Arabesque

Small steps in the right direction are still wins plus they’re often easier to adopt & adapt to.

That’s just the two meals I was with them. Ha! I think they’d do home delivery or ready meals almost every day. They justify it by saying t’s a time thing (running around with 5 children) but we waited 90 odd minutes on Sunday night for the meal to arrive. The children were ravenous & gnawing on their arms by the time it arrived. We could have gone to the shop, bought a chicken, roasted it & vegetables in less time. I’m someone who predominately cooks everything from scratch so it wigs me out a bit (a lot). Lol!

I had Vietnamese last night for the first time since my surgery. I had forgotten how much I like viet food - the clean, fresh flavours. I had prawn salad which I always enjoyed. I ate 5 prawns & the very small disappointing amount of cucumber, carrot & lettuce & a little of the mint. Bought home a bowl 2/3 filled with 2 leftover prawns & all the noodles.

My brother & his family eat far too much takeaway. Eating with them twice in the last two weeks is why I’ve eaten takeaway twice too which I rarely normally do.

Slow, deep breathing can also help as you breathe surgical gas out. Try marching on the spot or while sitting & raise & lower your arms to move the gas up behind your lungs so it is absorbed there & breathed out.

I second @NickelChip’s suggestion of trying warm/hot drinks. They are very soothing & the peppermint or ginger tea should help with the indigestion gas. Plus being hot, they force you to ensure you’re sipping. Get a thermal cup to keep them hot or pop your cup in a microwave to reheat as needed.

Are you on a PPI yet? They reduce your stomach acid which is likely the cause of this gas. You’re still producing the amount of acid you needed to digest food when you had a large tummy & ate much more than you are able to now (especially after surgery).

13 hours ago, Kat said:

Arabesque thank you, I have lost 80 pounds so far I am currently 160 the goal I was given from my doctors is 130. So I have 30 pounds left to go. I am 5’3. I know you are all right and the stall will pass. It’s just my first real stall I did not go through the 3 week stall and this stall just reminds me to much of all my diet failures. I know it’s all in my head and will pass!

Yes, it will pass (though they are still frustrating & upsetting) but it doesn’t necessarily mean your weight loss is over. I lost another 11kgs (24lbs) in about another year after I reached goal. And many others will tell you the same. While they lost the bulk of their weight in the first 6-12 months, their weight loss continued very slowly for another 6-12 months or more. So it’s not over until it’s over.

My surgeon & his colleague also suggested I increase my calories when I was dropping below goal. I said I can only eat what I can eat. My dietician made a couple of suggestions like adding full cream milk powder to any milk based drink or dish. I tried it but found it very sweet. Over time, I was able to eat more both in volume & calories & was eating a wider variety of food sources just like I had along the whole way until my loss stopped at about 1300 calories. I eat about 1500/1600 now & maintain at basically the same weight. Maybe touch base with your dietician for some ideas or things you can swap in much like @ms.sss suggested.

Remember to Celebrate the weight you have lost & every pound you lose next even if it takes weeks to lose it.

You got this.

I’m with @Spinoza. The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. I was barely eating 900 calories at 6 months (probably less as I didn’t have to track just randomly checked for my own interest). But I couldn’t eat anymore than I was at that time. My stalls were very brief but that’s just how my body reacted to the stress of the weight loss & my changing needs (digestive hormones, metabolism, etc.)

How much weight have you lost? What do you currently weigh? What’s your goal weight? How tall are you? These details can be helpful for us to be able to share more specific experiences. For example, when we get closer to our final weight, our weight loss slows to almost nothing & sometimes it almost seems a stall.

Yep, stalls are a very normal & common part of weight loss. In fact they’re important. Your body shuts down to reassess your needs based on your changing weight & alters digestive hormones, metabolism, etc. The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. It will take the time it needs. Don’t stress it more by making more changes to your diet or activity above your plan. They can be frustrating but you really just have to ride it out.

Yes, to only waiting 30 minutes before & after eating to drink too.

