Arabesque

Don’t worry I’m not a crazy anti vaccer (I get the flu vaccine every year & have most of my life) & it is my intention to get it. First I was not eligible - too young (that doesn’t happen often these days!). We only have Pfizer & Astra Zeneca in Australia. A friend in medical research recommended the Astra Zenaca over the Pfizer because of the risk Pfizer may not be stored at the required very low temperatures. Then the stuff came out about AZ & clotting (& I’ve had a clot), then they said though Pfizer had to be stored at low temperatures it could be transported at higher temps (🤷🏻‍♀️). Then they said it’s a different sort of clot from AZ, then supplies dropped off for the Pfizer vaccine, then I had surgery, … Just not been straight forward. Anyway I’m intending to get the Pfizer when supplies are in at my doctor’s in a couple of weeks. We’ve been very fortunate in Australia & haven’t had many cases of COVID in comparison to other countries & even fewer deaths (think it’s about 30 000 cases & 900 deaths - still too many though). It has been heart breaking to see it’s impact around the world though. I get frustrated by those who refuse to wear masks & complain when we go into lockdown even for just three days. I’m also amazed at how many people don’t bother with sanitisers anymore, lean all over counters & hand rails, invade your space, etc. Sometimes, I want to slap them & remind them it’s not about their rights as an individual, it’s about the rights of the entire community to be safe & healthy. The needs of the many …

My understanding is that cool sculpting only affects fat cells & is for only minimal fat reduction. It’s been around for a while now. https://www.healthline.com/health/coolsculpting-does-it-work I only know of one person who underwent treatment for fat reduction on her hips & thighs - a local radio personality. I thought she looked pretty much the same in her before & after pxts. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Your skin is loose because you’ve reduced how much fat you carried which had stretched out your skin. If the little fat you have left in your ‘pooch’ is reduced further the emptier & more loose your skin may become. The only way to remove loose skin to to surgically remove it. I’m sorry this surgery may not be an option for you. Personally, I choose not to have skin removal surgery. I didn’t have a lot but it does ooze down my inner thighs & underarms & I have some sag on my tummy. All of it can be covered successfully by my clothes & I can wear fitted body con type dresses without a problem. Yes, there are somethings I can’t wear but I’m past super short shorts & skirts, boob tubes & bikinis. Honestly some days I look at my loose skin & wish it wasn’t there but then I remember how hard I worked & still work every day to get this loose skin. I earned this loose skin. It’s my gold medal. But that’s me. You have to do what makes you happy.

Hate to tell you but the only way to get rid of loose skin is surgery. Sad but true. Think of your skin as a hair band you’ve stretched out from lots of use. Ain’t nothing going to make it shrink back to how it was when it was new. Your skin is elastic too. How much loose skin you will have depends on many factors: age, gender, highest weight, how long you had been obese, genetics, etc. Doing weights will help fill in some of the loose skin & strengthen & refine your underlying muscle structure but it won’t make the loose skin disappear. Most of those ‘beauty’ type treatments like needling, radio frequency, uv lights, etc. only offer temporary fixes. Stop them & the effects disappear. When you near/reach your goal you may look a little gaunt but don’t worry this does improve. For about 12 months after I reached goal (& when I kept losing) ‘well meaning’ people often asked me or my family if I was unwell. But once I stabilised about 7 months ago, the comments stopped. My remaining fat seemed to redistribute. My butt isn’t quite a saggy & my face looks fresher & fuller. So don’t rush off to do drastic treatments. Give your body a chance to settle. I rather have my loose skin then be the weight I was.

