Arabesque

What you are experiencing is very common. You’ve been going through a lot. The surgery, the change in your diet, pain & discomfort. So much new information & things to learn. Perfectly understandable that you’re questioning if it will be worth it. Plus your hormones are all over the place making you more emotional. It just takes time. Time to heal & recover. Time for your hormones to settle. Time to become familiar & more confident about the changes to your eating, etc. Take as much time as you need. One day you’ll realise you are feeling a lot better, stronger & confident about everything. Your weight will be decreasing. And you’ll realise yes, it was worth it. All the best.

Some foods can make your restriction kick in more quickly. Chicken can be a culprit as it can be dry. Does it happen with all meat proteins? If it’s just chicken or other specific proteins drop them for a couple of weeks & then see how you go. Sometimes my restriction kicks in quickly. It can occur because I’m distracted & eating a little too quickly or eating something that is too dry or heavy in my tummy. In my first year it sometimes happened if I was worried about eating when I was out or eating with people who didn’t know about the surgery. So I think being a bit stressed & holding tension set off the restriction. You may be consciously or subconsciously worried about whether you will be able to eat a meal & that sets off your restriction. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Certainly worth a chat with your medical team. I don’t think you have a stricture because you are getting some solid food down & you have no nausea & aren’t vomiting. But again talk to your team.

A lot of us experience a drop in our blood pressure (postural hypotension) after surgery. It’s usually temporary for most & it usually eases when you’re eating more, a broader range of nutrients & more active. Get up slowly & wait (you’ll work out how long you need to wait) before moving to allow your blood to get back up to your head. Some recommend marching your feet on the spot before rising & then on standing. Ensure you’re meeting your fluid goals & add a little extra salt to your diet. My BP is low all the time (genetic) but I’ve never fainted just vision goes black & my head gets doughy. I grab a hold of furniture, walls or even another person to ground me when it happens. If you’re on blood pressure meds you may have to drop them BUT check with your doctor first.

Another consideration may be your potential for loose skin & where you may want to put the tattoo. You can end up with loose skin everywhere & we all end up with some. I even have some on my hands & fingers. Never expected that. Maybe better to wait until you’re close to your goal.

I love left overs. I eat them for a couple of days in a row. All I have to do is reheat & maybe add vegetables. I don’t have to think about what’s for dinner & sometimes lunch. I’m also a regular freezer of left overs: soups, meats, cooked vegetables, … defrost, reheat, dinner done. Mmmm lamb. One of my favourites @Sophie7713. Is that chicken you’re eating @GreenTealael with that yummy asparagus?

I drink San Pellegrino every day. I just let it go flattish (unscrew the lid a little to break the seal when I put it in the fridge) & sip it slowly over a few hours interspersing with plain water. The mineral taste is a nice change from plain water. I think I started drinking it occasionally at 3 months & more regularly by about 6. But it will depend on if you can tolerate it.

Hope you two aren’t getting up to mischief now you live close to each other. 😉 Always love you in red @Sophie7713. And more lovely bright colours for you @GreenTealael & I really like your wrap too. Yes, a little bit of warmth would be very welcome. Though I’ve actually turned off my heating today as it’s a little warmer. It will be back on in a couple of hours. Woo hoo on being able to wear your anorak @SleeverSk. It looks great on you. You’ll be wearing it a lot the way this winter is going.

Even though I don’t eat pasta, rice or bread, I don’t think as it as being on a ‘diet’. It’s just how I eat now. Just like people who become vegetarian or vegan, etc. Yes, those foods don’t sit well with me but I think I would still have chosen not to eat them again from a nutritional perspective & I feel better (not as gluggy, bloated, etc.) than when I did eat them & I used to eat them every day. I’m certainly not following a keto diet. I eat plenty of carbs from vegetables & I eat rolled oats & multi grain crackers every day. It’s just they aren’t highly processed & are whole & multi grains. And yes I can still eat at Italian & Japanese restaurants. How you chose to eat in the future is your choice. It has to complement your lifestyle & never make you feel like you are missing out.

I’d compare the nutritional information & also check with your medical team just to be sure. Usually those soups are designed to be high protein low calorie like the shakes.

