Arabesque

You’ve probably bought it up now but likely have bruised your healing tummy/throat hence you thinking you can still feel it. You’ll be okay but best to stick to liquids (shakes, soups, etc.) for another week. That ‘s one thing about the surgery, your tummy tells you pretty quickly, though not in the nicest way, it’s not ready for something yet. Puréed cheese??? Do they mean cream cheese? I would think even that would be too thick at one week. Probably Hold out on cheese to you are on solid foods & then soft cheese (processed cheeses like string cheese or cheese slices are a good place to start though I found jarlsburg easy to tolerate), though you could melt some cheddar in an omelette during soft.

The change in our taste buds, & sometimes our sense of smell too, is just temporary. The flavour, texture or smell of some foods almost turn your tummy or taste disgusting. While being extra sensitive to sweetness is pretty common, other flavours, textures & smells can be individual. I remember the first time I was able to eat vegetables as a side & sat down to my favourite asparagus & sugar snap peas & blah!! Just awful. Took a couple of weeks before I could eat them. Strangest one was smoked salmon. I often found it too rich pre surgery but suddenly I could eat it & had it every second day with cucumber & a little cream cheese. Then one day nope, couldn’t stomach it & haven’t been able to face it since. PS - Personally, I embraced the sensitivity to sweet & never really reintroduced sugar, sugar alternatives or sweeteners back into my eating.

There are temporary side effects of losing larger amounts of weight like we do through this process. One is hair loss & some lose more or less than others. Another is looking drained, wan, tired or even gaunt. There are other individual things too. But most of these are temporary. Once our weight stabilises & our eating changes to include a broader range of foods & nutrient sources & our portion sizes increase these things change. Over time our hair regrowth is more noticeable & our remaining fat seemingly resettles. Well it did for me & my friends who also had the surgery. Around the time my weight loss had almost stopped, my uncle told my mother I looked like death. My hour glass shape had gone but I felt good in myself & very pleased with what I had achieved. Within a few months of my weight stabilising my curves returned (hello waist - though I still don’t have a butt). My uncle told me I looked great & others commented on my glowing, healthy skin. My hair was thickening as the length of the new growth was nearing that of my existing hair. A short time of not looking my best is nothing. Happily pay that price to feeling & looking how I do now which is way better than I have in forever. I don’t even really care about my saggy, loose skin - I’ve earned it - it’s a reminder of where I was & what I did to get where I am now.

I’m certainly glad you’re still about @GreenTealael & your very wise advice. ❤️

Don’t know about the floor ones but my mum bought a seated exercise bike for use before & after her double knee replacement. You supposedly use more of your upper leg muscles 🤷🏻‍♀️. More expensive of course than the floor elliptical ones but if you shop around you may find ones that aren’t too pricey.

I was told no fruit juice either not even 100% juice no added sugar ones. Takes several pieces of fruit to make a glass of juice. You get all the sugar but don’t get all the nutrients & benefits of the whole fruit. So it is better to have a single piece of fruit when you are allowed. But check with your dietician. Honestly I did buy a small bottle of all juice no added sugar when I was out shopping early in my 2nd month as I had a sudden drop of energy & some hypoglycaemia. I had a couple of sips but it was awful - far too sweet. I learnt then to carry a bottle of diluted hydralite with me whenever I left home.

What our new signals may be can be different. Hiccups like you, sneezing or runny nose seem to be quite common. Me, I don’t have a physical reaction like those. Sometimes my tummy will start to rumble, grumble & squelch. In many ways I have a similar feeling of fullness to what I always got just not as extreme because I am more aware of when that feeling starts (sort of heaviness). I rely more on asking myself if I need the next bite or just want it. I often will put down my fork or spoon with food on it because I realise I don’t need that bite. Sometimes I may have that bite 5 or 10 minutes later. I still have my restriction but I only feel that if I‘ve eaten a little too fast (I’m still a slow eater) or if something is too heavy, not sitting well or sometimes for no obvious reason.

Estrogen is stored in your fat. As you lose weight, estrogen is released into your blood stream messing up your cycle. Not uncommon to have heavier/lighter periods, more or less frequent cycles, or experience more or fewer symptoms (cramping, emotions, etc.) You can also become more fertile. I was menopausal & my breakthrough hot flushes, night sweats etc. disappeared whoo hoo - they came back though unfortunately. It usually settles once you’ve lost most of your weight. If it persists chat with your doctor & ask for your hormone levels to be checked.

This isn’t an easy question to answer because we have different needs & we are different people. I was at my goal at 6 months but kept losing as I struggled to eat enough at first to slow the loss. My surgeon told me to work up to about a cup of food by maintenance & I guess that was pretty true but it did depend on what I was eating as some things were more filling - still the same now. I was barely eating 900 calories at 6 months & then about 1300 when I stabilised at about 15 months. I eat about 1400 now & generally eat about or a bit less than what would be considered a recommended serving size. Someone taller, younger, more active than me, heavier than me & with a larger frame would need to eat more & vice versa. And of course the foods you eat also okay a part. I’m a low processed make it myself person, eating lower carbs, very little sugar, lowish fat. Have you spoken to your team about the foods you struggle with? What do you mean by struggle - make you feel sick, feel your restriction, sit heavily, taste, etc.? Is it a specific food/s, food group or any food randomly? Can you relate it too how much you eat, how fast or even when you eat? (Sounds odd to ask about time but for example I have difficulty eating breakfast before 8:30/9am.)

