Arabesque

I blanched all these yummy green vegetables for our Christmas Eve feast. Tossed them just with butter, salt & pepper & let their goodness shine. Had races eating the beans & asparagus with my 3yr old nephew. Num, num, num, num, num. 😁

I added whole & multigrain snacks & a bit more fruit (twice a day instead of once). I also found by maintenance I was eating a little more. Still small portions & less than a ‘recommended portion size’ just a few more vegetables, a little more protein. Hummus on multigrain crackers is a better snack that will add some calories. I use non diet dressings on my salads too like Hop_Scotch. Have a chat with your dietician for some nutritious additions to your diet. Mine suggested enriching my milk by adding milk powder. I do this if I make chia pudding. Extra protein as well as calories. Honestly, I’ve struggled to find the right balance so I don’t lose more or gain. It doesn’t take much for me to lose & the trend to head downwards again. So don’t be surprised if it takes a while to find the right balance for you to stabilise though it may be easy for you. Good luck & congrats on your weight loss - whoo hoo!

It always worries me when people ask will they still be able to eat ‘real food’ or eat like a ‘real person’. It is real food you are eating & will eat. It’s just healthier & more nutritious than you likely ate before. Remember the food you used to eat contributed to the weight you were when you decided to have surgery. You are a real person too. You just have to choose food that enables you to lose weight & then maintain your weight. But we’re all different & what works for someone else may not work for you regardless of their weight or if they’ve had surgery or not. While in the weight loss stage, especially the early stages, yes, you will be on restricted diet. But once you reach the third & fourth month post surgery you will be testing what foods your tummy will or won’t tolerate, exploring healthier food options & healthier cooking methods. Yes, your portion sizes will be small, they’ll be protein heavy & you may need to include supplements or shakes to meet your protein goals but this will settle in maintenance. You’ll still be able to eat out & socialise with friends. You just may have limited choices during your weight loss phase. I’ve been in maintenance for a year & I just eat smaller portions. (Most people eat very large servings of food that are above recommended portion sizes so your meals may seem really tiny.) I really don’t make or eat meals that are different to other people. There are foods I avoid or limit because they don’t work for me or contributed to my weight gain in the first place but I still have lots of food options. Sure I don’t eat bread, pasta or rice but there’s always alternatives on menus if you’re out. It doesn’t stop me dining out, eating with friends, or hosting dinner guests. I ensure I get all my nutrients from the food I eat not from supplements, shakes, or alternative foods like low carb breads or plant based proteins, etc. I can eat any meats, vegetables & dairy products. I can eat most fruits ( though some are a bit hard on me like mangoes). I eat small amounts of whole or multi grains. I avoid a lot of sugar & sweet foods. I don’t eat spicy foods because I have a sensitivity to them but I’ve always had that so no change there. This is what’s working for me. Congratulations on starting your journey. Good luck.

I only drink hot tea. No sweetness either. Sorry, but even the thought of iced tea makes me shudder.

I know green tea is promoted as an aide for weight loss but the reality has not been true for me. Believe me 17 odd years of drinking it did nothing for my weight. Lol! Maybe it does if you drink green tea instead of ice coffee or hot chocolate or carbonated drinks, etc. I started drinking it for the anti oxidants & low caffeine.

Think it was likely the amount of walking so early out post surgery. Your surgeon’s comments re sticking to your diet to lose weight is because exercise only accounts for 20% of any weight loss max. Though it does help with general fitness, muscle tone, strength & general well being. 😁 Congrats on your surgery & good luck on your journey.

Having weight loss surgery is a huge change to your life. And for some, even though they thought they were ready & understood the changes that would occur, the reality of life after surgery is a shock. This is where you are now. Yes, it does get better. You’ll get used to & accept the changes to how you eat, how much you eat & what you eat. Everything is strange & confusing at the moment especially in the first few months. Give yourself time to come to terms with everything. Things won’t be exactly the same as they were but if they were you’d be exactly where you were before surgery. You’ll have ups & downs on the way but remember why you wanted to have the surgery in the first place. It is a journey: a lot of learning, self reflection & discovering what works for you. Look at the wins as you see the scale go down, your clothes becoming looser & improvements in your general health. What you’re likely experiencing now is not real hunger but head hunger or emotional hunger or even just feeling hungry out of habit. Remember most of the area that produces the hunger hormone has been removed. You can do this.

