Arabesque

I’m a believer in slowly incorporating better eating habits & food choices back into your day. Aim to work towards how & what you were eating in those first few years after your surgery. To begin may be start tracking your food to see what may need to be adjusted. Then work on hitting those Protein & fluid goals & portion sizes. After a couple of weeks change something else like reducing your Snacks or change up a cooking style. Work through what ‘rules’ you have become complacent about making a change or two every couple of weeks. Making changes this way is much easier to adopt and adapt to.Also don’t think of them as ‘rules’. That sounds restrictive, inflexible and limiting. How you eat should complement your lifestyle, be sustainable & flexible.

Maybe get in touch with a therapist to talk through what may be happening that may be influencing some of your food choices & habits. Maybe get in touch with a dietician too just to check your on the right track again.

All the best.

Not everyone is given calorie goals. I wasn’t. There are some discussions about calories & a push to concentrate more on the quality of food you are eating. 500 calories is 500 calories regardless of wherever it’s a meal of steamed fish & vegetables or a burger & fries. However the nutrient difference is significant.

However, if you would feel more comfortable with some caloric guidelines for as you progress, you have every right to ask for them. Beware though you may not be able to meet the caloric goals for a while & that’s okay. As long as you’re hitting those Protein & fluid goals & slowly incorporating some vegetables you’ll be fine.

I was given portion size guidelines: 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup from purée slowly increasing to a cup at 6 months slowly increasing again to be about accepted recommended portion sizes. So for example 3-4ozs of protein & a cup of vegetables which is where you likely will be around maintenance. Your advice may be different but our needs are likely different too. But it may be a starting point until you get a more definitive response from your dietician.

PS Congratulations on your surgery.

Has anyone experienced an increase in their cholesterol levels? Before surgery, mine sat around 5 regardless of my weight (healthy, overweight or obese). In the first 3 years post surgery it was about 4. Then it went to 5 again. Okay I thought just where my body wants to be. But it’s 5.7 now. Like what??

My surgery follow up doctor suggested I speak to my GP about a coronary artery Calcium store test. My dad had a higher cholesterol level but not enough for meds. One brother’s is about what mine is now but he follows one of those fat is good diet (I swear he slathers his toast with butter like an inch thick). My mum, other brother, aunts, uncles, grandparents levels are/were ok.

Rest of my blood work was great.

I have a sleeve and as the others have said, yes, you will be able to eat a larger portion than what you do after surgery but that’s what’s supposed to happen. It’s how we are able to consume the calories & nutrients we need to maintain our lower weight. However, the larger portion is more like what a recommended portion size is nothing like you may have eaten before surgery. You’ll be looking at about 3-4ozs of a Protein & around a cup of vegetables.

You’ll be able to eat a lot of the same foods & old favourites as you used to. The difference is how frequently you have them & how much you eat when you do. You may even make healthier choices around the ingredients or cooking methods. Like instead of battered or crumbed fish & chips you have grilled fish & salad or air fried or baked vegetable chips, Instead of a burger on a bun have a bun less burger or a lettuce wrapped one or just eat half of the bun. There aren’t foods I can’t eat just foods I choose not to, choose to eat small portions of or eat infrequently & I feel better for it.

Your stomach is a muscle and there is the potential to stretch it again but you’d have make a concentrated effort & eat large portions, many times a day over a long period of time like you did in the first place. It’s not easy & can cause a lot of discomfort (even vomit) to force yourself to eat that volume of food. Why would you want to though?

Second the advice to watch the videos of Matt Weiner & John Pilcher.

Have you spoken to your surgeon? I’d probably get in touch with them. Could it be a sensitivity to a particular food? Are there any commonalities in what you’re eating like dairy or gluten?

