Arabesque

That’s the trick. Always blame others for doing all the drinking in the house. 😂😂😂 My pxt didn’t include my gin stash either. I keep the gin in my everyday fridge ... for easy access 😆. Mind you I’m lucky if I have a drink once a month now & only when socialising. If we were together, I’m sure there’d be plenty of ‘socialising’.

Everyone is really different with how they recover post surgery & how they react to the very low food intake. One friend went back after a week no problem. Another took three weeks. I took 4 weeks & still struggled (low energy, low blood pressure) but I usually take longer to recover after being unwell so not totally unexpected. Best advice is to allow a week but negotiate with your work to come back reduced hours if they’ll allow it or if they’ll give you another week at short notice if you need it. Good luck with your surgery.

I know what you mean about celebrity products @ms.sss. Have you seen how much the Rock pushes his tequila & energy drink on Instagram? I’d unfollow him but his posts with his daughter are gosh darn cute. Mind you friends & I bought Bill Murray’s vodka. We have a bit of a soft spot for Bill but the main reason was the skull head it came in. I mean I haven’t drunk vodka in decades. How about some alcohol fridge porn. The fruit & vege drawers are full of champagne cause what else would you keep in them. Lol! Bill’s skull is behind the Hendrix’s gin. Actually. I might need to restock. There’s a few empty spots. Guess what I’ve been doing today? Yep, Mother of the Bride dress shopping again. My friend loves the dress we found except for the round neck which I can understand. No luck at all today & we’ve exhausted all the well known & lesser known labels. She’s becoming depressed about it. Everything is either waisted (which she can’t do cause of her body shape), round necked, wrong colours, too short.... Sigh.

Really? They said not to count them as part of your fluid intake? I was told from day one that any liquid can be be counted so soups (liquid part only), broths, protein shakes, drinking yogurt, tea, milk, etc. (My father had kidney issues & he was told any liquid counted as part of your daily recommended fluid intake regardless of the form they took even high water content fruit like oranges, watermelon, etc. counted.) Another example of different plans, requirements & expectations from different doctors. No wonder we get confused sometimes.

Do they look older or just look their age? You may look drawn, tired & maybe older as you’re losing weight but I found when I got into maintenance, was eating a little more & eating some good carbs, I didn’t look as ‘hang dog’. I’m often told I look years younger than I am & I certainly look younger than my girlfriends (but that could be just good genes.) I can see the real shape of my face now. I have cheekbones & a jaw line. My eyes even look bigger cause I don’t have heavy fatty droopy eyelids anymore. Sure that one marionette line on the right side of my face is more noticeable but I’d rather be thin with a deep line than obese with a blobby face without definition. But that’s me. We all have things that bother us about ourselves. I still think I have fat thighs which is crazy. Moisturise (hyaluronic & retinol ones are good), regularly exfoliate gently, avoid the sun or slather on the sunscreen, add some collagen & silica to your diet. I did some radio frequency but that only gives short term results.

For my friend. She’s always been very laid back beachy boho in her style and we thought this was a nice nod to her style & the wedding style while being elegant enough for her being mother of the bride. And it’s not boringly conservative or expected. The attendants are wearing soft natural colours: sand, calico, sage green, white linen, etc. so the dress should look good in the photos. Big wedding especially in COVID times: 190 attending. Think I’ll pack my silk ‘formal’ mask just in case. Well I’m totally going not beachy in my wedding look cause it’s just not me @ms.sss. The outfit I had bought for when the wedding was to be last September is 2 sizes too big now - waah! I bought this recently. Are you surprised it’s black? 😆 The skirt is a silk satin type fabric & the top is a mesh bodysuit. Yes, I’ll be having to do that fumbling between the crotch thing every time I go to the bathroom - oh the bad 80s memories. Am doing flat slides for the wedding on the beach & was changing into the light crystal heels on the right for the reception until I found out it’s cocktail & we’ll be standing on sand covered with matting. Yikes! Now I’m thinking the black with ankle ties on the left as they have a lower block heel so I shouldn’t sink down in the sand &/or stumble & face plant it. They may look too heavy though. Mmmm??? Yay, for you being allowed some freedom again @ms.sss. Love you did a day trip to the liquor store. Did you buy any of Snoop’s wine?

Honestly when you first lose your weight, you may look drained or drawn. But, once you’re into maintenance, your weight stabilises, you’re eating more & eating some good multi/whole grains, that drawn look disappears. I also think after a few months in maintenance your remaining fat seems to rearrange itself. I know that sounds strange but I swear it happened to me. And at 24, your skin is full of its natural elasticity unlike we over 50s whose skin elasticity is much depleted. ☹️ Just think when you lose the weight you’ll be able to see the real shape of your face, your jaw line, your cheekbones. Even my eyes look better & bigger cause my eyelids aren’t as heavy & droopy anymore. I was even told the other day I had lovely cheekbones & I was like cheekbones? What? Who me? But if it does bother you there are things you can do. I added liquid collagen & liquid silica to my drinking yoghurt several times a week while losing. I don’t know if it helped but it didn’t hurt. The are non surgical treatments like radio frequency which stimulate collagen growth. Or you could try fillers, etc. They’re all short term but ... Good luck with your surgery.

