Arabesque

Unfortunately the creams won’t do much. They’ll help with your skin texture but won’t eradicate over stretched skin. Think of an elastic hair band that’s stretched out from lots of use compared with a new band. Your skin is the same. The amount of sagging skin you’ll have depends on your history of weight loss & gain, your age, how much you want to lose, how long you were overweight, your natural skin elastin, etc. But really once your skin has been stretched the only way to get rid of the loose skin is to surgically remove it. I don’t have a lot of loose skin but it’s enough. I’ve chosen not to go the surgical route. If only I could stretch my body so I was 3 inches taller I’d have little or no evidence of loose skin - & I’d be taller. lol! My friend wore incontinence pants for a week after her surgery because of the watery diarrhoea. I only had one attack & then was constipated. We seem to be one or the other. Also remember your consuming very few calories, so there’s little waste for your body to get rid of, & the calories are all in liquid form. My surgeon told me not to touch my wounds until they had healed & to keep them covered until the dressings fell off themselves. Once healed I could apply Vitamin E oil or bio oil to help reduce scarring. A lot of people also swear by the silicon strips. I used to roll the waist band of my knickers, pants & skirts down below the wounds so as not to put pressure on them. This site has lots of good advice & suggestions. Best advice I received was to go slowly & listen to your body. It will tell you what you can’t or can do, eat, drink, etc. We all go through this journey at our own pace. You just have to discover what works for you. Good luck on your journey.

Yep, walk, walk, walk. Frequent, short walks around your house are fine if you’re not up to walking your block yet. And GasX. Congrats on your surgery.

Mum told me I have to wrap the jeans up to open them at Christmas with the rest of the family. So not only did I have to buy my Christmas present from her, I have to wrap it too. 😂 We’re supposed to be having a heat wave for the next few days but only about 33 degrees C here (40 an hour away where Mum lives). Don’t think I’ll be wearing jeans soon even with air conditioning. Lol! Aaah, the annoyance of returning unsuitable online purchases. It’s one of the reasons I don’t but much online. I tried on a couple of 7/8 length pants yesterday but on my short legs they flapped around my ankles looking very unflattering. Too short to be long & too long to be short. But I could just put them back on the rack. Easy. Usually I hem my pants long so they cover my high heels to pretend my legs are 3 inches longer & more in proportion with the rest of my body. Oh, to be 5’6”. Sigh!

Fifteen ponds is great. Congratulations! There is no right rate of loss. We’re all different. You’ll find you’ll lose at the rate that’s best for you. Follow your plan & your weight will continue to drop. It’s a wonderful & exciting time. Enjoy every pound you loose.

Welcome @ichabodny & @arrington0711. Hope to see you here a lot. That jumpsuit is lovely MsSss. Super flattering. Have any of your other purchases arrived yet? We need pxts. Love the green dress bayougirlMrsS. Perfect for Christmas. Did you get the blouse in green too? The pink would be pretty too. Would match my new shoes tee hee. My mum is buying everyone jeans for Christmas but said she’d give me money to buy my own cause I was too fussy! She says fussy I say exacting standards 😂. I bought these. You know I like a wide leg. They called them barrel legs - no reflection on the shape of my legs I hope. We called them cigar legs back in the day.

No added sugar usually means they’ve added an artificial sweetener. It reduces the calories but doesn’t do anything to modify the craving because the food still tastes sweet. This is the real challenge for those with this craving because the alternatives to sugar that are used still feed the craving. My mother craves sugar too. She always has biscuits, cakes, ice cream, chocolate, desserts, syrups, dessert toppings, .. in the house. She says as she’s now 80 she deserves a treat. But it isn’t a treat if you have it every day. She’ll say she’s not hungry & doesn’t want dinner but 5 minutes later she’s eating a giant bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce. It is affecting her health which really upsets me.

