Arabesque

It can also be an sign of diabetes or insulin resistance. ☹️ Don’t know if you have been diagnosed or if it has been raised with you as something to watch. Worth a chat with your medical team. The contraceptive pill can cause pigmentation on the face & neck too.

I wouldn’t worry too much about carbs at this point. Protein, protein, protein now. Wait until you’re on more solid food & eating a little more. Generally 100g of carbs provides about 400 calories. 100g of protein provides about the same number of calories. That’s a hell of a lot considering the stage your at, the portion size you can consume & that your diet should be predominately protein at the moment. Maybe the less than 100g was something to work towards as you progress??? Also, carbs can be a bit heavy on your healing tummy. But of course everyone is different you may be able to tolerate them earlier. You need to look for whole grains & multi grains but don’t forget you’ll get a lot of good carbs from fruit & vegetables plus a lot of other nutrients. Lentils, barley, beans are easy to throw into soups, stews, etc. or cook them up, throw in some herbs & spices & they can be a yummy side as well. And of course I love my milky rolled oats. Congrats on your surgery.

it’s time to buy smaller sizes when your clothes are drooping down or falling off you. The day my knickers almost fell off was the day I bought new underwear. ? Invest in a belt, some leggings (I buy black ponti leggings which have elastin not shiny Lycra so they look dressier especially with a jacket, long line cardigan, white button thru shirt, etc.), elastic waists, smock type dresses or tops. I found these styles carried me through a couple of size drops. I had three formal events to go to while I was losing. I found a loose straight through dress. First wearing I wore it straight but the ones after I added a sparkly belt. Took me through 3 or 4 size changes. As to working out what styles will suit you, the best way is to go to some stores & play dress up. If you don’t have a trusted friend, sister or mother to go with you, take pxts of what you think looks good so you can take time later to decide if it really does suit you. Do this out of the dressing room for better lighting & mirrors. You don’t have to buy. And don’t let the sales person convince you something looks great on you if you feel uncomfortable or not confident. It’s like some can scent your uncertainty & pounce, overflowing with compliments just to make a sale. You may find you enjoy shopping more when you can wear smaller sizes - so much more choice.

I wasn’t told this either but I just did a quick google search & discovered this site https://draxe.com/nutrition/sucralose/. Don’t know how reputable the site is but it does say sucralose can cause gastrointestinal problems: affects digestive enzymes, can contribute to irritable bowel, increase insulin levels, cause bloating, gas, … Who knows whether it will affect you in this way. But it maybe why you’ve been advised to avoid it. Best to ask your medical team why to be certain.

Yes, I had days like that. Very often actually. It’s why I stated eating to a routine - to ensure I got in some calories & nutrients. I didn’t mind if I didn’t eat all my portion but as long as I ate something nutritious. I felt this was really important when I was losing. My hunger started to come back at about 18 months but I still have times I’m just not hungry. Now on these days I’ll drop my snacks but still try to keep to my meals. I also tend to favour meals I pre made & froze on non hungry days. No fussing just reheat so I don’t lose what little enthusiasm I have for eating messing about prepping a meal. Good luck.

Lots of almond flour/meal recipes out there. Cakes tend to be moister & denser though. There’s several other low carb flours about like chickpea flour, flax meal, seed flours, etc. Some low carb flours are better for certain types of cooking than others. This website offers some alternatives, brands & recipes. It’s a bit pro keto but a good place to start. https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/low-carb-flours/

I agree with @The Greater Fool & @catwoman7 - kids menu usually have the worst food choices with poor nutritional value. I ordered appetisers, soup or salads. If I could take home left overs I would. When I was losing I would just quietly tell the wait staff I was on a medically restricted diet & they generally were fine with that. Some were so good they allowed me to order appetiser sizes of main course options or would remove ingredients from what I chose like just give me the fillings on wraps. I love places that offer share plates - you can just eat what you need & everyone else shares the rest.

