Arabesque

I agree with @lizonaplane. The experience has likely been more painful because you are still healing. Go slowly with the foods you add to your diet. You may find your a few weeks into real solid food until you are fully healed & your tummy is less sensitive. I’ve found after surgery that the odd times I vomited it was different. More bubbling up not heaving, & straining muscle spasms. The cause was eating a little too much, or too fast while I was still learning & once simply because my tummy said ‘no’.

I was neither someone who craved specifically sweet or specifically savoury - more an equal opportunist & liked a bit of both. But sugar now? No thank you. Sweet things taste super sweet. Accidentally bought a box of honey instant oats sachets. Disgusting. Gave them to my mum who couldn’t believe I thought they were crazy sweet. There were some things my tummy didn’t like to begin like my favourite vegetables (asparagus, broccolini, sugar snap peas) but after a month or so they were back on the menu. I still struggle a bit with mango. My restriction kicks in early & I gurgle lots. Do I still eat mango? Yes occasionally. But I go slow & eat small amounts at a time. Can’t be a Queenslander & not eat mangoes. 😉 Savoury is still fine. Cheese, hummus & multi grain crackers when socialising, roasted fava beans (the chick pea ones taste like feet) as an odd treat. If I want a savoury hit I sometimes roll cucumber in sea salt. Salty goodness. But it’s not often. Lately I’ve been eating salmon sashimi with soya sauce for a salty savoury hit (with bonus protein) for lunch.

I enjoyed going to restaurants (fine dining not chain) before surgery & I still enjoy going to them after you surgery. The difference is instead of ordering two or three courses I only order one. The only regret I have is there are a number of restaurants I’ve wanted to go to & now I can’t because they only do degustation menus. There’s no way I would be able to eat 6, 8, 9, … courses even if they’re small - the volume of food still adds up. An unfortunate side effect of COVID has been many restaurants in Australia offer three course set menus now. Can understand why - better economies & less waste - but is a waste of money to be forced to order three courses for me now. Hopefully, they will go back to full a la carte soon. As for alcohol, yes I enjoyed drinking too: champagne, gin, scotch, wine were my preference. But was never an excessive drinker. Every night I had big glass of wine sometime followed by a scotch or a gin followed by a glass of wine. Now, I only have a drink about once a month (last month I drank three times but that was very unusual circumstances). And I can nurse a glass for ages. Do I miss drinking more? Not really. Do I feel I’m missing out socially? Nope. I just enjoy being with friends & family. Honestly, I don’t enjoy alcohol quite as much. It has made me more particular about what I drink - quality over quantity. Champagne over cheap sparkling.

Little & often. I still can’t guzzle 2.5years out but that’s me. Two swallows & then I have to wait. I have a bottle of water beside my bed & I take a drink every time I wake. I have a bottle in my car - drink when I get in, drink when I get out, drink at every red light, drink every time I overtake a vehicle on the highway, etc. Every little bit helps. Personally I find it easier to drink from a glass than a bottle so I usually have a large glass beside me all day. I also mix it up with fluids: still water, sparkling water gone totally flat, green tea. I used to also sip drinking yoghurt (but they don’t make the high protein, low fat, low sugar one I used to drink anymore - grrr!). I also make my rolled oats on milk every day - extra milky - so I get 15g protein & more than 300mls (about 10oz) fluid - a double win. It all counts.

The nausea is likely from the anaesthetic & from the actual surgery - your tummy is super sensitive after what was done to it. Gas pain hurts. Nausea makes your tummy roll & you may want to throw up. Gas pain is like excess wind (burping & farting) & a distended abdominal. And then the pain rises to the shoulder & you know it then. Yes to Gas X & to walking. It takes several days for the gas to escape your body. You will feel much improved in a few days. The first days are always the hardest especially as you don’t know what to expect & what is a usual side effect & what isn’t. Good luck.

I started soft foods at week 5. I ate scrambled eggs & omelettes, slow cooked soups & casseroles, flaky fish, mince dishes, yoghurt, rolled oats, …. I was able to eat most meats as long as they were moist & pull apart tender. Take it slowly & try different things to see if you’re ready for them. If you struggle with them one week try them again in a week or two.

