Arabesque

Don’t know if I got angry but I used to get frustrated if I was out & couldn’t find anything suitable to eat. I got caught up in making sure I ate regularly to meet my protein & fluid goals. If I missed a meal or my routine was out, I felt I wouldn’t meet the goals for the day & thought this was a bad thing. I eventually realised that this is just life & I couldn’t control everything. It really wasn’t a big deal if I didn’t meet my goals one day as long as I did the next. I always carry a protein bar in my bag now just in case. Congrats on your surgery & loss so far.

Gerd suffers are usually advised against sleeve surgery so first you have to find out if you do have gerd & its severity. That will then influence your decision as to which surgery. I had mild gerd before my sleeve surgery. My surgeon still recommended the sleeve for me because it was mild & was aggravated by stress, spicy, fatty or rich foods & carbonated drinks. I also generally managed it with diet & only took an esomeprazole occasionally (go for months without needing too). Post surgery, my gerd is different (no bad taste in my mouth but occasionally some burning in my throat, no prolonged & painful hiccups, etc.). I take esomeprazol every day now & still watch my food choices & when I eat them (like no hard protein before bed). This keeps it pretty well controlled.

No tummy pain here either. I had mild gerd before my surgery & still have it. It manifests differently but is easy to manage with meds & diet like it was before. I used to have issues with lactose thanks to a parasite in my lower tummy, upper intestine. Now I don’t have any problems - I think it was hiding in the part of my stomach that was removed. Whoo hoo!! I also used to over produce stomach acid & suffered cutting pain (they thought I had ulcers originally) but haven’t had the pain since surgery. So the sleeve surgery helped me in some unexpected ways. The only pain I exoerience is the tightness across my chest when my restriction kicks in. It occurs when I’ve eaten too quickly, eaten something that’s sitting heavily in my tummy, or had that extra bite I didn’t need. Yeah, I have odd issues with constipation like @Jaelzion. I just keep some stool softeners in the bathroom cabinet just in case.

@Jaelzion is correct. The ultimate decision to proceed or not is up to you. And feeling unsure or questioning your decision is not uncommon. Sure, people do struggle in those first couple of weeks. They just had surgery & are recovering & healing. Plus their digestive system has been altered which is a shock to the body. The initial diet, which is to support the healing & recovery, is pretty restrictive. The new digestive system can be pretty delicate to begin & it may be difficult to find foods it will tolerate. This can be very confusing & although people may be aware it occurs the reality can still be a shock. But it does all improve & it becomes easier. Yes, some people have complications. All surgeries have the risk of complications. Bariatric surgery risks are pretty low. Much lower than surgeries you may need if your excess weight impacts your health: cardiac, joint replacement, kidney or liver problems, etc. Same with issues that may arise in the years post surgery. You’ll likely read about them, on forums like this one, because people want to share their experiences &/or are seeking support & advice. In reality they are minority & it is very sad to read about their complications. As with all things, you should be aware of the possibilities. Personally, I haven’t had any problems. Sure, my orthostatic hypotension (drops in blood pressure) occurs more frequently but it was a pre existing condition. As was the mild gerd I had before surgery. I still have it. It manifests differently now but it’s easy to manage. Every day, I’m glad I decided to have the surgery. Good luck making your decision what ever you decide.

I was weighing & recording every day but since I stabilised I don’t mind if I skip the odd day & I only record highs or lows now. I do this to keep myself accountable. In the past pre surgery, if I thought I had put on weight I wouldn’t weigh myself. If I didn’t see the number on the scale I could convince myself I hadn’t put on weight. Once a day, once a week, once a month, you have to do what works for you.

Hey Sophie. So lovely to see you again. Looking gorgeous. I’d be sneaking that mirror out the door to find it a new home at my house. How can you not love olives? Salty goodness. I never liked them until I had fresh ones versus those dried out nasty black ones in jars. Oh, blue cheese or feta stuffed olives are yummy too. I love a good pickled onion, have one chopped up in my chicken salad about 3 times a week & used to enjoy eating them straight out of the jar. I love the tingly sensation when eating them & the little sweat on the upper lip if they’re extra strong. Don’t really enjoy American style pickles though & don ‘t think I’ll fight Tim for the pickled okra either. Not a fan of okra at all. I’d give those vodka soaked cherries a go as long as they’re not like those cherry liqueur chocolates. Remember them? Blah!!

While there are average rates of loss, there really isn’t a right or wrong pace. You’ll lose at your rate. As @catwoman7 said there are a lot of factors that influence the rate of your loss. The only concerns would be if you were losing excessively quickly for your starting weight, age, gender, etc. or extremely slowly. I lost about 9kg in my first month & my medical team was very happy with that. What is your surgeon &/or dietician saying?

