Arabesque

Contact your medical team. Always call them if you’re experiencing pain or prolonged discomfort or anything that is unusual for you. They may say it’s nothing but better safe than sorry. The gall bladder is on the right & the pain is intense as I discovered last week. Good luck.

Your surgeon and/or your dietician should make this recommendation. I was advised to only take a multivitamin yet others are told to take iron, calcium, vitamin D, etc. as well as the multi. The type of surgery you have can also influence your supplement needs. I believe the advice I was given was initially based upon my pre surgical blood work & they weren’t adjusted post surgery as my bloods always came back good. In fact I don’t take vitamins at all now - stopped at 8 months post surgery - didn’t need them & still don’t. Everyone is different though & you may need to take additional supplements depending upon what you’re lacking in. No point taking a vitamin if you don’t need it - expensive & can too much can have adverse effects.

I was told to wait before & after too though I have been able to reduce the time at two years out. You may be able to in time too. A single sip to help swallow something or because of an unpleasant taste is ok but not more.

Follow your plan. This is important because your plan has been designed to aid healing. Remember there’s a lot of stitches & staples holding your tummy together & you don’t want to risk putting strain or pressure on your tummy before it’s fully healed. Listen to your body. It will tell you what you can or can’t do or eat yet. Things are going to be different but you’ll get used to the changes & how your body may react. It’s not a competition. You’ll lose at the rate that’s right for you. You will lose some hair. Can’t stop it because it’s how your body reacts to the surgery & the reduced food intake. It’s just an acceleration of your natural hair loss cycle. The hair loss will stop. Your new hair is still growing in but just at its usual rate which is why your hair may look thin for a while until it catches up. You will have stalls along the way. It’s just your body taking a breath to catch up with the changes. They may last a week or up to three but they do stop & you’ll start losing again. You will experience constipation. Often a lot of constipation. Include some soluble (non swelling) fibre in your diet & have some stool softeners on hand. You may experience a temporary change in your taste buds. Some also find their sense of smell becomes more sensitive for a while. Some foods may suddenly become disgusting because of their taste or smell. Some people find binders useful post surgery as a support while healing. It’s an individual thing. I didn’t use one. Now the bad news - there is little you can do to stop or reduce the chances of having loose skin. It’s why so many have plastic surgery to remove it. The loose skin is a result of your fat stretching out your skin. Think of a hair band that’s been stretched out from lots of use & is loose. Ain’t nothing goes to make that band as tight as it was when it was new. How much loose skin you have depends upon factors like age, gender, how long you’ve been at your highest weight, etc. if you’re young & still have a lot of natural skin elasticity you likely won’t have as much as someone older like me. Don’t mean to scare you just wanted you not to be surprised if these things do happen. While they are common experiences, it seems they are things that many medical teams don’t tell their patients to expect. They can be quite scary when they occur if you don’t know they can. Good luck.

I’m sorry you’ve been struggling with nausea but am pleased you & your medical team have worked out a way to manage it. Yes, it does become easier. The first months can be challenging because your tummy can be quite fussy & your taste buds often change so you’ll take time to discover foods you can enjoy. Plus you’re working out what foods you can eat within your diet. It’s likely you’ll be able to relax your schedule as you progress too. You do get used to prepping your food & ensuring you meet your goals. You become pretty familiar with the protein, carb, fat, calorie content, etc. of most of what you eat too so that is easier. Though you may find you feel a bit controlled by your diet again when you reach maintenance & you have to increase your calorie intake to stop yourself losing. I still eat pretty much to a routine. I’m pretty careful about what I eat too & cook almost everything from scratch but that’s my choice. I don’t mind the routine now cause I don’t really have to think about it & it makes grocery shopping a breeze. Don’t know what your work entails or if your employers know about your surgery but have a chat with them when you return about your need to maintain a schedule of eating, drinking & meds. If you haven’t told them about your surgery you can still tell them about your schedule. They don’t need to know why just that you have a medical condition you are managing. I took up a contract about a month after surgery & they were very supportive. I told them that I had a surgery & there were times I struggled a bit still with my recovery (low blood pressure, low energy). They never asked further questions. I think they thought I’d had some gynaecological related surgery - lol! I had a desk job & it was acceptable for people to eat & drink at their desks. Giod luck.

