Arabesque

So pretty @Sophie7713. You always have great belts too. You’ll steal the night in that dress @kristieshannon. You look fabulous. Can’t wait to see you in the complete ensemble. So wonderful to really dress up.

Looks pretty delicious to me @Dave In Houston. I cook fairly simply too but that’s because I can’t eat spicy food, & I struggle with pasta, rice, potato, etc. Ain’t nothing wrong with simple cooking. ?

Keto is ok to give you a kickstart but there’s information coming out that it’s not a long term option. Go back to what you were eating up to when you reached your goal. Or you can slowly reduce your portion size & therefore your caloric intake until you start losing again. The caloric point at which you lose could be lower or higher than others depending upon your metabolic rate, activity level, height., age. As I said above I maintain on 1200 - I’m not tall like you, have a smallish frame, am in my mid 50s & not very active. If I eat as much as some others do in maintenance, I’d gain. I can lose if I drop to about 900 - 1000 calories. Did you have a good relationship with your nutritionalist/dietician? You could always go back to them for some guidance.

You may need to be fitted for a new CPAP mask as your face will be smaller & a different shape. In time as you lose more, you may not even need to use a CPAP machine - wouldn’t that be wonderful! Congrats on your weight loss.

Try mixing the crushed meds in a couple of spoons of your shake or soup. If you mix them in a small quantity of liquid you can sip it over a few minutes & ensure you’re getting the full dose. Plus the flavour of the soup or shake may help takeaway any unpleasant taste from the meds. Once your swelling subsides, usually 3-5 days, you’ll be able to swallow the tablets. Good luck & congrats on your surgery.

It can be a bit challenging to find foods that won’t upset you. So sorry you had such a dramatic reaction to your first non liquid meal. Many think yay, real food & try to purée foods that their tummy can’t tolerate yet. Go slowly. Remember you are still healing. Try thicker soups first. I was allowed very soft scrambled eggs, rolled oats, yogurt & I found them easier to eat to begin I think because they were more bland & less stressful on my tummy. Just make sure your purées are still pretty sloppy. Only being able to eat very small portions is very common - think 1/4 - 1/3 cup. You’re eating denser food now & they take longer to digest than liquids which go through your tummy very quickly so you get full much more quickly. Personally, I still find mashed potatoes too heavy to eat - they sit like a lump in my tummy but every one is different in what they can tolerate. Good luck & congrats on your surgery.

Congratulations. What a great story. I hope people who are pre surgery or recently had there’s read your post. I’m sure they would be motivated & encouraged by your story & optimism.

We all like food & like to eat. It provides pleasure. I still like food & I still like to eat but I work at being careful about all my food choices every day. I put more importance on the nutritional value but of course it still has to taste good. Do you really need to eat or are you eating because you want too? Are you really hungry or are you experiencing head hunger? Real hunger feels different from head hunger. Discovering what real hunger feels like was a big aha moment for me. A therapist can help you to work out the answers to these questions & help you to develop strategies to manage them. Do I sometimes eat mindlessly? Yes I do but I usually realise as I’m doing it & stop. The other night, I was putting away a container of nuts but before I did I opened it & took out a handful. Did I need to eat the nuts? No. I wasn’t hungry. It was just an old bad eating habit. I realised as I popped the first couple in my mouth so I put the remaining ones back. I don’t keep bad choices in my house so that temptation isn’t there Of course anything can be a bad choice if you eat too much of it. If a head hunger raises itself, I make myself wait before heading to the kitchen. I’ll distract myself in some way (a chore, read, ring a friend, read this forum, etc.) & that 30 odd minute window is usually enough for the head hunger drive to disappear. These things help me.