Oh, yeah, stuck food’s not pleasant. And then that sudden vomiting to bring it up. At least we vomit differently now without the awful bile & I don’t have all the muscle spasms either but that could just be me. Try soft foods at this stage. Stews, casseroles, minced meat based meals, chunky slow cooked soups, etc. Foods half way between purée & solid. I found chicken thigh meat much easier to tolerate ( has way more flavour than breast meat too). The changed taste buds is pretty common too but it is temporary. Don’t give up on any food cause while you may not enjoy it or be able to tolerate it now, yuh may be able to soon. Lots of trial & error along the way. Good luck.

Lots of good advice above. There are more than 300 000 people who are active/inactive members of this forum, from all over the world, who’ve had no complications. Sure some people do have complications but that happens with any surgery but very few considering the number who’ve had the surgery. Sometimes the complication arises as a result of a pre existing or undiagnosed issue. I’d also remind them that continuing to be obese is more dangerous than the surgery. It’s your health, your life. And I’m sure you made this decision after a lot of thinking, research & considered all the options available to you. Good luck with your surgery & with speaking with your family.

Yes it will pass. It’s one of those quirky temporary side effects. Just sounds like it’s more severe for you. ☹️ My sense of smell wasn’t affected only my taste buds. And sometimes textures were strange. Congrats on your surgery. Hope everything is going well for you.

We’d have so much fun. Partee!! 🎉🎉🎉

Your hair cut is lovely @Lynda486 I’m jealous. I’d love to have those gorgeous waves of yours. I have to sleep in plaits or twists like Ms.SSS did to get any kinks in mine. Sigh. Lookin’ hot @JMJames92. Spent two days Mother of the Bride dress shopping with a a girlfriend whose daughter is getting married in about 8 weeks. (The wedding was postponed from September last year - thanks COVID.) Oh my God. So difficult to find something that’s not boringly conservative or too young, shirt or revealing that still has a soft beach’s vibe. It’s a beach wedding on a island resort of the coast of Queensland. Think @MarvelGirl25 is on to the right idea with eloping. I haven’t offered to go shoe shopping with my friend though I did find some pretty sandals with brushed gold & silver straps with a touch of fuschia online that might work with the dress. We ended up choosing this dress. I think we did pretty well.

I always disliked the smell of salmon, though I don’t mind eating it. Try poaching it in milk. The flesh is very delicate & flaky after so much easier to eat. Plus the milk seems to absorb a lot of the oil (& yes I know that’s where the omega benefits are) & the strong odour. Besides the smell, the oiliness could also upset you. The initial changes to our taste buds & becoming very sensitive to smells does revert to how it was pre surgery in time. Have fun experimenting with foods.

Scallops & asparagus for dinner? My favourites. I’ll be there soon. 😁

It’s one of the reasons we’re advised to eat slowly. It takes time for the message you’ve had enough to get through. You don’t ever want to reach that I’m stuffed stage of being full. Just I’ve had enough & don’t need any more. I still take ages to eat 30 - 60+ minutes depending on what I’m eating. When I was losing & eating small meals I ate over 20 minutes. Sometimes I distract myself between bites by watching tv or reading when eating. I know some say you should focus on your eating but I find it works for me to be distracted. I don’t shovel in the spoonfuls then. Put your cutlery down. Sit back from the table. Wait a couple of minutes before you have the next bite. I used to ask myself if I really needed that next bite or did I just want it. Still do sometimes. There is a huge difference between needing that bite & wanting it. It’s not unusual for me to pick up my fork & then put it back down again because I realise I don’t need that bite. Much like discovering what real hunger feels like for you versus head hunger, you have to discover what enough means for you. That is what the physical, mental or other signals are for you. I don’t get that running nose thing either so I’m very conscious of the portion size I’m eating & don’t overfill my plate beyond what my portion size should be. I get like a heaviness in my chest. This is followed by a slight tightness before my restriction really kicks in though sometimes it does very quickly with no warning. Good luck with your revision surgery.

Like Catwoman7, I haven’t found it difficult to follow this rule either. Though, I have found I can sometimes, not always, have a sip closer to when I eat now - up to about 10minutes before & after. But if I drink while I’m eating, my restriction kicks in & I can’t eat anything else. When I eat soup, I try to eat the solids first then the broth to avoid or at least limit the restriction discomfort. (I make very thick soups heavy on the meat & vegetables & thin on the broth to help.) If dining out, I order my drink as soon as I arrive then sip until my meal order is taken. I don’t drink again until after my plate is removed &/or when the others are eating dessert/having coffee. It’s pretty easy to manage.

