Arabesque

Welcome to your first stall. They usually occur around week three but can start before or after that. They usually last 1-3 weeks. (There are lots of usually, often, averages, common, etc. after surgery.) While this time when the scale doesn’t move, is frustrating & can be depressing, it is an important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body takes stock of the changes that are occurring (weight loss, dietary changes, etc.) & reassess its needs in regards to metabolic rate, digestive hormones, and so on. The stress of your surgery can also impact this first stall. (Yes I said first as you’ll likely experience more of them.) The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. You can’t force a stall to stop. Best advice used stick to your plan & don’t stress your body more by making changes to your diet & activity other than those your plan wants. Take some body measurements. While the scale doesn’t move, you may notice changes in a tape measure or in your clothing.

I agree. You’ve been through a lot & coupled with the quiet time post Christmas & New Year’s, it’s understandable that you might be feeling low. New Year was pretty fiat this year for many of my friends & acquaintances. Not interested in celebrating, happier at home, in bed early, etc. Even my street was very quiet & there are lots of young people in the apts across the road who are always partying. Were you the same? Maybe make a coffee date with a friend, an appointment with a beautician, get a mani/pedi, go to the movies, etc, to have something to do & look forward too. I’m looking forward to seeing my beautician on Thursday & my nieces & nephew may be visiting on Friday. (Even though my house will be a mess after they leave. 😁) I agree too that if it persists to speak with your doctor or team.

I agree with @Spinoza. You’re still healing. It takes about 8 weeks for you to heal & that includes all those nerves that were cut during the surgery. A lot of messages aren’t getting through or the signals are different as a result. It’s why sticking to your portion size is very important (it always will be) but especially in this healing period. In a few weeks, & when you’re on solid food, you’ll start to feel those signals again including your restriction. Liquids go through your digestive system more quickly so what signals you may still have don’t get a chance to get through. You may even find when they return your signals for full & hungry are a little different too. Some say they sneeze or their nose runs when they’ve had enough. Keep eating slowly too as it takes at least 20 minutes for the message to get through that you are full. The goal should be not to eat until you feel full but until you’ve had enough & don’t need to eat any more (not just want to eat more). I wasn’t hungry or really interested in eating for almost a year. It is a blessing of the surgery while you are losing. In actuality, after our hunger returns, many of us say we wish we still weren’t hungry like we were in the beginning after surgery. Though not hungry, I knew I had to eat so I ate to a routine, ensuring what I ate was nutrient dense & in appropriate portions. There’s a lot of things to learn & understand about your eating & your body. It takes time but you’ll work it out. All the best.

I didn’t have any pain like that after my surgery & was off pain meds by day 5 too. Mind you the gas pain was still pretty bad a week later. Was surprised as I had none with my sleeve & it was the same surgeon like you. Give your surgeon a call. Better to be sure. PS Did they use the same incisions as from your bypass?

Leg cramps are awful. So painful. I used to get them randomly at night. Keep your fluids up so make sure you’re meeting or close to your daily fluid goals. It can be easy to let it slide especially in winter. Add an electrolyte drink to get in the minerals you may be missing at the moment. Try adding a banana to your food intake too. Gentle stretching & heating pads can help. Hope this helps.

There are plant based protein powders about you can purchase which are whey free. Look for plant based or lactose free yoghurts, soups & milk. So many options available these days. Bone broth is good too. Or you can make your own soups. I love soup & made quite a few. Purred them in the beginning & let them simmer for ages so the meat & vegetables would be super soft & tender in the soft food stage. You can process many proteins simply by adding enough broth, stock, gravy, milk, Mayo, etc. - just lactose/whey free versions. Make your own yoghurt drinks/smoothies by blending the yoghurt with milk & sugar free flavours or protein powders. I was allowed to eat instant oats during puree - just kept extra thin & milky & you can add protein powder to that too. The hardest part for me was my altered taste buds. A lot of things tasted awful - shakes too sweet, bone broth too salty, & some textures & smells were off putting too. Thank goodness this was temporary. All the best.

