Arabesque

I diluted my shakes too because they were awful & grainy. Didn’t really have meal times as such in the first two weeks. I’d just keep sipping my shake & soup until they were finished. Didn’t care if it took hours. I’d start the shake in the morning & then have soup late afternoon. (Don’t forget you can have soup & bone broth.) My multi vitamins made me nauseous (always did). Try splitting the dose or taking them later in the day when you’ve more in your tummy & see if that helps your nausea. My surgeon said not to worry about meeting fluid or protein goals to begin just as long as you were making a concentrated effort. Also my shakes & soups counted towards my fluid goals. For many hunger feels different after surgery - probably finally feeling real hunger. The hunger you’re feeling may be head hunger as well as stomach acid hunger. It gets easier.

You always have the most beautiful words, Sophie. My dear friends (not married but together 35 yrs & no children) just lost their furry child - a beautiful English Blue kitty. She was 18. Devastating. You make your own family. Partner, no partner, children, no children, .. I love how Bobby is sitting there all pleased with himself & his non furry parents. ?

Oh, yeah, chicken breast is too dry. Chicken thighs are the way to go - juicier & more flavour. There’s a lot of trial & error to find out what your tummy (& taste buds) will tolerate at first.

How much loose skin you have depends on a number of factors like age, genetics, how many years you’ve been overweight, how much excess weight you carried, ... Think of your skin as an elastic hair band - ain’t nothing can unstretch a well used, old elastic hair tie. Unfortunately, the only way to really reduce sagging skin is surgery. I don’t have a lot of excess skin - pinches not handfuls & I decided not to have surgery. I scar & decided loose skin was better than scars. It doesn’t bother me that much - I’m way past showing a lot of skin. LOL! I’d rather have some saggy skin than the fat. I added collagen & silica to my diet but don’t believe it did anything really. What helped me was I had bounced around 60 - 75kgs for most of my adult life, gained 16kgs over about 3 yrs & only sat at that weight for not quite 2 yrs before I had surgery. When I hit my 60kg goal I had hardly any loose skin at all but when I lost the extra 10 odd kilos there was noticeably more. A friend did weights to help ‘fill in’ her loose skin but while she gained some muscle, she still has all the loose skin on her tummy, under her arms & between her thighs that she had to begin. Moisturising is likely only going to help the texture of your skin which is always good.

Sleeve & PCOS diets compliment each other really easily. PCOS diets usually recommend consuming lots of lean meats & seafood, fibre rich vegetables (leafy greens & cruciferous), legumes, berries all of which are also usually on recommended food plans post sleeve. Foods to avoid for both are processed carbs, (bread, rice, pasta, etc.), sugary foods & drinks, high fat foods, processed meats. Are your medical team for recommendations to a dietician who has experience with bariatric patients. Most of us are advised to see a dietician pre surgery & whose services you can access as needed post surgery.

That does seem very restrictive. If your surgeon gave you a list of what not to eat, did he tell you what you could? Give his surgery a call, or your dietician, & ask what you can eat. I ate lots of minced chicken & beef (purred in a blender with stock, gravy or passata), eggs (scrambled mashed hard boiled) & very thin rolled oats. I puréed tinned salmon & it was disgusting. I was not allowed potato, sweet potato, pumpkin or carrots. Guess you could try beans as a high protein alternative - mashed, in soups, ...

Still can’t gulp after two years. I used to be able to down 1/2 litre in one go but I would be thirsty. Now I can only take one mouthful & drink it in two swallows but that’s it. The other day without thinking I took three big swallows & my restriction kicked in. Probably better to sip continuously all through the day to keep your hydration up & not wait until You feel thirsty & your levels are low ... well that’s what I tell myself. ?

Gorgeous.

I agree, it’s likely hormonal. We store a lot of oestrogen in our fat. As we lose weight it’s released into our blood stream. As @catwoman7 mentioned a lot of women experience heavier, more frequent, more painful or prolonged menstrual cycles & other associated effects like mood swings, acne, etc. while they are losing weight. It does pass. The oestrogen boost alleviated all my menopausal symptoms but when I hit goal & had lost most of excess fat they all came back unfortunately. LOL! Plus it could be a release of toxins in your body from being on a cleaner & reduced diet.

I was able to eat oatmeal (rolled oats) from purée stage. I just made it extra milky (more thick soup consistency) - gave me more protein & made it easier to eat. I couldn’t eat much at first (one serve lasted three days) but could manage a single portion at about 12 months out. I eat it every day, still very milky but with blueberries & a little bit of honey now.

I agree you should be trying to incorporate regular foods now. I ate a lot of slow cooked, soups (lots of meat, beans & vegetables), casseroles/stew type dishes to begin. Just make sure everything is soft. Don’t be afraid to gently blend or mash it a little if you find the meal a little dense still at first. I found minced meets were very easy to cook & to eat as were sausages from a butcher (higher meat content). I also made omelettes with combinations of spinach, cheese, onion, mushrooms, capsicum. Steamed or poached fish is also good. It may take a bit of trial & error to see what your tummy will tolerate (it can be pretty fussy). You’ll have lots of left overs but just freeze them in individual portions.

