Arabesque

You may find you can’t stand anything sweet after surgery as your taste buds temporarily change. This a good thing as it can help reduce your desire for sweet foods. I never really craved sugar but I enjoyed dessert & having something sweet after dinner every night & a sweet treat morning or afternoon snack on the weekend (I have 6 high end patisseries & bakeries in a 2km radius around my house 😱). Now, I rarely have desserts, cakes, biscuits, pastries, etc. (couple of times a year) & don’t eat chocolate or lollies at all. Don’t miss it either. Watch artificial sweeteners as they continue to feed your desire for sugar & they have lots of side effects including weight gain (makes your body hold on to calories), allergies, etc. About 1/2 my fluid intake comes from plain water. I was allowed green tea from surgery & I have a large mug (400ml) every day. I also let sparkling water go flat & I have 400-500mls a day. The mineral taste was a nice change to plain water. I was also allowed rolled oats from purée (instant to begin) & I used a lot of milk so I get extra fluid that way. I also found a good low calorie high protein yoghurt drink. (You can make your own by mixing yoghurt with milk.) Keep a glass of water beside you all the time even by your bed. It actually just becomes a habit.

Milk with earl grey tea. 😱 Sacrilege! Lemon & only lemon to enhance the bergamot. (And zero calories.) Captain Picard would be horrified.

Potatoes weren’t allowed on my plan as they’re a starchy high carb vegetable. Plus how they’re traditionally prepared is often high calorie (butter in a mash, oil if roasted or fried, cream if scalloped, etc.). And most of their good fibre is in the skin which people throw away. But if they’re on your plan give them a go. I still don’t eat them. They tend to sit a bit heavily in my tummy. I try a bite or two of mashed or baked every now & again but no. My father was a potato grower & we had to have potato every night. I’m sure he’s rolling in his grave.

Electrolyte drinks can give you a bit of a boost. I found them helpful when my energy was really low. Shop around to find one with lower carbs & sugar. Though be careful if you’re on high blood pressure meds etc. as they do contain salts. I used hydralyte which was recommended by my surgeon. I used to dilute it by doubling the water required to make it up as it tasted sweet - but then everything did.

Some do some don’t. It can depend on how much weight you had to lose, your rate of loss, etc. I lost for almost another 11 months after I reached goal at 6 months. It was extremely slow the last few months but it was the weight my body wanted to be at (my new set point). Generally it is more difficult to lose weight in your second year. Your hunger starts to return, you’re eating larger portions, etc. If you’re doing strength training & putting on muscle that will be distracting from any weight loss you may be still having. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Also everyone’s rate of loss slows the closer to their goal weight. Not every one reaches their goal. Gastric sleeve patients tend to lose 50-70% of the weight they have to lose (difference between starting weight & ideal weight). This is where the average lie at about 3 yrs post surgery. You will reach a weight that genetics, your new set point & metabolism are happy at & also a weight that you can sustain while living your life how you want.

@lizonaplane & @ShoppGirl are correct. You’ve just had pretty major surgery, your hormones are out of whack, your digestive system has been altered, something you relied on to provide emotional support (food) has been taken away from you, … Give yourself time to heal & recover -physically, mentally & emotionally. And I’m going to say it: it does get better & easier. The staged return to eating is to support the healing of your tummy. In a few weeks on soft foods you’ll be able to have some of that tender beef stew (just no rice unless it’s cauliflower rice). Yes, it will be a much smaller portion but you’ll be eating more slowly so your family will finish their serve about the same time you likely be finished too. Think of all the new recipes you & your husband will be able to try or reinvent with alternative ingredients. I also agree with @lizonaplane suggestion to meet with a therapist. Many bariatric patients swear by the support they received through therapy & how it helped change their relationship with food, how they see themselves, etc. I still drink just not as often & not as much. I say I drink quality (like champagne not sparkling) not quantity now. I often go out to restaurants. French, Italian, Japanese, Greek, etc. fine dining, bistros, cafes. I’m just careful with my menu sections. And I’m not afraid to ask to take leftovers home even in fine dining restaurants (took home duck breast, duck rillette, parsnip purée & baby carrots the other night).

The dexa scan is a great idea & is more accurate than the punch & squish test which is what I did/do. 😁. My loose skin is squishy, softer & sort of feels more thin than the fatty bits. The fatty bits still have some body & density. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I thought too full too. Try to eat until you’ve had enough - do you need that next bite or just want it? (When you’ve almost finished your portion, slow right down & really think about your next bites.) During the surgery a lot of nerves are cut so the messages of fullness don’t work as well & for many when they do the signals can be different. (Some sneeze or their nose runs.) The message you’re full takes time to get through & often by the time you start to feel full you’ve actually had too much. You’ll find there’s a lot of new things to learn about your eating & how your body reacts.

