Arabesque

I wasn’t told not to use a straw either & like some of the others I did pretty much from after surgery simply because it helped me sip. I even used them to sip my soup. I only did it for probably the first 2 months as by then I had mastered sipping & knew how much I could manage with each swallow. After that initial period I found it much easier to drink from a glass or cup than anything else. Actually I’ve never really liked drinking with straws or using those sippy cup lids on takeaway beverages but that’s me. Use whatever works for you to get your fluids in. If you find straws helpful use them just be mindful of possibly swallowing more air.

Don’t think the small amounts you eat in the beginning is how much you’ll eat forever. After surgery your stomach muscle is very tight so it can’t tolerate much. But as it heals, and you start to introduce more foods, it slowly starts to soften (not stretch) & is able to tolerate more. I was told, though I began with 1/4 - 1/3 cup from the puree stage, by about 6 months I’d be up to about a cup. Which was pretty accurate for me. I’m 5 years out & from about 2 years, I was pretty much eating a recommended portion size. Check the nutrition panel of processed pre prepared foods and google recommended portions of other foods or ingredients to give you an idea. Generally about 3-4ozs of protein & a cup of vegetables, 2 eggs, a small apple, etc. Some days I can’t/not interested in eating that much, other days it’s the perfect portion. The liver shrink diet is not to actually shrink the liver but the fat around the liver. This is to allow your surgeon to have better vision of & access to your tummy during the surgery. This diet does differ surgeon to surgeon, patient to patient. Generally it’s two weeks of a shake three times a day. However, some are four shakes, others two shakes & one lean protein & steamed vegetables meal. Others are only for a week or a couple of days. Mine was keto for two weeks (I started a couple of days earlier). Some people lose seemingly a lot of weight, others only a few pounds. It’s one of those things linked to how much weight you carry. It can be tough as you may experience withdrawal like symptoms (from stopping/reducing sugar, carbs, caffeine) for about 5 days. Apparently my surgeon’s patients who did the two week all shakes called the first week hell week. While tough, remember it is only for two weeks and the big picture benefits & wins makes it so worth it. All the best with your surgery.

I would avoid the V8 juice because of its low protein content. You need to get your protein in even before surgery (it’s good practice for after surgery too). Why waste those calories on something that won’t benefit your protein intake? You are consuming a lot of fluids which can be adding to any water retention you are experiencing too. Are you peeing a lot more? Give it a few more days for your body to get used to the low calorie, all fluid diet before worrying about the scales. All the best with your surgery. Exciting!!

Are you feeling head hunger or real hunger? That’s the important question to ask yourself when you think you’re hungry. Generally if you’re craving a specific food, flavour or texture it’s head hunger. Are you feeling, tired, angry, bored, frustrated, sad, etc. Then it’s head hunger. Are you hormonal? Head hunger. Did you eat to sooth & comfort yourself before surgery? Again head hunger. The surgery is stressful. You can be emotional & because of the flush of hormones, hormonal. All triggers for head hunger. Plus your head is telling you this tiny amount of food is no where near enough food for you, you need to eat more. Yep, head hunger. Plus the more you think about food & eating the more you want to eat. For many of us, what we always thought as being hunger signals aren’t signals for real hunger. They’re signals for head hunger but they were the ones we always responded to by eating. Real hunger signals are different. For example I feel restless like something is wrong. I don’t immediately think I’m hungry. Actually I usual argue with myself that I’m not hungry until I realise that logically I could be hungry (missed a meal, only ate a small portion or only a snack for a previous meal, has been several hours since I ate, etc.) Distraction is often the easiest thing to do to overcome head hunger. Go for a walk (as you’re able), read, ring a friend or family member, craft, do a puzzle, sip a warm drink, anything to take your mind off food & eating. Stick to your plan & try not to go off course. This is when your new good habits begin & relationship with foods starts to change. You’ve got this.

Vegetables on a chilli are pretty well cooked so I can’t see a problem. I ate well cooked vegetables in soft food. Threw quite a variety in soups, mince dishes, anything I cooked slowly for at least an hour. If you still are a little worried just do a quick blitz with a stick blender, mash with a fork or potato masher or use a sieve to make sure there isn’t anything too dense or coarse. Leaks are pretty rare but you still need to be careful while you’re healing (about 6 weeks or so). Now if you said you’d eaten raw vegetables in the purée or soft stage I’d be saying: no, stop, don’t.

I’m so frustrated & angry for you @ShoppGirl. I would let the surgeon know about the conflicting & contradicting information you’ve been given by the reference materials the office provides & the staff & their reluctance to actually answer questions you have. I would also tell them, you are concerned about the after care & support the team will provide after your surgery. Personally I wouldn’t trust a receptionist to answer any medical questions. All they should do is refer you to the qualified person or offer to arrange to get an answer from them for you. At least your surgeon answered your questions.

I use zip lock bags when freezing all my leftovers & extra serves (my freezer is full of them). Just make sure they’re cool before freezing so they don’t ice up. I reheat in the microwave Sometimes I thaw on the bench others times in the fridge, or defrost & warm in the microwave - depends how organised I am. 😁 I use a 12 x half cup muffin tin.

