Arabesque

Yes after revision surgery weight loss is slower than with your original surgery, Also remember you are starting at a lower weight this time so your loss will be a little slower from that perspective too. However, there’s nothing slow with your rate of loss. Three to 4 pounds a week is nothing to be concerned about. Enjoy every pound you lose.

There are lots of statistics about weight loss after bariatric surgery. But as with all stats they’re just average. We all lose at our own rate. Some lose more quickly while others lose more slowly. Some lose all the weight they wanted. Some lose more & some lose less. And there is no timeline as to when you have to lose your weight. Statistics only give you an idea of what might happen not what will happen. I lost more than double my 3 month weight loss (16kg at 3 months & 42kg when I stabilised). Though it was about half of what I lost when I reached what was my goal (to lose 31kg). Forget any self imposed or external timelines. Celebrate every pound you lose because regardless of how much you lose or by when you’ll lose it, you’ll be in a healthier place.

How long you carried your weight, how much you lose, age, genetics, etc., also influence how much lose skin you’ll have. I don’t have a lot of loose skin & what I have is not restrictive or limiting in any way. I can even wear body conscious clothing without need of any support undergarments. Genetics in my favour I think because as a menopausal woman in her mid 50s I certainly was more likely to have a decent amount. Like @learn2cook I look at it as something I earned. It reminds me every day of how far I’ve come & a great motivator to stay there. But for some it can be very limiting & then plastic surgery is the only solution. Your BMI is comparatively low so you won’t have as much weight to lose which may mean less loose skin. Wait until your weight has stabilised & allow for some resettling of your remaining fat in the months after. Oh, and don’t believe any of those creams, supplements & such that say they help with sagging skin. They don’t. Our skin has been over stretched for too long like a well used old elastic band.

How long is a piece of string? Only you know if it is too much & is restricting/limiting you in any way (health, lifestyle, etc.) or if the amount you’re doing is sustainable. Exercise only accounts for about 10% of any weight you’re to lose. Want to lose 50lbs - exercise will contribute to the loss of approx 5 of those pounds. Of course there are many other benefits to exercising: fitness, muscle strength, toning, flexibility, general well being (mental & physical), etc. So how much would benefit you best depends upon what you want to achieve. I’m a non exerciser & I lost all my weight & more. About a year ago I began doing some stretches, resistance bands & some sit-ups. I do them over 4 short sessions during the day for a total of 20-25minutes duration (exercise snacking). I do it more to support my back, flexibility & a little toning of my arms & legs. I’d only burn about 30 calories. Lol!

That’s so funny @Starwarsandcupcakes. Bed pads. 😂 We’ve always called them Chux as that as the original brand of the kitchen cloth. These were a cheap roll of an unknown brand from Kmart. Do the same job of course. Had the labneh with baby Roma tomatoes & basil fur lunch yesterday. Very yummy. The sprinkles on my board is my exuberant grinding of sea salt & pepper.

Apparently the patients my surgeon put in the liquid diet called that frst 5 or so days hell week. I’ve done the shake diet a couple of times in the past (for about 6 weeks each time - awful & hardly lost any weight). I cannot tell you how relieved I was my surgeon said no shakes for me but a dietician supported diet which was keto. Survive the first week & it does get easier. The worst aspect is the withdrawals from sugar, carbs, caffeine.

Congratulations @liveaboard15. How great about your cholesterol levels too. Keep it up You never know how much more you’ll achieve. Don’t worry too much about your bilirubin levels yet especially while you are still losing. Almost 4 years out mine is still high but we discovered Gilbert’s Syndrome runs in the family & as I experienced many of the symptoms it’s likely I have that & always did just didn’t know it. Gilbert’s is quite common. Not debilitating or limiting in any way. My vitamin D levels drop in winter (when I hibernate) so I use a Vitamin D & K mouth spray (love it - no pills to swallow - yay!) late autumn to early spring. Yep, exercising only accounts for about 10% of the weight you are to lose. Of course there are other benefits but the choice is yours. I’m not an exerciser & I still lost all my weight & more & have basically maintained. I do some stretches, use some resistance bands & some sit ups (I hate them but they’re good for the lower back) over about 4 sessions of 5-10mins each day. Would burn maybe 30 calories. I only do this to help with my back & for a little toning.

Dr Charles Proctor on the program Too Large performs robotic assisted surgeries which is where I first saw one. He directs the robotic arms from a console in the operating theatre. All the usual staff seem to be there too. Sure there’d be videos online you could watch too. They aren’t that unusual. Five incisions is what we usually end up with regardless of robotic or manual surgery. One for each of the instruments (forceps, scalpel/cutting tool, etc.) they use & the camera. Most tend to be in line with your belly button with one coming from your belly button but it may depend on your body shape and some may be higher as a result. The longer incision (about 2cm/an inch) is on the right which is where they remove your stomach. You can always ask questions & for more information about robotic surgery if you’re feeling unsure.

