Arabesque

You move & the gas moves. It’s just trying to escape your body. You can help it along by not only walking but marching on the spot & doing arm & leg lifts (carefully of course) & breathing deeply.

Ok, breath. Sounds a pretty common story so far from what you shared. You’ve lost weight (yay!) & you’ve experienced your first stall. You sound like you’re doing okay really. You didn’t say how much you’ve lost but while there are average rates of loss, some lose more rapidly, others more slowly. Age, amount you have to lose, starting weight, general health, how your body reacts, etc. will influence your rate of loss. And that’s fine. Weight loss is never a straight evenly paced downward line. It goes up & down, zigs & zags, plateaus., … As long as your general trend is downwards you’re doing great. Almost every single person experiences at least one stall. The first usually occurs around week 3 +/-. They usually last one to three weeks. They can be frustrating but are just your body taking a time out to come to terms with the changes (surgery, change of diet, weight loss, etc.) Just like you experience & react to emotional stress (like your current frustration), a stall is a physical reaction to the stress you’re physically experiencing.

Have you spoken to your surgeon? By now you should be able to eat a lot more than a couple of spoonfuls & a wide variety of foods & not feeling nauseous or throwing up (unless you eat something too dry, too coarse or eat too much or too fast of course). Personally I never had another shake after the liquid stage though I did find a good high protein yoghurt to boost my protein each day. I wasn’t hungry or interested in eating either for more than a year (wish I was still like that now though 😁). I used to eat to a schedule to ensure I got my protein & nutrients in every day (still do actually most days). Should stress that I didn’t worry too much if I didn’t eat all my portion if I didn’t want it. Even now, on days I’m not overly hungry, I’ll eat a lighter meal like a tub of yoghurt for lunch & not a heavier meat based dish. Are you doing any activity to compensate for muscle loss? I’m not an exercise/gym person but do use resistance bands & do stretches every day. The bands are great for toning muscles without adding bulk.

All that excess oestrogen stored in your fat cells is released into your blood stream as you lose weight. Longer/shorter, heavier/lighter, more/less frequent cycles, more or fewer PMT symptoms can happen. For about a year all my menopausal symptoms disappeared … they all came back though unfortunately. You can also become more fertile so be careful. Many surgeons recommend doubling down on contraceptives while you are losing.

It wasn’t a problem for me except in hospital after the surgery when I had a terrible diarrhoea experience but a lot of that was influenced by excess stomach acid, the extra strong laxatives they kept giving me & some blood etc. from the surgery itself. You may notice the opposite - generally less farting & less smell (except when constipated or after taking a stool softener or laxative ☹️). Less sugar, fewer carbs, fewer/no carbonated drinks & general change of diet & eating habits help …well it did for me quite dramatically. If it does worry you, you could try that personal stop poop smell spray - can’t remember the name of it (poo pourri??). Don’t know if it works.

Yeah, that’s your body telling you to stick with the purées until you can officially start soft foods. While it’s fine to go back a stage, it’s never okay to move forward a stage without your surgeon’s go ahead. We all need time to heal. Try thinning out the purées a little more & see if that helps. Personally I found a lot of things I puréed pretty awful to eat but it was more taste than texture. Thank goodness for milky instant rolled oats, cream soups, thin scrambled eggs & yoghurt. I even ate baby food a couple of times for variety. A friend told me she loved puréeing poached chicken in lots of chicken gravy though she told me after I finished purées - lol!

Oh how awful. But I do understand about that ‘i can probably do that without issue now’ or ‘just a little bit will be fine’ thinking. Last night I ate a large bite of steak & vegetables & within a couple of minutes there was my restriction, the foamies & up came that bite. No, I can’t take large bites. No I can’t mix my protein with vegetables in a single bite (except with soup when everything is soft & mushy). Nothing like an unpleasant experience to reinforce a learning. 😁

