Arabesque

Don’t worry your taste buds will return as will your enjoyment off food. I wasn’t hungry or interested in eating for quite some time after surgery. When I did eat everything tasted bland. I also became sensitive to certain flavours which became unpleasant & overly strong. Even certain textures were off putting. Foods I used to enjoy were disgusting. The first time I ate asparagus, which I loved, I thought I would vomit. It does pass.

I agree with @catwoman7’s recommendation to stick to nutritionally dense food. We eat such small portions while we are losing that we need to ensure that everything we eat is doing us the greatest good. I’m a fan of fresh fruit for its natural sweetness & loads of vitamins & fibre. Try making a vanilla chia pudding: milk, chia seeds & vanilla extract. The vanilla gives it a a slight sweet taste & you get protein & fibre. Yoghurt was a go to for me as well. Also carrot & celery dipped in hummus is good - sweet & savoury. I used to sprinkle chunks of cucumber with sea salt - crunchy & salty. On occasions I’d go for a teaspoon of peanut paste. Some plans advise to avoid popcorn so check with your team. Personally, I’ve worked at getting rid of a lot of sweet foods out of my diet cause it was a bit of a dangerous thing for me. But that’s me.

Try an electrolyte drink to give you a boost of energy. I found Hydralite very helpful when I had this problem. I carried a bottle of it everywhere though it was pretty sweet. The lack of energy did persist for quite some time for me. I just took things slowly. Walk around your house or yard if you can or walk with your partner or a friend until you feel stronger. I wasn’t eating many calories at your stage - less than you are but my dietician was fine with it. You can only eat what you can eat.

No outfit of the day but it is a beautiful autumn day in Brisbane - cool nights, warm sunny days - that I decided to have my cup of tea on my deck & share the photo. Oh the holiday would have been great after your divorce but you should think about buying another bike one day soon, @BayougirlMrsS.

I had a lot of bruising too. I always bruised easily (I’m very fair so bruises were obvious) but I had a lot more. They also seemed to last a lot longer - sometimes weeks before they disappeared. I think some of it was from getting used to my new body shape & I was bumping into things like coffee tables & other furniture. Also less padding to protect my body from bumps. I was constantly kicking my toes against my kitchen cupboards until realised that my tummy used to hit the kitchen bench before my feet did so my tummy acted as a warning. Now my foot would hit the kick board before my tummy got to the bench. Crazy I know but true. But yes get some lab work done in case you are lacking in something. Joint pain can also occur from your changing body shape. Your changing weight distribution & weight loss may be putting stress on joints that are used to working at different angles to carry your weight before & are now straightening or changing for where you carry your weight now. Are you standing differently? Do you walk differently? Are you more active? I had upper back pain until I realised my bras were way too big & weren’t offering adequate support. Bought new underwear & no more back pain. I also noticed I was slouching because that was obviously how my body held itself when I was big - my weight was pulling me forward. I had to retrain my body to stand straight again.

Would you be able to just lift the bottom of your mask & drink through a straw or from a sippy cup/bottle? I used to drink soup through a straw at first. I’d pop the straw in my mini thermos which kept the soup hot. (It would be cold before I got half way through it if I put it in a mug.)

I found mandarins a little easier cause they’re less acidic. You just have to get rid off all the fibrous bits. You can only eat what you can eat. Don’t push yourself to eat more. If your medical team wants you to add more calories add a healthy snack like fruit, cheese, hummus on celery, etc. Your portion size will increase over time. Congrats on your surgery.

You will never be as focussed in your bowel habits as you are after bariatric surgery - lol!! I’ve never talked about or read about bowel movements & constipation as I do now. 😂😂😂 Constipation is common while you’re losing. Small food intake, fewer carbs & fibre all contribute. I added Benefibre to my diet every day (avoid fibre supplements that swell in your tummy though). Ensure you’re meeting your fluid goals. Add a little fruit to your diet when you can. It all helps. If I reached three days without any activity, I’d take a stool softener to get movement happening again. Some need stronger meds. I tried not to go longer than that as it can become quite painful to empty the bowels after that. I still have odd bouts of constipation but no where near as common as while losing. I get on it by day 2 now. Good luck.