I didn’t feel hungry or really interested in food for ages either. Still have odd days like that. I had to eat to a routine - better to eat a small amount than nothing at all. I agree with @catwoman7 & think you should contact your medical team to discuss your nausea, discomfort & gagging. It may be something simple that’s causing the issues. Multi vitamins used to make me nauseous every day. Certain foods can cause me discomfort too - char grilled foods are too dry & coarse for me to eat. I recently discovered the reason I can gag & develop a build up of phlegm in my throat when I eat is because I haven’t drunk enough.

Yoghurt, cheese, multi/whole grain crackers or carrot or celery sticks with hummus or liverwurst (watch the fat content though) are my go to snacks. I even do the odd teaspoon of peanut paste. Small pieces of cooked chicken, smoked salmon with cream cheese wrapped around a chunk of cucumber are other options. I also snack on fresh fruit - no protein but lots of other nutrients. Watch the protein bars & check their nutrition panels carefully. Some have a lot of artificial sugar which can restart any sugar cravings or can be high carb. I found some of the higher protein ones a bit gluggy to eat & the really low carb ones seemed all air & no substance. I keep mine in the fridge - they seem to taste better cold for some reason. ??‍♀️ Congrats on your weight loss.

Prep the soups as per the instructions on the can/packet then add additional stock, water or milk to thin the soups you feel are still a little thick after blending. Cream may be too rich & fatty post surgery. Strain them well too after blending. I found those little plastic teas strainers the best cause they’re finer. You can pour liquids but if it dollops it’s probably too thick. Your tummy is pretty fussy after surgery so it may not enjoy some of the soups. It’ll likely be a bit of trial & error. I ate soup every day in my liquid stage. I found protein shakes very unpalatable - grainy & far too sweet - one shake a day was all I could barely tolerate. I was told no yoghurt until purée stage as it’s too thick. I loved drinking yoghurt which I had regularly from purée stage on. It was a little thick so I used to dilute it with a splash of juice. You can also use milk to dilute it as well.

The main reason is you’ve just had surgery to alter your tummy. The staged diet & reduced portions are to reintroduce foods back to your digestive system slowly so as not to aggravate or derail your healing. All because you can’t see it, you have wounds inside which need to be treated gently. Think how you would treat a long incision down your thigh or arm. You don’t want to eat too much or eat coarse foods that are harder to digest & put pressure on those stitches & staples. I was lucky if I was eating 300 calories in the weeks after surgery. I wasn’t interested in food or hungry at all. Good luck with your surgery.

Once you get close to or into maintenance you’ll start working out what of your old favourites you can eat or want to eat again. There may be foods or drinks you say never again too, others that you may have occasionally. You might find more nutritious alternatives for some (like vegetable pastas or rice) or you’ll restrict your portion size of a particular food. I say I follow a reduce, restrict or avoid plan. I haven’t really missed anything I avoid or anything I restrict. It hasn’t stopped me going out to dine or socialising with friends & family. The foods I avoid, restrict or have reduced are ones that lead me down the path to my weight struggles so I’ve been happy to bid them farewell or to visit with only occasionally. I cut as much sugar (real, artificial & alternatives) out of my diet as I can but I still had some cake at a friend’s wedding on the weekend - just had two teaspoon. I probably won’t have any other cake, biscuits, desserts, etc. until Christmas. Processed carbs & starchy foods tend to sit heavily in my tummy too (even the vegetable pasta) so I avoid them. I drink full fat milk, cheese & yogurt. I do buy low fat milk at times but it’s usually because it has a longer use by date - LOL! I’ve never been great with carbonation so no real change there for me. If I want something bubbly like sparkling, soda or tonic water I stir it, sip it slowly & let it sit for a while so a lot of the gas escapes. I have alcohol about once a month but usually one glass over a long time. I don’t enjoy it as much. I had champagne at the wedding it just took me almost two hours to drink it. I eat about 60g of protein, 4 serves of fruit & vegetables, 2or 3 serves of dairy, 2 serves of multi/whole grain carbs every day. I haven’t taken any vitamins since 8 months post surgery (early maintenance). I have bloods taken every 3 months & all my levels come back great. But that’s my story & it’s been working for me so far. What you discover works for you will be very personal to you & how you want to live & enjoy your life. Many people continue to meet with their therapist post surgery be it to continue to work through issues or for maintenance. If you think it will help you, do it. Good luck with your surgery.

Love the name change, Matty. Very appropriate. ?

