Arabesque

Oh, the slumping. Yep me too. I think it was because I didn’t have a tummy to prop me up anymore. A friend told me her husband pokes her when she’s slouching to remind her to sit or stand up straight. I don’t have a husband (ha!) so it’s become a conscious habit to check my posture regularly. I even do it when sitting on the toilet. LOL! Am I sitting/standing up straight? Are my shoulders down & back? Is my weight balanced between my feet (not leaning)? But yes, as @ms.sss suggested, work on your core muscles, glutes & back. Even simple shoulder rolls can help. Takes time to relearn & retrain your muscles though.

Congratulations on making your decision to take your life back. Only those who are obese truely understand how limiting and challenging it is as well as its impact on you psychologically and emotionally. There are a number of reasons why people undergo a revision from sleeve to bypass: they develop GERD, weight regain, don’t lose as much as they hoped. Don’t know the rate of this occurring. Doesn’t mean this will happen to yiu.I know people who have had a revision on this forum and people who haven’t. Personally I have three friends with a sleeve all between 4 & almost 7 years out and no revisions. I ‘m 5.5 yrs out with my sleeve and am happy with it & my younger brother just had one done. But we’re all different & the surgeries work in different ways to different people. Sometimes surgeons will recommend bypass over sleeve because of the weight their patient has to lose, weight loss and gain history, pre-existing conditions (like GERD, etc.), etc. Are you able to ask why the surgeon/clinic is encouraging you down the path of a sleeve rather than bypass as this is less common (more common to recommend bypass over sleeve). My cyclical side wonders if it’s because a sleeve is a less complicated surgery, takes less time to perform and sometimes doesn’t require an overnight hospital stay. So do they want you to have a sleeve because it’s less demanding on their services. Ultimately it should be your decision as to which surgery you get. Have a look at some of the you tube videos by Dr Matthew Weiner (pound of cure) & Dr John Pilcher. They cover many topics so you’ll need to work through quite a list (great resources for you post surgery) & will have some on the differences and benefits of the different surgeries. All the best.

No, I’ve watch the Canadian one and the NZ one is way worse. I ran into a contestant in the Australian version last year (in our local kitchen store). Mentioned how disappointing the NZ show was and she whispered, after checking around her, that age couldn’t watch it and if it was the Aust show she would never had entered. I liked Padma too but of course she doesn’t do it any more. Don’t mind Kristen being the new host but also a firmer winner. She seems to speak from the heart especially to the chefs and understanding what they are experiencing without excusing unsuccessful dishes. My link to Top Chef is Curtis Stone. He made breakfast in our family home kitchen a few years back and is a friend of my brother’s. He keeps inviting him to his home in Hawaii. I want to go because his wife is a friend of Sarah Michelle Gellar & I want to meet Buffy. 😁 Good luck trying your first glass of wine @Chatterboxdea. Go slowly. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you don’t enjoy it as much. Took me a while to enjoy a glass as did before surgery. Actually I still can take it or leave it.

Thank you for sharing @Bypass2Freedom. Very brave to share your emotions, experiences & hopes for your future self, Have you considered writing another letter about where you are now and what you have achieved & any new dreams you may have now?

You’re looking pretty damn good @newbegining2024. You’ve done so well. I wouldn’t worry too much about the actually number on the scale but how you feel: physically & emotionally & about your health. And, as you said, if you feel you’re about where you’d like to be you’re winning.

I have the same problem if I try to sleep on my tummy or if I twist too far over when I sleep on my side. I specifically get lower back pain but yes I think it’s hyperextending the natural arch too.

What a wonderful gift. I have her Baking Bible as an e-book. I agree straight forward easy to follow recipes (not that I bake any more ☹️). Prue talks down to everyone and o don’t like her superior upper class air that actually seems fake. Excessively pretentious. I don’t mind Alison but she can get a bit loud and over the top sometimes. But oh God yes the Aust Masterchef is appalling. Watched one episode when it began and said nope, never again. Did watch the final episode of last year’s season only because I was away with a friend and she loves it. I have no words and begged her to watch the UK version to see what it should really be like. An aunt lives it the Aust version & was very upset with my mum & I when we called it very poor copy of the original. She was adamant it began in Australia. Had to break it to her that the current UK show (with John & Greg which was when I started watching it) began in 2005 but had been around for years before that in a slightly different format. Gordon Ramsay in the face with a big cast iron frypan 🤣🤣🤣.