When people choose a goal weight, many of us choose a weight we’d attained in the past & were ‘happy’ at. Others choose a weight they think might be okay for them. Others use BMI or readjust their goal as they progress. Most surgeons tend to recommend a weight that sits within the statistical weight loss range. You can choose any number as your goal weight but it doesn’t truely mean anything. You really don’t get to choose your final weight. It depends upon factors like your new set point (which is the main one), your lifestyle & lifestyle choices, when your calorie intake & activity levels align, age, health & medications. You end up where you end up. You can start maintenance early but you can’t easily force your body not to be in maintenance to lose more weight if it doesn’t want to (your set point).

As you can see in my profile, my final weight is 11kgs less than my goal (which was the low weight I usually attained over the years of losing & regaining, it met the stats & my surgeon endorsed it). Before surgery, I would never expected to be this weight. I mean I was 12 when I last weighed that & was almost 54 when I had surgery. I would have thought too thin, skeletal, etc. I’m not. I certainly didn’t intentionally work at getting here, it was where my body wanted me to be & where my calories, my body’s needs & activity level aligned. This means it’s easier to maintain. I still work at it but never feel like I’m ‘dieting ‘ or missing out on anything.

Let your body tell you when. You’ll likely find you naturally slip into maintenance.

PS - Congratulations on your weight loss. Fabulous!

Estrogen is stored in your fat. As you lose weight (fat) it is released into your blood stream. This hormonal flush causes crazy cycles. They may be more or less frequent, heavier or lighter. You may experience more PMT symptoms or fewer. It will continue for a little while often until you lose the bulk of the weight you were looking at losing.

Of course if it becomes difficult to manage, have a chat with your gyno.

I was menopausal when I had surgery & all my symptoms disappeared. Unfortunately they all came back when I reached goal.

So sorry about all you’ve been through. I haven’t had a revision so I can’t offer a suggestion about that or share my experiences, but I wonder if your cough could be a symptom of reflux (GERD) especially as the asthma meds don’t work. Has anyone suggested it? If not it may be worth further investigation by your doctors. If it is GERD, a bypass (mini or full) would be the way to go.

You’ll get a range of answers about this simply because our needs are so different. Have a chat with your dietician & /or team to see what they recommend is best for you at your current stage, current weight, activity levels, height, age, etc.

As a start see what a BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculator suggests you should be eating to maintain your current weight & activity & aim for fewer calories.

Try this one https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/health/bmr-calculator.php

Or this one https://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

They’re not 100% accurate of course (it’s just statistical data) & you’ll notice differences in what they recommend based on what formula they use but it is an idea of what you may need.

Being able to sleep is one of the benefits of the surgery I really appreciated. I used to get about 5 hrs & if I got 6 it was a good night. Even had nights when I didn’t sleep at all. Began in my thirties when my job became more stressful & then I think it became a habit (like waking at the same time). I’d be up at 2am working. Was tried all the time. Now I average 8hrs. It’s fabulous. Initially I did sleep longer & yes I put it down to recovery, changes to my body (like the hormonal changes) & the weight loss too.

I always think, if your body wants to sleep it must need it.

I had mine removed 2 years & 1 month after my sleeve. Could have been because of the weight loss, menopause, my high bilirubin levels or simply my past eating. Had a stone about 1cm diameter but it certainly made itself known. That pain is the worst!

Never changed what I was eating after surgery. Was eating the same the day after it was removed. Some people struggle with fatty foods in the long term after (my aunt describes it as feeling liverish 🤷🏻‍♀️.) but of course I don’t eat a lot of fat so wouldn’t know if it sets it off. My sister-in-law doesn’t have any difficulties with foods post her gall removal.

Probably a case of just how your body reacts. Only thing to watch for the first month or so (again depends upon you) is you may have more stomach acid & have issues with that. Your gall regulated the acid entering your tummy & without it you may have a more constant stream until things settle again. Eat small meals more regularly & try a PPI for a little while to reduce the acid. The excess acid can cause diarrhoea & some discomfort in an empty tummy. I had regular bouts of diarrhoea & I remember my surgeon saying to comeback if it persisted for more than a month. It didn’t but every few weeks I’ll get bout of it. Don’t really get cramps or any of the other usual diarrhoea warning signals just a bit of a grumbling & need to go.My sister-in-law is the same.

