Arabesque

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.

Lots of plant based alternatives to dairy foods available now: milks, cheeses, yoghurts, etc., etc. Are you lactose intolerant or just don’t like it? (My mum doesn’t like yoghurt & cheese so I get that.) Give them a try instead of forcing yourself to eat traditional dairy. There’ll be ups & downs along the way. Lot’s of new things to learn & discover about yourself & your tummy. I’m still learning at almost 4 years. Recently I discovered my tummy doesn’t like grated tasty cheese. Don’t know why. It may be okay with it next month.

No judgements at all. You’re going through a lot. It’s pretty major surgery & you’ve made dramatic changes to your digestive system. If you are like many us, you look to food to comfort you & you can’t now. It’s to be expected that you are mentally, emotionally & physically stressed. So you had a quesadilla chip. Once, one day is okay. It only becomes something to really worry about if you have one again tomorrow & again the next day & the next & you have 2 or 3 or more. Give yourself time for your body to heal & your head to catch - up. The fight is worth it.

Went to a Peruvian/Japanese fusion rooftop restaurant yesterday for lunch. (Not the best day but interesting views over the city.) I wondered how the fusion would work but it did. Still very obvious Japanese or Peruvian foods but a sharing of some styles. Like a bao bun with a Peruvian filling. I can’t eat spicy foods so shared some edamame to begin & had parmesan & garlic scallops (sorry no pxts) & sesame crusted tuna. I about half the tuna, the two scallops & probably too many edamame 😁. All very yummy.

Aah the joy of constipation. Add a soluble, non swelling, fibre to your shakes to help & try to keep on top of it. You’re not eating much so not going everyday is to be expected. I used to take a stool softener if I got to the third (sometimes 4th) day with out any movement. Any longer & it became more difficult to break, more uncomfortable & then painful when you do go. I diluted my hideous shakes as well to dilute the flavour & graininess & got bonus fluids. Didn’t care if it took me two hours to drink it. Just sipped until I was done. It can be hard at first to meet your protein & fluid goals. As long as you’re making an effort & slowly getting closer. It does get easier. Avoid social media. I think it’s the worst when it comes to promoting unhealthy eating behaviours, food choices & excessive portion sizes. I developed an aversion to those types of images. I would start to feel ill looking at them. I also avoided live tv & would record any programs so I could fast forward the food ads. Thank goodness for ad free steaming services. What was odd was that I could watch baking & cooking shows. British Bake-off, British MasterChef (all three), Great British Menu & Top Chef were my favourites & they didn’t make me hungry. Don’t have any suggestions for coping with your house mates’ eating habits. I live alone. You can’t force them to eat as you do but maybe you could let them know it does make it difficult for you & you may have to leave the room they’re eating in. It is something you will always have to face. I rarely eat sweet foods but in time I reached a point where it didn’t bother me if people around me eat cake, deserts, etc. My niece had a box of cakes, brownies, cake pops, whoopi pies, cheese cakes, cup cakes, etc. samples for her 13th birthday last week. Everyone was filling their plates with a variety of things & I was fine - I ate a strawberry. As I said before - it does get easier over time. Just got to work out how you can manage it now - what works for you.

Portion size is & always will be a consideration but more so in the beginning because of the many nerves cut during your surgery I mentioned in my previous post. It can be easier to eat more than we actually should. I was advised 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food from puree slowly increasing until I was eating about a cup around 6 months. Check with your dietician about portion size (& calorie goals) as plans do differ. I certainly couldn’t eat more than what I was advised & took ages to eat it. I sipped on my diluted soups & shakes for a couple of hours. During the liquid stage I are two ‘meals’ a day. Not hungry or interested in any more. From purée I ate three meals & no snacks. One or two snacks (fruit or soft cheese or yoghurt) were added later around third month a think. Ten popsicles seem a lot. Are you eating them for their fluid content or because you’re looking them as food & maintaining old snacking/eating habits?? While they contain no added sugar they do contain sweeteners - artificial or sugar alternatives like monk fruit. Therefore they are still feeding your desire for sweet foods. Some develop a sensitivity to sugar alcohols (the artificial sweeteners ending in ‘ol’) & experience bloating, diarrhoea, etc. I couldn’t have potatoes either but could have rolled oats from purée (instant to begin so easier on the tummy & very thin & milky). Took me three days to eat a serve & it was the only carb I ate (except the bite or two of vegetables I had). We all need a small amount of carbs & oats are considered a better carb. I’ll say it again plans are different.

