Arabesque

I’m sorry you have been through such emotional upheaval that compromised your weight loss journey. You had other battles & issues you were dealing with which didn’t allow you to fully embrace the benefits of your surgery. Sometimes life gets in the way of all our good intentions. Glad you are seeing a therapist now to support you. Many find therapy a great benefit to their weight loss. And remember, you did lose more than 100lbs which is an achievement. The efficacy of the pouch reset is questionable. Some swear it works & others say it doesn’t. It really is just going back on the very low calories diet you followed immediately after surgery. Have you considered going to a dietician & working on eating in a way that is more like what you were doing when you were into eating solid foods with protein & fluid goals, watching portion size, lowish carbs, fats & sugar, etc. so adopting a healthy, & nutrient dense diet. If you think you have stretched your tummy out, maybe a revision surgery may be helpful. Certainly worth a conversation with your old surgeon or a new one to see if it is possible. Others here will likely have more knowledge & experience about this. What ever you decide, all the best.

Popcorn is a slider food. It’s easy to eat so you end up eating way more than you can actually manage hence the feeling awful after. https://nutritionforweightlosssurgery.com/slider-foods/ Carrot was the first food I threw up, @Spinoza. Ate it one day & it was fine. The next day up it came. A few days later & ever since no problem. Our tummy’s have so many quirky idiosyncrasies that sometimes you can’t predict how it will react. Even three & a half years later I learn things about my tummy & digestive system.

You’ll get lots of different responses to your question. You may have gas pains - I didn’t after my sleeve but had heaps after my gall surgery. The gas is not in your digestive system but in your abdominal cavity so burping & farting won’t help. It rises & gets trapped under your lungs causing nerve pain usually in your shoulder. You actually breathe it out so walk, walk, walk as you can, do deep breathing, march on the spot & heat packs can ease the discomfort. It’s usually gone in a week or less. Yoi’ll get good drugs for the surgical pain. I took my last one on at night on day 4 to ensure I slept & didn’t need them after that. You may find it difficult to sleep in your bed & some sleep in a recliner. I slept in my bed in my usual side twist position from day 1. You will experience abdominal tenderness. It can make getting up & down a little difficult but go slowly. Some find a binder useful or even a cane but that is very individual. I didn’t use or need either. You may be bloated from all the fluid they pump you with & you may end up weighing more after the surgery than you did before. You pee it out over a few days. You may experience swelling in your throat from the breathing tube which causes pain on swallowing & sometimes lots of saliva. Mine lasted about 3 days. Nausea is also quite common but you should be given medication for that & to take home too as well as a PPI to help with excess stomach acid. You may experience a very sudden diarrhoea attack which occurs without warning. I did. It was awful … & messy. It’s from all the fluids, blood from the surgery, etc. It may persist for a few days. Otherwise, you’ll likely experience constipation which may persist for several months in varying degrees. Add soluble, non swelling fibre to your diet, keep your fluids up & keep on top of the constipation. I took a stool softener if I got to three days without any movement. And don’t worry if your poop is small or you only go every two days. You’re not eating much so don’t have much waste for your body to excrete. You will have periods of low energy & tiredness. You’ve had a pretty major surgery & are on a restricted diet. If your body says stop & rest, stop & rest. It’s healing & trying to recover. I found an electrolyte drink helped & gave me a little boost. Follow your plan. Follow your plan. Follow your plan. But don’t worry if you don’t meet all your protein & fluid goals straight out. As long as you’re close & getting closer each week you’re good. If you don’t feel well, are experiencing excessive pain or pain that persists, or something feels wrong to you, contact your surgery or go to a medical centre. It may be nothing but better to be safe & sure. Hope I haven’t scared you. All of this is temporary. All the best with your surgery & recovery.

Congratulations. A fabulous achievement. 🏆

The goal should be to stop before you feel full or feel your restriction. You’ve eaten too much if you feel it. I found it very helpful (& I do talk about this a lot) to learn to recognise the difference between needing to eat or wanting to eat. Do I need this next bite or just want it. Needing is real hunger & that your body needs it to function. Wanting is head hunger, eating out of habit, craving, etc. If I don’t need the next bite or I feel/know I’ve had enough I don’t eat any more. It doesn’t matter if I haven’t eaten all my portion. My fridge often has unfinished portions - rolled oats today which I’ll add to & have tomorrow. It takes time to work out how this works & what it means for you. The restriction won’t be there for ever.