Stumbled on an Australian bariatric surgeon who recommended multiplying your starting weight by 0.7 to find the weight you may end up at. Again based on averages & they said their patients’ stats & not depended upon your surgery. Easy way to check versus searching for the online calculators if you’re interested.

Yes to Breakfast. Have it around 9am. Any earlier it doesn’t sit as well & I don’t eat as much which means I get hungry again sooner.

Pretty narrow on breakfast foods. Oats with seeds, dried cranberries, blueberries, yoghurt & milk every day. Eat the leftovers as an afternoon snack. Used to eat scrambled eggs as well until last year when my tummy decided it didn’t like eggs in any form any more. Probably time to try them again. If out will have a granola or muesli when I used to have eggs. Not into the pancakes, waffles, etc. American style breakfast foods though your waffles look great @GreenTealael. And dare I say it … never really liked bacon.

Congratulations!

6 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

5 years! That was fast, Congratulations! How did you Celebrate?

3 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

Congratulations. 🎉 I hope you did something special for yourself to Celebrate a job well done.

Nothing big. Went for my regular monthly facial. 🙂 I first saw her before surgery so she’s been with me along the way. She was surprised it had been five years too.

Today marks five years since my sleeve surgery. Yay! I look in the mirror & think yep, best decision. I easily snuggle with my 6yr old nephew in a lounge chair & I think yep, best decision. I can jump, dance, walk, skip, scoot up stairs, … and I think, yep, best decision. The potential for health problems are further away & less likely to occur & I think yep, best decision….You get the idea.

I’m thankful it’s all gone pretty smoothly. Sure I have some fun & games with the foamies but I had a sensitive, quirky tummy before surgery & I still do so nothing all that different just how it manifests 😉. Sure I have some loose skin. It doesn’t affect what I want to do or wear so unimportant. I’m thankful I have a supportive GP who when I asked about surgery said yes without judgement & wrote the referral right away & continues to be interested in my progress. I’m thankful the doctor who does my follow ups is equally supportive. I have my 6 month check up with her next Monday which hopefully will go well again. It’s become more of a chat & catch up the last couple of years.

Apart from the medication issue which caused a small weight gain (a good 2+kg/5lb) a couple of years ago which when sorted saw that gain disappear. I sit at the same fluctuation I did when my weight first stabilised: 48.5 - 49..5kg (though usually a high of 49.3 these days).

I often think of the AA mantra of it works if you work it & you’re worth it. It really resonates. It works because I work it every day & I’m worth it.

10 hours ago, KaterinaC said:

It is true I feel so easily panicked now, yesterday that was triggered of someone on FB that told me that my stomach may be not cut property and that I might still have a bigger stomach.

First, avoid the Facebook groups. They tend to be negative, critical & offer bad or simply wrong information. I even stumbled upon one where they told people how to purée burgers & fries. It’s why I appreciate this forum so much: supportive, great advice & suggestions, not judgemental, lots of experience.

Second, 100% agree with what @ChunkCat’s said in her post.

For. many of us, we used food as a source of comfort, a way to sooth ourselves when in emotional turmoil. After surgery, we can experience quite an emotional rollercoaster, all the changes, an overload of information which can cause doubts, then surgery itself is hard on our bodies & emotions, our hormones can be crazy too. Before surgery you would have turned to food to ease your panic, anxiety, sadness, etc. but you can’t now which only makes that hunger & your food voices louder. This is head hunger not real hunger. Of course knowing this doesn’t make it easier to manage or ignore. Many find using distraction helpful: read, craft, garden, go for a walk, check your social & this forum, sip a warm drink (green or herbal tea can be very soothing & count towards your fluids - yay!).