Aah, the three week stall. Though it can happen earlier or later than that. Yes, it is common - extremely common. I liked to think of it it as my body taking a breath to catch up with all the changes. You will start to lose again, maybe in a week, maybe two or three & you’ll experience it again. Some people will say to increase your calories or activity levels. Others will say just keep on your path. I kept on my path & the loss started again (the first time after a week, the second after almost three weeks). Congrats on your surgery & weight loss so far.

Thank you @Sophie7713 & @WishMeSmaller. Chronologically, I know I could be a grandmother but what happened to stepping up to that? Do you have children as the first question is easier to take. (Though surely we should be passed asking if a woman is married or has children as if that is the standard to which her worth is measured. I’ve had too many years being looked down on or people feeling sorry for me because I’ve never married or had children.) It was a coconut cake, Sophie. Served with cream & berry coulis. It was very sweet even without the cream & sauce. Isn’t it so much fun to wear a fuller skirt, @Sophie7713? So feminine. I like swishing the fabric. Did you twirl? Congratulations on your graduation @Jnfinney. What a lovely photo of you with your boyfriend.

Excellent before & after pxt @Jaelzion. Congratulations. You look gorgeous.

I think that’s how it works for some of us. It took me a year to find the right balance to maintain. The loss was much slower (about 1kg a month) & slowed even more just before I finally stabilised. Even though I added snacks it took until I could get my meal portion sizes to close to the recommended portion size that it stabilised. I remember telling my medical team when they’d tell me I had to stop losing that I simply could not eat any more. Some days I felt all I did was eat. I certainly wasn’t trying to lose more. It was hard cause I still didn’t really feel hungry. I ate just to try not to lose more. Such a weird thing for someone who spent much of her life not eating so as not to gain weight (not that that worked!!). I used non lite salad dressings, added milk powder to milk when making chia pudding, upped my vegetables & fruit, added multi/whole grain crackers with hummus or liverwurst as a snack, added a protein bar, etc. to boost my calories. I choose things I could easily drop or modify to a low cal version as needed & I have dropped some snacks since my weight has settled. This worked for me. I wasn’t too worried at the time because of the bounce back weight @catwoman7 mentioned. Thought if I did gain those 5kgs or so, it would put me up closer to my goal without exceeding it. Congrats on your weight loss & good luck with finding that right balance for you. Just give it time.

Wedding was beautiful. Weather was glorious but was chilly & windy at night (hence the rabbit fur coat). Yes I did have two teaspoons of wedding cake. ? A woman asked if I had grand children ?. Looks like I need the number of a good surgeon. ? Lots & lots of dancing - was a bit stiff & sore the next day. Obviously haven’t exercised my dancing muscles enough lately. ?

It may be time for some straight talking with them. Thank them for their support but explain you are trying to be realistic about what you’re doing & your progress. Tell them commenting on your progress & the changes in a supportive, encouraging & honest way are appreciated but you don’t need to be told what you should be doing or have them exaggerate your progress. Tell them while you have lost some weight, you still have a lot to go. You’re not slim yet but you’re working at it. A simple comment like I’m happy you’re doing so well or your weight loss is becoming more noticeable is much more encouraging & powerful than saying you’re so small or so skinny. Tell them you’re learning a lot about weight loss, diets, eating styles, exercising, etc. There’s not a one size fits all solution or plan to follow. What works for one may not work for you & it’s going to take you time & effort to fully work out what will work for you long term. Of course this will depend on your relationship with your family members. ? Sometimes I find it easier to just give a bland not committed response to over exaggerated comments or nosy questions & then quickly change the subject. Congrats on your progress so far & good luck with your family.

It takes a lot of real persistent effort over time to stretch your tummy. Fluids pass through your tummy pretty quickly & won’t cause damage only discomfort if you drink too much too quickly for your body to digest it. Stay away from the ibuprofen. Bariatric patients aren’t able to take Nsaids after surgery because they damage the lining of your tiny tummy. Your medical team should have told you this. You shouldn’t really be experiencing pain this far out if surgery. Most of us are basically or mostly pain free by about day 4 or 5. While it could be the bruise causing the pain I would encourage you to contact your medical team. If you experience pain or symptoms that are unusual for you always call your team.

So many of us ate out of habit. Whether it was while we were doing certain activities (going to the movies, reading, watching tv, watching live sport, etc.), boredom or other emotions, even the time on the clock (lunch time so got to eat even if I’m really not hungry), or because others were eating. Or we mindlessly ate. How many times would we be eating chips or biscuits or chocolates & be surprised when we reached in the bag only to discover we’d eaten it all without realising it. Lots of learnings ahead about why we ate as we did & how we should eat now. I wasn’t hungry either. Took more than 18 months for it to come back & then it was slowly & I still have days I’m not really hungry at all. In those first couple of months I wasn’t even interested in eating - lucky one I guess. I had to eat to the clock to make sure I met my goals (ha - habit eating !) I cooked but was quite happy to just eat what I needed. Once you’re on solid food it is easier. Good luck.