Arabesque

Speaking as someone who is 161 cm, you’re never ‘only’ 162cm. 😁 Your other stats aren’t that far off from where I was too initially. I understand your reticence about GLP-1s as I did too when I first heard about them. However, from what I’ve since read and know from those who use it, or have used it, it can take a little time to work out what is the right dose for you (re side effects, maintenance, long term needs, etc.). It does work and is amazing at stopping the food noise in your head if you experience that.

Great advice from @summerseeker & @ShoppGirl. I’ll add that your head can be your toughest enemy during this process. It is most likely that you are experiencing head hunger not real hunger as @ShoppGirl mentioned. Emotional triggers are the likely cause this early out. You’re going through an emotional & stressful time now & so many of turned to food to comfort and sooth us in time of stress and emotional upsets but you can’t now. Also your head tells you that eating such a small portion is no where near enough food for you. It is and your head is just comparing these portions with the portions (& frequency) you used to eat. Are you craving a specific food, flavour or texture? For example, many talk about craving something g crunchy during the purées & soft food stages. This is head hunger. Yes, a warm drink can be helpful. This is a good time to go for a short walk or some other activity or try to find another distraction (distraction is a very useful strategy). Read a book, play a game, craft, contact a friend or family member, check your social media or this forum, etc. Another consideration that it ‘s more likely head hunger is that many nerves were cut during your surgery so messages about feeling hungry or full either don’t get through or are twisted in their meaning until you are fully healed. And yes, contact your team, they are there to help & support you.

Welcome. Yes, there will be many changes ahead but there will also be so many benefits and wins. And yes, it’s not uncommon to have concerns and fears and mourn what you used to do. (Yes, you may find the thread @summerseeker recommended helpful. At least in knowing you’re not alone in how you’re feeling.) I can only speak from my experience. Did I feel worried or grieve before my surgery or after? Honestly no. I truely had, had enough. And it all happened very quickly like not quite 6 weeks between seeing my GP for a referral & my surgery. Though I am someone who once makes a decision I stick to it. It’s interesting you should say you feel having the surgery is a punishment. I saw the constant dieting a punishment for gaining weight. I’d got to the point that nothing I did changed my weight. (Menopause did the final number on me.) I’m five years out. Do I think I’m on a diet now? No, this is just how I eat. Do I feel like I’m not eating enough? No, because I’ve learnt what I eat is appropriate for my needs and I used to eat way too much & way more than my body needed. I pretty much eat the recommended portion size of foods. Do I feel like I’m missing out on anything? No. There’s always alternatives, or you can have a small amount of what ever it is others are having or you used to enjoy. It comes down to how often you have it and how much you have. Plus you may find new things you really enjoy. Do I want to go back to eating exactly like I did before ? No. I mean that’s how I got to the weight I was & why I always struggled. Do I like to exercise. No & never really did before either (another punishment in the most part) so you’re ahead of me in that game. But I have found some things I do (little things like stretches and using resistance bands I do throughout my day) & I actually don’t mind doing them. A lot is of this is about learning & introducing new habits, new routines and developing a new relationship with food. Never be reluctant to seek the help & support of a therapist. Your head can be your greatest enemy. I do have a couple of little issues I deal with since my sleeve? Yes, I call them my quirks. I had a quirky tummy before my surgery so nothing new really just some are different & some are gone. Doesn’t stop me doing what I enjoy. PS And congrats on being able to do a push up. I’ve never been able to do a proper one. I can get down but can’t get back up again - tee hee! I do wall pushups though - stand about a meter away from a wall.

What about trying a GLP-1 versus surgery? Check out Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Cure website, podcasts & you tube channel. He’s been speaking a lot about recommending sleevers with regain to use GLP-1 meds instead of a revision surgery. You may find it interesting & something to discuss with your surgeon as another option. PS. Out of curiosity what was your original starting point weight, your maintenance weight, and current weight?

Looks delicious. Was it for your birthday @Lilia_90? If so, happy birthday. I had Chinese last night too for my nephew’s 7th birthday. Not as fancy as this though. Just from the local takeaway. LOL!

Looking good @Bypass2Freedom. You’re lucky to be able to shop your wardrobe. I had high hopes but kept missing my window: wrong season or dropped another size before getting the chance. Even had a couple of things that just didn’t fit the same because of how I was losing (lost faster in some areas) so my body shape was different. Oh, dirty mirrors. Was putting makeup on in a mirror at my mother’s yesterday. Everything was blurry so I thought something was wrong with my contact lens. Put some drops in, moved them about. Still blurry. Then I realised my mum’s cleaner must not have used a clean cloth to wipe/polish over the mirror after cleaning it & so it was scummy. Wiped it down & my vision was crystal clear. 😁

OMG! How did I miss you had Vegemite on toast last week @Starwarsandcupcakes. I didn’t think any non Australian could tolerate it. Mind you I can’t stand it - so strong - unless there’s heaps of butter & only a smear of Vegemite. I’m a promite girl (or was before surgery when I had it regularly on freshly baked white bread). That carrot soup looks delicious!

