Arabesque
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Everything posted by Arabesque
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I’m like @FluffyChix. Definitely not a teetotaller either & support the drinking as little as possible. I had a G&T at 6wks out at my cousin’s 40th. Took 4 hrs to drink it. If I’m going to a party I take my own - gin mixed in a small 300ml tonic or soda water bottle - cause I control the amount of gin I add. Drink slowly over hours & let the tonic/soda go flat. Had a small glass of champagne for Christmas & after 3hrs I poured half of it down the sink. (I know.😩 Such a terrible waste of Moet!) Sorry @Fatboyslim1 Great suggestion but I just can’t do the diluting of wine. 😱 Alcohol will mess with your weight loss & addiction transference is real. Be careful. Go slowly. Weigh the risks (pun intended) before indulging.
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7 weeks post op and risking it
Arabesque replied to Isabelmonster's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I loved vegetables before my surgery but after it took ages for my tastebuds to tolerate them. They tasted just awful. Had no issue with eating them though. Started trying them at about 6 weeks, Found broccolini (baby broccoli) better than broccoli - not as strong a flavour. Cauliflower & shredded cabbage were the best for me. All fresh, microwaved with a little water & butter, salt & pepper. Mind you a small floret and a couple of strands of cabbage with my protein & I was full. Only salad vegetable I could do was cucumber. Spread a bit of cream cheese on some smoked salmon & wrapped it around a wedge of cucumber. -
A Tale of Two Arm Lifts (rs & ms.sss)
Arabesque replied to ms.sss's topic in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Holy hell @ms.sss. That swelling is mind boggling. I would have been freaking out. So happy they’re deflating. Is your swelling like this too @rs? While I’m enjoying poop watch 2019, I know it’s hellish for you. Fingers crossed for some movement soon. I love how supportive your husband is. Volunteering to insert your suppository is way big love. PS - Happy to share the ‘windy’ quote. 😜🤣 -
I survived the Christmas overindulgence. Woo hoo. My sisters-in-law & I share the cooking duties & make our favourite things. This year we pledged not to over cater so we wouldn’t have lots of leftovers.
Looked around the lunch table and saw the plates over full of beef, ham, vegetables, salads & potato bake. My plate was like an after pxt: a tiny piece of ham & roast beef (5cm square), a broccolini stalk & a slice of cucumber.
Thankfully we had a couple of hours break until dessert for which I had contributed most options. This was my challenge. First time I’ve eaten anything sweet for 8 months. I was expecting massive abdominal discomfort, maybe dumping. I took a thin slice of my steamed marmalade pudding, a dash egg custard, a spoon of jelly and a small piece of my cheesecake with cream & mixed berries. (I refused to make pavlova this year.) I ate a teaspoon of each & gave the rest to my mother. Everyone had seconds & some of my grown-up nephews had thirds (they’re 6’4” & 6’6” & very slim - so unfair).
Most importantly I survived. No side effects except a little gurgling & I was very windy after - lol! Didn’t feel like I was really missing out. Though I would have loved one of my sister-in-law’s rum balls - she more than quadruples the rum.
Haven’t stepped on the scales but I’m not expecting to see any real change.
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Tried a sliver of Xmas cake yesterday & again this morning. Probably a heaped teaspoon of cake & some fondant. It was delicious and no side affects. Whoo hoo!
And no this is not going to be a regular inclusion in my diet.
I’d been given the mini cake as a gift from a shoe shop I frequent. I’ll still be eating it in June but I’m not unhappy about that.
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@Arabesque : Side tip: you can delete spam posts from your wall and block the users from making future posts.
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Thanks for the tip @ms.sss 😁
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Stalls will happen intermittently throughout your weight loss journey. My longest stall was when I sat at the same weight for three weeks (just short of my goal) & then dropped 1/2kg overnight & almost the same the next day. Weight loss will slow the more weight you lose & the closer you get to your goal. Don’t give up. Keep up the work & the weight will keep coming off. It will happen.
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Go ‘energiser grandma’ - lol. So glad to read about your progress though the blisters sound awful ☹️. Why the dizziness?
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How old are your shoes? I had issues (shin splints & sore knees) & bought new running shoes & haven’t had pain since. General wear & tear & the age of the shoe will result in the inner support breaking down.
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Glad to see the Aussies posting more. 🇦🇺 @ms.sss & @DaisyChainOz I lived in New Farm for about 14 yrs then bought a few hundred metres down the road in Teneriffe 5 yrs ago. Brisbane is such a fantastic city to live. Still small enough that people know each other & doesn’t take hours to get from one side of the city to the other but it’s big enough to have great dining, theatre, shopping, sports, ... Blair Bowden at the Wesley did my surgery @DaisyChainOz He did my friend’s surgery & she recommended him. My GP said she’d heard nothing but good things about him. He was great. After the surgery he gave me a picture of my stomach all marked up before it was removed as a souvenir 🤣. It may be easier for all the post surgery visits to use a Bris Dr. @Sophie7713 you look so bright & cheery in your Christmas party dress and look how great you are looking.
