Arabesque

Went to a fashion event last night. Yummy canapés (including ravioli bites where the ‘pasta’ was sliced beetroot - mmmm gooood), champagne & a refreshing gin cocktail. Just had to fight through the 80% humidity before reaching the air conditioning inside. I wore navy for a change. Skirt is ribbed.

If you can tolerate it it’s fine. As long as you sip & have a break before the next one so you don’t strain your healing tummy.

We all feel pain differently & respond differently to the surgery. I was given opioids in hospital & a week’s supply to take home but discovered when I did get home I didn’t really need them. By day 4 I think I had one over the counter pain med & that was all. I didn’t have any gas pain nor really any pulled abdominal muscles. Don’t worry when my surgeon removed my gall two years later I had it all but again only took the opioids for the first 36/48hrs. Check with your prescribing doctors about your other meds to find out where they are absorbed. Some are absorbed in your tummy & some in your intestines. Depending upon your surgery if your’s do you may have to seek alternatives. (Some are absorbed in your kidneys or your liver too but those won’t be a worry for you after surgery.) Better to be sure. Hope all goes well with your surgery.

Sorry no. They’re a chip & crunchy so too hard & coarse. Soft food still has to be very moist. Think like a stew or bolognese meat sauce, flaky fish, etc. so you’re still not having to really chew a lot.

Foamies are lots of saliva & mucus you have to spit up. Usually occurs if the food you eat is too dry & your body has to produce extra mucus & saliva for lubrication. Or if you eat too much or too fast. It just rises & fills your mouth. For me it doesn’t have any food in it. Some people say it includes food as well but I call that vomiting or regurgitation. Sometimes the mucus is so thick it gets stuck in my throat - like phlegm. Sorry if too gross. I can’t bring it up so my body tries to clear it by gagging & making this barking type noise. Not pretty at all.

I just used teaspoons & then buffet forks. Still use an entree fork (not dinner size) & I almost always still dice my meat before sitting down to eat. I’ve never liked sippy cups. It’s a personal thing (I’m not a toddler). I used a straw which is controversial with some surgeons. And I much prefer drinking from a glass than a bottle - easier to sip from.

I don’t match either but much of what you will experience is individual anyway. We’re all different in how we recover, our pre existing medical conditions, genetics, age, gender, starting weight, length of time being overweight, etc. There will be similarities but also differences. @lizonaplane is correct. The amount of hair you lose & how long it persists is individual. Your natural hair loss cycle is accelerated from the shock of the surgery & weight loss & your initial low calorie intake. You really just have to ride it out. Keep up your protein (breaks down into the amino acids which grow hair & nails & aids skin health). Biotin only may make your new growth hair stronger not help your body grow more hair. How much loose skin you have is influenced by factors like age (skin loses elastin as you age), how much weight you lose & how long you were overweight, & genetics (luck of the gene pool). It won’t all go away. Once your skin is stretched out, & after whatever bounce back you may get has passed, that’s it. Think of an old hair band stretched out from overuse. Your skin is the same. Some say weight training can help to fill in the loose skin with muscle but depends on how much muscle you want. I carried my obese weight for about 3 or 4 years so not really that long. When I got down to my usual overweight range I had very little loose skin (little pinches) but when I got to my lowest weight I had lots more (big pinches). Still not a lot really especially considering my age & it’s easily hidden under my clothes including body con dresses. No surgery for me. You tend to lose weight in the same way you put on & carried your weight. If you carried more of your weight in your tummy it will likely be the last place you’ll lose it in comparison. I carried my weight pretty evenly: thighs, butt, tummy, breasts. Benefit of an hour glass figure I guess & I lost it much the same even way. Take regular body measurements to track your weight loss too. Sometimes it shows on a tape measure before it does on the scales. I went from a 18E to a 10E (pretty empty upper breasts now though). Remember an E cup on a size 18 is much bigger than a size 10 one so while the cup size is the same my breasts are smaller.

I ran into someone I used to work with & I was 42kgs (92lbs) lighter & they never said a word. I was a bit amused but some people don’t want to mention things they consider so personal like your weight. Or they’re just super unobservant 😆😆. You could just say you’ve taken the time not being in the office to change how you eat & be healthier which is true & change the subject if you want.