Aah you fell into the ‘I’m making healthier food choices but I haven’t lost weight’ trap. A lot of us have. It’s portion size that often trips us up. We make the good choices & choose grilled over fried, add more vegetables, etc. but our plate is still full. It’s just another thing we have to learn on weight loss journey. Full liquids seems to be your best option at this point. Have a chat with your nutritionalist first to help you through these couple of weeks. If your surgeon still does decide to delay your surgery, don’t give up. It will happen for you. Through this journey, you’ll probably have a few slips, trips & challenges. This is just your first. Just pick yourself up, regain your focus & move forward. Good luck.

I’d always drunk lots of water but after surgery I really struggled - it tasted odd & it didn’t interest me. So I’d eat watermelon (when I was able) to help boost my fluid intake. It’s 90% water. Strawberries, cantaloupe, oranges are also good sources of fluid. As are lettuce, celery & cucumber. All have very high water content. You can’t really measure how much fluid you’ve had eating these things so I tried to keep my pee a light straw colour. I still struggle to get water in but I must be getting enough fluids with the addition of these other sources cause I pee all day & night! Lol. I also keep a bottle of water next to my bed & have a couple of sips every time I wake which is often - usually to pee. And I sip from the bottle in my day at every traffic light. It all helps.

I was always a bad sleeper. I’d lay awake for hours, my brain just not switching off, then doing the count down to when I’d have to get up. If I got 5hrs it was a good night. Post surgery, I nana napped for months. I don’t nap now. I sleep pretty well most of the time now getting in 8 hrs on average. The nana nap can be enough to affect your night time sleeping ... well at least I used to find that. So I think reducing your afternoon naps may help. Good luck. Not sleeping well is awful.

I’m the opposite to you Ms.Ssss. I fell into the excessive drinking before surgery (shock). I had at least one glass (bucket size) every night. Now, it doesn’t really interest me & I fall into the social drinker category. (Though when you & Sophie come to visit, I’m sure it’ll be a very social occasion😂.) I am pretty preoccupied with food too, which I didn’t want to be post surgery, but it’s all about: look at the time I have to eat., what can I eat, how much will I eat, I’m not hungry but I need to eat to get my calories in. Aaaahhh! Not so much what lovely delicious thing can I cook. I was living in a fool’s world pre surgery too Gradycat. I didn’t realise/accept how big I actually was. I knew what I weighed but was blind to my actual physical size. I avoided photos & the ones I was in I thought were just super unflattering. I probably talk too much about what size I am now because I’m still coming to terms with it. If I say it often enough it will be real. I have to admit, my dirty little secret, I do spend time googling the height & weight of actors to try to visualise what size I am. Don’t judge me. I do feel some guilt (imposter syndrome) that I’ve had a pretty easy journey so far. Not from others but from myself. I don’t run miles or lift weights. I don’t exercise at all to lose or keep the weight off. I haven’t had to battle cravings or food addictions. I didn’t have any complications. But I do feel for those who do. We all have our battles I guess as unfair as life is sometimes.

This is very common. It’s a reaction to the shock of the surgery, anaesthetic & reduced caloric intake. My surgeon said my body had more to do with the nutrients I was consuming than grow hair. Your natural cycle of shedding hair has been accelerated as a result of all this. How long it will last & how much you will lose is individual. There’s nothing you can do except relax - you don’t need the additional stress. Supplements, shampoos, etc that promise to stop the hair loss or improve/strengthen your hair won’t stop this process. The hair you’re shedding is already dead. Those products only may help strengthen new hair growth. While you’re losing hair, you are actually growing new hair. It’s just growing at it’s normal rate while you’re losing more quickly.You won’t notice the new growth until it’s a couple of inches long. Remember you don’t usually notice your new hair growth & you’ll only notice it now because your hair is thinner. It will stop. Your hair will grow back. I found my loss reduced back to more normal amounts once I was close to maintenance & eating more. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