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Thanks @DaisyChainOz. I’m in Brisvegas too. Whoo hoo! I like your animal print skirt too @AngieBear. See how it looks with your fitted top untucked & then pop on a narrow belt to show off your shrinking waist.
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A Tale of Two Arm Lifts (rs & ms.sss)
Arabesque replied to ms.sss's topic in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Excited to follow this thread & see your progress. I agree, your arms look great already @ms.sss. Wish mine looked this good. I’ve been anti surgery for me because I scar badly (keloid) and felt the loose skin was better than any hideous scars I might end up with. So I’m interested to read about your experiences. Love you have a Dr who gets excited about removing loose skin @rs. Good luck with your surgery & recovery. -
As of this morning..... No longer obese!
Arabesque replied to Lynda486's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
Fabulous effort. Gotta hate those stalls that suck the life out of you. But gotta love how reaching each milestone keeps us motivated to reach the next. -
I might need to put a lock on my wardrobe with your covetous gaze about@GreenTealael. Lucky we’re in different countries. 😜 I love how this thread gives you ideas of what might suit you when you see how good someone else with a similar build & height to you looks.
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Thanks @AngieBear, @Deedee12& @ms.sss. Nothing like narrow vertical stripes to make you look taller & thinner 😜. The dress is a little big on me now but it is too nice (& new) to put it away. Can’t claim much credit for my en-suite @ms.sss. The previous owners did the renovations. They did a great job of incorporating contemporary design with the original 100yr+ features like the original French doors. They’re warped & don’t close properly but I love them.
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I’ve enjoyed this thread so much & decided to be brave and upload some images from the last month. Summer here hence the strappy dresses. Oh yeah, I’m a bit partial to black. Ha! The day I reached my goal weight about five weeks ago. Off to the theatre to see my niece who dances with a contemporary dance company. Two weeks ago. Ignore the unmade bed. At my mother’s before going to my two 6yr old nieces’ first ballet concert - lots of skipping around in circles. Just around the house today. Super casual. Still have thighs 😜. Four kg below my goal weight. So much for maintaining.
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Agree with looking gaunt and ‘too thin’ when first hitting your healthy BMI range and then you do settle into your new body weight. I look soooo much better now then I did a couple of months ago. Agree with not knowing what we really look like at a healthy weight. The whole body dysmorphia is a head trip. It takes time to really see who we are & how we look now. BMI is calculated on your height & weight & there is a range of 18.5 - 25 to allow for your frame. If you have a large frame you would be very thin if you had a BMI of 18.5. Treat it as a guide. These are my thoughts though. I’ve a medium frame and am now in the middle of the BMI range for my height. Believe me I still have thighs & boobies. I have a butt though it is part way down my thighs - ha. I’m not bony or skeletal and still have a decent pinch worthy layer of flesh/fat over my body. In saying all that, find the weight at which you are healthy & happy. Find the weight that does not compromise the life you want to live.
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work after surgery
Arabesque replied to AnnaBanana333's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
A friend went back after a week without issues but I went back after 3 weeks & I struggled at a desk job. My blood pressure was ridiculously low & besides all the dizziness I was exhausted. I agree with reducing your hours &/or the number of days to start & see how you go. If you have the leave available to you make use of it especially if you’re on your feet all day. Remember everyone heals differently. All the best for your surgery. -
It’s seeing my small portion on a large (normal sized) dinner plate that gets to me. When at my home I eat from side plates & tapas dishes but when I visit friends or family my small serve looks ridiculous on a dinner plate. It’s like a plate at the end of a meal not the start. The reverse happens too. Last night I ordered a small piece of fish & a half serve of vegetables at a local pub. OMG the size of the meal was horrifying. The food was almost falling off the plate. I felt sick just looking at it. Could have easily shared it with 10 WLS buddies & we all would have been full.
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So sad I can’t gulp anymore. It’s why I have trouble getting my fluids in. I was always a gulper & a glogger, downing big glasses of water in one go. Now If I take a single mouthful or anymore than two sips at once I feel the tightness. Waaah
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Today I said I’m an XS or size 8 (Aust) at a clothing store. I never thought I’d say those words and say them with confidence. And when I commented a dress was too big on me I was told it was the smallest size. As was the belt I wanted.
I tried on a slim fitting singlet dress yesterday & was shocked to realise the lumpy bits on the dress were my hip bones. I have an hour glass shape so I always had hips but never ones that stuck out on the front of my body!
I’ve been a size 10 before - for about 5 minutes. While I am now confident about saying I’m an 8, clothes shopping is all still a bit freaky for me. It’s not that I’m focussed on the size on the label. I’m well aware the cut/line of the clothes and the designer’s style will dictate what size I need or if it will suit my body shape. The size is the starting point & it’s starting at an 8/XS/38 which is a big mind set change. It’s thinking a pair of pants will be too small & discovering they are almost too big.
