Arabesque

I clearly remember being 7stone at the end of yr 7, 8 stone at the end of yr 8, 9 stone at the end of yr 9 .... you get the picture. I couldn’t understand why my weight kept increasing when I was eating one meal & one snack a day. I wonder about the contradictory messages our medical teams provide. Just spent a weekend with a girlfriend who’s about 3 months out. She told me she’s hardly losing any weight now (less than a pound a week) & says she has hunger pains. I was very surprised by how much & what she’s eating. For breakfast I barely managed to eat two scrambled eggs. She’d eat two poached eggs, two bacon rashes, 1/2 croissant & jam & some fruit. She was even eating dessert at dinner. After some subtle questioning about her progress & experiences, I discovered this is what her dietician recommended she could eat. As well as English muffins & regular muffins. WTF? Her surgeon told her she could stop the over the counter 10mg Nexium so I think the hunger pain is really acid pain. She’d feel better after eating because the acid would be absorbed. One afternoon, I gave her one of my prescription 20mg & she said she the hunger pain went. How do I tell her she’s eating too much & not making good food choices if this is what her dietician has told her? I encouraged her to speak to her her surgeon about the pain & Nexium but nothing else. Even our other friend whose daughter had wls too commented to me on how much & what our friend was eating. I know this is her journey but ... Sorry it’s just I’m upset for her.

Yep. That’s me. Makes it easier to pack when your wardrobe only contains one colour - everything matches lol. You’d have loved it Ms.sss. All inclusive food & drinks. Magnificent views. Perfect occasions for wearing patio dresses (if the weather was warmer). Great friends. Private spa on our deck. Hot stone massage. ‘Would you like another glass of bubbles.’ ‘Yes, thank you & another cheese platter please.’ Surprisingly the rtn helicopter trip worked out cheaper than each of us buying a return plane flight to a regional centre. We enjoyed it so much we’re planning to go by chopper for our next weekend away.

Girls weekend in the mountains. Breakfast on our deck & view. I ate the scrambled eggs only but snaffled one of the fruit & yogurt dishes for later in the day. After pxt of our Ploughman’s lunch. Was to be at a campfire on a rise but way too cold & windy so settled for a lounge in front of the fire on the terrace. I ate so much cheese & drank more than I usually do but it was deliciously wonderful.

Damn hormones! The first time I started to put on weight was when I was 12 & began puberty. Every year till I was about 18 I put on more but was eating way less & was pretty active. Up & down (60-75kg) after that but the last time I put on a large amount (15kg), in what felt like overnight, was when I hit menopause. It pushed me to my surgical weight. Again no change of diet or activity levels. The two years previous to this I had slowly put on weight too (about 10kg) without reason except I was perimenopausal. So yep I think hormones, for me at least, contributed to my weight problems. And now I weigh about 4kg more than I did when I was 12 when the hormone merry go round started.

Girls weekend at luxurious mountain retreat. (Can’t go to Spain as planned so this was our alternative. Glorious though cold: anoraks, gloves & hats. But just had hot stone massage, followed by about an hour in the bubbling spa. Now time for a gin in front of the fire with some Frank crooning in the background. Not a clothing shot but you can see some of the white robe. We did arrive in style. The only way.

One of the issues with rice is it swells in your small tummy filling you up. Rightrice still contains some rice so that would be a concern for me. I notice it has 25g of carbs in 1/3 cup which is a lot for a single serve. The same amount of rice has 15g. I always enjoyed rice before surgery but I haven’t eaten it since & don’t miss it. Same with bread & pasta. I know others can successfully eat it again in maintenance, but I believe consuming carbs from bread, rice & pasta mean weight gain for me. I feel way less bloated. Nor do I feel weighted down after a meal without them. But this is what I’ve found is working for me. You have to discover what works for you. I’d go down the cauliflower rice path if you want a similar texture. You can even use it to make a pizza base.

Some stalls last a week others will persist for two or more weeks. Yes, I said stalls cause this won’t be your only one. Sorry. I liked to think of them as my body taking a breath - taking time to catch up with the changes (diet, exercise, weight loss, etc.). Some people suggest increasing or decreasing your food intake or doing more or different exercise to encourage the weight loss to start again. I took the stick to my path method & the weight did start to drop again. Sometimes it’s not about the number on the scales but about physical changes like your measurements & how you’re feeling in yourself. You’ll get through this fine.

I thought the no steroids or anti inflammatories referred to oral medications because they are harsh on your stomach lining more so if you regularly take them. My surgeon said I could take the odd anti inflammatory if needed. I take one if I have a headache which is very rare. Check with your surgeon to make sure. Best to be certain.