You can only eat as much as you can eat. I had the same conversation with my surgeon’s medical team - you need to eat more to maintain/put on some weight. I eat three meals a day & 4-6 snacks. There are not enough hours in the day to eat more frequently & I cannot physically eat more at a sitting. I only eat until I’m satisfied too never til busting full. I worry about returning to work this week as I can’t just can’t have multiple breaks to eat my snacks. I don’t believe in cheat days because I think they’re a slippery slope too like you. I try to add more nutrient dense food, like add milk powder to my milk, ensure my snacks have about on average 10g of protein. I even use real dressings on my daily salads, no low fat diet dressings for me, to increase my calorie intake. I just make sure I hit my protein goal each day & ensure I have some fruit, vegetables, good carbs, dairy & some fats & lots of protein in my diet. I don’t count calories but am portion size conscious. I believe my issue is that my metabolism is finally working & it’s going 3000 miles an hour. It’ll eventually slow & I’ll have to cut food out. I hope the ‘barbaric’ therapist - tee hee - can offer some support in regards to the guilt you feel about possibly over eating. Good luck.

The important things are you’ve recognised you have an addiction & that weight loss surgery doesn’t cure it. Now you can begin to move forward, work at taking control of your addiction & truely take advantage of your surgery. Whether that be with the help of a therapist or a support group (or both) is up to you. Wishing you the best of luck. PS - Yep, I’m with AZHiker. Sugar, real & artificial, is crack but I’ll also say so is caffeine. Now I’ll be in trouble - lol.

Congrats on your surgery. I’m glad to went so well for you. Catwoman7 is correct. Fluids go through you quickly & your full feeling will likely be different. Plus you’re healing at the moment. Lots of nerves were cut, damaged or stressed. It’s why it’s important to stick to the recommended quantities of liquids & foods. I could drink 200mls of soup/broth after surgery but it took more than an hour. I think that is key: eat/drink slowly to give your body a chance to register if you’ve had enough & for you to register you have. The goal is to feel satisfied not to feel full. (Feeling full can cause a lot of discomfort post surgery.) Take it slowly. There’s a lot to learn about your new digestive system: how it works for you, what it likes & what it doesn’t. Good luck on your journey.

Congratulations. Very happy for you. 😊

My starting weight was 91kg & my goal weight was 60kg & a BMI of 23 (losing 31kg) which my surgeon supported. I reached that at 6mths to my surgery day. So I lost 100% of my excess weight. But I continued to lose as I tried to work out my maintenance & I struggle to maintain where I am now (48.3kg this morning a new low. The honeymoon period is still working for me but I know it has to end soon.) So I’ve lost 42.7kg or 137% of my excess weight. I’ve literally almost lost half of myself. Mind blown! The goal is to maintain once you’ve lost your weight & that is where the 60-70% average figure comes in - it’s the excess weight you’ve lost & kept off by the year 3 (or is it year 4???) mark. But everyone’s story is different & you’ll find your sweet spot - the weight you’re happy at & can maintain while enhancing & enjoying your life.

I wasn’t ever really hungry & felt satisfied eating this much. I scrambled them & the microwave was my friend. I was able to eat one egg by the time I reached maintenance. I still can’t eat two eggs. You’ll find your portion sizes are small to begin but gradually get larger as you progress too. I still try to eat very much to routine more than for hunger just to ensure I get in my nutrients & enough food to maintain. I have days when I’m not hungry. Yesterday I didn’t have lunch or 1 of my snacks because I just wasn’t hungry so I have to be extra vigilant today. I’m not a calorie counter but am conscious of portion size & eat slowly to when I’m satisfied not full. Before I add new food to my diet I check calories, protein, carbs, fats & sugar where possible. Generally I eat half to 2/3 of a recommended portion size. Except lettuce of which I eat heaps but it’s calories are so low it’s negligible & it takes me an hour to eat one of my salads. Some people eat smaller portions but eat more frequently. Others eat larger portions but less frequently. As long as you’re meeting your protein & fluid goals & are getting in enough nutrients you’ll be fine. You’ll find your own path.

