Arabesque

Menopause is what did me in too. I went from my usual lifelong range of 60-75kgs to suddenly being 91kg. It was like I woke up one day & there was the weight. Tried to unsuccessfully move it for a couple of years & decided surgery was my only option. I’m almost 58 & still have menopausal symptoms even on HRT. (Actually the estrogen flush we have while we’re losing actually stopped my menopausal symptoms. They came back once I got to goal though. ☹️) So losing your weight & maintaining is still possible. Don’t worry too much about doing ‘enough’ exercise. It only contributes to about 10% of your weight loss & I didn’t do any formal exercise while I was losing. Just was more active in my everyday life. Like stairs not lifts or escalators, park further away from where you’re going, make multiple trips up & down my stairs instead of only one or two trips, etc. Of course there are lots of other benefits to being active. I too found tea easiest to drink. I still have a large mug (about 400ml) of green tea every day. You’ll get your fluid up. Try drinking during the night as well. Sip every time you get up to pee. I still do this to push me up & over my goal. Looks like you’ve got a good handle on your protein so we’ll done. And congrats with your weight loss so far too.

I wondered about the steroids too as they can increase your appetite. People I know say they make them crave carbs or sugar. I also agree with focussing on your diet. Exercise only contributes to about 10% of any weight you want to lose but also makes you hungry. Of course there are lots of other benefits to exercising but don’t rely on it for weight loss. Reduce sugars (real & artificial), reduce fats, reduce carbs, reduce high processed foods, increase protein, increase vegetables, get your fluid intake up to 64ozs (try for more water than other fluids), introduce more low or no processed foods & watch portion sizes. All good new habits to start. You may find it easier to start adopting only one or two of these at a time.

Yep, a stall. You’ll likely have a few more of them while you are losing too. They’re a natural & important part of your weight loss. It’s the time your body takes to reassess your current needs & your weight loss & readjusts things like digestive hormones & enzymes & metabolic rate. You don’t have to do anything except stick to your plan & let your body take the time it needs to recalibrate. They usually last 1-3 weeks. The stall will break when your body is ready. Unfortunately, they can be frustrating because your body doesn’t work to your timeline & needs.

I was almost 54 when I had my sleeve. I lost all my weight & more. My surgeon was always happy with my rate of loss. The bonus 11kgs I lost took longer (11 months) than the initial 31kgs (6 months) to my goal weight. As @catwoman7 said there are many factors that influence the rate at which you lose. Some you can control but most you can’t. You’ll find there are average rates & average amounts of weight you can lose but averages only give you an idea of what you might experience not what you will. What you can be sure of is if you follow your plan & the recommendations & advice of your surgeon & dietician, you’ll lose weight at the rate which is right for you. It’s the same with how much weight you’ll lose. All the best & celebrate every pound you lose.

It really just depends on you and how you recover. Some only need a week & others need more. I wasn’t working when I had my surgery but started a new contract at week 5. I struggled because of energy drops, low blood pressure & poor concentration but I always seem to take longer to recover from things. I was very thankful I was only part time. Best advice is take a week or two & then negotiate with your employee to return part time or at reduced hours for another week or so but with the understanding you may need a little more time or may not need it at all.

I had my surgery at almost 54 & didn’t exercise. I simply don’t enjoy it. I lost all my weight & more & am keeping it off. All I do now is some stretching & use resistance bands mainly for my back & to keep me a little flexible. I spread out what I do across the day - about four sessions of 5 or so minutes. They call it exercise snacking. There are lots of exercises for people with a variety of physical limitations available on line. And resistance bands are great - so much you can do with them sitting or lying down. Check about your anti inflammatories in case you need to change formulations as some things absorb differently after surgery. We’re usually told to avoid non steroidal anti inflammatories (NSAIDS) because of our smaller tummy but if yours are steroids you should be fine. All the best.

