Arabesque

It’s likely not a stall because you’ve been plateaued for so long. Stalls usually last 1-3 weeks You may have reached your body’s set point. The weight at which your body is happiest &/or your consuming the calories your body needs to function at this weight. I ate 1300 calories & maintained at 49kg for a good year. I eat 1400 calories now (because of additional protein) & maintain at 51kg. Like @catwoman7 said you could lose more if you reduced your calories (& upped your activity) but is a lower intake sustainable? Only you know that. And remember not everyone reaches a healthy BMI. (BMI should be used as a guide not a rule anyway.) it’s got to be a weight that healthy for you & your life. But, have a chat with your dietician & see what advice they can offer.

There are lots of different pre surgery diets. Mine was 2 weeks keto. But generally they’re either two shakes & one meal or three shakes only. With these the first week (or there abouts) seems to be the most difficult. You’re breaking lots of habits, cravings & addictions (caffeine, sugar). Plus if food was a comfort for you this is also ‘taken away’ from you so it can be more challenging because of the emotional/psychological roller coaster. It’s all so very worth it though.

And the hormonal flush. Enjoy it.

What does your plan recommend? You should be starting to try lots of different foods now. Just chose the more tender cuts & keep things moist with some sort of sauce or gravy & eat slowly & carefully. Your tummy (or tastebuds) will quickly tell you if it’s not for you yet. And if something doesn’t sit well, don’t give up on it. Just leave it for a week or so & try again. From two months I was adding beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish, … to my menu plan roster for dinner. Mince, lamb cutlets or blackstrap, chicken thighs, steak, pork tenderloin, etc. I was also eating some vegetables: steamed green beans, cabbage & cauliflower florets. (Very little like 2 or 3 beans & a floret😁.) I was also cooking with tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, celery, onion, spinach leaves, capsicum like in soups, bolognese sauce, omelettes, savoury mince, braises, etc. I ate scrambled eggs or rolled oats for breakfast & fish (not tinned), 1/2 a sausage (butcher’s not supermarket mass produced) or dinner leftovers for lunch. I never had another shake from week 3 purées. Just watch drying meat out to much while cooking so maybe no char grills or bbq for a little while.

I’m with @ms.sss: taboo schmoo-boo. Go the Botox. Honestly, I’m not a fan of the idea of young girls & young women getting Botox & fillers but once your life starts to show on your face I think it’s certainly worth exploring. I got my first lot last year (Dysport not Botox) & I love it. I actually went in to explore filler but because I have a bee allergy was advised against it (the neutraliser causes the same reaction in your body as a bee sting so I’d likely have an anaphylactic reaction). I also am ‘under dosed’ so I still have some forehead movement & I feel it looks more natural. I also get it in my chin to reduce the length of some of my marionette lines & reduce the old lady chin dimpling. The only down side is mine doesn’t last long - about 2 months as I process it more quickly. ☹️ But the only way to truely get rid of the droopy facial skin is surgery & I’m not interested in that … well at the moment. Ha! I look at my face & I think yeah I have wrinkles & droop but I am 57. I’m supposed to have them & I’ve earned them. But I have cheekbones now, one chin, my eyelids aren’t as hooded, I have a jaw line & people say they can see the family resemblances with my brothers, nieces & nephews. Best of all is that I actually look like me now. My face isn’t distorted by layers of fat. That’s how I look at it though.

Ok, you ate something you probably shouldn’t at this stage but you realise this & that’s the positive. And yes, some people do slip at any time as they’re progressing so you’re not alone. The real question is what are you going to do next time? This is a great learning opportunity. Why couldn’t you resist the nachos? Was it something you wanted? Was it out of habit? Was it because others were eating? Did you need to eat? Was it your lunch or dinner time? Etc. Once you’ve worked out why you can start thinking about how you can manage this or similar situations in the future. Like, next time I go to the movies I’ll drink water or tea or I’ll sneak in a shake, some jerky or string cheese, etc. Eating nachos now while you’re losing isn’t a great idea but in the future sure you may be able to have some but you’ll work that out. PS - Actually you didn’t skip dinner. A shake is a meal replacement so you still had a meal. Just something to watch if you are on a three meal a day plan but plans are different.

You’ve likely strained/stretched your anus or maybe even caused a small tear. Add some soluble non swelling fibre to your diet & maybe try a stool softener. I used to take one if I got to day 3 without a BM. Though some need a stronger or higher dose. If I left it longer the poop would get harder, more compacted & more painful to pass. Iron is renowned for causing constipation so it likely did contribute as did your reduced diet. Not going every day is okay because we’re not eating a lot & it’s nutritionally dense so we don’t have a lot to poop out but it is beneficial to keep on top of it & try to establish some sort of routine.

