Arabesque

One friend was back at a desk job after a week. Another took three weeks. Me, I took four. My blood pressure was very low (always a tendency pre surgery), my thinking was doughy & my energy was low. You can never really predict how you will recover. You may find it helpful to keep your return to work flexible with your employers just in case. Like have a second week off available if you need it &/or part time/reduced hours options available too.

Even though you’ll need to have a revision, I am glad they discovered why you were struggling to eat. Are you sure you have to go through the full pre surgery diet process or just the usual nothing to eat or drink from the night before the surgery practise? Your liver has already shrunk, you’ve lost a lot of weight & your general health would be way better now then when you had the first surgery. But … 🤷🏻‍♀️ You may find it isn’t as difficult this time as at least you’ll know what happens & to expect after surgery. All the best.

Still don’t do chips after 3 years but that’s a personal choice. I do have the occasional baked fava beans or chick peas as a snack which I discovered last year (once a month maybe). I don’t rally fry anything but sometimes use a little oil depending on what I’m cooking. (I love crumbed lamb cutlets & you need a little oil to get a crunchy crumb. Doesn’t work at all in an air fryer. But actually bake them now cause the fat in the lamb is enough to crisp the crumb.) I usually just use a spray olive oil &/or a non stick pan. As for butter I put a little on my green vegetables (microwave them in butter & water) & that’s it. I only just finished a 500g tub of butter I started using at the end of November last year. But again these are choices I’ve made.

Probably look at this once your at or close to maintenance. One of the issues with rice & pasta is that it swells in your now much smaller tummy & fills you more quickly. They also don’t provide a lot of nutrition. So say if you can only eat about a cup of food & the majority of that is likely protein & it should all be nutrient dense food, can you risk not being able to eat what you need to eat because you ate some rice or pasta & are full? Try some zucchini noodles in lieu of pasta & cauliflower rice in lieu of rice.

This is great. It reminded me of my then 3 yr old nephew wanting to take me for a drive in his little child’s gator. Could easily fit my bottom in the seat. It was pretty freaky - never would have imagined being able to fit in a little child’s seat. Of course I couldn’t get my legs in so I dangled them over the front of the gator’s bonnet. Amusingly, he refused to drive me cause it wasn’t safe.

Watched this 2021 UK documentary yesterday & it was very interesting. Dr Chris van Tulleken put himself on an ultra processed diet to see the impacts on his health. The results were quite frightening & also thought provoking. Within a month his body was producing more hunger hormones & fewer of the full/satiated hormones. He was never full & was always hungry. His brain was creating new links which are very similar to those formed with alcohol, cigarette & drug addictions. And of course the expected increases in weight, cholesterol, etc. Scariest was that they don’t believe some of these changes will ever be completely reversed by returning to a low processed diet. Could explain the struggle many of us continue to experience with hunger, cravings, etc. Worth watching if you can find it. I watched it on Netflix here in Australia.

Wouldn’t have survived without being able to eat soup. Yes, to making it yourself. Use a bone broth as a base stock to get in your protein & purée & strain well. You can also make a chicken or other meat based soup. Again strain everything out & if you have family they can eat the soup with all the meat & vegetables. You can also strain wonton soup, ramen noodles, etc. & drink the broth.

Yeah, PPIs are often the culprit. I haven’t experienced it after taking my daily Nexium but had it mildly very quickly after taking Kwik eze. I think mine is more caused by being menopausal. (A side effect not often talked about.) I have water beside my bed & for when I get the occasional dry mouth attack, I hold the water in my mouth for a few seconds to help re hydrate. But Biotene is an effective treatment.

Watch the juice. Even though it may not have added sugar, the fruit itself naturally contains a lot. A juice is equivalent to eating several pieces of fruit too. We’re often told no juice at all & usually advised to slowly add small amounts of fruit (so you get all the fibre & nutrients in the whole fruit not just some of it from juice) as you progress through your weight loss. Check with your dietician, though.