At three months, I was eating scrambled eggs or rolled oats for breakfast (2 scrambled eggs took 3 days to eat & a serve of rolled oats took 3 or 4 days). For lunch I ate about 50/60g of chicken or half a pork sausage or a slice of smoked salmon wrapped around a small wedge of cucumber. Dinner was about 50/60g of steak, lamb, pork, fish with two or three beans or a cauliflower floret or a tablespoon of steamed cabbage. If I cooked mince I’d add carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes & sometimes peas & corn & I could eat about a third of a cup. My snack was always high protein yogurt (a 160g tub or 260ml drinking yogurt) & sometimes fruit (slice of watermelon, 8-10 grapes, a mango cheek) or sometimes a cube of cheese. The fruit & cheese were just if I felt hungry. I ate my snack/s in the afternoon or after dinner.

I agree with Ms. Sss: you have to be happy with your food choices & find what works for you & your lifestyle. I did a bit of comparative shopping to find a protein bar that had an acceptable level of calories, protein, fats, sugar & taste for me. I have one most nights to get me to my protein goal. Personally I didn’t eat any ‘healthy’ junk food alternatives during weight loss & I still don’t. For me they could be a temptation to slip: oh they don’t have any protein chips but I’m sure ordinary chips will be ok this time. Danger! Danger! Will Robinson. I avoid cakes, sweet biscuits & desserts too for the same reason. My weakness is eating whole grain rice crackers - still not the best. I eat about 6 a couple of times a week though some weeks I have none. Handy though when socialising with friends: perfect for that wedge of brie. 😁

Congrats on your weight loss so far. So they’re saying not eating bread is the only reason you’ve lost weight??? So your reduced caloric intake, your healthier food choices, healthier cooking methods, smaller portions, increased activity, etc. has had no impact on your weight loss??? Bizarre. I had a no bread plan too. I was only allowed rolled oats during weight loss. I was allowed to add whole or multi grain crackers when I reached maintenance but still no bread. I was told because it is so filling & you have trouble getting in your protein & other nutrients. I still don’t eat bread, wraps etc. at all & don’t miss it (no pasta or rice either). But that is my choice now & what works for me. You may find adding some bread once you’re in maintenance works for you. Good luck on your journey.

But the temptation is also there to swallow what you’re chewing. Personally, I think chewing & spitting isn’t the best idea. I know some people do but I never did. We’re put on the staged diet for a reason - so as not to damage our new digestive system before it is fully healed. Of course it is your decision. It is a good reason to pass cooking duties onto another family member. Lol! Congrats on your surgery.

I’ve thought about this too cause I never got in all the recommended protein before my surgery. I probably only got about 30g in on a good day. I never got my calcium in back then either. Now I do. I believe the recommended amount of protein in the US is 0.8g per 1kg you weigh. In Australia it’s supposedly 1g of protein per 1kg of weight. My dietician told me I had to aim for 1.2g per kg of my weight as I’m a women in her mid 50s. You’d need more if you’re building muscles or very active. I aim for 60g of protein but I can vary from 40 - 70g. But I probably average out at about 60g across each week.

I always make my scrambled eggs on milk - 1 splash per egg. (I used to use cream if I had any & a good knob of butter in the pan pre wls lol.) When I was on purées I just added an extra splash of milk when whisking the eggs & when cooked I blended them with a little more milk to make it smoother and looser. Of course I used a non stick pan too & no cream anymore.

Oh yeah, constipation and/or diarrhoea is very common. On day three I had terrible diarrhoea & then nothing for days. And this will continue for quite some time. To begin with it’s from the surgery & then it’s because of your diet. Your caloric intake is a lot less than what you used to consume & there isn’t as much waste because your body needs all those nutrients. You’re also eating very few carbs & fibre. Add some Benefibre to your diet (mix it in your shakes) & when you’re allowed some rolled oats. Avoid fibre supplements that swell in your tummy as they will fill you up & then you won’t be able to eat. If I pooped every second day I was happy. If I got to day 3, I’d take a stool softener (they will become your friend). This went on until I was in maintenance & was consuming more calories & more whole/multi grains. Congrats on your surgery & good luck on your journey.

I’m not a medical person at all but this is not right. Get her back to a hospital ASAP. Has she had an endoscopy? Has she had scans of her tummy? She may have a leak or be bleeding internally. Black stools & vomit suggests blood in the digestive tract. Did they test her stools for blood?