Arabesque

We all carry our weight in different places: upper body, lower body, abdomen, etc. And we all lose our weight in different places as we progress. Add to that the differences in our skeletal frames. Like I’ve a smallish frame yet my collar bones don’t protrude as much as others at a similar weight to me. I have dips around my collar bones not hollows. You will find that once your weight stabilises that your remaining weight seems to resettle. So while you may feel you look too thin or gaunt at first this will change. Initially I was all straight up & down & had lost my hourglass shape. But a few months later I realised I had a waist & hips again. (Still don’t have a butt though lol!) Give your head a chance to catch up with your new body. How you look now & as you lose more weight. It takes time & you’ll feel like you don’t recognise yourself or know your body at times. And it can work both ways - thinking you look too thin or thinking you’re still too big. I remember seeing a woman’s reflection in a shop window & thought oh we’re wearing the same clothes & she’s much slimmer than me. It was a shock to realise the woman was me.

Aah the how often to weigh debate. The responses seem to swing from very rarely/never to daily. I weighed every day for the first two years or so but now weigh 3 or 4 times a week. In the past if I thought I was putting on weight I wouldn’t go near the scales. If I didn’t see the number on the scales I could believe I wasn’t putting on weight even if my pants were very tight or bought the next size. So me weighing as I do now is about what I need to do to keep myself honest. I say you know you best & weigh yourself as you need to keep yourself motivated & on track. Has my hunger returned, yes. It did so slowly. Has it increased since it fully returned, no. There are still odd days or times I’m not all that hungry at all. (Wish that happened more often 😁.) I try to eat very much to a routine & not eat outside of that. If I think I’m hungry I consider if it’s real hunger or head hunger. Such as when did I last eat? Did I eat a smaller portion at my last meal? Is it almost time for a meal? How am I feeling - bored, sad, annoyed, stressed, etc. It can be an ‘interesting’ discussion I’m having with myself. 😁 This helps most of the time. I’m sorry about your injury @huskymama especially after achieving so much. But you didn’t have to go back to shakes to lose your weight just go back to how & what you were eating before your injury though smaller portions as you can’t be as active at the moment. Meet your fluids & protein goals. Eat your protein first then vegetables & last any carbs you’re allowed if you are able. Return to lower fats, carbs & sugar. Check with your dietician for ideas & guidance. Focus on upper body exercises because of your injury. Search for some exercises for those with limited mobility online. You can do this.

it seems odd that it comes & goes & each time it returns it’s worse. If it was something you were taking or consuming every day you would think the hives would be there all the time. Whether it’s the shake or the biotin (unless you’re taking mega doses) I don’t know. Have you ruled out all the other likely suspects - skin care products, washing powders, soaps, fragrance, any new foods you’ve introduced, etc. You could have a blood test to check your B7 levels & see if by taking the supplement you have more than you need & can drop the biotin just in case it is that. Hope you find an answer soon.

I wouldn’t think it is your bypass either unless, as the others have suggested, it’s the effect of the hormone on your digestive system. Check the side effects of the drug, interactions, etc. & it would be worth a conversation with your prescribing doctor & even your bariatric surgeon. I just checked the drug information & it does say nausea is a side effect. Try to keep on top of any constipation so it doesn’t become painful when you finally go. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/liothyronine-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20069093?p=1

I agree. Go back to your basics & what you were doing just before you began maintenance. Meet your protein & fluid goals. Watch your portions & your carbs, sugar & fat. Record your intake at least for a while until you’re back on track or longer if you find it helpful. Get back in touch with your dietician & your therapist (as a support & to talk through any changes, social, emotional, etc. that may have led to old habits returning). You’ve got this.

Yep, like @GreenTealael, I still feel the cold. Hate the refrigerated section in grocery stores. Take a blanket like long coat into cinemas. Brrr. We’re almost halfway through Spring here but are having a bit of a cold snap. It’s about 70degrees F today & I’m in thickish leggings, socks, a hoodie, have a blanket over my knees & the air conditioning on warm. Some say it gets better & you reacclimatise but I’m still waiting. I always dress more warmly than others & always keep a coat in my car just in case I need something extra.