Pureed tinned fish was awful to me too. Try mashed boiled eggs with Mayo, denser soups, runny scrambled eggs, yoghurt, runny instant rolled oats, apple sauce. Try blending chicken with gravy (a friend lived on it). I even had baby food a couple of times for a change. Think the changes to our taste buds &/or sense of smell doesn’t help. Plus many of us just what something to put our teeth in & purées just don’t cut it.

I wasn’t given a calorie goal either just the portion sizes. I’d did random checks out of my own interest so I know I didn’t get to around 900 calories until 6 months & I was okay. I eat about 1500 to maintain my weight. I love rolled oats. Ate it from purée & still eat them every day now so I hope the grits go down well for you. Instead of eating a whole taco, eat the filling only. The shell could be off your plan being a high processed, simple carb. The spices & other flavours in the filling will likely satisfy your desire. Good luck with the mandarin.

$1668.75 Australian. Hence my credit card being happy my size is sold out. I can still dream … and buy a lotto ticket in case they come back in. 😂😂😂

I found looking at the first couple of months like I was a baby being slowly introduced to foods & learning how to eat helped to understand what I as experiencing. I also used to say my tummy was like a tantrum throwing, petulant two year old. Liking a food one day & not the next. But a week later that food was fine again. Added to that the changed taste buds & maybe being more sensitive to certain odours can make meal times challenging. But yes, it does get better & easier. These things are temporary. Of course how temporary is different person to person. And there may be the odd food you will continue to struggle with or don’t sit well. I still don’t do bread, rice & pasta as it sits too heavily in my tummy. it’s just a quirk of your tummy. Keep a variety of foods on hand. I froze lots of cooked meats & leftover meals in single portions so I always had options. Chicken tender strips, soft fish fillets, sausages (from a butcher not mass produced), & smoked salmon were my go to lunches. The smoked salmon was the weirdest as before surgery I often found it too rich to eat. After surgery I could eat it but then two months later nope it was too rich again. I never had issues with eggs or chicken but many do. But I could not do tinned fish at all. PS I agree. Shakes are disgusting 🤮. I never had another one once I started purées & gave away the protein powder I bought - also blah! I found a good high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drink to give me a boost of protein each day instead.

You can’t not eat. There’s some great advice from the others about reintroducing food into your day. Demand your surgeon give you guidelines & also request a referral to a dietician/nutritionalist who is knowledgeable of the needs of post surgery patients. Ask for portion recommendations, protein & fluid goals, and goals/limits of other macros. Also ask for a referral to a therapist. Many find therapy very helpful as they work through their fears & relationship with food. Can’t believe your surgeon said to eat whatever you want. I mean that’s how you became overweight in the first place. Yes, vomiting (I call it regurgitating cause it’s not like vomiting of old) is most possible in the beginning while you are healing but because you haven’t been eating your tummy may struggle for a while until it gets used to food again. You may have odd occurrences if something doesn’t sit well or if you have the foamies (eating food that may be too dry or too coarse or eating too quickly) too. I gave up shakes as soon as I began purées & got my protein from real food too. It was my goal & my surgeon & dietician were happy. I found a good high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drink to give me a boost of protein each day to supplement the solid/real foods I was eating. I was also advised to eat about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food from purées slowly increasing to a cup. I got to the cup at 6 months. Now I eat about a recommended serve or a little less & am maintaining my weight. If you follow your plan & dietician recommendations you won’t gain weight. It’s literally impossible in the lower calorie intake we have until our weight stabilises unless you exceed those guidelines & recommendations. All the best. PS. Try to avoid fruit juices as they have a high natural sugar content (that’s why it may say no added sugar but may have sugar identified on the nutrient panel). It takes several oranges to make a glass of orange juice but you would only eat one whole orange at a time. When you are able, it’s always better to eat the whole fruit & get the additional nutrients like fibre & fewer carbs.

I still can’t get over the pineapple on that pizza. I thought that was sacrilege or is that only in the States? Back in the ‘before times’ I found the pineapple cut through the fatty oily cheese. (Mind you that was the 70s/80s when ham & pineapple was one of the couple of pizza options we had.)