I think it would be a safety precaution too - putting you in a better & healthier place for your surgery. My surgeon puts his patients on different diets based upon their weight, eating habits, weight loss & medical history. Some are on all shakes or 2 shakes & a meal (under the hospital’s weight loss clinic) or keto with a dietician which I was on. I did the 2 shakes & a meal for a good 3 months some years ago. My meal was at night. It is hard to begin because you’re breaking a lot of habits & addictions (salt, sugar, caffeine, etc.). The first week is usually the hardest but you will lose weight. You got this. Watch the pickles especially the number you eat. Those extra calories quickly add up. If you feel hungry, try a green or herbal tea. Also see if they have soups as well as shakes. (The hospital weight loss clinic program offered soup & shakes mixes as did the pharmacy brand program I followed.) Drinking soups can seem more meal like & can be more satisfying.

You won’t have to wait to drink before & after meals for ever. I wait 5 or 10 minutes now & less if I just have a sip before & after so I can order a glass of wine before a meal & finish it after without much issue. I can even have a sip while eating if I pace my bites & sips. If I drink too much to close to a bite I feel full very quickly & sometimes a little uncomfortable. Dint think there’s anything I really miss now. Sure, sometimes I see something & think that looks nice bet it’s delicious but I’m not really interested in wanting to actually eat it. Actually some high fat or high sugar foods or large portions turn my tummy. I feel repulsed by it. Maybe I’m strange, though.

You may find you can’t stand anything sweet after surgery as your taste buds temporarily change. This a good thing as it can help reduce your desire for sweet foods. I never really craved sugar but I enjoyed dessert & having something sweet after dinner every night & a sweet treat morning or afternoon snack on the weekend (I have 6 high end patisseries & bakeries in a 2km radius around my house 😱). Now, I rarely have desserts, cakes, biscuits, pastries, etc. (couple of times a year) & don’t eat chocolate or lollies at all. Don’t miss it either. Watch artificial sweeteners as they continue to feed your desire for sugar & they have lots of side effects including weight gain (makes your body hold on to calories), allergies, etc. About 1/2 my fluid intake comes from plain water. I was allowed green tea from surgery & I have a large mug (400ml) every day. I also let sparkling water go flat & I have 400-500mls a day. The mineral taste was a nice change to plain water. I was also allowed rolled oats from purée (instant to begin) & I used a lot of milk so I get extra fluid that way. I also found a good low calorie high protein yoghurt drink. (You can make your own by mixing yoghurt with milk.) Keep a glass of water beside you all the time even by your bed. It actually just becomes a habit.

Milk with earl grey tea. 😱 Sacrilege! Lemon & only lemon to enhance the bergamot. (And zero calories.) Captain Picard would be horrified.

Potatoes weren’t allowed on my plan as they’re a starchy high carb vegetable. Plus how they’re traditionally prepared is often high calorie (butter in a mash, oil if roasted or fried, cream if scalloped, etc.). And most of their good fibre is in the skin which people throw away. But if they’re on your plan give them a go. I still don’t eat them. They tend to sit a bit heavily in my tummy. I try a bite or two of mashed or baked every now & again but no. My father was a potato grower & we had to have potato every night. I’m sure he’s rolling in his grave.

Electrolyte drinks can give you a bit of a boost. I found them helpful when my energy was really low. Shop around to find one with lower carbs & sugar. Though be careful if you’re on high blood pressure meds etc. as they do contain salts. I used hydralyte which was recommended by my surgeon. I used to dilute it by doubling the water required to make it up as it tasted sweet - but then everything did.

Some do some don’t. It can depend on how much weight you had to lose, your rate of loss, etc. I lost for almost another 11 months after I reached goal at 6 months. It was extremely slow the last few months but it was the weight my body wanted to be at (my new set point). Generally it is more difficult to lose weight in your second year. Your hunger starts to return, you’re eating larger portions, etc. If you’re doing strength training & putting on muscle that will be distracting from any weight loss you may be still having. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Also everyone’s rate of loss slows the closer to their goal weight. Not every one reaches their goal. Gastric sleeve patients tend to lose 50-70% of the weight they have to lose (difference between starting weight & ideal weight). This is where the average lie at about 3 yrs post surgery. You will reach a weight that genetics, your new set point & metabolism are happy at & also a weight that you can sustain while living your life how you want.