I used to have a large glass of wine every night. I loved gin & scotch & champagne & a good martini. Since surgery I only have a drink about once a month. I don’t miss it at all. My friends all enjoy a drink or several but it doesn’t stop me socialising with them at all. I spend time with them to spend time with them not to drink. I take ages to drink a glass of alcohol now & often don’t finish it all. Sometimes I agree to a glass but only have a sip or two & really just hold the glass. I had my first drink at about 6 weeks post surgery - my cousin’s 40th. It took me hours to drink that gin & tonic - at least the tonic became super flat. My taste buds have changed & a lot of alcohol is too sweet now - even non sweet alcohol. Honestly I don’t enjoy it in the same way. I don’t enjoy champagne much anymore - the shock the horror! I haven’t had a martini in two years. I find gin & tonic best because of the bitterness of the tonic I think. I had my first scotch last month (I always drink it neat) & it was ok.

Wow? Too thin to give blood? I didn’t know that was a thing either. My uncle is sometimes told no if his BP is too low - guess they don’t want him collapsing on them! Well there you go there’s a 50kg minimum in Aust. Must be the same in Canada. To donate blood, the minimum weight is 50 kg. We need you to be above a minimum weight because the amount of blood your body contains is related to your weight and height. If our standard donation represents too high a volume, it's not safe for you to donate. Makes sense.

You would have to be very large portions very frequently over a prolonged period of time to stretch your tummy. And certainly if you had stretched your tummy this close to your surgery you would have had issues with torn stitches/staples & you’d know about it. How much have you lost since your surgery? How much were you expecting to lose at four weeks? A lot of people have very unreal expectations of how much weight they should be losing based upon programs like My 600lb Life. They lose large amounts of weight because they had large amounts to lose to begin. In my first 4 weeks I’d lost about 8kg (about 17lbs). This was a pretty reasonable amount for my height, weight, age & gender. Have you experienced the three weeks stall (though it can happen at week 2, 3, or 4)? With a stall, which is extremely common, you may not lose for anywhere from a week to 3 weeks. It’s just your body coming to terms with all the changes. You will start to lose again & you will likely experience stalls again as you lose. Ask your medical team for portion size recommendations. Most recommend 1/4 to 1/3 cup to begin but there are variations. Some are given caloric goals. Personally, it would take me three days to eat 2 scrambled eggs so three meals but some can eat more. I still think you should be eating a wider variety of foods to get a broader range of nutrients. Sweet potatoes are very low in protein. Are you meeting your daily protein goals? Are you tracking the caloric & nutritional content or your food?

I went the swim shirt & shorts route. I’m very fair so the more sun protection the better for me.

I coloured my hair every four weeks over the three odd months my hair was shedding (gotta hide the greys) but my hair was not being lightened which can damage the hair strand. If it did any additional damage or prolonged the hair loss I don’t know. I’d have an conversation with your colourist & may be just do a few strategic highlights & not a head full.

You should be pretty healed by then but certainly check with your surgeon - they all have different restrictions. Can you use a wheelie bag? You may experience some periods of low energy so take some electrolyte drinks or powders with you. Build up your walking stamina in the weeks after your surgery. Start slow & see how you go.

At a month post surgery, I would expect you would be on soft foods & eating a much wider variety of foods than just put eggs, sweet potatoes & a shake. At the soft food stage I was eating minced meats dishes, thick meat & vegetable soups, slow cooked stews, rolled oats, yoghurt, soft poached fish, scrambled or mashed boiled eggs, …. As long as it’s moist & doesn’t require a lot of chewing you’ll be fine. Even if you were still on purées there’s a lot you can eat - just keep it sloppy. What does your plan recommend for each stage? If you didn’t get a list of recommended foods from your medical team, ask for one. Yes, your tummy can be pretty fussy to begin. If a food upsets you just give it a break for a week or so & try again. Some people struggle with chicken (usually the breast cause it’s too dry), others with beef. Turkey was too dry for me. Some can’t tolerate eggs. Others don’t have problems at all. If avocado is making you burp & it felt like it was stuck, I’d give it a break for a while or at least make it sloppier with more lite Mayo or lite sour cream, etc. You don’t want to be straining your still healing digestive system. Vomiting is not the only signal, you’re not ready for a food yet. It’s just the most dramatic one though many of us don’t vomit but just get the foamies (excessive saliva that you spit up). That stuck feeling, tightness across your chest (restriction), excessive burping & gurgling, etc. can mean you’re eating too quickly, the food is too dry, or your tummy doesn’t like it at the moment.