Awesome achievement. Congratulations on reaching your goal.

Always call your medical team if something is causing you pain or is not usual for you. In saying that it could be swelling from the surgery. A lot of us do experience difficulty &/or discomfort when swallowing to begin due to the swelling at the top of the tummy & esophagus. It does get better over a few days as the swelling reduces but do contact your surgeon to be sure.

Multi vitamins always made me nauseous even when I took them before I had surgery. My surgeon suggested trying different brands to find one that didn’t but this can be an expensive option. I found taking one in the morning & one at night helped a little. Make sure you have something solid in your tummy, not just a protein shake, before you take them. My blood work has been good all along the way. I think I just absorb the nutrients I need well. (Maybe I’m an abzorbaloff - Dr Who reference.) I remember my dietician saying if you already had enough of a certain vitamin having extra could make you nauseous but I can’t remember which one sorry. Sort of think it was one of the B vitamins but don’t quote me. She told me that when I’d stopped taking vitamins (with my surgeon’s approval) when I had been in maintenance for two months.

Nothing to be embarrassed about. I’ve had regular fittings all y life. The women are usually very professional. I explained I had lost a lot of weight & the fitters understood perfectly what had happened. They’ve truely seen it all. There were stats going around at one time that 80% of women wear the wrong size bra.

As you lose weight a lot of oestrogen is released into your blood stream which had been stored in your fat & it can affect your menstrual cycle. What you may be experiencing now is the effects of your normal hormonal cycle not one I luenced by carrying weight. My cycles were always heavier & more erratic when I carried weight compared to when I was slimmer. Have a chat with your doctor & ask for a blood test to check your hormone levels. Remember 28 days is the average. Some cycles are longer. Some shorter. Congrats on your weight loss.

I struggled to maintain too @HealthyLifeStyle. I did look drawn in that year I kept loosing but since I stabilised about 6 months ago I look fine. Things do shift about. I’m a little shorter than you (5’3”) and my bmi sits just under 19 and I’m not bony. Sure I can feel my bones but my shoulders aren’t sunken & nor do I have deep hollows under my collarbones (signs of being underweight). I have a smaller frame so I can carry my lower weight better. If you have a larger frame, you may look slimmer than your weight indicates. Give it time. It can be hard to come to terms with how we look being slim. It’s body dysmorphia. I think a lot of us would put our hand up & say yep I’m still sometimes surprised by how I look in the mirror or they can be surprised when someone describes us as slim or small (who? me?). (I don’t really like ‘skinny’. It can have negative connotations or raise negative responses.) Sorry, @FutureSylph your post has been hijacked a little - it often happens. Best advice: 1 - fellow your plan. There are lots of different ones but stick to what you were given. You can negotiate with your surgeon & dietician as you progress. 2 - go at your pace. It’s not a race. You may lose quickly, you may lose slowly. You may struggle at times on the way but you’ll get there. 3 - listen to your body. It will tell you pretty darn quickly if it’s happy or not. It can be pretty fussy at first & may not tolerate one day what it did the day before. Give it a break & then try again in a week or so. 4 - what worked for me or someone else may not work for you. Still give any suggestions a go or research them to see if they might. 5 - take time to decide what foods you do want to reintroduce into your life & what you don’t when you reach maintenance. Consider portion size, frequency of eating or if there’s an healthier alternative for foods you do want to reintroduce. Good luck.

I went from a 38.5/39 to a 37.5/38. My feet are narrower too but they weren’t really wide before. If you think about there being fat all around your foot not just across the width it dies make sense. Just like you’ll notice your fingers get thinner. It doesn’t take much. I’m a couple of kilos lighter this winter than last & it’s been enough for the boots I could wear then to be too big - my feet are slipping & slopping around inside. New boots for me I guess. What a shame - ???

You truely lose fat from everywhere. I went from an 18E to a 10E. I suffered back pain as I dropped down sizes because I was still wearing my old bras & spent a lot of time being fitted to find the right bra. I bought new bras three times!! My breasts are empty at the top but still have fullness at the bottom. I can only wear full cups which are wide. (A lot are too narrow and the underwire pokes into my side boob but that’s always been an issue for me.) Only one brand works for me (expensive at course ☹️) but I still have wrinkling cause I don’t fill out the whole cup. I often pop a tissue in the top - yep I’m stuffing my bra for the first time in my life ?. If you haven’t been to a proper fitting I do recommend it. Sometimes you have to have to get a bigger band width to get the right cup size but then have the band altered. (Had to do that in the past with strapless bras.) My biggest issue is the pain I sometimes get in the afternoon from the underwire pressing on my ribs. I now wear bralettes at home & keep the underwire for when I go out.