Check with your team about collagen. While it does contain Protein it is not a complete protein as it doesn’t include all the necessary amino acids so usually can’t be counted towards your goal. I believe there is a collagen powder which has added the missing amino acids but I can’t recall the brand. Use unflavoured protein powder instead to add to Soups, shakes, porridge, etc.

All the best.

Amusingly Jamie Oliver posted a joint recipe for asparagus quiche & asparagus Soup yesterday. Started with a kilo of asparagus used the top half of the spears for the quiche & bottom half for the soup too. Obviously is asparagus season.

The final look. The designer was excited I was wearing her boots & pointed me out during her Q & A. Had a lovely chat with her afterwards. She’s delightful.

Heard that she went to Chanel earlier in the day & they made her line up outside. They made the Chanel head shoe designer line up outside Chanel! 😱 She introduced herself & they said please wait here with everyone else. And worse there was only one customer in the store. Just one person! Don’t want to be that store manager & staff if she reports back to Chanel.

Later in the evening, a woman came to me & asked if I was a 38? When I said yes, she said they were supposed to be my boots. Quick & the dead I replied. We laughed. Apparently I’m always getting in before she does so misses out.

We all heal & recover differently & it is a pretty major surgery. Plus you’re on a restricted diet to begin, have restricted movement & how much weight you can carry, low in energy, & can get weary quickly. A friend was back at her job after a week - easy. Another took three weeks off & said she needed all of them. I did 4 weeks, returned part time but it wasn’t easy - weak, lots of drops of blood pressure, doughy headed. We all worked in offices.

Best advice is negotiate with your employers in case you do need extra time. Or return with reduced hours. You won’t actually know until it happens.

All the best with your surgery.

10 hours ago, AmberFL said:

how do you make your oats? are they overnight? in a rice cooker? I am wanting to do something more simple for the weekends. Right now I am having a RXbar for bfast which is yummy! but I am starting to want oatmeal again lol

I really love my porridge. I initially began with instant oats - less coarse & easier to tolerate. I ate them from purée. Can’t recall when I transitioned to traditional oats. I do make them (oats, seeds dried cranberries & milk) overnight but I still cook them the next morning. I cook a little longer so about 4 mins in microwave stirring between & adding more milk. Then add yoghurt, more milk to a texture I like & then blueberries. If you add the yoghurt before cooking it curdles - not appetising.

PS - Watch some instant oats if you start there. They can be loaded with additives & other ingredients. Find ones where the only ingredient is oats.

I’d worry about ensuring you’re getting in all your nutrients too. Do you track your food? It maybe an idea if only for a couple of weeks.

Check your plan in regards the rice & noodles. Most plans say no to these as they are so filling, have no real nutritional value & limit your ability to consume your necessary Protein.

Your dietician should be able to give you ideas & recipes you can put together with your limited cooking capabilities. Otherwise google can be your friend. There are so many things you can cook using just an air fryer & microwave that will ensure you meet your protein goal & are getting in nutrient dense foods.

I’m a proponent of cooking as much of your own food yourself as you can. It’s the only way you can be sure of the ingredients (including preservatives & additives) & the cooking methods. Plus means you eating low processed foods which is way healthier than takeaways & other highly or ultra princesses foods. (They’re known to change your digestive hormones to increase your hunger & decrease your satiety hormones plus the other impacts on your general health.)

Plus eating the small portions you are at the moment you can get away with only cooking every couple of days. Less if you have a freezer compartment in your fridge.

That many calories would have been a meal for me too at your stage. Personally I would avoid them but I’m a very low sugar consumer & avoid artificial sweeteners or sugar alternatives whenever possible. I’d worry about the carbs too (high processed white flour - whole meal would be a little better) & the fat content.

Check with your dietician to be sure especially in relation to what else you usually eat each day. Plans & requirements do differ.

