Arabesque

Lol. Your sewing sounds like mine @ms.sss. I love straight seam sewing. Just put down my foot & zoom. Can’t believe I used to make evening gowns back in the 80s - taffeta drop waist ones - Princess of Wales style. Zips, velvets, gathers & pleats no bother. Now, I doubt I’d remember how to thread my machine or even read a pattern.

Congrats on your surgery! For some of us, it takes ages to get our energy levels up again while others seemingly are bouncing about after a week.

I took things slowly, paced myself through each stage of being more active & kept hydralite on hand for sudden energy drops. Most importantly, if my body said enough I stopped.

It will get better.

And Keto body odour! I had keto breath & body odour for more than a month.

Could be some reflux too. I sometimes get a bad taste in my mouth from that.

Yes, you can do it. You just have to be committed to the program & willing to make the lifestyle changes. The surgery is just a tool - like a gym membership. If you don’t take advantage of it, you can’t expect to achieve your goals. You have to work at it every day. But in saying that, don’t beat yourself up if you slip, we all do. Just get back up & keep going. The benefits are amazing.

Good luck with your surgery. Best decision I made.

Three people in the last week have commented about how tiny I am. One, in a nursery, said I was so tiny I’d fit in the plant pot I was buying. (That was a very odd & upsetting comment.) These were the first times anyone has ever used the word ‘tiny‘ to describe me. It’s so weird. I see just average in the mirror.

I also bought a pair of skinny jeans - Aust size 6/US2 - and I swear they are so small they’d fit my 10yr old niece so I hear you @2Bsmaller18.

Right before my surgery, I was approached to be part of a Bariatric study here in Australia. I agreed because I felt their findings could help others in the future but I have not heard a word from them in almost 14 months except for a letter thanking me for being willing to participate. I wonder if I’ll get a letter at some stage thanking me for my contributions.

That belt is beautiful @Sophie7713. I hope you get the opportunity to wear it soon. I think if we went shopping together we may end up fighting over who gets to buy the clothes ... and Aquazzura shoes 😂
Edith Head was an amazing costume designer. Have you seen the documentary on costumer Orry Kelly called Women I’ve Undressed? He did the gorgeous dresses Marilyn Monroe wore in Some Like it Hot as well as Les Girls, Gypsy & so many more. Plus supposedly had a relationship with Cary Grant.

At 30 days post surgery I was 9kg down from my surgical weight. At 3 months I was 16kg down. At 6 months I was at my goal of 60kg. At 10 months I’d lost another 9kg and have maintained between 50 & 51kg for the last 3.5months.

That was my journey. Yours will be different because of all the factors @catwoman7 mentioned. Best advice is don’t compare your rate of loss with others. For every fast loser there’s a slow loser. If you’re determined, focussed & willing to make long term changes you will be successful.

I’m very glad I had the sleeve surgery & I hope you will be too. Good luck.

It seems different surgeons recommend different progressions through the stages. Mine was two weeks on liquids, two on purées (think thick sludgy liquids) & two weeks on soft foods (think mushy) but with the advice to step back a stage if I experienced difficulties at each new stage. Your tummy will soon tell you if it’s not ready (healed enough) to tolerate denser foods.

Did your surgeon or dietician give you a list of foods to eat at each stage? I followed the recommended food lists very closely. If they didn’t, give them a call & ask for some advice.

Go slowly. You are healing. Don’t push yourself through a stage just because you’re craving specific foods.

Hope your recovery continues to go well for you.

10 hours ago, Sophie7713 said:

LOOKING SOOOO GORGEOUS! Love love love all the textures. Your haircut is adorable, too. So hard to imagine you're experiencing winter when it's summertime prime here. Definitely needed to lighten up on our evening walks... but have no summer clothing in new size. I dislike shopping on line. I prefer shop (good exercise), fit and take home. But we are in a major spike right now. Not safe. I'd really like to find a pair of comfortable walking Bermuda shorts or skorts. BTW, the 80's never looked so GOOD...

Thank you @Sophie7713. I prefer shopping in stores too. I love being able to see the true colour (I know I tend to wear black) & feel the textures of the fabrics which you can only do in person. I adore playing dress up in store. It’s a real social experience for me. Plus I love not to have to wait for the postman to arrive with my purchases - instant gratification for me. There were two Melbourne stores I would visit their collections online but would ring to speak with the lovely ladies in store who knew me to discuss the pieces I liked.

Because of shutdown here, I had to buy some things online (my winter clothes were too big) but not always an easy process to judge the best size & if the item had to be returned. So glad things are open here again.

I lost almost 50% of my hair over about 6 months but thankfully I had a lot to begin. It was noticeable because it was long. I cut it off to above my shoulders so it wasn’t as obvious. I’ve got a good two inches of regrowth now. Feels strange when I wash my hair. All my old thickness at my skull but still thin at the ends.

I avoid as much sugar and as many sweetened things as I can. It is the devil & contributed to me being over weight in the first place. Dropping it from my diet helped with my weight loss & now maintaining. I don’t miss it.

Dumping is not an uncommon side effect of sugar consumption post surgery. (Less common with sleeves though.) But for you it seems like your body is showing its intolerance for sugar by producing excess gas. You may discover you can’t tolerate other foods as easily either & may have to avoid them as well.

You’re talking about your health. You must be truthful because you don’t want to risk any complications. I’d give my new doctor the results but ask if they’d do another lot to monitor changes. Your doctor can access all your blood work results anyway if they want so you’re not hiding anything. When I get my printout it shows the results for a number of previous tests.

The surgery was one of the best decisions I ever made. Best of luck with your journey.

Yep every day I have access to my scales. I usually have Breakfast, then after my second pee of the morning, & bm I get on the scales in my underwear before I get dressed. I try to keep the scales on the same tile too for consistency.