So sorry you have developed such severe gerd. Did they warn you to avoid seeds, unprocessed grains, nuts & corn with your diverticulitis? Some doctors just say to increase your fibre but omit to mention that seeds, unprocessed grains, etc. can get trapped in the diverticulitis pockets & cause infection & pain. Of course, as with many things it doesn’t affect everyone the same way. You may be able to eat these with little or no issue. Neither my mother or uncle can. (As he discovered after he was admitted to hospital with terrible pain & other unpleasant side effects. He had recently changed his diet to add seeds & more grains to his diet to be healthier.☹️)

Though not quite as far out as you, I still have issues with energy & low blood pressure. I seem to feel weary more quickly than I did before surgery. And no it’s not a lack of fitness weary. I’ll be out doing chores or something & than suddenly think, nope had enough. Can’t do anything else at the moment. It’s hard to describe how it feels. It’s certainly not debilitating. I’m not puffing. My heart’s not pounding. Just feel weak. Sometimes just sitting for 5/10 minutes is enough & I’m right to go again. Is this how you feel? The postural low blood pressure is just something I live with though it’s probably not quite as bad as it was. Maybe a 25% improvement in the last couple of months. I’ve always had a tendency to low blood pressure & when I’ve been slim before (in the 60kg range) I would have the vision loss & slight light headedness on standing a few times a month versus the several times a day I have it now. My GP prescribed a medication for low blood pressure but it did not help at all. I do all the sit up & stand slowly & wait before walking but it doesn’t really help. I sometimes bend over so my head is below my heart. Friend the deep breathing thing too but they don’t really help either. I just make sure I have a wall or furniture I can grab when it hits so I can ground myself. I’ve also be known to grab onto friends - in a non sexual way of course lol! Hope someone has some ideas too.

Congratulations on your two year anniversary, @Recidivist. You look great. And yes, an excellent motivator for those starting out.

Congratulations Marvelgirl. Such wonderful news. ❤️❤️❤️

Oh yeah. I spent a lot of time resting on my couch after surgery. Your body’s going through a bit post surgery, recovery from the surgery & healing plus your eating very few calories. Listen to your body if it says it need to rest or nap.Nana naps are the best.

My doctor sent me to a dietician who put me on keto for the two weeks (was actually 2.5 weeks) prior to surgery. But he sent my friend to the hospitals weight loss clinic & she was put on their liquid meal replacement program. Another friend’s surgeon put her on two shakes & one meal (small serve protein & steamed vegetables/undressed salad) per day for four weeks prior. So I guess what I’m saying is every doctor has their own ore surgery requirements, some even have different plans for different patients. You just have to do what they advise. Being more careful about what you eat prior certainly won’t hurt. oh, just noticed this was posted last month. Have you had your surgery and if so how did it go?

My nieces made this for me once but they put coconut cream in it. (They put coconut cream or coconut milk in everything for a while for its ‘health’ benefits ... till their skin broke out quite terribly & they put on weight.) I found it far too rich & couldn’t eat it. They love it.

As you know I’ve been pretty anti artificial sweeteners for a while so thanks for this article to add to my argument against them (& from researchers from my alter mater too). I also enjoyed the video from Dr Matthew Weiner about the negatives around sugar, alternative sugars & artificial sweeteners. (I started watching his videos after a recommendation from you too, @GreenTealael.) Way at the bottom of this article it mentions how they make your body store fat: https://www.goodfood.com.au/good-health/diet-myths-busted-why-breakfast-is-not-the-most-important-meal-20210218-h1u35y It’s just hard to avoid artificial sweeteners cause they’re in so many things. I try to avoid them where possible & try to limit how many foods I eat with them. I know they’re in my yoghurt, my protein bar & in a dressing I use but that’s really it. Have a friend who goes on about the evil that is sugar but drinks litres of diet soft drinks & puts artificial sweeteners in everything. I think I may send her this article.

Yes to not missing so many of the same things. Yes, to not missing bumping into walls, tables, ... & all the resulting upper thigh bruises. Yes, to loving being able to buy any clothing I like, except in stores that don’t stock small enough sizes. Yes, to loving being able to zip up long boots. Yes, to not missing having to sit down & physically lift one leg up over the other to put on tights. Yes, to not missing being knocked & bumped because my body oozes over the seat into the aisle on planes. Love that I don’t need the entire bath sheet to dry myself anymore - half an ordinary towel is ample. Love I am able to play with my nieces & nephews longer & don’t need to sit down after a couple of minutes. And I love that two of them can sit next to me on an armchair with one on my lap now.