Actually, I’m the opposite. I often find watching people eating in sitcoms, etc. a turn off now. Like ugh how can they eat that or eat that much. And I can happily binge watch cooking shows, Great British Menu, Great British Bake Off, British MasterChef (yep, much prefer the British versions) & Top Chef, without craving the food. Same with the chefs & restaurants I follow on Instagram. I think that looks delicious but that’s as far as it goes. May be it’s a time thing - the further along you are the less impact it has.

You are completely correct in your thinking. These are two very important steps - realising you have to work out how to make this work for you & then actually discovering what does work for you. I’m happy to share my experiences & what works for me, as do most on this forum, but there is no guarantee it will work for you. Our lives are different, our health needs are different, our food preferences are different, … Though trying aspects of what works for others is a good place to start. I weighed myself every day when I was losing too, still do almost every day & I do it for the same reason as you: accountability. In the past, I wouldn’t weigh myself I’f I thought I’d put on weight - if I didn’t see the numbers on the scales I could convince myself I hadn’t gained even if my clothes were tight. Complacency can be a slippery slope. We’ve all been there. I’ve lost weight so now I can relax my diet &/or reward myself with food treats. Finding another way to reward yourself for your weight loss successes (spa day, a new clothing accessory, new hair colour, a tattoo, …) can be helpful. I get a lot of satisfaction from discovering new non scale victories too like buying a smaller size, realising I’m the slim person in the mirror, my nieces & nephews sitting in an armchair with me, being able to put on tights or socks while standing up, etc. In the past, complacency lead me to regain any weight I’d lost. A big realisation for me was understanding that the changes I made to lose the weight have to be lifelong changes if I want to keep the weight off. Not just mouthing those words but actually enacting them. I try not to think of how I eat now as a ‘diet’ but just how & what I eat. I’m only two years out so I have a long way to go. Congratulations on your weight loss so far. Hope the rest goes just as smoothly for you.

I think you lose weight in different places as you progress. You might lose more in your legs or your breasts first then your tummy or butt. Much like when we used to gain. I noticed that my previous hour glass shape became more straight up & down when I lost my weight & many things that used to fit well at my smaller size now didn’t. I had a lot of baggy ass pants in my wardrobe that fitted well at my waist. Thankfully as my body resettled my hour glass shape has returned somewhat. Clothing sizes have been ‘adjusted’ a lot over the last couple of decades too to allow for changes to body shapes: broader shoulders, heavier thighs & calves, larger breasts, etc. Plus of course the whole vanity sizing thing. Also don’t get me started on the irregularity of clothing sizes not only across brands but within the same brand. It’s one of the reasons I dislike shopping online - I don’t know what size to buy.

Made soup again - I love soup as you know. This one is beef, vegetables & barley. Perfect for our winters weather. Cheated a bit though & threw in some frozen vegetables to cut back on the dicing (onions, celery, mushrooms & cauliflower was enough chopping for me today). When it cools I’ll bag it up (love zip lock bags) & fill the freezer.

Honestly, I wasn’t given a daily caloric goal. I was given portion size recommendations: a quarter to a third of a cup three times a day. Over time this increased to half a cup, 3/4 cup & then finally up to a cup. Almost all of this was protein & the remainder, if I could eat more, was vegetables. I also could add in snacks (fruit, yoghurt). My dietician would make recommendations of what foods to try to include in my diet (actually I used to make most of the suggestions & she’d say yes, no or wait). I saw her once a fortnight. Eat slowly & you’ll soon discover how much you can or can’t eat. Once you get onto solid foods it’s much easier to tell when you’ve had enough. Oh, and your taste buds have likely changed & some foods may taste disgusting, even ones you’ve always loved. Don’t worry, it changes back & they’ll be yummy again. Plus your tummy can be pretty fussy (a petulant 2 yr old) & throw tantrums one day & be fine the next. PS - LOL! I do tend to write long posts.? I guess because I know this process can be confusing & scary & I just want to ease people’s minds so they know they’re not alone in this. Plus I taught for years & then provided advice & information to others so I’m very used to including examples in my writing to help clarify information. Can’t break old habits. I’m sorry your family hasn’t been as supportive but at least you have your husband on your side. You’ll find lots of support here.

