Arabesque

Regardless of how far along I was, I found if I explained I was on a medically restricted diet most places were very understanding. You can ring them before or have a quiet aside with the host/hostess on arrival. I also would check the menu before I went anywhere so I would be able to plan ahead what I would be able to order. Purée stage will be tough, but as others have suggested, choose the soup but avoid any large lumpy pieces of meat or vegetables that may be in it. They may even blend the soup for you. You can only ask.

For me it comes down to portion size, awareness of calorie & nutrient content, & a balanced diet. I guess it depends upon what you consider a variety of foods. I eat a variety of plant & animal proteins (more animal I admit), vegetables, fruit, a small amount of whole or multi grains. No breads, no pastas, or rice or alternatives. Avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners or sugar additives as much as I can (can be challenging cause it’s everywhere & yes I had cake & dessert over Christmas). No carbonated drinks (except for tonic/soda/sparkling water which I let flatten & drink slowly). I drink a glass of alcohol once a month or two. I don’t take any supplements. Since my surgery almost 2 years ago, I’ve had takeaway three times - braised chicken & vegetables twice & steamed gyoza once (ate the filling only). Do I miss it? Nope. I never was a big fast food eater so no loss there either. I cook most of my own food because I can control the ingredients & how it’s cooked & prepared. My decision came down to two things: what I used to do which contributed to my history of gaining weight & the things I realised I just didn’t need. Does it restrict my lifestyle? Nope. I go out to restaurants & socialise with friends & family without a problem. I freeze meals so if I need a quick convenient meal I just defrost something from my freezer. (God bless my microwave.) Honestly my inability to eat spicy food is my greatest problem - it seems they put chilli in every darn thing these days. But this is what’s working for me. You have to work out what works for you. If that means you can have some dessert or takeaway or become vegan or whatever it’s all good. If your diet becomes so restrictive it compromises your enjoyment of your life (i.e. being happy & healthy), you’ll likely fail. Good luck on your journey. Sorry for the long post🙂.

Have to admit I have considered a thread lift only because of the deep marionette line I have on the right side of my face. I’ve had it for ages but it’s deeper now cause I don’t have any fat to puff it out anymore. Lol!

I was alone. The surgeon did keep me in an extra day just to make sure I was stable. Was fortunate as my back went to spasm from a pre existing condition & tension I was holding cause I had a lot of swelling & had trouble swallowing so I had another day in hospital. All was good when I went home on day 4. I just made sure I had all the recommended over the counter meds (gasX, Imodium, pain meds, etc.), prescribed meds, broths, soups, protein mixes, & such I’d need when I got home so I didn’t need to go out nor did I need anyone to get things for me. I had little or no surgical pain by about day 4 & no gas pain at all. Could get about my house with little issue - just carefully. I spent most of my days on my couch resting. My family lives away from me too but I a couple of girlfriends who lived locally rang or txt daily to check on me.

Besides your taste buds changing so too may your sense of smell. So don’t be surprised if the smell of some things turn your stomach too. No idea why it happens but it does pass. I love my vegetables but for a good month or two I could only tolerate steamed cabbage & cauliflower. Was so glad when I could enjoy them again. I also couldn’t stand anything sweet but that was likely because I cut it out of my diet wherever I could. No loss there I still avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners & sugar alternatives as much as possible. The restrictive diet you’re on pre & post surgery can change how sweet or high fat foods taste to you. The thing is not to start eating them again so your desire & enjoyment of them is not reinvigorated.

Was thinking about my mother’s rice pudding yesterday & realised I’d never eat it again. She used to make it, bread pudding or Queen’s pudding on the weekends I went home in winter. All those carbs & sugar. So delicious. There aren’t any alternatives that taste as good. What family favourite foods did you use to enjoy but can’t/won’t eat now?

Congrats on getting your surgery date. Whoo hoo from me too! As to your questions: Nope, you won’t be able to eat as much as you did before the sleeve unless you want to experience discomfort but then would you want to eat that much again? Look where it got you then. I’m 21 months post surgery. There are times now when I can eat a true portion size of food, which fits nicely on a side plate, but most times it’s still less. I can easily eat a single serve of rolled oats, a loose cup of vegetables & 3oz of meat but I can’t eat 2 eggs. Can it be challenging to maintain? It sure can. For me, I had those old habits for almost 54 years. I went out to dinner last week & boy did that dessert menu look tempting. Before surgery, I would have ordered something without thinking if I needed it or if I was already full. Now I made the decision not to - yummy but no thank you. Plus there was no way I could have eaten anything else - I’d had enough. Do I have the odd thing I usually avoid? Sure. Over Christmas I ate dessert one night & had Christmas cake. But I haven’t since. If you persisted in eating larger servings, ignoring the discomfort, you may be able to stretch your tummy after surgery over time. Much like you likely did before surgery over the years. But again, would you want to? Part of this journey is coming to terms with how, why & what you ate before & discovering how this needs to change post surgery to be successful. I hope your surgery goes really well.

