Arabesque

I’ve still got my fingers crossed for my brows. Have a few coming in but they seem finer. I’m patchy. Lost some of my brows from a combination of following those micro fine brows of the 80s & then a skin infection. Get my brows micro bladed which is great (about 5 years ago) but I’d still like some more of my own brow hairs as well. The hair loss with the weight loss is an acceleration of your natural hair loss cycle not a permanent loss. So you’re just shedding hair you would usually be shedding in your normal cycle more quickly. People lose different amounts, some more than others for about 3 or so months from around months 3 or 4. Doesn’t seem to differ if people take supplements or not. Certainly won’t hurt @Mskmartin & it may make your new growth stronger.

Never heard of it but I see it has minoxidil as it’s active ingredient so same as Rogain. Minoxidil does regrow hair but you have to keep using it forever. Stop using it and your hair falls out again. I use the 5% Rogain for a small patch of menopausal hair loss at one temple (I’m vain 😉) & I dab it on my brows too (the women’s 2% wasn’t strong enough). It does make my hair a bit gloopy if I don’t wash it every 2 days though. There is a prescription tablet you can take which is easier of course but if you have low blood pressure you should avoid it. If you are thinking about using it for the weight loss associated hair loss it probably isn’t worth it (my opinion only) as your hair loss is temporary and it regrows.

I still can’t get over your surgeon or no other doctor thinking hmm wonder if it’s a stricture (I mean not a medical specialist but I thought stricture as I read your post) and if you had GERD and testing to see. So sorry you’ve had such terrible medical support. Hope the surgery will help & your new doctor is hugely more supportive.

Went to a Christmas gathering last night & decided to finally wear this dress: a little red cheer. Bought it from The Outnet earlier this year (bargain Victorua Beckham - Whoo hoo!) but was saving it for a ‘special occasion’ then decided every occasion is special so I should just wear it. Anyone else save clothing for some nebulous future ‘special event’ & then don’t wear it as no event is special enough or am I the only crazy one?

In addition to @Hop_Scotch’s suggestion of stomach acid being the cause, you could also be experiencing head hunger. The surgery and all the changes are very stressful on you physically, mentally and emotionally. Many of us always turned to food in these stressful times but of course food can’t be the answer now. However your brain hasn’t got the message and is telling you you’re hungry so you’ll eat to comfort yourself. And the more you don’t eat to comfort yourself, the more your brain says hungry so eat. Ask your surgeon for some PPIs (Nexium, prilosec, etc.) to combat the excess stomach acid your body is still producing which is causing the burning & growling. PS - What are the three meals you are eating each day? Usually the first two weeks are liquids only so shakes, bone broths, strained cream soups, strained consommés are your ‘meals.’.

5’3” and was 200lbs when I made my decision. For me, it’s been the best decision. But only you know what’s best for you in regards to your weight and your overall health now & in the future. I was healthy without any co morbidities before my surgery but I knew carrying the weight I was meant health issues were in my future. Only you know if you can continue on your current weight loss journey and fully adopt your new behaviours around food, eating, etc. (Congrats on the changes you have made.) Of course after surgery you have to adopt new behaviours as well, but the surgery gives you benefits (some temporary) to support you as your losing & helps gets you through the period when you’re adapting to the changes. BMI shouldn’t be used as a hard and fast rule as to what is a healthy weight range but merely as an idea of what might be good for you. (The science/studies behind the development of the BMI metrics is flawed and did not take in many factors like ethnicity, muscle mass, your frame/build, age, etc.). You’re right, everyone carries their weight differently (I carried it all over) and what’s a comfortable weight for one may not be for someone else. Some people feel happier at a higher weight whilst others don’t. Some here have got to a lower weight but happily settle at a higher weight. I thought my goal of 132lbs was fine for me and achievable. I had always been happy at that weight. I ended up less than that (108) and I feel great at this weight. Discovered I actually am quite finely built and so I look slim/tiny but not bony. And I still have an hourglass shape though the ratio is much smaller than before (lol!). Usually, your approval for surgery is based upon your starting weight (before your classes not your weight after you’ve completed them. So your starting weight would make you eligible in most cases, Why not meet with the surgeon, see what they suggest. Ask too if you can delay your decision & for how long so you can see how you continue on your own. I know I haven’t answered your questions & have only given you some more things to consider but I hope they help you decide your next steps. All the best whatever you choose to do.

Many find having elevated liver function tests whilst in the losing phase. Weight loss, especially the larger amounts we’re losing, is hard your liver. It does settle again once your weight stabilises. If your liver was fine before surgery and now a couple of months in & your labs are elevated I would think it may be because of your weight loss and it will improve. But see what your surgeon says.

I believe it’s only supposed to maybe beneficial to your immune system (bovine colostrum for adults vs how human mother’s colostrum benefits a human baby). Nothing about consuming it for weight loss. Out of curiosity I wonder what the nutritional value is?