I live alone & I was fine. I had a couple of friends who rang or txt me each day to check I was ok. I was weary more than anything & spent a lot of time on my couch. I think @ShoppGirl’s advice is good about your husband just letting his work know he may have to pop home to help you if needed.

I stopped shakes as soon as I was on purées. They were disgusting & I wanted to work towards getting all my nutritional needs from food not supplements but that was my goal. Use smaller plates & bowls so you look like your eating a ‘fuller’ plate of food. Eating 1/2 cup of food on a full sized plate can be depressing & can trick you into putting more food than you need on your plate. Left overs are my friend. My freezer is full of individual portion meals & cooked meats. All I have to do is defrost, reheat & maybe cook some vegetables or prep some salad. Easy meal in a few minutes. @lizonaplane is correct about portion sizes. Many people eat portions that are 2, 3 or more times larger than what is recommended & what we actually need to eat. Eating smaller portions doesn’t stop you enjoying what you eat. It sounds like you’re grieving what & how you used to eat. Remember that lead you to being overweight. You’re learning about what is a correct food portion that satisfies your need for food. A big learning is discovering the difference between eating what you need versus eating what you want. This was key for me. I still ask myself do I need this next bite or do I just want it. As you progress you will be able to eat more. I eat just under a recommended serving size now for most things. Good luck.

I have two oozing discs in my lower back. Weight loss has helped. I experience more discomfort than pain now if I stand for an hour or so. I find my back gets ‘tired’ if I’m doing too much bending, lifting, etc. versus discomfort or pain as I used to experience. I only took pain meds or anti inflammatories occasionally before surgery like if my back was stopping me doing things. Now I don’t need to take any meds. I found acupuncture more helpful than physiotherapy.

A stick blender which is easier for blending/pureeing small serves. I used a lot of small snack size zip lock bags to freeze individual portions & leftovers - work for liquids & solid foods. They take up less room in the freezer than plastic storage containers too. Child size forks or buffet forks, small plates & bowls (like little tapas ones). A tea leaf strainer. I know it sounds odd but I found it useful for straining soups into mugs to make sure there were no lumps, chunks or stray pieces of meat, vegetables or herbs. A small whisk. A jug with increments in ounces. Kitchen scales also with small increments. A set of measuring cups & spoons. A small thermos & a thermal cup. Good luck with your surgery.

I jinxed myself & everyone else in Brisbane - today is cold & overcast. Not your cold @ms.sss (brrrrr) but Brisbane cold. ? Woke up stiff & curled in a ball because of the overnight drop in temp. I love a gin martini @BayougirlMrsS with lots of olives. Would love to join you. ? Great T @GreenTealael. Nerds do rule the world. I recommend Nerds with Vaginas & captains coffee on Insta for a daily chuckle only nerds would get.

I too had a couple of stalls. My longest was when I was 1kg from goal! Stalls are common while we’re losing. We all talk about the three week stall but you’ll be bound to experience them again as you’re losing. I never did anything to break my stalls. I stuck to my plan & they just broke themselves. Not sure how close you are to your goal but remember the closer you are the more slowly you’ll lose. A lot of this is because your food intake, which has been slowly increasing, is nearing the point of equilibrium where the calories you consume more closely matches the calories you burn. The closer you are to this point the less you’ll lose or you’ll be maintaining. If you want to lose more weight you can either increase your activity &/or decrease your calories. But then if you want to maintain at a lower weight, you have to decide if your activity level & calorie intake to reach that weight & maintain is sustainable. Unfortunately, while exercising does burn calories it also increases your desire for calories. Plus muscle weighs more than fat. So if you’re building muscle you may be adding weight or negating the weight you’re losing to a degree especially if you’re close to goal. Plus exercise only contributes to about 20% of the weight you want to lose. So if you have 20 more lbs to lose, exercise may only contribute to the loss of about 4lbs. Your basal metabolic rate also impacts your weight loss. Sorry, I sound like I’m lecturing.

Don’t worry your taste buds will return as will your enjoyment off food. I wasn’t hungry or interested in eating for quite some time after surgery. When I did eat everything tasted bland. I also became sensitive to certain flavours which became unpleasant & overly strong. Even certain textures were off putting. Foods I used to enjoy were disgusting. The first time I ate asparagus, which I loved, I thought I would vomit. It does pass.

I agree with @catwoman7’s recommendation to stick to nutritionally dense food. We eat such small portions while we are losing that we need to ensure that everything we eat is doing us the greatest good. I’m a fan of fresh fruit for its natural sweetness & loads of vitamins & fibre. Try making a vanilla chia pudding: milk, chia seeds & vanilla extract. The vanilla gives it a a slight sweet taste & you get protein & fibre. Yoghurt was a go to for me as well. Also carrot & celery dipped in hummus is good - sweet & savoury. I used to sprinkle chunks of cucumber with sea salt - crunchy & salty. On occasions I’d go for a teaspoon of peanut paste. Some plans advise to avoid popcorn so check with your team. Personally, I’ve worked at getting rid of a lot of sweet foods out of my diet cause it was a bit of a dangerous thing for me. But that’s me.

