Arabesque

Welcome to the three week stall. Almost everyone goes through this & you’re not doing anything wrong. The first stall, yes the first, usually starts in week 3 hence the name but it can occur before or after that time too. They usually last 1-3 weeks. Frustrating but very much part of weight loss. Stalls are your body taking stock of your weight loss & reacting to the stress of the changes you’re making. The first is often in response to the surgery, reduced calories, etc.. Your body uses this time to reset your metabolism, hunger hormones, etc. & is a necessary part of your weight loss. Your weight loss will never be a consistently straight line in a downwards direction. It will waver up & down. At times is won’t move, move slowly or move quickly. Though the scale isn’t moving some people notice their body measurements still reduce. Stick to your plan. Don’t stress your body more than your plan advises. Your weight loss will start again when your body is ready.

Collagen isn’t considered a complete protein as it doesn’t contain all the necessary amino acids. Check with your dietician to be sure. They may consider it a bonus protein but not part of your goal. (I do this with my fluids - what I drink when I take my meds, the broth in chunky soups, etc. aren’t counted to my goal just bonus.) Better to add unflavoured protein powder to soups, milk, shakes, yoghurt, etc. if you want to increase your protein intake.

Though you are losing hair at a more rapid rate (this is hair you would have lost anyway as part of your usual & natural shedding cycle) your new hair is still growing just at it’s usual rate. Hair grows slowly. It will likely take another month or so before you’ll start to notice short fluffy bits of new hair. Your hair is dead (only the root is alive much like your nails are dead but the nail bed is alive) & will fall out. Taking supplements won’t bring your hair back to life or stop it falling. All it may do is make your new growth stronger. Many of us cut our hair shorter as shorter hair tends to be fuller & bouncier. Plus it will take less time for your new growth to catch up to the length of your existing hair. If your hair loss is great, try a wig or some temporary extensions (clip-in my be easier & more gentle on your hair than bonded - ask your hairdresser).

I agree with what everyone has said. You are doing so well in regards to meeting protein & fluid goals. Many of us take weeks to actually reach them regularly. I wonder if you are doing a little too much physically this soon after surgery? It’s a pretty major surgery & while walking is great 30mins is a lot in one hit. It may be stressing & pushing your body too much while it’s trying to heal & recover. Try spreading the 30mins out over the day: 2x 15 or 3x 10. Everyone is different of course. Personally if I walked for 30 minutes the first two weeks (or longer) I wouldn’t have been able to move for the rest of the day. All the best.

Check with your dietician about counting collagen as protein @Fitnewme327. It’s not a complete protein (doesn’t include all the necessary amino acids) & many say you can’t count it. Try siping through the night to help get your fluids in @Celesteb192. I always keep a bottle or large glass beside my bed. Sip when I get into bed, sip after every couple of pages I read, sip before & after every time I get up to pee - which is often 😁, etc. (I can do more than sip now of course but really it’s just a single ordinary swallow.) I get in about another 300mls - 10ozs. And yes it does get easier to the point it’s more just habit.

I wondered if sending them first to a US friend or family member first might be an option for you too. I don’t need to take vitamins anymore except for Vitamin D in winter. (Bonus of having a sleeve. 😉) My dietician recommended BioCeuticals. The ones I took were capsules but they do some as tablets, liquids & sprays (the D I use is a spray). Don’t know if they have any as a chew though. You can buy them direct or from certain pharmacies (they keep them behind the counter with all the better drugs). https://www.bioceuticals.com.au/

If you’re staying overnight, pack your own sleepwear. So much nicer to wear yours than the hospital gown. Plus yours fit better - no unintentional flashing as you do your laps around the ward. Same with your own soap/shower gel. The hospital antiseptic washes are drying & remind you you’re in hospital. All good for your soul. Toiletries, devices & charging cords, biotin mouth moisturising spray, lip balm, any medication you’re on (check with the hospital - I had to bring mine in their original boxes & unopened, Webster packs were okay). Wear the same clothes home you arrived in. Pack a spare pair of sleepwear & knickers. Accidents (diarrhoea) do happen & very quickly! All the best.

Good gracious $225 that’s like $340 Aust. Yikes! Is someone delivering it person from the States? I wonder if a different carrier would be cheaper?

