Arabesque

Thanks everyone.

8 hours ago, Sheribear68 said:

LOVE these pants although with my short and stubby legs I fear I’d look ridiculous in something so trendy and chic.

If I can wear them you can too @Sheribear68. You’re like 4 inches taller than me girl & my legs are short & stumpy too (they’d probably reach your knees). You should give a wider straight leg a go. They always look smart day, night, work, socialising. Just keep the top neat & close to your body.

Love that even though you just had surgery you still put on your red lippy @Sophie7713. That’s classy!

Congratulations. This a fantastic achievement.

I think you may have encountered the infamous 3 week stall which can last a week or more. It won’t be the only stall you’ll encounter on your journey. (I had one that lasted more than 3 weeks - not a single gram lost then I just started to lose again.) Some people suggest to stop weighing yourself in a stall or reduce how often you do. Keep following your eating plan and don’t stress about how much you lose each day or week - don’t let it mess with your head.

You always look fab @GreenTealael - deliberately blurred pxt or not.

Love the print on your cute dress @AngieBear and your checked pants @shanza.

Out and about this morning hunting & gathering to restock the stores ( no weapons needed on my expedition 😜). Picked up top at 50% off sale yesterday 🎉. Let’s say yes to checks. And I always love a wide leg pant esp no Iron pants.

Double holy crap @MarvelGirl25. As Angiebear said at least your hair will regrow. You were so lucky it wasn’t worse. I agree - go to a salon and get it trimmed plus you get the added benefits of a lovely head massage when they wash your hair - great to relieve the stress of the experience.

OMG @JRTMom. Can’t believe you lost your brows & lashes. Workplace health & safety would have had a field day with that.

Yep, @ms.sss I’ve been told that your BP will be higher at your Dr’s surgery too because you’re consciously or subconsciously anxious about the result.

My surgeon & dietician are fine with me not drinking Protein Shakes as the high Protein yogurt drink I have as a snack has 22g per serve so similar to protein shakes as well as all the other sources I eat every day. My other afternoon snack option combinations give me 15-20g as well.

I don’t track my intake everyday but do random checks especially when I change my diet. I seem to fluctuate between about 50 to 75grams of protein. Low on days when I’m not hungry & am forcing myself to eat to get in the nutrients.

Hey @sillykitty. Some days I look in the mirror & I think the lines aren’t as deep or long but others I can’t see any change. My neck is definitely better >50% reduction in the lines that ran down from under my chin. Just left with the deeper ones. Also think the ones that ran around my neck have decreased in depth. I didn’t take any before photos to compare.

My beauty therapist is very reasonably priced For which I’m grateful. (Not like the flash upmarket one down the road where I had my microblading done - I swear they charge you $$$$ just to walk in the door!) If I don’t get the results I dream of I know I haven’t spent a fortune.

Plus the additional & unplanned for 5kg I’ve lost is giving me the hangdog look again. Sad face.

Yes, there are a lot on the market that are high fat, carbs &/or sugar so do your research & compare the nutrition value first then taste test. Same for Protein balls.

I started including a bar a couple of times a week as a snack once I hit maintenance. Sometimes I find them gluggy & I often only eat half a bar.

I agree, they are handy to have when travelling but so is throwing in some Protein Shake mixes. A friend did this while in Europe for a month recently. She bought a cheap shaker & tossed it on her last day.

Snap re low blood pressure @AngieBear. This morning I got up & fell straight back on my bed - thank goodness not the floor! And I suffer from reoccurring vertigo virus. Two attacks in the last week. Waaaah!

And today my smoke detector started chirping. Climbed up on the ladder, wrestled the damn thing open, put in a new battery & it’s STILL CHIRPING. 🤬

I feel your pain. Just a thought ... were you given laxatives in hospital? They are super strong. I got up on day three to pee & ... gush mid shuffle. Yikes. No warning & a hideous smell. Had to throw out my knickers & shower. I threw those MFs out immediately.

But I’d still call the doctor’s line to be sure.

Tell your houndstooth flats (which are very cute) not to be scared there are flats & low heels in my collection @Sophie7713. When I put on my weight, my feet ached so much I couldn’t even look at my heels. Also I started a new job where I had to go to the post office in the shopping centre next door every day. The travelators and slippery stone floor were death to heels - terrible, terrible slip hazards. So goodbye to the 4+ inch heels I always used to wear to work. So lovely to be able to wear them again. Just stride on out. I went from 38-38.5 to being 38.5-39 with the weight gain. I’m back to being 38-38.5. 🎉 As to what I’ll wear the new shoes with ... I don’t know. I bought them because I loved them but they’ll work well with all the black in my wardrobe. 😜

Those toe shoes are fabulous @summerset but I don’t think I could do the individual toes. Can’t do toe socks or thongs (not distressed about the thongs) - irritates between my toes.