The surgery & change to your diet speeds up your natural Hair loss cycle. It’s a reaction to the shock to your body. You just have to wait it out. There’s no common experience as to when it will start, how much hair you’ll lose or for how long it will go on. I lost a lot of hair over about 6 months. You may notice a change in your hair texture too.

There’s nothing you can do to stop it. Biotin, silica, Vitamins, etc. won’t stop the loss but they will help strengthen your new growth.

A BMI of 35 tends to be the minimum requirement for many surgeons in Australia at least and a lower BMI with high BP, diabetes, etc. (think my surgeon’s min was 32 with these health complications).

I had a starting BMI of 35 as did my friend. I didn’t have any health concerns but my friend had a few minor issues that will be alleviated with weight loss.

The decision to have the surgery is yours. It’s not an easy choice and certainly not an easy way to lose weight. It takes a lot of commitment, effort, reflection & lifestyle changes but the benefits are huge.

Out if interest, are your friends slim or do they carry weight? Just wondering what might be motivating their comments.

Every single day. And I’m menopausal! Grocery shopping is the worst. I was wearing long sleeve tops in the middle of a Queensland summer & would be so cold it was painful. I think my low BP contributes as well as the lack of fatty insulation.

Sometimes it is difficult to find foods you enjoy eating at this stage. Your changed taste buds & the texture of some purées make eating unpleasant. Some things are just plain disgusting. I ate a lot of Soups during this stage with shakes - usually a 1/2 cup of Soup & a shake each day - sipping slowly over the day. My doctor & dietician wasn’t concerned about minimum Protein levels at this stage. That changed once I got into the soft food stage.

Try to purée a poached chicken breast with chicken stock & gravy. I also puréed mince & vegetables (cooked for ages). Scrambled eggs, mashed boiled egg, very mushy rolled oats & yogurts also worked for me.

Good luck.

Soup is the go to at this stage. I’d probably avoid the ramen or Thai options because of the meats, vegetables & noodles. Would be more obvious if you just consumed the broth whilst leaving the rest of the ingredients with those. Just remember to eat slowly & don’t have anything to drink or you fill up to quickly.

Hope you enjoy your evening.

Thank you for starting this thread @Suzi_the_Q. Any help & advice to stay on the right path would be wonderful.

I’m only 13.5 months out & hit my goal at about 6 months. I continued to lose for another four. While I’ve been maintaining for the last 3.5 months, I know this will continue to take effort & determination. I don’t want to throw away the opportunities the surgery has given me.

I try to keep to routines of when & what I eat, eat slowly & keep portions small. Like @ms.sss I too say no to Pasta, bread & rice. I also avoid potatoes. And I weigh myself almost every day.

I’m still in the sweet spot with a strong metabolism so the real work will begin when that starts to slow.

I just filled another bag for St Vincent de Paul. This one is full of camis, singlet tops, pantyhose & Shapewear. The one before was pyjamas, leggings, track pants & hoodies. This should be my last lot as I think I’ve gone through all my wardrobes & drawers now for the last time? It feels so good not only to cleanse but also to be able to donate the clothing to help others. (Knowing the clothing was all way too big made me feel good too! 😁)

Yeah I get how you feel. A couple of people said it to me & I felt as if they were almost taunting me because, like you, at the time I still had a way to go. It was like ‘hey skinny’ really meant here we go again she’ll put it all back on again or she’s still so fat. But that could have been my twisted thinking.

I felt there was much more support & encouragement in a close friend quietly saying I was looking good or she was happy for me.

I found it really awkward when people would ask if I was sick.

You’re not shrinking the liver itself but reducing the fat on & in the liver. @GreenTealael is correct & it also helps give the surgeon a better field of vision whilst doing the surgery.

I was not given a size that my liver must reduce to just that I had to lose some weight in the fortnight prior to surgery. I lost a good 4kgs but a friend had to lose 8 kgs in the three weeks prior to her surgery.

Good luck.

Starting to get pretty chilly for Queensland. Got out my raccoon & wool asymmetrical jumper, wool tube skirt & boots on Saturday to go to Toowoomba on the Great Dividing Range. All toasty warm. It’s my nod to the 80s.

Congrats on your weight loss. An amazing achievement.

I eat oatmeal often for Breakfast (at the moment it’s every day cause I’m over eggs) & did so through my weigh loss stage as it’s a good carb & was on my diet. (Mind you the couple of teaspoons I could eat wouldn’t had much of an impact.)

When I got to maintenance, my dietician recommended small amounts of whole/multi grain carbs. Crackers have been the easy choice for me as I didn’t want to go down the bread & Pasta route either. They’re good for carrying other foods like hummus, avocado, etc. & are an easy snack. And it’s nice to have a crunchy bite.

These few carbs have helped keep me regular (yippee) & have improved the skin on my face - not as gaunt looking anymore. They’ve helped me maintain & if I drop them I start losing weight again.

Amusingly, I bought a brown rice cracker during lockdown as my usual ones weren’t available - result was many smelly farts. Brown rice is now on my avoid at all costs list.

The issue for people post surgery is addiction transfer & alcohol is an easy transfer from food.

I enjoyed a glass of something (wine, gin, scotch) every night pre surgery but since my surgery I probably have a glass less than once a month. And then I rarely finish it. I also found that my taste buds have changed & a lot of alcohol tastes too sweet & just plain blah! Have to admit I don’t really miss it.

If I do have something to drink it’s gin & tonic. I drink it very slowly - an hour + for a low ball. Most of the bubbles dissipate quickly which helps with the carbonation issue.

A couple of things to consider: The carbonation fills you quickly & causes issues like discomfort. If you’re drinking, you’re not eating. Alcohol will dehydrate you. Alcohol has no nutritional value.