Lots of nerves were cut during surgery so you have to wait for them to heal for messages/signals to get through. It usually takes 4-6 weeks to start to feel it. I always say all because you can doesn’t mean you should especially when your healing & signals aren't getting through. Stick to your plan (food, eating & drinking strategies, etc.) is the best advice. It takes time for the message to get through you are full - at least 20 minutes (& that’s after you’re fully healed). If you keep eating until you feel full you likely have eaten more than you need. Eating until you feel satisfied or had enough like you said your doing is best. I still ask myself do I need the next bite or just want it. It’s all about tuning into your body & its needs (listen to your body). You get better at it over time. Also many find when they are healed, the signals are different. Some say they sneeze, or their nose runs. Were you given portion sizes to guide you? If not ask for some they are helpful to ensure you don’t eat too much. I was told. 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée (week 3) slowly increasing to about a cup at 6 months. You may be told something different.

I used to repair lots of things myself. Got my own toolbox & drill. 😁 But I’m a little reluctant to do any electrical work. (My electrician has cute boys working for him 😆😆) Thanks for the links. I’ll check them out. The fan itself seems to be working so I think it’s something to do with the connection between the fan & heatng elements. Maybe?? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Worst quote I got was more than $700 to replace a garden tap. A 5 minute job & the tap cost $25. Obscene. Said thank you but no thank you & that cos me almost $200. Only called a plumber as the tap was very old & was seizing & corroding. I didn’t think I’d have the strength to remove it plus you need a special tool to turn off the water these days here. I swear they quite based in the suburb you live in.

I ate a lot of cream soups. You can add some extra milk to thin them more so a little extra protein & fluid. Still sieved them carefully as they can have fine flakes of herbs, etc. that can sneak through the sieve. (Just thought maybe a muslin cloth would have been better than a sieve - too late for me now ha!) I really survived on soups because the shakes were disgusting. All the best with your surgery!

Wow that’s interesting. So many differences between systems. In Australia, the requesting or referring doctor/surgeon always receives a copy of test results or can access them. Or they will receive a letter from the specialist like a cardiologist, etc. When I have a blood test, they check who the results are to go to & ask if I want them to go to anyone else. I can access the reports & images of any scans I have too. I remember my dad’s haematologist would dictate his letter to update my dad’s GP on his status, change of meds, etc. in front of us. My ophthalmologist sends letters to my GP & optometrist & my previous one would dictate it in front of me too.

That cheesecake @GreenTealael looks amazing. Yum! I round up the calories & down the protein. I also call fluids in soup, etc. & what I drink to swallow my meds bonus fluids & don’t count them either. Lol! My oven isn’t working properly. Waaah! Interestingly it worked fine on a Sunday then three days later after the electrical company turned off our power for 8 hrs it didn’t. Hhmmm?? The top element heats. The bottom element heats but turn on the fan & nothing, no heat. Have to go back to old school non fan baking or call the service team to come out. Gracious knows how much the call out alone will cost. Service call-outs have got ridiculously expensive. Are they crazy in the US too?

Bariatric surgery is also known as metabolic surgery because how the surgery changes the digestive hormones & therefore the patients metabolism. There are lots of academic papers about it like the one @BabySpoons provided. I found this fact sheet from a bariatric surgery clinic which explains it in more straight forward terms. https://nevadasurgical.com/bariatric-surgery/how-does-bariatric-surgery-affect-metabolism/ I messed my metabolism up with years of restricted eating & deliberately not eating meals. Now I eat regularly throughout the day to keep my boosted metabolism burning. Don’t want to lose it again.

I never felt great after breakfast either. For years I didn’t eat it then thought I ‘should’ as I usually missed lunch so I’d eat it around 6am because I started work early. But since my surgery, & not working anymore, I discovered I’m better having breakfast later in the morning - about 9am. If I have it before 8am it seems to just sit there, my tummy grumbles & gurgles more & I feel sort of blah. I find the things we discover about ourselves since the surgery so interesting. It seems the protein content in the shots is the whey protein content so 25g whey protein is 25g of complete protein you can count. They must not include the amount of collagen in the shots as it can’t be counted for our goals. Maybe just sip the shot for longer & more like a drink. It may be easier on your tummy in the morning & would lengthen the time frame in which you’re consuming the protein???

@summerseeker summed it up well. It does get better & easier. Allow your body to take the time it needs to recover & get used to the changes - it has been through a lot. It will take the time it needs & you can’t control that. And same with your head. Remember too you’re likely experiencing a wash of hormones which are messing with your emotions (all the estrogen stored in your fat being released as you lose weight) - it can be a roller coaster. There may be days you feel you’re going nowhere or even going backwards but you’ll have fewer of those days & they’ll happen less often. I didn’t hit my protein & fluids for a while & my surgeon was okay with it because I was making an effort & slowly getting closer. I still drink all night too. I found warm drinks easier to tolerate. Are you allowed green or herbal teas? Ginger tea may help with your nausea. Try spreading out when you take your vitamins to reduce the nausea taking them can cause - I took half in the am & half in the pm. All the best.