I take ages to eat a meal - 30 to 60 minutes or more - so in a way I graze. It allows me to eat that little bit more so I can maintain. I also snack. Fewer times a day now then I initially did when trying to maintain because of the prolonged eating. If we’re honest we all experience times when we just want a little mindless munching. Guess the two things to consider are what are you grazing on & why are you grazing? I snack on foods that contain between 5g (a cheese stick) & 20g (yoghurt) protein not including fruit & are good sources of essential nutrients. On those days when I want something (usually salty) I ask myself why I want it. I also try to wait 30 minutes &/or look for something to do to take my mind off the craving. You may find this helpful if it is boredom that’s driving you to munch. (By the way, what is it about the afternoons & eating? My time between eating dramatically decreases as the day passes.) I also ensure there’s nothing in the cupboard that’s a temptation or empty calories. Easier of course if you don’t have family members to consider. If I do weaken I only have multi grain rice crackers or roasted fava beans in my pantry. It’s not always easy to find what best works for you. You may find grazing on many little meals, grazing on one meal for a long time or snacking a way of ensuring you consume the calories you need to maintain.

Sorry you’re experiencing these headaches. Out of curiosity did you have to do the 2 week shake pre surgery diet? If you didn’t or only did it for a couple of days, you could be experiencing headaches because of withdrawal from caffeine, sugar, etc. Also hormones are released from your fat as you lose weight so you may be experiencing hormonal headaches. Just suggestions of other possible causes. Check with your medical team re tea. I was allowed green or herbal tea only. I was a green tea drinker so I really enjoyed the cup I had every day after surgery. 🙂. Hope the headaches abate soon but if they persist call your medical team.

Congratulations @GreenTealael. You’ve been one of my inspirational forum members. I’ve very much admired your honesty & attitude when you share your experiences. Plus the non judgemental & positive advice you’ve given. I’ve certainly appreciated your support & feedback. Thank you. ❤️

Didn’t get them after my surgery but they could be growing because a lot of hormones & enzymes, etc. which were stored in your fat are released into your body as you lose weight. Will your GP remove them? My previous GP removed moles, sebaceous cysts, etc. in his surgery but my current GP doesn’t. She sent me to a parasitic surgeon to remove my papilloma, cysts & the skin tag on the side of my nose. (Should have hit him to do a little facial tightening at the same time 😆.) He literally just shaved that tag off. A little local anaesthetic, slice, a tiny dot of blood, no sutures, no bandage & it was bigger than a traditional skin tag. Dr Pimple Popper likely would have had half my head bandaged 😆😆😆.

• How did your tummy feel after the surgery? Were you able to *feel* your stomach, internally due to the surgery? - Nope couldn’t feel my tummy. The staged return to eating solid food is to support the internal healing. If you follow that carefully you shouldn’t feel any pain just maybe some discomfort (sort of too full feeling), tightness, gurgling or nausea. Pain on swallowing is likely from initial swelling & you will have pain from pulled abdominal muscles & sometimes at the incision sites. . • Did you have to have a drain? - No drain. Ask your surgeon if they will put one in or not. • How long did you have to be on clear fluids after the surgery? If so, what clear fluids did you have? - Two weeks any liquids. You have to start meeting your protein goals so protein shakes, bone broths, strained soups (no lumps or herby bits), Asian broths (pho, wonton soups, etc just the broth). Milk, green (or herbal) tea were also allowed. I wasn’t allowed juice. • Did you prefer cold, room temperature, or warm fluids? - Room temp or warm/hot were more soothing. I often used warm water for my shakes or microwaved them. • Sipping. - Not a mouthful but a single small swallow. Some surgeons say no to straws but they can be helpful to moderate the size of your sip. You sip as often as you’re able depending on swelling & your healing. Some sip every couple of minutes. Some every 5 or so. Some set alarms to remind them to sip. Just keep the water next to you at all times. And all the fluids you consume count towards your fluid goals. I struggled to swallow initially because of swelling. It was ok after about two days. • Something I read said you won't be able to drink anything for the first 24 hours and that fluids will be through the IV, is that true? - I had water by my bed straight away (& a dishwater broth for dinner that night) plus an IV. • How did you sleep in the first week? If you are a side sleeper, when were you able to finally sleep on your side? - I can’t sleep on my back at all only nap on the coach on my back. I slept on my side from the day of surgery. I also tend to sleep on my side but twisted to almost on my tummy. Could do this pretty much straight away too. A pillow to support you sleep on your side may be helpful. Whether you can or can’t sleep on your side would depend on how much pain you feel from the pulled abdominal muscles & how much internal swelling you have. All the best with your surgery & recovery.