I agree with the others about it likely being the shakes. Check the artificial sweetener they use in the shakes & the yoghurt. The sugar alcohols are renown for causing bloating, discomfort, diarrhoea, etc. Wouldn't hurt to try the plant protein shakes & dairy equivalents to ensure it’s not a lactose issue but if you didn’t have issues with dairy before you shouldn’t now. (After surgery some people do develop a lactose intolerance but it usually is temporary.)

What you need to do eating wise before surgery & after surgery is different. Before surgery is to show you can commit to a changed way of eating, introduce you to healthier food options, make you more aware of the nutritional value of what you eat & to lose weight & fat around your liver to make your surgery safer & easier. So a non bariatric dietician should be fine. After surgery, other considerations come into play such as during the staged return to eating solid foods, importance of macros & knowledge of the usually temporary effects of the surgery around food intolerances, nutritional needs, etc. May be consider seeing the bariatric dietician after your surgery. I know the distance can be prohibitive but you can always have zoom or phone appointments & only travel to see the dietician every month or two. Something to consider. No scale is the same plus you’re not the same. I tend to weigh myself first thing in the morning before food or drink & usually after pooping. But when I go to my doctor, it’s later in the day, I’m dressed, I’ve eaten & been drinking, etc. Scales on carpet will weigh differently than those on wood or tiles (uneven surfaces). The age of the scales, age if batteries, moisture in a bathroom, dust, etc can affect the accuracy. I didn’t care so much what my doctors scales read as I knew what mine did. They had their records of my weight loss & now maintenance & I have mine. Your weight loss should be the basically the same - if you lose 5 lbs it will show on everyone’s scales regardless what the numbers actually say. I’m going to presume you don’t have access to a stove & oven which limits your ability to cook your meals. What about a microwave or toaster oven? They don’t take up a lot of room & just need a power point & will give you more meal options.

Not everyone experiences dumping & fewer do with sleeve than bypass. You may never experience it. Dumping occurs from eating high fat or sugar. Can occur with high processed simple carbs & dairy but less common again. If your shakes are too thick add more water or milk. I used to double the water to my shakes. I cannot stress enough to follow your plan & your staged returned to eating diet. It is in place to protect & support your healing tummy & digestive system. Remember all those sutures & staples holding your tummy together. All because you drank or ate something without an issue doesn’t mean you should. You could have just been lucky. There are several vegans on this forum who successfully lost weight & maintain their lower weight. You just have to be careful to meet your protein & other nutrient goals. There are so many plant based protein alternatives you can choose from. Your dietician should be able to guide you about your options if you have concerns. If eating meat & dairy upset you before surgery they still will after surgery. Are you experiencing real hunger or head hunger? Wanting to eat a specific food or texture or flavour is head hunger. A lot of the area in your tummy that produces the hunger hormone Ghrelin was removed plus because of the nerves that were cut during surgery, the message to say you’re hungry doesn’t get through to your brain or if they do they are often different. And they won’t until you are fully healed. Head hunger is very powerful & is usually what drove us to eating in the past so we think that feeling is real hunger.

I believe it can slow your rate of loss. There are a few here that have PCOS & were slow losers too so don’t give up. Some people are slow losers & didn’t have PCOS - it’s just how our individual bodies work. 19lbs in about 6 weeks is still a decent achievement. I always say celebrate every pound. Keep following your plan & tracking your food. You will eventually get to a weight you’re happier at. P.S. Chicken often causes people problems at first. (So can eggs + beef). It’s usually temporary & because it can be very dry & coarse. Try thigh instead & use lots of gravies & sauces etc. to keep it & all meats moist.

Our tummy can be very sensitive & fussy for while after surgery. A lot of it is simple healing & you will be able to eat what you can’t tolerate now again in the future. For a few, some things may be more permanent & just be a fussy digestive system. (I always had one & some food sensitivities so no real change.) Recently my tummy decided tasty cheese is too rich & strong in flavour & up it came. I’m almost 4 years out & eaten it before without issue. I probably will again too. I find breads, pasta & rice sit too heavily in my tummy so I still don’t eat them. As @catwoman7 says chicken, especially breast, often causes problems at first. Others struggle with eggs or beef.