Like @GreenTealael I have a routine too. It makes me comfortable about my choices & I don’t have to think too hard about what I’m going to eat, how much, am I meeting goals, & so on.
Breakfast: rolled oats & milk with high Protein yoghurt, mixed seeds, dried cranberries & blueberries

Lunch: multi grain crackers with labneh & Tomato or with liver wurst & pickled onions. Occasionally gyoza or calamari. Used to have salads with chicken or prawns but got tired of it & then was making omelettes with lots of vegetables & cheese but my tummy decided it didn’t like eggs (after 4 years 🤷🏻‍♀️).

Dinner: usually pretty simple - a protein (last night was trimmed lamb cutlets with a dukkah crust, the night before chicken breast & gravy) & vegetables (green Beans, sugar snap peas, asparagus, broccolini & zucchini or cauliflower).

snacks: 3 of either macadamia nuts, grapes, string cheese, peanut paste, Protein Bar, left over Breakfast or similar

Activity 4 sessions of about 5 minutes (3pm, 4 pm, 5 pm & 9pm) of stretchers & resistance bands. Usually do this every day or a modified version of them.

There will always be days when we eat a little more of this & a little less of that, skip a meal because of the busyness of life, etc. like @GreenTealael referred to. Same with your activity. As long as you aim to do your best most days, it all works out in the end.

PS - Glad you’re back on track & feeling stronger about moving forward.

Yum @Starwarsandcupcakes. Just yum. As a lover of asparagus (eat them several times a week) I’m going to look into the Soup & the tart. The tart maybe another opportunity to use Boursin cheese if I’m feeling too lazy to make the custard - lol!

And yes, I’ll gnaw on the snapped off end of the raw asparagus unless it’s too woody.

Another sale find. Yay! Denim shirt dress. Has pleats stitched down from the waist to top of thighs so very neat around the torso which I love.

And now for a little shoe envy. Going to a meet the shoe designer thing tomorrow night & will be wearing these crystal & stone dotted beauties from her latest collection. She also designs for a little French fashion house that starts with C & ends in hannel but sshh we’re not supposed to say when speaking of her own label. Should be an interesting night.

Great advice above.

Dr Matthew Weiner is a great resource (you tube videos, books, podcast, website). He does encourage a plant based eating style but you can use it as a guide & for ideas especially around increasing vegetable consumption, ingredient alternatives, etc.

I didn’t exercise while losing & still don’t as people define exercise. I do 4 x 5 minute sessions of stretching & resistance bands through out the day. Easier to find 5 minute blocks of time throughout the day versus say an hour + at the gym. It’s called exercise snacking. Though as other have said you probably do a lot of running about with your little ones as it is.

And yes, stop using the word diet. It’s so filled with negative connotations like restriction & failure. I started saying I’m not on a diet, I just changed the way I eat from when people started noticing my weight loss. (The usual reaction: Oh, you’ve lost weight. What diet are you on?) It’s does contribute to changing your thinking about food & eating.

Go back to the basics when you were losing. Meet your Protein & fluid goals. Watch your portions. Protein first, then vegetables & then carbs if you’re able. You can start slow & incorporate one or two changes every couple of weeks. Much easier to adopt than jumping in with both feet.

Don’t be afraid to touch base with your dietician, surgeon or therapist if only for support & remind you of anything you may have forgotten or missed.

All the best.

This is something you will need to tell your surgeon about & ask for their requirements. They will likely suggest you stop the blood thinner for a little while before (days not weeks I’d think). You’ll be given blood thinner injections immediately after your surgery for a period of time. They may even have you wearing a compression device for a day or so. Plus you’ll have to put on compression hosiery before the surgery & wear them for a week or so after. Make sure you get up and walk laps around your ward as soon as you’re able after your surgery: short walks frequently. Same when you get home. They may have you doing additional things because of your history. But make sure you ask your surgeon lots of questions about this.

All the best.

