Arabesque

Congratulations @Sunnyway. What a way to start this new year. There’ll be even more wonderful things ahead of you.

Balsamic marinated lamb back strap. Another one of my who needs to follow the recipe dishes. I’m pretty sure I more than doubled the balsamic vinegar - just kept pouring u til I thought that looks about enough & smells good. It was for lamb chops & also said grill but I baked in the oven. Should get 5 meals from this so a couple will go in the freezer.

Had my first Secret RF (same as the ones you mentioned) session Friday afternoon so my fingers are crossed. My doctor focussed on skin laxity (sounds nicer than saggy skin) this time so nothing done to my forehead. In 4 weeks we’ll do wrinkles & scaring. At the third session we’ll decide which we’ll do & if I need a fourth session. Secret RF uses different size heads (not sure if the others do too) for the different procedures & the heads are disposed of after each session (& aren’t cheap). She kept changing the needle depth on different areas of my face. Also my doctor used a stronger prescription local topical anaesthetic (20+% vs the lower over the counter 5% many non medical clinics use). Even inside my mouth & tongue were numb 😆. It really was pain free. Occasional little poking feeling lasting a much like if you tap your cheek bone with your finger nail. Redness was much less than derma pen - that lasted for days. No pain, heat or discomfort after either. Pxts are 30mins after treatment, the next morning & this morning. Of course it does take three months to see real effects which is your natural skin cycle though they claim some can see small change in a couple of days. Don’t know if I’m crazy, or wishful thinking, but I think my cheek is a little smoother& firmer today. Jowls are still there though. Wish I had taken a pxt before the session.

Maybe finding a good therapist & a dietician will help your cousin get back on track. They can be very helpful during this process - supporting her through the emotional turmoil & sorting out her dietary concerns & issues. Also speaking with her surgeon (via Skype or similar) or asking them for a referral to another surgeon close to her now may be helpful too. There is no need to go back to the very low calorie, shake diet. This was in place for a specific period of time to support healing. Sure people lose weight on very low calorie shake diets but they are not sustainable & regain is usually inevitable. Eating in a way that was more like what she was doing when she well into her weight loss (say the 6 or 12 month mark) would be more beneficial: observing portions, protein & fluid goals, & eating a range of vegetables, fruit, dairy, & small amounts of low processed multi/whole grains. As @catwoman7 said a bounce back regain of 10-20lbs is very common in the 2nd/3rd years so her regain could be just that. Also I wonder if she was given reasonable expectations as to what her weight loss could be after surgery? The average weight loss after sleeve or bypass is about 65%+/- of the weight you have to lose to put you in the healthy BMI weight range. (Yes, the healthy BMI range is not always the best weight range for someone & yes, some people do exceed the average result.) She may be beating herself up with somewhat unrealistic goals ( though I understand her desire to lose more). This video may be of assistance to help your cousin look at her achievement of losing 175lbs in a different way: a success.

Can’t help with the surgery in Mexico. Though if you have a good GP you trust & who is willing to support you through the process when you get home you’ll be fine. I was two months shy of 54 when I had my surgery (& am 5’3” & was a teacher in one of my lives too 🙂). The surgery was the best decision I’ve made. I feel (& look) younger & better than ever.

There are a few things you can rely on during this process. And all of them are okay. None are wrong or right. Everyone loses at their own rate. Some lose more quickly. Others lose more slowly. Many factors influence this including, age, gender, pre existing health conditions, medications, etc. Hence the range of possible loss your surgeon suggested in your first month. The more you have to lose, the faster you’ll lose at first. Everyone’s rate of loss slows as they get closer to their final weight. Stalls happen. You will have times the scales won’t move. The first often occurs around week 3+/- & they often last 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your plan & your weight loss will start again. Not every one reaches their goal & some exceed their goal. The average loss at the three year mark is about 65% of the weight you were to lose to put you in a healthy range. I’d expect that is where the 55lb weight loss your surgeon has suggested comes from. Like you, my BMI was 35. I’d lost all my weight by 6 months but continued to lose for another 11 months while sitting out my maintenance, albeit very slowly, to about where I am now. But that was my journey. Yours could be similar or different & that’s okay. All the best with your surgery & journey.

I’d just sip it until I was finished. I also would dilute them (double the water added) as they were so disgusting so would take me ages to drink it. Counts as fluid so all good. As long as you don’t exceed three ‘meals’ of shakes or broth, etc. a day you’ll be okay. Congrats on your surgery.