Oh yeah. Been there. Even now 5 years out & I still can’t tolerate more than 1-2 mouthfuls at a time. Was having trouble swallowing a fast dissolving tablet one morning (it was sticking in my mouth) and had to take 4 mouthfuls to finally swallow it. Took four steps from my kitchen & up it all bubbled … including the damn tablet! So yes, sip slowly for now. It will get easier as you progress. Many find they get gulp down whole drinks again. I’m just an outlier in not being able to drink more. (I say I’m special that way. 😂) Doesn’t bother me. Just a quirk of my tummy.

Sounds delicious. Post the pxts on the food before & after thread. 😊

Oh yes, never only electrolyte drinks. I only had one a day and I would dilute it cause it was so sweet and again only when I knew I would be having a busy day or was going to be active. Initially I took a bottle to work & would sip on it as needed during the day & had other drinks on the go at the same time. I often had to have meetings in another building a couple of blocks away and up a rise with steep steps. Boy I really needed that boost on those days.

Many years ago (after a Jenny Craig diet) I had a few things taken in but they never fit right after. If you’re dropping down anything more than a bare single size, they really need to take the whole item apart and recut everything which is not always easy or inexpensive to do. Unless it’s something with just straight side seams, a simple waist band & is sleeveless, it’s not an easy fix. PS. I should have saved my money back then because of course I regained the weight I’d lost then & had to buy new clothes again. So glad to be off that rollercoaster now.

Check out Dr Matthew Weiner Pound of Cure website, you tube channel & podcasts. Practical and informative advice. Five years out & I still listen to his podcasts. A recent podcast he did with his in-house nutritionalist touches on weight loss eating plans as well as maintenance. I believe you can join their nutritional workshops and clinics for a small fee if you’re interested too. I know someone on this forum has and found it helpful (can’t recall who at the moment). https://poundofcureweightloss.com/bariatric-secrets-what-really-influences-weight-loss-after-surgery/?utm_source=ZohoCampaigns&utm_campaign=What+Really+Influences+Weight+Loss+After+Surgery&utm_medium=email

No I can’t do pasta or rice so I’ll have zucchini noodles if I want a pasta-like experience. Otherwise I just have the sauce (with whatever protein) alone. PS I planted my basil in a pot on my deck. Have chives & parsley too. You can keep the pot in a sunny spot in your kitchen too.

I spoke with the nurse and she told me they don’t have anything any more on the floors. It’s terrible. They were told it was because the stock would expire and would have to be disposed off so they stopped the supply for budgetary reasons, Also have to order water via the app (or by phone which as I mentioned was out of my reach at the time). What happened to those lovely ladies who would top up your water, offer you a cup of tea, a little chat, fixed your flowers (if you were lucky enough to receive any) when you were in hospital. So sad. They don’t even have the little fridge in the room anymore like they used too. I had my hypoglycemia years before my sleeve surgery, I just experience it more often now. I sometimes find even a cup of tea (green so no milk) helps me. Strange but true. But generally I go for something a little sweet hence the blueberries or electrolyte drink. Oh, I have the survey & don’t worry I will be filling it out detailing my experience.

I have it too. Random episodes but I also experienced it before surgery. Friends used to laugh and say it was an excuse not to do any strenuous type exercise (which was when I mostly had episodes) until they witnessed me experiencing it. Freaked them out. Yes, keep little snacks on hand. Eat to a routine. (I started to do this early after surgery because of the lack of hunger and any interest in eating. I knew I had to eat to get in the nutrients my body needed. I still do 5 years out.) Have an electrolyte drink on hand if you know your day will be busy and you may miss meals. (I added a hydralyte tablet to a bottle of water when I knew I would be out or at work.) And I plan ahead in situations I know may cause an episode. For example, sometimes I pop out before breakfast to grab a few groceries. To ward off an attack I’ll have a few blueberries before I leave. My last attack was 4 weeks ago at hospital. The hospital doesn’t provide the sandwiches or cheese & crackers after you have surgery any more. That night I had an episode. It had been 24hrs since I’d eaten and when I spoke to a nurse, she informed me o had to order my own meals through an app or ring an order through. Sorry but still rather out of it from the anaesthetic, sleepy and having a hypoglycemia episode does not make downloading an app and creating passwords, etc. easy. Plus the phone & menu was out of my reach because of the IV and being plugged into those pulsing leg wrap things. Due to my woozy befuddled brain, I totally forgot I had packed a few protein bars which would have got me through. And yes, I had identified I had hypoglycemia on my admitting records.

