Arabesque

Looking absolutely fabulous @BayougirlMrsS. Love the memory lane pxt @Cheeseburgh. I lived in my long line cardigan in winter @ms.sss. So easy to layer. The mossy green colour is lovely too. So pretty @GreenTealael - both you & the location.

I did lots or reading before surgery. I also chose the sleeve because it didn’t change my digestive pathway & I wouldn’t be challenged by malabsorption issues. Sleevers also seemed to be less likely to suffer from dumping & food intolerances. The average weight loss over 5 years is about the same for the two surgeries though bypass patients often lose more quickly at first. I had stress related reflux before but while I have odd days now when I have attacks (usually at night) it’s manageable with medication - I just take 20mg Nexium every day & not as needed as I did pre surgery. I didn’t have any side effects from my surgery so I can’t advise you on that. I just have the usual side effects of weight loss: feeling the cold, bony butt pain, cholesterol went up before settling back to normal, low blood pressure, etc. & better health. As with all things, we all have different experiences throughout this journey & level of your success is directly dependent upon the effort you put in. I’m so glad I had my sleeve surgery. Whichever surgery you decide to have I’m sure you’ll be equally as happy. Good luck.

Congrats on your surgery & I’m glad you’re feeling so well. Remember, you are healing after your surgery. Your nerves have been cut, your digestive system is working differently & you may not feel/experience things the same way. The restrictive diet & volume limits are to allow your body to heal. My first thought regarding your hunger is are you really hungry? Head hunger or habit eating hunger is real & can mess with you bad. We all have to work through understanding the difference & learning about about mindful eating. It’s part of this journey. You’ll work your way through this too. Also because your ‘drinking’ your meals at the moment you can consume more because the liquids go through your tummy more quickly. If you are really concerned & can’t speak with your dietician, contact your surgical team. Good luck.

It’s likely the anaesthetic. Many non wls patients comment on dry, brittle or frizzy hair a couple of months post surgery. My mum & her neighbour both complain about the change in their hair texture after their knee replacement surgeries. It’s a pretty common side effect of having a general anaesthetic. The hair loss is the shock to the body & restricted diet. Your hair texture will improve over time you just have to wait for it to work out of your system.

It’s always soup season even in spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Chicken & vegetables. Was going to throw in some barley but forgot to buy it ☹️. Still yummy.

I was put on a keto diet plan by my dietician for the 2.5 weeks pre surgery & I was ever so grateful. One friend was on 3 shakes a day for two weeks while another was on 2 shakes plus 1 high protein low carb meal for 4 weeks. Which ever plan you’re given stick to it. It starts the process of re-examining your food habits & making better food choices so you can take the best advantage of your surgery. Good luck with your surgery & on your journey.

It may be the type of ‘mask’ you have or you may need to adjust the fit or the air flow because of your weight loss. There could be other non CPAP causes too. There are some of us who began to breathe through our mouths post surgery (don’t ask me why but the dry mouth is pretty hideous). If you fall into this group too, it may be contributing. Make sure you’re not eating to quickly or gulping your fluids & building up air in your stomach. Watch carbonated drinks. Have you noticed any reflux symptoms? It can cause burping (& hiccups).

You may dump from the sugar hit, just vomit, have diarrhoea or you may not have any side effects or any you are aware of. But is it worth it? There is a reason for the restrictive diet & staged return to eating. You’re healing. There’s swelling, nerves have been cut, you’re generally more sensitive to foods, etc. You may not even enjoy it as your taste buds change after surgery. These first months after surgery are a perfect time to reflect on your eating & change your eating habits (what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat & why you eat). This won’t be the only time you’ll be challenged by a food choice on this journey just the first. Ultimately, it is your choice.

I did look drawn & pasty when I was losing weight (worst were the ones from people thinking I had a mortal disease) but my colour & face shape improved greatly when I settled into maintenance. Depending on what they said I usually responded with something about feeling so well now I’m in the healthy weight range & thanked them for noticing my hard work. Yep, at times I was a bit b*tchy but only when their comments were really upsetting & intrusive. I still get comments about looking sick from ‘well meaning’ family friends. Unfortunately, I have glaucoma & the drops give you dark bruising shadows around your eyes. (concealer doesn’t really cover it). So I have a legitimate reason to give them in response but it’s still annoying because they tie it to the weight loss.