Get in touch with your surgeon to make sure everything is ok. Nausea isn’t uncommon & many are prescribed anti nausea meds to begin. Plus your tummy can be pretty sensitive for a while as it’s healing. And multi vitamins can make you nauseous & because you’re not able to eat much there wouldn’t be much in your tummy to help soften the effects of the vitamins. This all improves but it can be frustrating & demoralising. Once you’re able to eat more you’ll feel a lot better too with more energy. All the best.

Oestrogen is stored in your fat & as you lose weight the excess oestrogen is released into your blood stream. You may experience heavier or lighter periods, more or less frequent cycles, mood swings, etc. You can also become more fertile so double up on contraception just in case. I agree with the others: slow down between bites: minutes not seconds. Try using a teaspoon to keep your bites small too. Glad you tried going back to soups first a little while. Some people just need a little longer on a stage. We all recover at our own pace. See how you go again with soft foods in a few days. Also some foods don’t sit as well & we don’t enjoy them. This is usually temporary but you may have to do a bit of trial & error when reintroducing foods at first.

I pee often during the day (about every 60-90mins) & at night (about 5 times a night) but then I do drink throughout the day & at night. I do pee differently then I did as a younger person. The signal is a bit more urgent & the flow isn’t as forceful which is all part of getting older.

Yep, it will be the hormonal flush causing the emotional roller coaster. It’s like permanent PMT. It will settle as you lose more weight & are releasing less oestrogen into your blood stream. And you’ll get better at managing it as well. It’s why your menstrual cycle may get a bit screwed up too. Plus you may be consciously or subconsciously mourning how you used to eat adding to the emotional swings.

They’re a crunchy twisty cheese or chicken flavoured snack created in Australia. If I remember correctly they used more natural flavours then chemical ones. So yummy. You’d get some of the flavour coating on your fingers & have to lick them after. Found in some SE Asian countries & I think the UK as well.

Oh, you have been through the wars. None of this would be directly related to your surgery though except from being run down & recovering from a pretty major surgery. Plus you may have gone back to a demanding job too soon leaving you open to pick up a bug. It may have been a signal to slow down you were doing too much. Then your lowered immune system made you a target for the subsequent infections. A perfect storm. The vomiting after surgery is not uncommon because your tummy is so sensitive but becoming unwell with viruses & infections like you have is uncommon. You’ll slowly rebuild your immune system especially when you’re able to eat a little more & a broader more nutritious range of foods. In the meantime keep your vitamins up. Broken toes are awful. How can such a little part of you be so limiting. I did mine when I accidentally my kicked my vacuum. Half my foot was bruised & swollen for ages. Thank goodness I did it summer so I could still wear slides & sandals. Congratulations on your weight loss so far. Apart from you being unwell, you’re doing well. Take it easy & take time to fully recover.

We all have natural fluctuations of a couple of pounds (mine is 1kg). You probably didn’t really notice them before because, if you’re like me, you rarely weighed yourself. I didn’t need to be reminded I was obese. They really mean nothing. They could be fluid, constipation, diarrhoea, just your body, etc. Your weight loss will never be constant. Your graph will zig zag up & down & have odd plateaus. As long as the trend is downwards you’re golden. Stalls are very common, @Crisscat. Frustrating I know, but almost every one of us experienced them. The first one (yes, first one) often occurs around week 3 & usually last 1-3 weeks. Think of them as your body taking a breath as it tries to get used to all the changes. Stick to your plan & you’ll start losing again. Oh, and all because the scales aren’t moving doesn’t mean your body is reducing in size. You may find your pants or skirts are a little loser. Take some measurements.

I did from the beginning. Wasn’t told not too. Just found them easier to control my sip with at first for the first month or so. Used them for shakes, soups, electrolyte drinks but strangely not water or tea. Use them very rarely now besides the paper straws breakdown before I finish what I’m drinking 😁.

It’s okay. You recognise what happened & why. This puts you ahead of someone who denies it. You’ll know how to handle similar situations in the future better. And having a few twisties (oh the memories - cheese only never chicken) as a treat now & then is ok. You have to be able to live & enjoy your life. Now the important question: which show bag is your favourite? Bertie beetle? Fredo frog? I always got the snakes alive bag. Actually I recently had the same discussion about work putting arbitrary restrictions on when you can eat & forces your body to metabolise food & function in ways that may be unnatural for you. I’ve never had to do night shift (don’t know how you do it), but now I don’t have to get up & eat breakfast at 5/5:30am, I feel much better in myself. My body seems happier eating breakfast at 9ish. While I eat 99% of the time to a schedule, it’s the routine my body likes. My body clock very much responds to daylight so not getting up in the dark half the year is more energising too.