I’ve only done it with Roma tomatoes which have a thinner skin you don’t need to skin. I don’t cut /scrape out the seeds either with romas. (May be known as plum tomatoes I think in the US.) I started buying the little basil plants in the supermarket and plant them out. Get about 4 or so months out of the plant before it gets sparse looking and doesn’t produce many leaves. The little pots cost about $5 in Australia so pretty cheap for having fresh leaves on hand.

Don’t forget basil. It enhances the tomato. Throw the whole tin in. Lots of flavour in the juice and any excess water will steam off as it simmers. Also you can reduce the olive oil by using a little spray olive oil instead. If you use fresh tomatoes, roast them with basil and garlic first to give an even richer flavour. That’s interesting you like Nigella’s recipes @summerseeker. I find they’re more likely to fail for me (even when I follow them exactly 😉). I like Jamie Oliver. Straightforward, easy, always taste good and never fail. Recipe Tin is an Australia cook who has a huge following here. Her recipes are good too. Plus many of them have a feature which lets you adjust the serving size and the measurements for the ingredients update accordingly. (Tap the serving size and a slider will pop up to increase or decrease the number of portions you want.)

Working out real hunger from these hunger is a major learning for us all. Takes time though to work out which is which. Unfortunately you won’t get proper or true signals about hunger, fullness, etc. until you are fully healed (about 6-8 weeks) cause all of the nerves that were cut during surgery. As someone arise who really ‘ate’ two meals a day in the beginning, I too had that dizziness or wooziness, ensure up you have something before you do anything active. It will help ward if possible hypoglycemia episodes too. You may find too that your blood pressure drops which will make you dizzy, woozie or light headed, doughy in the head, find your vision narrows (lasts a couple of seconds) or at worst you may faint. Try adding an electrolyte powder to your water or take an electrolyte drink with you when you’re more active. It will give you a boost. I found it very helpful. For most people none of these things last once you are eating more regularly, eating a wider range of nutrients and are eating a little more. I’ve always had a tendency to low BP and had random episodes of hypoglycemia. Since surgery they’re more frequent. (The low BP is an every day thing now.)

Mozzarella is good too. I add a lot of vegetables to my omelettes: celery, calcium, mushrooms, baby Roma tomatoes, capsicum, spinach, parsley, chives, basil, etc. whatever I have of those sort of ingredients in my fridge. Of course since my tummy said nope I don’t like eggs a while back I haven’t made omelettes for a while. Loved it for lunch. Oh, I’ve seen those graters but wondered if they were actually any good. Will have to look into getting one now on your recommendation.

Never experienced this or heard of it either. How weird. Maybe throw the spinach in the omelette for the last minute or so or before you fold/roll it so it cooks a little?? I knew it was hard on your kidneys but only because a friend with an autoimmune disease if her kidneys isn’t allowed it.

You look fabulous. Happy birthday too.

I as really surprised when I saw her on tv when she her career revival began last year & didn’t recognise her as Shania. I wouldn’t have picked your pxt as her either @ms.sss unless you said. I agree, the work she’s had has changed her facial features a lot though I think it ‘s softened a bit lately. Maybe less filler or had some removed. Glad she obviously still rocks a concert & a good night was had.

My sleeve & gall were by the same surgeon and very neat. These with the scrapes are from my hysterectomy. Different surgeon. All were ‘manual’ surgeries but I would think robotic surgeries may be a little more rough as they can’t feel skin, consider texture, depth of flesh, etc. Mind you, you watch those surgery ducu-series and see how they toss you about, push & poke about your organs, etc. Yikes! No wonder we can have bruises and scrapes. I had a pulled thigh muscle after this surgery.

See, the Enterprise. 🤣🤣 The lines were actually bruising & scrapes. I guess from the instruments. Never had that before.

Five years out and the poltergeist in my tummy is alive and well. It was grunting this morning after breakfast. And I mean grunting. I asked the doctor who does my follow ups about it a couple of years back because all the grumbling, rumbling and whining was so loud. She said it was my digestive system doing what it’s supposed to do: digest food. It differs person to person & I believe surgeon to surgeon (some are just more rough), After my sleeve I had very little bruising. Though others have posted some pretty significant bruises here after theirs. Can’t recall after my gall but I’ve had more with my recent surgery. (My poor belly button is so tiny now with the 3 laparoscopic abdominal surgeries I’ve had that have used it.) Each time the wounds were different. This time I even have a little lump from a pleat in my skin from the internal sutures. And one I swear looks like the Enterprise from Star Trek. And one can be more tender one day and the next another one is. Took into the third week for the bruising to be fully gone this time. The incision they removed your stomach through is usually a little longer than the others & is the one on the right of your belly button.