Arabesque

I eat to a schedule because I found on days I’m not hungry, eating to a schedule ensures I get calories in & meet my protein goals. Generally I eat breakfast at 8:30am, snack at 11:30am, occasional snack at 1:30pm if I’m hungry, lunch at 3pm, snack at 5pm, dinner at 6:30pm, snack at 8pm. Sometimes a little earlier or a little later depending on what my day entails. That’s a lot of snacking but if I don’t my weight drops. My snacks are yoghurt, cheese, fruit, multigrain crackers or protein bar. It took almost a year in maintenance to find the right volume of food I needed to consume to stop me losing. If I start to gain, I can always drop a snack or two.

I love being able to ‘dress’ but I also love coming home to my comfy, knit/stretch pants, shorts & dresses. Went to dinner last night & took ages to find something to wear - yeah I get the irony. The going out things I wore last summer are too big & literally falling off. Losing 10 kg is truely dropping two dress sizes! I don’t know whether to celebrate or cry. Looks like I need to refine my wardrobe again sigh! Had appointment with my glaucoma specialist today so I got to ‘dress’. My doctor is simply delightful & a real gentleman. He’s about 70 & I fear every time I visit he’ll tell me he’s retiring. Today he made me a cup of tea & showed me clips from his favourite Bollywood movies in between all the eye tests. 😆 Now I’m home, having another cup of tea, in a knit dress (summer here whoo hoo), on my couch, watching a repeat My 600lb Life & reading this forum - perfect marriage. Love the toe nail polish Ms SSS - perfect colour. Hope the toe gets better soon.

It’s off the list because 1 the calories & 2 the possible addiction switching. But it is a choice thing. I had a g&t at about month 2 or 3 at a cousin’s 40th. Sat on it for 3 hours. I only have an alcoholic drink maybe once a month or two & sip the one drink slowly. I don’t really enjoy it the same way.

First get it all out of your house. If you don’t have any junk food in your cupboards, you can’t eat it. Secondly, don’t buy it or get anyone to buy it for you. Thirdly, find a good therapist to support you with your anxiety & food issues. And finally, if you want the surgery to help you, pick yourself up & start back on your program. It’s up to you to make this work but never be afraid to ask for help.

My pain was gone after about 4/5 days but I did have issues with low energy for ages coupled with low blood pressure. So honestly it was 4 or 5 months before I could do whatever I wanted. Even simply going grocery shopping could cause a drop in energy or blood pressure. I carried around a bottle of diluted hydralite to get me over those drops. I still have issues with postural hypotension & odd drops in sugar but it’s manageable. But this is just me. I always had a tendency to low blood pressure just happens more often now. And I had experienced sugar drops if I over exerted myself before (even when I was at a healthy weight). Take it slowly. Work out what you can do without issues & then slowly increase. Good luck.

Some people do have trouble with steak just like some have issues with eggs. As with all things you can only try & see how you go. If you’re not successful, don’t give up just wait a month & try again. I could eat steak from about month 3. I waited a few weeks once I was on solid food before I tried. I had no issues & it still tasted darn good. I started off with a very small serve, sliced it in to small pieces & ate slowly. I can eat about 80-100g of fillet steak now & do just about every week. Yumm.

I was always hourglass shaped. Still am but the difference between my breast, waist & hip measurement is much smaller. Have a friend who is an inverted triangle. Was size 18 top size 10/12 bottom. She had a breast reduction but was still a size 16 top - can’t change your skeleton. My ass slowly disappeared too but I compared it to Hank Hill. 😁 I’ve noticed there is a little fullness again in the butt region so I do think your remaining fat does redistribute a bit after a while. Still get terrible bony butt pain though. Had to stand at my hairdresser the other day cause the pain was so bad.

I was always a water a drinker but I do find it harder to drink now which is weird. It’s the gas in carbonated drinks that is the main concern post bariatric surgery. That and the possibility you’ll switch to the high sugar versions. But with all things on this journey, you have to find what works for you. So if you want to have some soda all you can do is try it & see if it has any adverse affects. Your choice. I gave up sodas years ago. Mainly as the gas gave me terrible hiccups. Never went down the ‘diet’ alternative route for the same reason & because they still feed your craving & desire for sweet. Now there’s info coming out that artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain - body tastes sweet but because there’s no calories to burn it holds on to whatever calories you have eaten. It gets you whichever way you turn! Actually not drinking soda does limit your choices when you go out. I used to have to shrug & say guess I’ll have to have wine - lol!! I have a large mug of green tea every day (400ml) & will pour myself a large glass (400ml) of sparkling water in the morning & let it sit so it goes flat: no gas but the minerally taste remains. I slowly sip on it through out the day in addition to still water. I used to buy a hi protein drinking yogurt which was yummy but a lot of stores don’t stock it anymore - sigh. If I have a gin & tonic, maybe once a month, I stir it frequently to release some of the gas & sip it very slowly.