Before surgery I had a tendency towards low pressure, would have energy drops & took longer to get over viruses, infections, etc. After surgery the energy drops did get worse but now it’s much like it used to be. My blood pressure is always low now. So not a lot of change bug picture. We did discover I have Gilbert’s Syndrome which explains a lot about my energy drops & long recovery times. I tend to eat every 2-3hrs, but can go longer, & that helps with the energy drops. (Also, because I’m still in that golden time of a fast metabolism, if I skip a meal or snack a day or two in a row, I can drop weight quickly which I try to avoid.) The hair loss, while challenging to accept at the time it happens, is sort of nothing now. I’d suffered hair loss after a particularly stressful time at work a few years back & it grew back then so I knew it would again this time. I think I’m pretty fortunate about the amount of loose tummy skin I have. I tend to wear waisted skirts & pants & don’t have any concerns with skin pooching. Might be different in hipsters though. I also have a very fitted fine knit dress I wear with ordinary full briefs & tights without any noticeable issue but that is me. My friend swears by spanx & clothing of denser spandex fabric to control her sagginess.

Yep, age, amount of weight lost & genetics will influence how much loose skin you end up with. I’ve lost 90lbs and am 55. For me, the last 20lbs was when the loose skin really made its appearance. I have bat wings (but I did before - they’re just empty wings now), a bit of a saggy belly pooch (a good pinch), a small pinch above my calf muscles behind my knees & a butt that’s more drop than pop. The worst are my breasts (not droopier just empty) and the skin that’s slipping down my inner thighs. The most unexpected is the loosish skin on my hands & fingers. My face looked gaunt with some deepish grooves initially but looks much better now. I’m not intending to go down the surgery path. The healing time & as I tend to scar are negatives for me. Wish I knew they could top up your upper breasts with your own fat before I lost the weight - I would have had some lipo back then & stored it for use now. Lol! I just dress around my arms & thighs. I’d never wear shorty shorts so no loss there & I can get away with sleeveless, but not strappy, as long as I don’t wave my arms about too much. 😁

I haven’t gone back to eating bread & don’t miss it. For me, I don’t want to fill my tummy with bread, rice & pasta but prefer to get in my protein, vegetables, fruit & dairy. Also, I used to eat a lot of bread & rice & believe they contributed to my being the weight I was. Personally, I do feel better without them. I do eat porridge & a single serve of whole/multi grain crackers as a snack with hummus, avocado, etc. most days. That gives me some good carbs & satisfies my desire for them. This works for me. There are low/no carb breads available if you want to try them but as AZhiker suggested: wait until you’ve reached your goal.

Same story as many of you. Years of dieting, losing weight & gaining more than I lost. I know it hasn’t been a long time compared to others & I’m in the golden time, but I have never been able to maintain as I have for the last 7 months since I hit my current weight. Almost 40yrs of skipping meals & dieting killed my metabolism. (And don’t get me started on the 15kg I put on with menopause.) Even though I ate home cooked, generally healthy food 80+% of the time, I’d always put on weight. Now I eat very regularly: smaller portions, reduced carbs & sugar, low fat, limited alcohol. It’s working so far & I haven’t had to compromise my lifestyle. The surgery isn’t an easy fix but it gave me a helping hand & made me examine how & why I ate. I know I’ll have to continue to work at my diet & develop strategies to survive the challenges life throws my way so I don’t sacrifice what I’ve achieved by having the surgery. Is it worth the effort? You bet. Every single day I’m glad I chose to do this.

Oh yeah. Everything seemed to taste terrible & the texture was unpalatable too. I had a very limited diet through this stage. Thank goodness a friend told me she’d poach chicken breast then purée it with lots of gravy. (The salt in the gravy probably made it more tolerable.) I ate a lot of soup & porridge. It was a long two weeks before I could start on soft foods & was able to eat mince & slow cooked stews.

You’ve probably heard all this but are you eating slowly? The time allows you to realise you are full or don’t need anymore before you’ve eaten too much. Are you drinking before, during or after you eat? It could be something you are eating. Your tummy is still healing & is learning to tolerate food again. It will let you know very quickly what it can or can’t tolerate yet. Take it slowly. I couldn’t tolerate anything around my waist for weeks & folded the waistbands of my pants down to low on my hips but I found gently resting my hand on my belly very comforting. I’m sorry it’s the reverse for you. The energy drop is not that uncommon though almost fainting whilst driving must have been scary. You’re not eating much & recovering from surgery. I found diluted hydralite very helpful - took it everywhere to give me that little boost & keep me hydrated. I still get odd drops in my blood sugar if I’ve been rushing about. I usually grab a few blueberries or some grapes to give me a boost now. Also a lot of us experience a drop in blood pressure post surgery which can cause lightness, dizziness, loss of vision (couple of seconds on rising) & blackouts. (I have this many times a day. ☹️) Don’t be afraid to tell your doctor everything you’re experiencing so they can provide the best help. I’d contact them about this sooner rather than later just to be sure. Good luck.