My biggest energy drop was in my third month. Was so tired almost fell off my treadmill. Just depends on your body & how it deals with stress & how you heal & recover. Best thing to do is listen to it. If your body says rest, have a nana nap or stop what you’re doing & take a break. I found electrolyte drinks helpful (used Hydralyte) to give me a little boost.

I think it depends upon the severity of the attack. My first attack had me writhing on the bed, severe pain around my right side - front & back, sweating, no pain meds helped. Lasted 40 minutes. Had a less severe attack a few days later before I had my gall removed. They had picked up I had a stone in a scan to check my liver (yep one lousy stone that was only about 1cm wide that made me think I was dying ) about 6 months previously so I knew what the pain was. Gall stones can be common after weight loss surgery, so best to get it checked out.

The restriction has physical symptoms. It’s a tightness across your chest. I find myself thumping my chest as if that will help move the food through my digestive system & ease the tightness - it doesn’t. The goal is not to feel the restriction as it is generally a signal you’ve eaten too much. Sometimes, though, I find it sneaks up on me. Stress, eating denser food or foods that sit heavily in my tummy (bread, pasta, rice, cous cous, potato, & such) can set it off early when I’ve eaten very little. You wont start to feel it until you’re more healed & on solid foods. It does fade over time & as you get better at recognising when you’ve eaten enough - not full but enough that you don’t need the next bite. Learning to recognise the difference between needing to eat & wanting to eat is some of that head work that gets talked about. Vomiting can occur but generally you’re more likely to experience the foamies. You may feel your restriction at the same time because food is ‘stuck’ because it’s too dry, too coarse or you’ve eaten too big a bite or too quickly. You’ll spit up slimy foamy saliva & may regurgitate (not the deep muscle cramping of vomiting) the last bite or so of what you ate. My nose often runs with it. Often after you bring up that bit of food you can continue to eat after a short break. Another one of those learning things & getting to know your body’s idiosyncrasies. It’s not a common or frequent occurrence. You may not get a drain after your sleeve surgery. I didn’t & no one I knows did, though seems more common in the US.

I bought a new one recently because my old one died. I bought a weight watchers scale. Mid price of their range. It does a lot of things like measures your fat, bone density, water. I just use it for my weight. Can’t be bothered to set the personalised report function. I weigh a couple of times a week now just to keep myself honest & on track.

Not every one reaches their goal weight. The average is a loss of about 65% of the weight you have to lose to be in a healthy range at around the three year mark for sleeve or bypass. This takes in the common 3rd year regain, compliance, lifestyle, etc. of course some exceed this & some don’t reach it. Love it or hate it BMI can be a good guide or starting point. If you’ve a larger frame look to the higher end of your BMI range. A small frame then the lower end of the range. Medications, age, general health, etc. can all influence what a healthy weight is for you as well the weight you feel most comfortable. Then there is your body’s new set point - a gift of the surgery. This is the weight your body is happiest at. It may not be the weight you wanted but it will be a weight that will be easier to maintain. I chose a weight which had been the weight I’d be able to get down to in the past (always bounced between 60-75 kgs) & my surgeon agreed it was an appropriate & realistic goal (interestingly it would have been 75% of what I did lose). My body had a different idea & I lost more. My set point put me at a weight lower than my goal. For years I was told I had a larger frame. But when the weight went the truth was I have a smaller frame & my lower weight is fine for me. I haven’t had any skin removal because I felt I didn’t have that much & it wouldn’t be worth the surgery, recovery & scaring. But that’s me. They’d probably remove less than 1kilogram of lose skin from all over my body.

I reached goal at 6 months (31kg - 68lbs). I continued to lose for another 11 months losing about another 12kg (26lb - so total of about 43kg/95lbs) I was losing only around 0.5kg (1lb) a month in the last couple of months but I was eating more & had been working at slowing my weight loss for several months. At 3yrs 7 months I weigh about 50.5kg (111lbs). The more you have to lose, the faster you’ll lose at first but then your rate will slow. You eat more & a wider variety of food as you progress which is what you should be doing. It does slow your rate of loss but it is a healthier rate of losing & you’re eating more like you will be in the long term. Don’t get too caught up in comparing your weight loss or rate of loss though. There are too many factors that can influence your loss. Existing medical conditions, medications, lifestyle choices, mobility, age, gender, genetics, weight loss history, amount of weight to lose, etc. Congratulations on your weight loss so far. 100lbs in a year is great.

