Arabesque

Oh wow your program stops after three months? I know things are different in the States but I’m surprised they don’t provide support for longer especially when this is a long journey. No wonder you have these concerns. We pay for our own private health insurance in Australia though we also have the government provided Medicare which basically covers visits to the doctor but not procedures. They never cover the cost of everything (I was out of pocket for about 80% of my surgery) but at least they don’t say they won’t support you any longer. We also have a public hospital system but the waiting lists are quite lengthy. I’m still seeing my surgeon’s team in fact I have an appointment on Tuesday. Though I don’t see my dietician anymore she’s there if I need her. I agree with Jaelzion about needing to go back to see your surgeon or dietician. Is there any way to go back even without insurance?

First, congrats on your weight loss so far. 60lbs - whoo hoo. But what do you mean by you starve daily? Are you not eating or feel like you’re not eating much? Are you following your plan, meeting your protein goals, your fluid goals? Are you tracking your calories & logging your food? Have you spoken to your dietician? Sorry for all the questions. Just seeking a clearer understanding. I still wasn’t eating much at 4 months. Couldn’t get through an egg or 1/3 cup porridge at breakfast, barely eat 2.5oz of chicken at lunch (no vege or salad). I can gain or lose 1/2kg in a day if I’m retaining fluid or am constipated.

I’m with your husband Ms.SSS. Can’t do oysters since I they gave me food poisoning many, many years ago. I love danish feta - all soft, creamy & salty but find Greek feta too rubbery. Our tummies tend to be very fussy the first couple of months & often foods we used to enjoy make our tummies revolt. It can be taste or texture that sets it off. Try soups & broths. Even make a hot drink using stock powder/cubes. Can you tolerate eggs? Sprinkle some extra salt on the top. Same with rolled oats, mashed avocado, mashed tinned fish.

Contact your medical team. It may be something simple like a stomach bug but because of our surgeries you have to get this checked out. Good luck & I hope they find a cause & a solution quickly.

My accessory of the day on Monday. Was pretty pleased with my nice puffy vein at my blood test until I started to walk out & whoosh. Blood running down my arm. Never happened before. At least I only had slight discolouration after thought I’d end up with a huge bruise. Had to go back for second test on Tuesday for B1 (surgeon said eat before test but phlebotomist said can’t eat before B1test never a problem before - shrug) & have a bruise from that one already but no bleeding thank goodness.

You made me check my cellulite out but have to admit I couldn’t really see any. It’s all hidden by my crepey, wrinkly, droopy skin. LOL! I didn’t have any varicose veins but the little spider veins on my lower legs are still there. Damn!

They call it hell week for a reason but you will get through it. The headache is probably from cutting things out of your diet like sugar. They often suggest cutting out or reducing your caffeine intake too so if you're still allowed your coffee you have one up on others. 😁 Good luck with your surgery.

I ate a lot of soup after surgery (some I made some I bought) as I didn’t enjoy protein shakes very much & it was nice to have something savoury. I strained & puréed the soup very well through the stages until I was on real solid food though I still took it easy the first few weeks. I went back to only making my own & would let them simmer away to make sure everything was well cooked & soft. I make a lot of chicken & vegetable soup.

Maintaining your loss for 10 years is amazing. You are an inspiration. Menopause was when I put on about 15kg which I couldn’t shift & it’s what motivated me to have the surgery. I’d already put on a similar amount when peri menopausal & couldn’t shift that either. I put on both lots in very short periods of time. Damn hormones! I don’t know if it really did help but I didn’t put on any more weight once I started using HRT. Maybe worth a conversation with your doctor.

Watching others eat in the first weeks out can be challenging & very tempting. You may be craving salt - from habit or need. Try dipping a finger in a little salt & having a taste & see if that helps. If you haven’t yet, try chicken or beef broth as alternatives to protein shakes for a ‘meaty’ taste. Or sip on some warm/hot chicken or beef stock.

Congrats on your weight loss so far. Almost 100lbs - whoo hoo! Doesn’t matter if you’re still deciding if surgery is the right path for you, working through the approval process, in the pre surgical phase, post surgery, maintaining, or multiple years out, you’re very welcome here. There’s a wealth of support & experience on this site & people are happy to help, answer your questions & share. You’re not alone.