Try an electrolyte drink to give you a boost of energy. I found Hydralite very helpful when I had this problem. I carried a bottle of it everywhere though it was pretty sweet. The lack of energy did persist for quite some time for me. I just took things slowly. Walk around your house or yard if you can or walk with your partner or a friend until you feel stronger. I wasn’t eating many calories at your stage - less than you are but my dietician was fine with it. You can only eat what you can eat.

No outfit of the day but it is a beautiful autumn day in Brisbane - cool nights, warm sunny days - that I decided to have my cup of tea on my deck & share the photo. Oh the holiday would have been great after your divorce but you should think about buying another bike one day soon, @BayougirlMrsS.

I had a lot of bruising too. I always bruised easily (I’m very fair so bruises were obvious) but I had a lot more. They also seemed to last a lot longer - sometimes weeks before they disappeared. I think some of it was from getting used to my new body shape & I was bumping into things like coffee tables & other furniture. Also less padding to protect my body from bumps. I was constantly kicking my toes against my kitchen cupboards until realised that my tummy used to hit the kitchen bench before my feet did so my tummy acted as a warning. Now my foot would hit the kick board before my tummy got to the bench. Crazy I know but true. But yes get some lab work done in case you are lacking in something. Joint pain can also occur from your changing body shape. Your changing weight distribution & weight loss may be putting stress on joints that are used to working at different angles to carry your weight before & are now straightening or changing for where you carry your weight now. Are you standing differently? Do you walk differently? Are you more active? I had upper back pain until I realised my bras were way too big & weren’t offering adequate support. Bought new underwear & no more back pain. I also noticed I was slouching because that was obviously how my body held itself when I was big - my weight was pulling me forward. I had to retrain my body to stand straight again.

Would you be able to just lift the bottom of your mask & drink through a straw or from a sippy cup/bottle? I used to drink soup through a straw at first. I’d pop the straw in my mini thermos which kept the soup hot. (It would be cold before I got half way through it if I put it in a mug.)

I found mandarins a little easier cause they’re less acidic. You just have to get rid off all the fibrous bits. You can only eat what you can eat. Don’t push yourself to eat more. If your medical team wants you to add more calories add a healthy snack like fruit, cheese, hummus on celery, etc. Your portion size will increase over time. Congrats on your surgery.

You will never be as focussed in your bowel habits as you are after bariatric surgery - lol!! I’ve never talked about or read about bowel movements & constipation as I do now. ??? Constipation is common while you’re losing. Small food intake, fewer carbs & fibre all contribute. I added Benefibre to my diet every day (avoid fibre supplements that swell in your tummy though). Ensure you’re meeting your fluid goals. Add a little fruit to your diet when you can. It all helps. If I reached three days without any activity, I’d take a stool softener to get movement happening again. Some need stronger meds. I tried not to go longer than that as it can become quite painful to empty the bowels after that. I still have odd bouts of constipation but no where near as common as while losing. I get on it by day 2 now. Good luck.

I’m with @ms.sss @BayougirlMrsS. You in leathers on your bike today whoo hoo girl. Do you still have your bike?

Hell yeah to saying good bye to leg chafing. It still surprises me when I realise my thighs don’t rub together anymore. It happened today as I was rushing about in jeans & thought somethings not right - oh yeah, my thighs don’t touch anymore. No drag, no swooshy sound effects of rubbing fabric. No pills on the inner upper legs of pants. No redness, no rashes, no discomfort, ... It’s the little things that mean so much. ???

At least we didn’t say we think of her as Michelle ‘this one time, at band camp’. I big red heart love Buffy @WishMeSmaller. Still watch episodes. It’s so far above those pitifully tedious shows which are trying to be witty & clever & are so politically correct they’re bland that are aimed at young people today.

I cleaned after surgery. It was surprising how much I had in my pantry. I mean how many bags of rice, pasta, cous cous, does a person really need to have. I kept a single bag of plain flour & one of self rising flour (for cooking not baking) but I threw them out at the end of last year cause I hadn’t used them in 18 months. I cleared out my freezer too. So much bread & mystery meals. ? I’m believe in the ‘if it’s not in your pantry you can’t eat it’ thinking so my pantry is pretty ‘clean’ now. The only processed foods are tins of tomatoes, beans, lentils, creamed corn, multi grain crackers, rolled oats & a spare jar of salad dressing & pickled onions. And my freezer is filled with meals I made & frozen peas & corn for soups. I stocked up on allowed food, medications, etc. before surgery too @SummerTimeGirl. It did make life simpler those first few weeks after surgery. Good luck with your surgeries.