Arabesque

I was almost 54 when I had my surgery & I lived alone too. I looked after myself without a problem. My pain was gone by day 4 & it had been managed easily by the pain meds. I Just had odd twinges after that. I made sure I had everything I needed at home before my surgery. I stocked up on Imodium, gas X, stool softener, broths, soups, protein shakes, hydralite, etc. so I didn’t need anyone to shop for me. My mother knew about my surgery but was having cataract surgery the same day so couldn’t help. I told two girlfriends. One did the to & from hospital run. Both rang or txt everyday & were willing to come around if I needed them but I was fine. But in saying that, our post surgical experiences can be different. If you did need them to help, do your parents live close enough to you to come on short notice?

So funny you’ve started this thread Ms.SSS. Was grocery shopping this morning & a young, very well endowed girl was at next checkout. She was wearing a very low cut top & I swear when she leant into her trolley her unfettered breasts almost escaped. I admit I was a bit judgemental for a moment & then enviously thought mine used to be like that - sigh. But, I don't miss my 18E breasts. Don’t have the problem of clothes fitting me everywhere except across my boobs & no gapping buttons anymore. Best is I don’t have to position them when I get into bed or reposition them during the night when I roll over. My gracious they got in the way some times. And don’t get me started on trying to keep them restrained when exercising. I could put my eye out from the bouncing. Now I just wish they weren’t so empty & squishy soft. I fill out the bottom of my 10E cups fine but the top gapes & gathers. I put a tissue in each side to fill the cups up something I’ve never had to do not even as a teenager! Don’t think I have enough fat anywhere to lipo some & transfer it into the upper slopes. RIP boobies.

I drank hydralite for about the first three months for the same reason - energy boost & the electrolytes. Helped a lot. But definitely call your medical team. Good luck.

I love that green dress on you @BayougirlMrsS & that meals looks delicious. Love fillet steak & also scallops yum! Daisy or cluster rings were popular in the Victorian era. They also used a lot of enamel so your ring may have English origins. Love your sweater with your boots @HealthyLifeStyle & congrats on your weight loss - whoo hoo. Hope your sister has recovered fully. Looking good @GreenTealael. I think your arms look fine too. I also keep my elbows in close to my body That dress is beautiful @Cheeseburgh. Excellent find.

Congratulations on your surgery & your weight loss so far. Don’t worry about your rate of loss. There are slow losers & fast losers but they’re all losing. A lot of factors influence your rate of loss: age, gender, history of weight loss, activity, etc. As for the heart burn, did your surgeon put you on esomeprazole? It will calm your stomach acid which is irritating your healing tummy & also rising as you’re not eating much. (Stomach acid can also make you think you’re hungry when you’re not.) Some surgeons prescribe them for a short time, some for longer as reflux/gerd can be an issue for sleevers. I still take one every day because I had stress & diet related reflux pre surgery. Good luck on your journey.

Congrats on your surgery. Yep, it’s swelling post surgery. I had the same problem. I was spitting up salvia & anything that was barely a sip. Carried a sick bag with me continuously. And don’t get me started on trying to swallow my meds in hospital. It does ease after a couple of days but as Jaelzion said if it persists contact your surgeon.

Congrats on your weight loss so far. I think it takes a lot more weight loss when you are bigger to drop a size than when you’re smaller because you’re carrying so much weight all over. You’ll soon be dropping sizes quickly & then you’ll be thinking but I just bought this & it’s too big now. Believe me it does happen. But as you said those dark wash jeans were tight 50lbs ago & now they’re not. That’s a win.

I bounced around from 60 - 75kg most of my adult life. Tried lots of diets, medications, dieticians, etc. Then menopause hit & suddenly I was 91kg. I was fortunate as the only health issue I had was achy feet & a general lack of fitness but I knew worse wasn’t far away. I woke up one day & decided I’d had enough. I just hadn’t been able to shift the weight & I’d seen the success a friend had had with the surgery. I made an appointment with my GP & less than two months later I was in surgery. So glad I made that decision. Good luck in your journey.

There’s really only one way to get rid of loose skin & that is to have it surgically removed. Your skin has been stretched out and it can’t stretch back. But in saying that there are factors, like age, general skin elasticity, how long you were at your highest weight, how much you weighed at your highest weight, etc. that may mean you don’t have as much loose skin. I have flabby, flappy upper arms but have decided not to have any surgery. I just keep my elbows close to my body. No waving my arms in the air like I don’t care - lol! I even got told I had lovely arms a couple of months ago 😂. You can dress around your arms too. I don’t wear strappy or strapless tops but that’s no bother. I love all the puffed sleeves about at the moment & off the shoulder tops are very flattering. You won’t feel the heat nearly as much either when you lose your weight so a sleeve won’t be as much as an issue. Good luck.