I agree that dress in red would be fabulous on you too @Lilia_90. Hubba hubba! Buying new clothes is a huge challenge @Bypass2Freedom. Not only working out what size you need now but there’s such variation in sizing between brands it’s easy to end up with something too big or too small. Then returning is such a pain too. And size guides are often useless too Then you have the issue of what styles suit you now. You’re still losing aren’t you? Will you return the dress & get it in a smaller size? It looks cute on you.

First: All because you can doesn’t mean you should. It takes around 8 weeks to fully heal. That includes all nerves that were severed or damaged to be back firing again & sending accurate messages to your brain around, hunger, satiety, damage and your restriction. It’s why sticking to the portion size recommendations you should have been given is so important during the healing stage. (If you didn’t get them ask your team for some guidance.) You don’t want to damage your healing tummy either (all those sutures and staples holding your tummy together). Secondly: Do you need the next bite or just want it? There is a big difference between needing to eat and wanting to eat. Stopping to think about each bite you take is part of mindful eating and reflecting on your eating vs. mindlessly shovelling food into your mouth. If you just want the next bite (to make you feel better, out of habit, or other head hunger related desires) put your cutlery down & sit back from the table. Sometimes you may take another bite after a few minutes, other times you don’t have any more. The goal is not to eat until you are full but until you are satisfied and have had enough for your needs (for your body to function effectively). It takes at least 20 minutes for the message you’re are full to get through. If you are eating quickly when the message gets through, you’ve eaten more than you need and are over full. The goal also shouldn’t be to eat until you feel the restriction. If you feel your restriction you’ve eaten too much, or too fast or food that is too dense. The restriction fades in time so you can’t rely on it as a long term maintain e tool. The two axioms have been very important to me and helped me stick to the plan I was given in the losing stage and then to maintain in the years after. I’ve often shared them & I hope you may find them helpful too.

How many calories for just the curious kitty? 😉

My minister at church very concernedly asked if I was ok obviously worried I was sick. A neighbour, after congratulating me on how good I Iooked, ‘suggested’ I not lose anymore. My uncle commented I looked like death. I had people I’d known for decades not recognise me & then make a fuss even though I was only obese in the last 5 or 6 years & was often a healthy weight in the years they knew me. And so on. We talk about our body dysmorphia but I believe others experience it in how they see us. They have an image of us being obese and they find it very difficult to accept us not being obese. So you get told you’re too thin, wasting away, you’ve lost too much, you must be sick, or just plain rude and unkind comments. Some of those are from people who are jealous or bitter b**ches. Some are from people who feel more comfortable seeing you as obese and want you to stay in the fat friend box. And yes, some come from people who want to be supportive but can’t express it in a way that doesn’t come out wrong (critical or hurtful). In time you won ‘t get those type of comments. Eventually, people start to see you for how you are now as their perception changes. I haven’t had anything said to me for about 3 years now (well except for my sister-in-law’s cow of a mother last Christmas but I hadn’t seen her since before my surgery).

First, congratulations on your surgery. No, it’s not uncommon to start having doubts, worries, be a bit emotional about things. This is a big thing. Something you have never gone edits so and have absolutely nothing to base these new experiences and emotional reactions you’re having upon. With a sleeve, about 75% of your tummy is removed. This differs person to person & depends upon the size of your tummy. Larger tummy, more is removed. I actually got an internal photo of my tummy being removed (it’s not framed up on my wall 😄). It is impossible for you to regain if you’re following your plan and the volume of food/calories you’re consuming. A very common occurrence, which almost every one experiences, is called the three week stall. Around the three week mark (could be earlier or later than then) your weight loss will stall. It may last from 1-3 weeks. It’s very normal & just your body taking a moment to adjust to the changes and reassess your new needs (metabolic rate, digestive hormones, etc.). You will start losing again. Because there is no hard and fast rule as to your rate of loss, surgeons don’t tend to set weight loss goals - interim or final. There are just lots of averages around how much you may lose and how long it may take. Your surgeon may have spoken to you about how much weight you may lose by a certain time but it’s no guarantee of what will happen but just an idea of what might happen. They may ask how much you’d like to lose and then advise if it is possible or not. Whether it is possible or not is based on stats (averages). Don’t worry about not meeting your fluid or protein goals in the first weeks. It’s not easy in the beginning. As long as you’re making an effort and aren’t too far off. You’ll notice you get closer and closer and some days will be easier & others will be a real struggle. A quarter cup of food seems like nothing to begin but is again not unusual. My advice was 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée to about a cup at 6 months. If you’re struggling eating soft food you may need to go back a stage for a few days & that ‘s okay. Sometimes we’re ( our tummies) just aren’t ready & healed enough yet to tolerate the more & more dense food as you progress to each new stage. Often weeks 3 & 4 are purées and then soft foods in weeks 5 & 6 but plans do differ. Trust me, it does get better and easier in time.