I’ve heard it too from various sources. But then think of all the other ‘facts’ we believed as true & then … I eat my protein throughout the day: all meals & snacks contain protein (except fruit of course 😉). How much protein are you advised to eat? We’re usually told collagen isn’t a complete protein (missing some essential amino acids) & it shouldn't be counted in your daily total. Consider it a bonus for other benefits. Whey is fine. But do check with your dietician.

The last pounds are the hardest to lose. A real b*tch. But could you be experiencing a stall. I recall you were prone to them with your sleeve. Also don’t forget your new set point. Could this be the weight your body is happiest at?? How long has it been since you lost anything? For those who are interested, Dr Matt Weiner posted a video about set point (metabolic thermostat) a couple of days ago. Others, like Dr John Pilcher, will likely have good videos too.

I would never have believed I’d ever be able to eat 1500 calories and not only maintain my weight but also not gain. I’d gain weight eating 1200 calories before surgery. It took me a good 2 months to barely lose 4kgs (about 8lbs) eating less than 500 calories with the last diet I tried! The boost to your metabolism the surgery gives you is amazing. You’ll have a new norm. How much of a boost is unknown. But the calculator will give you an idea of how much you may be able to consume - it’s still just statistics based on a narrow range of factors. Then it just depends on your body/metabolism, medications, genetics, etc. Use it as a guide & see how you go in practice.

Do post some things @Spinoza. When I started I used to crop my head off because I wanted to be anonymous. If no one knew me I couldn’t be embarrassed. I look back & chuckle. Given all the information we share & all the things we talk about a pxt is nothing. We all used to post very regularly so it would be lovely to have more action on the thread again. it’s interesting to see how everyone embraces their new shape & new styles, & it’s great to see people become more confident. Plus all the different styles we’re drawn to. I wore this to do my grocery shopping today. I ordered the skirt from an Australian designer I used to often buy from until their clothing became too big for me 😩. It’s a form fitted stretch skirt so I could get away with their smallest size. I was praying they would do it in red again to wear with this rather avant-garde top & yay they did. They asked for a pxt of the complete outfit hence me putting it on this morning & then I couldn’t be bothered to change again before getting the groceries. Ha! A woman at the checkout told me how much she loved the outfit so worth nit changing. Your turn @Spinoza.

I was every three months from my surgeon but my GP was also getting one in between for the first year & then was happy to review the surgeon’s requests. At two years it was just the three months from my surgeon’s colleague who does his follow ups. When I reached three years it became every 6 months. I didn’t & don’t mind getting so many as it’s been informative to track my levels but also allowed the doctors to pick up fluctuation trends (like my vitamin D dropping in winter) & my protein malabsorption issue which began at 2 years after my gall was removed. I expect I’ll always have regular tests (1 or 2 a year) because of the protein issue.

I get mine from real food. Haven’t touched a protein shake or protein powder since my purée stage began. They were disgusting & I didn’t want to spend my life drinking any of my meals. Of course it’s easier to meet your protein goals as you progress & your meal size increases & additional protein via a shake may be needed (I ate a yoghurt with 20g to boost mine & often still do). I breakfast on oats with seeds & blueberries made on milk. Lunch is often mostly protein like prawns, calamari, yoghurt with seeds, savoury egg muffins, (gone off chicken tenders & omelettes at the moment). Dinner is meat & vegetables. My snacks can be any combination of cheese, multi grain crackers with liverwurst or labneh, peanut paste, nuts, jerky & I have a protein bar most nights to top up my protein. I used to make a chia pudding as a night time top up but wanted a change (mmm, I might make some today). I often add barley, chickpeas or lentils to any soups, stews or mince based dishes I make for extra protein too.