Very cool. Sock stilettos are great @ms.sss. I have a long, stretch suede version with a mid heel which gives a similar look & actually fit my calves neatly. (Who’d a thunk that boots can be too big in the calves.) I’m in love with Victoria Beckham’s toe peeper boot version. Apparently the upper ‘sock’ is a mesh so I guess like a thick opaque hose. Unfortunately (my credit card says fortunately) my size in the black is sold out.

Water can almost feel too heavy to drink at times though adding a little juice (a teaspoon or squeeze of a citrus) like @sleeversk suggested can help. I used to dilute a lot of things (shakes, hydralyte, soup, etc) to get them to a consistency, texture & flavour I could tolerate. I drank green tea (which is my regular drink), plain water & used to let sparkling water go flat (opened the bottle but didn’t drink it for a day). I found a great high protein yoghurt drink too (you can make your own by blending your yoghurt with milk).

The staged return to eating is too protect & support your healing tummy. Remember all those sutures & staples holding your tummy together. There’s about 12inches of them - imagine if it was your arm or leg & how you would treat, care & manage that wound. Eating off plan in these weeks can stress, strain or damage your tummy & compromise your recovery. While a temporary loss of hunger & appetite after surgery is most common, there are some who don’t experience it. You may not be bored or craving a specific food but you turned to chips & chicken instead of a shake or soup. I think you are craving - salt & textures (something to chew or crunch). You have been through a stressful surgery, your hormones are all messed up, your life has been considerably changed, you have had restrictions placed upon you about what you can eat & do. What may be driving your hunger is a subconscious desire to comfort yourself, look for some normalacy in your life, take back some control, etc. Worth a conversation with the therapist you saw pre surgery or if you didn't have to see one, ask your team for a referral. Many seek the support of therapy & find it very beneficial as they work through the changes & their relationship with food. The first weeks aren’t the easiest because of the changes, your recovery & worry about whether what you’re doing & experiencing is right. But it does get easier & in a few months you’ll look back & think it was actually only for a few weeks, it was okay & I managed it. All the best.

As @catwoman7 said it is pretty common. My GP arranged for an ultrasound to make sure there was nothing else going on with my liver but it was fine. (The scan did pick up a gall stone which was handy to know.) My bilirubin levels are still high 4 years out but they probably always were as I found out Gilbert’s is in the family - high bilirubin is a symptom & I have other symptoms too. I’d probably reduce any iron supplements too for a while & see what happens. Out of curiosity is hemochromatosis in your family?

I wondered if it was possibly a structure too. I’d push your surgeon for better answers & further tests to find out what’s really going on. You shouldn’t be experiencing constant vomiting.

Yep check with your team & watch the sugar alcohol sweeteners. Also you may find things become so super sweet & you can’t eat them when your taste buds temporarily change. I loved that phase as I never went back to sweet foods or drinks & broke my desire for it - I loved a sweet treat after dinner & on weekends. I keep my sugar intake low (less than 10g a day) and avoid artificial sweeteners or sugar alternatives wherever possible. They only feed your craving for sweet & research is showing that artificial sweeteners actually lead to weight gain, mess up your immune system & cause inflammation so I choose to avoid them. Now if I want something sweet I have some fruit.

I think everyone at some point worries if they’re doing the right thing, if they’ll work it all out or if it will get easier so you’re not alone. I found drinking during the night helped get me to my fluid goal. I still do it. I drink when I get into bed & when get out & when I wake during the night. The more we drink the more we pee so I drink before & after I pee too. Also I found it easier to drink warm/hot drinks. And yes switch up your variety of fluids & flavours. May be pick up some baby food. Protein content often isn’t high but it’s better than nothing & gives you some choices for a meal. I was allowed instant rolled oats made very thin & on milk. Took me days to eat a portion of course but if you’re allowed it’s a great addition to your food options on purées. Try mashing a runny/soft egg too.