Doesn’t she know that BMI is widely discredited these days? All it should be used for is as a guide not a rule. One of a number of tests & data sources to inform a person’s health & risk for health issues including waist size, height to waist ratio, blood & glucose tests, dexa scan & any other relevant medical tests. I found these 2 articles with a simple google search (BMI efficacy). There were lots. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/is-bmi-accurate#:~:text=Studies%20have%20also%20shown%20that,is%20inconsistent%2C”%20Russell%20says. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265215

The eggplant lasagne is really just a moussaka. Traditionally lamb mince is used but you can use beef. And use cinnamon & all spice instead of Italian herbs like basil. This is a pretty simple recipe for it: https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/classic-moussaka/88513a78-4b3d-4546-b985-32f4c33382a7# I’m not a great lover of eggplant but the small ones are usually tastier as a side than the large ones but the large ones are best for cooking in things like the moussaka. You can also make the magic quiche (or frittata) as muffins (often called savoury egg muffins or just egg muffins). Some recipes say use 6 eggs but I used 10 so that was almost one egg in every muffin. Great to freeze too. I used to make them a lot (until my tummy said nope I don’t like eggs now) with caramelised onions, roasted capsicum, feta, cherry tomatoes, frozen mixed vegetables (defrosted & patted dry) or whatever I happened to have in my fridge.

Nope. We don’t even call them shrimp. They’re prawns. Shrimp was used in the original ad solely for the tourist market so you’d know what was being barbecued. You were all lied to. 😂 PS - There aren’t kangaroos hopping down our streets either.

I’m pretty simple too - if I can’t do it in 20 minutes not interested (for every day cooking) & I have favourites I cook on repeat. Plus all the leftover meals in my freezer, I actually only cook a couple of times a week. Most is reheating & only cooking vegetables. Honey is like sugar in that it is an added sugar so check with your team as to how much you can have each day post your Sadi. But it’s not.that you’ll be eating it everyday anyway not eating a huge portion. You can always reduce the amount of honey in the recipe if you’re really concerned. Personally, I like honey soy sauce marinated chicken or pork & cook it a couple of times a month. I’d share my recipe but I’m a ‘that looks about enough’ or ‘I’m not adding that much’ of an ingredient cook - a recipe is only a guide not a rule. I’d google easy mahi mahi recipes or easy beef (what ever the cut) recipes & see what looks interesting. It’s what I do sometimes.

Nothing wrong with being a perfectionist or anal @Lilia_90. Your spread looks wonderful.

Knew all these - watch too much American tv I think 😂. Don’t believe 3/4 of the Aussie slang people stereotypically think we use like I’ve never said gidday to anyone or called anyone a cobber (a friend). Most aren’t commonly used at all or haven’t really been in use for a long time. Many words are abbreviations or shortened forms of words - we’re great at doing that. Like cossie is short for swimming costume. In general, we’re more English in our vocabulary (& spelling). Except the young ones are adopting more & more Americanisms.

To further add to your confusing vocabulary from other countries @SleeveToBypass2023, we call them togs, cossies, swimmers or bathers in Australia. It depends upon what state you live in or what school you went to. 😁

My mum used to make a delicious tapioca pudding as did the woman I boarded with when I was at college (now that’s a long time ago). I can’t imagine drinking them in tea. . Now eating them in a custardy dessert yum. Though like you I’d probably struggle with them too now.

My plan was no caffeine but I could have herbal or green tea from day one. I only drank green tea anyway so I didn’t even ask when I could have caffeine again - ha! Caffeine is supposed to reduce the absorption of iron by about 60% (can be more or less depending upon your iron source) if you drink a caffeinated drink while eating or taking your iron supplement. Some studies advise waiting 30 minutes before drinking your caffeinated drink others say two hours. And yes, it can aggravate your tummy. It’s one of the drinks to avoid if you have reflux/GERD or an excess of acid (which we do for a while after surgery). Reflux is one of the reasons why I gave up caffeine years ago. That & not sleeping well. As always check with your team for their recommendations.

Don’t buy too much @ShoppGirl. I found it very salty & couldn’t eat it thanks to the change to my taste buds. You may be fine with it but if you can’t tolerate it, freeze it if it’s fresh or opened & use it as a soup base instead of stock in puree or later stages.