I don’t like pouch either. I have a sleeve. It’s still my stomach. Just smaller. Same with bypass. A section of your tummy was detached and joined to the intestines to form a smaller stomach. Again still your tummy. Not some separate thing that was created to digest food. A pouch is for storing things or a place where marsupials carry their young. I don’t like skinny. Something negative & derogatory about it to me anyway. Much like obese. I prefer slim or small/er.

Nope still can’t more than 3 years out. One maybe two larger mouthfuls & that’s it. I get gurgling or my restriction at that point. Certainly couldn’t do more. So I just do regular swallows & never get thirsty. In the past I could down 300/400 ml no trouble if I was thirsty.

Your surgeon should provide you with your plan including what you can eat when. Yes, there are variations in plans so It’s pretty important to follow the plan you’re given especially during the healing & recovery period (usually about the first 6 weeks). If you haven’t been given a plan yet contact your surgeon’s office to ask for it. I got mine almost three weeks before which gave me plenty of time to familiarise myself with it, shop in preparation & ask any questions if I needed. You can discuss any variations, clarifications or additions you may need or prefer with your surgeon during the healing stages & then your dietician as you progress. All the best.

Agreed as well. BMI is best used as a guide only to give you a bit of an idea not a rule. Actually any goal you set should be a guide only too. Your body will decide what weight you reach as the surgery resets your set point. This is the weight your body is happiest at. You can lose more weight but you have to work harder to lose it & harder to maintain it. Not everyone reaches their goal weight. (The average is about 65+/-% of the weight you’re to lose.) Also many find when they near what they thought was their goal weight, they’ve lost enough & they feel better being at a higher weight. Other get to their goal & think they are too thin for them. Others get to their goal & find they can or do lose a little more. Lifestyle, age, frame, activity levels (how much you do or want to do ), etc. should be considered when choosing the weight you want to attain. And yes, I’m someone who’s on the lower end of the BMI scale. It seems to be where my body is happiest so my set point - I lost the additional weight without intending to. I also have a smaller frame (for years I was told I had a largish frame - it was just fat) so being on the lower end of the scale is more appropriate. I don’t have protruding bones or look gaunt. I maintain my weight pretty easily & don’t really exercise (stretches & resistance type things). My doctors are happy but most importantly I’m happy & healthy. That is the real goal.

As you’re still on purée, maybe some apple sauce or yoghurt? You may find though that anything you eat is super sweet & not as enjoyable to eat at the moment. Head hunger is probably one of the biggest if not the biggest challenge we have to face. Cravings aren’t real hunger but your head looking for a way to sooth or comfort you. Why do you think you’re craving sweet? Is it boredom, emotions, stress, time of the month, etc.? Working out why you have the craving is the first step. Try looking for a distraction. Go for a walk, ring a friend, play a game, craft, read, check out your social media & this forum, & so on. Sometimes a warm drink can help.

It could be as simple as a pulled muscle but it is probably best to give your surgeon a call to be sure.

I’ve seen it described as lasting 18months. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I think how long the honeymoon phase lasts is individual much like most things during this process. There are just averages which you can use as a guide. Some people find their hunger comes back after 6 months which is a signal of the beginning of the end of their honeymoon. It doesn’t mean they’ll stop losing, they just have to work harder. Another signal is when your weight loss slows down considerably which happens to everyone when they get closer to their final weight. Mine started slowing a lot at 5 months when I was almost at my goal. I continued to lose for about another 11 months without meaning to. I lost around a kg +/- a month during that time.

And here it is. I got a little distracted (scrolling the sales 😆) & I cooked the steak more medium than the med rare I prefer. I didn’t eat all of it. May end up with enough for 4 meals. The broccolini heads are separate because they’ve started to cause me a little trouble so I now eat them separately so I can be more careful.

Walk, walk, walk. Deep slow breathing. March on the spot (standing or sitting), lift your arms (carefully) up & down. Gotta get the gas moving up & then breathed out. Heat packs can help. How much gas pain you have depends on your surgeon, how much they need to use to inflate your abdominal region & how you process it.

