Arabesque

I agree with the others. Your rate of loss is fine. I also agree with the concerns about your eating during this losing period. It seems more like how you may chose to eat when you are in maintenance. When we choose how much & how often we have foods like pizza, chips, sweetened drinks, etc. When we decide what foods we’ll to add back into our new way of eating or ones we’ll avoid. When we look at alternative ingredients, or different cooking methods. I also worry about you changing your way of eating so often, going from one extreme to another. (Not including Ramadan in this.) Are you sure you’re meeting your fluid & protein goals? Are you sure you’re getting in a range of nutrients from nutrient dense foods? This is so important when we are only able to eat smaller portions. We all say & are told to stick to our plans for a reason. You mentioned you had a difficult relationship with food/bad eating habits & these current behaviours do seem a continuation of this. Do you still see your dietician? Your therapist? If not, at the very least I’d seek a reference from your surgeon/team to a therapist who specialises in disordered eating. Many find therapy very helpful in changing these behaviours & their relationship with food & identifying strategies to mange them. All the best. PS - Don’t believe the calorie burn on your Apple Watch. It’s known to be inaccurate & tends to inflate the stats. It only uses your height, weight & age & not your individual metabolic rate, your optimal heart rate, the amount of energy you are putting into the activity, etc. Use it as a guide/approximation only.

Be warned what you may enjoy before surgery may be disgusting after. We experience a change in our tastebuds & sometimes sense of smell. There can even be an aversion to certain textures. It can persist for a couple of months. I found things became ridiculously sweet or salty. The shakes were crazy sweet & seemed very grainy. I tried a flavourless pea protein but all I could taste was peas (& I love peas but then blah!) Many struggle with purées because of the texture. Best advice is to get in a variety of brands & flavours of shakes others recommend here & also some bone broths & cream soups. All the best with your surgery.

It’s almost like they’ve conveniently forgotten you’ve lost your pre surgical weight & are just telling you to lose more as per their set playbook. I also love how they’re telling you to lose weight but aren’t supporting & guiding you in how to do it. Where’s their pre surgical diet? Where’s the referral to a dietician?? Like @NickelChip, I would suggest the three shake a day pre surgical diet many are given. Or do two shakes & one meal of 3 or 4 ozs protein & 1/2 cup steamed vegetables or undressed salad. All the best.

I wasn’t focussed on inches so didn’t take measurements either. Was just weight & also clothing size focussed. My goal weight was partly based on being a weight that meant I could wear Australian size 10/12 (US 6/8). Ended up at Aust size 4/6 (US 0/2). I generally find size guides using body measurements when buying clothes online completely useless. According to one guide I’m an Aust size 8 or 10 in their clothes but I actually buy their size 4 or 6 in store. And they’re not the only one. I found understanding how my body looked after I lost most of my weight difficult at first too. Body dysmorphia with a side of disbelief. Photos didn’t seem accurate and mirrors can distort. So crazy as it seems I used to google celebrity weight & height data so I would have an idea of what I might look like.

I don’t tell a lot of people either. Just stick to the facts like many others: saw a dietician, did a lot of research, changed the way I ate & had my doctor’s support. If they ask what diet (still get asked occasionally) I say keto to kick start (was my pre surgery diet so true too) but then no diet just made changes that are good for me. I don’t tell them I exercised because I didn’t & anyone who knows me would know I was lying if I said I did. LOL! I agree with @GreenTealael. The quick turn about to redirect them to themselves or a new topic is a good tactic:

I recommend Dr Matthew Weiner (pound of cure) as an excellent source of all information bariatric. He has videos, podcasts, website, instagram & books. He’s been doing a few podcasts on GLP-1 meds lately you may find interesting. Dr John Pilcher is also a great source of straight forward factual information. John Pilcher: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCA4do-4YA82-BMYBp-WRwVA Matthew Weiner: https://www.poundofcureweightloss.com/ (podcasts can be found via menu) https://m.youtube.com/user/DrMatthewWeiner/videos

@BlondePatriotInCDA reminded me I’d found this a while ago to help identify possible causes of pain per quadrant. Some may find it helpful.

I doubt it would be gas too. Have they ruled out gall stones, appendicitis, pancreatitis, ulcers, etc .? Did the CT scans check your liver, kidneys, spleen? Hope they can find an answer for you soon. And they have given you something to help with the pain.