Scroll down to near the bottom of this screen & you’ll see the Together We Have Lost section. Your starting weight should be there & then simply add your current weight & click Update Your Weight. It will show on your next post.

The surgery often changes our tastebuds & sense of smell making it difficult to tolerate certain foods, flavours & textures. I found the shakes awful - super sweet & grainy. I’d force myself to have one in the morning which I’d dilute & then had soup for the rest of the day. Bone broth is a better choice but I found them very salty so I ate cream soups. Try a plant based protein powder instead of the whey. If you struggle with whey powder you’ll likely struggle with whey based pre made shakes too. Try making your own yoghurt drink smoothie by blending Greek yoghurt with milk to a thin consistency. Add some unsweetened powdered flavours if you need. Check with your dietician &/or surgeon be sure though.

I still feel my restriction at more than 4.5yrs. I don’t feel it as often & it has softened a little but I think that is because I’m more aware of my portion limitations & when I’m nearing that point of not being full but having had enough, I stop. I was a low calorie eater barely eating 900 calories at 6 months & took another 11months or so to get to around 1300. Though you seem to be quite low. Have you spoken to your surgeon? If not I’d make an appointment to see what they suggest & ask for some testing to be done.. You may have a stricture, your esophagus maybe over tightening, the boogie may have been too narrow, etc. Generally these are easy to remedy usually via an endoscopy if this is what is happening. All the best.

Try to keep food moist by adding sauces & gravies. In the beginning I ate a lot of mince dishes like savoury mince & bolognese (without the pasta) & some casseroles/stews which are more on the sloppy side & are more easily eaten & digested. In time this won’t be as necessary but dry or coarse food may still cause you some issues at times. In time you will find you can drink with or closer to when you eat. This is an individual thing though - some can, some can’t. But, yes, in the first months while you’re eating so little it is vital you properly digest your foods & get every nutrient. Drinking while eating washes the food through your digestive system more quickly. This video helps explain it: In the beginning I used to sip on my shakes & soups for ages. I’d dilute them to thin them out & because they count as liquids you are helping to ensure you meet your fluid goals too. I didn’t have more serves than I was supposed to & this is an important consideration. There will be times when you have to make the best choice possible from the food you have available. For example you could have eaten the broth & not the martza balls in the deli soup or strained it when you got home. If you’re cooking you choose the ingredients you add so you could just not put potatoes or rice in the chicken soup you made. In the beginning this can be even more difficult because of your limitations but there are ways around it. Taking food with you to eat is often the easiest. Remember too that as well as all the sutures & staples holding your tummy together, a lot of nerves were cut so messages aren’t getting through or aren’t getting through in the same way so you may not know if you are actually doing damage. It takes about 8 weeks to fully heal so it is important to stick to your plan in regards to food choices, portion sizes, etc. It’s there to protect your healing tummy & support your recovery. This may seem a lot & it does take time to work it all out. We all slip or not make the best choice at some time. It’s all part of the learning. You just have to not make it a regular thing. You’ve got this. All the best.

Try consommés or broths like bone both. You can get them in tins or fresh in deli sections so easy heat & eat. They will still have some protein too. You could also strain a wonton soup & drink the broth alone. These can be handy in the post surgery liquid stage too as an alternative to shakes. All the best with your surgery.

At two months I was slowly trying a variety of meats. Just made sure they were tender & moist & had a sauce or gravy. I was allowed to eat most cooked vegetables (except potatoes) though struggled with the flavour of some because my tastebuds were still weird & that can be a real challenge. Could only eat a little bit like a small cauliflower floret or two green beans. Will your family know about your surgery & would the bride/groom be willing to tell you what will be on the menu before hand so you could try a few things before? I would avoid chicken breast as it is renown for causing issues (too dry), anything char grilled or well done steak. Would also pack a shake &/or soup you can easily make up or keep in a thermal pack just in case. Can be hard to judge how much you will have lost by then as rate of loss differs & starting weight influences how much you may lose too. I started at 200lbs & lost pretty consistently. I’d lost about 12kg (26lbs) & was a good dress size almost two down at 2 months. I had a 40th birthday around that time & I bought a loose dress (not floaty more it nicely fell). I could easily belt it & was still able to wear it two months later. It became my ‘good dress’ for a while. Maybe look for something as close to the wedding as possible & go for something with an elastic waist, can be belted, or easily taken in if needed so you can wear it for a while after.

