Arabesque

So glad I did it. Sure there have been odd times when I’ve thought oh if I hadn’t had the surgery I could ... but then I think if I hadn’t had the surgery I’d still be obese. I was fortunate pre surgery in that I wasn’t diabetic, no high blood pressure, no sleep apnoea or other health issues related to my weight, however, I realise that was all probably ahead of me. I‘ve had a few hiccups along the way but generally it has been pretty straight forward. I had some reflux, a very acidic stomach & a lactose insensitivity (thanks to a parasite I picked up teaching in central Queensland). I was pretty successful managing these probs prior to surgery (avoided any food or drink which would aggravate). Post surgery, I don’t think my stomach is anywhere near as acidic, dairy products don’t seem to bother me (the parasite can live in the lower stomach or upper intestines for ever so I wonder if it was removed with my stomach) & my reflux is about the same though I do still restrict my diet. I still get hiccups but no where near as extreme & gurgle a bit but ... shrug. Regardless if you progress with the sleeve or change to bypass, in the long term you will be so glad you had the surgery.

Love that wrap dress @sillykitty. Super flattering. And those abs @ms.sss. There are no words.

Welcome to the sore bones club @darcyjae. My butt aches all the time. At the movies, driving, at the hairdresser. I often wake because the shoulder I was sleeping on is aching. And my elbows pain when reading my iPad in bed... who knew?!?! Oww @ms.sss. Sounds like you need a little more healing time before you start longer distances. Being extra blessed by God (big breasted), I always disliked running. Didn’t matter how industrial my sports bra was & the two extra tight support sports tops I wore over the top, the pain from the boob bounce was terrible. I can only imagine what it’s like after surgery. PS - loved those boots. The one blessing of being menopausal no more PMS @GreenTealael even post surgery. Not that those symptoms are a breeze. Though with the weight loss most of my symptoms have disappeared. I may have had a hot flush last week but it could have been the very high humidity we’ve been having.

I’m 161cm (5ft 3in) and weighed 91kg (200lbs BMI 35.1) at the start of my journey in April & 85.8kg on the day of my surgery in May last year. I hit my goal of 60kg at the 6mth mark. At 8.5mths out I’m about 53kg (116lbs BMI 20.4) & working on maintaining. Initially I was losing 2-2.5kg a week for the first two months but this slowed to 1.5kg and then about 1kg per week. I was very happy with this progress. Your weekly loss rate will be less than those with a higher BMI starting point but you will notice the physical loss & changes more quickly. For me, a 10kg loss was a full dress size drop (almost 2 sizes), people were commenting on my weight loss & the list of non scale victories grew almost weekly. Good luck on your journey.

You are amazing. And look at those perky breasts now. Hubba hubba.

Amazing transformation. Congratulations. (Sometimes wearing your baggy clothes reinforces how much weight you’ve lost. I pull on one of my old dresses when I’m around the house on really hot days. Love flapping it about.)

Stalls are normal and they’ll happen lol along your journey. They can last for a week, two, three or more. Shake things up a bit. Some find intermittent fasting will break it, others increase their intake. Think of them as your body just trying to catch up with your weight loss & new eating & activity habits. It’s just your body wanting breathing space.

The latest in bondage wear 😜

So I’ve just been for a check-up with my surgeon’s offsider. My continued issues with low blood pressure and now poor liver function, high inflammation levels & general weakness are raising red flags. Add to this I’m still losing weight (54.1kgs this morning) even though I’m trying to eat more & more regularly. Plus I’m still losing lots of hair (even my eyebrows are thinning now so I’m having my brows microbladed on Monday). She’s made me an urgent appointment with the surgeon for next week suggesting that he may need to stretch my stomach so I can eat more & get in more nutrients. Yikes 😱. I am eating a little more at each sitting and tend to graze all afternoon slowly eating combinations of fruit, cheese, high protein yogurt smoothies or protein bars. I eat until I feel full. Sometimes I’m just not hungry so I eat to a routine (3 meals & afternoon snacks) to ensure I get in my protein & other nutrients every day & always protein first. I even stopped my exercise program (loose description - I hate exercising so I’m not devastated) because I’m still losing weight - couldn’t afford to burn off the calories. Has anyone had to have their stomach stretched by their surgeon? What do they do? Has anymore has these problems? I don’t want to put on weight again.

Put bricks under the base at the top of your bed (1 layer). I did this for years & it was very helpful. My doctor also told me no high pillows as your neck bends allowing the acid to pool in your upper chest & throat & you get burning & ulcerations. @catwoman7 is right. Avoid coffee, spicy foods, rich creamy & cheesy foods & gassy drinks. But definitely go see your doctor about the reflux. Also ask for a recommendation for a dietician & get a blood test to check your vitamin levels, cholesterol, sugar, liver function, etc. Regular blood tests are essential post weight loss surgery. Good luck.

Normally this brand has about 11g of protein in a 40g bar. Some flavours are a little less, some a little more. This particular flavour is very low. The other bar I eat has 20g of protein in a 60g bar but I find if I eat more than half a bar my throat gets gluggy. Just proves you have to check those nutrient panels on everything... with your glasses on lol.