Any one that you can enjoy & don’t mind doing regularly. Still haven’t found the one for me & I’ve tried lots of them over the years. LOL! I do a series of stretches & some basic resistance exercises at home. Mostly to support my back but also to tone my arms & keep me limber. I’m not looking at running a marathon or dead lifting my, or anyone else’s body weight. @SpartanMaker has listed all the benefits of regularly exercising but if you’re looking at exercising predominately for weight loss there is an ugly truth: exercising only accounts for about 10% of the weight you want to lose. So only about 1 of those last 10lbs you want to lose.

You may not want to hear this but this may not be a stall. This may be your body’s set point (the weight your body is happiest at & is easiest to maintain) and/or you’ve reached a point where your food intake is equivalent to what your body needs (burns) to function. Not everyone gets to the goal they’ve chosen. The average weight loss after three years is about 60/65% of the weight you had to lose to put you in a healthy weight range. Have a chat with your dietician & review your eating plan & activity. Though if you decrease your calories & increase your activity to lose those last 10lbs you will have to maintain that to remain at the lower weight. Only you know if that is sustainable.

Actually I’d say it’s more Atkins than Keto, though both advocate high fat, low carb. The difference is Atkins recommends higher protein & also healthy carbs in maintenance. Keto doesn’t. Keto also is quite restrictive in choice of vegetables & fruit while Atkins has more options. It may be best not to try to define your post surgery diet as anything other than your post surgery diet as prescribed by your surgeon & dietician. We all get too stuck on labels. Generally, your post surgery diet is high protein, low carb, low fat, low sugar while losing. Starches like rice,bread, pasta & potatoes are not recommended for a couple of reasons. Unused starch quickly turns into fat. Rice, pasta & bread swell in the tummy leaving less room for you to eat protein & more nutritious food choices (i.e. vegetables). They often sit heavily in your tummy as well making you unable to eat what you need as well. They are considered higher processed carbs too. Many successfully reintroduce them or variations of them in maintenance. No one ‘diet’ works for everyone & many aren’t sustainable in the long term. That’s one of the reasons we always failed in the past. Work out a way of eating (not a ‘diet’) that works for you, your body (health), your lifestyle, allows you maintain & is sustainable & allows some flexibility if needed. It may take elements of a few different ways of eating. I don’t consider myself on a diet. This is just what I eat.

It still happens occasionally. Funniest & oddest time was almost a year ago. I attended a farewell for someone I’d worked with on & off for years. I caught up with a team I’d worked with for about a year until a few months before my surgery. I greeted two of the men, hugged & kissed each on the cheek & sat with them for a while catching up. Later on, one admitted he had no idea who I was for ages. The other admitted it took him a few minutes. I thought it was hilarious that they had hugged & kissed a ‘stranger’. Another man kept saying he didn’t know who I was & I had to tell him my name twice before he accepted it was me. (The women knew who I was as I had seen them a few times since my surgery.) Two weeks ago I went to a funeral & people didn’t recognise me & some told other people I was my s-in-l. She is 7 inches taller than me! She also has a bigger build, is a couple of sizes larger than me & didn’t know the person who had passed away. I was a bit peeved about that one. I say enjoy it while it lasts.

Some people do have very few issues with drinking & eating. It’s part of us all being different & our bodies reacting differently to the surgery. Yes, fluids do pass through your digestive system more quickly but another thing to consider is that lots of nerves were cut during your surgery & messages & signals like feeling full don’t always get through until you are fully recovered. It’s why we’re advised to take things slowly & to be aware of portion sizes. When you are full healed, you’ll likely discover the signals & messages are different. For example, some say they now get the hiccups or their nose runs when they are full or have had enough.

I’m with you on the quantity of food people eat & add the quality of food. It almost makes me feel physically ill. Can’t stand ads, social media posts, movies, tv programs, etc. which show & celebrate the excess. Shudder. I can understand your concerns for your sister’s family & how you feel torn about what to do. My brother struggles with his weight like I did (do - as we always will) & I watch his children eat seemingly all the time & not always the best choices. The only thing is they are very active. Lots of sport & outdoor play & while they are young & that continues it will help. Though I worry most about the second daughter & son who I feel are very much like my brother & I & their maternal poppa. All I feel I can do is set an example. When they ask why I’m not eating or not eating much I tell them I’m careful about what I eat & how much I eat because I don’t want to put on weight again & I want to be healthy. When they’re with me, the food options are always more nutritious & I subtly restrict the quantities & how regularly they eat. (How about we go outside for a while & then we can have morning/afternoon tea.) It may be all your can do too. The worry is if you say something it may cause dissension & alienation.