The labneh making journey has begun. 400g full fat Greek yoghurt, good pinch of sea salt, a little grated lemon & two new chux cloths. Will see what tomorrow brings.

Give your surgeon a call. Four weeks seems too long for you to still be experiencing pain. Do you think you might have pulled a muscle at some point? Some surgeons do an internal tethering stitch it could be this causing the pulling sensation. I was one of those with no real incision pain. A little discomfort for a week & then for another week if I did a little more than my body was ready for. I slept on my side & partially on my tummy from day 2. I have nightmares if I sleep on my back so I was pleased I didn’t need to.

Are you allowed to snack and what snacks are you allowed? (Check with your dietician.) This is always the first place to begin. I was allowed one snack: yoghurt or a small portion of fruit from early in my third month. You may be allowed other things like hummus, or vegetable crudités, beef jerky, etc.though most of those can’t be easily taken to the movies. 😉 Will you be at the movies during your regular meal time so legitimately would be hungry & needing to eat? If it is a meal time take one of your shakes or soup in a thermal cup. Looking to snack simply because you’re at the movies is another issue - eating just out of habit not need. I don’t eat when I go to the movies even if it’s a meal time. It’s only a couple of hours. I don’t need to snack & I don’t ‘have to’ snack because others are. I take in a bottle of water & that’s all. But that’s my choice & we all make our own choices.

This will likely be the surgical gas they pump into your abdominal cavity so they can better see where they are operating. It slowly rises up behind your lungs putting pressure on nerves. It escapes your body when you exhale. Very little of it is actually in your digestive system so farting & burping doesn’t really help.. It takes about a week to pass. Walk, walk, walk little & often as you physically are able. March on the spot or pump your arms up & down to get the gas moving & you breathing more deeply. Long deep breathing helps too. Heat pads can help with the discomfort.

It’s not unusual to feel down after the surgery. You’ve been through a lot, so many changes & things to learn & your hormones are screwed up too at the moment. You may feel this way for periods of time on & off too for a little while until you’re more fully recovered, things are more stable & you feel more confident about what you’re doing. Everyone slips up along the way. And yes our tummy usually tells us nope this wasn’t right. There’s a lot of new things to learn about food choices, eating, learning new habits, quirks of our smaller tummy, etc. so mistakes & misunderstandings are inevitable. Craving specific foods (or flavours or textures) is head hunger. Your head is wanting food to comfort & soothe you in this stressful time. Distractions can be helpful when this happens. Read, craft, play a game, catch up on social media or this forum, take a stroll around your home or garden (as you’re physically able), ring a friend, etc. Sometime s sipping a warm drink can be helpful. All the best.

I didn’t have any itchiness but I do recall a hairdresser (not my regular one) saying I had little red spots on my scalp. No idea what they were & they were gone two months later. So it could be just how your body is responding or it could be more sensitive to something (like an allergy) or a deficiency. As @catwoman7 suggested: detective work maybe needed. Before surgery my arms & especially legs would be crazy itchy most nights. I’d get bruises on my thighs from my scratching. Changed moisturisers, shower gels, razors, etc. but nothing helped. After surgery the itchiness was gone. It eventually started again after about two years but nowhere near as frequently or as bad. I believe it’s something in my diet but I’m not sure what exactly.

Yep just your body doing what it’s supposed to: digest food. I even get it after drinking water. But it always happens after I’ve eaten or drunk … or if I’m resting something on my tummy like my iPad at night when reading in bed. My mine’s very noisy. It’s like I have my own poltergeist in my tummy.

I’m in Australia & I had face to face appointments every two weeks until I reached goal then monthly appointments. When Covid hit, we had phone calls for my next 2 scheduled appointments. By then I had sort of stabilised and we left it as I could ring her whenever I needed advice or support. I haven’t had to contact her since then.

Randomly recently discovered that caffeine can reduce your absorption of iron by up to 70%. Advice was not to drink coffee close to (before & after) a meal. Also that the iron used in iron enriched foods like breads & cereals isn’t absorbed easily & are of no real benefit. Also don’t take iron with calcium (including dairy products) or antacids/PPIs - leave 3 - 4 hours between taking/eating them. Always seem to be discovering new information that are worth conversations with doctors.