@lizonaplane & @ShoppGirl are correct. You’ve just had pretty major surgery, your hormones are out of whack, your digestive system has been altered, something you relied on to provide emotional support (food) has been taken away from you, … Give yourself time to heal & recover -physically, mentally & emotionally. And I’m going to say it: it does get better & easier. The staged return to eating is to support the healing of your tummy. In a few weeks on soft foods you’ll be able to have some of that tender beef stew (just no rice unless it’s cauliflower rice). Yes, it will be a much smaller portion but you’ll be eating more slowly so your family will finish their serve about the same time you likely be finished too. Think of all the new recipes you & your husband will be able to try or reinvent with alternative ingredients. I also agree with @lizonaplane suggestion to meet with a therapist. Many bariatric patients swear by the support they received through therapy & how it helped change their relationship with food, how they see themselves, etc. I still drink just not as often & not as much. I say I drink quality (like champagne not sparkling) not quantity now. I often go out to restaurants. French, Italian, Japanese, Greek, etc. fine dining, bistros, cafes. I’m just careful with my menu sections. And I’m not afraid to ask to take leftovers home even in fine dining restaurants (took home duck breast, duck rillette, parsnip purée & baby carrots the other night).

The dexa scan is a great idea & is more accurate than the punch & squish test which is what I did/do. 😁. My loose skin is squishy, softer & sort of feels more thin than the fatty bits. The fatty bits still have some body & density. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I thought too full too. Try to eat until you’ve had enough - do you need that next bite or just want it? (When you’ve almost finished your portion, slow right down & really think about your next bites.) During the surgery a lot of nerves are cut so the messages of fullness don’t work as well & for many when they do the signals can be different. (Some sneeze or their nose runs.) The message you’re full takes time to get through & often by the time you start to feel full you’ve actually had too much. You’ll find there’s a lot of new things to learn about your eating & how your body reacts.

Get in touch with your surgeon to make sure everything is ok. Nausea isn’t uncommon & many are prescribed anti nausea meds to begin. Plus your tummy can be pretty sensitive for a while as it’s healing. And multi vitamins can make you nauseous & because you’re not able to eat much there wouldn’t be much in your tummy to help soften the effects of the vitamins. This all improves but it can be frustrating & demoralising. Once you’re able to eat more you’ll feel a lot better too with more energy. All the best.

Oestrogen is stored in your fat & as you lose weight the excess oestrogen is released into your blood stream. You may experience heavier or lighter periods, more or less frequent cycles, mood swings, etc. You can also become more fertile so double up on contraception just in case. I agree with the others: slow down between bites: minutes not seconds. Try using a teaspoon to keep your bites small too. Glad you tried going back to soups first a little while. Some people just need a little longer on a stage. We all recover at our own pace. See how you go again with soft foods in a few days. Also some foods don’t sit as well & we don’t enjoy them. This is usually temporary but you may have to do a bit of trial & error when reintroducing foods at first.

I pee often during the day (about every 60-90mins) & at night (about 5 times a night) but then I do drink throughout the day & at night. I do pee differently then I did as a younger person. The signal is a bit more urgent & the flow isn’t as forceful which is all part of getting older.

Yep, it will be the hormonal flush causing the emotional roller coaster. It’s like permanent PMT. It will settle as you lose more weight & are releasing less oestrogen into your blood stream. And you’ll get better at managing it as well. It’s why your menstrual cycle may get a bit screwed up too. Plus you may be consciously or subconsciously mourning how you used to eat adding to the emotional swings.

They’re a crunchy twisty cheese or chicken flavoured snack created in Australia. If I remember correctly they used more natural flavours then chemical ones. So yummy. You’d get some of the flavour coating on your fingers & have to lick them after. Found in some SE Asian countries & I think the UK as well.

Oh, you have been through the wars. None of this would be directly related to your surgery though except from being run down & recovering from a pretty major surgery. Plus you may have gone back to a demanding job too soon leaving you open to pick up a bug. It may have been a signal to slow down you were doing too much. Then your lowered immune system made you a target for the subsequent infections. A perfect storm. The vomiting after surgery is not uncommon because your tummy is so sensitive but becoming unwell with viruses & infections like you have is uncommon. You’ll slowly rebuild your immune system especially when you’re able to eat a little more & a broader more nutritious range of foods. In the meantime keep your vitamins up. Broken toes are awful. How can such a little part of you be so limiting. I did mine when I accidentally my kicked my vacuum. Half my foot was bruised & swollen for ages. Thank goodness I did it summer so I could still wear slides & sandals. Congratulations on your weight loss so far. Apart from you being unwell, you’re doing well. Take it easy & take time to fully recover.