I’m with @ms.sss @BayougirlMrsS. You in leathers on your bike today whoo hoo girl. Do you still have your bike?

Hell yeah to saying good bye to leg chafing. It still surprises me when I realise my thighs don’t rub together anymore. It happened today as I was rushing about in jeans & thought somethings not right - oh yeah, my thighs don’t touch anymore. No drag, no swooshy sound effects of rubbing fabric. No pills on the inner upper legs of pants. No redness, no rashes, no discomfort, ... It’s the little things that mean so much. 😁😁😁

At least we didn’t say we think of her as Michelle ‘this one time, at band camp’. I big red heart love Buffy @WishMeSmaller. Still watch episodes. It’s so far above those pitifully tedious shows which are trying to be witty & clever & are so politically correct they’re bland that are aimed at young people today.

I cleaned after surgery. It was surprising how much I had in my pantry. I mean how many bags of rice, pasta, cous cous, does a person really need to have. I kept a single bag of plain flour & one of self rising flour (for cooking not baking) but I threw them out at the end of last year cause I hadn’t used them in 18 months. I cleared out my freezer too. So much bread & mystery meals. 😱 I’m believe in the ‘if it’s not in your pantry you can’t eat it’ thinking so my pantry is pretty ‘clean’ now. The only processed foods are tins of tomatoes, beans, lentils, creamed corn, multi grain crackers, rolled oats & a spare jar of salad dressing & pickled onions. And my freezer is filled with meals I made & frozen peas & corn for soups. I stocked up on allowed food, medications, etc. before surgery too @SummerTimeGirl. It did make life simpler those first few weeks after surgery. Good luck with your surgeries.

I just slowly introduced solid foods & kept things pretty plain & simple. I also prepped & cooked almost everything myself so I’d have control over the ingredients & how it was cooked. Your tummy can be a bit like a two year old to begin & can throw tantrums: you can eat something one day & then the next your tummy says no way. Together, with the temporary taste bud changes it can be a challenge to find foods you can eat & enjoy. But don’t give up. It does improve. If you can’t eat something one week, try it again in a week or two. Think if it as retraining your tummy & tastebuds much like you do when introducing foods to a baby. It’s a good time to introduce food you may not have eaten before, new ways of cooking foods & to reduce any cravings you may have for sugar, salt, etc. Have to admit I ate predominately protein: chicken (breast & thigh), beef (mince & steak), pork (tenderloin & sausages from the butcher not mass produced), fish, yoghurt, eggs, cheese, rolled oats in that first month after soft foods. I slowly added vegetables & fruit. I loved my vegetables pre surgery but my tummy was very fussy about them that first month of solid food. Some posters will tell you they couldn’t eat chicken or they couldn’t eat steak at first. I was fortunate I could eat both. Some people do struggle at first to find foods they can tolerate, others don’t. It’s very much an individual thing. My goal was to rely solely on the food I ate to meet all my nutrient needs - no supplements or shakes - once I reached solid food which I did & still do. I did take a general multi vitamin (no other vitamins) but gave it up just after I started maintenance. My blood work has been great. Now I only struggle with oily fish, rich or fatty foods, potatoes & pasta so I avoid them. I don’t eat bread or rice, my choice, but I expect I’d struggle with them too & they’d sit like a lump in my tummy. Sometimes heavily grilled food (charred) can be too dry & don’t sit well. Good luck.