29lbs in 6 weeks is great. You’re averaging a good 4lbs a week. In that time I’d only lost about 10kg (22lbs) & that was considered a good rate for my starting point which was less than yours. The general rule is the more you have to lose the faster you’ll lose at first. The rate slows as you get closer to your goal. You’re not going to lose large amounts like they do on My 600lb Life cause they’ve a lot more to lose than you. But when they get down to around 200lbs their rate is more like 15lbs a month. Celebrate every pound you lose. You’re doing well.

Oh gracious don’t be down on yourself that you can eat most if not all foods. Some can just like some can’t. Some our experiences will be the same others won’t. Your experience is still right cause it’s working for you. Don’t get too caught up on comparing your experience to another’s. You’re different people. I could eat most things too without a problem. But every now & them my tummy would throw a tantrum & say No! Not that today. But then two days later it would be fine. As long as your portion size is still within your medical team guidelines, it’s ok. To slow my eating down, I always made sure I put my cutlery down between bites, would sit back or would even push my plate away. I also used to take a bite every 5 minutes. It just helps to make sure the message you’ve had enough gets through. I also would ask myself I’d I really needed that next bite. Not wanted it but needed it. I found this worked for me. There’s a lot of learning on this journey. Discovering what works for you, what eating is & means for you post surgery, etc. Good luck.

I started taking my multi vitamins in capsule form the day after I came home from surgery so day 5. I was able to swallow them ok being a smaller capsule. I did have trouble with nausea even taking them after eating & vomited a few times. I spread out taking them across the day so I wasn’t swallowing them at the same time. But multi vitamins always made me nauseous in the past so I wasn’t surprised it was worse after surgery. I gave them up after 8 months with my surgeon’s knowledge. I was in maintenance at this time. I felt it was better to eat than feel too nauseous to eat or to vomit. It’s been 13 months since I stopped & I get all the vitamins & minerals I need from what I need as my 3 monthly blood tests come back very good. I’m glad because I didn’t want to be dependent upon taking supplements for the rest of my life. Good luck.

Put that dress in your shopping cart now @BayougirlMrsS. Gorgeous. The little crosshatching down the sides just lifts it. Such a cute couple, @JAKE H.

Multi vitamins made me nauseous too even taking them after food. I had two capsules to take so I took one in the am & the other in the pm & it did help some. The morning still wasn’t the best though. Try taking you vitamins at night. We can buy over the counter anti nausea drugs in Australia so I expect you could too. it would be better to take them than drink a carbonated drink this early out. Try a ginger or peppermint tea or ginger root capsules. Most people on this forum just want to help & share their experiences. While some doctors have different programs or timelines for their patients to follow, there are a lot of similarities. Avoiding sugar & carbonation is pretty common especially at the beginning. Sugar makes a lot of people nauseous, including sleevers, & carbonation can at the very least can cause discomfort/pain. Good luck.

I slept most of the day after my surgery. No nausea & the pain was managed by the meds they gave me so didn’t really feel any at all. Slept a lot of the next day too. Couldn’t concentrate on anything. Tried to read. Tried to watch Netflix but couldn’t focus. No trouble strolling around the ward & showered myself on day 2. I was to spend two days in hospital & home day 3 because I live alone but ended up staying another day because my back went into spasm. (Pre existing issue plus holding a lot of tension cause I had trouble swallowing because of swelling.) That pain was terrible. Went home day 4. Took prescribed pain med in the morning but didn’t need to take anything after that. I didn’t have any gas pain. I rolled the waistband of my pants below my incisions because it irritated a bit - sort of uncomfortable pressure. Had no trouble sleeping on my side or partly on my stomach. Getting up & down was ok just took it slowly. Worst was the sudden & unexpected diarrhoea. OMG. Be ready for it.

Honestly, first I had to put my eyes back in my head!! A few years back at a girls’ night, we were a few drinks in & decided to send pxts to a friend who was at a dinner with her husband’s work colleagues & not with us. I sent one of my cleavage. She thought it was a pxt of one of our butts. Sad but true. 😆

Me too. So frustrating to buy, wait for the delivery & then have send it back cause it’s too big or too small. The last two things I bought online were too big. A jacket I can sort of get away with because it’s a wrap but the pants I gave to my niece cause they were on sale & unreturnable. The inconsistency is so frustrating. And don’t get me started on one size fits all. I drown in them.

