Arabesque

Not everyone experiences a bounce back regain. And not everyone experiences a larger regain. If it does happen there’s often a reason: complacency/&or bad habits returning, a too restrictive way of eating, lifestyle changes, medical/health issues, emotional issues, settling of your weight, … I had a regain of a good two kgs (about 5lbs) rather quickly a few months into my second year so earlier than the usual 3rd year. Didn’t gain any more. Wasn’t happy but was accepting it. Couldn’t really put my finger on why. No dietary changes, no activity changes during that time. But what I did have was a gall removal at 25 months which caused an protein absorption issue. Then almost at the three year mark we realised the gall removal also stopped me absorbing my HRT & caused other issues. Went from a tablet to a patch & slowly but surely I lost a good kilo of that regain over 6 months +/-. I’ve been sitting pretty stable again for about 6 months or so. I keep an eye on the scales, monitor my portions, watch my food choice & fingers crossed I continue to remain stable.

Snap. I just found out I have two fibroids too & a small cyst on one ovary which they found by accident doing an abdominal CT. But because I’m menopausal & have no symptoms, we’re going to leave them alone unless something changes. One benefit of being old - wry smile! I’m sorry it means another surgery for you & long recovery. Though an end to the heavy bleeding & maybe a reduction of your bulgy bit will be a blessing. All the best. Keep us updated.

As time passes you are able to eat more. Your tummy is a muscle & it can expand & contract like any other muscle. Can it become a lot loser so you can eat a lot more? Sure but yes it takes a lot of effort of eating large portions over a long time. The other thing that happens is that your resistance softens so you don’t feel it as often or as strongly. That’s why it’s important to learn & listen to your signals that you’ve had enough to eat & to keep closely to your appropriate portion sizes. I’m also a believer in an ‘all because you can doesn’t mean you should’ & a ‘do you need the next bite or just want it’ thinking. We all slip & slide. Little ones & larger ones for all sorts of reasons (holidays always seem to be challenging). You recognised your slip which is half the battle. The other half is letting it go & to start moving forward again. You’re back on track so all you need to do now is let it go. You’ve got this!

As everyone has said, stalls are very common. They actually are Dan important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body takes stock of your constant needs & readjusts things like your hormones ( hunger, satiety, etc.), metabolic rate, etc. The stall will end when your body is ready. You can’t force it, let it take the time it needs. Still frustrating though. Fluctuations are also perfectly normal. We all fluctuate. You’ll eventually work out your usual fluctuation swing. Mine is about 2 lbs. Some are greater, some are less. Fluid retention, constipation, diarrhoea, hormones, etc. all contribute. I mean you don’t eat & drink exactly the same foods & fluids in the exact same quantities every day either. Nor do you the exact same activities to burn calories. Congrats on your weight loss so far. Yay!

I’ve had my hair coloured every 4 weeks for years before & after my surgery (gotta hide that grey) & continued my usual drying/styling routine. Don’t believe it affected how much hair I lost. The hair you lose during the usual 3+/- months is have that you were already going to shed. You’re just shedding it more quickly. The only thing I would worry about is bleach as it is more harsh on your hair. I remember having streaks many years ago & I shed more hair than usual. So I wouldn’t want to increase the hair loss by doing that again. Plus the anaesthetic can make the texture of your hair change & make it feel drier.

I hear you! I kept pulling at my knickers because I thought they were bunching up. Nope not my knickers just my lose butt skin bunching.

Nothing stopping you from eating ‘non breakfast foods’ for breakfast if you’re tired of eggs. For example 3ozs of most meats contain more than 20g of protein - you could have some chicken for breakfast, salmon, etc. Find a high protein yoghurt (mine has 20g - it’s an Australian brand). A serve of rolled oats, milk & seeds can give you 15g. Make a smoothie. Try some other egg recipes not just poached, fried or scrambled: egg muffins, omelettes, frittatas, etc. Add some unflavoured protein powder to your pancake mix, porridge, smoothie, coffee, etc. for an extra boost. Here are a couple of high protein breakfast ideas. You may have to adjust them based on what you are allowed to eat. Ask your dietician for some high protein meal ideas too. https://www.health.com/25-high-protein-breakfast-ideas-to-keep-you-full-7566320

Liquids go through you much more quickly then solid foods so you don’t get full as quickly. But I do encourage you to go slowly. We’re told to sip (& then to eat slowly) for reasons (e.g. nerves are cut during surgery so messages don’t get through in the same way or at all for a while). At the moment you don’t want to stress or strain your healing tummy & digestive system. Remember all those sutures & staples holding everything together. All because you can doesn’t mean you should. All the best with your recovery.

I had a very interesting conversation with my doctor recently. I was having some issues I thought may be a bug which included soft motions & wanting to go again later in the day. Did some tests & it showed I had some constipation. Not blockages or impaction but some traffic slowing speed bumps (that’s my analogy 😁). Apparently your body’s response is to thin out your poop so it can go over the speed bump but it also means the bowel isn’t fully emptying hence wanting to go more often. Treatment was a stool softener taken one night, none on night two & then one on nights three & four. It did help. This may not be your issue but worth a conversation with your doctor.

