Arabesque

Ha! Different Gold Coast. Made some savoury egg muffins again this morning - sweet potato, feta, caramelised onion, mushrooms, etc. this time. Except was on the phone & got distracted so they’re a little more brown (not burnt thank gracious). I’ll have two for lunch & freeze the rest.

Friend’s daughter’s wedding on the weekend. It was a formal wedding. And yes I did wear two gloves. 😁 Wore the second dress for the Sunday lunch event. More low key & fewer people. Excellent wrap dress: no gaping neckline. And my hair actually stood up for both events - just softer. Whoo hoo!!

I had dark poop in hospital too (as hideous diarrhoea). It’s from the blood from the surgery passing out of your body. How long out from surgery are you? If it’s only a few days it may just still be from the surgery. But yes, definitely contact your team to be sure.

You can never predict how much loose skin you end up with. Too many factors influence the end result even with siblings. Then the next questions your sister might ask herself are: Does the loose skin impede you - from doing every day tasks or being more active? Does it make dressing difficult - have to go up sizes, clothes don’t fit well, can’t hide it easily, etc.? Do you have rashes or infections? Does it affect how you see yourself, confidence, etc.? I have some loose skin, not a lot. It doesn’t restrict my activity. It doesn’t limit my clothing choices & I can dress easily to cover it. It hasn’t affected my self confidence either. So for me I didn’t think it necessary to consider skin removal surgery. It’s very much a personal decision.

I was walking in the hospital. By the 4 day I didn’t need to take any pain meds. Sure had the odd twinge but walking in lying up & down stairs, wasn’t an issue except from an energy & lethargy perspective. But we all recover differently. If you’re still experiencing pain that is restricting you from performing basic activities, after a week & your pain meds aren’t managing it, contact your team. You’re sleep may be off because you’re not very active & may be napping during the day. (I miss those nana day naps). Also the hormonal flush associated with weight loss could be upsetting your sleep patterns. Yes, check with your team before taking any meds, over the counter or prescribed, just to be sure as @summerseeker suggested.

I’m 4 yrs out & I can’t drink & eat at the same time & neither can my friend at 3 yrs out (we were actually chatting about this on the weekend). Neither of us have to wait the full 30 minutes. Like on a good day we only need to wait a couple of minutes before & after if we sip slowly. Sometimes it just depends on what we’re eating or drinking. Like drinking champagne we have to wait longer. I can sip tea with a snack if I leave a couple of minutes between sips & bites. You’ll work out what you’re able to tolerate with trial & error in time too. Even though fluid goes through your tummy quickly it’s not quickly enough not to restrict/reduce how much food you can eat. Getting your protein & nutrients in is most important. You’ll still meet your fluid goals by waiting your 30 minutes. Sip all day. Establish habits & routines to help. I even drink while I’m driving: at every stop light or whilst driving (considering traffic safety of course), Take water with you & drink while you walk don’t wait for after. I drink throughout the night too (whenever I wake or get up to pee). You’ll work out what you’re able to tolerate with trial & error.

I haven’t anything planned for Friday but I did just spend a long weekend at the Gold Coast with my girlfriends for a wedding. So that maybe the celebration. Lol! I usually only do something for the big birthdays so two more years until the 60th (don’t want to think about it, far too scary 😱.) It was very relaxing weekend. We spent time trying to spot whales (saw a couple), drinking champagne & eating too much cheese. Even had a small piece of the wedding cake - red velvet with cream cheese frosting yum!

It is hardest in the beginning before surgery & then while you’re losing your weight but it does get easier as you start to look at food differently & you can eat more like you used to (not exactly the same again of course). My friends & family enjoy socialising & eating & drinking too. Most family & friends do. But losing my weight didn’t stop me from enjoying time with them. I just made more careful choices. I still do. Doesn’t stop us getting together. Doesn’t stop us going out to eat. They don’t feel like they can’t eat or drink something because I don’t. We spend time together to be together. We don’t spend time together just to eat or drink. At about 4 months out I went to a work reunion in a park. We all bought food to share so I bought something I could eat. Afterwards some of us went back to a friend’s house where Chinese takeaway was ordered. I ate the filling from inside steamed wontons & a little braised chicken. Nobody cared what I did or didn’t eat or that I didn’t drink & we had a great time together. I agree, still go to Comicon the meal is such a small part of the experiences you’ll share. And ask your sister to visit to tell you about her holiday just not to bring the food. And tell your friend you’d love to try the Cuban restaurant with her but in a few months time.

Have you gone back to your surgeon? It could be pancreatitis, an ulcer, an infection, or something more simple like reflux. (Are you on a PPI to reduce your tummy acid?) You shouldn’t be experiencing pain like this so jump & down & demand further investigation until you get an answer.

I think it’s likely your new set point weight too. And yes to lose more than this set point, where your body is happiest at, & maintain the lower weight is much harder because you’re fighting your body every day. Unfortunately not everyone gets to the goal weight they chose. The goal you chose is a head weight goal & in this situation your body weight set point goal wins. The average weight loss is about 65% of the weight to be lost. 85lbs lost is still something to be very happy about. Have a chat with your team for what else you could do (including medications) & ask your nutritionalist to review your eating. There may be something you’ve missed.

It could be from the acid in the tomatoes. Your tummy is still healing & therefore sensitive Avoid it for a couple of days & see how you go. If it persists contact your medical team. Are you on a PPI to reduce tummy acid? They could help.

Yumm! Looks so beautiful. And happy birthday to a fellow beautiful July baby @GreenTealael.

They have calluses on their bones I’m sure which is why non padded furniture doesn’t bother them. I hear you about the spinal bones. I had to buy an extra thick foam mat to do my floor exercises - I literally feel every bone in my spinal cord. The boniness isn’t as bad as it was though it’s still a way away from good.