First congrats on your surgery. Diarrhoea & constipation will become a regular occurrence but constipation more. Yep, I had the same very watery (& smelly) bowel movement on day 3. They had been giving me laxatives in hospital & I got up to pee & whoosh. No warning either so I hear you. My friend’s surgeon told her to wear incontinence knickers for the first week. Wish mine had told me that. Lol! I also had pain on sipping & had a lot of saliva I’d have to spit out. I carried a vomit bag for days. My surgeon told me it was from swelling from the surgery & it would pass. It did by about day 4. As with anything that seems odd or painful or persists, contact your medical team. Try to meet your fluid goals. Take it slowly. It will be sooo worth it. Good luck.

First, breathe. You can do this. The stress you are feeling won’t be helping & you’re likely holding a lot of tension in your body which will make things harder. I know you’re probably thinking that’s easy for you to say but we’ve all been where you are. My experience may not be exactly the same as yours but we all struggle at times in this journey. It is hard. And it messes with your head & your body big time. Things are very different for you now. How you eat. What you eat. When you eat. Why you eat. Lots of changes & self reflection. But you can do this. At the moment you are healing. You probably still have swelling. Give yourself time. Go slowly & accept some days may seem like a step backwards. Yes. it’s very likely you’ll lose some hair. We naturally shed hair everyday. The surgery & reduced caloric intake speeds up the cycle & you’ll lose more than you usually would for about 2-4 months. (Can’t predict how much you’ll lose & how long it will persist.) It’s scary when it begins but it will stop and your hair does grow back. (There’s new growth happening even when you’re losing you just don’t notice it until there’s some length to it.) And you’ll stall. It’s normal. Your body just needs to take a moment to catch up with the changes. Yes, you’ll suffer from constipation & you’ll celebrate on the days you do poop. You’ll also likely vomit at times cause your tummy just won’t like something. But it’s all ok. Of course if anything persists contact your medical team. Sip & eat slowly. Follow your plan. Please, if you feel any pain or discomfort contact your medical team. You made this decision for a reason: health, family, lifestyle, etc. It will all be worth it. Very soon you’ll reach your first non scale victory. It might be clothing being too big, walking further or more easily, blood pressure dropping...These are big wins. There’s a wealth of support & experiences on this site. Never be afraid to ask for help or advice. Good luck on your journey.

My team also said no snacking except yogurt or cheese. I had yogurt every day. Bonus was they added to my protein intake. I also ate a small amount of fruit when I was closer to goal: watermelon, berries. My other occasional treat was a teaspoon of peanut butter. Maybe once or twice a month.

I was swallowing capsules from day two. Once they removed the drip on day 2 all my pain meds were given to me to take orally. It was difficult for the first couple of days because I had a lot of swelling. I was ok by day 4. My vitamins were in capsule form & I just spread out when I took my meds throughout the day so I wasn’t swallowing several in one go. (The multi vitamins used to make me very nauseous & I’d often ‘vomit’ - not fun.) We’re all different & some struggle to swallow tablets for some time. It will be trial & error to find what method works for you.

I’m sorry you’ve had this turn around in your weight loss & that your surgical team & dietician are not being supportive. Your calorie intake does seem a little high for someone wanting to lose weight with an active restriction. When I was losing I was barely eating 500-600 calories eating about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of food at each meal. but that was me. As Tek suggested, go back to your plan & check the foods you are eating, how much & how often. Weigh your food, count calories, check the nutrients, just to make sure you’re on the right path & ensure you’re meeting protein & water goals. You’re fortunate your restriction is still working. It helps a lot. I hope your health improves & that going off your meds has done no harm.

Congrats on your surgery. At one month post surgery I was beginning my soft food phase. Tek was actually correct to ask what’s on your plan. Your medical team should have provided you with guidelines as to what food to be eating at each stage. If you’re on soft food now look for stews, meals from minced meats, steamed/poached fish, eggs, long cooked vegetable & meat soups, milky porridge, etc. Nothing that requires lots of chewing or is crunchy. It’s a lot of trial & error to see what your tummy will tolerate & what tastes ok to you. It’s not uncommon for our taste buds to change & for foods we used to enjoy to taste hideous. Go slowly. You’ll soon work out what works for you & what doesn’t. In time, you’ll be able to eat most things & they’ll all taste delicious again (for good or bad 😁). Are you on meds for the reflux? Ask your doctor for a script for esomeprazole. I take 20mg every day. It makes a big difference.

So wonderful. Congratulations on achieving this milestone. You’ll be at your goal before you know it. 😁

They call it hell week for a reason. It’s always a challenge to break a habit & at the moment you’re trying to break so many - sugar, carbs, caffeine, fats, sodas, alcohol, etc, etc. & likely suffering withdrawals as well. But you can do this. It will be soooo worth it.