13 hours ago, FifiLux said:

… Yes, eating has improved though I do get the occasional vomiting and don't know what causes it as it is usually from something I have eaten before with no issue. I do know that I still eat too quickly for what the dietician told me but it is slower than pre-op and I don't think that was causing the vomiting…

I have random bouts of the foamies vomiting too. Sometimes I can’t work out why. It’s usually something that is a little coarse or fibrous or too dry. The last bout was because of some string left on a sugar snap pea pod - didn’t do a great job trimming it. Sometimes it’s the floret part of broccolini. Or chicken breast. Or something that’s just sitting more heavily than expected. Or … And yes it’s often food I’ve eaten easily before & will again after. Sometimes, I can bring up the offending bite & a few minutes later finish the meal. Weird.

I just say I have a sensitive esophagus & tummy & some days they say No!

PS - Congrats on your loss so far. Whoo!

Even almost 5 years out, there are still things that surprise me. Walking around cars in a car park & realised my short cut progress was halted by a post & a dirty car. I thought no way will I squeeze through that tiny gap of maybe 10 inches & thought I’d have to walk back around. Took a breath & decided to edge sideways a little to test it. Slipped through that gap like butter. Didn’t touch the post or the dirty car. I was wearing white too & not a mark. Couldn’t believe it.

We always say stick to your plan but sometimes our tummy is just not ready to move forward. It’s not unusual for people to go back a stage for a little longer. I mean we all heal in our own time line. In your case, maybe you do need a liquid stage. Worth giving it a go & seeing if it helps. Just watch your Protein. You may not get to your goal but as long as you’re close you’ll be okay.

I’d probably still contact your team to discuss your situation & struggles. They may suggest some other things you could try. Give yoghurt, thicker Soups, instant oats made on milk (add more milk to get it to a consistency you can tolerate), runny eggs (though some struggle with eggs), etc. a go which will give you protein unlike your potatoes & toast. These were a blessing to me.

Best advice is to get back into contact with your therapist (if you saw one as part of your pre surgical process) or ask your team for a referral to one. They will help you work through the why behind your bad eating habits & help you develop strategies to manage when those situations (stress, anxiety, boredom, past issues, life in general, etc.) arise.

Then go back to how you were eating when you lost that 50lbs. You don’t need to go back to the very beginning. Meet those Protein & fluid goals. Eat your protein first, then vegetables & only if you can any carbs you are allowed (look for whole or multi grain low prices see versions). Keep your fat & sugar (real, artificial or alternatives) low. Check your portions. Return to tracking if you did it before to check your getting your nutrients in. Maybe catch up with your dietician too to help you get back on track.

You can do this.

On 3/6/2024 at 4:41 PM, El Oso Perezoso said:

…I was told by my nutritionist that if you're REALLY craving something that's crispy and chip-like, she suggested Pork rinds since they're 99% Protein. …

I used to sprinkle chunks of cucumber with salt so crunch & salt. The salt was good for the low blood pressure & the cucumber is practically no calories at all.

Those Pork rinds are pretty tasty but way high in fat (often 50% fat) & calories especially as a snack for the losing stage as @ms.sss said.

Doing many different duets including several VLC & deliberately skipping meals had done a number on my metabolism. Started doing this at 15 so did this for 40 years. The last VLC diet I did (<500 calories) I barely lost a thing - a couple of kilos over 6 or more weeks.

The surgery works because it changes your hormones & boosts your metabolism. It also resets your weight set point. This is the weight your body is happiest at & will keep returning to or makes it harder to lose the weight in the first place. I went from really not being able to lose anything to losing all my weight & more. I weigh

The other difference was if I did lose weight on a diet in the past as soon as I stopped I invariably went back to eating the exact same way as I did before & regained my weight. Which kept my set point high.

I’ve been able to maintain because I took the time while losing to change my relationship with food & changed how & what I ate. I took advantage of the benefits of the surgery. I look at flood differently. I adopted a way of eating (not a diet - to many negative connotations to that word) that works for me because it’s sustainable, complements my lifestyle, ensures I’m making nutrient rich food choices & I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

You may find these links informative. Dr Matthew Weiner (Pound of Cure) has excellent resources es as does Dr John Pilcher.

https://courses.poundofcureweightloss.com/courses/weight-loss-hormones/