@Spinoza is correct. It is easy to do because you can’t tell you’ve had enough yet. Besides the staples & sutures holding your tummy & digestive system together, a lot of nerves were cut. So signals we used to rely on aren’t working or aren’t working properly yet so those messages just aren’t getting through. It takes a good 8 weeks to be fully healed. So it may not be until you’re into your third month before you start to feel signals again. Oh, and your signals may be different to what they were. And, no you won’t have stretched your tummy or impacted your weight loss by doing this this one time. And you would know if you had damaged your tummy. Just tread carefully & slowly & follow your plan to protect your healing tummy & support your recovery.

I know it’s hard, it’s almost inbuilt, but try to avoid comparing yourself to others. Our weight loss experiences can be so different & comparing only leads to frustration, annoyance & sometimes depression. There will always be those who lose faster or those who lose more slowly than others. There isn’t a time frame in which you must lose your weight. You’ll get there in your time. Weight loss is erratic. Better to watch the general trend not the daily fluctuations. If the general trend is downwards you’re golden. Yay! As I always say: celebrate every pound you lose. P.S, @BlondePatriotInCDA - Ten pounds a month is still averaging about 2lbs a week which is generally accepted as a good rate of weight loss. And you’ve lost 80lbs! Worth being happy about.

You may not feel full or feel full accurately for a while. You have to wait for your tummy & the nerves that were cut to be healed (around 8 weeks). It’s why sticking to the portions you were given vey important at this time & also the eat slowly. It takes at least 20 minutes for the full signal to get through (this is everyone not just us) so if you eat quickly you will have eaten way too much by the time the signal gets through. You may feel some pressure or at worst the foamies if you eat too much now. Later you may develop the runny nose, hiccup, etc. signals. It will be a little while until you feel your restriction which is really the stop, stop, too much warning. I only feel pressure if I’m full or something is sitting too heavily in my tummy. I also ask myself if I need the next bite or just want it because we should stop before we feel full. I also discovered my full signal can be really slow, up to an hour, so I usually take 30-45 mins to eat.

I wouldn’t worry yet but wait until you start to lose your hair. You don’t know how much you will shed. You may not have to do a thing. You usually start to shed around month 4 so your hair wouldn’t have grown much in those 4 months (about 2 inches) and you may not need to do a thing. I had long thick hair & cut it in stages. Cut a few inches off after a month because it was looking a little thin at the ends (well thin for me but not for most). I then went to just above my shoulders the next month when I’d lost some more. I didn’t lose a lot but short hair is always bouncier & looks thicker than long which is why I cut it.

Weight regain happens. You’re not the only one you had or will experience it. We get over confident or complacent & poor choices slip in. We go back to old behaviours of using food (or alcohol) to comfort us or sooth us in times of stress or emotional upsets. It’s why what you need to do is reset your head not your tummy. Remember how we always said doing the head work is a very important aspect of our weight loss & maintenance. A pouch reset won’t reduce the size of your tummy (not that your’s would be stretched) nor do anything to get to the root of your eating & change your behaviours. Stretching your tummy is pretty difficult. It would take a concentrated to eat excessive portions multiple times a day for a prolonged length of time to do it. You’ve made the first two steps already by acknowledging & recognising the what & why behind your regain & by starting to track your food again. Best advice then is to go back to how you were eating (food choices, portion sizes, eating behaviours, meeting protein & fluid goals) when you were nearing your stabilised weight. Would you consider going back to your dietician to help you get back on track? Did you see a therapist when you had your surgery? Maybe get in contact again for the regain & also the drinking. We have to be careful with addiction transfer after surgery. It can be a slippery slope. All the best. You got this.

I’ll contribute too. I love the neckline on this dress though it looks a little scrunched here ?. And so cool in our summer. Wedges are new as well. Been looking for a neutral pair for a while but many are too dark or yellow on my skin. These were a winner. This is my room at my mum’s & my unmade bed. Lazy child kicks in when I’m there ???.

While I do soak my oats overnight, it’s not the traditional ‘overnight oats’ because I still cook it. I start with a microwave safe container. Add 1/4 cup traditional oats (half a serve & not instant which are more highly processed & has additives), 1/2 teaspoon dried cranberries, a tablespoon of mixed seeds & a cup of milk. I microwave it in the morning & then add 1/3 tub 20g protein yoghurt, additional milk for a runnier texture & blueberries. Gives me on average a good 22g or so of protein. You could add some unflavoured protein powder for an extra boost if you want. I eat it hot or cold. I always have a few spoons leftover (it’s very filling) which I eat as an afternoon snack. Be ware: don’t cook it after you add the yoghurt - it curdles - shudder! If you were wanting a quick grab & go breakfast before work, my version takes vey little time. Pop it in the microwave while you’re getting dressed. Stir in yoghurt, additional milk, berries & then go. The overnight recipes I’ve seen use half a grated apple & yoghurt, milk optional the night before & no cooking the next day. I think they use instant oats which is why it doesn’t need to be cooked. Traditional oats are a great complex whole grain carb. You get sweetness from the fruit you add so no added sugar. Great breakfast choice. I ate rolled oats & blue berries 3 or 4 days a week while losing & now eat it every day.