🤣🤣 I thought exactly the same thing, Ms.sss. And there’s your task for the day Greentealael. That’s amazing Jake. The embroidery on the vest & the skirt is beautiful MsMocie. It’s a dying art these days. Did you keep the outfit?

I loved the hardware too & was what clinched the deal for me. The shirt is very similar & is from the same store - Witchery. They always do great tops. Loved the v neck. Not to flaunt my now missing boobies but to make my neck look longer. Lol. Sophie that beach pxt is glorious. What a beautiful place to live.

So glad it’s been helpful. Watch when propping yourself up in bed that you don’t put a bend at the base of your throat as acid can pool there & do damage. Years ago I used to put bricks under the top of my bed - it helped heaps. Some people swear by using a wedge to sleep on.

Aaah, Melbourne has been in extreme shut down for ages so they’re not open for dining. Attica was listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world until last year & Vue de Monde’s been best restaurant in Aust a few times. Honestly, I can’t justify paying $250 -$300+ for a meal of which I’ll eat 1/3 now even if it’s fabulous. Though, at least I’d save on the alcohol part of the bill these days - lol. Last time we went to V de M, we left >$500 a head poorer. Was worth it though.

Firstly, congratulations are your weight loss. So wonderful. Apologies to those who love them, but protein shakes & powders are awful. I just couldn’t tolerate them at all. But, if you eat a balanced diet & include protein in every meal, you shouldn’t need protein powders or shakes. Plus, you get lots of other necessary nutrients eating real food. I aim for 50g a day based on my weight. (Some guideline recommend 0.8/kg, others 1g & others recommend 1.2g if you’re older or very physically active.) I get in about 10g at breakfast, 10-15g at lunch, 15+g afternoon snack (yogurt), 15-20g for dinner. If it’s a low day, may be I missed a meal or snack, or wasn’t hungry, I’ll have a protein bar for a late supper or some chia pudding. My dietician suggested adding skin milk powder to my milk to boost my protein & calories. I find it makes the milk taste sweeter, which I don’t like, but it’s fine for when I make chia pudding. (I whisk a big heaped soup spoon of milk powder in a cup of milk.) You might like to try that too instead of protein powders. I did lose more than I intended when I was trying to find my sweet spot to successfully maintain. It doesn’t take much for me to lose or gain so I’m very routine with what & when I eat. My doctors have suggested I put on a couple of kgs, but as that’s likely to happen over the next year or so, I’d rather not put weight on now & more again later. Plus, I actually have quite a small frame (now all the weight is gone). I’m really happy with my weight & size as it is. Catwoman7 is right. Many of us who do manage to lose 100% of our weight can look almost ‘too thin’ at first (you get told this a lot by well meaning family & friends - grrrr) but everything does settle again in time. Adding a few good multi/whole grain carbs to your diet in maintenance helps a lot. I think as you, & others, get used to your new body shape & size, you start to really see yourself as who you are now & the change doesn’t seem as extreme.

I appreciate your concerns about being able to enjoy dining out post surgery. It was one of mine as well. The challenges for me when dining out is quantity & time. I need time to eat & I can’t eat much. I often find hovering wait staff wanting to clear the table stressful & sets off my restriction more quickly. At least in high end dining the portion size with a main course is reasonable & quite manageable though I still usually order an entree (appetiser). Usually I quietly explain I’m on a medically restricted diet & they’re ok with that though I have been faced with being told I had to order a main as a minimum. My biggest regret is degustation menus. There are many restaurants I’d love to go to but would not be able to enjoy or consume a 6, 7, 8+ course tasting menu. (I wish I’d never put off going to Attica & I’ll never go back to Vue de Monde in Melbourne. Heavy sobbing.) Pre surgery I enjoyed a sweet treat but didn’t have sugar cravings. I struggle with all sweet things now. Simply because of it being dramatically reduced from my pre & post surgical diet. So many things just taste far too sweet. I only eat fruit if I want a little sugar boost. Artificial sweeteners only feed your sugar cravings & there’s so much in foods today it’s very difficult to avoid it. Some sleevers can’t tolerate it at all & dump but it’s more of the exception. There are changes you will have to make to how you eat & what you eat to be successful with your weight loss & then to maintain the loss whether you have the surgery or decide to do it yourself. It is a big decision to have the surgery. You just have to weigh (pun not intended) up the pros & cons. For me, losing the weight & being healthy won out every time & I haven’t regretted it. I wish you luck with whichever path you decide to take.