Killing the sugar craving is hard. My mother is crazy for sweet. As a child she risked being bitten by a snake to grab a bag of lollies her mother had hidden on top of an old cabinet. That’s an addiction.? Some people can’t tolerate sugar after surgery and dump. I can, but have killed most of my desire for it & now find lots of things too sweet. I went pretty cold turkey. Ate food I made myself. No treats. No snacks. No dessert foods. That worked for me but I didn’t have really strong cravings - just missed specific treats. I looked for naturally sweet alternatives like fruit (just watch the serving sizes). Or even something with texture or a little salty when the cravings hit. I found freeze dried mangoes at my green grocer - yummy, crunchy & sweetish. Blue berries are fantastic. Melons are great too plus their high water content is a bonus. Now I also make a plain chia pudding & add vanilla extract which makes it a little sweeter. Read labels carefully. Watch the ones with no added or low sugar as they likely use artificial sweeteners instead & they still feed your craving. Good luck.

I’m a pro scale person. I still weigh myself almost if not every day & record my weight most times. I found it kept me & does keep me motivated. But in saying that, it’s not always about the number on the scale. You have to know when to leave it for a couple of days or when to ignore the number (like when stalling, constipated or natural body fluctuations). If you’re someone who won’t be able to leave it or will get anxious about fluctuations, scales may not be for you during the weight loss phase.

The weight loss period is perfect for changing old food habits, trying new things & looking for better, healthier options. There are lots of unprocessed lean meat, & seafood or plant-based protein options available you could try. That saying, I lost the taste for a lot of things in the first four or so months but I found I could eat thin pork sausages which I bought from my local butcher who’s very good. He makes them using real meat & little else. Mass produced sausages tend to be made from the fatty off cuts, gristle, lots of meal, preservatives, artificial flavours, nitrates, etc. I’d eat 1/2 sausage as one of my lunch options maybe twice a week. Cooked a couple of sausages at a time in dry in a non stick pan, cut them in half & froze the individual portions. Easy. My dietician was okay with me including them in my diet because they were freshly made by a butcher. See what your nutritionalist says.

I think the requirement to be taken home by/with a family member/friend is to ensure if you do become unwell on the drive home, your family or friend are better placed to make decisions about your health & can offer assistance if required. They will also get you settled back into your home. It is a lot to expect a stranger to make decisions about your state of health & needs. Many taxi/Uber drivers would be reluctant to touch you if you are sick or collapse especially if you are female. And they’re probably even more reluctant in the age of covid.

Eating out can be challenging. I always check the menu before I go so I can work out what I can eat. If there’s nothing suitable I’ll go elsewhere. I only order an entree (American appetiser) & usually choose seafood. Managing wait staff who are concerned about you not eating the whole meal can be difficult especially if you are wanting to be under the radar. If I’m with people who don’t know about my surgery, I’ll speak with wait staff away from the table - saying I’m on a medically restricted diet works well. Also watch the drinking before your meal - so easy to slip into the pre dinner drink habit & then you struggle to eat. Yesterday I had lunch with an old friend. Couldn’t check the menu online but I’d been to the restaurant many times so thought I’d be fine. But because of covid they were doing a limited menu. There was only one dish I could eat - a $40 main course fish dish. I ate about 2/3 of the piece of fish & an asparagus spear. It was delicious but such a waste of food & a lot to pay for the small amount I ate. Sigh.

I feel like I’m the odd one out here. After surgery I was taking: 1 Nexium (20mg) 1 HRT 2 Bioceuticals women’s multivitamins (one in the AM & one in the PM) 1 Bioceuticals Vit D3 Briefly took a low blood pressure med - didn’t help. Now all I take is 1 Nexium in the AM & my HRT in the PM. I have Meniere’s so have to take Serc when I have vertigo attacks. Also have glaucoma - thank goodness that just means eye drops every night. Been off the multivitamins & D3 for about 8 months. (No more nausea & vomiting - yay!) Blood work is all good. I know I’m very fortunate.

Don’t get me started. Shoes are my kryptonite. Chubrub those Hamilton shoes are so much fun. I love a good short boot for winter - perfect with skirts or pants. Lunch with a college friend yesterday & medical appointment today - wearing my new silver & pewter mules (pewter - Lol bring on the 80s again). Finally found the perfect grey top to go with the skirt. Mission accomplished. Only took three weeks. Hooray!

A friend dropped me off but I was alone until day 4 when I was discharged & another friend who’d had the surgery previously dropped in on her way to a medical appointment at the hospital. I had phone calls but honestly, I slept most of the time. I even found it hard to read or watch something - couldn’t concentrate. I wasn’t allowed to have my phone with me in the surgical waiting room but they had lots of mags to read. They probably wouldn’t now in our covid world but I’d take a trashy one with you that you wouldn’t mind losing. Good luck with your surgery.