Congrats on your weight loss so far. Whoo hoo! There are many reasons why you didn’t put on weight during your sabbatical but the main one that temporarily occurs as a result of our surgery is a faster metabolism. Mine is still going pretty dang fast but I don’t know how long it will last but it will slow again. The down side is that it lulls you into a false sense of security - that you can eat more & not gain. I can understand why you upped your intake after your surgery & in a way you were likely consuming enough to maintain. These last few pounds are likely to be the hardest to lose because you’re so close to your goal but you can do it. Focus back on your protein & fluid goals & portion control. I agree with Betty1971. Don’t think as this as a diet but just how you eat now: highly nutritious, healthy food. Good luck.

Congrats on your surgery. Whoo hoo. It always surprises me the different post surgical diets people are given. I wasn’t on puréed foods until week 5. Follow the plan you were given but don’t be surprised if something on the plan upsets your tummy - just avoid it. As Gradycat said take it slowly. And if you feel you’re struggling, never be afraid to go back a step. Potatoes are a starch which provide energy but if you don’t use that energy it will be converted to fat. The same with all carbs. This is why many of us are told to avoid them during our weight loss phase. Plus the fat you add when you mash them isn’t the best. They weren’t on my post surgical diet from either my dietician or my surgeon. I still avoid potatoes at 19.5 months out as they tend to sit in my tummy & consume very few carbs (except for whole or multigrain crackers or rolled oats). My 2.5week pre surgery diet was keto but all the reading I did & conversations with my dietician suggested keto was good as a kick start but because of the high fat not good long term. Don’t worry too much about fluctuations. Fluid retention, constipation, etc. will up the number on the scales. Plus you know sometimes it’s just our bodies. We can eat & drink exactly the same thing one day to the next but can gain or lose. As long as the your general weight loss trend is going down you’re doing well. (Ignore when you have a stall of course.😁) Good luck on your journey.

I’ve been drinking green tea for about 17 years because the caffeine in coffee was just killing me. It has about a quarter the caffeine of black tea & yes you can purchase decaffeinated green tea but it still has a small amount of caffeine. My surgeon was very happy for me to continue drinking green tea from right after my surgery probably because it’s lower in caffeine & I don’t drink multiple cups each day. I drink about 300-350mls a day around mid morning. Adds to my fluid intake too. But check with your surgical team.

Congrats on your surgery. Constipation & random diarrhoea is common during the weight loss phase. My first bowel movement after surgery literally just ran out of me on day 3. It was horribly embarrassing. They were giving me a very strong laxative in hospital but I stopped when I got home cause I felt it was too harsh & didn’t want any more experiences like day 3. Then I think it was a couple of days later before I went again. Catwoman7 is right: you really haven’t been consuming much so there’s nothing much there to pass. I added benefibre to a shake everyday & then if I got to three days without going I’d take a gentle stool softener. I was happy if I went every two days. Things went back to normal when I was eating more in maintenance. Good luck.

You can only eat what you can eat. There was no way I was eating 800 calories even close to maintenance. You will find you slowly increase your portion sizes as you progress but don’t force your self. As you increase your activity you likely will be able to consume more too. As I always say: listen to your body. It will tell you pretty darn quickly what you can or can’t do, or can or can’t tolerate. You have to discover what works for you. Aim to keep meeting your protein goal. Take you vitamins. Monitor your blood work & adjust your diet accordingly. Don’t ignore your dietician but maybe that their advice as guidelines rather than rules you have to follow. I’m not tall either. Nor am I overly active. There’s no way I need the same calories as someone who is very fit & active & 6 inches taller. But that’s my opinion. Good luck.

I eat very much to routine most of the time i.e. to time. I also don’t mind if I take an hour to eat a meal. It’s how I ensure I meet my goals & get in enough food during the day. There’s no rule to say you have to eat all of your meal in one sitting. As long as your meeting your goals each day. Skyewolfe’s suggestion to eat 4 or 5 smaller meals is a good one as is Mr Alley Gator’s of trying nutritionally boosted shakes to sip during the day. Give them a go. Different things work for different people. You just have to find what works for you. Have a chat with your medical team about your reluctance to eat. They may suggest you speak with a therapist to work through why you’re feeling this way. Good luck.

Unfortunately negative comments from our loved ones always hurt the most. I think it’s because we want them to be happy for us. I’m sorry your mother is being so hurtful instead of being supportive. I think you do have to be selective about what you tell different people. I have a competitive friend who almost always asks what I weigh, what size I’m wearing, etc. I give her the most basic response: Maintaining. About the same as I was. My dietician’s happy with my progress. Etc. (She doesn’t know I had surgery.) You can always share your progress with us. We’ll celebrate every pound you lose.