Mine was high too. It could be just part of the weight loss when lots of things go out of whack for a little while but it’s good they’re doing since tests to ensure it’s not a sign of another issue like your gall, a blocked bile duct, or any other cause they can do something about. My surgeon was a little concerned but asked if there was Gilbert’s in my family. Turned out it is as we discovered my dad’s only surviving sibling has it. I let my surgeon know & he said if it continued to be high it likely was Gilbert’s. The symptoms were pretty much me too. Almost 3.5yrs out & yep it’s still high. It likely always was but no blood test had picked it up previously. Doesn’t cause me any issues except my stamina isn’t the best & I take longer to recover from viruses, etc.

Relax you’re doing fine @MyDogsLoveMe. Twelve pounds in three weeks is a pretty darn good achievement. People who lose at a faster rate initially usually start at a much higher weight than you did. Plus we all lose at our own rate. Some weeks you may lose more the next may be less. As long as your general trend is downwards you’re doing great. Struggling to eat much more than your protein is the way it goes at least for another couple of weeks when you may be able to get in some vegetables. In your soft food stage, try adding a few vegetables & see how you go. I remember being able to eat a single green bean or a small spoon of steamed cabbage back then. I was able to throw a few vegetables (tomatoes, onion, celery, mushrooms) in soups & mince dishes & let them simmer away for ages so extra mushy. You’ll slowly be able to eat more & a greater variety of food. Remember you are still healing & are starting the retraining of how & what you eat. Oh, and I still take about an hour to eat a tub of yoghurt & I’m almost 3.5yrs out. I eat slowly & taking more than 30 minutes to eat anything is usual for me.

I forgot that. I used to do it too until recently. First to get rid of the horrid grainy taste & coating on my teeth from the shakes & then I found the minty taste refreshing. Plus I was reluctant to eat if I’d just cleaned my teeth.

I’d think no at four weeks. First you’re still healing. Secondly, your focus should be in getting in your protein & not filling up or restricting how much protein you can eat. Thirdly, they contain quite a few carbs which we’re often advised to keep low. Fourthly, are they on your allowed food list? But best to do is contact your surgeon &/or your dietician.

Oh yeah it happens. You know the old wanting something even more when you can’t have it. Plus not everyone loses their hunger or desire to eat after surgery. Try to find things to distract you. Go for a short walk, read, watch a show or movie, play a game, craft, check your social media or this forum. Anything that takes your mind off food at least for a little while. Even having a warm drink (like herbal or green tea) can help. I hope these next weeks are better for you. It does really get easier.

First, yes the shakes can be awful after surgery. Usually because our taste buds temporarily change. Sometimes changing brands or trying different flavours help. But if you still can’t tolerate them, don’t forget you can have bone broth, consommés, cream soups, milk. Even the protein waters are an option. I’d forgotten how awful shakes were (didn’t do them pre surgery) but I’d grit my teeth, dilute it & have one for breakfast each day (literally sipped it over a couple of hours). Then I’d have soup for my other meals. I actually found using warm/hot water with my chocolate flavoured shake a bit easier - more like a grainy hot chocolate. You’ll be on purées in a couple of days. Secondly, remember the staged return to eating is in place to protect & not put stress on your healing tummy. Remember all those sutures & staples holding your tummy together. Also lots of nerves were cut during your surgery so you may not actually be able to tell if you strained your tummy eating steak this soon. I always say all because you can doesn’t mean you should. You may get away with it once but do you want to push your luck? All the best.

I have a sleeve & only took a multi vitamin too though I briefly took vitamin D (couple of months after surgery). I’m a big advocate of not taking vitamins without having a blood test to see what you’re actually lacking in first. Having too much of a vitamin can be just as concerning as not having enough. Plus vitamins are expensive & some of them you just pee out if you have too much. You can request a blood test whenever you want & don’t have to wait for your next surgeon’s appointment. Stopped the multi at around 8 months. Didn’t need additional vitamins as blood tests showed I was getting all I needed from what I ate. I’m taking vitamin D again but only in Winter because we discovered my levels dropped then when I hibernate (hate the cold & bundle up so the sun isn’t able to reach my skin). Benefit of having regular blood tests & being able to historically track levels.

Wasn’t told to avoid antibiotics either. Just make sure your prescribing doctor knows about your sleeve & any malabsorption issues you may have (not that its a real issue with a sleeve).

So sorry you’ve been going through this. Even though they only removed a small slither of your tummy, nerve endings were still cut & you likely aren’t getting your messages through to tell you you’ve had enough or too much. Remember you will be healing for a while & will need to take it slowly for a few weeks just like you did in 2016. As to the hunger it could be stomach acid (extra being produced in response to the surgery) which can cause hunger pangs like pain. Are you on a PPI? All the best with your recovery.

Does your sister or mum know if they react to a specific anaesthetic or all of them? My aunt has a list of a couple she can’t tolerate so they use other ones when she has surgery. Make sure you let your surgeon & anesthetiser know so they can take precautions. I downloaded shows on my iPad too but ended up not watching any. Didn’t read either. Slept or dozed a lot & my concentration was non existent. The only unexpected thing that happened was my back went into spasm so I ended up staying an extra night. Oh & the unexpected, no warning diarrhoea. That wasn’t pleasant. Glad I packed extra knickers & pjs. LOL! All the best with your surgery.