Go back to the surgeon who removed your gall or back to emergency sooner rather than later. You shouldn’t still be experiencing pain & the other symptoms three weeks out. I wonder if you may have an infection. I had my sleeve surgery about 2 months before you had your bypass. I had my gall removed in June 2021 so 2 yrs later. Gall stones are pretty common after weight loss. I’m surprised no one picked it up or explored the possibility more deeply sooner & you had to experience gall attacks for so long. They picked up my single gall stone about 8 months after my sleeve during a ultra sound of my liver to check it was okay. I had no symptoms. When I had my first attack (yes, it was horrendous too) I I knew what it likely was. Saw my GP, got a referral back to my bariatric surgeon & he removed my gall about 2 weeks after that first attack. Yes the recovery was a little worse than my sleeve but not much - had gas pain which I didn’t with my sleeve & a little more general discomfort for a week or so. I wonder if your surgery & recovery has been longer & more arduous because your gall wasn’t in the best way (lots of inflammation, the adherences, etc.) But definitely seek medical advice.

Are you still in contact with your dietician? If not give them a call. They should be supporting you along the way & should work with you to develop a way of eating that works for you. How you are eating now should be getting closer to how you will eat in the long term. Do you still track your food? Personally I kept my food choices pretty simple. Protein & vegetables for lunch & dinner. Chose healthier cooking methods. Cooked & prepped 90+% of the food I ate myself. Anything I did purchase I read the nutrition panels very carefully. Kept low fat, low carbs, low sugar. Portion size was very important. And yes as @catwoman7 said the last pounds are the hardest to lose & take the longest to go. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

It’s for tonight. I had leftover veal last night. Another freezer leftover meal. 😁 I’ll get three meals from the two pieces.

It likely is head hunger. Very understandable to feel anxious & stressed after your surgery. You question your decision, wonder if you’re following your plan correctly, worry about your healing & recovery, doubt such small portions can be enough food, etc. It can be a real emotional roller coaster. For many of us when we felt this way in the past we turned to food to comfort us and your head is still trying to make you do this. Real hunger feels different to head hunger. I get restless & think something is wrong with real hunger. With head hunger I want to eat a specific food, flavour or texture. Head hunger will disappear if I can distract myself or by having something to drink (like a herbal or green tea). Real hunger doesn’t disappear. Also your excess stomach acid (as a result of the surgery) can make you think you’re hungry (hunger pangs) when you’re not. While most people lose their hunger for a time after surgery not everyone does. Average seems to be for it to be lost for about 6 months but some find it returns sooner while for others it doesn’t return for a year or more.

Stalls happen. They’re your body’s reaction to the stress of weight loss, reduced food intake, etc. plus as @Hop_Scotch mentioned your surgery. You’ll likely experience more stalls while you’re losing but this perfectly normal. Most last 1-3 weeks. Your weight loss will never be a continuous straight downward line. It will zig & zag, go up & down & not move at all. Stick to your plan & the scale will start to move again. Some people find that while the scale doesn’t move they notice a change in their clothing. Try taking body measurements & comparing changes that way too.

Yumm. I have fillet steak in my fridge for tomorrow night. And asparagus will be one of my sides too. Twin eaters. 😁

That is a pretty strong drink. Don’t know what your daily calorie intake is but 248 is a lot of calories to waste on a single glass of alcohol which provides no nutritional benefit which should be your focus. 248 calories would have been 3/4 of my daily intake then. The carbs would also be a significant percentage of your limit too I would guess. And alcohol dehydrates you & slows your metabolism. In saying that I had a gin & tonic at around 2 months at my cousin’s 40th. I nursed that drink for more than 4 hours. Didn’t really enjoy it either & I didn’t have another drink for months. I don’t drink much at all since my surgery. An odd glass of champagne or a G&T maybe once a month or less often. My friends don’t pressure me to drink even though they drink. I realised I don’t need to drink to socialise & enjoy being with my friends. My question is what sort of friends are they to try to force you to drink when medically you’re advised not to? Are they trying to sabotage your weight loss? Ultimately though it is your decision. If you want to have a drink maybe look for a lower calorie drink with fewer carbs & less alcohol.

Not as such but my first bowel movement (awful diarrhoea) about 3 days after my surgery was very dark & smelly with old blood from the surgery but that was all. If your blood is bright red & it is persisting contact your surgeon again or go to a medical centre to be sure everything is ok.

Remember stalls are very common & you can experience a few of them while you are losing. Many experience the first one around week 3 +/-. They can last 1-3 weeks. Stick to your plan & the scale will start moving again. In the meantime, take some body measurements. Sometimes you notice changes with a tape measure even though the scales don’t move. Did you experience many stalls after your bypass?