Arabesque

More furniture pxts for @Sophie7713. This is one of two Walter Knoll gentlemen chairs I had made in ruby velvet. (They’re a lovely pink red colour in reality - overcast today so they look dull in the pxt.) They’re in my lounge room. Had one chair made & then 18months later I got the second one - had to save up ha! The dresser is an antique piece of Australiana made from several different timbers in a traditional English style with the daisy carved doors. It came from the house of a family who had been long time friends of my grandparents. My parents bought the house which included some contents. It was black - apparently boot polish was commonly used to polish furniture 100+yrs ago. The horror!

Looking at all your salads pictures is making me shiver. A rather chilly 13degrees in Brisbane at the moment (feels like 10). Not as cold as some of your experiences but damn near freezing when summer here is in the mid thirties or higher. And it’s not even winter yet. Brrrr. Thanks for your brisket recipe @ms.sss. Here we corn (salt) our brisket cut & simmer the meat very gently on the stove for 3 to 4 hrs. Our family recipe adds brown sugar, vinegar, garlic & mustard to the pot. I sometimes add fennel & coriander seeds and a bay leaf for an earthier flavour & use balsamic vinegar. Made one last week. Couldn’t be bothered making the traditional white sauce (with carrots & onions) to accompany it. Just stuck with the other traditional accompaniment: mustard pickles. 😁

I was told to add extra salt to my diet too but it seems my vertigo attacks are from Meniere’s so additional salt is a no no for me. (Low BP dizziness & vision loss coupled with severe vertigo dizziness is not pleasant!) As I always had a tendency to a lower BP & used to have random bouts of dizziness & vision loss, I think I will suffer the multiple occurrences everyday forever now. Very sad face. Try magnesium & calcium for your leg cramps @ThreeOhThree. I always found that combination helped me.

Beautiful room @Sophie7713 and snap re the Louis chair & French inspired fabric choice. I have it near a cow hide too (a lovely vanilla & butter caramel charolaise skin) so double snap I have two chairs which were the carvers from my parents’ dining table in the early 80s. I recovered them about 10 yrs ago. Finding the correct sized underwear is sooo frustrating. At my fitting I bought two different styles that worked for me then I went online & bought two more of the same ...for a reduced price. Yay!

Make your freezer & your microwave your friend. I understand your dislike of reheated meals but as a single person I regularly ate the same meal for a a couple of days in a row. Better than wasting food (which is a terrible thing in society today). Less expensive too. I often freeze cooked meals in single serves & then only have to prep fresh veges. Very handy for those nights when you’re too exhausted to cook a healthy meal. Way better than take out too. I also buy meats in small amounts or repackage it into single portions at home.

Congrats on your weight loss. I had the reverse situation. My surgeon asked me if I had a goal & said the 60kg I suggested was a sensible & healthy weight for my height (bmi of 23). When I had dropped to 54kg, my surgeon wanted me to put on a couple of kilos. I didn’t want to because of how common it is for wls patients to put on 2-4kg a year after their goal has been reached & I wanted this wriggle room. I lost more as I was trying to find my food intake sweet spot in maintenance but have been stable for a couple of months now. My dietician & GP are fine with my weight. You need to find where you’re comfortable, happy & healthy. Does your surgeon want you to lose more for health reasons? An additional ten pounds isn’t much to lose compared to how much you have lost already.

Off to the dentist for a scale & polish. They reopened last week after a five week closure. They’re wrapping their trays & equipment in cling film for each patient. Guess Glad will do well out of this. Coated denim ‘joggers’. Glad I’m height challenged. Hate to think how short they’d be on someone 5’6’’ or taller.

I don’t know how you have the patience & dexterity to do those gorgeous nails @GreenTealael. I can’t even put on one colour without getting it all over my finger 🤣 Glad to see you’re all following Stanley Tucci’s cocktail hour drinking through quarantine. (Gotta heart Stanley.)

Welcome to the post weight loss surgery world of constipation. You’ll find trying to poop will become a daily challenge. It will get better. Keep up your fluids to keep your bowel motions soft & not compacted. Add solvable fibre (like benefibre) to your shakes, soup or water. It won’t fix the problem but it will help. Remember you’re not eating as much so your body doesn’t have as much waste to get rid of each day. I was happy if I went every two days. I found just sitting & relaxing on the toilet helped even if I sat there for 20mins. Distract yourself with a book, a game or stream a show while you’re sitting there. Crazy, but it helped me. 😁

My surgeon said I’d be taking it forever after my surgery. I take 20mg every morning but am thinking about trying another one (or half) at night as on occasions I’ve had some slight burning in my throat. I’ve been on 20mg Nexium for years but only took it when necessary - stressful situations, if I knew I would be eating rich creamy or fatty food, if I was going for drinks with friends (too much champagne or too many G&Ts), when I’d have an attack of hiccups ( though I would often need 40mg then). Slowing weight loss is normal. Remember, we all lose weight differently. Some weeks you’ll lose more, others less or you’ll hit stalls. I think of it as your body coming to terms with all the weight loss changes. If you’re losing 1.5 - 2kg a week that’s very good. By my fifth month I was losing between 0.6 - 1.4kg. You’re doing well. Keep following your plan. You will lose the weight. 😁

I wouldn’t say it’s worse or better post sleeve but it’s different. I think eating small meals regularly has helped so the acid in my stomach doesn’t build up as much. I used to get that horrible taste in my mouth often now hardly ever. My hiccups are nowhere near as debilitating as they were (nice not to have pulled muscles after an attack). I have noticed on occasions a slight burning in my throat at night which I never had before. Think an additional Nexium at night may help with that.