You will have a lot of swelling which would be making drinking painful. Plus, you’d have discomfort & bloating from the procedure. You will feel better & it will get easier. Try warm drinks as they are more soothing. All you can do is sip, sip, sip. Some set an alarm so they sip every couple of minutes, you can count all liquids you are consuming including any shakes, broths, etc. as your plan prescribes. Don’t worry if you aren’t exactly hitting your fluid goal to begin but as long as you are pretty close & making an effort to get to it. Watch for symptoms of dehydration though just in case. PS Ensure you’re taking short walks to help with the bloating too.

As @Sleeve me alone! said elevated cholesterol levels is common post surgery. Mine went up too. It’s all the cholesterol being released into your body as you lose fat & the high protein diet (especially animal proteins) & lower vegetable diet add to it. My surgeon & doctor monitored it but it started to go down when my weight loss finally slowed & I was eating a more balanced diet in maintenance. It was always about 5/5.1 before surgery (not bad but not good), went up to 5.8 (danger, danger) & is 4.1 now (gold star 😉). Try swapping in some plant proteins & rolled oats into your diet & see if that helps while you are still losing.

You’d really know it if it was your gall. That pain is excruciating. I would have thought I was dying if I didn’t know what it was. Literally rolling on the bed in agony. Covered in sweat. Could barely get up & drag myself to get some pain meds. Not that they helped. The surgery was actually pretty easy. My surgeon used the same incisions he did for my sleeve so no new scars. No special diet after. Knew what to expect post an abdominal surgery but the gas pain was pretty bad but I had none with my sleeve. I wasn’t put on ursidol or similar. Which I’m actually glad about as the side effects aren’t the best: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, hair loss & we already had enough of those without making them worse. And you wouldn’t know if it was the meds or your recovery & weight loss causing or exacerbating them.

I didn’t feel hunger for more than a year so I ate to a routine because I wanted to ensure I got in all the nutrients I needed. I didn’t want to rely in shakes, vitamins or supplements. Doing this didn’t affect my weight loss at all and it helped me refocus how I looked at food. Three years out & I still have times I’m not hungry. Actually been going through a hungry but not hungry stage for a good month now. I’m not eating all my usual portions &/or dropping snacks (I snack to add to my protein &/or calories). I always try to be close to my protein goal though during these times so eat protein first & will reduce vegetables, etc. If I’m not hungry at lunch I’ll have a high protein yoghurt which isn’t as heavy to digest as meat. I should explain I’m a do I need this next bite or want it eater. So I don’t eat until I feel full but until I’ve had enough & don’t need anymore. I don’t feel too full to eat but more I don’t want to eat but I know I have to have something. I also still eat slowly - like a tub of yoghurt takes about 45-60mins. As @The Greater Fool said it comes down to habits & these were the ones I established which carry me through.

Try some mineral salts - magnesium especially. You may be flushing (peeing) or sweating some of those out of your body. But see what your doctor says first.

You can develop gallstones for many reasons including high cholesterol, menopause, high bilirubin levels, diabetes, losing weight quickly. For many of us, losing weight also releases extra cholesterol into our bloodstream causing our levels to temporarily rise. Some also have gallstones before surgery which were never picked up. I had to have my gallbladder removed 25 months after my surgery. I had high bilirubin levels, am menopausal, & saw my cholesterol go up while I was losing & of course had lost weight. I had one stone which was discovered about 6 months after surgery during a liver scan. We don’t know how long it had been there. The stone never caused me a problem until one night & oh boy! I was maintaining when my gall was removed. After it was removed I stopped absorbing protein as well as I had been - it can happen. My nails became weak, started losing hair again, things were taking longer to heal, etc. & my three monthly blood test showed why. I had to up my protein intake (from 50-60g to 60-70g) which did result in a small gain of 2kgs in a month but I’ve maintained that for a good 7 months. (Also upped my HRT meds at the exact same time so both contributed to the gain.) I was also prescribed Creons, pancreatic enzymes, to help with protein absorption.

Sorry you’re not feeling well. Just wondering though if the dairy in the shakes may be upsetting your tummy while you are sick?? Often dairy products cause extra mucus production & are best avoided when you have a runny nose. Blander food may be easier to tolerate. Soups may be your best bet at the moment. Just a suggestion. Hope you both recover quickly.

You can include all the fluids you drink so that includes the milk in your shakes & the Gatorade zero not just water. So you are a lot closer to your goal than you think. Most of us consume a variety of fluids to reach our goal. It can be difficult to reach that 64oz goal in the beginning but as long as you are making an effort & are getting closer & closer to it you’ll be ok. Try keeping a glass of water beside your bed & sip every time you wake to add in a couple more ounces. (I drink about 8ozs overnight.) Congrats on your progress so far & for being creative in your meal options. Yay!