Congrats on your surgery. It’s not uncommon not to feel full in the liquid stage. It’s because nerves were affected during the surgery & they have to heal. More importantly fluids go through your digestive system more quickly & because you should only be sipping, not drinking large quantities at a time, you’re not really even near filling your new smaller tummy before the fluids are emptying. The purpose of the staged return to solid foods is to protect your tummy after surgery & allow it to heal. You have a lot of stitches &/or staples internally & they need to be able to heal without having undue stress being placed upon them. And yes, a lot of the not feeling satisfied is in your head. We’ve all been there in one way or another. You’re not alone. There is a difference from feeling full & realising you’ve had enough & stopping before that full feeling kicks in. It takes time for the fullness message to get through (it’s one of the reasons we’re advised to eat slowly) so when you feel full you’ve really had too much. It’s all part of learning to listen to your body & not your mind. Just coming to realise 1/4 cup of food is enough can be challenging. It takes time but you’ll get there.

I go to fine dining restaurants often & I only order an entree (your starter). I also study the menu before I go so I know what I can order in advance. I’ve avoided degustation menus since my surgery almost 26 months ago because it’s just too much food. Even though each course tends to be between an appetiser & entree (your starter) in size the amount of food adds up quickly. Plus the plates tend to come out quickly pushing you to eat too fast. Since COVID a lot of restaurants in Australia only offer set menus which does restrict where I can dine unfortunately - I’m not paying $100+ for 2 or 3 courses when I can only eat one. Look for a restaurant offering an a la carte menu for your anniversary - don’t delay your celebration.

I think the story that 10lb equates to a dress size refers to when you’re at or near your healthy BMI range. I remember when I’d lost my first 14kg (30lbs) my clothes were just looser. There were a couple of things I could wear that were a size smaller (from my multi size wardrobe) but they were a looser cut. Also we all carry out weight differently & we may notice a top is looser first but not the bottom or vice verses. My butt seemed to get smaller first & I had a lot of baggy ass pants that still fitted me around the waist. Now a couple of kg can put me up or down a size.

See you’re being very patriotic there @BayougirlMrsS & literally flying the flag 😉. The tend to jump on out breaks of COVID in Australia even small numbers @Sophie7713. Better we shut down for a couple of days to try to limit the spread than see it cut a swarth through the population. People have become more complacent which is concerning. We had cases of the Delta strain & unknowingly contagious people were at multiple shopping centres, gyms, cafes, grocery stores, petrol stations, … the list grows every day. I had held off on being vaccinated because of conflicting stories & side effects but intend to get it early next month - still not fully recovered from my surgery (low energy) & I want to be on my A game when I have the first injection.

What about the other B vitamins? They all play a part in breaking down foods to release nutrients & energy. Deficiencies in vitamin D does cause fatigue but aren’t you on a very high dose supplement for that? Has it had any impact yet?

As long as you’re following your plan, you’re on the right path. Of course because your tummy can be pretty sensitive & fussy, especially for the first couple of months, there maybe things on your plan, your tummy just doesn’t like. You can always check in with your medical team/dietician for alternatives. After two weeks most are only on purée foods which are like what you are eating. Purées should be sloppy & require no real chewing. On soft foods, about week 4, you can be eating things like fish (poached is good), minced meats, slow cooked braises, thicker slow cooked soups with meat & vegetables. As long as everything is still moist & doesn’t require lots of chewing. Some people say they’re hungry after surgery but generally this is just head hunger not real hunger. Remember, most of the area that produced your hunger hormone has been removed. It’s likely your desire for food is being driven by cravings, emotions, habits, etc. It’s understandable that head hunger is still driving you after surgery. It’s an emotional time: increased stress & anxiety, fear, etc. You’ve massively changed your diet & cut off foods you relied upon to provide satisfaction or you may have been addicted to like sugar, salt, caffeine, … For many of us, hunger feels different after surgery but I think that’s because it’s real hunger not head hunger. Congrats on your surgery & good luck.