No. No testosterone. It can be so confusing as to what you should/need to be taking based on your needs. And it can take time to work out what & how much you need. Then your levels change & your dosage has to be adjusted again. I can’t tell you how many different combinations & doses my mother has been through. They’re trying to lower her dose again at the moment (telling her she doesn’t need any HRT at her age of almost 85). She’s not coping and having menopausal side effects again. Hope you find something to help soon.

Mine are gone too. Finally back on my combined patch so actually getting progesterone again after 5+ months (though supplies are still erratic) and I’m sleeping better, my joints are groaning and creaking when I do my stretches, etc. Never hurts to ask.

Check to see if your shakes have sugar alcohols (those that end in ‘ol’ like arthritis, sorbitol, xylitol, etc.). They can cause bloating, gas and diarrhoea. Worth checking & if they do ask your team for an alternative shake that uses another sweetener. All the best with your surgery.

You may need a higher dose of estrogen &/or some progesterone too (I know you’re on estrogen only). Joint pain, fatigue are common symptoms of low estrogen (& progesterone). Wouldn’t hurt to have a blood test to check your levels or try a higher dose. PS - My surgeon said I could continue on combined estrogen & progesterone after my hysterectomy so I won that argument after she initially said estrogen only. Yay!

Glad you’ve turned a corner. We do say it gets better & easier but it doesn’t seem like it in the beginning. And it will continue to get better too. PS - Watch the calories in the shakes you’re having between meals though. They do add up. Bone broth may be a better lower calorie alternative but still giving you protein & some flavour. Or protein water.

You know I like labneh (& am getting too lazy to make my own every time) but I found this one this morning. Yes, truffle. Can’t wait to taste it (have to finish a tub of one with fennel first). Christmas may have come early. Yum!

Yes, plans can be quite different but I agree with @ShoppGirl’s suggestion to check with your team. I was told 1/4 - 1/3 cup for a meal from purée increasing slowly to a cup of food by the 6 month mark. 7ozs pureed turkey dinner coupled with the sweet potato & cobbler & you’ve way exceeded my 6 month portion recommendation. And to add to her warning also, a lot of nerves were cut and or damaged during the surgery so messages like being full/had enough or eaten too much at going to get through or will be distorted. It’s why sticking to portion size recommendations are very important: to ensure you don’t damage your digestive system or impact your healing and recovery. It takes 6-8 weeks to fully heal.

So sorry you’ve experienced ongoing hernia problems. Hopefully they’ll be a thing of the past now. Nothing wrong with going slowly as you progress through the stages. Try one or two things & see how you go. I loved mince dishes during the soft food stage: meat balls, bolognese meat sauce, savoury mince all with lots of sauces to keep things moist. Also I made chunkier soups with meat, vegetables, lentils, beans etc. Cook things long and slow to ensure everything is well cooked and soft. The changes to your sense of smell &/or taste &/or textual aversions are temporary. Did you experience any of these when you had the sleeve? Certain textures bothered me and I became very sensitive to salty & sweet. The bad breath is associated with Ketosis. You may even experience changes in your body odour too. It too will pass. I Just keep breath mints handy. I took a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, body wipes & deodorant to work when I returned to help manage the Ketosis odours. When the body odours & bad breath go and your sense of smell, taste, etc. ‘ normalises’ again differs person to person. It may be a couple of months, a little more or a little less. All the best.

I recorded mine as the weight my GP recorded when she gave me the referral to the surgeon. To me, that was when I started to make the change to a healthier me. So put that initial 421 weight @SleeveToBypass2023. Every pound you’ve lost needs to be recognised and acknowledged.

Thank you @SleeveToBypass2023 Not bad for 59 I say. 😁 Actually I think we’re all looking pretty damn gorgeous with all our beautiful features revealed.

You’re not going to feel the restriction until you are much further along in your healing (takes around 6-8 weeks) & eating solid foods. A lot of nerves are cut or damaged during the surgery so messages simply aren’t getting through or are distorted if they do. The staged return to eating is to protect your recovery and to ensure you don’t damage your healing digestive system (think of all those sutures and staples holding your tummy together- I believe it’s around 12inches of sutures+staples with a sleeve. You should only progress your stages if your surgeon advises you to. It’s also one of the reasons why we’re advised to eat slowly and are given portion sizes we should stick to. Also remember that liquids go through the tummy much more quickly than solid food so you don’t really get full in the same way as you know sipping your shakes slowly. Purées go through a little more quickly but nothing like solid foods.

October 2018 -91kg August 2022 -49kgs (included this pxt cause I like it better & you can see no more double chin 😁😁) June 2024 - 48.5kgs