Arabesque

Yep, welcome to the club. Part of our new life. I take benefits ever day/2nd day & a softener if I hit day 3 without any movement. For a while I had no trouble but then it all went to ‘cr*p’ (or no cr*p) again.

Hilarious @ms.sss What excellently good taste we have. 😜 I can’t wait until winter is here so I can wear them with my over the knee boots.

That’s amazing. Congratulations. Yeah I still have funny twinges, tightness & general oddness at times. I’ve noticed my posture is poor & feel like I’m slumping all the time. (My old dance teachers would be horrified. 😱) I think some of it is down to my new centre of gravity. It will improve and you will come to recognise you again though a much smaller one with a new outlook on life.

Aaah. So now we know the reason behind the Florida pxts in ootd. Sneaky sneaky. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

@ms.sss The wind had blown the smoke away by yesterday. It is considerably cooler in Melbourne today and rain. Not sure how wide spread but it may offer some respite to the fires. @AngieBear Love the punk look. Thanks @Sophie7713. I have my toe nails painted the same red every month. I love the colour so much. Returning to Brisbane today. We had bad fires inQueensland in November. Just terrible drought to face on our return. Travelling outfit: new faux leather Pull on pants & new art collaboration T. Had short fitted leather jacket to put on too - 16 degrees in Melbourne brrrrrrr.

I hear you. I only told my mother & one brother & his wife. My other brother & his wife can be judgemental too. They’ve never had issues with weight so I knew they wouldn’t understand. That sounds like good advice re the not recovering & detoxing at the same time. And you have the time now to work through this. Apparently it takes about 6 weeks on a new diet to break your old addictions - sugar, coffee, etc. - and to accept your new way of eating. Good luck with the new job. 😁

You look amazing @KaysMommy. What an achievement. Before & after photos are sooo inspirational. Ha @FluffyChix. I totally relate. I say I have a butt but it’s half way down my thighs now. I think everything I’ve bought in Melbourne is black too. I’ll wear another colour when they find something darker than black! Tee hee. Picked up some vintage Japanese designer pieces for work. Dress is circa 1992 and the skirt from 1997. Excellent condition - never worn. Someone said to me today: gosh you are tiny aren’t you. Never ever heard that before. And what I wore last night. Same shoes. The shirt is a great faux wrap that sits on the waist at the front but is tucked in at the back. Smoke from the terrible fires coming over Melbourne CBD yesterday.

Good reason to keep going back to Sydney though. There’s also follow up with your dietician too. So important to find a surgeon you click with so good idea to ‘try before you buy’. 😜 I have an appointment with my surgeon’s support team next Friday so the office must be opening again.

Water will fill your tiny tummy & you won’t be able to fit in any food. The waiting 20/30 min period between eating & drinking allows the tummy to empty so you can fit in food or drink again. Once you’re on more solid food you’ll understand why more easily. Though the uncomfortable full feeling does occur during the fluid stage. You don’t want to traumatise your new tiny tummy which is still healing nor will you want to stretch it at any time. My doctor & dietician said not to worry if I didn’t get all my full 2litres of water in while on fluids as the shakes & broth are liquids too. But that was my medical support team. It would take 2+hrs to drink my broths & shakes so slowly so there was little time left to drink water as well - just too full, not hungry & peeing constantly. 😜 I understand the waiting will be a new reality forever though the waiting time may reduce & some can eventually drink a little when they eat. Good luck & be patient as you navigate this your new reality.

Lol re aussies drink a lot. Understatement there @DaisyChainOz. It can be odd to be still nursing my first G&T while my girlfriends are on their 3rd bottle of bubbles. I was put on keto by my dietician for three weeks pre my surgery & was successful too. (Yes, it’s easy to do & fits in well with family & lifestyle.) Now, I can tolerate very little fat in my diet. (Cheese is ok & marbled steak but had a thin sliver of lardo on king prawns the other night. Tried one piece & threw it up an hour later - all slimy yuckiness). Strangely, my cholesterol levels immediately pre surgery were in the middle of healthy range as it always has been. But it has been going up over the last 4 months when I eat far, far less fat than I’ve ever done. I believe there is talk around now that you should only follow a keto diet for short periods of time - a couple of months at a time only. A modified version may be different. Talk to your doctor about this. I know you haven’t got a surgeon yet because of your move & the delay to when you can do the surgery but maybe you could start the process. The surgeon I went to refers patients to either a dietician or the Wesley weight loss clinic (all shakes). Ask for the dietician. I believe the Wesley program can get very expensive.

Sharpei. Hilarious. @FluffyChix. I say I have a Hank Hill butt - need those sand filled butt pockets. (King of the Hill ref) but I will use sharpei for my arms, legs & tummy. Experiencing some frustration on my Melbourne shopping extravaganza. Needed smaller sizes but they didn’t have many clothes in size 0 (Aussie 6) in one store but then size small are too small in other stores. Am getting a pair of pants & a top tailored - easy when it’s only one size & simple construction. This was for dinner last night. Yes, I do wear a lot of black!