It doesn’t matter if you take ages to drink or eat your protein. I would sip my protein shake & then high protein yoghurt drink for hours. Just sip, sip, sip. I also ate some things very slowly too - just dipping in a teaspoon & not a full spoonful. In fact I still take an hour to eat my high protein yoghurt. I wasn’t interested I eating or hungry for almost a year but I knew I had to eat & drink to at least be close to my goals. It actually helped me change my relationship with food - that maxim of eating to live not living to eat. (My surgeon was okay if I wasn’t hitting those goals for the first month or so as long as I was close & getting closer.) You can also boost your protein intake by adding protein powder to soups, your own smoothies, yoghurts, etc. I still can’t gulp down a glassful of liquid. One big mouthful or two swallows & that’s it & yes I still have to wait before I have another so I still sip all day long & I drink over night too. And I still take 39-45 minutes to eat what is about a recommended portion for a meal - like @sweetsmith78 about 8ozs of usually 3-4ozs protein & about 4oz steamed vegetables. In the beginning I was eating 1/4-1/3 a cup of food from purée for a meal & slowly increased to a cup at 6 months. It does get easier. During the first couple of months you’re still healing & your tummy is sensitive & fussy with certain tastes, smells or textures literally turning your tummy & being impossible to eat. All the best.

You may still have some fluid retention or surgical gas in your abdomen. Plus just general swelling from all the prodding & poking, pulling & pushing from the surgery. If it persists, give your surgeon a call. If it is painful to touch or warm, go to your nearest medical centre as you may have an infection - rare but …

Oh yeah, the protein shakes are awful. I forced myself to have one a day & then had soup. So glad to get to purées when I never touched a shake again. Did your dietician give you a list of foods you can eat? If not give them a call. There are some foods like certain fruits we’re advised to avoid while we’re healing. Smoothies are great. The high protein yoghurt I ate had a yoghurt drink too which I regularly had (25-30g protein). Yes, you still have to purée the soups. Everything must be extra smooth, no lumps, fibrous, bits, etc. so it just slides down into your tummy. You can purée a lot of things just keep them very runny by adding sauces, stock, gravy, mayo, milk, etc. And don’t worry you won’t be undernourished after 5 days. You’re likely feeling weak & lacking energy simply because of what is a pretty major surgery. Oh the constipation will be with you for a while. Try to keep on top of it. Add a soluble fibre to your soups or smoothies & take a stool softener or similar as needed to get things moving. I used to take something if I got to three days without pooping. Oh & don’t be surprised if your poop is small & you only go every two days - you’re not eating much at the moment.

It not very common. I had a little nausea but it was related to taking multi vitamins but then I used to get nauseous with multi vitamins before surgery too. (I split my vitamin dose of two capsules in the AM to one in the AM & one at night which helped.) You may be more susceptible to more nausea because of your history, unfortunately. Make sure you tell your surgeon your history & be a script for anti nausea meds so you have them jus in case. Your tummy can be pretty sensitive & fussy for a while when you are healing which can contribute to the nausea. But like most things it passes as we progress. Working out the foods or drinks that upset our tummy more during that time helps. It may be the smell, texture or taste that sets off your tummy. Just avoid that food or drink for a couple weeks & until you’re further out. All the best.

Unfortunately, those heady weeks of large weight loss after surgery don’t last. Sigh! We all eventually slow to what is considered a healthy rate of loss: about 2lbs a week +/-which is about where you are now. And even worse, those last few pounds can be a b**ch to lose. I’m talking grams/ounces a week & seemingly more fluctuations. But as long as your general trend is still downwards you’re doing fine (even if seems to be almost flatlining it 😉).

Congratulations. You look fantastic. The hair loss usually lasts about 3 months +/- so you are likely nearing the end of it. Yay! I cut mine to just above my shoulders so a year or so later it was back to what it as in regard to thickness. Our starting stats are very much the same - I’m just an inch taller & weighed 5lbs more. I reached my goal at 6 months - BMI of 23 too. (And it seems we had our surgeries at about the sane age - 53??) Yes, I lost more than my goal but it was what my body wanted - my new set point. I’m 4 years out & pretty much maintained my weight (apart from a med glitch which caused a 2kg gain of which I’ve lost half of that so am about 1kg heavier than my initial stabilised weight). To maintain, I really just kept up with most of the eating habits I established while losing. My portions are larger now of course but are what are considered recommended portion sizes of what I eat. Lowish carbs (about 2 serves of whole/multi grains), lowish fat, low sugar (avoid a lot of it & sweeteners too), predominately low processed foods, average 60g protein & average 2L fluids. I eat about 1500 calories a day which is about right for some one my age, height, weight & activity level according to BMR calculators. I don’t consider this a diet, this is just how & what I eat which changed how I look at my eating. I’m not punishing myself or restricting what I eat with a diet. I don’t exercise as such but started to use resistance bands & do stretches about 10 months ago I think - 4 short sessions each day 5 or 6 times a week. I didn’t want muscles as such just definition in my arms & legs which I am achieving quite nicely. Also wanted to keep flexible & to support my back & oozing discs. Am jealous your back pain is gone. Unfortunately, weight loss hasn’t improved my back issues 😩.