I’d be afraid that if your surgeon wasn’t supportive 12yrs ago that they won’t be supportive now. Criticising you for gaining weight 1week post surgery is appalling. When they do the surgery, they pump you full of gas so they can see the surgical field & they pump you full of fluid to keep you hydrated afterwards. It’s very common for people to weigh more when they come out of hospital than they did when they went in. Many are advised not to weigh themselves for at least a week post surgery because of this. Maybe look into another surgeon if you’re able. Also find out if you really have PCOS or not so you know if that needs to be managed & supported. Weight loss surgery will improve insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome & other comorbidities. There are numerous people on this forum who had these conditions & PCOS before surgery. It seems those with PCOS do tend to lose more slowly. But I’m sure some will share their experiences. My doctor used to check my thyroid (there is a family history) often but it was always fine too. I often skipped meals & did it from my teenage years through to my early 50s. So my metabolism was crap - I’d struggle to lose weight eating less than 900 calories. Plus I think hormones were a contributing factor as well - my weight issues began at puberty & worsened with menopause. The surgery boosted my metabolism & evened put some of my hormones. Ask your surgeon lots of questions about how the surgery may work for you & what you may expect with your existing conditions. Even ask for stats about his patients. Then when you will feel more confident about your decision.

Unfortunately, we never rid ourselves of those old habits & cravings. All we can do is recognise them for what they are, identify what may be behind them (stress, emotions, boredom, etc.) & learn strategies to manage them & take away some of their power. And yes, therapy can help a lot. In the meantime look for something to distract yourself. Go for a walk, play a game, craft, read, clean out a cupboard - sort out those clothes that are starting to get too big, watch a movie/documentary/ TV program, ring a friend, check social media & this forum.

It’s the same as how babies are transitioned from milk to purées to soft. Just way more quickly. You can purée a lot of meats but just add enough liquids to keep it pretty runny still. (Think dollop at thickest.) Gravy, stock, mayo, sauces, etc. are good liquids to use. The only issue I had was my changed taste buds. Some things just tasted plain awful like tinned fish. Mashed boiled eggs, puréed soups & milky rolled oats were my favourite go tos. I did try baby food a couple of times. In soft food, I cooked a lot of mince dishes (savoury mince, meat balls bolognese sauce), slow cooked stews & meat & vegetable soups, scrambled eggs & omelettes, soft flaky fish (poached or steamed). Keep it moist & the meat fall off the bone soft & tender. I also added a variety of vegetables in my meals: onion, tomato, celery, mushrooms, peas, capsicum, carrot, etc. Any I could cook in with the slow cooked dishes.

I kept losing well into my second year too. At my lowest I was 48.2kgs (was only there for a couple of weeks but …) & then I fluctuated between 48.5-49.5kg (about 18.9 BMI). I did that for about a 11 months & have been at about 50.5kgs for almost a year. (Am 3yrs 7 months out.) My dietician gave me some tips to up my calories before I stabilised so I’m glad you’re seeing your’s. Initually my surgeon & his associate were a little concerned when they looked at just the number on the scales but then they realised I’m ‘pretty small really’ (their words). Which is true as I’m not tall & am more finely built. They were then fine with my weight. Give yourself a little time to get used to your new body & your weight to stabilise & settle. Body dysmorphia will still be giving you a distorted picture of yourself as you compare yourself to the size you were before. It takes time for your head to catch up with the new reality of your size. I still get the occasionally shock when I realise the slim woman in the mirror or reflected in a window is actually me. And yes, bounce back regain of 10+/- lbs is a real possibility. You’ll work out what are your magic maintenance numbers are @pintsizedmallrat & it may not be 1500 calories because we have different needs & different weights we‘re most comfortable at. I thought 60kg & a BMI of about 23 would be great for me. But my body set me at a lower weight & I’m very happy with it. I was only eating about 1300 calories to maintain at the lower weight & about 1400 for the slightly higher weight now (have to eat more protein due to an absorption issue). But I’m not overly active & am 57 so that’s plenty of calories for me to maintain my smaller frame too. (I eat three meals & three snacks a day so eat heaps.) Oh & I get the clothing thing. I’m a US size 2 & sometimes a 0. There are stores here in Australia that don’t go smaller than a size 4. And there are ones where if they go to a 2 I’ll need a 0. (Still have largish feet for my height - 37.5-38). I’m about the size I was when I was 12. And yes I fit into Aust size 12 chn’s shorts. (My mum bought a pair for my niece & wondered if they would fit so asked me to try them on.)