We all heal & recover differently & they did a lot of pulling, pushing, cutting & suturing inside you so it’s ok to still be experiencing pain or discomfort. Most is likely muscular now but as @Jaelzion suggested, call your surgeon & ask for some stronger meds to tide you over. Hope you feel better soon.

Sounds more bowel related & a colonoscopy may be warranted. Bariatric surgeons tend to specialise in the gastrointestinal area. From what you describe a colorectal surgeon may be more appropriate. Have you spoken with your GP?

I’m with the give them a miss until you’re at or close to your goal team. Sticking to your plan will help you take the most advantage of your surgery. When you get closer to goal you may start to look for healthy substitutes for your traditional choices. Try air fried or oven baked not deep fried. Try vegetable based pastas (you can eat zucchini noodles & cauliflower rice from solid foods). There are keto friendly low carb high protein breads you could try later on. If your desire to eat these ‘non bariatric friendly foods’ is driven by emotions, finding a good therapist may be helpful. Recognising the causes of your emotional eating, finding ways to manage them better & identifying other means of coping with your emotional needs than eating, etc. will only help you be more successful with your weight loss & maintenance. A benefit of avoiding those foods while you’re losing is by goal you may actually reduce or lose some of your desire for pizza, pasta, & the other foods you currently want & depend on. Which will make it much easier if you chose to have the odd slice of bread or pizza, etc. now & again in the future. Personally, I don’t eat pasta (only fresh zucchini noodles), rice or bread & avoid sweet things & fried foods. They were all things I ate regularly & enjoyed but I don’t really miss them at all now. I was able to break my need for them & I was eating them for a lot longer than you’ve been alive 😉. It can be done. Exercise will only contribute to you losing a maximum of 20% of the weight you have to lose. Of course it has lots of other benefits so I’m certainly not saying exercise is a waste of time but don’t rely on it to loose your weight. But it’s really up to you & you discovering what works best for you. Good luck.

Are you still meeting your protein goals? Protein provides the amino acids which are essential to hair growth. Maybe up your protein intake further as well to see if it helps. If you’re still losing, your body will be relying on the protein you’re consuming for more needs than growing hair. When did you have your last blood test? You may be lacking in some essential nutrient which is contributing to your hair loss &/or slow regrowth. Have you spoken with your surgeon or GP? Do you actually still see a lot of hair loss or is it just that your hair feels thin? It does take time for your new growth to catch up & replenish the hair you’ve lost. I cut my long hair to shoulder length so the new hair would take as long to grow to reach the length of my existing hair. It probably took well into my second year until my hair felt thicker again & much like it had been.