Your hair is dead so all the biotin & collagen may help is any new growth. So you won’t see any improvement with your hair for some months & your new growth has some length. I understood it takes 4-12 weeks to see any benefits to your skin. I took a collagen supplement & silica for months & months but really saw no improvement - was pretty disappointed. My beauty therapist gave me a liquid marine collagen serum ($100 a bottle - yikes!) to apply to my face. I used it religiously for 6+ months & didn’t get results with that either. Just depends on our skin I think. Hope it works for you. Personally I really like Vitamin C & retinol - texture, tone, brightening, etc. I get good results. I use a 15% Vitamin C & 2% retinol (1% retinol & 1% bakuchiol). I also did 4 derma needling RF sessions over 4 months & it’s amazing. I have defined cheek bones again, no more lip stick bleed, & my jowly bits have decreased a lot. It takes three months to see the benefits of each session. Good luck. PS - Neither will stop the hair loss we almost experience after surgery. Our normal hair loss cycle is temporarily accelerated so the extra hair you lose during this time, would have been shed anyway (as all our hair eventually is) just over a longer time frame. Those who swear by it experience their hair loss for about 3 months +/- but so do those who don’t take it so … 🙂

It takes a lot of concentrated effort, over a long period of time, eating very large servings to stretch your tummy out. So you’ll be okay. As to how much you should eat (all because you can doesn’t mean you should) it’s best to check with your dietician because you’ll get different advice from others here - plans are different & we have different needs. For example I was told 1/4 to 1/3 cup from purée slowly increasing to a cup by 6 months. Best advice I ever got was not to eat until you feel full. It takes time for the full message to get through (about 20 minutes usually but more so while your cut nerves are still healing) so by the time you feel full, you’ve eaten too much and are over full. It’s one of the reasons we’re told to eat slowly. As to why you didn’t have a reaction, you may jus have had a lucky day. You may not tomorrow. Even four years out, there are times when my tummy says nope that’s more than enough, even if I’ve eaten less than my usual portion of that food & I feel uncomfortable or my restriction. Yesterday I ate a thin beef sausage & a little lettuce at a BBQ & my tummy protested for an hour after. Try not to skip meals. It’s so important for us to get in our protein, other nutrients, calories & fluids. Life can get busy sometimes so keep some protein shake mix, beef jerky, soup, protein bar, nuts, etc. that can be kept for a time in your bag, car, etc. as grab & go type meals/snacks for busy days.

Had a presentation lunch today at the family business. Wore navy extra wide leg trousers (bought early this year 70% off - bargain) & surprise … a patterned blouse. I like the style of the top & worn it before but I never feel totally comfortable in it. Just a little pattern averse! Check out my fluffy Pom Pom slippers on the background - super stylish 😁😁

A second the advice to check with your team. Some brands of protein shakes also have protein soups/broths so they may allow you to include those each day. Fingers crossed.

Just a bit tired, a little thick in the head for a little while. But certainly no pain. They have you on good drugs pretty much straight away After my gall removal I was having a cup of tea & chatting with the nurse in the recovery room before being released to be taken to my room. (They were using the tea to get my BP up - didn’t help with that but I felt better. Nothing like a good cup of tea!) All the best with your surgery.

Also, hate to tell you @summerseeker, what friends & I call Sahara dessert mouth or Egyptian mummy mouth, is a common affliction of women once we pass a certain age. Sigh! Doesn’t surprise me they didn’t tell you. Though I think it’s one of those things you have to experience to truely understand the pain. I tried a pillow but found it uncomfortable so I just put a hand just above my knees. (It’s how I used to sleep as a child.)

My friend experienced this for about a fortnight until things started to settle & she was eating denser foods (purées). Be wary the wet farts though!! 😉

My friend experienced this for about a fortnight until things started to settle & she was eating denser foods (purées). Be wary the wet farts though!! 😉

This gets bought up every now & again. It happened to me at times. I think it’s because we don’t have the fat around our necks to keep our mouths closed when we sleep. The muscles are probably a little slack because they didn’t really have to work before to keep your mouth closed. Wait until the bony shoulders, knees & ankles actually make sleeping on your side painful. It used to wake me every 2 hours +/- & I’d have to roll over to my other side to tame pressure off those joints. .

Well I had a interesting experience recently. I had to have an abdominal CT (nothing to do with my surgery) & my doctor told me the scan was somewhat inconclusive. It seems I don’t have enough fat around my abdomen for them to see any inflammation & to get accurate images of my intestinal area. I mean … what??? I had to undergo some other testing as a result. I never expected losing weight would result in this sort of problem.