Arabesque

What a handsome boy but he is a big strong boy which will be a consideration post surgery. What time frames were you given regarding lifting (includes pulling) heavy items? Usually after abdominal surgery, we’re restricted to only 5-10lbs for the first two weeks, then increasing to 15lbs, then 20lb so you don’t damage your internal stitches & staples but there are variations. Even well trained dogs on leads can suddenly dash or dart or you have to give a tug on the leash to redirect them causing your stitches/staples to be strained or pulled. Having the energy to go for a 2 mile walk is very individual too lost surgery as we all recover & heal differently. Best advice is go slowly. Maybe have a friend or family member walk Sven to begin & then you join them but not take him yourself until you’re allowed to lift any weight. Congrats on your surgery. Whoo hoo!

We all are very different. We lose at different rates & our experiences of stalls can be different - longer or shorter duration, more of less frequently. I’m sorry you are experiencing this frustrating plateau. As @ms.sss asked, what are your stats? What is your caloric intake? Do you track your food & does your nutritionalist review it with you. There is a lot of variation in food portion size & calorie recommendations. Personally, I only got to around a cup of food at 6 months when I reached goal. Those first 3 months I was only eating 1/4 to 1/3 solid food so my calorie intake was lower than others. Are you on any prescribed medications? Some can slow or affect your weight loss rate too. I can track my biggest weight gains to changes in my hormones - puberty & menopause were the biggest - so there could be something in what you said about the article. (Could you include a link to the article please as I couldn’t find it in their site - looking in the wrong place most likely 😉.) I noticed that Sage offer a resting metabolic rate assessment. Did you do one before surgery? If so it may be interesting to see if there has or hasn’t been a change.

Love the mud camouflage outfit for the mud run @ms.sss. Your hobbit legs look super fine. 😉 Looking goooood @BayougirlMrsS. Very confident & sexy in that fitted dress. Glad you had a fab time in Chicago too. Perfect for a casual dinner @kristieshannon & 100% not frumpy. Can’t wait to see you in your M-of-the-bride dress.

They can really add up each month but there really isn’t a definitive answer because vitamins & protein supplements are available in a range of price points. Plus you may need more or fewer vitamins than someone else. And you may not need to take as many once you get to maintenance. Shop about is the best advice. The big chain & online stores can offer better deals. The good news is that you will be consuming less so your general grocery bill will go down to help balance out the costs.

Losing little in the first week isn’t uncommon. In fact some see an increase in the scales. It’s from all the fluid they pump into you during & after surgery. It can take several days for you to pee it all out. After the initial post surgical pain reduces you still will experience twinges & sharp sudden spasms - sometimes random sometimes after certain movements. It’s all part of healing & your body getting used to the changes that have been made internally. Be careful lifting & reaching for a few weeks to ensure you don’t pull any internal stitches too. If your pain persists &/or increases contact your medical team. If you also experience dizziness, fever, distended tummy &/or bloody stools go to the hospital ASAP.

Have to admit I can’t remember exactly when it began after my sleeve surgery but I think it was pretty soon afterwards. It was very noticeable from week 3 when I was on puréed food because I had more food options for my tastebuds not to like. Prior to that I only had a protein shake & soup each day. The shakes tasted awful but they always did to me. I had some hand surgery this week & noticed the next day that water tasted awful. So I think anaesthetic is a contributing factor.

Multivitamins always made me nauseous too. I had to take two a day so I took one in the am & one in the pm to offset some of the nausea. I was so glad when I could stop taking them when I got to maintenance. (My blood work showed I didn’t need them.) The causes could be simply not having enough on your tummy - protein rich would be better then fruit. Certain vitamins are known for causing nausea - iron, E, A, etc. Taking more than you need can result in nausea too. Try a different brand & maybe one with less iron & see if that helps. This article may be helpful: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19912535/reasons-vitamins-cause-nausea/

Injections for the first 48 hours after my sleeve but only the first 24 hours with my gall removal. Had to wear the TEDS stocking things for about 4/5days after the sleeve but only for 2 days after the gall. All surgeons have different requirements but they would take your health history into account as well as length of surgery & what was done.

Liquids pass through your tummy much more quickly than solid foods & because you’re sipping slowly as well you’re tummy won’t actually get full. It is important to sip & be conscious of your eating & drinking (good practice for the whole process) - remember all the stitches & staples holding your poor tummy & digestive system together. Once you get to soft & solid foods you’ll start to feel you’ve had enough.

My back went into spasm on day 3. I couldn’t sit or stand or lie down, tears running down my face. Just awful. Surgeon suggested it was from stress I was sub consciously holding in my body. I had a lot of swelling so swallowing was painful so I was very tense every time I sipped or swallowed which would have contributed too. A physio finally came to see me (hours & hours after) but a lot of the pain had reduced by then. Honestly, I sometimes think they can throw you about a bit during surgery so that could add to it as well. It could also be the surgical gas escaping your body too. That gives you terrible shoulder pain. Walking, heating pads, gas X, passing wind, all help but it does take days for it to fully escape your body.

