leftovers of foods I don’t eat now for the same reason. It may sound restrictive but it’s working for me & I really don’t miss anything. There are some things I can’t eat or don’t enjoy anymore because my tummy doesn’t tolerate them. I used to eat a lot of avocado but now it tastes off & the texture is strange. Mashed potatoes & pasta (including plant ones) sit heavily in my tummy & I don’t enjoy alcohol as much. My hunger only came back earlier this year but I still have days I’m not really hungry (like yesterday & today) so I try to eat to routine so I don’t miss meals. If I’m going out for dinner, I’ll drop a snack to allow for what I might eat at the restaurant. In the past, I wouldn’t weigh myself if I thought I’d put on weight - if I couldn’t see an actual number on the scales I could convince myself I hadn’t gained. So I weigh myself almost every day. I have a fluctuation window of about 1kg (2.2lbs). If it sits on or close to the max for a couple of days in a row, I review my diet & make slight adjustments: drop a snack, reduce a portion size. Sometimes it’s just fluid or constipation but I find I know my body a lot better now & I make allowances for that. My medical team would like me to put on a couple of kilos but I’m happy where I am. But who knows what the future will bring. I certainly eat way more frequently than I ever did before surgery and also more than I used to eat: 3 meals & 3-4 snacks. I think I have a metabolism that is finally working again. There are so many different eating plans you can follow to lose or maintain. You’ve just got to find what works for you & how you want to live & enjoy your life. Finding a good dietician & therapist who are experienced with bariatric patients is a good place to start. Good luck finding your path. Sorry it’s so long.

Well the stone’s still there so I’m seeing my surgeon Wednesday. Waaahh!! ☹️ The scan took for ever cause they ‘had difficulty visualising the gallbladder’. What the??? I mean what was blocking their view? A giant tummy? A fatty liver? Lots of fat? Don’t think so. They saw the pancreas easily & the gall is right above it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ They also kept asking me when I last ate. They require 6 hours & I hadn’t eaten for 12. Fun & games ahead.

Oh no. I hope that one was just an urban myth. How awful.

I know I worry about her too. She’s been missing in action for about a year. I asked a while ago but no one said they had. It’s worrying. Can understand they wanted an easy way for people to pick their size scrubs but really couldn’t they find a more subtle way? Why not just fold the scrubs so you could easily read the tag. Works in clothing stores. But congrats of only needing a S/XS now @kristieshannon. PS - Love your fancy ghost chair.

It can get confusing & there always seems to be a new abbreviation to learn. Years ago there was a story in the Australian papers about a businessman who thought LOL meant lots of love & thought a female colleague was being unprofessional in her emails &/or was making advances & made a complaint to their HR dept. At least you asked. If he had it wouldn’t have hit the papers as an embarrassing story. LOL

My portion sizes are larger now at 2 yrs out than they were at 9 months. I eat about a recommended portion size or just under now. For example at 9 months I could only eat 1 egg now I can almost eat 2 eggs. How much you can eat will slowly increase too @HealthyLifeStyle.

I don’t think you’re failing & certainly didn’t mean for you to think that either. I was just suggesting other things to consider as a contributing factor besides a medical issue. It’s easy to misjudge a portion size if we just eyeball it, or misread a nutrition label - I certainly have (damn small font on labels). If these are all on point, you have to consider there is something else going on. I hope you find an answer soon.

It’s unlikely to be fluid retention but it would be your best interests to have your kidney function checked before looking at taking diuretics. Have you spoken with your surgeon or your dietician? Ask your dietician to review your diet & activity. 1000 calories seems a lot at 2 months but every plan is different & if you’re more active you can consume more calories. Stalls are common through out the weight loss phase where we don’t lose but weight gain like you’ve identified isn’t. Have you continued to lose inches even though the scale has gone up? Are you weighing yourself on the same set of scales, in the same place, at about the same time? Are you weighing & logging everything you eat & drink each day to ensure you’re not accidentally consuming more? I encourage you to go back to your medical team. Good luck.

