Arabesque

I’m allowed occasional use too - not full dose & not for continuous days. But I have a sleeve & bypass could be different. Can you still give your surgeon a call & ask if you can? I rarely have need to take pain relief either, thankfully, but non nsaid meds like paracetamols don’t help at all if I do. I did try Voltaren gel for back pain but as my pain isn’t muscular (oozy discs) it didn’t help at all.

Yep, I’d go down the soup path too. Homemade or bought you’ll be able to get a better range of your needed nutrients & calories. I had Covid a month ago & continued to eat in my usual way. My taste & smell wasn’t affected. (Horrendous throat at night, congestion, cough & low energy only.) My appetite was a little affected so sometimes I didn’t eat all my meal though usually most of it. It will, however, depend on your symptoms & how they make you feel. Hope you feel better soon.

I too have lost weight many, many times but every single time I put the weight back on. So can you lose weight without surgery? Yes. The real question is can you keep it off. I always went back to eating the same way as soon as a diet was over so of course I put the weight back on. I also messed up my metabolic rate by doing those very low calorie diets too many times & practising meal skipping to ‘manage’ my weight. The surgery gave me time to change everything about what, why & when I ate, my habits & whole relationship with food. It was the best thing I ever did. I lost all my weight & more & have pretty much maintained that weight. Has it restricted my life in any way? No. Now some truths about weight loss surgery. The average weight loss after bypass or sleeve surgery is about 65% of the weight you have to lose to put you in a healthier weight range. Some lose less & some more. A lot of this is because of the new set point the surgery gives you (the new weight your body is happiest at & is easiest to maintain). Everyones set point is different & it may not be a low weight. Some lose less because a higher weight & new eating style better complements them & how they want to live their life. It may be because of age, gender, genetics, health issues, medications, personal choices, complacency, life events, bounce back regain, etc. The long term success of the surgery depends upon you & the changes you make to your eating, relationship with food & the head work you need to do to understand & manage those factors. It certainly is worth a conversation with the surgeon & then you will be better informed to make your decision. In the end, you are the only one who truely knows your self, your situation & lifestyle & your weight loss/gain history. All the best whatever you decide.

Oh & so can excess stomach acid (which you’re likely overproducing for the food you’re consuming now & your smaller tummy). Are you on a PPI to reduce acid?

Nope I didn’t & don’t. I prefer to know exactly what I’m eating from ingredients to cooking style. I portion out & freeze a lot of what I cook so I have a wide variety of meals a simple defrost & reheat away. All I have to prep & cook are vegetables & I can do that in a couple of minutes. I happily eat the same meal I’ve cooked for a couple of days & only cook from scratch every three or four days. At the moment I have multiple portions of beef & barley and chicken & lentil soups, zucchini noodle bolognese, pork schnitzel, lamb cutlets, steak, roast chicken, savoury egg muffins, etc. I’m adding two portions of lamb back strap tonight. My freezer is literally full of meals. But you have to do what works best with your family. Just check the nutrition information very carefully.

Tired yes is very common & it will persist for a while. I’ve had a fairly major surgery & yiur body needs to rest to heal & recover. Listen to your body & when it says stop you’re doing too much or time for a rest or a nap do so (I wish I could still justify an afternoon nana nap 😁). Hunger is harder to answer. Most of the area in your tummy that produces the hunger hormone, ghrelin, has been removed so you shouldn’t really feel hungry for some months (when your body works out a way to compensate). And nerves were cut so signals didn’t get through or dint get through in the sane way whike you’re healing. What you may be feeling is head hunger. This could be hunger from the habit of eating (volume, frequency, etc.). Because you consciously or subconsciously question how your body can function on such small amounts of calories/food, activity (watching tv, reading, etc.). The time on the clock (lunch, dinner or snack time), or emotions & to offer comfort can make you think you’re hungry. These are the false hungers you need to work thorough to recognise, understand & manage them. They can be very powerful & only you know if what you feel falls into this type. A simple distraction can help as can sipping a warm drink (green or herbal tea is you’re allowed are good). But some people do continue to experience hunger. And unfortunately there isn’t an answer on how to mange real hunger. Worth a conversation with your medical team (surgeon, dietician, therapist). Most of us find real hunger feels very different to what we thought were our hunger signals. For me I get restless, think something is wrong & takes a little time to realise I’m hungry. There is always a reason like I have skipped a meal or haven’t eaten much that day. Real hunger never makes me want to eat a specific food, texture or flavour. All the best.

I diluted them to make them more palatable though it was a taste & texture thing for me (so grainy & coated my teeth - ugh!). I never had another one when I got to purées.