You look fabulous. A wonderful achievement. Congratulations. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve lost a lot of hair. A good 50%. Started 2 months post surgery and it’s still falling out 5 months later. Waaah! Every day I have hair on my floor, on my clothes & handfuls when I wash my hair. Thank goodness I had very thick hair originally but it’s very thin now. I’ve been taking silica, collagen, all my multi vitamins & have increased my protein consumption but no joy yet. My hairdresser has a magnifying camera & told me my scalp was healthy & the hair I have is very strong but I don’t have many follicles. It’s caused by a combination of stress to your body, diet change & reduced nutrient intake & initially the anaesthetic. As my doctor said: your body has better things to do with the nutrients you’re consuming than to grow hair. He said it will grow back. Just don’t know when. 😩

I was told a definitive and very big NO to rice. Try cauliflower/broccoli rice which is nutritious & won’t swell in your stomach. Remember we can only fit a small amount of food in our stomach so why waste the space on foods that offer no or little nutritional value.

100% support the contact your doctor suggestions. I hear you on the protein shakes - also couldn’t stand that grainy coating it left on my teeth. Shudder! Gave them up by week 4. Are you eating any real food yet? Mince, stews, thick soups, oatmeal, well cooked vegetables ... will help solidify your loose bms, up your calorie intake & give you more energy. Goood luck.

Congrats on being able to wear high boots ‘off the shelf’ @AngieBear. Think of all the fabulous boots you can add to your wardrobe now. Whoo hoo! Will look amazing with a lot of your skirts. Cute hat too.

Welcome to 2020. No NYE for me last night though. We had an early start to the airport for flight to Melbourne this morning. Went comfortable - wide leg pants with draw string waist & t- shirt with puffy sleeve (actually a puffy flap over the sleeve). NSV on plane - put on the seat belt and pulled and pulled and pulled to get it tight. Could have wrapped the loose bit around me twice. Plus so much room in the on board toilet. 😁 I hear your pain re the wardrobe crisis @FluffyChix. Like the black jacket - lovely neat fit. I did like the soft pink colour on you though it did look a bit too floaty.

Thanks for the suggestions. I had clothes tailored the last time I lost weight & they never sat right so I’m a bit reluctant to try it again especially with what is a high end designer outfit. There’s a matching shirt that’s too big too. May be a case of selling it to someone who will love it as much as I do. Better to get some money back on it than end up with something that’s not right & I can’t resell. Cool biker jacket @AngieBear. Love me a leather jacket.

Contact your doctor and go back to fluids only. Your new stomach may not be ready for thicker heavier foods yet. We all heal differently & have to go at our own pace. Chicken is dry and unless you purée it with lots of gravy or broth it is going to be heavy going. It is not uncommon to not be able to tolerate the foods you used to love in the first few months. I ate a lot of blitzed soups & stews at this stage. Lots of long, slow cooking. Take it slowly and at your pace. Listen to your tummy.

It’s my mother & my annual pilgrimage. We have it down to a fine art. Shopping to early afternoon, champagne lunch & then hit the restaurants at night. A couple of boutiques we frequent will post us what we buy. So when we get home we have exciting parcels to open. Whoo hoo!, 🎉🎉👏👏 Yeah, pretty devastated about the skirt & top. Almost two sizes too big now I think.

My surgeon gave me a photo he took of my stomach during the surgery - all marked up prior to its removal. I laughed when he gave it to me but not a souvenir to hang on the wall.

I love it @AngieBear. You do look like you should be starring in a sci fi movie or series - costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier. And how amazing to be making your own dress form. Wow. Packing for shopping trip to Melbourne but looks like I won’t be taking this skirt. Sad face. I bought it & matching top about 8 yrs ago. Just loved it & was so happy to be able to wear it again. Now two months later & the waist band barely clings low down on my hips. Sigh! (Looks like I need to tighten the straps on my new bra - my boobies look a little low slung 🤣.) What swelling @sillykitty? Looking fab!

Yep that’s it. Just sold under Bio Oil. In Aust you can buy it from supermarkets & pharmacies. It’s quite reasonably priced & lasts for ages. Just wait until the wounds are healed. Even will improve older scars. Good luck.

Bio oil is the great. Never heard about any foods restricting healing (except maybe processed sugar). Knew a nurse who worked with burns victims & she would make up milkshakes & add baby formula for her patients so they’d get extra protein & nutrients for the healing benefits. Seems strange to not eat protein rich foods like seafood & beef. Just my opinion though.

Congratulations. Look how far you’ve come. Pxts are so motivating. Gold stars all round. ⭐️⭐️⭐️