You’ll likely start noticing hair loss at about 3 months post surgery & it will continue for 3-4 months but some have different experiences. For me it slowed once I hit maintenance & I was consuming more. I lost about 40% of my hair - thank goodness I had a lot to begin. Not sure if men have a different experience but I wouldn’t imagine they would. Honestly, I’d wait on the hair transplant. Your body is undergoing a lot of stress & change which is why your hair sheds at a faster rate during your weight loss. My surgeon told me my body had better things to do with what I was consuming than grow hair while I was losing. It’s something to consider. Speak with your bariatric medical team & your transplant team & see what they recommend.

It will be ok. Some days will be harder than others but these will become fewer over time. And you’ll learn how your new tummy reacts to what you eat or drink. Your tummy can be pretty contrary the first couple of months but it will settle - it’s going though a lot with the surgery & changes to your diet. And so are you. Your bloat may still be from surgery. Try a little lemon juice in your water to help flush your system. Also the surgery & weight loss screws with your hormone levels so the bloat could be from early & amped up pmt. Don’t forget your protein drinks, broths etc. all count to your fluid intake goal. Just go slowly. Sip. Try a herbal or green tea for something different. You’ll get through this.

The supplements won’t stop the hair loss because it’s your natural hair loss cycle accelerated because of the surgery & reduced diet. The hair on your head is already dead & there isn’t anything that can save that. New hair is growing but at its normal rate. It all comes back just give it time. I think the thing about gummies are the calories & sugar. Check the sugar content (it’s how they make them gummies) & calories of those you take. I checked some out out of curiosity & to take the recommended dose was 90 calories a day just for one vitamin. I haven’t taken any multivitamins since January last year. Still have labs every three months & my levels have been very good every time.

Hilarious. Just realised I hadn’t deleted the pxt of me actually at 12 wearing the other ballet costume for that year’s concert. Hence why no explanation of the pxt. It was going to look like this: 1977: 2021 Hey Dtrain. So glad to see your post. Was thinking we hadn’t see you for a while. Still looking super cool. Wow. You are smokin’ in that dress Kristie.

I’m sorry you’re in pain but chips, a sandwich or sweets are not going to stop the pain. In fact it likely will cause you more pain, other side effects & may be complications. Remember you just had major abdominal surgery. It’s why we slowly work our way through a liquid, then purée, then soft food diets for weeks before we start on solid foods again. It does seem odd you weren’t prescribed pain meds on leaving hospital. You could still be experiencing gas pain which they used to inflate your abdomen during surgery. The best way to get rid of that is to walk. Even short walks about your house will help. Always contact your medical team if you are in pain or experience anything that is not normal or usual. Ask them for a food plan & a list of foods you can eat as you work through the healing stage if they didn’t provide you with one pre surgery. Also, do you have a nutritionalist/dietician? If you don’t, ask your team for a referral to one who has experience with supporting bariatric patients. You’re embarking on a journey that, if you work at it, will change how you eat & what you eat & lead to a slimmer & healthier you. Good luck on your journey.

I only had a problem for the first couple of days due to swelling but then I was fine. But we all have different experiences around our ability to swallow tablets post surgery. I did have a little break between taking them so only took 1 or 2 & then another 1or 2 say 30 minutes later. Sometimes it’s just the larger ‘dry’ tablets that cause problems but smooth coated capsules are fine. I suggest you have a back up plan just in case you struggle with taking them. Good luck.

I love your mum still wears 4 inch heels at 77. Way to go girl.

It is harder to tell if you’re full before you’re on solid food. Aim not for full but you’ve had enough as when you feel full you’ve actually eaten more than you need. It takes time for the message you’ve had enough to get through. For me going from enough to full can be a single teaspoon still now at almost 2 years & then I really know I’m full - groan. I was told about 1/4 cup too & then work up to 1/3 when on solid food. And to take about 20mins to eat that 1/4 cup. I still sometimes have a 3-5minute break between spoonfuls. Oh and I couldn’t eat a whole egg for more than a year. Congrats on your surgery.