It’s an interesting issue. I do understand the questions it might raise when your health professional makes a decision about their life you don’t understand such as feeling she did not think she really had a weight issue that would necessitate her taking Ozempic. I had questions & worried about my injectables nurse (not as serious as with your Dr). I liked her & how she treated me. She was cautious. She was a friend of a friend’s daughter & they both saw her. Then one day I went for my appointment & her face was deformed (well it was in my eyes). Overdone the fillers I thought. I couldn’t understand why she did as she was very attractive without it & questioned how cautious she really was in her treatments with me & others if she did that to herself. I commented upon it with my friend expressing my concern. Turned out she was pregnant & was having a terrible time with morning sickness, fluid retention & other issues which caused the ‘deformed’ look. So yes, I think the questions & doubts that arise are a pretty natural reaction. Usually we don’t know the real story behind why someone choses to do something or what they are experiencing & we never may. Doesn’t mean their care for us is any less. But it is your decision how you manage it. You have to feel comfortable & secure with them, their recommendations & treatments. The over prescribing issues is a whole other debate. I’d hope as your health improves & your blood work & other tests show you don’t need all your current meds she will stop prescribing those you don’t need any more. I’ve been fortunate with my doctors & I’ve been with my current GP for about 25 yrs but I worry about the day she retires. She initially had her own practice but joined one of those big chain medical clinics a couple of years ago. I dislike the impersonal nature of the staff but thankfully she is the same. My 83yr old mother is struggling to find a new GP after hers decided to specialise in skin cancers. She is finding establishing a new relationship, trust & respect difficult as well as having to go over 83 yrs of medical history with each one she has tried. They probably will start to think she is shopping different doctors to get additional drugs except they’ve all been at the same clinic so far. PS - Many of us experience our faces looking gaunt as we near our lowest weight. Remember my uncle telling me I looked like death (not to my face but to my mum). It settles over a few months as we know. Sure I look older than before (I am 58 not 21 so I should) but I look like real me. I don’t have fat distorting my features anymore. I love having a chin & jawline now, my hooded eyelids have practically vanished, my neck is thinner & longer & I have freakin’ cheekbones.

Transitioning to maintenance was both easy & challenging for me. Easy was that I had already made my choices about how/what I was going to eat & had been eating that way for most of my weight loss. What I found difficult was being able to eat portions large enough to stop the weight loss & work out how much I needed to consume to maintain. It’s why I kept losing for another 11 months. Though I also believe this was where my body wanted to be. Yes, I weigh myself regularly & yes I worry about what I weigh right down to the grams. While I don’t consistently weigh & track what I eat every meal I am conscious about portion sizes & the calorie content of foods even when I’m dining out or socialising at a friend’s. I do random checks & introduce new foods/recipes slowly & carefully. And yes, I still do protein first, then vegetables too & aim to stick to nutrient dense foods. This is the longest I’ve been able to maintain my weight ever in my 58 years. But I’m not on a diet to lose or maintain my weight. This is just how & what I eat. (The power of words.) I enjoy eating & food but it’s a different focus in my life - it’s more about what I need & less about what I want. Hell yeah, the old mindless eating habits are still just there sitting on my shoulder. (Can’t eradicate them though would be amazing if we could.) A bit like that angel on one shoulder & devil on the other. I try to keep the Angel of new habits I’ve established as the dominant thinking & actions. On the days the devil is stronger, I usually catch myself but … there are times. Though I try not to beat myself up if the devil wins.

I’d worry about filling your tummy with a nutrient poor carb (pasta, rice, bread) especially at this stage when you’re on such a restricted diet still, eating so little & not being able to get in the more important nutrients. Remember protein, protein, protein. I presume you are still drinking protein shakes to get in the protein you need. What about making your own protein smoothies with more nutrient dense ingredients - like vegetables (blend & strain). What about adding a soft cheese to some meals or as a snack or some good fats like avocado. Add milk powder to cream soups, smoothies, etc. for extra protein & calories too. What about custard - calories & protein. You’ll likely find that once you’re through the first few months & the restricted diet, & able to eat more without vomiting & the other gerd related issues restricting your ability to eat & consume calories, you will put on weight & attain a weight you’re happier at. What does your surgeon say?

Cottage cheese is quite big on socials at the moment but it’s a no for me. I struggle with it. Think it’s textual thing.

Yes, as @NickelChip said, it’s not expected you eat a pound of vegetables in your first year or so. Certainly as you progress you can eat more than you would be now @BabySpoons at 6 months. Actually you may be surprised how little a pound of vegetables actually is - it’s about 2 - 3 cups depending upon the vegetables. Dr Weiner does tend to promote a diet low in animal products & therefore high in plant based proteins like legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc.) which can count towards your vegetables too. The UK promotes 5 serves a day which is equivalent to about a pound too. Though they do not count potatoes or other starchy vegetables defining them as more a carb. Easy to incorporate more vegetables in your diet. Add lentils &/or mushrooms to minced meat dishes (like bolognese, meatballs, savoury mince), add beans &/or lentils to soups, stews, etc. Use zucchini noodles, aubergine or zucchini as lasagne sheets, mash white beans instead of mashed potatoes, cauliflower pizza bases or rice. Try roasted fava beans or chickpeas, or edamame as a snack. Add vegetables to an omelette or frittata. Remember tomatoes, cucumbers & capsicum, though fruits, are counted as vegetables.