Some surgeons/insurance require an endoscopy as part of your pre surgery health checks. But because you’re having your surgery overseas best would be to contact your surgeon in Turkey.

One thing I did to keep my mind off eating was clearing out my wardrobe & drawers of clothing & underwear that were too big. So feel hungry? Clean out a drawer or a wardrobe. I reviewed my clothing several times as my weight dropped. Besides distracting me it also reinforced how I was progressing. Packed up clothing into things to toss, keep, donate or give away to friends. Also pulled out clothing I’d kept in case I lost weight in the past & sorted out what I could wear again.

Why not try a sports store where they do those tests to see how you walk & the pressure points on your feet. I did & ended up with a brand I’d never heard of but boy they were great shoes. They were cheaper than those big name brands too not that price was a consideration. Comfort & support was all I wanted. I did it again after I lost weight. I had different needs & a different brand was recommended. They’ve been great too. You don’t have to buy from the store. You could go elsewhere to buy their recommendations.

First treat BMI as a suggestion. Same with any goal you may choose. Body type, your build, age, lifestyle, health, genetics, etc. all influence what is the best weight for you & you can’t put a number on a scale against them. The other factor which you can’t do much about is your body’s natural set point. This is the weight at which your body seems to naturally settle. My surgeon did ask if I had a goal. I chose a weight which was the lowest I reached during my weight loss & gain cycles. It put me at about a 23 BMI. He thought it was sensible & achievable. I reached that in 6 months but continued to lose as I tried to find my maintenance balance. Initially my surgeon & doctor were concerned about my lower weight but it turns out I don’t have a larger frame as everyone thought! As one doctor said you’re actually quite a tiny person aren’t you & they all stopped worrying. Plus I don’t have bones protruding - I have plenty of flesh (fat ha!) on my bones. I’m about 2kgs heavier now than where I had initially stabilised for a year. (I believe an necessary increase in my HRT dosage & protein intake contributed to the sudden weight gain - all happened in the same month.) and I’ve been stable here for a good 7 months. My body seems happy at around this weight & so am I (except for those 2 kgs 😉). You’ll settle at a weight that is healthy & works for you and it’s okay if it ends up being more or less than you initially thought. My food choices & the way I eat to maintain my weight doesn’t restrict me living my life as I want. It’s been a sustainable way of eating for 2.5yrs now. I might make slight changes in the future but for now it’s working. I guess that ‘s the real goal. Being at a weight you can maintain in a healthy, sustainable way that allows you to enjoy your life as you want. PS - the slowing down of your weight loss is perfectly normal. It slows as you get closer to your body’s set point & your calorie intake is nearer to what your body needs to function effectively & healthily. Can you lose more if you want? Sure if you reduce your calories & intake your activity but can you maintain that without impacting your health or your life?

I agree with going slow with raw vegetable. I didn’t do salads for a few months though I could eat cucumber (peeled) pretty early out. Lettuce leaves, spinach, rocket, etc, can be too coarse. When I started salads I used iceberg lettuce only. I ate a lot of different cooked vegetables from soft foods. Watch how you cook your meats to avoid drying them out. Poaching, steaming, roasting, braising, slow cooking, is a good place to begin. And buy tender cuts. Like use chicken thighs not breast. Cook steak to medium rare. Have gravies, sauces, etc. to keep your meals moist. Continue to keep your bites small. I still cut my food into bite sizes pieces before I start to eat when I’m at home. Don’t load your cutlery with both protein & vegetables - one or the other. I could eat any red meats, poultry or seafood but some struggle with certain meats at first. Best advice is go slowly and never give up on anything. Try it again in a week or so or try a different cut or cooking it a different way.