The rate of your loss isn’t important but looking after your health is. Lacking in energy & being unable to undertake physical activity before your main meal of the day likely is because of your diet & not taking your vitamins. I wasn’t eating that many more calories by goal at 6 months & I’m about your height. I struggled with lack of energy for a few months too but it was complicated by low blood pressure & random hypoglycaemic episodes (pre-existing). What helped was eating nutrient dense food - low carbs, low fat: protein, vegetables, fruit & dairy. It wasn’t so much the number of calories but the quality of the calories I consumed. The importance of taking vitamins post bypass should have been stressed to you before your surgery. Have you had any blood tests to check you are not lacking in essential vitamins & nutrients & your body is absorbing what you need effectively? Malabsorption issues is a concern with bypass. Best advice is to stick to your plan. Meet your protein goals. Add water to your total fluid intake & meet that goal too. Do you still see your dietician? Have you reflected on your dietary choices & made any changes to what you ate before surgery to what you eat now? And why you ate & made those food choices? And I’m not talking just portion size because you can physically eat more as time progresses & you can eventually stretch your tummy out again if you ignore portion considerations. Many find a therapist helpful when coming to terms with what drives them to eat. Ultimately, the extent of your success is up to you & your choices. Nothing will change in the long term if you don’t make the changes.

Years ago I used to get a sharp cutting pain across my tummy which was thought to be ulcers but the cause turned out to be an overproduction of stomach acid. They initially put me on Xanax but major side effects so I started taking Nexium as I needed it. I also found eating something carb rich (bread usually) helped absorb the excess acid - that ain’t happening now 😉. You may need to continue to take something like Salpraz or Nexium for a while especially until you are able to eat more & your stomach acid is used to break the food down. I have to take Nexium everyday now because I still overproduce acid & surgical team suggested I only eat soft or liquid protein after dinner to reduce acid production late at night which had become an issue post surgery. Out of curiosity, did they do a breath test to ensure you didn’t have an helicobacter pylori infection just to rule it out?

Your body is relearning how to hold itself with your lower weight. Back, hip & knee pain and balance issues are not uncommon since your muscles, tendons, skeleton used to compensate for your excess weight & now it doesn’t. Your centre of balance is changing & your posture is improving. I had upper shoulder pain & then I realised my bras were too big for my shrinking breasts & were not supporting me correctly. Got fitted for new bras & my back pain vanished. Otherwise try acupuncture, therapeutic massages or a physio to help ease the postural transition. I tend to agree with the others @jadj65 & the cause of your discomfort could be from eating too fast &/or eating too much. The restriction usually is felt across the chest but your signal for eating enough maybe discomfort across your back. It takes time for the message to get through that we’re full & we get full much more quickly, so it is easy to eat more than we need (past eating enough) especially if you’re eating too quickly. Don’t be afraid to put your cutlery down & sit back from your plate.

I don’t understand why people who buy a gym membership get congratulated for deciding to improve their life & get healthier but you decide to have weight loss surgery, also just a tool, get criticised. I’m sorry your mum is not being supportive. You would expect your family to be your biggest supporter. My mum supported me but she did struggle with my eating. ‘I don’t know what food to get when you come to stay,’ was a frequent comment. Which was a combination of her not understanding my plan & not wanting to jeopardise my success. Like probably all of us, you’ve likely tried to ‘do it yourself’ & lose weight. Probably many times & also put the weight back on again. I certainly did. The difference this time was, with the help of the surgery, I was able to make sustainable changes to what I eat & understand why I ate. The physical restrictions & the support to analyse the psychology behind our eating is what will contribute to the success you may have. Good luck. You can do this. PS - that graphic is excellent @Elidh.

I only eat about 1200/1300 calories a day at 2 1/2 years out. I was barely eating about 800 at goal. But that was me & we are different. I remember saying to my surgeon I can only eat what I can eat & he agreed with me. Probably because my blood work was always good so I was getting all the nutrients in I needed even if I wasn’t eating much calorie wise. I also wasn’t hungry for ages - well into my second year & I am grateful for that. It made me look at food differently - as something I need not just want. I still have the odd days or times I’m not hungry but I recognise I still need to eat something for my body to function effectively. Didn’t want dinner last night so I grazed on a tub of high protein yoghurt for about an hour so I still met my protein goal for the day. Yep, there’s a lot of different plans out there. Mine didn’t have calorie requirements either only portion size. But you will find you will be able to eat more as you progress. You may find grazing on meals easier than trying to eat all your meal in one sitting. Nothing wrong with taking an hour or more to eat a meal - I can still take an hour plus to finish a meal. Are you tracking your food & is your dietician reviewing it with you? Glad you’re feeling great & congrats on your progress so far.