@BigSue is right on the mark. I will also add that not everyone reaches their goal. And that’s okay. The win is you’ve lost weight and are healthier than you were. Remember that your goal weight is an arbitrary number you chose not the weight your body settles at & is happiest at as your new set point the surgery has gifted you. The point people’s weight stabilises at is different person to person. You do tend to lose the most in the first 6-12 months but people can lose for another year. Not everyone but some do. It took about 17months for my weight to finally stabilise. Though I reached goal at 6 months I kept losing for another 11months & at a very slow rate. (Took 6 months to lose 31kg then 11 months to lose the final 11kg.) Your rate of loss will get slower and slower as you near your final stabilised weight. It could be ounces a week or even a month near the end. So you may not have finished losing yet. But do check your calorie intake. If you’re maintaining at the calories you’re consuming now you’ll have to eat less to lose more. And you will have to eat fewer calories than you are now if you want to maintain at a lower weight than you are now. Another consideration is you’ve likely built up a lot of muscle with the activity you do. Muscle does way a little more than fat and it will change your physical shape somewhat too which may explain some of the clothing size discrepancies you’re noticed. There are lots of averages and generalisations around weight loss (how fast, how much, when things will happen, how many calories you need, how much activity, etc.). We’re too different for the sane hard and fast rules to apply to everyone, You just have to find what works and is right for you, your lifestyle and your body. PS: Another average, but exercise only accounts for about 10% of the weight you are to lose. Better to look at exercise for the benefits it brings to your cardiac health, muscle strength, flexibility, bone density, etc. & not so much for weight loss.

The Mary Berry era was much better on TGBBO. Mel & Sue too (though I do like Noel - think that’s tied to him being in The IT Crowd sitcom which I enjoyed 😁). Though if you want really bad watch the NZ version. The Australian one has a lot if forced laughter at very bad jokes & puns by the bakers but the NZ one is the worst. We don’t get a lot of US cooking shows here in Aust but I will avoid Ree Drummond if she ever starts here.

Bony joints are real. I had to learn to sleep with one hand between my knees because of that. Placed just below the knee as if it’s cupping the side of it otherwise my hand gets sore from the pressure of the bony knees. Or I sleep with the upper leg pushed forward so I’m on my side but more twisted over. I used to wake every 90 minutes because of pain & to reposition myself. I can go up to 3 hours on a good night now. Wait until you get pressure pain from that little bony knob on the side of your elbow though. The worst. Ouch!

Have to admit I’ve never made them either. I remember mum making toad in the hole when we were young but never plain Yorkshire puddings. Watch them making them on all the UK cooking shows and I think one day. PS. Mentioning UK cooking shows, does anyone else find Prue Leith annoying. Forcing myself to watch her Cotswold Kitchen at the moment & find myself criticising her & complaining the whole time. She’s annoying on Bake-off too. Yet I enjoyed her back in the day on Great British Menu. I’m team Mary Berry all the way.

In the two weeks before you’ll likely be put on a pre surgical diet. It may be all shakes, or a combination of shakes and a high protein diet or another plan so you can’t really prepare for that. However, nothing stopping you starting to introduce some new habits now. Start tracking your food or begin introducing appropriate portions for meals. Make sure you’re getting in 2L/64ozs of water a day. Reduce your intake of carbonated drinks. Maybe drop a snack or two. Or whatever you could start to do to modify your current eating style and food choices. If you’re not very active, try adding some additional moment or try some classes to see what you may enjoy. Post surgery, you’ll again be on a restricted eating plan which your surgeon will give you. There will be similarities with this but also some differences with what others are given. Be warned though, your taste buds and sometimes sense of smell can go haywire and there may be foods you used to enjoy (flavour or texture) that taste disgusting or smell awful. This does pass in a couple of months but don’t buy certain flavours or foods you like that are allowed on your plan in bulk - you may end up being unable to eat them. Get some small cutlery like baby spoons and forks or some cocktail/buffet forks, small plates & bowls. Your portions will be tiny & you’ll only be allowed small bites so the smaller bowls and cutlery make it easier to adjust. Buy some small containers for freezing leftovers or the small snack size zip lock bags; left overs will be common and freezing appropriate sized portions will come a new habit. If you don’t have any: a set of scales that goes down to small increments (ounces or grams), a blender, stick processor, or similar, measuring spoons and cups. Get some over the counter stool softeners, anti nausea meds & pain meds (can’t take NSAIDs), and a heat pad/wheat pack. I’m sure others will add lots of others. Congratulations on having your surgical date. All the best.