I’ve found that sometimes my tummy just says nope not today. I eat basically the same things every week but there are odd days when what I’ve eaten just goes straight through me. It could be exactly what I ate the day before or I’ve often been eating for weeks. I can even have it again in a day or so & no problem. I don’t eat spicy food because of a sensitivity/allergy so I can’t blame that. Trying to eat slowly is more difficult when dining out. Your fellow diners have finished their meals & you’re barely a third through. Your chatting & focusing on your eating. Wait staff hover wanting to clear the table. Etc. That’s why I have problems then. Aah, yes, cold food. I take 30 to 60 mins to eat so my meals always get cold. You get used to it but sometimes I reheat in the microwave. Oh just remembered I used to be nauseous almost every day from my multi vitamins. (Don’t take them anymore.) took one in the morning & one at night after I ate which helped a little. Just a thought. But if you’re concerned have a chat with your medical team.

Two years out & yep I do. Probably more I want to lie down versus nausea now often coupled with my restriction kicking in. It can happen when I go out to eat & eat a little too quickly or if I’m not fully hydrated. Sometimes it’s when what I’m eating isn’t sitting well. Had lunch with a fellow sleever this week & after lunch we both groaned & said I need to lie down. Quite funny actually. We both had an all day keto breakfast. I had some bacon for the first time in ages & I think it set me off. She said the last bite did her in.

Everybody should always aim to drink 2litres/64oz of water a day. We’re more than half water & should replenish it frequently. You need more in hotter climates, if you exercise & perspire a lot or if you drink lots of caffeinated drinks (they dehydrate you). When you feel thirsty you are actually already well on the path to dehydration. We were told your urine should be straw colour & the lighter the better. I drink about 1500 ml but also consume water rich fruit & lettuce (lots of it) every day which ups my consumption. I truely pee all day & all night. Before surgery I used to drink at least 2litres but there was a lot more of me then. Your skin & brain function improve & your blood is pumped around your body more easily all by keeping your fluid levels up. Actually all your organs function better. (Back in the early 90s in Australia we began encouraging children to have bottles of water on their desks & to drink all day long to aid brain function & improve general health. It’s became a big societal change. People carry water with them everywhere now. Should have bought shares in water bottling & refillable bottle companies back then. ?) If I’m not well hydrated I have trouble swallowing food & develop choking phlegm in my throat & often dry retch now. My blood pressure drops & I feel weak.

@ms.sss you said exactly what I was thinking looking at @WishMeSmaller - far out Brussel sprouts. Abso Fing fabulous @WishMeSmaller. Lined up for 105mins for the CJ Hendry exhibit ‘Straya’ this morning. She unloaded 70 tons of sand in the exhibition hall & everyone got a pair of thongs (yes the bottom of mine did print the F word in the sand). It’s amazing what she can do with a pencil. I knew I should have kept Catherine’s yr 6 illustrated creative writing book. Her early works could have funded my retirement.

It’s the weight loss cycle. Lose then stall. Lose then stall. Some people will say to increase your calories or increase your activity to break it. I just stuck to my plan & the stall broke. This won’t be your only stall. Some last a week others may last three weeks. They’re just your body taking a breath to catch up on all the changes. You will start to lose again.