I really liked bread too & I had access to a lot of really damn tasty artisanal bakeries. But I don’t eat bread any more. It tends to sit heavily in my tummy. Last time I tried was a couple of months ago (a za’tar & garlic flat bread - smelt & tasted divine) but nope not for me. Do I miss it? It may seem strange but not really. As @dms75 said you develop a different relationship with food. I too look at food as what I need not what I want. I still enjoy it but I don’t find it difficult to choose not to eat certain foods like desserts, chips, bread, pasta, rice, etc. Some of these I don’t eat through choice, others because they don’t sit well. You will find some people do eat bread, chips, sweet things once into maintenance. But it is their choice & most seem to seek out healthier, more nutrient dense options (like air fried sweet potato chips, high protein breads, etc.) & are careful with portions & frequency. Don’t worry too much about struggling with certain foods like eggs. For most this is a short term difficulty. Your tummy can be a bit fussy for a little while. Try some hydralyte or similar electrolyte drinks to help with energy drops. I carried a bottle with me everywhere for months. It does get easier & you’ll be eating a greater variety of food sooner than you think. The surgery will get you so far. The rest is up to you & the dietary changes you make. Exercise only accounts for a maximum of 20% of the weight you want to/have to lose. It has other benefits. I’m not an exerciser but I lost all the weight I was to lose plus more because I made changes to what I ate. But the decision as to what you eat & how often you eat it is ultimately up to you. Best advice to gain the most of your surgery while losing is to follow your surgeon’s plan & dietician’s recommendations. Good luck.

Lol. Yesterday I posted on OOTD a pxt of my most recent shoe clear out. 21/2 years out & I’m still clearing out shoes that are too big. I went down from a 38.5/39 to a 37.5/38. My foot is narrower as well as shorter in length. I’d kept some because I thought I might be able to wear them again - what was I thinking. Crazy. Others I just hadn’t worn for a while so didn’t realise they were so much too big. I have too many shoes but it has been an excellent justification to buy new ones. 😆😆😆 I wouldn’t buy too many new shoes while you are still losing either. Try some inner soles, heel grips, etc. for those shoes that are a half or maybe a full size too big to carry you through. I wore thicker socks with boots in winter which helped some too.

Full blown attacks are very painful. I swear I would have thought I was dying if I didn’t know what was happening. Amusingly (or not) a friend told me her daughter rang her saying she did think she was dying when she had her first attack. Hope yours is removed soon too. It was 15 1/2 days from first attack, seeing my GP, then my surgeon until the surgery. I found the whole process somewhat easier. This time I knew the surgeon better, knew the hospital, knew the processes to expect going into the surgery & coming out. It was just the recovery that was the unknown but there were still similarities because they were both laparoscopic abdominal surgeries. You’ll be fine.

Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Cure. He’s a bariatric surgeon & his book & You Tube videos are great: straight talking & helpful. https://m.youtube.com/user/DrMatthewWeiner

Yep. Had my gall removed 2 years after my sleeve. I had a single stone which suddenly decided to stage a riot - worst pain ever. My surgeon used three of the same keyhole incisions from my sleeve plus one new one. He said once you have one stone you’ll develop others & once you’ve experienced a severe attack you’ll have more attacks. Better to remove the gall. Honestly, the recovery was comparatively worse than the sleeve. I had gas pain (never did after the sleeve) & a lot of muscular discomfort across the abdomen like lots of pulled muscles which I didn’t after my sleeve. In saying that, the pain wasn’t bad & I was only taking the odd over the counter pain med from about day 3. It’s all relative. It is pretty common as some have had stones for years & didn’t know - just rumbling symptoms. High cholesterol or significant weight loss can contribute to the development of gall stones as can high bilirubin levels. Some women develop them during menopause. I ticked the boxes for all four possible causes as while I was losing my cholesterol increased (dropped to my usual level once I reached goal).

Summer shoe clear out. Yep, I still have shoes that are too big. Some I kept after that first 18 months because I thought maybe they’ll be ok next year. I really don’t understand my thinking sometimes. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Some I still had as I didn’t wear them last summer. I have too many shoes. Anyway contacted the lady who sold some of my shoes last summer & hope she’s willing to take these. Maybe I’ll get something back to go towards the new shoes I’ve bought. Tee hee!

We still make ample stomach acids in our tummy to digest the food we consume. After surgery, the hunger pangs you may feel are from excess stomach acid (not because you are hungry). Plus developing reflux/gerd is a side effect of sleeve surgery which is stomach acids rising into your esophagus. The issue with vomiting may be because you‘re consuming so little you don’t have much to bring up except bile & acids which could burn your esophagus. (Mind you I vomited very differently after surgery - more of a gurgle up then a heaving of stomach muscles.) You may be more susceptible to picking up viruses & bugs because your body is undergoing stress from the reduced calorie intake. I had my surgery in late autumn & if someone was going to pick up a bug it would have been me but I didn’t. Just take precautions, hand washing, mask wearing, avoid anyone who’s sick, etc. if you’re worried. Hope all goes well.