Oh yes, way off the mark. You’re not in maintenance yet. You’re in a weight loss stage if I read your post correctly. You have every right to ask for the details, guidelines recommendations around your food intake & options, macros, calories, & whatever else you need to make you feel comfortable & confident about what you are doing. They are supposed to be there to help you & provide you with the depth of information you need to be successful regardless of current thinking or their own beliefs. It’s then up to you how you use that information - a guide or rule. Plus you have to work out what you (your body) needs to function best & most effectively. While some plans recommend getting your calories up, it seems to begin after you are on more solid food so 2+ months. From puree I was advised to eat 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food, slowly increasing to about a cup at 6 months. I was a bare cup & maybe 900 calories at my goal at 6 months. Ate about 1200 at my lowest weight (48.2kg at 18 months) & maintain 48.5/49kg consuming about 1600 calories. My portions only became about what is considered a recommended portion size around the 2 year + mark (3-4ozs protein & 3/4 cup vegetables). Oh & I didn’t have another shake after the liquid stage either. But that’s me & what worked/s for me. You could be totally different. To me a snack is generally a couple of bites. My snacks can be a level teaspoon of peanut paste, 1/2 a protein bar, 8 grapes, 1/2 a small apple, a stick of string cheese, about 6 macadamias to give you an idea. I used to eat a tub of 20g protein yoghurt over an hour as a snack too. As @catwoman7 said we all have different caloric & nutritional needs. Age, gender, general health, weight, height, metabolism, activity levels, etc. all factor in. And yes, if you want to lose more you will have to eat less than you are eating now & you’d have to eat less to maintain the lower weight than you would to maintain a higher weight.

I’d be making an appointment with your surgeon too. Best to rule out a medical reason for what you’re experiencing. Water can feel heavy & be difficult to drink. Try other fluids (green or herbal teas, sparkling water, home made yoghurt drink, etc.) but I’d avoid the capri suns even the no added sugar ones. Even without added sugar, juice still contain natural sugars. It also doesn’t contain all the nutrients a piece of fruit does. Consider how many oranges you need to produce a 250ml glass of orange juice. Would you eat that same number of whole oranges in one sitting? A piece of fruit is always better than a glass of juice. Generally simple carbs like rice, breads & pastas (includes all noodles) are off the menu while you are trying to lose. They are filling, can sit heavily in your tummy & stop you from being able to eat your vital protein. They also are more heavily processed & contain very few nutrients. In time you’ll e able to add complex carbs - multi & whole grains. Some plans allow a small portion of these while losing. I was allowed rolled oats. Focus on eating your protein first then your vegetables & only after those any complex carbs you may be allowed if you can. Almost 5 years out I still can’t eat bread, pasta, rice because how heavy they are in my tummy. I used to eat a lot of them before my surgery but I really don’t miss them. Yes, some people struggle with certain proteins. Chicken, steak & eggs seem most common but others can just be a no for your tummy too. Most find in time they can eat those proteins again. Do you keep your meats moist so more medium rare than medium or well done? Do you include a sauce or jus or gravy with your meats? Often foods that are too dry or coarse can cause the foamies as well as if you eat too much or too quickly. Out of curiosity do you track your food? Maybe find a dietician vs a nutritionalist & go through your tracked food diary with them to see if you’re missing something. I wondered if you’re not eating enough too or not eating enough nutrient dense foods. But certainly see your surgeon to see what may be going on or consider other options such as surgery, medication, etc. All the best. PS - While exercise has many benefits, it’s only contributes to about 10% of any weight loss you are to lose. I didn’t exercise while losing & still really don’t now. I upped my everyday activity (stairs not lifts let escalators, park further away from where I was going, etc.). About a year ago I started using resistance bands (for a little toning) & doing some stretches (flexibility & for my back) & that’s all I do. Wouldn’t burn 30 calories LOL! There are lots of online videos to guide you through using bands & other activities you can do if you struggle with your mobility.

Va va voom @GreenTealael. ❤️❤️

How fascinating about the tea. Great your levels are finally down again. And how wonderful about your pregnancy - congratulations.