Vegemite is made from brewer’s yeast. Even though I’m an Aussie I way prefer Promite probably because it’s sweeter & smoother. It’s also made from brewer’s yeast. If I had vegemite I had to spread the butter extra thick on my toast to dilute the strong beefy flavour. I miss squeezing butter & promite through the holes in vita weet. Oh and fresh baked white bread with promite. Mmmmmm. @Celeste kimberly: Don’t think of having the sandwich as cheating unless you intend to break your diet again. Think of it as a slip. Slips are random & rare while cheating happens often. Forgive yourself a slip, pick yourself up & keep moving forward. This is a whole new world.

Congratulations. I had a lot of swelling after my surgery & had trouble swallowing. Trying to take all the meds was terribly painful as was drinking. The swelling did reduce after a couple of days & I found it easy to swallow again. Take it slowly. Listen to your body. Follow your surgeon’s plan. You can do it.

I eat from side plates and small tapas bowls. I use splades a lot - I think you call them sporks? Fork spoon combo? I like eating yogurt with a teaspoon too @catwoman7. Sometimes I just dip the spoon in not scoop it. I cut my meat into small pieces before I put it on my plate. Helps to eat slowly & keep each bite small. Snack size ziplock bags (15x10cm - 5x3in) for freezing leftovers & batch cooking - perfect serving size. I eyeball when I’m out - anything that would fit in my cupped palm is about the right amount of food (but I do have smallish hands).

Great work. Congrats.

That’s amazing. Glad you’re doing so well. Congratulations. 🎉🎉🎉

Love a sparkly shoe @Sophie7713 & beautiful flowers. Can’t believe how good you look, even in your pjs, in your first week post surgery. Good suggestion re ms.sss not wearing her butt pants @FluffyChix for a little more room in the dress. It’ll certainly be worth a try. @november11 you should head down to LA & go to all those awards ceremonies. You’d fit right in. Spectacular. Ha I wish @ms.sss. My legs are way shorter than my torso. I always say if they were in proportion with my body I’d be inches taller. By the way you look amazing in that sparkly dress even if you think the fit is off a bit. Love the new hair colour too @AngieBear. You’re looking fab.

That’s three stressful things you’re dealing with in your life: new job, new way of eating and giving up alcohol. Yikes. Parties are hard with everyone eating & drinking around you ... esp here on Aust Day. 🤣 If you manage this, life post weight loss surgery will be a breeze. Have fun!

I agree with @ms.sss. I think your boobs look great @sillykitty. Put comfort (physical & mental comfort) first when it comes to the dress & compression gear. Think you could go with or without. The dress is great and yay for the black & white pattern too. Thanks for the comments about my wide leg pant outfit everyone. Decided to wear it again today for a catch up with a girlfriend & a rushed shopping trip. I was looking for XS & XXS sizes today too @ms.sss. So hard to find or they just don’t offer the smaller sizes. It’s the reverse of how I used to struggle to find sizes. I’ve dropped to an size 6 Aust (2 US) so the size 10s & S in my wardrobe are too big. The pants I had on yesterday were on my hips & the butt was all baggy & flappy. But there is so much variation in sizes from retailer to retailer, label to label even in a basic singlet top. It’s why I don’t online shop much. I’m always returning. Loud sigh.

The sore throat is probably from the reflux - the acid burning your throat when it rises. Try the omeprazole again. My surgeon said I would have to take nexium everyday for ever (it’s a very similar med to omeprazole).

Hey @DaisyChainOz I’ve been wondering how you’ve been going. Glad you’re having success on the diet doctor program. Your poke bowl looks yummy. Sorry the new job’s been stressful. Hope it settles soon. Have to admit I do miss that glass of wine in the evening. Sitting back, relaxing & letting the day disappear. Then sipping on a top up as I’m cooking dinner. Sigh.

Thanks @Zoomzoom. The relaxing if the restriction sounds promising. It might help with the tightness I get when I go out to eat. Think I get anxious about finding something to eat on the menu, wait staff questioning left over food, my slow eating when everyone else is finished. PS: Just noticed I wrote I get a max of 75g protein on a good day - that should have been 65g (fat fingers). I wasn’t hungry last night but forced myself to eat a small protein bar. It was a new flavour banana & salted caramel. It was delicious. I glanced at the protein content: 21g. I look again thinking that can’t be right. I squint & hold the wrapper this way & that only to discover it said 2.1g. Extremely disappointed. Moral is check the nutrients on everything even brands you trust.

Been a voyeur on this thread for a while but today I baked these great tuna, sweet corn & sweet potato frittata muffins again. They’re so yummy & freeze really well. I threw in a stalk of finely chopped celery. Was going to add some capsicum too but it had died in my fridge. About 100cals each, 9g protein, 8g carbs & 1.3g fat. Found the recipe in the guide to weight loss surgery nutrition my surgeon gives all his patients.

Thanks everyone. If I can wear them you can too @Sheribear68. You’re like 4 inches taller than me girl & my legs are short & stumpy too (they’d probably reach your knees). You should give a wider straight leg a go. They always look smart day, night, work, socialising. Just keep the top neat & close to your body. Love that even though you just had surgery you still put on your red lippy @Sophie7713. That’s classy!

Congratulations. This a fantastic achievement.