The stress (emotional, reduced calories & weight loss) plus all the extra hormones flushing your body as they’re released from your fat does do strange things to your body too. Twice, a blister thing appeared on my collar bone. Thought it was a the beginning of psoriasis or eczema. Turned out to be a herald spot for pityriasis rosea a virus I’d had twice many, many years ago. Fortunately, just a single spot each time this time no others. Obviously the stress, etc. caused the latent virus just to flair a little. Just a thought.

A couple of weeks back we were discussing quiches. My s-in-l gave me a recipe for a quiche with sweet potato for the base & beetroot & feta. Yum. Decided to make it but ended up in emergency, then surgery to graft the chunk of my thumb I sliced off with the mandolin while slicing the sweet potato. (Blood everywhere. Sigh.) Anyway my niece cooked it for me when I get home (had all the ingredients so…) but decided to dice the sweet potato & make it more like a frittata. Upped the vegetables as I always do (mushrooms, asparagus, celery, capsicum) & threw in an extra egg but this is the original recipe: https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/recipes/beetroot-and-feta-quiche-with-sweet-potato-crust And my thumb post surgery. Such a silly thing to do but the effects are so restrictive cause can’t use my hand - & it’s my dominant hand too. Waaah!!

Congratulations! 🏆

Apparently there is no definitive research for or against carbonation. Except carbonation can irritate reflux (gerd), give you excess wind, many contain excessive amounts of sugar & caffeine & those with artificial sweeteners continue to feed your cravings for sweet. But it is best to follow your surgeon’s recommendation at least until you’re several months out & then see how you go. I’ve never been good with carbonation. I can’t burp so together with my reflux I’d get the worst hiccups (very painful & even vomit). So I always had to moderate how much I had when I had carbonated drinks (gave up soft drinks years ago so only gin & tonics & champagne). Like @catwoman7, I let them go flat or at least let them sit so the bubbles reduce now. I have a glass of sparkling water every day but it sits out for hours as I slowly sip it (alternate sips with still water). I still have no other carbonation but a gin & tonic or a glass of champagne but only once a month now.

I agree with @FutureSkyDiver too. Our body tends to have places it prefers to store fat. For some it’s their tummy, others their butt, or breasts, or thighs, etc. Where did you tend to store your weight? When you previously put on weight, where did it go first? When you lose weight those places will likely be the last place the fat will go. What is your natural body shape? Pear, apple, hourglass, triangle, etc.? Even at a low weight that basic body shape will remain unless you become underweight & with very little or no body fat. I always have an hourglass shape regardless of my weight - the dimension ratios are just much smaller now 😉. I have a little pooch that sits above my waist & below my bust. I never had it when I was younger but have it now even though I weigh 10kg less. I blame that on age (56) & genetics (my mum has it too).

Fluctuations are a part of life regardless of what we weigh. Water, constipation, diarrhoea, diet, hormones, etc. all can cause our weight to fluctuate a couple of pounds over a day or couple of days. If we ate exactly the same thing, pooped & peeed the same amount & did the exact same activity every day then our weight would likely stay the same day to day but we don’t. You’ll likely work out what your usual fluctuation cycle is & what affects it. As long as your fluctuation cycles still follow a downward weight loss trend you’re golden.

Could be an allergic reaction or sensitivity to something too. Could be something you ‘re eating like some artificial sweeteners can cause skin irritations. Or external things like washing powders, shower gels, etc. Have you changed anything you’re using or eating lately? There’s also a couple of viruses that cause skin irritations & itchiness. I had one a few years back - I scratched myself silly for a couple of weeks until i got over it.

My restriction kicks in pretty fast if I drink with my meal or close to before or after. I can drink a couple of sips up to a few minutes before I eat. It can be annoying because I love soup but I do the reverse of @ms.sss. I eat a spoon or two of the broth, wait a few minutes, then work through eating all the chunky bits. I’ll sip more of the broth later on. Sometimes I’m sipping the broth an hour later (just microwave zap it to warm it up) or I just don’t finish it. You just got to find out out what works for you.

You need to go to the hospital especially as your current medication hasn’t worked so far. Cellulitis has the potential to become a very serious infection. You may need to go on intravenous antibiotics. Your body is already stressed from your surgery & the reduced calorie diet & may be struggling to cope with the infection. Better to be safe.

I stayed to a 4th day (back spammed on day 3) & boy was I glad I bought an extra pair of pjs & knickers after the unexpected & very sudden liquid diarrhoea attack - not pleasant. Friend was advised by her surgeon to get some disposable knickers for that reason. Wish I knew! I took basic toiletries including my shower gel (wanted to smell nice). I loved my first shower on day 2. Bliss! I downloaded programs to watch & books to read but i wasn’t interested, couldn’t concentrate or was just plain sleepy. All the best with your surgery.