Choosing to have surgery is not cheating. Sure the surgery kick started my weight loss & there are aspects, like the restriction & inability to eat large servings of food, that reduce the opportunity for me to gain. But I’ve worked hard to change how I eat, what I eat & to understand why I eat. Probably way harder than someone who’s never been obese or battled being overweight & certainly harder than when I dieted before. And I work every day at changing a lifetime of bad habits, things that defined who I was & who people thought I was. You have to be ready & willing to make the changes. The difference this time to every other time you’ve dieted is the changes have to be sustainable - permanent & manageable in your life. The surgery doesn’t fix it all for you. If I started eating high fat, high sugar, high processed carb foods, etc. & go back to old habits I’d put on weight again. For most of my adult life I bounced between a bmi of 23 to 29. I gained & lost for 30 years. Then when I was about 50 yrs old it wasn’t 15kgs I needed to lose it was 31 & I couldn’t lose it. All my old dieting tricks failed. I woke one morning at almost 54yrs & said enough, I’m going to have surgery. I didn’t have any health issues at all (except for sore feet & a lack of fitness) but I knew it was in my very near future & I didn’t want to be that big anymore. Is it worth it? You bet it is. I hit my 60kg goal in 6 months, historically my lowest weight as an adult. I lost almost another 12kgs over the next year. I may only have been maintaining at my current weight for 6 months but I have never, ever in my life been able to maintain a low weight after dieting for more than a month. And I haven’t been this weight since I was about 12 yrs old. I don’t know what the next months or years will bring but I’m not going down without a fight. I’d ask why they recommended bypass too if only for your own information & peace of mind. After going through my weight loss & gain history in detail, my surgeon went through the surgical options identifying the pros & cons of each. He then explained which he thought would be best for me & why but he also asked which I thought I’d prefer & why. His process made be more confident about my surgery. Good luck.

I was almost 54 when I had my surgery. Yes, I have some loose skin. And like @catwoman7, you can’t really see it when I’m dressed ... except for that wee pooch at my waist but I am slouching a little for effect in the pxt on the left below 😉. Like @STLoser I happily carry my loose skin: I worked hard to lose my weight & I continue to work at maintaining. The loose skin reminds me every day to stay my course. When you first lose weight you could look drawn but I found my remaining fat seemed to resettle once in maintenance & I looked better. Increasing my calories & adding some whole/multi grain carbs to my diet helped. You won’t look as you did before. Then your features were likely distorted by the weight you carried. My face was a round blob. People said I looked younger because the fat filled out any wrinkles I had. When you lose weight you’ll see your cheekbones again, your neck will be thinner & look longer. You’ll have fewer chins. My eyelids aren’t as hooded & my face is oval with a strong jawline now. And people still say I look younger than my age. If you need support to understand & battle your addiction, seek a therapist who has experience with bariatric patients. Many do seek help with success. Though you may find, that like @Jaelzion, your desire for sugar/sweet is muted after surgery & you can manage it without the support of therapy. I made a conscious decision to avoid or restrict certain foods in my diet. They were my danger foods - not cravings but foods I enjoyed a lot & often that were calorie heavy. It was my choice to avoid them or restrict the frequency I eat them. Do I miss these foods - not really. Some people can eat their old favourites without issue but they do it in moderation. You’ll work out what works for you that’s sustainable. Understanding what a recommended portion size is a big learning as is the difference between a portion & the size we get served. Most serving sizes are 2 & 3 times what we should be eating to maintain a healthy weight. I eat about the recommended portion size for most foods now or a little less. For example I can almost eat two eggs, about 100g of meat, a cup of vegetables, a small bunch of grapes, etc. Some days will be harder than others. You’ll learn new things about yourself & your body. There’ll be days you’ll question your decision but the surgery is so worth it. If you’re willing & ready to make the changes to take full advantage of it, you’ll be successful & be able to enjoy your life to the fullest. Good luck. PS - You look fabulous @STLoser. Love the lip gloss colour too.

Yep to avoiding seeds. I had problems with fresh herbs at first. A bit coarse & difficult to swallow unless they were in paste form & puréed well. Congrats on your surgery.