Ok, breath. You just had a pretty major surgery. You’re going through a lot of physical, psychological & emotional changes & it takes time to sort them all out & work out what you’re doing. So feeling a little anxious is quite common. Yes, you can add additional protein powder to your shakes. You can add it to soups & broths too. Walking is the best exercise to begin as it doesn’t strain or overly tax your healing & recovering body. Remember you should limit your lifting, pulling, & reaching fir a few weeks while healing. Plus it helps with avoiding clots & with getting rid of any lingering surgical gas. Some activity is good but listen to your body as to how much you can do. Start with around your house inside &/or out a few times a day. Yes, you can go outside. (Funny they think fresh air is bad but they wander around your house with cigarette smoke over their clothes, in their hair & on their skin.) You don’t have any open wounds. The wounds are quite small usually each less than inch long & they’re covered anyway. Yes, bruising, swelling, tenderness, etc. around the wound sites is common. If it persists or gets worse contact your surgeon. Some people do have more discomfort after surgery & have trouble getting up & down to begin. Think of all the abdominal muscles that got poked, prodded & stretched (the gas alone stretches your tummy out) during the surgery. Some say sleeping in a recliner or propped up in bed helps. Others say binders help support the abdominal region. Sugar free popsicles contain artificial sweeteners which continue to feed your desire for sweet plus some can cause side effects like bloating, diarrhoea, etc. Water, shakes, soups/broths, herbal or green teas, milk, yoghurt drinks, etc. all contribute to your fluid intake. Mix it up for variety. Does your family really need to be there? I live alone & looked after myself without any issues after my both my sleeve & gall removal surgeries. Maybe it’s time to say thank you but I can manage okay alone now but I’ll call if I need help with anything.

Have you raised this with your doctor? If you can rule out the likely culprits like ketosis & dietary changes (like eating more spicy foods), there may be an underlying cause like hormonal changes, a bacterial issue, etc. which your doctor can identify.

If anyone questions I’d just go with the seeing a dietician & being careful with what you eat story. I mean it is the truth just not all the truth. It is your business & who you choose to tell about your surgery is yours alone. I go out to dinner, parties, birthdays, events, etc. & no body really cares what I eat or don’t eat & I don’t feel like I missing out on anything. People have so many food preferences, eating styles, allergies, sensitivities, etc. these days you changing your eating habits shouldn’t be much of an issue. Does anyone get upset with a vegetarian who doesn’t eat the meat dishes at a party or someone glutton intolerant eating a bun less burger?? I think everybody celebrates with food but as others have said it’s all about the choices you make. What you put or don’t put in your mouth doesn’t change how you share the celebration. You can choose how much food you put on your plate & what food you will or won’t eat. I’ve had plenty, I couldn’t eat another bite or I might have some later are reasonable excuses you can use.

Can’t see an issue. Those bubbles & foam are different to carbonated bubbles & will dissipate way more quickly than you’ll be able to drink your shake anyway. You can always give it a little stir to release some of the bubbles. Just ensure you’re sipping slowly - no gulps or mouthfuls & leave a couple of minutes between each sip.

Losing your hunger &/or being disinterested in eating is one of the benefits of the surgery but it doesn’t happen for everyone. And it doesn’t last forever - up to a year give or take. The other benefit is learning the difference between real hunger & head hunger. Real hunger feels different. I get restless, know something is wrong, don’t crave a food, flavour or texture, there isn’t an emotional side to the hunger (e.g. hangry) & there is always a logical reason I feel hungry i.e. missed a meal for whatever reason. Three years out, I still have times I’m not really hungry or hungry not hungry. Wish they occurred more often of course. The change to your taste buds & sometimes sense of smell is temporary too. A few weeks to a month or so & it will start to come back. It is a good opportunity to break your desire for certain flavours or foods though - I broke a lot of my desire for sweet then.

This is probably best answered by your dietician because yes, plans are so different. Your dietician should advise what’s best for you taking into account your physical & caloric needs, your dietary requirements & restrictions, etc. without compromising your weight loss. I was never given carb limits only told low carb & only low processed whole & multi grains (traditional rolled oats for breakfast 3 or 4 days a week was my only source beside the carbs in vegetables). But then I’m not an exerciser. 🙂

I always enjoyed a large glass of wine or two every night before surgery now I rarely drink. It may sound odd but I don’t enjoy it as much any more. I might have a glass of champagne, wine or a gin & tonic & one is enough, maybe once or twice a month or so depending on what socialising I’m doing. And I take ages to drink the glass & sometimes don’t finish the glass. I never enjoyed sweet alcoholic drinks & rarely used mixers except with tonic or suds water with gin. (I don’t even add water or ice to my whisky.) I say I drink quality now not quantity. Certainly drinking less than my friends has not affected my socialising & enjoyment of an event. And my bar tab is always cheaper LOL! I have noticed that if I drink I tend to nibble on food more, don’t drink enough water & notice it on the scale the next day. Best advice is probably just to take it slowly & see what works for you.