1: Have to admit I made the decision pretty quickly. Woke up one morning & said enough. I was in surgery just under 6 weeks later. So I didn’t have much time for nerves or second thoughts. 2: Super glad I did it. 3: Not a single regret. Sure there are little things that can be annoying (like when my restriction kicks in after 2 or 3 bites sometimes when I’m out) but they are my experiences & quirky to me. If I could go back in time I’d still do it. Two other friends decided to have the surgery after I did because of my experience. 4: I was pretty well prepared before my surgery so there wasn’t anything I really didn’t expect (except that diarrhoea experience on day 3 - embarrassing 😱) & there hasn’t anything that would have changed my mind. I had a friend who had the surgery about 16 months before I did & she shared lots of great advice. I also did quite a bit of reading & I was very glad I stumbled upon this forum. As long as you understand it’s not a magic cure & that you have to put in the work, make the changes & make them a permanent part of your life you’ll be able to best take advantage of the benefits of the surgery. How much weight you actually lose is not as important as finding the point that you can maintain your weight & live your life as you want to. Good luck.

Hilarious I didn’t notice that - damn auto correct. Yes, it was Alyson HANNIGAN (she’ll always be Willow to me though). @kristieshannon that t shirt is the best. Love it. I blame all those home & garden renovation shows @WishMeSmaller. They take on these tasks & they’re miraculously done in a day or two & then you think oh that’s easy we can do that. But they don’t show the large number of tradesmen they have actually doing the work.

Forgot to say it also sometimes happens to me if I reach up to get something from a high shelf like at the supermarket or in my kitchen. Itv can be more disorientating cause being short I’m often on my toes trying to reach the item & I can lose my balance too.

They actually look very much like mine though your super long legs are a little slimmer. 😁😁

20 -30 mins for 2ozs or 1/4 cup of purred or soft foods. I could take an hour or 2 to drink 200mls. I still take ages to eat or drink anything. (Been sipping 300+mls of green tea for over 90 mins now & yes it’s pretty cold 😁.) I was told no potato until maintenance by my dietician - too starchy but there are a lot of post surgery plans. I tried some mashed then but not good & I still can’t tolerate them at almost 2 yrs. Had a small piece yesterday & there was my restriction & it sat like a lump in my tummy. Almost vomited when I got home. I didn’t have a leak. They are pretty uncommon but can occur. Increasing pain, fever, fast heart beat, dizziness, shortness of breath are all symptoms of a gastric leak. But if you experience any pain or anything that is uncommon for you, contact your medical team as soon as possible.

You’re not doing anything wrong. It’s quite a common experience after weight loss surgery. it’s just scary if you’ve never experienced it before. Like @Jaelzion I still suffer from postural or orthostatic hypotension but I’ve always had a tendency towards low blood pressure & experienced this before. I always had more attacks when I was slimmer than when I was carrying weight but I do suffer from more episodes now - several times a day vs a couple of times a month (more in Spring & autumn). Up until a couple of months ago, it happened every time I got up now it’s probably 3/4 of the time so it has improved. I too look for something I can touch (wall, chair, another person) to ‘ground’ myself for those couple of seconds. Sometimes I bend over especially if there’s more severe vision loss & dizziness just to get the blood back to my head. My GP put me on some meds but they did nothing. I added extra salt, waited before standing, wriggled my feet & toes before standing but nothing helped. I look at it as something that’s just me now especially as it was a pre existing condition just amplified.

Congrats on your wedding anniversary @mischa23. Have to admit I did look forward to that first gin & tonic after surgery at my cousin’s 40th but it took me hours to drink it. I had to stir it a bit to release some of the bubbles in the tonic first but honestly it didn’t quite taste the same (damn weird post surgery taste buds) & I wasn’t really enjoying it. I still find that with wine & champagne. Even dry not sweet wines taste too sweet & I don’t enjoy drinking them as much when I do have the odd glass. Even now, I only have one glass of alcohol about once or twice a month & I take ages to drink it. Gin is probably the drink I enjoy most (I was always an gin drinker so yay) & I find I rarely finish a glass of champagne. You may be totally different but don’t be surprised if that first glass is not quite as enjoyable. Hope your anniversary is a special day for you both.

Mega validation here. Congratulations.