That’s wonderful. Congratulations.

Adding to the suggestion that dehydration may be contributing to your leg cramps, you may also be lacking some minerals as a result of the restricted diet before & now after your surgery. Try taking a magnesium supplement or adding an electrolyte drink to your daily fluid intake (bonus of getting more fluids in too). I hope they’re not those horrible charley horse knotted cramps. They’re hideous & so painful. Dealing with cravings is a challenge & you may never fully defeat them. It would be so much easier if the surgery took away that part of your brain as well as a part of your tummy. The physical & emotional stress of the surgery, your recovery & even the worry of sticking to your plan & not making a mistake, can make you crave those foods that comforted you in the past. And because you can’t have those foods at the moment you want them more. Look for non-food/ eating things to comfort you & activities to distract yourself. Go for a walk as you’re able, craft, read, watch a movie, documentary or other program, play a game, ring a friend, check your social media or this forum, have something to drink like a cup of green or herbal tea if you’re allowed.

Everything improves & gets easier. Taste comes back. You continue to eat larger portions as you progress & a wider variety of foods. You get into better routines & your tummy is less sensitive. You also learn your body’s idiosyncrasies & needs. Check with your plan. I was able to eat vegetables from soft food (in stews, soups, omelettes at that stage & then as sides & fresh). Initially from the soIid food stage, I could only eat like a small cauliflower floret or two green beans or about a dessertspoon of steamed cabbage. I was also only eating 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food then too but by 6 months I was almost eating a cup (depending on the food). Now I eat about a regular portion size. Establish a routine with your drinking like how @catwoman7 does with what she drinks before breakfast. Many find success with setting a reminder on their phone to drink. I have routine of what I drink during specific times during the day & so by around 2ish I’ve had half my daily intake. I find it easier to drink as the day passes & I drink during the night too. (Get up to pee, drink. Pee & drink again.) If I’m driving, I drink when I get in & when I get out of the car & I’ll drink when I stop at traffic lights - it’s just become habit now. I don’t count any fluids in foods (except when I was on shakes) like not in soup - that’s just bonus fluid. Only exception is rolled oats. Don’t count the required 3/4 cup milk to make them but do count the additional 1/2 cup I add so it’s extra runny. I easily get in 1.75L a day but often get in 2L or more (2L = 67oz). I don’t think you experienced dumping either (usually caused by eating. high sugar foods or highly processed simple carbs). Sounds more like the foamies which can occur as a result of eating too quickly, over eating or eating food that is too dry or coarse. (You regurgitate the excess food or food your tummy can’t cope with, usually with foamy, almost sticky phlegm.)

had my three girl friends over fir Christmas drinks & catch up. I always over cater & now my fridge is overflowing with leftovers. Sigh! Also have leftover bottles of champagne too which I don’t mind about. Made a baked Brie (baked with quince paste, vino cotto & served with toasted walnuts & fresh thyme). So delicious. Bought mushroom & fete, & spinach & feta quiche slices & some salads from Botanica who specialise in gluten free & vegetarian foods & vegan salads. (Did you discover them when you lived here @ms.sss?). The coffee pavlova with coffe cream & coffee drizzle was made by one of my girlfriends & another made the fruit salad. (Forgot to take some of the pxts before we started eating so they’re partially devoured.)