This sounds much like acid hunger. It’s not a real hunger. Just the acid increasing in your tummy. It disappears when you eat because you’re using the acid to digest the food. Are you taking esomeprazole? Some surgeons don’t prescribe it. Some only for a short period. Mine told me I’d be on it forever as I naturally produced a lot of stomach acid & suffers from stress related reflux. My friend was having the same problem & was snacking a lot. I suggested she start back on her esomeprazole because it sounded like stomach acid & her problem went. Have a chat with your surgical team. Good luck.

Welcome. Lots of great information here & lots of helpful advice. So sorry your surgery was delayed but very happy tomorrow is your day. My surgery was the best decision & I’m sure yours will be too. Good luck. PS. Hope your daughter is ok.

I guess the first question is is it really hunger? There’s lots of things that make us think we’re hungry but we’re not: head hunger, emotional hunger, habit eating hunger, etc. Even when acid builds in your tummy you can think you’re hungry. A lot of the part of your tummy that produces the hunger hormone was removed in your surgery. But, all that other stuff that drove us to eat, mentioned above, that are often more powerful, are still there. That’s why doing the head work is important. There’s a lot of learning as we go through this process about why we eat, when we eat, what we eat, etc. Ask yourself do you need to eat something or just want to eat something. I still often just don’t feel hungry & my real hunger feels different now. I feel restless, hallow & I often don’t realise that’s what’s wrong for a while. I was told to avoid carbs because they slow weight loss, fill you up more quickly & many aren’t nutritionally rich. I don’t know about whether they make you more hungry. Portion control is very important. If your meals are 2-3ozs or quarter to a third of a cup & predominantly protein you’re on the right track & you won’t be stretching anything. You’ll work it out & there’s a lot of people on this forum willing to share their experiences & offer advice. Good luck.

It’s pretty common for foods you used to enjoy suddenly tasting terrible. I loved asparagus but post surgery it was disgusting. Don’t worry, your taste buds do return to normal in a few months. I’d didn’t experience the issue with smell but a lot of others have. Don’t know why it happens though.

I’ve watched two episodes so far and it’s great. The truthfulness in those voices ... inspiring. And such honest reactions from the ‘judges’: no performances just for the camera. I don’t know how they’re going to choose. Thank you for recommending the show. I’m looking forward to watching the next episode.

I’m jealous you’ve kept your luscious hour glass figure @BayougirlMrsS. Mine’s gone. Sigh. That green dress is fabulous. Great find. And with boots - gorgeous. Baggage handler @ms.sss. Hilarious. Gotta love the kid. I like the black jumpsuit. I like that fabric you’re using in your foyer project @Sophie7713 especially the touch of pink which is lovely with the green.

That fish stew looks dang delicious. Is there anywhere to eat beside the couch?? 😂 Happy anniversary Sophie. Should we expect Mr Sophie’s Christmas cookie care packages in the mail soon? Tee hee!

Are the pain meds prescribed by your surgeon managing the pain? If not, ring his team. We all experience pain differently. Unfortunately some suffer for longer while others experience less pain for a shorter period of time. I was fortunate, I put aside the opioid I was prescribed on day 4. Took an over the counter pain med on day 5 which I didn’t really need then nothing. Remember, you’ve had a big chunk of your stomach removed, so pain is to be expected but it should be able to be managed by the medication prescribed you. Good luck.

I tend to scar badly & I’m very fair too. I used bio oil on my scars & honestly I have to really look to find them. They are just tiny faint lines now. I couldn’t tell you when they faded to this point but I remember having trouble finding them to show a friend about to have surgery about 7 months ago. But remember we all heal & scar differently. So you may have a different experience.

I had five incisions in line with my belly button. They were small 10-15mm. They healed over a couple of weeks. I used bio oil too & now I have to look hard to see the scars: they’re little faint lines. Yes, you’ll have saggy skin. It stretched out carrying your weight. Factors like your age, gender, genetics, how long you were at your highest weight, how overweight you were all impact how much sagging you’ll have. As catwoman7 said saggy skin is better than being obese & unhealthy & you can have skin removal. I didn’t have much loose skin when I reached my goal weight but I do have more on my upper inner thighs & upper arms now that I’ve lost more. I just don’t wear short shorts or strappy or strapless tops. I’m just wearing ordinary cotton hipster briefs under this dress. Oh, & my breasts are pretty deflated. Walking is excellent post surgery. Start walking at the hospital to help get rid of the gas they fill your abdomen with during surgery. Your surgical team will probably advise when you can start to increase your activity or introduce other options. I was put on a keto diet for 2 1/2 weeks pre surgery so I can’t advise on what your diet requires. Your dietician or surgeon should have given you a plan to follow. Good luck.