Arabesque

I did. Perimenopause & then menopause saw me gain 30kgs (15kg above my usual high weight of my fluctuation range). Tired to lose it for about 4 years but couldn't. No co morbidities. Was almost 54 & on HRT when I had my surgery. Reached goal at 6 months (a 23 BMI & my usual low weight of my range) & then lost another 11kgs over the next 11/12 months. So I lost about 135% of the weight I was hoping to lose. Haven’t weighed this since I was about 12 years old. And I have pretty much maintained my weight at almost 5 years post surgery. My rate of weight loss seemed pretty average. Didn’t exercise (don’t like it). Was a low calorie eater in comparison to many others. My hunger didn’t return for about 12 months. All my menopause symptoms disappeared while losing (still had some breakthrough symptoms though on HRT). Thank you that oestrogen hormonal flush that occurs while losing. They came back after I lost most of my weight though. Sigh! Almost 59 now, still menopausal, still on HRT. No real issues with the surgery or after. My tendency to have low blood pressure drops occasionally before occurs every day now. Had my gall bladder out at the two years mark which left me with a protein malabsorption issue. Blood work otherwise always good. Haven’t taken vitamins since 8 months out (except Vit D in winter). Have reflux but had it before surgery too just mild then. Tummy can be a little sensitive but it was before surgery too. I have episodes of the foamies but I think my oesophagus is more sensitive too. So really just some quirks that are special to me. LOL!

My hunger or interest in eating didn’t really return for around a year. I found eating to a routine very helpful. In fact I still eat this way. I started doing it to establish good/better eating behaviours (been a meal skipper for most of my life in an attempt to control my weight) & also to ensure I was getting in calories & necessary nutrients. Not a food tracker either. Wasn't required to in my program. I do random checks for my own curiosity, to ensure I wasn’t slipping or getting complacent & to check new foods/ingredients or recipes. I more often checked portions. I know my calorie intake was low compared to others (barely 900 at 6 months & my goal) but at least I was eating regularly & nutritiously. I still have times I don’t feel hungry. Usually just a day or two but went through a period of a couple of months recently which saw me reduce my intake a little. Went from 4 meals & 3 or 4 snacks to 3 meals & same snacks. On the days or times I didn’t feel as hungry I chose something lighter to eat like yoghurt, soup or just ate some protein & didn’t care if I didn’t eat all my portion. Oh & I still take 30-45 minutes to eat most meals - used to take up to an hour. I’m also a meal repeater. I have favourites & there’s nothing wrong with that. Know how much I can have as a portion & the protein content. I used to eat scrambled eggs or rolled oats for breakfast. Now I just eat rolled oats. Similarity at lunch - 3 or 4 options I rotated through currently two options. Dinner is repeats too mostly because of left overs. I still cook much as I did before ?. Eat that meal for 2 or 3 days & freeze the remaining portions for those nights I don’t feel like cooking (love my freezer & microwave - little reheat & sometimes cook vegetables - 5 mins total). I usually cook pretty simply too: protein & vegetables so I can easily check what I’m eating & getting nutritionally. I never had those signals many speak of regarding fullness. No sneezing, no runny nose, etc. Just my restriction if I went too far or if something sat more heavily than expected. It’s why I started asking myself if I really needed the next bite or just wanted it. It’s not unusual for me to put food on my fork & then put it down again to maybe eat a couple of minutes later. I remember the first time I felt hungry after surgery. I was about 7 months, had a busy day & then went to a function. Hadn’t eaten much & there’s was nothing suitable at the event. Was home & in bed when I realised I was vey restless. Something was wrong but didn’t know what. It took some time to realise I was hungry. I realised this was my real hunger signal. Didn’t want a specific food, flavour or texture. There was a logical reason I was hungry - I hadn’t really eaten for most of the day. Took another 3 months before I felt it again. One of the things I’ve learnt along the way is you have to do what works best for you. Because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Whether that is tracking or not tracking your food, how many meals or snacks you have, how much activity you do, what foods you choose to eat, eat occasionally, or generally avoid, etc. Use other people’s experiences & routines as suggestions of things you could try if you’re stuck but if they’re wrong for you, try something else. So after a long way of getting to it, my two suggestions based on my experiences if you want to try them, are: Track your calorie intake & nutrients for a few days just to ensure you’re on track & not missing anything. Then only check new foods you introduce &/or do random checks. Try eating to a routine. Doesn’t have to be a full meal but at least something that is nutritionally dense & protein focused. Oh, yes stalls happen. Mine were short. A few days only. I tracked my weight daily which is how I saw when they occured.