Oh yeah, I’ve been where you are @mae7365. I had trouble stabilising my weight. And my surgeon & GP wanted me to gain a couple of kilograms. My dietician wasn’t too concerned as she felt I was making sensible food choices & was increasing my food intake. My weight did finally stabilise just took 11 months post goal. Now they’re all happy with my weight. When my surgeon removed my gall, 2 yrs post sleeve, he told me I’d done very well yet I weigh a good 4 kg less then when he was telling me I needed to gain. I got those comments from family & friends too but not anymore. It takes time for their vision of you to catch up with the reality of you now. Plus we can look a bit gaunt. Once you start adding some good carbs into your diet & your remaining fat sort of resettles the gauntness disappears. To slow my loss, I increased my calories by adding more snacks because I couldn’t physically eat more in a meal. I worked up to 4 or 5 snacks.My meal portions are larger now (about a recommended serving size) & so I usually only have 3 snacks. Gotta reach that balance of calories consumed equaling calories burnt to maintain. Are you healthy? Are you happy? Do you enjoy your life? They’re the important considerations. As long as your diet & exercise regime doesn’t restrict you doing things you’re golden. Good luck.

I had a sleeve gastrectomy too & had some reflux before surgery. I was also a lot like you in that I spent years not eating & skipping meals so my metabolism was pretty shot & I enjoyed a large glass of wine or two at night. I eat more now than I did before surgery (smaller portions but more frequently) & I’m making better food choices. My metabolism is much faster - I feed it all day long. Only have a drink about once a month, occasionally more often or an extra glass & I don’t really miss it or look for it. I still have reflux but it manifests differently but is generally managed by 20mg esomeprazole everyday. The average weight loss across sleeve & bypass is about the same at around 65% at the five year point. That is 65% of the weight you need to lose to put you at a healthy bmi. This takes in bounce back regain, complacency weight gain, lifestyle choices, medical conditions, etc. As with all statistical data some stabilise at a higher point others at a lower point. The surgery will get you so far. There may be physiological & psychological factors which influence your success but ultimately it is up to you. I lost all the weight I wanted to lose plus more - 137% loss. Wasn’t intending to lose more but it took me while to sort out my maintenance. Been stable for a year now. I made sustainable changes to what I eat & when I eat & came to terms with why I ate. I still have odd days or times I’m not hungry but I still try to eat because I recognise I need to eat for my body to function. Eating because I need to not because I want to was an important realisation & contributing factor to my weight loss & now in maintaining my weight. Not perfect about this though because I do enjoy the odd treat but I’m careful about what the treat is, the portion size & why I’m eating it. Good luck with whichever surgery you have.

I had my gall removed 2 yrs after my sleeve & my gall removal was way more painful too. Pulled & strained muscles, gas pain, etc. Took longer to recover generally post surgery too. Hope you feel better soon.

Hopefully it’s just something as innocuous as having pulled a muscle or similar. It’s easy to do. I did it simply by pulling a weed out of the garden. You’ve also lost quite a bit of weight (congrats) so you could be experiencing discomfort from muscles & tendons relearning how to simply hold your now lighter body. Your body had been holding itself in certain ways to compensate for your weight for years & now it doesn’t have to. Some talk about their balance being off because their centre of gravity had changed. Personally I had upper back pain which was eased by buying better fitting & smaller underwear (though a gender specific issue 😉) If it is either of those things acupuncture may help as may a good therapeutic massage or a visit to a physio.

My surgical team called the first week of the three shake a day diet hell week. You’re breaking a lot of addictions & food dependencies but you usually just have to get through that first week. I thank God I didn’t have to do it this time (done it a couple of unforgettable times in the past for myself). I had to follow keto for about 2.5 weeks. Good luck.

I was allowed green tea because it has low caffeine content - less than a quarter of the caffeine in coffee & about half as in black tea. Watch matcha though as it has a higher caffeine content than black tea. There is decaffeinated green tea available too. Check with your surgeon to see what you are allowed.

Meant to add there are long nerves that run from your lower back & your herniation maybe causing referred pain. Have you had a scan of your back recently to check for deterioration or nerves being affected. It’s unlikely to be from your sleeve this far out from your surgery. Plus you said your doctor couldn’t find a medical cause related to your tummy.