I used (actually still do) an appetiser plate so a little smaller than a salad plate. Tapas plates & dishes are good too as are ramekins. Toddler cutlery is also useful. I used teaspoons & buffet sporks. I still use small plates & bowls as meals look so sad & lonely on a regular size dinner plate & I even eat regular portion sizes now. 😆

Your tummy can be very sensitive & can behave like a petulant, tantrum throwing two year old for a while. Remember too you’ve put your digestive system through quite a bit & part of its recovery is re learning how to function. For many the lactose intolerance is temporary. In the meantime try some of the myriad of lactose free/vegan products available these days. I struggled with lactose for decades thanks to a parasite & back then there want a lot of options (soy, rude bran, oat milk tasted awful to me) so I just gave up milk. I could tolerate small amounts of yoghurt & cheese. Though I think the surgery cut away the parasite, I only buy lactose free milk because I consume it every day & don’t want to risk it. Are you on a PPI? My other thought was excess acid which can cause a sharp, cutting pain across the abdomen &/or cramping & quite rapid onset diarrhoea which is often quite smelly.

I didn’t have external staples either just dissolving sutures. I have had staples in my head (I grow cysts so have had a few over the years). It hurt a little to have them removed - sort of a sting - but more likely because they were in my head. The freakiest part is hearing the ting of the metal staple as it’s dropped into the metal dish.

No I haven’t had a revision or need to repair a complication. I have three friends who have also had surgery & they haven’t either. Revisions are sometimes needed (for personal choice like to lose additional weight or medical reason like gerd) & sometimes a complication arises that needs corrective surgery but they aren’t all that common. Ask your surgeon how many they have done. You may be surprised.

Your plan should tell you when you can add seeds (& nuts) back into your diet (if it doesn’t ask for guidance). It usually is a couple of months after your surgery but plans do differ. Seeds are a great complex carb & a source of fibre, protein, & other nutrients. Are beneficial to your digestion. Sprinkle on salads & cereal, use as a crumb crust on meats, throw some in your smoothie, make a nut & seed mix for a snack, etc.

Oh this is very common & will be something you will face during your weight loss & sometimes, though less often once you’ve stabilised. Add some soluble, non swelling fibre to your shakes & then other fluids as you progress. I used Benefibre. Try to keep on top of your constipation. I took a stool softener if I hadn’t gone after three days. But remember you aren’t eating much so there’s not much to poop so only going every two days is okay for a few months. While a stool softener worked for me some do need much more aggressive treatments. Have a chat with your medical team for alternatives. There are prescription meds you can take & many swear by milk of magnesia. All the best.

You have very good reasons for having the surgery & questions & doubts about progressing are common. It’s surgery. It changes your digestive system. There is a period of healing & recovery. To be successful for the long term, you will have to make changes to how, what & why you eat & your relationship with food. The months post surgery give you time to work through all of this & certainly therapy, as @SleeverSk suggested, can be very helpful. The surgery also gives you time to develop better eating habits & routines like being more mindful. Will you forget & take a too big sip or bite or eat too quickly? Yes it will happen but your body soon tells you & you’re usually extra careful after the experience. Often all you’ll experience is just discomfort but occasionally foamies or vomiting. Complications after surgery aren’t common and many are related to pre existing conditions or predispositions. The risks are lower for bariatric surgeries than many other common surgeries. I used to control almost all my reflux with dietary choices before surgery (no spicy, fatty or rich food, little carbonation & reduced caffeine) which is why I had sleeve. I still have reflux but it is different & I need meds every day which I didn’t before. I hate taking tablets & often forget. Multi vitamins always make me nauseous but my bloods are good & I don’t need to take them anymore though some sleevers still do. Just depends on your diet & absorption for us. But it is a necessity after bypass as malabsorption of calories (& therefore nutrients) is how it contributes to your weight loss. Dumping can occur with bypass (about 40% chance I think) but if you discover you have it it is simply a matter of avoiding fats or sugars as they are the usual culprits. Some even find they can eat small amounts as time passes. You can also have it with a sleeve but it is less common (30%??). The average weight loss with sleeve & bypass is about the same 65% +/- of the weight you have to lose to put you in a healthier weight range. Some lose more some lose less. Make a list of your questions to discuss with your surgeon. They’re best placed to answer them in relation to your specific needs, health status/issues & weight loss/gain history. All the best whichever surgery you have.

I used to often make chia seed pudding like @Tomo regularly but haven’t for a while now. Funny how you get out of the habit of making/eating something. I’d just use vanilla as a flavour & would add a spoonful of milk powder to the mix for extra protein too ( it can make it extra sweet though). I have a spoon of mixed seeds cooked in with my porridge every morning.

Definitively check with your team about what activity they recommend you start & when. There usually are differences in these requirements surgeon to surgeon but generally walking is the go to from when you’re in hospital. Then your recovery, current fitness & health status are usually considered. But listen to your body as lethargy & periods of low energy are common for a couple of months. Personally I was a no exercise person while losing. Didn’t affect my weight loss. Now I only do about 25 mins of stretches, use some resistance bands & some sit ups & do them over two or three sessions usually every day. More for my back & for general toning. Wouldn’t burn 30 calories. But it is a personal choice what & how much you do for your needs.

The hair loss tends to last about 3 months +/- for those who take theses additional vitamins & supplements & about 3 months +/- for those who don’t take them. As to whether you’ll lose less or more hair by taking them or not taking them no one really knows as you can’t compare your experience with someone else. Most supplements to promote hair growth or prevent loss contain the vitamin B family, vitamins D & E, zinc & iron which are usually found in your multivitamins anyway. I say save your money but it is your choice. Take your multi vitamins, meet your protein goals & your hair will stop shedding in its time.