Congratulations on your surgery & your recovery so far. You’ll find you won’t be able to consume as much purées as liquids. Liquids go through your tummy much more quickly. With purées your tummy will fill more quickly as what you’ve eaten hasn’t passed through as quickly & is still in your tummy. It’s the same but more so as your food becomes more solid & dense & takes longer to digest. Remember also that many nerves were cut during the surgery & messages about being full or having enough don’t get through at all or the signals are different. In the beginning this is important so you don’t overeat eat or drink & stress & strain your healing tummy (think of all those sutures & staples) holding your tummy together. Later it’s so we better understand when we’ve eaten enough to satisfy our needs & we don’t overeat. Full signals, even when working properly, take a long time to get through which is why we’re advised to always eat (& drink) slowly. Plans are different but it’s worth asking your surgeon & dietician about how much you should be eating & drinking over what time frames. Personally I’d think drinking half your daily fluid intake in 3 or so hours is probably pushing to hard. Remember have a sip & leave about 5 minutes before the next sip. Same with when you start to eat: small bites (like a nibble) & wait before the next. In time you’ll be able to drink more than a sip & eat more than a part teaspoon.

May be have a chat with your dietician & see if they have any ideas. Stalls are your body’s response to the stress of your weight loss & adjusting to the changes. I wonder if doing short fasts, increasing/decreasing calories & changing calorie sources may be adding to the stress. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ve read that stalls are an important part of weight loss as they allow your body to reset your hunger hormones & metabolism to what you need at a lower weight.

Stalls happen. You just have to stick to your plan & wait them out for the 1-3 weeks they usually last. It will break when your body is ready. Not sure how much you were hoping to lose but you could be in maintenance or just experiencing the extremely slow weight loss many of us face when we’re almost at our final weight. Congrats on your weight loss. 91lbs is amazing.

It’s a brand called YoPro. I’m in Australia & don’t know if you have it. Annoyingly they don’t produce their yoghurt drink anymore. I like it better than Chobani which I found too sweet & was only 15g protein. But others have mentioned 20g protein yoghurts available in the US I just can’t recall the brands.

Just go slowly. Better to eat a yoghurt over an hour or so than be too low with your protein. I often took an hour to eat (I still often take 30-45+ mins to eat a meal or snack including yoghurt). It’s so thin it does go through your quite tummy quickly (not as fast as a liquid if course). You could always eat it slowly over a whole day (like grazing) if that feels more comfortable than eating that volume in one go.

If I did have any advice I’d very happily share them. They can be unpleasant & embarrassing if in a public bathroom. I swear some people look at me as if I have an earring disorder as mine usually results in regurgitating either the excess saliva (spitting it out is often not enough) or what ever is stuck & causing the problem. But at least regurgitating isn’t as awful as vomiting used to be (no strained muscles & awful heaving) & after I bring up the offending bite, I feel okay & can continue eating albeit carefully. Otherwise I just have to let it pass in it’s own time. All you can do to at least reduce it’s occurrence is avoid dry or coarse food, eat small bites slowly & don’t eat more than you need. Sometimes it can just be my fussy tummy like last month when it decided it didn’t like tasty cheese anymore - lots of saliva & up it came. Mine can also occur up to an hour after I’ve eaten - never understood that.

Snap! Me too. Some days are worse than others & some days it makes really, really weird sounds. Just your digestive system doing what it’s supposed to do - digest food - so my surgeon’s colleague told me. And some people’s systems are just noisier than others. I say it’s my own personal poltergeist rattling the chains & scaring the locals.

As the others have said, it’s always going to be something you’ll have to do. Though in time you may be able to reduce the time you have to wait so not the full 30 mins. I discovered I need more time after than I do before (which is a good thing re digesting my meal) but can slowly sip to close to eating. Certainly can’t while actually eating. If I don’t do these things I get discomfort, feel off or my restriction kicks in early, You’ll discover your own sweet spot but stick to the 30mins rule while you are losing & time after.

I gave up the disgusting shakes once I was on purées. Found a high protein yoghurt (20g) & yoghurt drink (25-30g - you can make your own drink by blending yoghurt & milk). So much more tolerable to eat/drink. Still eat the yoghurt a couple of times a week if I’m a bit low on protein. Oh yeah, forget your PPI/antacid & you know it.

My GP put me on fludrocortisone for my low blood pressure. Don’t know if it is slow release though. It didn’t help me though so stopped taking it. Just a suggestion.