Those apps are the devils work. Delete the apps, unsubscribe from the emails, remove the phone numbers from your contact lists & toss the letterbox drops. Can’t stop all the bombardment but at least you can reduce it & remove some of the easy access to it all. I found ads on tv & social media the worst it because they made me feel ill to look at any sort of high fat, high sugar, fast food, etc. food. Still does. God bless steaming, recording & downloading programs so you can avoid ads. Funnily I can happily watch cooking & baking programs probably because they rarely celebrate excess. The other thing I do is to make sure I have a selection of left over meals in my freezer. So on a night I may have been tempted to get takeaway or home delivery, I choose something out of my freezer. I can have a nutritious meal in 5 or so minutes. (Love my microwave.) No delivery service can beat that.

I was one of those who didn’t exercise while losing & exceeded my weight loss goal. It didn’t affect my rate of loss. I do a little now (& I mean a real, real little - some stretching & a couple of at home resistance type exercises). So it can be done. But if you want to do some, there are a lot of online videos of exercises for those with mobility issues. Have you seen a physio for exercises to support the healing & recovery of your knee? They’ll help support your weight loss & general fitness too. And certainly it as you lose weight you’ll take a lot of pressure off your knee.

Diarrhoea isn’t uncommon but you seem to be experiencing more than most. Glad you’ve hit in touch with your surgeon. Try some Imodium in the meantime. It was on my list of over the counter meds to have on hand post surgery in case of diarrhoea. Wonder if you have could have developed a temporary intolerance to lactose. It happens. May be worth giving some lactose free or plant based protein shakes & powder a try instead of the traditional lactose based shakes.

As the others have said it is very, very common to experience a 10lb+/- bounce back regain in your second or third year. Some gain may be attributed to your body resettling. Some gain may be to put you at a weight that is what your body set point really is now. Some may be a little complacency. Some may be the return of your hunger. Some may be changes you’ve made so your eating plan better complements your life. Some may be attributed to changes in medication or general health. Have to admit I too, would question a doctor who would prescribe medication to manage a 10lb weight gain. The points raised by @Sleeve me alone! would be a concern especially with a medication which swells in your tummy. Did your doctor request a blood test to assess your hormonal levels or to see if anything was lacking. At your age yes peri menopausal or menopausal side effects could have contributed to your gain. I put on about 15kgs very quickly when I became peri menopausal pushing me to 91kg & couldn’t lose any of it. It’s what made me turn to surgery. It’s an area to explore further. But I’d also go back to your surgeon & see what they have to say.They’ve got the experience & knowledge to give you the best advice. And maybe find a therapist who can support you identify ways to manage your hunger in case there are other issues at play too.

Welcome @STLoser and happy birthday. Cute dress too. Looking forward to more of your pxts. Perfect hot summer night dress @kristieshannon. How did date night go? Bet he couldn’t take his eyes off you.

Had a tub of soon to expire hummus in my fridge so decided to borrow a recipe from one of the restaurants I’ve been to lately. Roasted cauliflower with hummus & dukkha but without the fancy drizzle of olive oil. I ended up adding more hummus & dukkha then in this pxt. I ate one piece with a lamb cutlet. Thank you for the birthday wishes @Sophie7713.

As the others have been saying, plans are different. I was never given a caloric goal just protein, water & portion sizes. Best to discuss this with your dietician with consideration of your needs, gender, age, height, etc. & activity level. Though generally a goal like 1000 calories would be one you’d work up to once on solid foods. If I was given caloric goals they would be very different to yours as a short, middle aged woman who isn’t very active. I was barely eating 900 calories at 6 months & at goal.

It seems to be a pre surgery diet preferred by UK surgeons. I would have been fine with the yoghurt but not the plain milk aspect. I ate high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drinks every day instead of shakes after the liquid stage post surgery to help meet my protein goals. Shakes are disgusting.

I added some crunches to my pretend exercise routine. And oh my God the butt pain is awful as I roll up & back down over my unprotected butt bones. I was doing them on a thick rug & have added my yoga mat but it takes a lot of determination to keep doing those crunches despite the discomfort.

It does get better as you start to eat more balanced & recommended portion sizes. But you’ll also get better at managing it as well. I still have odd times where I might miss a day for whatever reason but then I did before my surgery too. I too used the powdered Benefibre. Added it to my yoghurt & yoghurt drink.