I started about day four when I got home. I was allowed to swallow mine. Unfortunately nausea is quite common. Iron is the worst culprit but other vitamin can cause it too.

How terrible @Starwarsandcupcakes. Hope they discovered the cause & you are feeling better. Why were you in hospital @summerset? Why does hospital food always looks so brown/beige & unappetising? Though some of yours looks more colourful & appetising @summerset.

Lap bands aren’t commonly done anymore & many surgeons don’t even do them now. (Complications, low success rate - only about 30% lose their weight, greater risk of regain, etc.) Sleeve has become the more popular surgical option & many older people successfully have that surgery. (I was 54 when I had mine but there are many in their 60s & 70s who do.) Are you only interested in the band because it is reversible & makes fewer changes to your body? We all have our own reasons for choosing our surgery so certainly no judgment here. I just find it interesting to hear why people choose their surgery but maybe I’m just nosy. LOL! When I first decided to go the surgery route I thought lap band but then started doing research & realised a sleeve would be a better fit for my lifestyle, medical status & my weight loss/gain history.

I believe inflamed intestines is categorised as part of inflammatory bowel disease which encompasses a number of conditions. It’s quite common & can affect anybody though I believe women are more susceptible. May be ask to see a specialist in that field to get a more definitive diagnosis & treatment/management plan. You can’t keep experiencing pain & discomfort.

I didn’t exercise & I lost all my weight & more. No running or cycling miles or hours at the gym for me. It’s not that I can’t I just dislike it … a lot. All I do are a few resistance exercises & stretches. (I did add some sit-ups but as I do them I tell myself I’m crazy.) I do a series of exercise combinations over three sessions each afternoon & evening. They take me about 25 minutes in total & wouldn’t burn 30 calories. I do them more to better support my back & my oozing discs & a little toning. There are a variety is simple exercises available on line for people with a variety of mobility issues. You could give them a try too & see if any work for you.

I feel the same @Briar Rose about the loose skin on my body, arms & legs: badge of honour. I’m vain enough to want to try to improve my face but nothing invasive. Snap. One of my nieces used to play with my upper arm batwings. She’d say it’s so soft & squishy & even squeeze her hand under sleeves to play with it. I’d laugh when she did it just like you. Sometimes I’d say you’ll have your own to play with when you get as old as me. 😁

I think many people here would put their hand up & say they too wondered if they really needed surgery & couldn’t just do it themselves. So you’re not alone in that thinking. However, I think all of us would say we tried dieting ourselves (or with clubs, dieticians, weight loss companies) in the past with all the best intentions many, many times, yet we all found ourselves obese. Yes, you are asked to follow a liquid shake diet post surgery but it is usually only for 2 weeks, then you usually progress to purées, soft foods then solid food. It is in place solely to support your healing of your tummy. Think of the sutures & staples holding your tummy together - you don’t want to stress or strain them with coarse or dense foods. After that the diet you will be placed on encourages healthy eating of nutrient dense foods. It encourages you to consider the nutritional value of what you eat, to work at breaking cravings & old habits., to look at your relationship with food. With the diet you slowly add a greater variety of foods & increase portion sizes until how you’re eating close to your maintenance point & it is much like the way you’ll eat in the future. The pre surgery diet, which often also is shakes, is also short term & in place so you will lose some weight quickly, reduce fat around your liver & make surgery easier. For me the surgery changed my metabolic rate, gave me a new set point (the weight my body is happiest at), it adjusted my digestive hormones. Most importantly it gave me time to look at my eating & develop new habits. No other diet did that. Every other diet I felt like I was punishing myself which is why when I finished the diet I went back to eating in the exact same way I always had & the weight came back. I didn’t with this. I have a new way of looking at food & eating. I’m not on a diet. This is just the way I eat. But only you know if the surgery will be right for you & that’s okay. All the best whatever you choose to do. PS - Sorry for the long post. I guess you can tell I’m very pro surgery but that is because of the success I’ve had.

I’m sorry you are going through this frustrating time. Just throwing a few things out there. I could be widely off the mark but … Are you eating a good balance of food so you get in a range if nutrients? I’m guilty of having the odd yoghurt meal or protein only meal but it’s balanced by the variety of food I eat for my other meals throughout that day. Your body needs a variety of nutrients, vitamins & enzymes to be able to digest & absorb the nutrients, vitamins, etc from what you eat. Do you predominately eat low or no processed foods i.e. a whole food diet? Do you consume a lot of artificial sweeteners? What does your blood test show in relation to vitamins & proteins, glucose, cholesterol, etc.? Have you had a liver scan or other tests? Have you spoken with your surgeon or just the dieticians? Could there be an absorption issue? Maybe your body needs more of certain food types like carbs to function more effectively? The stress & anxiety you’re feeling could be contributing. Certainly adding to your hair loss I’d think. Viscous cycle in play. Our bodies usually work to protect us but sometimes can work against us too. All the best.