I was advised to eat only a 1/4 - 1/3 cup depending on the food from purée increasing as I was able. It was months & months before I was eating a cup. Make sure you’re eating slowly & what you’re eating isn’t too dry (keep it sloppy or very moist) or coarse. Also take small bites almost nibbles & see how you go. It does get better.

Many us held our bodies is unnatural ways to compensate for the weight we carried & now all the muscles & tendons have to relearn correct posture the weight disappears. You’ll likely even notice weird aches & pains as your body readjusts your centre of gravity. I had upper back pain & jokingly commented to my acupuncturist that maybe it was because my boobs had gotten smaller & all my bras were too big. I was right. Bought some new underwear that actually fit & the back pain went. A friend & I used to joke about how we often found ourselves slouching because we didn’t have a tummy to hold our upper body up any more. We both had to start being more conscious about ensuring we were standing up straight to reteach our bodies how to stand.

It can be challenging at first. The first couple of days I barely ‘ate’ a thing. My surgeon was ok if I didn’t reach my goals as long as I was making an effort & getting closer but that was my surgeon. I found the shakes disgusting & found them a struggle to drink. I had one a day & diluted it in an attempt to make them more palatable. I also had cream soups, consommés & bone broths (though I found them very salty). I discovered a high protein drinking yoghurt, after my liquid stage unfortunately, but you can make your own simply by adding milk to a suitable yoghurt (use the yoghurt you are allowed in the purée stage) & blend. Milk is also an easy protein source. Try some of the unflavoured protein powders & add them to soup or milk. There’s also protein waters you can try.

Yeah, your tummy can be pretty fussy & sensitive for a while. Plus the temporary changes to your sense of smell & taste can make finding foods you can tolerate a bit of a challenge. There even may be odd times when your tummy just says no to something you’ve eaten without issue then it’s fine again a day or so later. I used to say my tummy was like a tantrum throwing, pernickety 2 year old. Eggs, chicken breast, beef can be difficult for many. Don’t give up any food doesn’t like. Just leave it for a week or two or so & then try again. Or try a less coarse, more moist cut like minced beef or chicken thigh. It does get easier.

While losing post surgery, you can do things like eat the filling out of steamed wontons & the chicken & a couple of the vegetables from braised chicken & cashews or the prawns from braised prawns & vegetables. There’s always the soups too. Just avoid as much of the sauces as you can, no deep fried dishes & no rice or noodles. With Italian it may be more difficult to find suitable appetiser options. You may have to share a non pasta, pizza or rice main course or take home leftovers. If there are limited choices, you can always order a pasta dish with say meatballs or a ragu where you can pick out the meat. There may be a soup option for you to try. There’s always going to be that situation you can’t avoid where you have limited food choices while you are losing. You just have to do the best you can & make the best choice from what is available. As long as it’s a rare occurrence, you’ll be okay. Once into maintenance you’ll have more options but how careful you are will be more of a personal choice.

Exactly as @SpartanMaker & @i bypassedmyphatass said. Diets are for the short term not the long term. The bariatric diet is devised for a specific short term purpose. While it is restrictive in the first weeks to support your healing, it does encourage you to slowly add more nutritional sources as you progress. One of the things you’ll do as you near maintenance is work out how you want to eat for the long term. Not a ‘diet’ but a sustainable way of eating that works for you & meets the needs of your body. I find it amusing when people consider our bariatric post surgery diet is high protein. It really is just focussed on protein first. Most of us are advised to consume 60g of protein while losing. In actuality, this is less than the daily recommended amount - 1g of protein per 0.8kg for our weight at that time. (Though I was told by my dietician as a woman in her 50s I should be having 1g per 1kg of weight.) So at my surgery, when I was about 85kg I should have been eating 68g - 85g of protein. Don’t know about you but before I started this process I never ate any where near the recommended amount of protein I needed. Remember if there was a single diet that worked for everyone, no one would be obese & we’d all eat exactly the same way. Diets are too restrictive to be be sustainable. That’s why we could lose weight on a diet but could never keep it off. I don’t follow a ‘diet’ at all now. I worked out what foods provide the nutrition I need, enable me to maintain without restricting my life & keep my body happy. Like, I aim to eat 70g of protein because of my absorption issue & I avoid bread, pasta, rice & potato because they sit heavily in my tummy. You’ll work out a way of eating that works for you too. Do your own research about nutrition. Start now so as you add new foods back into your diet you are making healthier choices & to see how your body responds to them. Remember any pro diet sites (keto, Atkins, etc.) will only give you biased information about how great & wonderful that diet is. Just ensure you’re eating a range of foods to satisfy your nutritional needs. In the meantime, follow your plan & the advice of your dietician & surgeon & listen to your body.