While we have a Costco in Brisbane it’s a 45+ min drive away so couldn’t be bothered but it sounds like an Australian visit to Bunnings (hardware). My sister-in-law & I went for a bag of potting mix and some of those big gardening hand rake scoop things which would have cost us less than $20 total. We came out with an overflowing trolley and had spent about $400 between us. Outdoor Xmas lights, pool inflatables (xmas presents for my young nieces & nephew), plants, dog shampoo & conditioner, microfibre cleaning cloths, silk flowers, hanging basket, … I promise we needed all of it 🤣🤣🤣

We always called it egg in a hole. Unimaginative I know. Toad in the hole is something different @ms.sss. It’s sausages, usually beef but can be pork, baked in yorkshire pudding batter. Served with onion gravy, mashed potatoes and whatever other vegetables.

Love it @Sophie7713. the surgical tape. OMG! Made me laugh though I hope you’re not hanging from your bedside light. 😁

Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Cure website and podcasts. He has excellent information, books (incl the metabolic reset diet) and online nutrition classes you can sign up for. They also have support groups you may find helpful too. Personally, I wouldn’t go back to the pre surgical shake diet. (I’m with you, those shakes are disgusting.) Instead go back to how you were eating once your weight initially stabilised. That calorie load was appropriate for the weight you were so will be a deficit for what you are consuming now therefore weight loss will occur Focus of your protein goals eating protein first then vegetables and finally any complex carbs as you are able. Ensure you’re getting your fluids in. Aim for lowish carbs, low sugar (real, artificial or alternatives), lower fats & add a little fruit. Check your portions, try to eat regularly & watch snacking. Track your intake even from now so you can see where you may need to make adjustments. You can start slowly by focussing on one modifying one or two aspect s at a time then two or so weeks later add another change.

Yrs, some people do. Sad to say but a lot of this is head hunger. Your brain is really powerful and can twist you up badly. You’re going through a stressful time (physically, emotionally & mentally). If you were someone who used to comfort or sooth yourself with food your head will be telling you to eat (hungry) because of the stress but of course you can’t which will make you want to eat more. Plus your head tries to convince you that you are not eating enough food to survive (you are) so it says you feel hungry. Hunger pangs can also be from excess stomach acid. At the moment your body is still producing enough acid for your old larger tummy and for the volume of food you used to eat so too much for what you need now. Have you been prescribed a PPI? They reduce the acid in your tummy which reduces/stops the hunger pangs.

Oh wow, black. Still looks great. Definitely can see the different colours in the two images. I have a vegan leather skirt and vegan leather pants. The pants are made from cactus but not sure about the skirt. Personally I think it’s just polyurethane so not plant based vegan at all. Certainly faux leathers are a much better quality now. Don’t feel like plastic as they used to.

Ooh, leather (real or fake). So yummy. Love this lovely green too. Plus the coat - gorgeous!