Dinner out with my colourist & her husband. Pre dinner gin & basil cocktail at local boutique hotel followed by dinner at nearby restaurant. Started with Brie baked in wood fire coals with fennel jam & fermented garlic honey. It was delicious. Wanted to scoop it up in spoonfuls but I used two small pieces of lavosh which sat ok. Then duck breast with puréed parsnip & baby carrots. Also sipped a glass of a lovely Grenache which I sadly couldn’t finish. I ate almost one piece of duck & 1/3 of the purée & carrots & have the leftovers for dinner tonight. Yippee! Lots of young beautiful girls at the hotel. All dressed the same, with their matching laminated brows, lip & check fillers, lash implants & blonde hair. All mirror images of each other. Not an individual amongst them. Sad really.

Be careful with nuts. They’re often not allowed for a couple of months. Check your plan first.

Were you given an plan with recommended foods to eat or avoid by your surgeon &/or dietician? If not ask your dietician & medical team for a list. Generally, we’re advised to avoid breads, rice and pasta because they swell in your tummy filling you quickly, and are nutritionally poor. So sushi, tortillas etc. would be out. Focus on getting your protein in first, then some vegetables, then a little fruit &/or carbs - look for low processed whole or multi grain as permitted on your plan - if you can. For most of us by the time we ate our protein then a couple of bites of vegetables, we were done. By 8 weeks I was eating all meats (soft white fish, smoked salmon, chicken, beef, pork, lamb). When we say we can’t tolerate a specific food it can be that you feel nauseous, or it sits heavily in your tummy & causes a general discomfort, it may taste or smell awful, it may be too dry or coarse & feel like it gets stuck & you get the foamies or you may bring it up. It occurs because our tummies are so sensitive after the surgery - healing & then getting used to foods again. But it doesn’t mean you won’t ever be able to eat that food. It’s really a temporary thing. Sometimes a couple of days or a week or so later it’s fine. Also you may be able to eat something without issue for weeks then one day your tummy says no, not today. Then the next day it’s all good. I called my tummy a petulant, tantrum throwing two year old for a couple of months. Yes, chicken can be too dry especially breast. Try thigh instead. It’s way more flavoursome & moist. If beef sits well, eat beef. Some struggle with salads to begin because they can be coarse & the leaves can seem like they get stuck & often they’re not on your plan for a couple of months.

The variations in answers to your questions occurs because we all heal & recover differently. For example,e, some return to work after a week, others take two or three. I took four but my energy levels were very low as was my blood pressure but my recovery is always slow. Your surgeon may do things differently too. Like, some surgeons send their patients home that afternoon. Others say stay overnight. Mine had me stay two nights as I lived alone. I ended up staying three nights as my back went into spasm & apparently my colour was poor. Have to admit I’m glad I threw in an extra pair of pjs & knickers. Ask your surgeon about the length of the surgery, expected length of your hospital stay, what to expect when you get to the hospital, etc. The hospital may have different prep requirements too. I had an appointment at the hospital a couple of days before, weight, height & medical records checked & had an ECG, blood test, etc. They also gave me an antibacterial wash I had to use in the shower at home the morning of my surgery & had to wash my hair with it too. My surgeon (& his anaesthesiologist) were lovely. He always is. Joking with me as I waited outside theatre. They both saw me in recovery after surgery too. Time sort of moves weirdly because your nervous. I have no idea how long I was in the theatre waiting room but it didn’t seem long. Though it felt like ages when I was moved outside the theatre. Make sure you get all your over the counter meds (non steroidal pain meds, Imodium, non swelling soluble fibre like Benefibre, gas X, etc.), vitamins, a variety of shakes, broths, soups, etc, as per your plan, herbal or green tea, some electrolyte drinks or sachets, before you go to hospital. All the best.

I think it could be stomach acid too. Or spasming from the surgery. Menstrual cramps occur low in the abdomen. If you haven’t got a script for a PPI, try some over the counter antacids (liquid would be easiest this soon out from surgery) until you speak to your surgeon. If it’s surgical spasming, try a warm drink like herbal tea or broth or warm your water or protein shake.

Yep, the acid in tomatoes can be a bit harsh to begin. Were you prescribed a PPI after surgery (Nexium or Prilosec, etc.)? Many are. Any over the counter antacids should work if the heart burn is mild. Otherwise just avoid tomatoes for a little while.

As @ms.sss said it all evens out. You lost a large amount to begin then nothing with your stall but your average is still 4lbs a week. This is a great rate of loss. You should be jumping for joy. Don't worry about small gains. We all have a natural fluctuation. We women gain & lose just with hormonal fluctuations & fluid retention that actually have nothing to do with our true weight & how much fat we’re carrying. Plus our bodies can be just weird & react unexpectedly. Two weeks ago I literally peed every 30-60minutes all day long & peed a lot overnight. I felt like ever drop of fluid in my body was gone yet got on the scales the next morning & weighed a pound more. I should have weighed at least a pound or two less. Our weight loss graph is never a straight line. It zigs & zags up & down but as long as the general tend is in a downward direction you’re doing fine. PS - have to admit I imaged you eating a giant loaded burger at first too. 😁

Does that on my iPad too. Spins for ages & nothing. So you try again & suddenly multiple posts appear.