Congratulations @LindsayT. This is wonderful. Looking super hot too.

So this could be your body’s set point. The weight your body is happiest at & will continue to gravitate to this weight despite your efforts to lose more. Remember if you reduce your calories & increase your activity to lose more weight, you will have to continue to eat fewer calories & be more active than you are now to maintain the lower weight. And this isn’t sustainable as you’re already experiencing & your body will fight you the whole time. This becomes a head issue. You’ve lost about 100lbs. That’s an achievement. Plus you’ve built muscle which weighs more than fat too. Look back on how you were before there surgery - general health & status of your cop morbidities, mobility, ability to do the things you wanted to, self confidence, etc. What have you gained or regained with this weight loss. Don’t fear your appointment. Take in your tracked food intake (there could be something you’re missing) & your activity. Ask what else you can do. Ask if this is it for you? Ask what else you can do. Maybe raise whether the GLP-1medications would be of benefit. Do you see a dietician? Because of your intense weight training, you may need to be consuming more & by reducing your calories you have put your body into starvation mode. Even with all this, don’t give up yet. Many of us continued to lose well into our second year albeit very slowly like grams not kilograms a week or month (ounces not pounds). All the best.

I have a protein malabsorption issue too (mine began after my gall was removed). I was prescribed Creons. They’re pancreatic enzymes which help with absorption. Maybe ask her doctor about those. Does she have a dietician? (Way more qualified than a nutritionalist.) They could help review your mum’s diet & make suggestions on what she could be adding or pick up if she is missing something. They may be able to offer suggestions on the vitamins she is taking too (quality, quantity, other brand suggestions, etc.) Does she track all her food? If not maybe do it for a few weeks so she has it for the dietician to review. Tracking may be a lifetime behaviour so she can keep on top of the nutrients she is consuming & ensure she’s not accidentally missing something. Many continue to track in the long term to keep themselves honest & help them maintain. Wishing your mother all the best & hope you get some advice & guidance on a definitive path forward.

I’d probably head to your nearest medical centre/hospital ER just to be sure everything’s okay. Were you given pain meds (opioids) to take at home? They pump you full of fluids after the surgery so you would expect to be peeling at the least as usual if not more. Maybe something was irritated when they inserted or removed the catheter?? All the best.

It’s not easy at first for many of us but as long as you’re making an effort & aren’t too far off your goal you’ll be okay. Yes, to just sipping all day. Yes, to trying different temperatures of liquids. And try sipping at night. I still do this. Every time I get in or out of bed (usually to pee cause you know drinking a lot ?) I drink. If I’m reading in bed, I’ll regularly sip too - every few pages. I also found it easier to drink from a glass versus a sippy cup, straw, water bottle. And I drank more frequently too. Not sure why. And don’t forget during your liquids stage you can count your shakes & broths/soups towards your liquid total as well.

Oh yes the hunger returns. It was around a year for me too. Think you’ll find developing a better eating routine helpful with more complete meals. Ensure you’re including some vegetables or other food group with every meal. Will help ensure you’re meeting all your nutritional goals too. Maybe find a dietician to help with meal planning & menu ideas. They’re way more qualified than a nutritionalist. I know it’s easy to grab a few nuts & jerky for a meal but each are really just snacks. And I’ll put my hand up, I was guilty of grabbing a chicken tender I’d pre cooked from the freezer & reheating it for lunch while I was losing. It’s likely why you feeling hungry after you’ve eaten. Differentiating between head & real hunger is an important learning. Are you craving a specific food, flavour or texture? That’s head hunger. If you’ve eaten recently it’s head hunger. If you do something to distract yourself (go for a walk, water your plants, read, phone a friend, craft, check social media) & the hunger decreases it as head hunger. If you have a warm drink (like tea) & the hunger decreases again it’s head hunger. If your tummy is rumbling (hunger pangs) that’s usually head hunger too. Real hunger feels vey different to me. I feel restless like something is wrong. Don’t crave or want anything specifically. Takes a while to realise I’m hungry. And there is always a logical reason why I am hungry. I reached my goal at 6 months but lost another 11kgs in the next 11/12 months. The weight loss got slower & slower until I was losing grams a week. So don’t give up yet.