We all can eat more as we progress. After surgery, I could only eat about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food. At 12 months, I was eating a good cup depending upon what I was eating. Now at 26 months, I can eat about 3 or 4oz of meat & about a cup of vegetables. Do you weigh & track your food intake & calories? As @lizonaplane said, the type of food you are eating will influence how much you can eat - fluids do pass through much more quickly than a dense food like steak or chicken for example. I found asking myself if I really needed that next bite or did I just want it very helpful. I also tried to stop eating before I felt full. Because that full message takes time to register, by the time you feel full, you’ve likely eaten too much. Are you eating slowly? I take 30 - 60 minutes to eat a meal. To have stretched your tummy, you would have had to be eating large portions at every meal for some time. How much weight have you lost since your DS? As @Creekimp13 suggested, therapy may be helpful to support you examine your relationship with food & why you’re struggling to reach & maintain at a healthy weight.

Fluctuations are quite normal & not a signal you’re doing something wrong. They can be from constipation, fluid retention, slight change in diet or activity level,… The other night I was peeing every 30 minutes for hours & in the morning I was 2lbs lighter. It happens. Even though I weighed myself every day when I was losing, the downward trend on my weight loss graph over each week, then each month was more important.

You’ve just had pretty major & life changing surgery. It’s not unusual to feel upside down & inside out emotionally - anger, sadness, anxiety, etc. and it’s ok if you do. Low energy & increased lethargy also are not unusual. Your consuming very few calories & your body is trying to heal. I spent a lot of time on my couch that first couple of weeks. Give yourself some time to heal physically & also mentally & emotionally. It will pass & you’ll feel stronger.

Congrats on your weight loss so far. It’s likely you’ve been experiencing a stall. They’re extremely common at the 3 week+/- mark & can last 1 - 3 weeks. It’s just your body taking a breath after all the changes. You may experience a couple of stalls as you’re losing. You’ll start to lose again. Stick to your plan & you’ll be fine. Good luck.

Congratulations. ? You look lighter in spirit as well - look at that smile. It’s such a great feeling to reach goal. Very happy for you.

My doctors have always had me remove my shoes, belts, jackets & even my skirt at weigh-ins to get the most accurate reading without me stripping down to my underwear. If I had tried to increase my weight through trickery, I would have been caught. If you do & you’re discovered it could affect your approval process. Best advice is to be honest about all aspects of your weight loss journey.

Yes, you can take capsules after your sleeve surgery though you may have trouble swallowing them for a couple of day because of internal post surgical swelling. Generally we’re told we can’t take nsaids again after surgery. However, my surgeon allows me to take them because I rarely do - one less than once a month. Prolonged use of nsaids can cause inflammation of the stomach lining with side effects including nausea, diarrhoea, stomach ulcers & internal bleeding. Because we have a much smaller tummy the risk of side effects are increased which is why we’re told to avoid them. If your inflammation is aggravated by your weight, your weight loss may reduce your need for the anti inflammatories - fingers crossed. The other issue to consider is that some meds are absorbed in your tummy. Because we have a smaller tummy, the meds may not be fully absorbed. You will need to go through all your meds with your surgeon & prescribing doctors to see what meds you will still be able to take & to find alternatives for those you can’t. There are lots of people on this forum who take meds for similar reasons as you. They may be able to suggest some alternatives that are working for them you could discuss with your doctors.

That doesn’t seem like much food at all. How many calories are you consuming? I stopped drinking protein shakes the week I began real food (week 8). I get all my nutrients in & hit my protein goal every day by eating real food only. I don’t even take multivitamins (haven’t since I was 8 months out). If you’re not losing, you may be at your base metabolic rate. Have a look at some Dr Matt Weiner’s you tube videos on resetting your base rate. He has quite a few on this subject alone so you may have to work your way through the list of his videos. I find his videos very straight forward. He has a book called a pound of cure & associated website which may be helpful too. https://m.youtube.com/user/DrMatthewWeiner

This sounds very strange. I know requirements are different in the US from Australia but I did think, based upon other forum member stories, that if you met the bmi &/or comorbidity requirements at the start of the approval process you were fine. Almost all of us have to undergo a pre surgical weight loss regime. If we became ineligible for surgery because we lost enough weight on this diet to drop us below the bmi minimum, a hell of a lot of us wouldn’t have had our surgery. I would certainly be asking further questions of your surgeon & your insurance company. If your bmi is 41 I wouldn’t have expected you would have needed any associated comorbidities to be eligible for surgery. Good luck.