I looked gaunt when I reached my lowest weight (or as my uncle told my mother ‘like death’ ☹️) but a few months later I looked fine. I really believe too that things resettle in your body. You are doing well with your weight loss. Though it’s important to remind yourself that you’ll lose at your rate. Some people lose slowly, some more quickly. Both are the right way. But yes, unless your starting weight was in excess of 600lbs you’re not going to be losing the large amounts they do on that show to begin. And if you do watch that show, you’ll notice their weight loss slows the more they lose. Also during the surgery, they pump you up with gas & fluids & it can take days to rid your body of the excess. Add in if your constipated, & your scales may not go down & may even go up. (I had my gall bladder removed last week & when I got home 24hrs later I weighed almost 3kgs, about 6lbs, more. I lost about 2kgs in one day & another kilo over the next two days. I was peeing like a race horse & my bowels started working again.)

My last stall also lasted almost 3 weeks & I was only about a kilo from goal. Super frustrating. I just stuck to my plan & that last kilo went. It is possible you could have reached your low point but don’t give up. Just wait it out for a few weeks & see what happens. If you want to lose more you either need to reduce your calories intake &/or increase your activity. Congrats on your weight loss.

500 calories is 500 calories regardless of where the calories comes from. (500 calories is just a random number pulled from nowhere in particular.) If you eat a big piece of chocolate cake equal to 500 calories & nothing else for the rest of the day it is exactly the same as getting 500 calories from protein shakes. The difference is the quality of nutrients in those calories. Your body will burn the calories to function but it just won’t function well on the calories from the cake alone. As you slowly introduce real food you will slowly be consuming more calories but they are nutritionally dense calories which your body needs to function well & healthily. It’s important to monitor your food intake, portion sizes & calories consumed to ensure you’re following your plan & taking best advantage of your surgery. Your weight loss will slow as you progress. The glory days of the first weeks are just a kickstart. But every pound you lose is a win. Just watch the downward trend than the just numbers on the scale & celebrate all your non scale victories. Stalls happen. I liked to think of them as my body taking a breath to catch up with the changes. I know some people suggest cutting back your calories. I never did & my first stall only lasted a week. Your stall will end when it ends. Congrats on your surgery & good luck.

You’re doing so well. Congratulations. But I do understand that lethargy that comes when you’ve been so vigilant. Our will power & focus starts to waver & it all just seems to be too hard. I think most of us experience it at some time. As @GummyBearQueen suggested reflecting on your non scale victories can help regain your focus. Are you moving about more easily? Has your health started to improve? Have you dropped clothing sizes? Is it easier to bathe or do your hair? I loved looking at the graph of my weight loss. Watching that line going in a downwards direction was often more motivating than looking at a number on the scales every day. Also reminding yourself why you made your decision to have the surgery helps. Set yourself some staged goals (every time you lose another 20lbs, walk 3 kms, ...) & reward yourself with a new haircut or colour, a spa day, a new accessory or jewellery, etc. when you achieve them. How we feel when we’re full or hungry is different after surgery. One of my learnings was the difference between feeling full & having eaten enough. You don’t necessarily need to be full to have had bough to eat. I still ask myself do I need this bite or just want it. It was a bit of a come to Jesus moment for me. Seems like you’re meeting your water goals, increasing your activity & if you’re meeting your protein goals, you’re already ahead of the game. To begin you are really focussed on your food intake. You’re learning to eat in new ways & it does take a lot of effort to ensure you’re doing the right thing for your plan & for you. I’d like to say in time you won’t be consumed by what you eat (bad pun) but it does get easier. I know what foods I can eat & what ones my tummy doesn’t like all that much (like oily fish or char grilled meats). I’ve worked out what foods I don’t want to eat anymore (processed carbs) & what foods/drinks I’m happy to have less frequently (alcohol) or those I’ll have only on very rare occasions (desserts, cakes, etc.) I used to worry about how much I thought about food but then I realised I used to think a lot about food before surgery. Before surgery I was always thinking about what I could eat & when I could eat again. Now I think about good food choices, the nutritional benefits of a food & if I really need to eat. But it is so worth it.