Working with leather is a skill & a talent @BayougirlMrsS. Don’t let her go. I’ve had a few leather pants over the years that could benefitted by someone who can tailor leather. Hope you can find your leathers. Embrace the pale @WishMeSmaller. We who are very fair need to stick together. Those compression sleeves are fabulous & very practical to protect your legs while fencing. Lunch with my girls. We’re trying to go out to somewhere nice for lunch or dinner every 4 weeks. Look I’m not wearing all black 😆😆😆. Popped on my new leather coat as it was a bit overcast & cool today - Autumn & lunch was on a rooftop. I love my jacket. So glad I returned the other one. Had the dress in my wardrobe since just prior to COVID last year. This is it’s first outing. Amusingly, Alyson Hannibal wore the dress to a presser in February for her movie Flora & Ulysses except it was like three sizes too big on her. Think I won the ‘who wore it best’ comp. 😜

Getting old is a b*tch. And our sight deteriorating is another one of those signs our bodies are wearing out. How depressing. I’ve worn glasses since I was about 12. I’m short sighted (very myopic) but then around 45ish, I started having trouble reading. Yep, my long vision was deteriorating. Then my glaucoma was picked up as was a thin retina. I wear contacts & now wear a script for distance in one eye & near vision in the other. I’ve had no discernible changes to my vision or glaucoma & my retina hasn’t thinned any further since I had surgery but the changes that did occur did so when I was between about 45 & 50. Amusingky, had my flu vaccine on Wednesday & my GP started to ask if I had my COVID vaccination yet but then corrected herself saying oh you’re too young & healthy to have yours yet. I replied that it’s been a damn long time since someone said I was too young for something. 😆😆😆😆

First, congrats on your surgery. Second, it’s perfectly understandable to be confused & questioning what’s happening. You’re right it’s not easy. It doesn’t matter how much you read or what you were told to expect it’s not the same as actually experiencing it for yourself. Plus while many of our experiences are similar there are also differences. These are some things I’ve learnt on the way. I hope they can help you or at least ease some of your concerns. Try to stick to the recommended serving size. You are still healing & the smaller quantities reduce the stress on your healing tummy. Plus it also helps us come to terms with smaller portion sizes in general. Most of us ate portions that were way too big before surgery. You will be able to eat more as you progress. Fluids tend to pass through our digestive system more quickly than solid foods. So if you are drinking as slowly as you’ve been advised your tummy likely will be emptying as you’re drinking more. I found depending on how sloppy your purées are you may have the same experience of not feeling full. Try to avoid feeling the restriction. It’s an indication you’ve eaten too much (more than you need) or too quickly. The eating slowing recommendation is to allow the message to get from our tummy to our brain to tell us we’ve had enough. Many of us are used to eating to past full. We have to learn how to stop before we are full. One of my big learnings was the difference between wanting to eat & needing to eat. Do I need this bite or do I just want it. The pain you feel that you think is hunger is likely too much acid in your tummy. Are you taking esomeprazole every day? For many of us our true hunger signals have changed. It does take time to recognise these new signals. For me I become restless & feel like something is wrong. There’s a lot of new things to learn about your eating habits, what motivates you to eat, what are more nutrient dense foods, etc. Most of all you have to work out what it all means for you & discover what works for you to be at a weight you’re happy at & be able to live the life you want. It’s all worth it. The rewards are amazing. Good luck.

Welcome. You’re likely experiencing what we call the three week stall which can happen before or after the three week mark. It can last 1- 3 weeks where you have no or minimal weight loss. It’s very common. I like to explain it as just your body taking a breath to come to terms with all the changes - the surgery, chance of diet, decrease in caloric intake, etc. It will pass but you’ll likely experience stalls again while you’re losing. Some people suggest increasing or decreasing your food intake or activity level to try to break it. Some of us just stayed our course & it still broke. Whatever you choose to do you will start to lose again. It’s just part of this weight loss journey. Congrats on your surgery.