ok, breath. My surgeon was ok if I didn’t meet my goals as long as I was making an effort & slowly but surely getting closer. I just couldn’t eat or drink more than I was through the stages: you can only do what you can do while you are healing & recovering & your tummy is being sensitive & fussy. The hormonal flush can be a b*tch. You’re losing weight (yay!) but your stored oestrogen is being released into your blood stream causing things like you’re experiencing almost like a punishment (boo!). I didn’t exercise either apart from the initial short anti blood clotting walking/strolling). Remember trying to walk on my treadmill in the second month because I felt I should do something but the extreme lethargy hit so I stopped (I almost fell of my treadmill I was so tired one day). Even now I just do some stretches, more for my oozing discs, some wall pushups & a few sit ups. Probably wouldn’t burn 10 calories LOL! But you need to do what exercises & level of activity that works for you when you are ready & able.

How much is from pre existing conditions? Or hadn’t been picked up previously like the dentist who said his x rays are more detailed now. If we’re honest for many of us our diet before surgery wasn’t the best & potential for dental issues as a result is great. (The stats on children who drink lots of soda & tooth decay is frightening.) And many don’t regularly see their dentist for many reasons. Genetics is a big factor. My brother has never had a filling in his life. He’s 52 & also obese (always battled with his weight just like I did). His dentist tells him he’d go broke if every patient was like my brother. Acid from reflux or gerd will cause damage to the tooth enamel not fillings. I was diagnosed with reflux more than 20yrs ago admittedly not a severe case & I managed a lot of it with dietary changes. Mind you I know I experienced reflux symptoms from a teenager so 40 odd years ago. I often get my dentist to check extra carefully for any acid damage & none has been found yet though he did say I had a little wear recently but said it was more like what occurs with age. (Yeah that made me feel great.) If you do have issues with reflux & gerd you need to speak with your doctor or surgeon. I think you need to find a new dentist @Erin18. One who is reliable. I immediately thought of the Dr Who episode too (Partners in Crime) with the space babies formed from human fat @Nepenthe44. Remember thinking when I first saw it if only those Adipose pills were real. 😆😆

It happens to all of us & often several times. Stick to top your plan. Don’t stress. Let your body takes the time it needs to adjust to the changes. You’ll start to lose again. If we all got stuck & never lost again, none of us would have lost our weight.

Always. For a day or two before my period I’d intensely crave carbs. Would be a bottomless pit for them. Interestingly, even in menopause I still have those odd symptoms that used to signal my period was coming (fluid retention, constipation then diarrhoea & carb craving). So you’re not alone in that @Tomo as weird as it is. Fortunately the carb craving is pretty non existent now but the first head hunger I experienced after surgery, after my first year, I realised was my old period carb craving. Recognising it for what it is is always the first step in managing it.

I find non NSAID over the counter meds useless too. I was very happy when my surgeon said I could have the rare NSAID. Mind you I was 2 yrs out when he told me that. Yep, tramadol is an opioid so you want to avoid that & all other opioids like oxy. I used to suffer a lot with cramping, aching legs, etc. with my periods too. Fortunately not anymore. I found boosting my calcium intake the couple of days before helped but it was the pill that helped best - sorted out those hormones. You may find as you lose more weight some of your symptoms may reduce simply because you won’t have as much oestrogen stored in your body. Fingers crossed that happens for you. In the meantime, a conversation with your GP & maybe a request to see a pain management specialist.