Yep. My hand is up @summerset. I’m a shoe *****. Remember that scene in Sex in the City when Carrie Bradshaw realises she can’t afford to buy an apartment because she spent all her money on shoes. Yep, that’s me.

It’s my addiction. The evidence (or the shame) & my latest pair.

Thank you for everyone’s advice & suggestions.

My dietician isn’t concerned. She believes the high inflammatory markers are from the weight loss as is the liver function concerns. I’ve read that HRT can also cause the inflammatory markers to increase. She doesn’t understand all the fuss especially as I’m not underweight. We joke & say maybe my metabolism has finally kicked in after 40 years.

I saw my surgeon on Thursday. He wants me to put on about 4kg which I don’t want to do. He said Protein levels can increase the markers too. But I did get confusing info from him. First told to reduce protein (high protein can raise the markers but so can low protein), then to add an egg every day, then put on weight. Part of his reasoning for adding weight is it’s better for my bones??? My bone density is very high - top percentile - so why worry about my bones??? Said no endoscopy but maybe a liver MRI in month’s time. Had another blood test yesterday. Sigh. He also said he’d reviewed my cholesterol history & said it was always up & down (between 5&6) so no concern.

I’ve added to my daily diet - a mid morning snack & another afternoon snack - but still lost weight this week - only 400g but still. Now alternate tuna frittata muffins, hummus on multigrain crackers, high protein yoghurt (in a smoothie (with silica, collagen & benefibre or alone), fruit, high Protein Bar, cheese. I feel like I’m forcing myself to eat & feel full most of the day.

My worry is if I continue to lose weight, which I don’t want to do, & this constant focus on food. It’s taking over my life. Waaaah! Throws hands in the air.

I did lots of pre reading. (I avoided personal you tube clips & social media sites like FB pages detailing how to purée burgers! Be judicious - there’s a lot bad info out there.) Then after going through my medical history with me, my surgeon went through each of the surgical options highlighting the pros & cons of each surgery for me based on my history. He recommended the sleeve which I had been leaning towards from my pre reading.

I suffered from a little reflux (often stressed induced), over produced acid in my stomach, had a sensitivity to lactose & would suffer terribly with hiccups. Don’t think my reflux has changed, my hiccups are less severe, my stomach doesn’t seem as acidic as before & I can tolerate dairy a lot better.

As @AJ Tylo said there’s heaps of informative posts here. Members are always willing to share their experiences & offer support.

Good luck.

A couple of days behind.
You do have game @Dtrain84. Super cool soxs. Love your wife’s yellow accessories. Such a cute couple.

That black skirt & low cut red sweater are smokin’ @GreenTealael as is that piece from VS.

Cute overalls @Cheeseburgh. Almost too good to be painting in.

There’s a whole new world of cute dresses & skirts out there for you to explore now @Winchell. So exciting & congrats on your progress.

Try eating peeled apple slices @Beast(RNY). In some material I got from my surgeon, it said that apple skin (& orange & mandarins pith) is hard to digest & pass through our smaller tummies. It’s just trial & error to see which fruits you can tolerate.

Hey @ms.sss I was talking to my team last week & I mentioned sugar & dumping They said it’s not an issue for sleevers which surprised me because of reading about experiences like yours & others. I thought I was just lucky I hadn’t reacted to fruit (or those Christmas treats I sampled). Now I’m very confused.

Yep I eat fruit regularly. Have eaten grapes, watermelon (ups your Fluid intake & can help with bowel movements), cherries, lychees & mandarins. Mangoes give me the gurgles which is devastating to a Queenslander in summer. Used to eat a lot of red paw paw but haven’t tried it again yet. Didn’t enjoy strawberries or blueberries like I did before when I tried them.

I usually eat fruit as my afternoon snack every second day or sometimes as an after dinner snack. Eat them slowly. My doctor & dietician happy with their inclusion as I neared & then hit maintenance.

You do have game @Dtrain84. Super cool soxs. Love your wife’s yellow accessories Too. Such a cute couple.

Hey @AngieBear that dress has a great shape. Super flattering.

Love the colour of those Chico pants @BayougirlMrsS. Understand why you kept them.

I hear you @Everythinganna. Mine’s all crumpled and creased like crushed unironed linen. I’m jealous of those with flat, tight abs like yours @mousecat88.