It most likely is head hunger. Cravings, habit, in reaction to & as a comfort for stress & other emotional upsets (like your surgery), boredom, etc. make you think you are hungry - head hunger. Even excess stomach acid (stomach pangs & a rumbling tummy) can make you think you’re hungry. Unfortunately the surgery doesn’t stop that occurring - that’s something you have to work through. You’ll learn how head hunger is different from real hunger for you & how to manage it. Like for me if I crave a specific food, flavour or texture that’s head hunger. With real hunger I feel restless & as if something is wrong & there’s a legitimate reason for it (missed a meal, late eating a meal, etc.). Distractions can help. Go for a walk as you’re able, play a game real or online, read, ring a friend, catch up on social media or this forum, craft, clean out a drawer or cupboard, sip a warm drink, etc. You generally are advised to sip every 5 minutes +/-.

Your tummy is still healing & generally just more sensitive to all sorts of things. Multi vitamins made me nauseous initially. I still can feel ‘off’ if I eat too early in the morning. It may be something you are eating (tummy can be fussy). It may be just rushing about in the morning - causing some stress in your tummy. Milk products are known for causing nausea with motion in some people too so maybe avoid your shakes or any dairy you are eating before driving. As @GreenTealael suggested ginger can help - drink ginger tea, try ginger tablets. Or ask for a script for anti nausea meds to take on your trip.

Wisdom teeth pain is terrible. Keep ringing your team. I have a sleeve and my surgeon allowed me to have a NSAID occasionally (one at a time & not continuous days) from after my second year. But I believe the no NSAIDS rule is stricter for bypass & you’re only such a short time post surgery. You could always try a shot of vodka or scotch. I mean, shockingly now, they used to give teething babies a rum soaked cloth to suck until mid the last century. What about freezing a wet cloth & applying it to your gums or freezing fruit. Try googling natural baby teething remedies for other ideas. Your wisdom teeth coming through is really the same experience.

If you’re not exercising, getting in 1500 calories may be too many & hinder your weight loss. I’m a non exerciser (just stretching, resistance bands & sit-ups). At an inch shorter & probably older (almost 58) I maintain consuming 1400-1500 calories which i have since discovered is pretty much what my basal metabolic rate recommends. This may be something to raise with your dietician as they know you & your needs better. I don’t enjoy exercising & also have low blood pressure (genetic - had it randomly before but all the time now. Amusingly being obese kept my BP at 120/80.) & oozing discs which is why I only do as little as I do. Most are on the floor & I exercise snack. Do 4 sessions lasting 5-10 minutes across the day. Would probably only burn 30 calories but my muscles are definitely more toned. My doctor put me on blood pressure meds to get it higher. It didn’t work for me but still may be something worth asking your doctor about even as a temporary fix. I relate to not being able to physically eat more too. When I reached my goal at 6 months I was only eating about 900 calories & less than a cup of food for a meal. I kept losing for another 6 months during which I slowly increased my snacks (to 4 & 5 a day ) & slowly was able to eat more. I truely felt I was eating all day long. I stopped losing when I was consuming about 1300 calories. My body has since settled, I eat fewer snacks but more regular sized portions hence the more calories. I also have pretty much maintained at about a kilogram above my initial 2 year stabilised weight. We all have different needs physically, psychologically, medically, etc. but do ask further questions of your doctor & dietician. One size doesn’t fit all.

They’re are a normal & important part of your weight loss. It’s the time your body uses to take stock of the stress you’re putting it through (weight loss, reduced calories, increased activity, etc.), where you are & what your new needs are at a lower weight & resets various hormones & your metabolism to support your lower weight, etc. Best thing to do is to stick to your plan & don’t stress your body more with more changes. The stall will break when your body is ready. Some people experience longer or more frequent stalls than others. It just depends on their body & needs.

Ahh, labneh. Haven’t had it in ages so making it myself intrigued me too. Found this recipe using Greek yoghurt (but it says you can use any but low fat) https://www.loveandlemons.com/labneh-recipe/ Might have to go & buy some cheesecloth. I guess a couple of sheets of chuxs would work too … new clean ones of course 😉.

Some people are & some aren’t given calories. I was never told calories either and only randomly checked for my own interest. I still do random checks. But I was comfortable with that. (Too many calorie counting diets over too many years turned me off I think.) Some people prefer & feel more confident about what they’re doing by having more guidelines such as calorie goals.

Stalls are an expected & important part of your weight loss. Some people just experience fir longer periods & more regularly. They occur in reaction to the stress you’re putting your body under (weight loss, reduced calorie intake, increased activity levels, etc.). During a stall your body takes stock of your new current situation & then readjust various hormones & your metabolism to meet your new needs. Stick to your plan. Don’t stress your body more (like by going back to the liquid diet). The stall will break when your body is ready.