Lots of nerves are cut during the surgery so messages either don’t get through or feel different until you’re fully healed (about 8 weeks). It’s why it’s important to stick to our plans, portion size recommendations, to eat/drink slowly & listen to our bodies carefully. When they do return you’ll be more conscious of them & may find they are different to what you knew. For example, you’ll discover your signals for real hunger vs head hunger are different (no cravings for a specific food, flavour or texture, & I feel restless) with real hunger). Some people sneeze or their nose runs when they’re close to feeling full or had enough. The tightness across your upper chest (makes me want to thump my chest to alleviate it - it doesn’t) is your restriction. This usually doesn’t kick in until you’re on solid food & your nerves are more fully healed. Yours may have started early. It’s usually your signal you’ve eaten too much &/or too quickly. Remember your tummy is quite small now, it doesn’t extend as low down in your abdomen & it doesn’t take much to fill it. Sometimes certain foods can set it off too if they sit more heavily in your tummy. It’s considered a benefit of the surgery. It can fade in intensity over time (years) & we also get better at understanding how much we can eat & so don’t feel it as often which really is the goal. All the best.

Are you sure it’s gas? Are you able to burp to relieve it? (I can’t burp so gas can be very uncomfortable for me.) Maybe best to go to your nearest medical centre to make sure everything is okay.

Has anything changed? New medication? Lifestyle change? Has a little complacency slipped in? Not as active? You’ve been through Thanksgiving & Christmas recently could they have contributed? Go back to tracking your food & fluids to check you’re meeting goals. Go back to how you were eating before you reached your lowest weight in regards to portion sizes, calories, macros, etc. Protein first, then vegetables & finally only if you’re able any carbs you’re allowed. Check in with your dietician to ensure you’re not missing something. Remember not everyone reaches their goal. The average weightloss at the three year mark is 65% of the weight you would need to lose to put you in a healthier range. You’ve got this.

Sounds like you are ready to get back on track. This is the first step. Get back in contact with your team. Your dietician to help you ensure you’re making the best decisions around food choices, portions, nutrition, etc. Your therapist to help you get back on track mentally & emotionally. You may even be a candidate for a GLP-1 medication - worth asking your surgeon or primary care doctor if you’re interested. PS. I had those you look sick/have lost too much weight comments too. Just like it takes time for your head to catch up with how you look after your weight loss, so too for other people who struggle to see you as anything but obese. It can be hard to ignore these types of comments but you have to remember to put yourself first & the only opinion that matters is yours & how you feel about yourself & your weight. Those people who were so opinionated about my weight in the beginning stopped saying anything after a few months as they started to see me for who I now was - their image of me finally changed.

Protein water was my first thought. The change in our tastebuds (& sometimes sense of smell too) can make a lot of food & drinks taste terrible, overly sweet or salty. It’s only a temporary change but can make finding something palatable difficult. . Congrats on your surgery.

Brunging up thick mucus/saliva is the foamies which can occur if you eat too much or too fast or food that is too dry or coarse. You can bring up the last bite or so of what you ate too. The possible blood could be a concern. Have you definitely ruled out anything you ate or drank? Wouldn’t hurt to check with your medical team or go to a medical centre to be sure. Better to be safe & sure.

Everyone recovers differently. One friend was back after a week, another was three weeks while I was four. Is it possible to extend your leave if you need, or return part time or with reduced daily hours? Can you work partly at home? Better to have a plan in place your employers are happy with just in case you need it. All the best with your surgery.

