Rainbow_Warrior

A few people think I'm exercising too vigorously and losing MASS too fast. 9kg (20 pounds) in the last five weeks scares a few people. They are pleased by both weight-loss and exercise but worry that I am losing dangerously quickly.

Breakfast: 110grams of oily baked salmon. Lunch: I managed, in an hour and a quarter to eat 40grams chicken breast, 40grams lean pork, 55grams of lean ham, a small cube of pumpkin (45grams) and a dessertspoon of peas (about 30grams). No gravy, no dessert, no beer or wine. Very restrained. Dinner?: It's 6:35pm now and I am having a 170gram tub of high-protein kiwifruit yoghurt. Snacks: Two 600mL bottles of diet-rite low-calorie cordial. A McCafe medium skim flat white espresso. A successful xmas day. My best in 40+ years!

You are progressing well. Congratulations. I'm at ten weeks post op myself. Met surgeon July 17 ... just over five months ago. Was 174.6kg (385 pounds) Operation on Thursday 12th October ... ten weeks back. Was 160.4kg (353 pounds) Today, xmas day, my morning weigh in reads: 145.1kg (319.9 pounds) Lost 29.5kg (60 pounds) ... BMI down from 56.4 to 46.7.

Cindy, Watch the trend. A few ounces per week is okay as long as the general trend is down. Watch ALSO for the non-scale victories. e.g. I lost only 400g (13.5 ounces) this week (Week 10) but, THANKS TO TWO HOURS EXERCISE PER DAY, my waist fell from 142cm to 138cm. (56 inches to 54 inches.) I also had to move my car seat another notch closer to the steering wheel. My body fat dropped 1.3%. Non-scale victories (NSVs) are the positive changes that do NOT show on the scales. WELCOME THEM!

I had lovely neat, well-sewn (well-sutured) incisions. These closed and sealed beautifully after nine to ten days. The stitching thread fell away between 12 and 14 days. I rubbed the incisions with a little extra virgin olive oil most days. ZERO itching. A residue of red/purple skin colour at all six incision sites.

My wife purchased a 250mL size glass of white moscato for me at our anniversary dinner on Saturday night. It arrived at the table at 8:05pm. I had a few sips. 8:20pm: I ate six natural oysters. 8:40pm: More small sips of moscato. 8:55pm: Seafood bisque placed before me. (This took nearly 25 minutes to 'process'.) 9:30pm: Resumed sipping moscato. 9:55pm: Left restaurant. (A medium-large glass of wine used to take me 8-15 minutes to consume. I used to drink with my food, NOT in defined spaces/gaps between food.)

I must have raced by that detail. Mea culpa. Head numb ... was just out of the pool after a six-hour Saturday swim (6:10am-12:25pm). Sorry, @Croudy ... keep that plan for four to five weeks hence.

YES.

It could be a build up of gastric gases. It could be a taste of constipation. If you can stand a little more water per day, it may help. If in doubt, see a family doctor ASAP if you're in any way doubtful or not sure.

We are married TEN YEARS today (23rd Dec). I have been having a vino moscato once or twice per week for two weeks now. It's okay but remember it's best not to waste your minimal stomach space on more than one 150mL glass of wine in a day. (I'm 9.5 weeks post-op).

Anything labelled "sub-lingual" ... i.e. under the tongue. Or anything with the trademark words, RAPI-MELT or rapid-melt. That's how I choose mine!

The feeling of optimism! Good for you!

If your nutritionist/dietitian is difficult to relate to, see your family doctor ASAP and have her/him recommend an alternate dietitian or other support. She/he may be able to support you too. You are probably a tiny way from a weight drop to balance out the last week's gain. Is your exercise routine going okay?