The mind is a powerful thing and learning how to manage your head hunger is probably the biggest challenge you will face. Some can do this alone. Some need the help of a therapist. Did you team recommend a therapist who is knowledgeable about bariatric patients? If not ask for a recommendation. I’m concerned you’re still experiencing pain. Were you given pain meds when you left hospital? Can it be managed with over the counter pain meds? Is it gas pain or surgical pain? If the pain is surgical & you’re still experiencing it contact your surgeon. Gas pain can persist longer. Walk. Try some gasX if it’s gas pain. I was allowed herbal or green tea & I found warm/hot drinks much more soothing on my tummy than cold. Try heating your coffee flavoured shake. I used to heat my chocolate shake & pretended it was hot chocolate - lol! It will get better. Undergoing surgery can be stressful & has probably stirred up a lot of anxiety & fear which is also feeding your head hunger. Good luck.

If your medical team did not provide you with a post surgical eating plan ask for one ASAP. At ten days out, most are still on a liquid only diet. For most it’s two weeks liquids (full liquids like shakes, broths, soups), 2 weeks purée (think sloppy no lumps - blend & strain thicker soups or meats with lots of gravy or stock, cottage cheese, yoghurts, etc.), 4 weeks out soft foods (moist, slow cooked, fall apart foods). Then finally 6 weeks out begin adding more solid foods. This staged return to eating is to facilitate the healing of your digestive system (you have lots of internal stitches/staples) & not put strain or undue stress on it. You need to be careful about what you eat. Each surgeon does have his own eating plan. While they are very similar, it is important to follow your surgeon’s plan.

Well said @The Greater Fool. One of the reasons, we’re encouraged to avoid alcohol (besides the high calories of course) is to avoid the risk of swapping your food addiction to another addiction like alcohol. I watched my friend’s drinking increase very noticeably after her surgery. She did eventually realise but we were concerned for her. Not saying that’s you but it is something to be conscious of. Honestly, I had my first drink at 2 months for my cousin’s 40th. I nursed that gin & tonic for hours. I wasn’t really enjoying it as I did before surgery., plus my taste buds had changed & I was conscious of the gas in the tonic upsetting me. I only have a glass of alcohol about once a month now & I still take ages to drink it. My friends like a glass or several but my not drinking or drinking very little doesn’t affect how we socialise or celebrate together at all. Remember if you’re drinking you’re not eating & eating is way more important & even more so especially at a month post surgery. Alcohol is empty calories & you should be concentrating on nutritionally dense calories while you are losing. Because of your low calorie intake, any alcohol you do consume will have a greater impact on you. But, ultimately it is your choice.

I swear some nutritionalists just read from the one help sheet like first level tech support ?. They can’t answer your question if it isn’t on their formulaic answer sheet. No help for individual needs. I was lactose sensitive until my surgery (the parasite causing it was removed with most of my tummy - whoo hoo). I still drink lactose free milk - it’s very similar to ordinary milk in texture & flavour & has extra long use by dates which I appreciate. Try some lactose free yoghurt & cheese - there are a few brands about you could try. Watch increasing your calories by increasing your fat & oil consumption too much or watch the types you add to your diet. You don’t want to increase your cholesterol. Try increasing your fruit & vegetable consumption & add good whole/multi grain carbs. Add some nuts. I think as I’ve told you before, I struggled to stop losing too. Others have too. I ate three meals a day plus 5-6 snacks. I swear I was eating all day long but I tried to ensure the snacks were nutritionally sound. It took a year for my weight to stabilise. I still snack about 4 times a day as I walk a fine line of gain or lose. I wasn’t too concerned while I was still losing because of that potential bounce back gain. Also my portion sizes are larger than what they were at 12 months so that helps keep my calories up too so that will likely happen for you too. Give yourself & your body time to settle. Your new set point may be lower than what you expected. And don’t worry if you think you look too thin or gaunt - this changes too once you stabilise. At 18 months, people would say I looked terrible & should stop losing (my uncle told my mother I looked like death). Now those people tell me how great I look. I hope you can find a more supportive & helpful nutritionalist or dietician.