I wonder if it’s an absorption issue. Worth asking your surgeon & prescribing doctor. Many find time release meds don’t work as well after a bypass. Check where the meds are absorbed too - tummy or intestines. There are usually alternative formulations or meds you can take instead. I wasn’t a great sleeper before my surgery. Not insomnia. I usually could fall asleep, but would wake & lie there for 3 or 4 hours or just not go back to sleep. It started in my late 30s. Stress/cortisol levels, then age (menopause), etc. contributed & I think waking & not sleeping became a of a habit too - usually woke at the same time. Now I get in 8 hours most nights. I have odd nights of waking for an hour or so but I will go back to sleep. Some nights I even get in 9 or 10 hours. Thank you surgery. I hope it may help you somewhat as well.

What’s normal? One thing I’ve learnt since my surgery is there is no normal or only one right or wrong way about our recovery, weight loss, food & eating just what is right or wrong for you. There will be similarities & there will be differences too because we’re not the same. And yes it will be different from what was right or wrong or usual for you before surgery because simply what we did before did us no favours. Will it get easier? Yes. Does it take time to meet all your goals? Yes. As long as you’re making an effort & getting closer it’s okay. Will you have good days & bad days? Yes. Will your tummy be sensitive & fussy about certain foods for a while? Yes but that’s the healing process. Will it take time to learn new eating habits? Yes. Will you learn all your signals for real hunger, fullness/satiety or feel your restriction? Yes. Nerves were cut during surgery & they have to heal. Your signals take time to register & they may be different than before surgery. Will you be able to drink more than sips? Yes though how much & when is individual. Will you be able to reduce the amount of time before & after eating to drink? Yes but again when & how long is individual. Will you eat your old favourites again? Yes, once your weight has stabilised. Though it won’t be in exactly the same way. You’ll work out variations, & how much & how often is right for you. I’ve made quite a few changes to what & how I eat. Like I don’t skip meals anymore & there are certain foods I don’t or rarely eat. Some are my choice & others because they don’t sit well in my smaller tummy. I don’t feel I’m missing out on anything I chose not to or can’t eat. It did take time to work out what was right for me - food choices, calories, nutrients, portions, frequency of eating. Once I reached maintenance I slowly added new foods, recipes, adjusted portions, etc. to see how I’d go & made modifications for probably a good year after I reached goal. I did keep losing for about 11 months after goal while working it out but have basically maintained since then. I’m four years out from surgery. I’ll make further adjustments as I need - lifestyle changes, age, health issues, etc. PS There is an exception to the no one right way to eat & that’s in the first weeks when you’re following your staged return to eating. That plan supports & protects your healing tummy (remember all those sutures & staples holding it together). Check your plan on what you’re allowed to eat. Yes, plans can be different but being allowed eggs & peanut paste three days out from surgery sounds highly unusual. All because you managed it doesn’t mean you can do it again or it didn’t impact your recovery in some way. Be careful.

Still making labneh & having it as my midday snack. Sprinkle it with za’atar for a little zesty zing. Took some for drinks with my cousins recently also with za’atar & also drizzled with some good olive oil.

They make fresh sushi at my supermarket. Made in front of you. Never bought it as it’s always rice based. But friends swore the ones at a neighbouring supermarket were pretty good all things considered.. PS Don’t buy it from a hospital cafeteria either. Did years ago. One bite & I spat it out & in the bin it went. Shudder!

Two eggs & some grits? You’re doing well. A lot if it just comes down to how we heal. Actually two scrambled eggs would take me three days without r eating anything else. I can eat about two now at four years out. But that’s an example of how different we all are.

Glad Tim keeping up his shopping game for you @BayougirlMrsS. I played golf in high school. Well I say played but really my friends & I chose it was because it was an opportunity to get away from school. We would walk to the club, play the first hole & that was it. The second hole was sort of private & we’d sit in the sun & gossip. Perfect way to spend our Friday afternoon sports periods. Lol! Hope your granddaughter’s back surgery goes well. How old is she?