Dealing with others (especially family) who don’t fully get it can be challenging, frustrating & upsetting. They’re trying to be supportive but … I remember my mum saying in frustration she didn’t know what I ate anymore & didn’t know what to have in the house when I visited. Well I ate pretty much what she did & did all the cooking when I was there but she felt lost, confused & didn’t want to jeopardise my weight loss. Maybe this is where your Mum’s coming from. Have you tried sitting her down with your program & going through it with her or even attending one of your dietician appointments. Remind her no one diet works for everyone because how bodies have different require to to function effectively & well. Your program has been designed to support your recovery & healing from surgery, to introduce healthy, nutrient dense foods to benefit your weight loss & health, & can be modified to meet any specific needs you might have. Can’t hurt. While sugar free popsicles are allowed I wonder if eating 4, 5 or more are too many in a day. Yes, they have no added sugar but they have artificial sweeteners which continue to feed your desire/craving for sweet. Also many develop an intolerance to sweeteners (particularly the alcohol sugars - end in ‘ol’) & over consuming may increase your risk. Try reducing how many you have each day & swap in alternative fluids like protein waters, green or herbal teas, etc. Worth a chat with your dietician but it is your choice.

The grocery bill went down though because I went from not eating lunch & morning & afternoon tea to eating them it wasn’t as much of a drop as I expected. But boy oh boy replacing clothing was an expensive process. Was being very careful & buying very little as I was losing predominately just to supplement my old smaller sized clothing. I got caught because when I was at about goal I started buying more thinking I’d stabilise but I kept losing & dropped two more dress sizes. Had to be refitted for bras three times, twice replaced my knickers, twice replaced pyjamas & have shoes that are smaller than what I used to wear but bigger than what I wear now. The additional cost not many talk about. Plus it’s so exciting to be able to buy beautiful clothes, underwear & shoes in small sizes & things that are flattering & fit properly. Addiction transference??? 😁😁😁 Donated a lot of things, gave away a few shoes but still have quite a few clothes & shoes that are one or two sizes too big. Just in case.

Yay for tea. I’m a big green tea drinker. Don’t enjoy fruit teas at all but some herbal ones are okay (fresh mint & peppermint are my favourites but chamomile is 🤢). South African Rooibus made me nauseous. 🤷🏻‍♀️ When I drank black tea I enjoyed earl grey at night & lady grey in the afternoon but English breakfast was my go to everyday tea. Russian caravan was an interesting smoky tea I enjoyed occasionally. Twinnings or Yorkshire Tea were my go to brands back then. Here in Australia we have a fabulous tea company: T2. I love their green sencha for everyday & their Buddha’s tears on weekends (it’s a long 8 minute brew). Their teas are very clean tasting. They do interesting herbal blends too like tummy tea, quiet mind, sleep tight. And have lovely tins to store your tea leaves or bags. (They deliver to the US if you’re interested). The Tea Company’s (also Aust company) gunpowder green & olive leaf teas are also good.

I think thermomixers could be an interesting addition to the kitchen & can see how you would be tempted. My sisters-in-law were early adopters & raved about them. One even upgraded to the newer model. But they haven’t used them in years. Like the bread maker, juicer, etc. they’ve been regulated to a cupboard. Lol! Lots of people seem to love their instapot & as @The Greater Fool suggested, it’s less expensive & maybe a better option (especially if you have a cupboard brimming with unused appliances like I do). But if someone is gifting it too go for it. Ha! PS - Many years ago I got a food processor for Christmas. Used it twice I think - cleaning was a pain - so into the cupboard it went. Dragged it out (& dusted it off) two years ago to make some hummus. First there was a burning smell then smoke. Unplugged it & tossed it outside. It ended up in the bin. No hummus that day. 😁

And adding to @SpartanMaker’s post, the area you carried more weight will be the slowest place to lose. Be it abdominal weight or the weight in your butt & thighs it’s where ever you have the most fat to lose. Take some body measurements - sometimes the number on the tape measure will reveal more of what you’ve lost than looking in the mirror or the fit of clothing.

That isn’t surgical gas as it’s within your digestive system so something like gas x should give you some relief. Small sips are good but are you also leaving a few minutes between sips? Burping is often caused by sucking in air when you eat or drink which is why many are advised to avoid straws & carbonated drinks. Also anxiety can contribute. You worry you will struggle with burping & excess gas & then you do. Also you are likely still producing the same amount of stomach acid you did with your larger tummy. Excess acid can cause belching (&hiccups). A PPI will help - were you prescribed one? Some develop a temporary intolerance to lactose which can result in burping though as you’re in clear fluids that shouldn’t be your cause. It’s really important to keep your fluids up. Dehydration is a concern post surgery. Watch for symptoms like dark yellow pee, peeing infrequently, lightheadedness, nausea, dry mouth & go to a medical centre if you experiencing them.