Thank you for sharing your story. You’re so right about us having our own experiences & what works for you might not work for me or someone else. Oh My God. Menopause! Don’t get me started. That’s when some 30ish kg piled on for me. But it lead me to my surgery & I’m now like I was just as puberty hit which is pretty shocking in some ways. Damn hormones! I take ibuprofen too with my surgeon’s ok. He said as long as you’re taking them randomly & not every day for blocks of time it’s fine. I know what you mean by some foods not tasting quite the same any more which is fine with me except when it’s a good nutritious food. Last night I had some corn succotash with some king fish & had some flemmy type saliva (got a bit choky with it too) - I’m wondering now if it was the corn??? I think you’re looking pretty darn good. Congratulations on what you’ve achieved.

Congrats on starting the journey. Everyone is happy to answer questions & share their experiences here so ask away. I haven’t had a c section either but my pain was very little. I think I took one over the counter pain med on day 4 (I wasn’t released to day 3 as my back went into spasm & that was way more painful) & then nothing else. I could even sleep in my side which some can’t. Most complain about the gas pain more from where they inflate your abdomen to operate but I didn’t even have that. I was pretty lucky. I too was advised a slower journey back to carrying heavy items. Started at nothing over 10kg which was was reduced over about 6 weeks so that’s similar to post c section. I live alone & didn’t have any trouble doing what I needed about the house. I started taking vitamins after surgery but stopped after I hit goal. I don’t have any deficiencies & get all I need from what I eat. Talk to your surgeon about taking the pill. As friend was told to go to implants. I think it depends on what you’re taking, where it is absorbed & type of surgery. I’m menopausal but could continue taking my HRT without issue. Wish I knew about how my taste buds would change as a lot of things tasted darn hideous at first. It took a bit of trial & error & tossed food to work out what I could eat but really it’s a pretty minor thing.

You say not liking pizza is heresay. I say not liking broccoli, cauliflower, etc. is Lol! I can’t do without a regular fix of these vegetables. 😁 I was a love it or leave it pizza person but I did enjoy a pizza blanco with potatoes, rosemary, garlic & Gorgonzola from my local Italian. Yum. But I’ve not eaten pizza since my surgery. The base would fill me up way to quickly & I wouldn’t get anything else in. Plus it would fall in my ‘not worth the calories’ category. But I understand your love of pizza & would say try the cauliflower rice base or a low carb, high protein tortilla or wrap as a base. And check with your medical team as to when they suggest you could try a slice & what toppings you could try.

I actually went to a real restaurant last night & got to dress up a bit fancy. Bought this in Melbourne last January & haven’t had an opportunity to wear it. It’s literally a rectangular piece of fabric with a single side seam & two arm hole slits cut out about 3/4 up the length. I’ve had my mum with me all week so I’ve taken her visiting & out & about. Wore this skirt to visit her brother on Monday. It has these interesting externally inserted godets.

Didn’t use one & neither did my friends who had the surgery. I couldn’t stand anything around my waist & used to roll/fold my waist bands down to my hip line. I didn’t have any issues sleeping on my side either. We’re all different. If you feel you need the support you could try one but at 7 days post surgery you’d only probably use it for another week or so.

Congratulations. We love a NSV here. So share all you want. NSVs always made me want to do a celebratory dance. So fabulous.

Contact your doctor ASAP. It could be a clot. Worst case senario but better to be sure. I hope it’s something simple like muscle strain.

The 6-8 cups of water a day actually is a recommendation for everyone not just Bariatric patients. We’re pushed to drink water to get us off calorie laden carbonated drinks (there’s research about now that say artificial sweeteners cause weight gain as your body’s response to tasting sweet but not being able to gain the energy benefits so it holds on to any calories you eat.) Because it’s difficult to measure how much fluid we get from water rich fruit & vegetables (& I real on those to meet my goals now too) check the colour of your pee. Look for light straw coloured urine. The darker it is the more concentrated the toxins that are being excreted.

I still go pretty slowly at 21 months post surgery. Can do one or two mouthfuls now but swallow with a breaks between. It’s painful if I swallow too quickly or have more than the one or two mouthfuls at a time.