While I’m still coming to terms with my actual new body shape and size, I’m very happy to be in this new reality.
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This morning I had an abdominal ultra sound because apparently my cholesterol keeps rising.
I don’t get it. My cholesterol was always fine & now when I eat less of everything & have lost weight it starts to go up.
My intake of fats & oils has decreased (not that I was a big fried food person before anyway) & not just because I eat way less. Always cut the fat of meats, still don’t eat bacon, use spray olive oil instead of regular oil. Even the tub of butter in my fridge has been there since before May. Lol.I just don’t get it? Is it because I don’t eat anywhere near the amount of vegetables I ate before? It surely can’t be because I eat a piece of cheese every day which I didn’t before? Are all my hormones screwed up?
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Cholesterol seems to be odd that way. I've got a suuuuper skinny brother-in-law who has sky high cholesterol. So don't let the whole "overweight" thing fool you. They seem to find it in people who have the genetic predispositions for it nowadays it seems. Our bodies are really still a mystery of how they react to certain changes. Just keep at it and keep talking to your doctor. Who knows, you could be a medical mystery?!? Embrace the challenge.
Think of it this way, you now have an excuse to try ostrich meat! http://safariostrich.co.za/2016/06/ostrich-meat-benefits/
PS. Gah hormones!
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My dietician thinks it may be the regulatory hormones too & that my liver & gall could be having a freak out from the weight loss. It may be causing my low BP too. Hopefully the abdominal ultra sound will show something when I get the results.
My maternal grandmother had issues which developed in her 70s but she’s the only one. No heart probs, no cholesterol worries in any one else (incl 13 aunts & uncles & my parents) - cancer seems to be our worry - sad face. And they still live into the 80s & 90s.
Just strange that for 53 yrs my levels have been normal & 6months of weight loss & it’s now high.
Don’t know about eating ostrich though that could just be burying my head in the sand - tee hee hee. -
PS - My menopausal symptoms are still MRI. Even with a 42.5 degree day (108F) last Friday not a twinge of a hot flush. Best non scale victory ever. Guess you win some hormonal battles but lose others.
PPS - Wrapping Christmas presents with air con cranked up today even though it’s only 33C. Ho ho ho
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I was surprised originally by the oatmeal when it was on my Dr’s post surgical meal plan but it said to make it on milk (if tolerated) which adds extra protein. I guess because you can only eat a couple of teaspoonfuls at a time and the fibre helps with the bms it was allowed on my plan. It still takes me four days to eat a a bowl using a sachet lol.
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Foods you can no longer tolerate
Arabesque replied to MrsRobinson4411's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Stay away from the pasta, bread, rice & other carbohydrate heavy foods. They fill up your tiny tummy, often swell more and you won’t get in any of your necessary nutrient rich food. It’s possibly why you’re vomiting. The number one rule is get your protein in first. Six months out and at goal, I struggle to eat half to 3/4 cup of food at a time on a good day and that’s my required protein & a small amount of vegetables. Developing a lactose intolerance is common for many post surgery. I’ve been the reverse & my insensitivity has reduced. -
Think of it as what soft foods you’d feed a baby. Mince, eggs, oatmeal, mushed tinned fish, stewed meats. Thin out with small amounts of salt reduced stocks, watered down gravies, ... Take it easy. What works for some may not work for you. You’ll be on solid foods before you know it.
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I bought one ($10 from Kmart) which is rope like with handles and a door attachment thingy. (I like it better than the flat strip ones you wrap around your hands which I used to use at Yoga.) I don’t like the whole gym thing so I thought I’d try the bands instead. They’re great for toning but i think if you want to build muscle weights are the way to go. I’ve noticed some toning in my biceps after a couple of weeks which is what I wanted. I just put together my own routine after watching a few you tube videos. Good luck.
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Clogged/Plugged ears?
Arabesque replied to Samteer's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I’ve always related my blocked ears to when my blood pressure would drop. I’ve had instances over years before my surgery but since my surgery in May my BP is low all the time & I have had blocked ears many, many times. I can’t pop them (yawning, drinking, chewing,...don't work). I just have to wait for it to pass. Interested to hear how common this is. My GP got me to have a brain scan to make sure there was nothing sinister this week but all good. Thank gracious. Hair loss is very common. Mine’s been falling out for 4 months now & I’ve lost almost 50%. Very sad. There are lots of posts about this with suggestions on how to lessen the impact but nothing’s slowed mine yet. My surgeon warned me it would happen. In his words: ‘You’re body has better things to do with the reduced nutrients you take in on your new diet than grow hair.’ He wasn’t wrong. My surgeon & dietician told me I’d have to take multi vitamins for the rest of my life. I have blood tests every 3 months for my Bariatric team & my GP has had me get one in between. They’re tracking & monitoring even slight changes. I’m sorry your GP is not being supportive of your journey. They are your primary care giver & someone who you should be able to trust & depend upon for your health & well being.
