Arabesque

Welcome. Lots of great information here & lots of helpful advice. So sorry your surgery was delayed but very happy tomorrow is your day. My surgery was the best decision & I’m sure yours will be too. Good luck. PS. Hope your daughter is ok.

I guess the first question is is it really hunger? There’s lots of things that make us think we’re hungry but we’re not: head hunger, emotional hunger, habit eating hunger, etc. Even when acid builds in your tummy you can think you’re hungry. A lot of the part of your tummy that produces the hunger hormone was removed in your surgery. But, all that other stuff that drove us to eat, mentioned above, that are often more powerful, are still there. That’s why doing the head work is important. There’s a lot of learning as we go through this process about why we eat, when we eat, what we eat, etc. Ask yourself do you need to eat something or just want to eat something. I still often just don’t feel hungry & my real hunger feels different now. I feel restless, hallow & I often don’t realise that’s what’s wrong for a while. I was told to avoid carbs because they slow weight loss, fill you up more quickly & many aren’t nutritionally rich. I don’t know about whether they make you more hungry. Portion control is very important. If your meals are 2-3ozs or quarter to a third of a cup & predominantly protein you’re on the right track & you won’t be stretching anything. You’ll work it out & there’s a lot of people on this forum willing to share their experiences & offer advice. Good luck.

It’s pretty common for foods you used to enjoy suddenly tasting terrible. I loved asparagus but post surgery it was disgusting. Don’t worry, your taste buds do return to normal in a few months. I’d didn’t experience the issue with smell but a lot of others have. Don’t know why it happens though.

I’ve watched two episodes so far and it’s great. The truthfulness in those voices ... inspiring. And such honest reactions from the ‘judges’: no performances just for the camera. I don’t know how they’re going to choose. Thank you for recommending the show. I’m looking forward to watching the next episode.

I’m jealous you’ve kept your luscious hour glass figure @BayougirlMrsS. Mine’s gone. Sigh. That green dress is fabulous. Great find. And with boots - gorgeous. Baggage handler @ms.sss. Hilarious. Gotta love the kid. I like the black jumpsuit. I like that fabric you’re using in your foyer project @Sophie7713 especially the touch of pink which is lovely with the green.

That fish stew looks dang delicious. Is there anywhere to eat beside the couch?? 😂 Happy anniversary Sophie. Should we expect Mr Sophie’s Christmas cookie care packages in the mail soon? Tee hee!

Are the pain meds prescribed by your surgeon managing the pain? If not, ring his team. We all experience pain differently. Unfortunately some suffer for longer while others experience less pain for a shorter period of time. I was fortunate, I put aside the opioid I was prescribed on day 4. Took an over the counter pain med on day 5 which I didn’t really need then nothing. Remember, you’ve had a big chunk of your stomach removed, so pain is to be expected but it should be able to be managed by the medication prescribed you. Good luck.

I tend to scar badly & I’m very fair too. I used bio oil on my scars & honestly I have to really look to find them. They are just tiny faint lines now. I couldn’t tell you when they faded to this point but I remember having trouble finding them to show a friend about to have surgery about 7 months ago. But remember we all heal & scar differently. So you may have a different experience.

I had five incisions in line with my belly button. They were small 10-15mm. They healed over a couple of weeks. I used bio oil too & now I have to look hard to see the scars: they’re little faint lines. Yes, you’ll have saggy skin. It stretched out carrying your weight. Factors like your age, gender, genetics, how long you were at your highest weight, how overweight you were all impact how much sagging you’ll have. As catwoman7 said saggy skin is better than being obese & unhealthy & you can have skin removal. I didn’t have much loose skin when I reached my goal weight but I do have more on my upper inner thighs & upper arms now that I’ve lost more. I just don’t wear short shorts or strappy or strapless tops. I’m just wearing ordinary cotton hipster briefs under this dress. Oh, & my breasts are pretty deflated. Walking is excellent post surgery. Start walking at the hospital to help get rid of the gas they fill your abdomen with during surgery. Your surgical team will probably advise when you can start to increase your activity or introduce other options. I was put on a keto diet for 2 1/2 weeks pre surgery so I can’t advise on what your diet requires. Your dietician or surgeon should have given you a plan to follow. Good luck.

Having stalls where you lose nothing or slight daily variations are all perfectly normal during the weight loss phase. You will lose more slowly the closer you get to your goal too. But is your weight still trending down? Are your clothes getting loser? Do you have more energy? I’m 19 months out & mine’s working fine. I still lose if I don’t keep my food intake up. My restriction is still there and I often am not interested in eating. Three years out seems to be the point people may start to put on weight. Why, I don’t know. It could be because their will power starts to fade or they start introducing more less healthy choices into their diet or they reduce their exercise or maybe life gets in the way. Maybe it’s just where their body wants to settle. Shrug. Your tool will always be with you. You just have to decide how you are going to use it, not just while you’re losing weight, but for the rest of your life. Good luck. You’ll be in ONEderland before you know it.