I found routines around my eating really helpful too. Still follow them almost 5 years out but am more flexible now. And I also took a couple of hours to drink my shake. I added additional water to thin it out. This additional water can be added to your fluid goal. Bad news is collagen peptides aren’t considered a complete protein either & can’t be counted towards your protein goal. They don’t contain all the necessary amino acids. To help to slow your eating down, have you tried just dipping your teaspoon into your purée so you’re not eating a full spoonful at each bite? Do you put the spoon down between bites or sit back from the table between bites? I used to play online games or read & only look to take another bite after each game or after reading a couple of pages. I live alone so I don’t have to chat to others while eating. LOL! If you do live with others use table conversations to pace your eating like a change of topic or speaker or wait for the speaker to finish what they’re saying. Actually it’s a great long term strategy I use when socialising. You really focus on their conversation & on who you are with.

The purée/mush foods may be too heavy in your poor tummy & digestive system. Stick to the liquids for a couple of weeks. 2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks purée, 2 weeks soft, 2 weeks solid food is the most common post surgical eating plan but plans differ so check with your team. You’ve had a pretty major surgery & there are lots of staples & sutures holding your digestive system together. Nausea is quite common so ask for an anti nausea prescription or buy an over the counter version. We heal differently but generally it takes a good 8 weeks to fully heal so tread slowly & carefully. I wonder if you have an UTI from the catheter? It’s not unusual to have no other symptoms except a change in peeing habits. Best to see your doctor & have a urine test to be sure. And grab some cranberry tablets too.

Almost 5 years & yes, I do. There are certain foods that simply are too heavy in my tummy. Breads, pasta, rice I’m looking at you. I try a bite of bread every now & again just to see but nope not for me. (Don’t really miss them at all & I used to eat them often). I also have times when something I’m eating unexpectedly sits too heavily. Unexpected because I’ve eaten it before without an issue & I’ll eat it again easily. Though it is nice to know my restriction is still active. And yes I still have bouts of the foamies. I think I’ve a more sensitive tummy & esophagus but I had a sensitive tummy before surgery so nothing really new just a little different. I’ve accepted them & think of these as things that are just quirky to me: makes me more special than I already am - LOL! Doesn’t really restrict or limit me in any way. Can be a little annoying at times of course but easily manageable. And much like @The Greater Fool, some days I eat all of my meal & another I may not. Doesn’t matter. I love left overs. They mean I may only be reheating my dinner tonight not cooking from scratch. I’ll be snacking on my left over rolled oats breakfast later this afternoon. I also focus on protein & vegetables too & honestly after that I couldn’t eat anything else. Oh yes, also female, though late 50s, 5’3” & not active,& have maintained (apart from a 2kg medication glitch 2.5yrs ago but I lost that when we sorted it). Congratulations on maintaining too. Who hoo!

Thank you for sharing @n3turner3 your experiences & perspectives on the weight loss & maintenance adventure - excellent advice. How wonderful too you have such a supportive spouse & family who have been by your side through out - it can make such a difference Congratulations on your weight loss & achievements. All the best with the ‘unlimited possibilities’ in your future.

Yes! I used to make my chocolate shake on warm/hot water & imagined it was hot chocolate (without marshmallows). You need a hell of a lot of imagination though - LOL,

This isn’t uncommon. Our tastebuds & sometimes sense of smell changes after surgery while we’re healing & our tummy is very sensitive. It is temporary usually about two months which is about how long it takes you to fully heal from the surgery. Unfortunately though it can make finding foods & drinks we can tolerate challenging. You may find something you easily ate yesterday you can’t face today. Don’t give up on that food. Just avoid it for a few days & then try it again. Some foods seem extra sweet or salty. Textures can be off putting too. Sometimes a food or flavour you didn’t enjoy before tastes delicious during this time. Add to that our loss of appetite &/or interest in eating & it can feel like a nightmare & you’ll never be able to eat again. In a few weeks you’ll find you are enjoying flavours, textures & foods more. If you’re lucky your loss of hunger & interest in eating will last a 6-12 months +/- which helps with your weight loss but they too will pass. Actually after they return you often wish they hadn’t & you still weren’t hungry. I embraced things tasting exceedingly sweet at this time. I gave up sweet foods - never reintroduced them. So no cakes, biscuits, desserts, lollies, flavoured carbonated drinks, etc. except on very odd special occasion. Very little added sugar (<5g a day) & avoid artificial sweeteners or sugar alternatives where I can. I ate a lot of soup, yoghurt & extra milky scrambled eggs & extra milky instant rolled oats during purée. During soft foods I ate a lot of minced meat dishes (meat balls, savoury mince bolognese, …) with sauces & slow cooked stews/casseroles. Give your self time to heal & recover & your tummy to be less fussy & sensitive. I used to say my tummy was like a petulant temper throwing 2 year old during that time.