I’m sorry you’re having a difficult time. The surgery, dietary changes, etc. seem to stir up a lot of emotions & sometimes we need support to work our way through them. It is likely anxiety that is driving your desire for food, your poor sleep patterns, emotions, etc. Finding a therapist or counsellor to talk to will be very beneficial. The surgery can help you lose weight but you have to be in the right emotional place to understand how & why you eat & to make the changes to take full advantage of the surgery. We do lose at our own rate. Some more slowly, some more quickly. Both are right because every pound you lose is a win. Your 13lbs loss is great. I lost about 7kgs (about 15lbs) in my first 4 weeks so pretty similar.

Before surgery, I often boredom ate on weekends. I’d get all my chores done in the morning & then nibble to fill in time in the afternoon. It can be a hard habit to break. Finding something to occupy your mind or distract you for a while as @Hopscotch suggested does help. I’ll read. Watch a documentary. Play a game on my iPad. Check my social media. I also ask myself why do I want to eat? Am I really hungry? I also make myself wait 15 to 30 minutes &/or have something to drink to break the desire for something to eat.

Oh, yeah, those first experiences of dumping, foamies, etc. are unforgettably bad. Every plan is different but one week after surgery & on to the soft food stage seems very fast. I mean your tummy is still healing. You have a lot of internal stitches & staples there. Most of us go to purées after liquids then soft food over about six weeks. Maybe you need to go more slowly too. Some people do need to go through the stages more slowly just like some can progress through them more quickly. Depends upon how you heal & what your tummy can tolerate. My vitamins used to make me nauseous every day & I’d experience that weird saliva vomit several times a week. It’d come on me really quickly. No pain thank goodness just oh no bathroom now. You’ll have to learn what feeling full or feeling that you’ve had enough feels like to you now - it will be different. What feeling hungry is like will be different too (real hunger versus the head hunger that used to drive us to eat). Eat slowly. It helps the message get through that you’ve had enough. If we eat too quickly, it’s often too late when the message gets through that we’ve had enough. Good luck.

I know we all say to follow your plan but you have to make allowances for how your body reacts. One of the reasons your team suggests to reintroduce carbs maybe for the fibre but you can find fibre in vegetables & fruit. Or you can add soluble, non swelling, fibre to your diet. (I added Benefibre.) It’s better not to eat something that makes you vomit cause you’re just bringing up a lot of the calories & nutrients your body needs that you just ate. If you’re concerned have a chat with your dietician/nutritionalist.

Congrats, Jake. ? And, man, look at your thighs. Phwaaa! We in your fan club have been ogling your arms for a while now as you know Jake, but OMG. ?

The closer you are to goal, the more slowly you lose but in saying that you may have reached your balance & are in maintenance. That is the calories you are consuming are equal to the calories you are burning. To lose more you either have to consume less or increase your activity. Whatever weight you end up at has to be sustainable. Many bariatric patients end up at a weight that is higher than what they may have initially wanted. But they’re at a weight they can maintain while still enjoying & living the healthy & happy life they want. It’s fine to eat several smaller meals across a day or graze on three meals as long as caloric intake is constant. It just has to work for you. I eat three meals and about 4 nutritious snacks every day because I can’t physically consume enough in three meals to maintain - my restriction kicks in & I can’t eat any more. My total caloric intake sits at about 1200 calories a day. Another path you could look at is Dr Matt Weiner’s videos & books about resetting your basal metabolic rate which could enable you to lose more if you are interested. The intent is to reset your metabolism to run faster so your body burns more calories just to function. I guess the big questions are do you want to have to take appetite suppressants for the rest of your life to maintain at a lower weight? Do you want to live your life consuming fewer calories &/or maintaining a higher activity level to stay at a lower weight? You may say yes to either of these questions & that’s fine. It’s your decision. Congrats on your weight loss & good luck whatever you decide.