Neither my surgeon nor dietician gave me calorie goals to follow while losing. They did recommend 1/4 cup of food from purée stage slowly increasing as I was able to eat more as long as it was low fat, low sugar, low carb. I wasn’t eating 300 calories in that first month. I remember my surgeon drawing a picture of a side plate, then drawing a circle of protein & a circle of vegetables & saying that’s about how much I’d be eating at goal. He also outlined the size in my palm. He was pretty right. I was told a daily goal 60g of protein & then slowly add vegetables & fruit to my eating as I progressed. I saw my dietician every two weeks for almost a year (COVID ended it) where we discussed what I had added to my diet & what I thought I’d try next. I can go back to her at anytime. It took me about a year to find the sweet spot in maintenance & to stop losing. I’m really not active so I maintain my weight through calorie control though I don’t religiously measure & count calories except when I add new foods or do random checks to ensure I’m not slipping. I keep to about 1200 calories give or take. Awareness of portion size & nutritional value of what I eat are my key considerations. I prepare most of my food so I have control over the ingredients & how it’s cooked. I eat protein (average 60g from meat, seafood & dairy), vegetables, fruit & whole/multi grains (some crackers as a snack & rolled oats). No processed carbs & I avoid as much sugar, sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners as I possibly can. No fast food in my life & I’ve had takeaway three times since surgery (braised chicken & cashews & skinned steamed gyoza). No carbonated drinks except for tonic, soda or sparkling water. I don’t allow high sugar or high fat food in my house - if it’s not there I can’t eat it. If I have people over, they take home the leftovers of foods I don’t eat now for the same reason. It may sound restrictive but it’s working for me & I really don’t miss anything. There are some things I can’t eat or don’t enjoy anymore because my tummy doesn’t tolerate them. I used to eat a lot of avocado but now it tastes off & the texture is strange. Mashed potatoes & pasta (including plant ones) sit heavily in my tummy & I don’t enjoy alcohol as much. My hunger only came back earlier this year but I still have days I’m not really hungry (like yesterday & today) so I try to eat to routine so I don’t miss meals. If I’m going out for dinner, I’ll drop a snack to allow for what I might eat at the restaurant. In the past, I wouldn’t weigh myself if I thought I’d put on weight - if I couldn’t see an actual number on the scales I could convince myself I hadn’t gained. So I weigh myself almost every day. I have a fluctuation window of about 1kg (2.2lbs). If it sits on or close to the max for a couple of days in a row, I review my diet & make slight adjustments: drop a snack, reduce a portion size. Sometimes it’s just fluid or constipation but I find I know my body a lot better now & I make allowances for that. My medical team would like me to put on a couple of kilos but I’m happy where I am. But who knows what the future will bring. I certainly eat way more frequently than I ever did before surgery and also more than I used to eat: 3 meals & 3-4 snacks. I think I have a metabolism that is finally working again. There are so many different eating plans you can follow to lose or maintain. You’ve just got to find what works for you & how you want to live & enjoy your life. Finding a good dietician & therapist who are experienced with bariatric patients is a good place to start. Good luck finding your path. Sorry it’s so long.

Well the stone’s still there so I’m seeing my surgeon Wednesday. Waaahh!! ☹️ The scan took for ever cause they ‘had difficulty visualising the gallbladder’. What the??? I mean what was blocking their view? A giant tummy? A fatty liver? Lots of fat? Don’t think so. They saw the pancreas easily & the gall is right above it. ??‍♀️ They also kept asking me when I last ate. They require 6 hours & I hadn’t eaten for 12. Fun & games ahead.

Oh no. I hope that one was just an urban myth. How awful.

I know I worry about her too. She’s been missing in action for about a year. I asked a while ago but no one said they had. It’s worrying. Can understand they wanted an easy way for people to pick their size scrubs but really couldn’t they find a more subtle way? Why not just fold the scrubs so you could easily read the tag. Works in clothing stores. But congrats of only needing a S/XS now @kristieshannon. PS - Love your fancy ghost chair.

It can get confusing & there always seems to be a new abbreviation to learn. Years ago there was a story in the Australian papers about a businessman who thought LOL meant lots of love & thought a female colleague was being unprofessional in her emails &/or was making advances & made a complaint to their HR dept. At least you asked. If he had it wouldn’t have hit the papers as an embarrassing story. LOL

My portion sizes are larger now at 2 yrs out than they were at 9 months. I eat about a recommended portion size or just under now. For example at 9 months I could only eat 1 egg now I can almost eat 2 eggs. How much you can eat will slowly increase too @HealthyLifeStyle.

I don’t think you’re failing & certainly didn’t mean for you to think that either. I was just suggesting other things to consider as a contributing factor besides a medical issue. It’s easy to misjudge a portion size if we just eyeball it, or misread a nutrition label - I certainly have (damn small font on labels). If these are all on point, you have to consider there is something else going on. I hope you find an answer soon.