I always wanted to sleep fully on my tummy but couldn’t cause ... well you understand. I trained myself to sleep with a twist: on my side at my shoulders & then twist my body so my hips & tummy are almost flat on the bed. Mind you I have to twist more to get my tummy to the bed now. 😆

I was almost 54 when I had my surgery & I lived alone too. I looked after myself without a problem. My pain was gone by day 4 & it had been managed easily by the pain meds. I Just had odd twinges after that. I made sure I had everything I needed at home before my surgery. I stocked up on Imodium, gas X, stool softener, broths, soups, protein shakes, hydralite, etc. so I didn’t need anyone to shop for me. My mother knew about my surgery but was having cataract surgery the same day so couldn’t help. I told two girlfriends. One did the to & from hospital run. Both rang or txt everyday & were willing to come around if I needed them but I was fine. But in saying that, our post surgical experiences can be different. If you did need them to help, do your parents live close enough to you to come on short notice?

So funny you’ve started this thread Ms.SSS. Was grocery shopping this morning & a young, very well endowed girl was at next checkout. She was wearing a very low cut top & I swear when she leant into her trolley her unfettered breasts almost escaped. I admit I was a bit judgemental for a moment & then enviously thought mine used to be like that - sigh. But, I don't miss my 18E breasts. Don’t have the problem of clothes fitting me everywhere except across my boobs & no gapping buttons anymore. Best is I don’t have to position them when I get into bed or reposition them during the night when I roll over. My gracious they got in the way some times. And don’t get me started on trying to keep them restrained when exercising. I could put my eye out from the bouncing. Now I just wish they weren’t so empty & squishy soft. I fill out the bottom of my 10E cups fine but the top gapes & gathers. I put a tissue in each side to fill the cups up something I’ve never had to do not even as a teenager! Don’t think I have enough fat anywhere to lipo some & transfer it into the upper slopes. RIP boobies.

I drank hydralite for about the first three months for the same reason - energy boost & the electrolytes. Helped a lot. But definitely call your medical team. Good luck.

I love that green dress on you @BayougirlMrsS & that meals looks delicious. Love fillet steak & also scallops yum! Daisy or cluster rings were popular in the Victorian era. They also used a lot of enamel so your ring may have English origins. Love your sweater with your boots @HealthyLifeStyle & congrats on your weight loss - whoo hoo. Hope your sister has recovered fully. Looking good @GreenTealael. I think your arms look fine too. I also keep my elbows in close to my body That dress is beautiful @Cheeseburgh. Excellent find.

Congratulations on your surgery & your weight loss so far. Don’t worry about your rate of loss. There are slow losers & fast losers but they’re all losing. A lot of factors influence your rate of loss: age, gender, history of weight loss, activity, etc. As for the heart burn, did your surgeon put you on esomeprazole? It will calm your stomach acid which is irritating your healing tummy & also rising as you’re not eating much. (Stomach acid can also make you think you’re hungry when you’re not.) Some surgeons prescribe them for a short time, some for longer as reflux/gerd can be an issue for sleevers. I still take one every day because I had stress & diet related reflux pre surgery. Good luck on your journey.

Congrats on your surgery. Yep, it’s swelling post surgery. I had the same problem. I was spitting up salvia & anything that was barely a sip. Carried a sick bag with me continuously. And don’t get me started on trying to swallow my meds in hospital. It does ease after a couple of days but as Jaelzion said if it persists contact your surgeon.

Congrats on your weight loss so far. I think it takes a lot more weight loss when you are bigger to drop a size than when you’re smaller because you’re carrying so much weight all over. You’ll soon be dropping sizes quickly & then you’ll be thinking but I just bought this & it’s too big now. Believe me it does happen. But as you said those dark wash jeans were tight 50lbs ago & now they’re not. That’s a win.

I bounced around from 60 - 75kg most of my adult life. Tried lots of diets, medications, dieticians, etc. Then menopause hit & suddenly I was 91kg. I was fortunate as the only health issue I had was achy feet & a general lack of fitness but I knew worse wasn’t far away. I woke up one day & decided I’d had enough. I just hadn’t been able to shift the weight & I’d seen the success a friend had had with the surgery. I made an appointment with my GP & less than two months later I was in surgery. So glad I made that decision. Good luck in your journey.

There’s really only one way to get rid of loose skin & that is to have it surgically removed. Your skin has been stretched out and it can’t stretch back. But in saying that there are factors, like age, general skin elasticity, how long you were at your highest weight, how much you weighed at your highest weight, etc. that may mean you don’t have as much loose skin. I have flabby, flappy upper arms but have decided not to have any surgery. I just keep my elbows close to my body. No waving my arms in the air like I don’t care - lol! I even got told I had lovely arms a couple of months ago 😂. You can dress around your arms too. I don’t wear strappy or strapless tops but that’s no bother. I love all the puffed sleeves about at the moment & off the shoulder tops are very flattering. You won’t feel the heat nearly as much either when you lose your weight so a sleeve won’t be as much as an issue. Good luck.