Congratulations. That first time someone notices is so wonderful & so motivating too. My first time (apart from my mother) was a friend who’d known me big & small. I hadn’t seen her for a couple of months & she didn’t know about the surgery. I was wearing a slim fitting dress that was looser - when I used to wear it it would pull across my butt & I’d wear a jacket. I’d lost about 15 kg (10 post surgery) & it was early month 2. I loved how she hugged me in greeting (remember how we used to do that all the time - sigh!) & whispered in my ear I was looking great, then looked into my eyes & nodded her head. I knew she understood the battle weight loss had always been for me & was honestly happy for me & being really supportive. So much more meaningful then the loud ‘have you lost weight’ comments I got later & then the ‘you’ve lost too much’ ones.

Hair loss is an recognised side effect but it is true that not every one experiences it. Those that do start & finish at different times & lose different amounts. That’s due to our own physiology but there are average times frames like it starts around month 3 or 4. You’re almost 3 months so pretty close to the average. Your body reacts to the stress of the surgery, change of diet, reduced caloric intake & general emotional changes you’re experiencing by accelerating your natural hair loss cycle. So the hair you’re losing would have fallen out at some time but it’s just happening faster & sooner. The good news is that it does stop & your new hair is still growing (you just don’t notice the new growth until it has some length to it - look for fluffy bits). I lost a fair amount but I had heaps to begin & as @catwoman7 said often no one else really notices it (only my mother & hairdresser did). Best thing I did was cut my length to just above my shoulders. My hair was bouncier because I didn’t have the length pulling it down & the new growth reached this shorter length sooner. I didn’t take any additional supplements or vitamins or use treatment shampoos, etc. & my hair stopped shedding at around 3-4 months which seems to be the average time frame the excess hair loss persists. I know our hair can be an important part of how we present to the world & the loss can be scary & worrying but that only adds to the stress we’re already experiencing which is contributing to our hair shedding. I decided to look at it as a short term annoyance I had to go through. I felt the whole weight loss period was me transitioning & transforming (mutating???) into a better me.

Stalls are so frustrating but you really just have to let your body take the time it needs & your weight loss will start again. I never changed what I was doing, stuck to my plan, & the stalls always broke. Constipation is a constant companion for many of us. Are you adding a soluble fibre to your diet? I used to take a stool softener if I got to day 3 without any movement. This stopped me getting to bound up & then having painful movements. Are you still meeting your daily fluid goal? Do you track your calories & measure & weigh your food? Were you given caloric goals as well as protein? if you are just guessing or eyeballing it, it can be easy to over estimate. Not everyone is given caloric goals. I wasn’t but I was given advice on portion size progression. At four months I was eating about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of food. I did random checks of calories & was around 700 at that time. Many eat much more than I did. I prepped & cooked almost everything I ate myself so I had control over the ingredients & how things were cooked. Breakfast was scrambled eggs (cooked two eggs & took 2-3 days to eat) or rolled oats (3 days to eat a single serve). Lunch was meat (chicken tenders, white flesh fish, smoked salmon, pork sausage, dinner leftovers, etc.) Often that was all I ate - just the protein. Sometimes I’d have a little cucumber or green vegetables. Dinner was basically meat (pork, lamb, chicken, beef, fish) with vegetables (combinations of green beans, cauliflower, asparagus, sugar snap peas, cabbage or broccolini). Sometimes I made soup with meat, vegetable beans or lentils. I made rissoles (meatballs) a lot - easy to portion, freeze & reheat - & zucchini noodles bolognese. I portioned & froze a lot of what I cooked. Made it easy those frequent nights I wasn’t very interested in food - just defrost, reheat & only prep vegetables if needed. Easy & quick. I ate two snacks: a high protein yoghurt or yoghurt drink & either cheese or fruit. Good luck.

There’s pain & there’s pain. Our tolerance to it is different & we heal & recover differently. Around day 4 +/- you shouldn’t need the extra strong pain meds & over the counter ones will suffice (remember not NSAIDS). Often the gas pain is what lingers or the pain from your abdominal muscles being stretched & strained from the surgery) . Some people swear by binders others don’t use or need them. I was one who didn’t use or need one but I was also able to sleep on my side & tummy pretty much from day one. I do think that if you do struggle with mobility & movement (especially getting up & down) or carried a lot of your weight in your tummy region (we all carry out weight in different places:) you may find one helpful.

Not that uncommon actually. My first bm after surgery was all liquid. Literally just ran out of me when I was walking (thankfully to go to the bathroom).. Whoosh! ! There was no warning & no clenching was going to stop it. A friend continued to have break through liquid bms (even when passing wind so be careful). Her surgeon actually suggested before her surgery that she purchase disposable knickers - very good buy.