I’m single but I know some of my girlfriends’ husbands can be pretty protective about them. One is almost prudish. (It’s quite amusing as they’re strong, independent women who take crap from no one. But it’s also lovely.) I wonder if that’s where your husband’s comments are coming from. Is he protective of you &/or a little conservative (nothing wrong with that)? He may be seeing your confidence growing as you feel better about the way you look & feel & worry that other aspects of your personality, like how you dress, may become more ... ‘expressive’.

You have to find what works for you. That is what allows you to maintain your weight, be healthy & enjoy your life. You don’t want a diet that is so restrictive that it limits you doing the things you enjoy or affects your health. It’s as simple as that & also as hard. Lots of trial & error over time. Do your own research. Try recommendations from people on this forum. I still don’t eat rice, pasta or bread or bread alternatives like wraps. I did try a soybean pasta that others here recommended a couple of months back but even the tiny bit I had didn’t sit well & was too filling. I was surprised though at how well it cooks & it tasted similar to wheat pasta. It’s way better than vegetable pastas were years ago. I have tried cauliflower rice but I don’t like it very much. I enjoy zucchini noodles a lot. I used to eat quite a lot of bread, rice & pasta but I avoid them now cause I think they contributed to my past weight gain. I don’t really miss them. I also avoid them because if I can only eat a cup of food, I’m going to make sure it’s nutrient rich. I get my carbs from fruit, vegetables, rolled oats & some multigrain crackers. It’s working for me but it may not work for you. Good luck.

Congratulations on ticking off another step & welcome. What surgery are you having? Dumping isn’t nearly as common with sleevers but it can happen when eating certain foods - often sugar. Usually though you learn to avoid those foods pretty quickly. While taking multi vitamins is very important during the weight loss stage, there are sleepers like me who don’t take them anymore. Regular blood tests show my levels are great as I get all my required vitamins & minerals from what I eat. Good luck on getting your surgery date.

I still don’t eat rice pasta or bread. Nor do I eat alternatives like wraps. I did try a soybean pasta that others here recommended a couple of months back but it didn’t sit well & was too filling. I was surprised though at how well it cooks & tasted similar to wheat pasta - way better than vegetables pastas did years ago. I have tried cauliflower rice & use zucchini noodles a lot. I used to eat quite a lot of bread, rice & pasta so I happily avoid them now cause I think they contributed to my previous weight. It’s odd but I don’t really miss them. Once you get close to goal you start working out what foods you can or can’t eat to maintain your weight. Introduce foods which have been off the menu while you were losing & see how they go. Try different eating plans or foods you never ate before. You don’t have to exactly follow what your dietician says to eat. If you don’t want to eat a certain food, ask your dietician for suggestions for alternatives. Finding nutritionally sound foods while still meeting your goals is the key. Good luck.

Menstrual pain is the worst. So sorry you suffer from this. My surgeon told me as long as I wasn’t taking nsaids regularly it was ok to take them. I take them for my rare headaches - so 1or 2 tablets less than once a month. Panadol, etc. are useless & codeine messes with my head. I’m not suggesting you start taking nsaids but have at chat with your doctor. If they say no ask for suggestions for alternatives to help manage your pain.

Probably 20-30mins at about your stage. Still eat slowly now. Like Ms.SSS, I take 40-60+ mins to eat a meal. I’m quite used to eating cold meals now - lol! A snack or wetter meal like soup or rolled oats may only take 30 minutes. Can make eating out awkward with your fellow diners & wait staff waiting for you to finish. If I eat too quickly my restriction kicks in. Was never told to chew up my food extra well before swallowing. I always put my cutlery down between bites, sit back & sometimes push my plate away. Helps with deciding if you need, not want, that next bite.

I love that green dress on you @BayougirlMrsS & that meal looks delicious. Love fillet steak & scallops too yum! Daisy or cluster rings were popular in the Victorian era. They also used a lot of enamel so your ring may have English origins or been influenced by those designs. Love your sweater with your boots @HealthyLifeStyle & congrats on your weight loss - whoo hoo. Hope your sister has recovered fully. Looking good @GreenTealael. I think your arms look fine too. I keep my elbows close against my body too @WishMeSmaller. What the eye can’t see... 😁

Congrats on your surgery. I’m glad you’re doing well. I don’t know what it is about FB groups but from what people say they seem to have a lot of negativity, worst case scenarios & not always sensible advice. Such a shame. I’m not quite 2 years out & I had stress & diet induced reflux/gerd before my sleeve surgery but it was pretty mild. Do I have it now? Yes, but it’s different & manageable. I was experiencing burning in my throat at night. My doctor advised not me to eat protein, liquid protein excluded, 2 hours before bed. And it worked. No more burning. Are there people who’ve had revision surgery because of gerd, yes. But there are also people who haven’t. There’s no guarantee how your body will react to your surgery in the short or long term. There’s certainly no guarantee you will need a revision. Just like there’s no certainty you will develop gall stones & need your gall bladder removed, also a possible side effect. It doesn’t happen to everyone either. Honestly, I have a few issues post surgery (low blood pressure, occasional hyperglycaemia) but my three friends who’ve had the surgery too have had no issues at all. As with all things, it’s sensible to be aware of all possibilities but also not to expect they will all happen to you. Good luck in your journey. So happy I did it.