I have a new one. Was told I had lovely arms yesterday. No, I didn’t then wave my arms in the air to show my bat wings. Lol! I kept my arms securely against my body & graciously thanked him. What the eyes can’t see .... 😂

We often say hunger feels different after surgery. Last night, I hosted Christmas drinks. With all the rushing about prepping I skipped lunch. Then over five hours I ate 4 crackers with blue cheese, 2 slices of bresola, 1/2 thin slice roast lamb, 2 slices of cucumber. It was enough. I wasn’t interested in eating more. I woke at about 2am. Very restless. Tossed. Turned. Wriggled. Squirmed. Felt uncomfortable & a general discomfort. Then I realised: I was hungry. I was going to do a Nigella Lawson & raid the refrigerator for a midnight snack of leftovers but settled for a protein bar. And then I was able to go to sleep again. It’s happened once before. Very similar experience. Busy day so ate less. No dinner, just a canapé at a party. Then woken by the same feelings as last night. I think this was a true hunger. My body needed fuel. Not a head hunger. Not a ‘I could eat’ hunger. Not a habit eating hunger. Not a craving hunger. Not a ‘oh I better have some lunch’ hunger. Not a ‘I’m starving’ hunger. All those reasons we used/use daily to justify our eating. It got me thinking & made me question what hunger really feels like. What does your hunger feel like now?

I just watched the trailer. I’m adding it to my watch list & I don’t like those singing competitions. Thank you BayougirlMrsS.

Hot! Hot! Hot! Jake. Look at that definition. 😁 Such a good story to tell too.

What a great story. We all know how a random comment has the power to crush us but we forget how the right comment can be so empowering to someone’s self esteem. I have two. The day someone said: you really are tiny aren’t you. And the day someone said: there’s plenty of room for you to sit here. I never though I’de ever hear anyone say those things to me before I lost the weight.

You can’t predict how much loose skin you’ll end up with but you can guarantee you’ll have some. I feel like I’ve earned my loose skin. And, for good or bad, a part of me thinks I deserve it too - I put on the weight & stretched out my skin. No one else did it to me or made me do it. I don’t have a lot of sagging skin but it’s there. It doesn’t really hinder anything I wear. I never wore a bikini when I was slim & younger so there’s no way I would now so no loss. I also have no desire to wear shorty shorts or mini skirts so no one will see the saggy bits on my inner thighs. And to hide my bat wings, I just don’t wave my arms in the air & don’t wear anything very strappy or strapless. Honestly, I had minimal pain after surgery. By day 4, I didn’t need any pain meds & I didn’t have any gas pain at all. My only problem was my back which went into spasm on day 2 but it really didn’t have anything to do with the surgery as such. I had quite a bit of swelling which caused me difficulty swallowing to begin but it was gone by day 4. I had no trouble sleeping on my side from day 1 & healed very well. But we’re all different. You can’t predict how you’ll respond to the surgery. Just be realistic & be aware of the possible side effects, but don’t let something that may not happen or is easily managed scare you from having the surgery. Stress is never good for healing or recovery. Good luck with your surgery & on your journey.

I still eat slowly. 20 mins is a quick meal, 40 mins is common & I’ll take more than an hour to eat others. I’m a believer in putting your cutlery down between bites & waiting - sometimes for a couple of minutes. As I also ask myself do I need the next bite or do I just want it. If I eat too quickly or feel pressured to eat more quickly (like by hovering wait staff) I get tightness & I can’t eat more even I need to. I’m used to eating cold food now too. Or I’ll just pop my plate in the microwave to reheat it.

Oh you poor thing. Something similar happened to me at a restaurant. I was making all these terribly loud retching, gagging & belching type noises in the bathroom for several minutes & then had to walk out in front of everyone. Embarrassing! You’ll find that your tummy is extra sensitive to foods you used to eat pre surgery for the first few months. Sometimes even food you’ve been successfully eating for weeks post surgery suddenly make you unwell. I described my tummy as being a petulant 2 yr old during that time - you’d never know when it might have a tantrum. But you may find there are some foods you’ll always struggle with. Good luck on your journey.

Wonderful. I’m very happy for you. 🏆

It is difficult when you want to control the information about the surgery. Some people, like your dad, just can’t help sharing your stories. But it is your right to control your personal & private information. I have a nosy & competitive long term friend who I didn’t tell. We caught up for lunch a few times during my weight loss phase. I went down the telling the truth path but just omitted the part about the surgery. I told her I was seeing a dietician - true. I told her I had my doctor’s support - true. I told her I had come to the realisation that as a shorter person with a smaller frame who wasn’t overly active, I didn’t need as much food so I was eating smaller portions - true. I told her I was avoiding or restricting certain foods like carbs while I was trying to lose weight - also true. Now I tell her I’ve changed a lot of my diet based on what I learnt during this time but I’ll always have to work at my diet. She’s accepted everything. Yes I sometimes do feel a little guilty about not telling her everything but because she is competitive (she started to see a dietician after I told her I was) she’d be of the view I’d the taken the easy route to lose weight by having surgery.