Potatoes are the worst. They sit so heavily. Every now & again I’ll try them but … Had a couple of spoons the other day & nope still can’t. Felt so full & heavy I couldn’t eat the rest of my delicious duck, lentil & smoked beetroot lunch (was super delicious too). Have to say I love my aversion to sweet foods. Not even tempted these days. Never liked pears & their grainy texture. Now I can eat a couple of slices & it’s okay. Mind you it’s with a wedge of Brie. 😆😆.

It still happens to me at three years. Not often but sometimes there are just circumstances &/or distractions which cause you not to eat mindfully. Then your body really reminds you you’ve done the wrong thing. Groan. A couple of months back I was staying at my mother’s & we were having a ‘discussion’ and yep ate too fast & got the foamies. At least me rushing to the bathroom ended the discussion. 😉 Bet it was the plum skin that caused your experience @Tomo. Just a little too coarse & got stuck.

I wasn’t. Personally I couldn’t stand any pressure across my abdomen & had to roll my waist bands down low so wouldn’t have be able to wear one anyway. I think it’s an individual recommendation from the surgeon or something a patient chooses as it feels more comfortable to wear a binder post surgery. It would be helpful if you carry a lot of your weight in your abdomen (We carry it differently - I was an equal opportunity carrier - hips, thighs, butt, breasts, … 😁) or had a longer surgery to repair other issues like a hernia as well. Certainly, getting up & down can put strain on your healing tummy, incisions & stretched tummy muscles which the binder will support.

Try adding snacks. It was the only way I could slow my weight loss after I reached my goal but was unable to eat a recommended portion size. I did it with the support of my dietician & chose foods that were nutritionally sound. I still snack to reach the calories I need to maintain but not as often as I did initially because I can usually eat a portion size now. So snacking would help you increase your calories to gain. You could also graze on your left overs - finish your lunch portion for afternoon tea - which would satisfy your dietician’s advice. Try adding another serve of whole/multigrain carbs, another serve of fruit, a protein bar, cheese, yoghurt, chia pudding, hummus, etc. You can snack on raw vegetables too. I found some baked fava beans & chick peas snacks (which are handy when travelling too). I added powdered milk to milk to enrich (it becomes sweet though so I only did it when making chia pudding). I also used non diet dressing on salads. I know it can be challenging because you may not feel hungry or feel like eating & you likely don’t want to establish bad food & eating habits again either. I know that’s how I felt & still feel. Ask your dietician for more specific suggestions than just eat more especially when you physically can’t. All the best.

I was allowed scrambled eggs (& instant oats) in the purée stage but they had to be made with more milk & kept pretty runny. Would take me three days to eat two eggs. While plans have differences, 4 days seems too soon. (Two week stage cycles tend to be the most common.) You may struggle so don’t be afraid to go back to only liquids (including the cream soups) for a few more days. And yes, lots of people struggle with eggs - too rich I think.

Yes definitely go to your doctor or an emergency centre. Black, tarry stools aren’t uncommon the first time or two after surgery but not this far out. Constipation is very, very common. Add some soluble, non swelling fibre to your diet. Many of us follow a routine of taking stool softeners or similar. Some take something every day. I’d take a softener if I hadn’t been for three days. Are you taking a ppi? Many find dry mouth a side effect. Try Biotene which is a mouth spray which ‘moisturises’ your mouth. Not sure about the stuck feeling. I’ll get that if I eat something too dry or coarse as a precursor to the foamies. And before my reflux was diagnosed (decades ago) I actually would get a bit of food stuck in my throat that had come up from my tummy. But you said you’re at the purée stage so unless your purées aren’t moist & liquidy enough (should easily dollop off a spoon) … 🤷🏻‍♀️ Unless your history with Barrett’s, etc, are causing some swelling but again ???? Maybe worth an appointment with your gastroenterologist & more than just a barium meal test. Hope they can find some answers for you & you feel better soon. Hey @Tiffanyl1288 I’m a little confused. At ten days out you are usually only still on liquids & then would progress to purées, then soft foods then solid foods by about the 6 weeks mark (though plans are different). What are you ‘eating’? If you are eating you may be irritating (& potentially damaging) your healing esophagus & tummy. Remember for when you are eating that we’re advised to avoid drinking and eating at the same time. Usually we’re told to leave 30 minutes before & after eating before drinking (sipping).