It’s likely your low calorie intake. It’s not uncommon to experience drops is energy, sugar & blood pressure in the months after surgery. They can make you feel nauseous, weak, give you cold sweats & tremors - generally blah. Try some electrolyte drinks. Are you on purées yet? A wider variety of real food sources will give you additional nutrients. Ten miles!! ? So glad my surgeon didn’t give me that goal. I never did that when I was active & slim. Who’s got 2-3 hours to spare every day to walk that distance? Let alone the energy or fitness levels at 6 weeks. Good gracious. But that’s my personal reaction. 14lbs is fine so far. We all lose at our own rate. The bloating sounds like you may be retaining fluid. The lactose in the shakes may also be causing the bloating (early intolerance or sensitivity to lactose which is not uncommon after surgery). Try some lemon in your water as a natural diuretic & see if that helps. Look for some lactose free shakes or protein powders & see if that helps.

Drops in energy, sugar dips, blood pressure drops are not uncommon in the months after surgery & can make you feel light headed, have various degrees of nausea, cold sweats &/or general weakness. This could be what you’re experiencing. Try some electrolyte drinks. I found hydralyte really helpful. Hopefully, you will be like many of us when you near or reach goal & will need a puffer coat in mid summer when you go to the grocery store. Brrrrr! So cold. No fat left to insulate the body.

Don’t worry I’m not a crazy anti vaccer (I get the flu vaccine every year & have most of my life) & it is my intention to get it. First I was not eligible - too young (that doesn’t happen often these days!). We only have Pfizer & Astra Zeneca in Australia. A friend in medical research recommended the Astra Zenaca over the Pfizer because of the risk Pfizer may not be stored at the required very low temperatures. Then the stuff came out about AZ & clotting (& I’ve had a clot), then they said though Pfizer had to be stored at low temperatures it could be transported at higher temps (??‍♀️). Then they said it’s a different sort of clot from AZ, then supplies dropped off for the Pfizer vaccine, then I had surgery, … Just not been straight forward. Anyway I’m intending to get the Pfizer when supplies are in at my doctor’s in a couple of weeks. We’ve been very fortunate in Australia & haven’t had many cases of COVID in comparison to other countries & even fewer deaths (think it’s about 30 000 cases & 900 deaths - still too many though). It has been heart breaking to see it’s impact around the world though. I get frustrated by those who refuse to wear masks & complain when we go into lockdown even for just three days. I’m also amazed at how many people don’t bother with sanitisers anymore, lean all over counters & hand rails, invade your space, etc. Sometimes, I want to slap them & remind them it’s not about their rights as an individual, it’s about the rights of the entire community to be safe & healthy. The needs of the many …

My understanding is that cool sculpting only affects fat cells & is for only minimal fat reduction. It’s been around for a while now. https://www.healthline.com/health/coolsculpting-does-it-work I only know of one person who underwent treatment for fat reduction on her hips & thighs - a local radio personality. I thought she looked pretty much the same in her before & after pxts. ??‍♀️ Your skin is loose because you’ve reduced how much fat you carried which had stretched out your skin. If the little fat you have left in your ‘pooch’ is reduced further the emptier & more loose your skin may become. The only way to remove loose skin to to surgically remove it. I’m sorry this surgery may not be an option for you. Personally, I choose not to have skin removal surgery. I didn’t have a lot but it does ooze down my inner thighs & underarms & I have some sag on my tummy. All of it can be covered successfully by my clothes & I can wear fitted body con type dresses without a problem. Yes, there are somethings I can’t wear but I’m past super short shorts & skirts, boob tubes & bikinis. Honestly some days I look at my loose skin & wish it wasn’t there but then I remember how hard I worked & still work every day to get this loose skin. I earned this loose skin. It’s my gold medal. But that’s me. You have to do what makes you happy.