I had a friend who’d had a sleeve & I picked her brain plus I did a lot of research. Originally I had thought I’d just do the band because it was reversible but after the research I was leaning towards a sleeve. I had 31kg I wanted to lose, was almost 54 yrs. Most of my weight was gained when I reached menopause when I put on most of that weight in a year & couldn't shift it. Prior to that I bounced around 60-75kg most of my adult life. My metabolism was really slow too. I killed it from years of skipping meals. (I did that 500 calorie diet for 6 weeks the year before my surgery & barely lost 3kgs.) I had some reflux but had managed it quite successfully for years with dietary changes & only very occasionally needed medication. I enjoyed real food too. Wasn’t a fast food person, not one for pre prepared mass produced meals, only occasionally had a takeaway (no creamy sauces, no deep fried, steamed, grilled, lots of vegetables). My portion sizes were ok - way less than a lot of my friends who often finished my meal. Sure I enjoyed something sweet at night but it would be a couple of sweet biscuits or a cup cake. My biggest battle seemed to be a slow metabolism & then damn hormonal changes. After questioning me about my eating habits, weight gain/loss history & my lifestyle, my surgeon went through each of the surgeries with me, identifying their pros & cons & how they might impact my life. He also wanted to know what I was thinking. He agreed with my choice of the sleeve because I had been managing my reflux with diet already, my lifestyle & history. I’m happy with my sleeve. It was the right choice for me. Good luck with your decision.

Caffeine can be harsh in your digestion why it’s a no for some surgeons. Mine was a no caffeine surgeon. No issue because I switched to green tea 20 years ago to reduce my caffeine intake because the caffeine was affecting my sleep. I used to enjoy coffee but don’t miss it at all. I have about 400mls a day & sometimes it’s decaffeinated. Of course caffeine is addictive - the more you have the more you want & it takes more to get the same effect. If you need caffeine just to walk your dog you may be lacking in something. What are your vitamin B levels like? (As we age our ability to absorb B vitamins decreases.) Are you well hydrated? Look for reduced or no caffeine alternatives that will give you a boost: Chia tea, peppermint tea, golden milk, etc. Try some electrolyte drinks to boost your energy. I added 500mls of hydralyte to my daily fluid intake to boost my energy levels when I was losing - worked a treat.

Congrats on your loss so far. 59lbs is great. Have you taken any body measurements? You’re losing weight from all over your body and body measurements can better show that inch loss here, half an inch there as against looking at your entire body as a whole. Years ago I remember reading that dropping 5kg (11lbs) was a dress size. But that’s if your sitting at or near a healthy bmi. Unfortunately, when we carry more weight we have to lose a hell of lot more to drop a clothing size or for weight loss to be really noticeable. As you know muscle weighs more than fat & if you’re building muscle you’ll also be changing your body shape.

There are lots of right answers to this question. Gender, age, type of surgery, level of activity, calories, type of food, etc. can influence what is an appropriate amount of food to eat. The goal should be to eat until you have had enough (need not want) & not until you are full. Sometimes by the time you’re full you’ve had too much. As examples, at about 4 months I took three days to eat two scrambled eggs, about 2oz of protein & 1/3-1/2 cup vegetable & about a cup of a meat & vegetable soup. Were you given any caloric goals? I was only just given the 1/4 cup starting portion size advice. But I clearly remember my surgeon drawing a picture of a small plate & then drawing two circles saying this is how much protein & how much vegetable I should work my way towards eating by maintenance. It was 3-4oz protein & about a cup of vegetables. Best advice is to have a conversation with your dietician.