I love cucumber sandwiches @Starwarsandcupcakes. Soak the cucumber in balsamic vinegar & only on white bread. Would even pour some the vinegar on the bread for more of a zing. Very sad now. Damn bread but don’t think it’s worth the discomfort to eat it. Waah! 😩

At barely two weeks out I’d try to stick more to soups, scrambled eggs, & other more puréed foods that more easily slide down & require little chewing. Look at soft & very tender slow cooked meats. You could mash up mince, sausages (or vegan alternatives), the fillings of steamed wontons or gyoza & be okay. Add any sauces or gravies available yo keep them more moist. Try a soft flaked white fish that has been poached or steamed. I’d avoid anything breaded or fried as the meat will likely be more dry. Go slowly & if in doubt don’t. Remember the staged return to eating diet is to protect your healing tummy & not strain all those sutures & staples holding it together with food that is too coarse, dry, dense or difficult to digest. Pack some shakes & pre prepared soups, grab some yoghurts from a local store, etc. as a back up. Nothing stopping you speaking with the caters at the conference to explain your situation. You don’t have to tell them you had bariatric surgery you can just say an abdominal surgery that requires a more restricted diet as you’re still healing.

Focus on eating your protein first then allowed vegetables. There were times I’d eat my protein only & nothing else for a meal. Many do continue to supplement their diet with protein shakes or add protein powders to their coffee, soups, yoghurt, etc. I found the shakes awful so I found a good high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drink (you can make your own drink by blending yoghurt & milk). And as a bonus more fluid (not the yoghurt of course). Don’t worry if you don’t hit that protein goal at first or every day. It’s not easy when our portions are so small in the early stages. As long as you’re close & making an effort. Remember you are taking multivitamins too at the moment which help you get the vitamins & minerals in you need. You should be having regular blood tests which will highlight if you are low in anything. I was a low calorie person (only got to about 900 at 6 months & my goal) - wasn’t hungry & couldn't eat more. But do check with your dietician as we all have different needs & the change as we continue to lose. PS - Stalls are common & part of the process. Just keep to your plan & ride through it. It will break. They often last 1-3 weeks with the first starting around week 3+/- so you’re right on track.

Keep things simple to begin. The old meat & three veg works well & is easy to prep. Focus on eating your correct portion of protein first & then a few well cooked vegetables as @Spinoza suggested but would add only then eat any allowed carbs if you are able. There were often times I’d only eat the protein content of a meal in the beginning. You may find some meats too heavy to begin. Some struggle with chicken breast or steak. Keep meats moist with sauces & gravies or cooking styles (like grilling can make meat too dry). Once you feel more comfortable & your tummy is happier you can be more adventurous with your cooking. Matt Weiner is great (check out his videos too) but he does focus on a more vegetable heavy low animal protein diet. It just depends on your eating preferences. I love eating vegetables & add legumes to some meals but I also am a carnivore. Hope you find a good local dietician/nutritionalist soon.

What does your surgeon & dietician say? You may have reached your new set point (the weight your body is happiest at) & as @catwoman7 said it is harder to lose & maintain at a lower weight if where you are now is your set point. Remember not everyone reaches their goal weight. Generally, eating 1000 calories should result in a loss. I’m only an inch taller than you, am not really active, & can maintain at my lower weight consuming about 1400 calories. Though we are all different & our bodies have different needs. The pouch reset isn’t a physical reset but a mental reset. If you’re already following your plan re calorie intake,food choices, & meeting protein, fluid & macro goals you are doing all the right things. Mashed potatoes & scrambled eggs are in the plan for many people from the third week. What you are then only affects you then. It doesn’t affect what is happening now. I agree with @summerseeker. Give your team a call @Sammy C & see if you can negotiate moving to al, or maybe some purées. Being in liquids only for 6+ weeks seems excessive but your surgeon may have a reason for it.

Yep it’s a just head reset. Just go back to what you were eating when you reached your maintenance weight or just before. That’s the caloric intake you need to maintain at that lower weight so if you eat at that level you will lose to get back to there.Though it sounds like you know the cause of your gain. Hit your old protein & fluid goals & keep your eating low fat, low sugar & low carbs (look to whole & multi grains & complex carbs not simple high processed ones) as you need. Remember that is how you will have to always eat (food choices & calories) if you want to maintain that lower weight. If where you are now is actually your set point (the weight your body is happiest at) as @Spinoza mentioned it will be harder to maintain a lower weight.

I was given volume limits to begin which is easiest in the early stages. Once on more solid foods I’d check the weight of solid proteins mainly so I could work out how much of say a piece of steak or a chicken thigh I could eat. (I weigh befire I cook.) It just depends upon what you’re eating. Most difficult is meat on a bone like a pork or lamb cutlet. Then it’s a guessing game & experience in eyeballing size.