Oh yes, you never open a medication that is a capsule form. can’t belief they told you to do that. The outer shell is to protect your digestive system and to ensure the medication is absorbed slowly. People with sleeve usually don’t need to take as many supplements as those with a bypass, Sadi, etc. as sleevers don’t have as much of a malabsorption issue as they do. I had to take a multivitamin and vitamin D with K. That was it. I only took the D with K for about 3 or 4 months and stopped the multi at about 8 months. But I stress that was me and what my blood work showed I needed (or was lacking in) or in my case didn’t need. Some sleevers are also required to take calcium and iron. Does your blood work show you have existing needs i.e you are lacking in some vitamin? This would be a staring point as to what you may need even pre surgery. Then subsequent tests will show if you drop in anything. As to whether you can take tablets or need to have patches, chewables, liquid, or mouth spray versions is really up to what your surgeons requires and what you are able to tolerate. I could swallow capsules from about day 4 or 5. (Regular sized capsules not those giant horse sized ones 🙂). General advice: take your multi after you’ve eaten. They can cause nausea if taken on an empty tummy. If you have to take two or more multis as your dose, spread them out across the day. Try one in the morning and one in the evening. don’t take your calcium at the same time as your iron. Your body can’t absorb them at the same time. Try one in the morning & the other in the evening. don’t take your iron within an hour or so of consuming any caffeine if you’re allowed caffeine. Caffeine reduces your ability to absorb iron by more than 60%. Ensure you’re getting regular blood tests. My surgeon required once every three months before visits but my GP had me do one in between so I was having one every 1.5 months. That way if anything unexpected was happening, we knew about it quickly. All the best.

I agree with the others. You’re just not ready yet to eat solid foods. Your symptoms of discomfort, vomiting, hiccups, burping are evidence of that. It takes at least 6 weeks for you to heal ( all those sutures and staples holding your digestive system together) which is why we’re put on the slow, usually two week cycles, of progressing from liquids, to purées, to soft foods to regular solid foods. Even following this schedule, many have to go back a step simply because they haven’t healed enough tolerate the denser food yet. And that’s okay. You may have to do this too. There are even solid foods that some people take even longer to be able to eat without experiencing side effects. Foods like chicken breast & steak. Some foods can be too rich like eggs or they’re too dry or coarse (sauces & gravies are your friend). Your tummy is very sensitive and can react to any food (texture, flavour even smell) and this can continue for a couple of months. I used to describe my tummy as a petulant two year old who throws random tantrums. Unfortunately there’s no hard and fast rules about this. You just have to try things and see how you go simply because of our individual differences. Never give up on a food you struggle with initially though. Give it a break for a couple of weeks and then try again. Glad you’re on a PPI (sumac) which will help with the excess acid your body is still producing (it hasn’t learnt you don’t need as much yet). Will also help with the hiccups and burping. Actually many people find hiccups are a signal they’re full. Make sure you’re eating slowly (take 20-30 minutes), small bites and not eating too large a portion yet. Out of curiosity what are your portion sizes at the moment?

Congratulations @GreenTealael. You’re as inspiring as ever. I always look forward to your posts.

Such a shame. Seems long waiting lists to get appointments for specialists are bad everywhere. 4 months at least to see a dermatologist here in Australia and my mum was told TWO YEARS to see a gerontologist - she said she could be dead by then. And this is as private not public patients.

Can’t beat the putting you cutlery down and sitting back from the table (or moving away) advice. I also asked myself if I needed the next bite or wanted it. If I just wanted it, I put the cutlery down again. I know I say that often but it’s still helpful and plays a role in mindful eating, I found distraction helpful too much like @BigSue. Like I’d read x number of pages between bites, or played a game of solitaire, waited for an ad break or a scene change if watching tv, etc, If I was sitting waiting for a timer I’d just want to eat more because I was bored. I too would take an hour or more to eat. Even now I can easily take 30-45 minutes to eat a meal. I’d also look at working to a longer break than a minute between bites. PS - Have you considered returning to the therapist to talk through this more if you aren’t already?

I think you mean revision. A reversal would mean they rejoin your digestive system to what it was before surgery i.e. back to normal anatomy. (It’s high risk and your digestive system may not function the same or as effectively.) You can’t reverse a sleeve. But if you’re going from one type of weight loss surgery to another where they alter your digestive system further like sleeve to a bypass, or bypass to Sadi, etc, that’s a revision. It may change the responses you get unless you do mean reversal of course. 😊 Revisions aren’t uncommon, for various reasons, but haven’t heard of a reversal here.