Welcome. It’s a great site. A wealth of information & support. What stage are you at? What surgery did you have/are you having? Have you cut out/reduced your intake of carbonated drinks? Have you reduced your carb intake? I generally eat fresh foods I prepare myself, avoiding a lot of carbs & sugar. (Also I don’t eat any spicy foods but that’s because I’m very sensitive to chilli & curry blends.) Amusingly, I hardly have any wind at all now. Though I thought I’d try adding chia seeds to my diet & that gave me terrible gas as do beans so they’re off my diet - unless I know I won’t be interacting with others for a couple of days😁.

You’re not alone. I found it was because my taste buds changed & some foods (even things I used to enjoy) tasted terrible. Also, I just didn’t feel hungry. I kept my diet pretty simple & repetitive the first couple of months. I gave myself time to heal & break habits & cravings & slowly added new foods to test what my tummy could or couldn’t tolerate. You’ll also find that something you ate successfully for days will make you unexpectedly sick the next. If I didn’t have it for a week or so I could eat it again. It’s a big learning stage. Get your fluids up, have a chat with your medical team (they may want to do some tests), don’t be afraid to go back to having a protein shake to help meet fluid & protein goals & get some nutrients in. Good luck.

I wasn’t eating much as I progressed through the stages - just wasn’t hungry. I would sip on 200mls of soup & a diluted protein shake for for hours. (That was all I’d consume each day.) When I reached the purée & soft food stages I was eating about 1/4 to 1/3 cup over a good 30+ mins 3 times a day. Sometimes I couldn’t finish the serve. (I still take ages to eat certain meals - lunch often takes an hour.) Remember the extra liquids you add to liquidise you’re food contribute to your fluid intake which was one of the reasons I diluted my shakes. But you’ll find you can only eat as much as you feel like eating. I never met my protein goals during the first 6 weeks but my surgeon & dietician weren’t too concerned as it’s like you’re learning to eat again at the beginning. You can’t force yourself to eat. Good luck.

I was allowed very milky, well cooked oatmeal in my purée stage (day 15) but I had to wait until soft foods (day 28) for scrambled eggs & mashed up boiled egg. Your tummy will tell you pretty quickly what it can’t tolerate. Did you get a list of foods to eat at each stage?

Welcome back Sophie. Glad you had a wonderful break at the cabin.Gorgeous cabin. (Loved the bear pxt in the food before & after thread too.) Love, love, love that multi coloured striped dress & that Mr Sophie was wearing a matching shirt. You’re looking very svelt.

That’s a lot of protein for your current weight. Was this the goal given to you by your surgical team or dietician? I’d never be able to consume that much protein in a day. I originally advised 1g of protein per kg of weight but then my dietician told me because I’m in my mid 50s I should be consuming 1.2g of protein per kg of weight. You’re about 57kg so, depending upon your age, 57 - 68g of protein should be fine based on the rate I was given. Of course you need more if you do a lot of exercise esp weights. Do you need more protein because you have a gastric bypass? So interesting, but also frustrating, all the conflicting information we get.

A thermos works for keeping things hot or cold. I loved my small thermos though I used it to keep my soup hot (my surgery was in winter). I got it from Kmart. (500ml bottle of water for size comparison.)

For most of the time I’ve been living in slim/skinny/tight leg pants too, ChubRub (though I do love me some wide legged pants). Yesterday, I went for something different - a gathered skirt! Would have avoided a skirt this full before I lost weight (unless it had a wide yoke). Just noticed you can see all the wrinkly skin on my hands in this pxt - never expected to have loose skin there.

I took a good quality women’s multi vitamin & D3 recommended by my dietician (the brand, Bioceuticals, is stored behind the counter at the pharmacy where the better stuff is kept - well at least it is in Australia). I was getting labs done about every two months to begin & then every three. I also had a couple of monthly tests too. My GP & surgical team would alternate their requests. Some of that came from concerns about my liver function - it’s all good now.

I was two weeks, liquids, two weeks, puréed (sloppy foods - get out the blender) & two weeks soft (mushy with minimal chew - lots of slow cooking) before trying more solid food too. Personally I’d go slowly through these stages & don’t be concerned if you find you have to go back a step. You’ve just had surgery on your digestive system & will be healing for a while. You don’t want to put too much strain or stress on it. Your tummy will soon tell you what it’s ready to tolerate. Good luck.

Congratulations on your weight loss and happy birthday for next week. I love NSVs. They are so motivating & rewarding.