I told very few people. My response was I was seeing a dietician (true), did a lot of research (true), my GP was supporting me, I wasn’t on a known diet as such but was working out a way of eating that worked for me (also true).

Try some different protein sources. Like 3ozs tilapia is 22g of protein. 3oz beef fillet, lamb, or chicken thigh is 20g. Pork loin will give you 23g. Chicken breast provides 26g. All of these require you to cook the meats yourself not processed or pre made. Your can of chicken breast may weigh 3ozs but there are other ingredients as well as the chicken in the tin. Then purée or finely dice, shred for whatever stage you’re at. It’s not easy to get all your protein in at first but it does get easier. As long as you’re making an effort & are close you’ll be okay. I never had another shake after the liquid stage. Was never my personal plan to rely on them. Plus they were disgusting!

If you take away the time you had a feeding tube, you’re probably more at about the four month mark compared to the rest of us. I think I was eating about 600 calories then so a little more. I was a low calorie small eater too. Didn’t stop e losing all my weight & more. So don’t give up. (So sorry you had these struggles.) and I would expect that is also why your doctor is okay with your lower food intake at this time & your eating routine. While yes it is important for you to be slowly increasing your caloric intake & increasing your portion size as you progress, I would expect t your path will be even slower. Out of curiosity what are you eating? Maybe there are some foods that are less dense & with higher calories you could be consuming. Do you regularly see a dietician to guide you on food choices with your specific needs? May be you could reduce some of your activity to take some stress off your body. Exercise only contributes to about 10% of your weight loss. I didn’t exercise as such. Just upped my daily every day activities. Parked further away from where I was going. Walked up escalators. Took stairs. Did single trips up & down my stairs instead of carrying multiple bags or whatever at once. Get some resistance bands. You don’t have to do a lot to see a change in muscle toning & building which ultimately will help you burn more fat. I’ve been doing about 4 x 5 minutes or so sessions across my day for about a year. Doesn’t burn a lot of calories. I say I wouldn’t burn 40 calories a day but my arms look great & I get complements & I had to buy new pants as my thigh muscles had grown. All the best. And yes, the stall will break when your body is ready.

I wasn’t allowed coffee pre or post either. Didn’t bother me as I stopped drinking it years before. Thankfully I was allowed my green tea which I’ve drunk for 20+ yrs & herbal teas. Was told the caffeine is too harsh on your smaller tummy especially while it is healing & so sensitive. But as with most things, follow the plan you’ve been given. If you are to give it up after surgery for a period of time, I’d give it up before as the withdrawal can be wicked.

The hormonal oestrogen flush was great for me. I was menopausal & my symptoms disappeared. Yay! They came back though once I lost the bulk of my weight. Sigh! But yes, heavier/lighter, more/less frequent cycles, more or fewer PMT symptoms & yes increased fertility are common. It’s actually often suggested that you double up on contraceptives for a while.

So loverly of you to do this @BigSue. Great advice. I did the colour thing back in the 80s when it first gained popularity. I am a winter & still wear predominately black. LOL! It makes it easier to put a practical & workable wardrobe together - things match (tops, bottoms, shoes, scarves, bags) & can be swapped about to switch up an outfit because of knowing the colours that work best on me also complement each other. It’s interesting how our personal style changes too. Pre surgery I wore a lot of architectural avant garde type clothing. Can’t now cause even though my height hasn’t changed (? still short) I don’t have the body to support the clothing anymore. I feel like I’m drowning in fabric & being overwhelmed. As someone who constantly gained & lost weight, the fear of getting something out to wear & discovering it wouldn’t fit was real & occured every day. Now it doesn’t even enter my mind. Bonus of actually maintaining my weight for more than a week for the first time ever.

2 weeks, 1 month, three months & has been every 6 months for the last 2 years. The next appointment I have to make will be around my 5 year anniversary in May. Don’t know how long this will continue but it’s reassuring that they’re keeping an eye on me & are there if I need them. I actually look for ward to the appointment as I get on well with the doctor who does these appointments & we always have a good chat as well as the follow up.