My program was no bread, pasta or rice or any other processed carbs as well. My program was strongly protein first then nutritionally dense foods. Processed carbs like bread, pasta, etc. are generally considered nutritionally poor. But there are lots of different plans about. For the first couple of months all I could eat was my protein & maybe a couple of beans or a small cauliflower floret at a meal. I couldn’t imagine even trying to eat a heavy carb that swells in your small tummy & fills you up more. Actually that could be why you have the foamies - too much in your tummy & it’s literally oozing up as the bread, rice, etc. swells. I’m two years out & I still can’t eat bread, pasta or rice. They sit like dead weights in my tummy. Mashed potato is the same. Doesn’t bother me though. If I want pasta I eat fresh zucchini noodles. I tried plant based pasta but it filled me up too quickly. I was able to eat rolled oats from very early out & still eat them very regularly. I also can eat multi or whole grain crackers (vita wheat multi grain crackers & wholegrain rice crackers). I eat these as a snack. Everyone is quite individual in what they are able or unable to tolerate. What I can eat successfully, you may not. What you can’t tolerate now, you may be able to eat successfully in time. The carbs may just be too heavy for your tummy to handle at nine weeks out.

As you progress you will be able to eat more. And don’t worry, you won’t have stretched your tummy. It takes a lot of concentrated effort of eating large portions & over a long period of time to stretch your tummy. If you eat until you have had enough or until your restriction kicks in you’re fine. As you’re male & taller, you’re dietary requirements will be a different from mine. Plus I’m in maintenance. I do snack several times a day but when I was losing I snacked on yoghurt or cheese initially then added fruit. I alternated eggs with rolled oats for breakfast. I love rolled oats. Lots of fibre, a good carb, & if you make it on milk you boost the protein content. You could even add protein powder as well though I didn’t. I eat it with blueberries now - yum. I try to ensure everything I eat is of nutritional benefit to me & not empty calories. I eat multi/whole grains twice a day, fruit twice a day, vegetables 2 or three times, dairy 2 or 3 times, meat &/or seafood twice a day to reach 50-60g protein & eat <30g of fats (salad dressings are my weakness). Some serves are the recommended serving size but others are less it just depends. Some people find they have no issues eating a wide range of foods but others discover their tummies just don’t tolerate certain things. I can’t do char grilled meats or vegetables, mashed potatoes, oily fish, fatty meats, breads, rice or pasta. Some fruits make my restriction kick in early (like mango & apple skin ?). I don’t do beans often because they give me terrible wind. Lentils are fine & I’m going to try some barley soon. I can eat lots of lettuce - it’s a slider food for me so my salad lunches are huge ?. It’s a bit of trial & error to work out what you can tolerate especially in the first few months. Don’t give up though, you may be fine with something a few months on. Check with your dietician if you are unsure. Plus they should be able to give you a list of foods you could eat &/or a template diet plan to work from. Good luck.

Earlier this year I had a day when I truely felt ravenous. I was craving processed carbs - bread specifically which I don’t eat anymore. It was weird. Took me most of the day before I realised it was just like my old pre menstrual craving day. A couple of days before my period I would often be hungry & nothing would satisfy except lots of bread. But I’m menopausal, haven’t menstruated for years & haven’t had the craving for that long either but it was the exact same feeling. Weird. The next day I was fine. Hormones can powerfully drive a lot of our desires. May not be what’s happening to you but you never know.