Yes. You don't have to share knowledge of your weight-loss surgery with anyone you don't want to know. WHAT TO DO ABOUT XMAS MEALS: 1) be definite ... think about what you see before you. Take your 'right' amount if you can serve yourself or if there is some semblance of a buffet or smorgasbord system. Pick small amounts of lean protein and minimal 'extras'. 2) be firm ... If a host (or other guest) eggs you on to take/accept more food, just be brave enough to say, "I can't fit much in at the moment, [Beryl/mum/Alex/name]. I have had a few tummy upsets in the last couple of weeks and I'm trying to be careful." PRACTISE IT! 3) Try to drink water 15-20 mins before the event ... AND AGAIN 15-20 after your first intake of food is completed. 4) Have a few personal anecdotes or funny stories or topical news points in mind so you can DEFLECT conversation away from you and your food/drink. 5) You may have to say "NO!" with firmness and aplomb at some point ... maybe more than once. Also be ready to say, "Thanks for your concern, [Beryl/mum/Alex/name], but I'll take it slowly today ... and yes, I'll telephone you next week to tell you if I'm better or worse." 6) DEFLECTION # 2: "Let's listen to what's been happening to [Uncle Bert/Grandma Essie/name]. I'm quite sure it's more interesting than discussing my tummy's queasy xmas!" GOOD LUCK!

That explains the blank feeling north of my neck! :-) :-) :-)

Basically my point to the OP in my response. Sooooo many factors come into play!

There is no set amount. Look for the tend. You may have 'flat' weeks where you feel you lost noting. I am nearing the TEN-WEEK mark post-surgery. The weekly amounts lost in kilograms have been: 1.5, 3.0, 0.4, 1.5, 0.4, 1.7, 2.1, 0.9, 2.0 and 1.1 for a total of 14.6 kilograms. That's equal to 32.2 pounds post-op. Average per week so far 1.62 kg (or 3.57 pounds). But I am a 61yo man that was more than double his desired weight. Two months post-op, I am on a very intensive exercise support program; others do less exercise or just incidental exercise. Some people live on 800-900 calories per day, strictly monitored and strictly logged. I tend to eat 1200-1330 calories average as I exercise a lot. Don't just look at one person ... look at a range.

Thank you. Your thoughtful post is full of truisms. Well said. And may your festive season be similarly safe and happy. May 2018 be a year of consolidation of your new lifestyle.

I had some moments of lightheadedness for about a month after surgery. Waking up after a long sleep without food or drink would be number one trigger. A second trigger was going for a long swim (2-3 hours) and sipping only water every dozen or so laps. I've adjusted better ten weeks down the track.

This run of days over 35C (95F) is meaning lots of extra liquid intake ... BUT, even when it's water there's some retention problems. And I notice that after five days with FOUR or more hours of swimming and other cardio before the heat of the day arrives, I'm nibbling an extra 250-300 calories per day. Hoping that next Wednesday that I'm back on track. (Must be watchful on xmas day. Don't want to eat past my target.)

in pounds, I register 320.9 today ... Wednesday 20th DEC @ 10:30am Eastern Australia Summer Time. Thanks @The New Kel !!

Maybe you're not getting enough fibre ... Consider adding two to four teaspoons of Benefiber to your shakes to keep your bowels 'in tune'. (Water depletion is reason # 2).

This is a 97% chance that you made the best decision for your health. It's hard to get better odds than that in sport or weather forecasting. YOU HAVE MADE A GREAT CHOICE WITH AN OVERWHELMING CHANCE OF SUCCESS IN IMPROVING MANY OTHER LIFE OUTCOMES!

Anaesthesia ?

It's well-known and much researched in the UK, Europe and Australia. There are many documentaries about it and a host of Youtube videos. It is barely akin to the gastric band. In parts of the UK, it can be the forerunner to a gastric sleeve or RNY when the patient has to lose weight consistently for 6-8 months. Or, like my wife, successive balloons can be used to help 'fill' the stomach enough to create a feeling of satiety on a very small amount of food. Look for programs "Weight Loss Ward" (UK) and "The Obesity Myth" (Australia) for a deeper understanding of where balloon technology is helping.