Dr Weiner resources are great as are Dr John Pilcher’s. Bounce back regain is always a possibility in the second & third year. I believe the average is about 10lb/5kgs so that could be a possibility. This regain can be from not being as vigilant, how you were eating wasn’t sustainable (too restrictive) & didn’t allow you to live & enjoy your life as you want, a change in medication, & your body & new weight set point resettling. And yes, muscle weighs more than fat so some of the regain could be from that too. (Maybe have a dexa scan to compared your fat & muscle mass.) Start by making one or two changes to your eating & then in a week or two make another change or two. You can start small. Maybe track your food to begin. Then up your protein & fluids if you’re not meeting your goals. Adjust your portions if they have become larger. Then drop some of your sugar or carbs or swap the highly processed refined carbs for low processed multi or whole grain options. Etc. Small changes are often easier to adopt & adapt to than large all encompassing changes. Doesn't matter how long it takes you to get fully back on track.

Everyone fluctuates regardless of whether they’re trying to lose weight or not. Hormonal fluctuations, fluid retention, what we eat or drink one day compared to another, pooping, not pooping, etc. If you were like me you didn’t weigh yourself often so probably weren’t all that aware of your usual fluctuation. My usual fluctuation is about 1kg (2.2lbs) so I never worry about that weight gain or loss. It’s odd the way your body reacts. I’ve discovered I always weigh more the day I break constipation that I did when I was constipated. Your weight loss will never be a consistently straight downward line. It will zig & zag, go up & down, drop quickly one day slowly the next. As long as your weight loss trend is going down you’re golden. And yes reduce how often you weigh yourself if you find the number on the scale is messing with you.

You’ve just had a major surgery that has about a 8 week recovery so feeling low in energy, weak, lethargic, etc. is pretty normal. Remember you are consuming calories (just drinking them not eating them) & your body is burning your stored energy which you want it do. Try adding an electrolyte drink as one of your fluids for an energy boost. They can be sweet so I diluted mine - doubled the water added. I used hydralite & would sip it with my other liquids throughout the day. Listen to your body, rest if you need to & pace yourself through the day.

Puree can be tough. For some it’s a textural issue for others like me it’s a taste thing (everything tastes disgusting). You can puree a lot of things just add enough stock, milk, water, mayo, gravy, etc. to keep it the right dollopy texture/consistency. A friend told me she survived on pureed chicken with gravy. I mashed eggs with Mayo, was allowed thin instant oats, thin scrambled eggs, yoghurt, soups, etc. I tried pureeing tinned fish but blah! During soft foods I ate a lot of minced meat based dishes. Just made sure there was enough sauce/gravy to keep the meal wet. Also soft white fish, omelettes & made a couple of casseroles/stews & meat & vegetable soups. Yep, stalls can be frustrating & demoralising but remember an important step in your weight loss (when your body takes stock of your new needs & adjusts digestive hormones, metabolic rate, etc.). 17.5lbs in about 4 weeks is still pretty darn great. Even with the stall that’s an average of more than 4lbs a week. Can’t be upset with that.

I hope these work for you. I’ve been using them for almost a year now, not for the post surgical hair loss, but for menopausal thinning above my temple. Hasn’t helped yet. When I finish off this last bottle I’m not buying it again. They say you should see results in 3 months. Will be honest in that I didn’t use it every single day but I do use it 5 or 6 days a week. (It often made my hair feel a bit gloopy even though it’s not supposed to.) People swear by it so fingers crossed for you.

I stuff the top empty section of my bras with tissues. (Never thought I’d ever have to stuff my bras!) Doesn't solve the problem but fills out the gathers in the upper cup a bit. I looked into chicken fillets & post mastectomy inserts but they’re the wrong shape for our problem. Have to wear full cups as balcony bras, front opening, plunging, etc. just make the emptiness look worse & wrinkly.