It can be difficult to swallow in the first couple of days after your surgery (swelling) but also some surgeons will want you not to swallow meds for a period of time advising patches, chews or to crush meds (not all can be crushed). And of course there’s also what you’re able to do & tolerate in those first few weeks while healing. I had swelling to begin but the hospital gave me pain killers & other meds as tablets in hospital after the first day - it wasn’t easy & hurt. I didn’t have to begin any vitamins until I was home (day 4) but by then the swelling was gone. I was also able to take my vitamins as tablets. Mine were capsules but I could only swallow one at a time with a little break between. Also took half the tablets in the morning & the other half at night.

Could be your body adjusting to the lower calorie intake or withdrawal from sugar, carbs, caffeine. Check with your medical team to be sure. You’ll likely experience this again after surgery for a while as well as lethargy & low energy while you’re healing & consuming less.

It’s okay. Everyone slips at some point. As long as you don’t keep doing it you’ll be okay. Look at it as a learning opportunity. We all have to work out why, how much, often often or when we’ll eat certain foods. Why did you keep eating the pizza? Craving, emotions (happy, sad, angry, frustrated.), boredom, habit, diet fatigue, testing your limits, etc.? What can you do the next time you’re in this situation or mental place? Portion out a slice & put the rest in the fridge, only have it when you can share with a friend so they eat most of it, mange when you choose to have it so as not to compromise your weight loss, make a more nutritionally beneficial low cal version (cauliflower base, etc.)

I went to a friend & her husbands combined 60th about two weeks after my surgery & had to stand up (no chairs in their backyard - actually there was one but the s-i-l of their daughter’s boyfriend wouldn’t give it up as she’d had a caesarean, without complications, three months earlier!!). I made it to almost 3 hours. Went to a cousin’s 40th at about two months. I was there for the whole party (there were plenty of seats at this one - lol!). You should be okay (as long as you’re not standing for hours 😉). Take an electrolyte drink with you for an extra boost of energy. Congrats on your surgery & enjoy the wedding. I’m sure it will be beautiful.

Stretching your tummy is pretty difficult to do unless you’re eating copious amounts of food throughout the day for a long period of time. But I wonder if your tummy not emptying fully contributed - the remaining food continuing to ferment, possibly causing more stomach acid to be produced; the tummy never contracting back after eating, etc. It will be interesting to hear what they think is the cause. Hope they come up with a treatment or a way to remedy it soon.

Prices are expensive here though my brother said the prices they’re getting for produce are basically the same as what they got 10 years ago. Yet wages are much higher, as is the price of fuel, electricity, water, fertiliser, equipment, seedlings, transportation, taxes, etc. They are literally losing money every day. Some body (read the supermarkets) is getting the money but it’s not the farmers here. I still pay about $10 for blueberries. They’ve been huge lately like marbles. The cheaper supermarket ones are always overripe & squishy so I throw most out. Cigarettes attract a much higher tax here (think it’s more than 70% now) for many reasons including an attempt to reduce smoking (doesn’t seem to really work though cause they switch to vaping) & contribute to the funding of our medical system. They’re also jumping down on vaping here too.

I would have an electrolyte drink too. I used Hydralyte. (It was pretty sweet for me so I doubled the water I added to make it up.) Would take a bottle with me to work or on busy days to give m a boost. I still have some on hand just in case.

Ha! And I I made an omelette last Thursday (& ate it for three days). Egg prices are supposed to increase here to $15 a dozen soon (about $10US). They’re about half that at the moment. It’s just a crazy proposed increase. My omelette lunches may become a very rare occurrence soon.

The pre op diet is also known as a liver shrinking diet. It’s in place to reduce the size of your liver to make it easier fir your surgeon to see where they’re operating. This is it’s real purpose. Of course losing some weight pre surgery also benefits your health & recovery, can help with breaking some habits & getting you in the right mind set for what’s to come. I’ve never heard of any one on this forum having been denied surgery because of pre surgical weight loss but that’s not to say it hasn’t happened. Check with your insurance company to be sure. All the best.

Caramelised onion, feta & thyme tart I made to take to my cousin’s for drinks night. Bought my pastry too @GreenTealael. Too much effort to make my own. Ha! So easy to make & delicious. Got 16 nice sized squares out if it & it was gone in seconds. I was lucky to get a piece to try. I used Danish feta. It’s my favourite. Creamy, crumbly, salty goodness.

Yep, stomach acid & thirst can be causes of what you think is hunger. A rumbling tummy is also in most cases not a sign you are hungry either (not like we were always told). The surgery, restricted diet, etc. are all very stressful & your hormones are likely out of whack too. In the past when you were stressed or hormonal or emotional you likely turned to food to comfort or distract you. You can’t do that at the moment but you still want to eat to soothe yourself. However this is just head hunger not real hunger. Try distracting yourself. Go fir a short walk, read, craft, chat with a friend, watch a movie, check social media, etc. Sometimes a warm drink can help: herbal or green tea if you’re allowed, warm water, warm your shake, etc. The shakes were awful for me too. I forced myself to have one in the morning then had strained cream soups, broths or consommés. Yoghurt drinks are also an option (blend a high protein yoghurt with milk until it’s thin enough to drink easily).

Oh straws. It’s one of those things that some surgeons say no & others don’t care. Mine said nothing & I used straws. Not all the time but a few times a week depending on what I was doing or drinking. Never had an issue. Actually found it easier to sip through a straw at first - can’t gulp or take large mouthfuls with a straw. You’re a couple of months out now so I guess you could give it a go & see. Do you have to use the straw or can you remove the straw & sip through the home?