First, you need to take the pressure off yourself. Stalls happen. They’re normal. It’s not because of something you’ve done nor is it being done to you. It’s just part of the process. Stressing only makes everything worse. Secondly, you’ve achieved so much so far. Don’t give up over a natural pause in your weight loss. My last stall at about 6 months lasted almost 3 weeks & I was 1kg off my goal. So near yet so far. I just stuck to my plan like I had with other stalls. I knew it would end & it did. I lost that kg (& a few more). Also remember, as you get closer to your goal your weight loss slows. You’ve been putting your body through a lot. It needs time to come to terms with the changes just like you do. You’re providing it with different fuel sources than it’s used to. Hormones, etc. are being released into your body from the fat you’re losing increasing things like your cholesterol & oestrogen levels, etc. which can affect weight loss & gain. My liver function even went crazy for a while. You may have reached a point of equilibrium between your food intake & energy output & have put yourself in maintenance. And this may seem silly but are your scales in the same spot? I pull my scales out every day & try to put them in the same spot using tile lines as a guide. If I put it in a slightly different spot I can weigh up to a pound more or less. Have a chat with your medical team. They will have some suggestions to get you through this. Please don’t give up.

I stopped exercising after a couple of months (I was walking on my treadmill) because of my low energy & low blood pressure. The day I almost fell off due to being so tired & light headed I decided enough. It’s true. Exercise contributes very little to actual weight loss. But it does contribute to your general health. It also increases your appetite to compensate for the calories you’ve burnt. I still don’t exercise but try to be active in other ways. Dash up & down the stairs in my house. Park further away from where I’m going. Walk at a pace around shopping centres etc. Take stairs when possible. Walk to the local shops. It all helps.

You can also make your own by blending milk with your favourite yoghurt. Just blend it well & strain to get rid of any pieces of fruit.

Yep, you can count all liquids. Well that’s what I was told. If I drink & eat at the same time or drink & eat too closely together my restriction kicks in really quickly & then I can’t get my nutrients in. I found chunky soups difficult for the first 5 or so months for the same reason - liquids combined with solids filling me too quickly - so I puréed my soups or cooked them for ages & they were pretty soft & mushy. Not as much of an issue 21 months out. If you can only consume 1/2 cup of liquid or 1/2 cup of food at a time you will only be able to have 1/2 cup of food & liquid combined. You may find you can reduce the time between eating & drinking in time.

Nope, I didn’t.

Love our viewing habits & routines. I watch British Masterchef (celebrity & professional too), British Bake-off, Great British Menu & British Bake-off Professionals when I eat dinner. (Mmmm? Sounds like I’m a bit of an Anglophile.) Quite happy to watch them over & over too.

My answer would be no alcohol. Not worth the calories - 90 calories for a glass of white wine, 120 - 160 for a martini. That’s a lot of the calories you’re allowed at this stage. The pre surgery diet is the beginning of your weight loss journey & the start of removing food dependencies like sugar & refined carbs from your diet. (Yes, I know, spirits have very few carbs but the mixers often do.) Many programs say no alcohol at all because of the calories, the risk of addiction switching - food to alcohol - & that it has no nutritional value. Nutritionally dense foods should be your focus at all time. Honestly, I had a drink at about month 2 or 3. I nursed that g&t for 3+ hours. I only have a drink about once a month or even less frequently. Not worth the calories & I don’t enjoy it as much. Don’t really miss it either. But it is your choice.

Not that we need to have emergency food kits in Australia, but I always have multiple tins of beans, tomatoes, tuna & salmon in my cupboard - you know in case of a zombie apocalypse. I also have liquid stock & stock powder, powdered milk & rolled oats. You can make a lot of one pot meals with them - cassoulets, stews, soups. Throw in a couple of tins of lentils & vegetables & you’ll be set. (The beans & lentils are a good source of protein.) And not a packet of rice or pasta needed. If you do want to include a pasta try those made from soya beans, endame, etc. I still find them too heavy & filling but others don’t have issues once in maintenance.