Agree with @vikingbeast. You need to take a big step back. You’re stressed & emotional which only enhances those cravings. You crave the foods which offered you comfort in the past & you crave the familiar of being able to eat what you want, when you want it. And the more you worry the more anxious you become. You may find a therapist who specialises in supporting bariatric patients very helpful. Ask your surgeon for a recommendation. Constipation is part of the journey. I tried to keep on top of mine by taking Benefibre at least every second day, keeping my fluid intake up & taking a stool softener if I got to day 3 or 4 without movement. I also ate very mild instant rolled oats from purée stage. Took me days to eat a full serve but it was good fibre. You may need an enema since it’s been 15 days or a visit to the hospital for assistance. Being constipated does make it seem you’ve stopped losing or have gained. Get rid of it & your weight will be lower very quickly & you’ll feel much better. Stalls are very common. They can last 1 - 3 weeks, sometimes more. And you can experience a number of them as you’re losing. The first usually occurs around week 3 give or take. You just have to ride them out. They’re just your body taking a time out to come to terms with your weight loss. Changes to your sense of smell & taste are also common. They usually are temporary but how long it lasts is individual. Are there specific foods that upset you more you can avoid? The strong body odour is from your body being in ketosis - fat burning. It’s like every bodily secretion reeks. It passes too. I took deodorant, toothbrush, tooth paste & mouth wash & body wipes to work for refreshes during the day. I was someone who frequently skipped meals in an effort to lose weight (did that for 40+years) & tried all those very low calorie diets including one I did several times that was only 500 calories a day. I still lost all my weight & more. Stick as close to your plan as you can. It may take you a little longer to reach a stage recommendation for calories, portion size &/or foods you can eat but that’s ok. You’ll get there.

Multi vitamins can cause nausea & other digestive issues. You may need to change brands or find ones with less of the vitamins that cause problems (iron, calcium, vitamin C). Make sure you take them after you eat. I found splitting my dose helpful too - one in the morning, one at night. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/get-nauseous-after-taking-vitamins-6-tips-to-make-them-easier-to-stomach/ As to the side pain, I’d question my surgeon & medical team more. You shouldn’t be feeling pain this far out.

Protein is important for the rest of your life. Everyone should be eating protein regardless if they are bariatric patients or not. Your body needs it for healing, muscle & bone health, digestion, … https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/functions-of-protein#TOC_TITLE_HDR_9 The daily recommended amount is 0.8g per kilogram for a non bariatric patient. (I’m required to reach 1.2g of protein per kg of weight in maintenance.) My surgeon was ok if I didn’t meet my protein goals each day to begin as long as I was making an effort to be close. It gets easier when you can eat more. If you can’t tolerate the shakes try bone broth, well strained cream soups or consumes, wonton soup broth (no wontons or vegetables of course). I struggled with shakes too so would dilute them & just rode out one a day for the two weeks.

Oh yes. Most definitely don’t compare yourself to others. There are too many factors which influence our rate of loss: age, gender, staring weight, genetics, etc.. If you’re losing a couple of pounds a week on average you’re doing fine. As long as your weight loss trend is going down you’re golden & celebrate every pound & inch you lose. Don’t forget you likely will experience stalls along the way when you do t lose anything for a week or more. Watch keto. It’s very high fat & you may find your cholesterol levels are higher as your losing weight as it’s released from your fat. Better to look to low fat, low carb, low sugar high protein while you are losing. What plan did your surgeon & dietician give you? I’d avoid the popcorn too until you’re in maintenance. It’s very easy to overeat slider food. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Sounds like it was too much, too soon & too coarse/heavy. I agree with the others: go slowly. Even if you’re allowed solid foods doesn’t mean you jump in with both feet. I’m surprised you were allowed bread - it’s very filling - but all plans have differences. Check your portion sizes too. Were you given portion size recommendations &/or calorie goals for each stage? Personally I couldn’t eat a whole egg until I was close to goal let alone sausage & bread as well. But that was me.

I like your surgeon’s position. I wasn’t given calorie goals only portion size recommendations so I didn’t have to count calories while I was losing but I’d do random checks for my own interest. Still do. Helps me keep on track. I check calories & nutrient content of all food stuffs I buy. I do a lot of my own cooking so it’s not always possible to work out exact calories which is when I rely on portion size. I don’t like using the word diet. This is just what I eat now & what I don’t eat. The nutrient value is the most important consideration. The only things I count carefully everyday are protein & water.

PS - vomited for the first time in almost 2 years tonight. (Broke my no vomit streak.) A pork cutlet, which I’ve eaten many times before, was too dry & up the last two bites came. And yes it just bubbled up like I described plus foamies (never miss out on those). No straining & heaving. Guess it’s really regurgitation not vomiting.

Soups. I tried bone broth but found the flavour unpalatable (too salty & too strong for me) but the old cup of soups of fine. Some creamy, some not. Strained them first to avoid random chunks or herby bits.