I wondered fluid retention too. And I hadn’t heard of hyper hydration either. I do know drinking too much fluid can flush vital enzymes & nutrients from your body which can cause many side effects. Were you told 64ozs/2L of fluids per day? This is the recommended intake for everybody. I do average about 2L every day & pee continuously so I must be well hydrated. Personally I’ve often thought it’s a little too much for me. I’m not tall, not active & on the smaller size. How can I need the same amount of fluid as say a 6’ tall man with a BMI of 30+??? I mean I can’t give blood because I weigh less than 50kg - simply because there’s less in my body. My pee is generally lighter (which is accepted as a sign you’re well hydrated) on the odd day I drink less (1.2 - 1.5L). Hence me wondering more that 2L is too much for me & I’m flushing out nutrients & enzymes. Got me worried now. Will be interested to hear what you're told at your appointment next week.

Apparently they called the first week of the pre surgery shake diet hell week at my surgeon’s office. There’s a lot of withdrawal symptoms associated with it (sugar, carbs, caffeine). Your cravings go crazy - you always want more the things you can’t have. Your emotions are all over the place which often makes you want to comfort yourself with food. On & on. Round & round. I was vey relieved I was placed on keto for the pre surgery diet. I had done the shake diet before. Two shakes & one small portion meal of steamed vegetables & plain cooked protein. Did it for 8 weeks & then again for 6 weeks a couple of years later as another diet I was trying. It ain’t easy even with one meal. Check with your dietician regarding swapping out a shake for a broth/soup. Some companies do offer them as well as shakes but they’re still going to be low calorie & go through you quickly being liquids. You’ve got this. You can do it.

Snoring & sleep apnoea affects many organs in your body. You are not breathing properly & often stop breathing while asleep. Your blood oxygen levels are often decreased. It strains & causes damage to your heart. Can damage your kidneys. Affects brain function, concentration. You become easily fatigued. Increases your risk of strokes. At your height & weight you are almost at a BMI that is considered morbidly obese. I know in your other post you said snoring was your only health issue but the likelihood of other comorbidities (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, mobility issues, cardiac issues, etc.) developing soon is very high. I’m sure you’ve been told weight loss will benefit your overall health which to me is the most important benefit. We can become so used to & accepting of the limitations put on us physically, mentally, emotionally & on our life in general because of our weight it often is not fully realised until we lose the weight. Whether you do it via surgery, medication, dieting is your choice. But you have to want to do it & be ready to do the work associated with what ever you choose to do.

For life? Not true at all. Stage two of the post op return to eating is purée. It usually is weeks 3 & 4 so two weeks only in the first month. The staged return to eating (usually a two week cycle of liquids, purée, soft then solid foods) is to protect & support your healing tummy. It takes about 8 weeks to fully heal. Some surgeons recommend chewing well before swallowing to help during this time too to ensure nothing too coarse or fibrous is swallowed that could impact your healing. It also makes you stop & think about your eating. I wasn’t told to do that. A couple of weeks on the solid food stage (probably early start of month 3) I was eating chicken thighs, steak, lamb chops, pork loin, etc. Yes we are advised to eat slowly. It takes a good 20 odd minutes for the message to get through that you’re full. If you eat quickly you’ll easily eat too much & be over full. It’s about being mindful when eating too. Putting your cutlery down between bites & really thinking about if you need the next bite yet or just want it is a good habit to get into. It’s actually a good practice for everyone not just bariatric patients. So many people just shovel in spoonful after spoonful of food in their mouths & before they know it they’ve eaten copious amounts of food & are groaning & uncomfortable because they are overfull. Something to be aware of is eating too much, too fast or food that is too coarse or fibrous can result in the foamies. Thick foamy saliva rises to protect your oesophagus & to help you bring up the excess food or food that is causing a blockage. I still have the foamies at times. I think my oesophagus is more sensitive. Char grilled meats & vegetables & sometimes fibrous vegetables can cause me grief. But I feel fine once I’ve bought up the offending thing, I feel fine. Last time I had an episode it was because I hadn’t trimmed my sugar snap peas well & there was string left dangling & it irritated me. Most people rarely experience it & not in the long term. There’s lots of misinformation & scary horror stories online many not based on any truth or vey little or posted to drive likes (the scarier the story the more clicks). Go to reputable medical sites & forums like this one. Generally a good idea to avoid social media too. Highly recommend the you tube videos of Dr Matt Weiner (A pound of Cure) & Dr John Pilcher. Straight forward, practical information, clearly explained.