Temporary hair loss is very common after surgery. Your body is going through a lot is stress: the surgery, reduced food intake, weight loss, anaesthetic, hormonal flushes & changes, etc. The result is a temporary acceleration of your natural hair loss cycle. It actually can occur after child birth, periods of extreme stress, other more major surgeries, etc. The hair you are losing is dead & you were going to lose it anyway just not as quickly. You can’t stop it. Or slow it down. Some people will suggest adding additional supplements but this period of hair loss still lasts about 4 month -/+ regardless of taking the additional supplements or not. Those supplements won’t help hair that is already dead. As long as you’re taking the vitamins your team recommends & are meeting your protein & other nutritional goals, you don’t need to do anything else. Your new hair is still growing just at its usual rate & it is only this new growth that may benefit from the supplements. How much you’ll lose is very individual & you can’t predict it. You may lose more if it’s summer (when we usually shed more hair) or if you are in your 7 year hair shedding cycle (just went through mine again & was losing a lot more than usual). Try cutting off some of your length if you have longer hair. Many of us do this so the new growth reaches the length of the old growth more quickly. And shorter hair is always bouncier & looks fuller than long. I decided some temporary hair loss is a small price to pay for the benefits of your weight loss. Oh, and try not to stress too much - it only adds to the stress your body is already under which influences the hair loss. PS: You can update your weight by scrolling to near the bottom of this page. You’ll see a section titled Together we have lost… Add your current weight & click Update Your Weight. It will display the next time you start a thread or respond to a post.

While being well informed yourself is very helpful, sometimes it can mess with you causing anxiety, fears & doubts which is where you are at the moment. I know you have been worried about this surgery for a while now though it did seem you had decided it was the way to go recently & were more confident about it. Have you thought about speaking with a therapist (not sure if you are or not) if only to rebuild your resilience and may be to help you look at the information you’ve found more clearly so you can ask your surgeon the best questions. But, yes in the meantime it may be best to avoid googling. We just don’t have the medical knowledge & understanding to accurately apply the information you can discover to your specific situation & needs. As you said, your surgeon wouldn’t have suggested or recommended this surgery if they didn’t feel it would work for you. And as @catwoman7 said, your team will have strategies in place to monitor & mange any issues that are possible with the surgery like malabsorption with blood tests & adjusting your supplements & dietary recommendations. All the best.

I’d join you for a cup of tea @GreenTealael. In fact I’m sipping my daily green tea right now. You look very cute sitting there in what almost is a little flower bower.

I’m Australian so our English heritage meant I understood them perfectly. We use whinging a lot but take the Mickey not as often. 😁😁 That’s damn ridiculous @MrsFitz. All of it: the inconsistent dispensing & contradictory stockpiling justifying for it, the system they use not coping with a brand name change, poor delivery of vital medications, etc. You have every right to complain about the situation. Hopefully they can sort it out quickly & you’ll have your meds soon. PS - Reminds me of when I had my gall removed & my medication (new boxes bought from home), which were locked away, were not returned to me when I was discharged. They organised a service to deliver them to me but of course they never arrived. The service claimed they tried but I wasn’t home. I didn’t leave my house for two weeks. Asked for them to be taken to my surgeon’s rooms at the hospital so I could collect them at my follow up appointment. Of course they didn’t. I had to walk what felt like 20 miles up & down floors, building to building, wing to wing to get to the ward I’d been in & then they couldn’t find them at first. There was about $150 worth of meds so I was not letting it go. Oh & then I had to walk back to get to my car to leave. And I was made to feel like I was inconveniencing them.

How frustrating. No winder you’re upset. Unfortunately this is becoming all too common - poor service & follow ups by doctors & their staff. Add in the difficulties actually being able to source meds - it can be a nightmare. Have you tried asking for E scripts that are sent to your phone? Then you show the text to your pharmacist or ask your doctors to email the scripts to you. At least that way you know you have them. Can any of your meds be doubled dispensed? That is you get can 2 months supply dispensed instead of just enough for one month each time. I do this so I’m not always going into my pharmacy & I always have a new box/bottle of meds ready to go in case there is some delay or feck up by the doctors. Though my back up supply for my HRT patch this time. An extra month has not been enough. My pharmacist told me today mid August for delivery. It was supposed to be in stock in May, then June, now … Had to see my doctor for an alternative med but I’ll need another script for that as she only gave me a two month supply.

I call it regurgitating not vomiting because it almost comes up on its own with very little muscle spasming. Think it’s because your tummy is the muscle & it’s smaller so less strenuous spasming is needed. Plus being a smaller ‘container’ it takes less to empty it. And no cramps & sore stomach muscle after. That’s a win to me.

I’d wait until your weight stabilised - you don’t want to have the ring resized again. I had one resized but because I lost more weight it became too big again. It was sized to a H and I need a F1/2 in the end. Though I really can’t get it smaller because of the design of the ring. So I just got ring resizers like @ms.sss. Much cheaper than the cost of resizing a ring. I also wear some rings on different fingers. Of course how successful they are does depend on how much to big your ring is. If it’s your engagement & wedding rings, I’d probably store them safely for now. You can always buy an inexpensive dress or costume rings to wear in the meantime or could be a god excuse to get new rings. 😉

If only @ShoppGirl. But once the photo is approved it becomes your photo. If you take another it has to go through the identification process again. Sigh! Thankfully I don’t usually have to show my licence often so if it’s a crappy pxt it won’t be seen often. I wonder what will happen with all those young girls with their over filled sausage lips & chip monk cheeks & the eyelash extensions that half cover their eyes. That’s going to be interesting. Lol! Hopefully you have a better system in the US so you don’t have to go through this @Tomo. I admit I considered only getting a one year license but waiting in the queue again & all the kerfuffle & the comparatively additional cost for a one year vs 10 year license put me off.