First congrats on your surgery. Second, congrats on recognising some of your triggers. Now you know these you can start working out strategies to manage them like how to avoid food commercials. (I record, download or stream most of what I watch so I can fast forward the ads or not get any at all.) It does get easier especially after you pass through these post surgery phases. Once you’re on purée foods and soft foods, try to cook meals that are soft or can be purred but the family can eat too. Freeze left overs in appropriate portion sizes so you can just reheat your meal (reducing how often you have to make separate meals) & still eat with your family. There are always ways to still participate in social events. I had a combined 60th birthday for two of my dearest friends 10 days after my surgery. I took some hydralyte to sip but I could have taken a small thermos of soup or a shake. I only stayed two hours but I was there. I made a zucchini slice I could eat for a pot lunch work reunion two months post surgery. Good luck.

So sorry they’re not being supportive. I didn’t tell anyone in my family but my mother & one brother & his wife because I knew they wouldn’t judge & would understand & be supportive. Have you turned it back on them & asked what research they have done & where they got their information? Is it from recognised & legitimate sources? What medical people have they spoken too? Have they looked at all your medical test results & history? How many people who’ve actually had weight loss surgery have they spoken too (they’ll never be able to compete with the number of people on this forum)? Do they understand the reasons why bypass is the better option for you? Do they think you’re not intelligent enough to make a rational, informed & logical decision about your own health? Why can’t they just say they’re concerned but offer support & willingness to be there for you? Honestly, there are risks. But there are risks with all surgeries & they are pretty low for bariatric surgeries. It can be a struggle to get used to how your digestive system works post surgery but you’ll get used to its idiosyncrasies & discover how it works for you. I hope they can see your position & can be encouraging & not negative.

Love those pants @Sophie7713. Love, love, love wide legged pants. So fresh too in the navy & white stripe. Can’t beat natural fibres in summer. Was that the Eric Bana movie? I’ve been looking at it & deciding if I would watch it or not. I watched Nobody last night with Bob Odenkirk listening to rain on my roof. We’ve had four days of rain (very little in total though), cold & in lockdown. So generally pretty grey all over. Thankfully lockdown ended last night, though masks for another fortnight, & the sun came out today. Beautiful. Fingers crossed for a buyer for your lovely home soon.

Remember, your nerve endings have been affected during the surgery so they may not be as sensitive & able to register you’re full yet. Also did they remove anymore of your tummy during this surgery? If your tummy is about the same size it was before the revision, I would expect you would still be able to consume a similar portion size as you did before. The main purpose of the post surgery diet is to not damage or strain your healing digestive system. Hope you continue to recover well.

I used to say my tummy was like a petulant child who was very fussy & would randomly throw tantrums. For example at about 3 months I was able to eat smoked salmon but at 5 months it was disgusting. I can eat very small amounts now. Don’t know why it changed except it may be too rich. I was pretty tentative introducing new foods into my routine. If my tummy didn’t like something the first time, I’d try it again in a couple of weeks. Sometimes it’s not straight forward to work out what about the food upsets you - too rich, too dry, the texture, the smell, etc. The portion size you are able to eat does increase as you progress. I could barely eat an egg at 6 months but I can eat about 1.5 eggs now. I still eat slowly: 30-60 minutes depending on what I’m eating. I still eat from a side plate too but have graduated to a dessert fork now - lol! I also cut my meat & vegetables before I sit down to eat so each piece is bite size. Don’t be afraid to put down your cutlery & sit back from your table between bites. I also ask myself if I need the next bite or do I just want it. Sometimes, I will start to take a bite but stop & put my fork down again. Sometimes I pace myself by only taking a bite during an ad break, or when I finish reading a page, or complete a sudoku, or every 3 - 5 minutes. They’ve been little tricks that work for me. Good luck.