Didn’t have one but I understood if you are to experience one it usually occurs in the first few days. While you need to seek help as soon as possible if you suspect a leak, they are usually repaired fairly easily via an endoscopy. You’ll likely be on antibiotics after to ensure any infection is cleared. I have three friends who’ve had sleeve surgery too & none of them at one either. They’re pretty rare I think like 1%. And even rarer if you have one in the years post surgery. Leaks occur because of a suture/staple failure, tissue decomposition, patient health prior to surgery affecting healing like a history of smoking or high blood pressure, food choices (not following your plan), excessive activity to strain & cause trauma to the area.

lol! I did the reverse the larger I got in the before time: moved my rings down my hand to the smaller fingers so I could still wear them. ?

Nerves & feeling anxious before surgery isn’t unusual. You are doing something that requires many changes to you physically, psychologically & emotionally. And you don’t have any experience with any of it. I didn’t have any co morbidities at all before my surgery but I knew they would be in my future simply because I was obese. Being generally in good health bedside surgery puts you in a stronger place for your surgery & recovery so a plus. The very small portions are only in the beginning during the staged return to eating. As you progress you are able to eat more until you are eating what is a recommended & appropriate serving size. Not those large servings that are two, three or more times we been acclimatised to think of as normal but the portion size we should be eating. Doesn’t mean you won’t ever eat your favourite foods ever again either. In time you work out how much you can eat of that food & how often. Or you may make changes to the ingredients or the cooking method to make it a healthier & more nutritious choice. We talk about having to do the head work while we are losing. This is the most important step. Working out the why, what, when you eat & changing your relationship with food. Reflecting on what drives you to eat & the food choices you make so you can mange those cravings & work out a way of eating for the future that is sustainable, doesn’t restrict or limit you & allows you to enjoy your life as you want. This is the difference between the surgery and every other diet I’ve been on (& I was almost 54 when I had the surgery & had been on a lot of diets). I’ve never been able to lose weight & maintain it for any length of time like I have after the surgery. Yes, I work on it every day but it doesn’t mean I don’t or can’t enjoy my life or miss out on anything. A lot of it is routine & I look at it as not being on a continuous diet (so many negative connotations) but this is just my way of eating. Like how people who have food allergies or may be vegan or vegetarian eat & the food choices they make. Ensure you have access to a supportive therapist you can call on if needed & a helpful dietician who listens. This isn’t something you can really do completely on your own. Best decision I ever made. All the best whatever you choose to do.

Oh, I’m sorry @LindsayT. Is yours one of the genetic porphyrias? They say it’s one of those disease/syndromes that many have but don’t know. At least you do now know what’s been behind your symptoms all these years, as unpleasant as it is. Hope the treatments they’re offering help ease your symptoms. Do they think stem cells may help? I first heard about it watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer lol! It’s known as the vampire’s disease & from where they believe the myth of vampires began.

You’ve just had pretty major surgery, your body is in recovery mode, stressed & you’re not eating much, so yes your labs will be a little screwy for a while. You want to be in Ketosis to burn fat so this is a good thing. High B12 could be you don’t need as many supplements. Like do you take additional B12 as well as your multis? Increased bilirubin levels are also common with weight loss. Ketosis & weight loss is hard on your liver (all the fat it’s trying to process out of your body). It will settle eventually. Probably better to discuss these results with your surgeon & their team though as they are more knowledgeable about what to expect after surgery while you are losing. In saying that, my GP used to run labs between my surgeon’s requirements (so I was getting them done every month or two). She was tracking & monitoring only so if anything unusual popped up we could be proactive. And they were sent to my surgeon & his colleague as well so they saw the results too. Bonus was my GP was a medical school friend of my surgeon’s colleague.

Stick to your plan. Don’t stress your body more by making more changes. Stalls are when your body takes stock of your current needs & readjusts things like digestive hormones, etc. The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. Also, your weight loss slows so much as you near your final weight (set point) it almost does feel like stalling. Consequently shifting the last pounds can be a b**ch. it’s because you’re eating much to what you’ll need to eat to maintain. Oh, & if you do cut your calories &/or increase your activity to lose more you’ll always have to eat less than you are now & do more to maintain the lower weight. Don’t give up yet though. You can keep losing vey slowly for months. I lost another 10kg over 12 months after reaching my goal.