No snow here. 30+ degree temps (my mum had 43 degrees C last week) which is why the sudden drop to 19/20 over the weekend was a shock. At least it was accompanied by rain which was wonderful in our drought stricken land. Though not nearly enough to change anything. Sigh. I think you & I will have to look to Ms.Sss for snowy landscape pxts. Hint hint! The pants are actually proper trousers in a heavy suiting type fabric with only a touch of stretch - to allow you to sit comfortably. I had a dressy pair of leggings in winter too. I wore them a lot with jackets & my over the knee boots. I’m sure you’ll love yours too Sophie. You could wear them with your new boots. 😁 We’ve been very fortunate here & have had only very small number of covid cases. In Queensland, I think we’ve only had about 1200 cases & fewer than 10 deaths from the beginning. Though people have become more complacent lately. Fewer people using provided hand sanitisers & more not complying with social distancing guidelines which I think is risky with the heaving, maddening crowds at the moment. There certainly wasn’t any social distancing yesterday at the shopping centre! They’re ‘oiled’ Swarovski crystals so they flash pink, yellow, green, purple as they catch the light. Thank you Wishmesmaller. 😊 I actually still have a little of the lamb left. I’ll be bundling up the last couple of slices for the freezer today. It was super delicious if I say so myself.

Yes, you will be able to sit down & eat & drink with others. You’ll just eat a smaller portion & not drink as much and you won’t be able to eat & drink together. There may be food you can’t tolerate but most sleevers can eat just about anything. Just step gently with a new food or an old favourite the first time you eat it after surgery. The closer you get to your goal weight & maintenance you’ll find your portion size increases closer to a recommended portion size for a non surgical adult. It’s an important thing to remember that many people eat serves that are 2 & 3 times the recommended portion size without even knowing it. You likely did. We all likely did. I used to have a large glass of wine every night. Now half a glass is enough & I can go for weeks without even wanting a drink. I’ve lost a lot of my taste for it. It’s not a problem. I just sip slowly if having a social drink. I understand your experiences with extreme dieting & then regaining very quickly after. I was the same. The big realisation & acceptance for me has been I can’t go back to eating like I did if I want to be successful & keep the weight off otherwise I’m just repeating what didn’t work before & I’ll be obese again. I have to eat smaller portions. I have to make healthier food choices & I have to eat food prepared in a healthier way. There are foods I avoid. There are foods I restrict. But it works for me. It’s a realisation you will have to come too as well. And you’ll also discover what you need to do to be successful. Yep, it’s hard to begin but you’ll work it out. It’s about finding a balance between your food & activity choices & how you want to live your life. Good luck with whichever path you decide to take.

The vision tunnelling could be from orthostatic low blood pressure. That means your pressure drops on rising to standing & then equalises a few seconds later. I take a couple of steps & then everything goes black & then comes back again. I used to randomly experience this now it happens frequently every day. When it occurs I stop moving & try to touch a wall, a table, someone just to ground myself for those few seconds. If this is also coupled with tremors, weakness & feeling like fainting it could be a hyperglycaemic event. I have those too now occasionally. Eating a few blueberries or grapes help relieve the symptoms (or a ‘medicinal’ rum ball as I had to have last week after an attack). Ketosis occurs because of being on a low calorie diet & having less glucose available in your body. Low glucose has links to diabetes & can cause hyperglycaemic events. These may not be what’s happening to you but just something to also consider. Things do go a bit haywire after surgery as a lot of hormones are released into your blood stream from your fat as you lose weight. My liver suddenly wasn’t functioning normally & my cholesterol went up. It all stabilised again when I reached maintenance & was eating a little more. I hope you find some answers soon. Good luck.

Not happy with what I wore for my Christmas drinks. Had to choose a different top which didn’t really work with my new teeny sized pants (lol) as it was damn chilly here. I had to get the rugs out for everyone again. Sigh. But I did still wear my crystal Christmas mules - sparkly. It’s like everyone’s suddenly realised it’s almost Christmas here & they’ve gone crazy. Had an early appointment at a shopping centre to collect my new phone & was jostled, bumped, knocked, pushed, shoved, had my heels clipped by a wheelie walker & was even poked with an umbrella (accidentally but still). And only two people apologised. Unbelievable.

Finding the perfect pair of boots is sheer bliss. Tour’s will look good with a skirt too Sophie. And did you ever think you’d not only wear long boots but long boots with your pant legs inside them? Love the new sweaters too. Especially love that pink on you. Gorgeous.