That’s one of the criteria of a being a BFF: take inappropriate or sneaky photos of friend & then joyfully & lovingly share them with friend. 😁 As to quiz: (d) fun & (e) all of the above & then the answer is 100% E. We know you well @ms.sss. Yes, yes, yes. Buy those shoes. When you’re used to 35+ degree Celsius summers in Brissie & then the temp drops to 15 it’s dang cold. I still can’t cope with locals who wear fur lined hooded puffer coats with shorts & thongs. I just don’t get it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Didn’t their mothers tell them if their extremities were warm, their body would be warm??? It’s like the wear a singlet & you won’t catch a cold advice ... but I’m now thinking maybe mums told us that one because singlets could be a turn off for other ‘activities’ 😆.

Anyone can grow gallstones but rapid weight loss can be a contributing factor to their growth. I presume it’s because of all the cholesterol that’s released from our fat as we’re losing. Our body struggles to process this excess & it forms the gall stones. Many people with weight issues already have gall stones (more likely if they have high cholesterol) & it’s not uncommon for their gall to be removed when they have their weight loss surgery. Others have it removed a year or so after because they develop stones or grow more & have gall problems. It may not happen to you at all but it’s good to be aware of it.

My liver function was never an issue until after surgery & it went back to normal after I lost most of my weight. I’ve never had gall issues either until Sunday. My cholesterol had maintained the same okay level for about 30yrs until I was in the weight loss phase & up it went - back to my old levels now. So I guess that’s why they didn’t even consider removing the gall. The high bilirubin levels were picked up in the post surgery blood works & is still high. It also was when I found out Gilbert’s Syndrome was in the family & I fitted the symptoms of that. Had the scan this morning & I’ll ring my GP tomorrow for the results. Fingers crossed.

When you lose weight you lose fat from all over your body (fingers, feet, neck, face as well as the expected tummy, legs, arms, butt & back) so it’s likely you’ll lose fat from there too cause it’s basically a fat pad. I’m definitely more boney down there.

Skinny girl problems. 😂😂😂 Who’d ever thunk it hey? Certainly not me. Good luck with your surgery @WishMeSmaller. Braided/plaited sandals are so summery, @GreenTealael & I love the orange on your top.

I love scallops too but have never noticed any odour. Maybe I subconsciously block it cause I love them so much. 😆 All fish skin is awful to me. I’m always peeling it off before or after cooking. Congrats on the success of the salmon poaching @GreenTealael.

I used to use wine & stock but then I discovered milk. Just pop the salmon in a baking dish, barely cover the fish with milk, a good pinch of salt per fillet, whatever herbs you like & bake covered in moderate oven about 10+/- mins. The milk helps absorb some of the oil too which I struggle with especially now.

How you’re going to manage your food & eating when you first go back to work can be a bit worrying. I bought a small thermos (500ml capacity) & small (1/2 cup capacity) microwave safe containers which I found really helpful for work. I’d put home made soup in the thermos & sipped on it throughout the day - this was my alternative to protein shakes. In the containers I’d put leftovers from whatever I cooked the night before (mince dishes, casseroles, etc. according to the stage I was at) & microwaved it for lunch. I took yoghurt a couple of times to begin but I always ended up taking it home. I also kept a backup packet soup but like the yoghurt I wasn’t hungry & didn’t need it. When I could eat more solid food I also took diced chicken, cheese sticks, yoghurt again, a few grapes, etc. (I would have taken a few chopped veges like cucumber, carrot straws, etc. but I don’t like them unless they’re just cut.) I also had some electrolyte satchets on hand for energy drops - just add to water. Some days I’d tire quickly or found it difficult to concentrate in the afternoon. My boss at the time was very considerate & would let me go early on days I was struggling. Good luck.

For the first few months, it can be difficult to find foods your tummy can tolerate. It can be very fussy & contrary (I called mine a petulant 2yr old who’d throw tantrums). You may dump, have diarrhoea, nausea, vomit, feel discomfort or pain, your restriction may kick in quickly, you could develop phlegm in your throat, or just feel blah. A food you ate without issue one day can cause you problems the next. Just take a break from that food & try it again in a couple of weeks. Don’t know why this happens - could be part of the healing process, your changing tastes, or just learning how your tummy now works. It does get better & much easier though you may find there are odd foods you may always struggle with. Breads, pasta (even vegetable alternative ones), potatoes, etc. sit like a lump in my tummy. I can’t tolerate fatty or oily meats like salmon, trout, some cuts of pork, etc. or char grilled meats & vegetables. But that’s me. You may not have any issues in the future at all. Good luck.