When I was losing, I had the odd glass. I think the first was a gin at my cousin’s 40th at about 2 months but then I didn’t have another for months. It truely took me hours to drink the low ball & no effect. Alcohol just doesn’t interest me as much & I had at least one big glass every night before I had surgery. I find a lot of alcohol too sweet now even some red wines. I’ll have a glass of something if socialising now (but who does that much anymore) but it’s not uncommon for me not to finish it. Honestly I do consider if it’s worth the calories & it’s usually not. The concern about alcohol is the addiction swapping: swapping a food addiction, which can’t be easily satisfied after surgery, for an alcohol addiction. My dietician told me Esomeprazole medication does reduce the effects of alcohol (not the amount of alcohol in your blood steam). I’ve never seen reports of this but she was a pharmaceutical rep previously so ... shrug. I’m certainly not advocating its use for this if it’s true but it could also explain some of why you didn’t have any ill effects after if you are taking it.

Welcome newcomers. Looking forward to many pxts of your lots. Popped out to buy a gift for my nephew who’s turning 3 soon. (He’s my favourite nephew as he’s the only one shorter than me - not that difficult. The other two are 6’4”+.) Decided to wear a faux leather top I picked up in winter & never got round to wearing. Perfect for this time of year. But my shoes are a little big on me now - sigh!

Unfortunately they didn’t work for me. Waaah! Just remember one prune is one plum. So consider how many plums you’d eat & make sure you include them in your food log.

Your skin is like an elastic band. It can stretch & contract until it gets to a point it can’t contract any more. How much you weighed before surgery. How long you weighed that much. How much weight you want to lose. How old you are all affect your skin’s elasticity & how much lose skin you will end up with. I was feeling a bit cocky about how little loose skin I had but once I started losing the last 10 kgs & surpassed my goal, it all started to droop. I don’t have a lot compared to others & I’m not contemplating surgery. But you won’t see me waving my arms about or wearing shorty shorts. My little tummy pooch doesn’t show in form fitting clothes. One old hair band used a lot. One new band hardly used. ?

In Aust the min bmi seems to 35. Some surgeons will operate on patients with a slightly lower bmi but they must have severe health complications (high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, etc.). It‘s not common for people to lose so much weight after surgery they attain a bmi in the low end of the healthy range or lower & stay there. Those that do drop to a bmi of 18 or 19 more often or not gain some again after because it’s difficult to maintain long term. Life kicks in, your hunger increases & metabolism slows again. The average weight loss after surgery is about 65% of the weight you need to lose to put you in the upper end of the healthy range after 5yrs. There are a couple of people on this forum who struggle to maintain & have a low bmi. I’m sort of one of those people. If I miss a meal or a snack I can drop weight. Do it a couple of times in a week & the drop sticks. Consequently, I’m very routine in my diet of when & what I eat - sometimes I feel like I eat all day which is challenging when I’m often not hungry. (Honestly, my GP & surgeon would like me to put on a couple of kilograms but I’ve dropped a kilo in the last 2 - 3 months so I’m a bit nervous to go back next month.) What is your goal weight? As with all things in life if you put in the hard work & are committed to your plan (very careful with your diet & very active) you can attain your goals & maintain it. However balance is key. You have to be able to live the life you want at a weight you are happy with. I hope I don’t sound negative. Your concern is legitimate. I suggest you speak with your surgeon & nutritionalist about your worries. Good luck.

Congrats on your surgery. Sometimes it’s not about the number on the scales but about changes in the fit of your clothes, on the tape measure or with your health. You’ve just had surgery, your body is still in shock & may be holding on to surgical fluids. Give your body time to catch up with the changes. (I think this is why we have stalls - our body saying let me stop for a moment & catch up with what you’re doing to me.) Stay away from the scales for a few days. You will start to lose & then you’ll see those numbers on the scales decrease. Good luck.

Welcome to our 23 day of Spring. (My double hippaestras in bloom.) A glorious 30 degrees in Brisbane today. I’ve had bare arms & naked legs for a couple of weeks now (after I undertook a major deforestation of my winter hairy legs ?).

Go for a stool softener - much more gentle on your system. Remember, you’re not eating very much so your body doesn’t have as much waste to get rid of each day. If I hadn’t/haven’t been for two/three days I take a softener, like coloxyl, that night. Add some soluble fibre like benefibre to your diet (avoid the ones that swell in you tummy), keep your fluids up. And relax. Don’t force your self. The stress will bind you up more. Stick to a routine. Take a magazine, a device or a book in with you & let nature & gravity do their thing. Don’t let your body get used to depending on bowel stimulants to make you go. You will poop again ?