Also, many find therapy helpful. Did you see a therapist as part of your pre surgical process? If not ask for a referral. You don’t have to do this alone & they will support you work through these & any other issues.

All the best.

Simply put head hunger (& food noise) is not real hunger. It just often is more powerful & what we listen to.

They often have an emotional cause - sad, angry, anxious, stressed, frustrated, etc. & you use food to comfort or sooth yourself. They can have a hormonal cause like craving carbs in the lead up to your period. They can get louder when you’re bored or because of habit & what you’re doing like watching tv. After surgery they can be particularly strong. You can be on a emotional roller coaster after surgery, your hormones can be all over the place, everything is strange & you can worry about doing the right thing or making a mistake - information overload, you may have some pain or discomfort for a little while after, and so on.

Generally, if you’re craving a specific food, flavour or texture it’s head hunger. Your tummy rumbling (hunger pains/pangs) aren’t usually a sign of real hunger either - just your digestive system working.

Real hunger feels different. Because we tended to listen to the food noise & head hunger cues we forget what real hunger feels like. I get restless like something is wrong. Don’t crave anything. And there is always a logical & legitimate reason to be hungry - I haven’t eaten (missed a meal) or didn’t eat much of my previous meal or it’s around or after my usual meal time.

Distraction is the easiest & most commonly used technique to help. Read, check social media & this forum, phone a family me, ring friend, harder, craft, go for a walk, undertake a household task (clean out a cupboard or drawer), sip a warm drink. Delay satisfying the head hunger or food voice - often it will lessen in intensity & can pass after 30+/- minutes. I used to ask myself do I need this food or need the next bite or do I just want it. If I want it why? Actually I still do this a lot. Makes you really think about what’s driving you to eat, why the food voice or head hunger is shouting & it works towards understanding your relationship with food,

Have a chat with your therapist too. If you didn’t meet with one as part of your pre surgery process, it may be helpful to ask for a referral to help you work your way through this. Many find them extremely helpful.

12 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

I prefer jarred olives!

That’s it. We can’t be friends now. 🤣🤣🤣. Maybe it’s the jar olives we get here - always wizened up & dry & have an awful non olive taste.

Your delicious looking chia parfait reminds me I haven’t made one in a while. Mmmm. I’ll add it to the list. Still haven’t made pickled cucumbers yet.

If you’re on a GLP-1 drug wondering why you’re also considering surgery? Yes, some do combine the two but why not wait & see how effective the medication is & how you feel & then decide about the surgery. Don’t feel undeserving of the surgery if you decide to go down that path. For your health you are deserving & that is hugely more important than a number on the scales. Do you feel undeserving being on the medication? It’s helping you lose weight too.

I’m 5 years out, tomorrow actually, with my sleeve. I enjoyed food before and I still do. I eat with family & friends at their homes, restaurants, events, etc. I just look at food differently & make more careful & better choices. You said since being on the GLP-1 med you don’t really want fast food any more. For a lot of us, the surgery does that too. And it gives us the time to examine our relationship with food - this is the most important benefit. There’s food I don’t even think about eating now. Just the thought of eating some foods makes me feel ill. Some foods simply don’t appeal. And yes, there are some foods I choose not to eat. Would never have believed it was possible before surgery but here I am. I don’t even crave any foods now. Mind blown!

Keep us updated on your progress & what you decide to do in regards to surgery. Will say, if you are having doubts about the surgery, don’t do it. You have to be mentally & emotionally ready before embarking on it. It may be that you’re just not ready now & that’s okay. All the best.

PS - I didn’t exercise at all when I was losing & do very little now (some at home stretching & resistance band things). Wouldn’t burn 30 calories LOL! Lost all my weight & more & have maintained that weight.