In the beginning your tummy can be extra sensitive & sometime just pernickety. It can like something one day but not the next & a few days later it’s fine again. Or your tummy or the temporary changes to your taste &/or smell may make some foods difficult to eat. It may as simple as the food tasting or smelling awful, or it may not sit well/heavily. It may cause nausea or you may regurgitate it back. Worse case, especially if it’s too coarse or dry, you can experience your restriction then the foamies. Just depends & is individual. Usually intolerances are temporary though there may be an odd thing you’ll avoid long term. I love vegetables but I couldn’t tolerate many of my favourites at all - tasted awful then about a month later they were delicious again. I still find oily fish like salmon & trout unpleasant - just don’t sit well. Actually could eat smoked salmon for about a month & then nope no more. I can occasionally eat a little salmon as sashimi. So it can be the specific food or how it’s been prepared that upsets you. I can eat pork without problem except if it’s too dry then I get the foamies. Foods like chicken breast, steak or eggs can cause problems at first for some. Some develop temporary food sensitivities too like to lactose. But don’t give up on any food. Give it a break before trying it again or prepare it in a different way. Your restriction feels like a tight band around your chest. Like something is stuck. Makes me want to thump my chest. The goal is not to feel this. (I only feel it if I eat too quickly/not mindfully, or eat something too dry or coarse.) Don’t eat until you are full but until you’ve had what you need not what you want (do you need the next bite or just want it). We’re advised to eat slowly to allow the message you’re full to get through. But if you eat until you feel full you’ve likely had too much. That’s why portion sizes are helpful though you may find one day you can eat all your portion but the next day you can’t. Many find their full signals are different too. Some sneeze or their nose runs. The gurgling is just your tummy doing what it’s supposed to - digesting food. Most times a gurgling, rumbling tummy is not a signal you are hungry.

For my birthday eve dinner I took two Tasmanian friends to a fabulous restaurant that cooks over open fire (yes, more dining out). Thought I’d share these two mouthwatering dishes. Buttermilk waffle with a cheese, raisin & thyme purée - two bites size & I had one. And the most delicious side dish ever - cabbage with lacto Koji (fermented crème fraiche), buttermilk, cashews & dill. The crunchy burnt bits just seem to make everything more yummy. (And the low lightening makes everyone, especially those about to turn a year older, look gorgeous -lol!)

Yes it does make sense. I’ve had times when I’ve shut down to protect myself but I’ve been able to work my out of it. You may find you’ll never manage your hunger & eating until you open up to your emotions again. You may find therapy very helpful to guide & support you work your way through your emotions & what lead you to burying them. A therapist will also help you develop strategies to manage your feelings too. Many have found therapy extremely helpful. Your surgeon or medical team should be able to recommend someone who has experience with bariatric patients & disordered eating. Plain water can almost seem too heavy to drink after surgery. I was a big water drinker pre surgery but for months after it was a struggle. I was able to drink green tea so I started drinking a large mug everyday after I got home from hospital. A few months later I also added a large glass of sparkling water. I’d sip it over a few hours alternating with plain water so it would be pretty flat. I also used to open the bottle when I put it in the fridge so it wouldn’t be as fizzy when I went to drink it. The minerally taste was a nice change to plain water.

Changing your thinking isn’t easy unfortunately. Boy how I wished it was. Sometimes though I’d have a sudden realisation which changed how I looked at eating in certain situations. Like realising going out with friends wasn’t about eating but about being with my friends. I started listening more closely to what we were talking about, initiating conversations & more closely considering their reactions. In many ways not focussing on what I was eating has built better relationships with my friends. My eating & drinking less doesn’t stop them eating & drinking either. I developed an aversion to a lot of fatty, overly sweet foods, takeaway, fast foods & snacks. It doesn’t even have to be in front of me. I cringe watching fast food ads on tv, images on social media, etc. Though I throughly enjoy cooking & baking shows but I guess they’re not about excess but moderation. This was very helpful my first year. Others experience this as well. I’m also a do I need it or want it person. Coupled with that is why do I want it. Do I want it out of habit (like when you want chips & slushies when you get fuel)? Because I’m bored? Because I’m sad, angry, happy, frustrated, scared? Etc. And the big one: am I actually hungry? Once you know the why you can work out strategies to manage it. Want a slushie? Get water. Bored? Find an activity to do (read, go for a walk, play a game, craft, …) And so forth. It all takes time. And don’t beat yourself up if you give in. As long as it’s a rare slip it’s okay. Recognise it & move forward.

Something to watch is while you usually have perfect cholesterol, you may find that changes while you’re losing. Like oestrogen being released into your body from your fat as you lose weight the same is true of cholesterol. My cholesterol wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t bad just over the high side of normal but it seemed to always be about that regardless if what I weighed so my doctor was okay with it. When I was losing it went up & up & up & my liver function went weird too (also common). So while the keto high fat diet may be something you consider in maintenance, the high fat aspect may be too much while you are losing. My dietician advised keto was fine in the short term & good for kick starting weight loss but it wasn’t really sustainable. (My pre surgery diet was keto.) I did some of my own reading & decided I agreed. Do I eat fat? Yes. Do I eat high fat? No. I get a lot from animal products (meat, dairy) but I don’t add a lot more (been using the same 500g pack of butter for 8 months). Some salad dressing, a little oil if cooking. But then I’ve never enjoyed fattier foods anyway. I look at it as generally a little of everything in moderation & balance. But you have to discover what works best for you in the long term.