I found it at Country Road. One of the few high street brands here in Aust that make small sizes. Yay! It is very noisy though. All flippy, flappy, floppy. You hear me coming. Lol. I love leather (no BDSM comments now). If I can’t get real, I’ll take faux.

Got dressed up & went into the city today to be fitted (from a distance) for new bras ... AGAIN! I’d been putting it off for a month but the pain from badly fitting, not supportive underwear was getting me down. (Boney rib pain is real & it’s as bad as boney butt pain.) Two cup sizes down & I may have to get the backs taken in. So annoying & expensive. This is the third time I’ve had to buy new underwear but as my weight has been stable for the last two months I think this will be the last time. Fingers crossed. Anyway, decided to wear my new sunray pleated faux leather skirt I found online. So lovely to actually ‘dress’ and not just ‘slob’ about. Stay well everyone.

Be honest. How can they help you if you’re not. The change to your meds & the strange way in which we’re living could have contributed to your weight gain. Your dietician is there to support & guide you so take advantage of their services. I’m sure you want to get back on track. Good luck.

Like @catwoman7, I also think you’re likely suffering as a result of the oestrogen being released from the fat in your body as you lose weight. This extra oestrogen is causing you to experience something like continuous bad PMT. Unfortunately it will probably continue until your hormones start to settle again. For me, as I lost weight all my menopause symptoms disappeared thanks to the oestrogen boost. Yay! Unfortunately, the hot flushes, etc. have all come back this last month as my oestrogen levels have dropped right down again. Waaah! Talk to your doctor & ask if your hormone levels can be checked with your next blood test.

Congratulations. 🏆 A great achievement.

My doctors said the surgery & sudden reduced food intake is a shock to our system and one of the side effects is that our normal hair loss cycle accelerates. My dietician advised there was nothing much that could be done except keep up my multivitamins & ensure I meet my protein requirements. Biotin, silica, collagen, & other supplements to benefit your hair will only make your new growth stronger & not reduce the hair loss. Your hair itself is dead and regularly sheds like our skin cells. It’s just happening faster. My loss began at about month 3 and started to slow at about month 10. It’s pretty well back to normal now & I can feel it’s thickening again. I lost a good 50% of my hair. Thank gracious I had a lot of it to begin with.

Winter is a comin’ here in Aust. So glad my new cute, warm, XS pjs finally arrived one day before the cold front moved in. First day wearing warm clothes - heading off to the hairdresser. Strange to be wearing make-up but made the effort with nails, hair & jewellery to remember what was normal. Prayers for you & your husband @BayougirlMrsS.

Welcome back @ms.sss. You had us worried. Looking fabulous as ever & your butt looks mighty fine in that green dress.

Great British Bake Off pre Prue was fabulous (watch them over & over - God bless Mary Berry). But Prue is so critical & negative. Funny thing is I loved her on a Great British Menu (also can watch over & over except the last season was awful & I don’t like Andi who took over from Prue). I enjoy Top Chef too. If you enjoy Project Runway @ms.sss try Making the Cut on Prime (Heidi & Tim are back) & Next in Fashion (Tam France & Alexa Chung) on Netflix. Sssh but I do enjoy Say Yes to the Dress too.

People who’ve never struggled with weight never understand the eternal battle. I have one brother who knows the struggle & one who doesn’t. I didn’t tell the one who doesn’t about my surgery but he recently found out I had it and has been hassling my mum about it & being very critical (not me yet but I’m waiting for it). I was fortunate. My mum was supportive of my decision but she has since told me she was very worried at the time. Does your mum’s negativity come from her fear that you’ll lose weight when she can’t or the loss of something you currently share (eating and being overweight)? All surgeries have their dangers but not having the surgery and not losing weight has major health complications too. @rjan is right you still eat food after you have surgery but if you want to be successful you change the type of foods you eat and choose healthy, nutritious options in much smaller portions. Over time you will work out new favourite foods, what foods you can or can’t tolerate and if you can have an odd treat like @catwoman7 said. Do your research. Talk to others who’ve had the surgery. This has to be your decision. Good luck.

My ears get blocked too coupled with low BP blackouts, dull headaches and random attacks of severe vertigo. When anti nausea drugs weren’t helping the vertigo my GP sent me to a physio to test for BPPV which showed I didn’t. Now think it’s Meniere’s but have to wait for end of lockdown to explore this further. Do you have occasional buzzing/ringing in your ears too (not all Meniere’s sufferers do)? It may be worth raising it as a possibility with your GP.

Great advice @S@ssen@ch. Nexium was a big help for me too. I also avoided carbonated drinks, spicy foods & overly rich (creamy, cheesy) food. Fresh tomatoes are ok for me but tinned tomatoes tend to go through me quickly. I only drink green tea. Can’t eat close to bed time either - lots of gurgling & discomfort. A single brick at the top of your bed is all you need to elevate you enough to get relief. My GP said increasing the number of pillows you sleep on can cause your head to bend at your neck and then the acid pools at the top of your oesophagus. Hooe you find some relief.

Should have also mentioned I have loose skin on my hands & fingers. Dropped about 4 full ring sizes & now my hands & fingers look a bit wrinkly & soft. Very unexpected.