I have random bouts of hypoglycemia - after eating or not eating, after more strenuous activity, after doing very little - like shopping. I had it before surgery though I do experience it more often since my sleeve. Haven’t fainted yet but have been close. It’s not a pleasant experience. I used to tell friends I didn’t do strenuous activities because I knew it would bring on an episode. They thought I was joking until they saw it happen during a bush walk. They freaked out big time.

As @ms.sss said, you just need to work out your limits (what things can bring on an episode) & then what works best for you to manage it.

I try to prepare before hand if possible. For example going on a hike take an electrolyte drink with me. Popping out before Breakfast, eat 3 or 4 blueberries. I was keeping a Protein Bar in my bag but it went off quickly - heat affected I think. I eat regularly & after lunch I don’t leave long periods of time between - usually 1-2 hours. I eat very little added sugar - around 5g a day (not including that Portuguese custard tart I had last weekend 😉 - a very, very rare occurrence.). Only have a bare two serves of carbs (multi/whole grains only, not counting vegetables or fruit).

Only use a scale when cutting some large portions of meats into smaller portions before cooking. Generally I eyeball or use my hand as a comparison. Like palm size piece of meat is about 3 or 4ozs. A cupped palm is about 2/3 cup. Etc. Depends upon the size of your hand of course but it’s pretty accurate for me. Handy when dining out. And I count. 4 Beans, 2 asparagus spears, 4 slices of zucchini, 10-12 blueberries, …

Oh and olives. Yum. Salty balls of goodness (no South Park references). Especially in a martini. LOL!! Little sweet Ligurian, big fat salty green babies, mid sized oily babies. But never those in a jar. Shudder.

First, congrats on your weight loss. Yay!

Stalls happen & can happen many times at any time while you’re losing so it could just be another stall which will break when your body is ready to move on again. Though being this close to your goal it could be that you’re at your new set point - the weight your body is happiest at. It’s very hard to fight that. This new set point may not be your goal but it is your body’s goal. Your body will do all it can to maintain its set point. Or it could be just the natural slow down that occurs as you near your stabilised weight. The last few pounds can be a b*tch to lose. I remember towards the end I was losing ounces not pounds each week which don’t always show on the scales.

Increasing your calories is part of the weight loss journey as your weight loss slows & your weight stabilises for maintenance. If your weight is stabilising at 1300 calories & you want to decrease your calories to lose more, is that sustainable? You’d have to continue to eat less than 1300 calories to maintain the lower weight you want.

Remember too, that muscle is more dense than fat. A litre of fat weighs about 2lbs while a litre of muscle weighs about 2.3lbs. You may have lost fat but gained muscle which may explain the stall like situation. Muscle takes up less space in your body than fat. Have you been taking body measurements to see if there have been any changes to measurements since you began strength training.

I’d probably, stick to your adjusted plan & see what happens.

Another interesting piece of information I stumbled upon & thought of you. Apparently heart palpitations & other irregular heart beats can be a symptom of peri menopause &/or menopause. Not sure of your age but if it is a possibility may be a blood test to check your hormones levels??? I saw it discussed on Dr Corinne Menn’s instagram. She specialises in & advocates for menopause management.

Her website: https://drmenn.com/

I was never given calories either. Just the 60g Protein & that I should be eating about a cup of food by 6 months. I due random checks of calories for my own interest & I was barely eating 900 calories but as @ShoppGirl said there are many factors that influence how many calories you need.

Factors like age, gender, height, activity levels, etc. I too suggest getting in contact with your team. They know you best & can advise you better for your needs, Stalls happen & can happen several times. Though we usually say they last 1-3 weeks, it’s not unusual for them to last longer.

Out of curiosity do you track your food & know your calorie & macro intake? What are your portion sizes like?

Remember too, your portions sizes & number of calories you need do increase as you progress. For example at 18 months I was eating about 1300 to maintain & now at almost 5 years I eat about 1600 to maintain the same weight. And my portions are around 3-4ozs protein & a good cup or more of steamed vegetables.