But you’ve lost 50lbs?! That’s great! You’re averaging about 7lbs a month or 1-2lbs a week. That’s nothing to be beat yourself up about. Remember where you were before you began this journey and where you are now.

Everyone loses at different rates & has different experiences while losing. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else: it only messes with you bad. Focus on your journey & achievements and 50lbs is an achievement.

There is a slow losers thread. It may help you refocus and keep you motivated.

Don’t give up. You’ve already come so far.

I developed lots of fine lines under my chin & my marionette lines down the sides of my mouth got way deeper with my weight loss. 😩 Waaaa!

About 6 years ago I bought a similar hand held personal machine for about $250/$300 but I didn’t think it did anything. I used to run it over my face every night while watching tv.

This time I’ve gone to my beauty therapist. She charges about $250 for a pack of 6 treatments. I’ve done 12 weekly intensive RF treatments. Each session takes 30 minutes. I’ll be starting maintenance next - 20min treatments with my monthly facial.

My therapist puts a gel on my skin before the treatment and reapplies during. I think it acts as a lubricant for the wand and to protect the skin. I do get odd little dry flaky spots around my mouth where she spends extra time.

I’ve noticed some reduction in the depth and length of the lines around my mouth & the the fine lines under my chin have lessened. Of course the machine my therapist uses is for professional use & produces a much more intensive pulse. (It also cost >$10000 for her new machine 😱.)

RF is supposed to stimulate collagen growth and it takes time for the results to be seen so I’m hopeful for some more improvement. It is not a long term or permanent fix.

PS I’ll be 55 later this year too.

My heart goes out to you and your family. Seeing any child let alone your own child suffering is heart breaking. No wonder you fell back on old habits. It was your comfort zone for years.

Don't beat yourself up about this. We all fight this battle every day. We all trip or slip. As @FluffyChix said losing 15lbs is doable & yes follow her doing the head work thread: lots of advice & support. This whole forum is so useful, full of wisdom & supportive.

Your daughter will be your first priority but put yourself second for a while. It will help maintain your resilience & reinvigorate the inner strength you need for you & your daughter.

Go back to those basics and take it one day at a time.

Blessings.

Hubba hubba @Everythinganna. All those dresses look fab but your legs in the black & silver ...phwaaa!!

More black. Ha! Off to my hairdresser & then lunch with my mother. Bought these sarong pants in Melbourne. They have deep flaps on a yoke so at first glance it looks like a skirt. I bought the knotted waist T in Brisbane when I got back.

Having my eyebrows microbladed on Monday. They’re going out in sympathy with my hair and falling out too and I’m so tired of drawing & painting them on everyday.

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Thank you all for your advice. It’s a worry that no one knows or has heard about stomach stretching.

I have to admit I don’t drink Protein Shakes. I did through my initial stages but once I got onto solid food I stopped drinking them. I found them very grainy & they would coat my mouth & back of my teeth. Plus I found they tasted terrible - it didn’t matter what I mixed them with - shudder. I used to heat the chocolate flavour so they’d be like a real hot chocolate ... it wasn’t. Lol. I know some people put it in coffee but I don’t drink coffee.

I’ve tried a few different types, including pea powder, & flavours and I now have a shelf full of tubs in my cupboard. It’s why I started on high Protein yogurt, yogurt drinks & bars to supplement my daily protein intake. My dietician hasn’t pushed me to drink protein shakes & was ok with my alternatives.

Guess I’ll have to see what my surgeon says next week. Will keep you updated.

So I’ve just been for a check-up with my surgeon’s offsider. My continued issues with low blood pressure and now poor liver function, high inflammation levels & general weakness are raising red flags. Add to this I’m still losing weight (54.1kgs this morning) even though I’m trying to eat more & more regularly. Plus I’m still losing lots of hair (even my eyebrows are thinning now so I’m having my brows microbladed on Monday). She’s made me an urgent appointment with the surgeon for next week suggesting that he may need to stretch my stomach so I can eat more & get in more nutrients. Yikes 😱.

I am eating a little more at each sitting and tend to graze all afternoon slowly eating combinations of fruit, cheese, high Protein yogurt smoothies or Protein Bars. I eat until I feel full. Sometimes I’m just not hungry so I eat to a routine (3 meals & afternoon snacks) to ensure I get in my protein & other nutrients every day & always protein first.

I even stopped my exercise program (loose description - I hate exercising so I’m not devastated) because I’m still losing weight - couldn’t afford to burn off the calories.

Has anyone had to have their stomach stretched by their surgeon? What do they do? Has anymore has these problems? I don’t want to put on weight again.