Arabesque

It could be the three week stall. Remember the first one can occur anywhere around the third week. Also you won’t feel your restriction until your nerves are healed (this can take 6 or so weeks) when the messages (like your restriction, feeling full, etc.) start to get through again. Even though this was a tightening of your tummy, you’ll still have the same basic experiences as you did with your initial sleeve.

It’s a wonderful non scale victory you can really enjoy even though it can be blow your mind. So many more options and a lot of fun to discover your new style and what looks great on your smaller body. Five years out and I still get that buzz at the size of my clothes. Not as often but still a great feeling. Keeps me motivated too.

And I’m going to add another thing to consider: the impact of your lower weight on your skeletal frame, muscles and tendons. Your body changed how it held itself and your muscles and tendons worked to compensate for the weight you used to carry. Your centre of gravity will be changing too. You may notice your posture is different. Your physical structure is changing to support your smaller (& growing smaller) body. It’s like the aches you experience when you gain weight in reverse. Pain in your knees, ankles, back, shoulders is pretty common as is losing your balance, slouching, or finding you swerve/lean in one direction or another as you walk as you continue to lose weight. I had upper back pain and I slouched (took ages to break that habit). I went to a good masseuse and ensured I had well fitting and supportive bras (which helped the upper back pain though had to keep buying new ones as my boobs shrank). I also tried to be more conscious of my posture whether sitting, standing or moving.

In Australia spring rolls are deep fried (Chinese) which I think you call egg rolls in the US. So when I read spring rolls I automatically thought yikes deep frying. We call what you made rice paper rolls (Vietnamese). Gotta love the differences in food and ingredient names around the world. 😁 Yes, easy to make and nutritious. I’ve had ones made without the rice paper but with lettuce too. Same filling but fewer simple carbs.

I’m thinking this will only be a problem for a while. Once your tummy starts to disappear it won’t be much of an issue unless the waist is sitting too high and rolls down when you bend cause it’s in the way. Maybe try ones that sit just below your waist. Never tried the v waisted ones. When I do all my stretches (many yoga based) I just wear my round the house leggings which aren’t really Lycra leggings and in summer I just wear short thicker knit shorts. Both sit more around my hips than waist.

No, no difference, however, it is important to remember that everyone loses at their own rate & there is no right or wrong rate. So many get very anxious that they’re not losing enough or fast enough. It’s not a race and every pound is a win. I always say celebrate every pound you lose. You’ll discover there is a lot of variation in the pre surgery diet @RuizAyres but we always say it’s best to follow your plan and not someone else's. I know my surgeon gave different patients different plans based on their health status, current weight, etc. it could be three shakes a day or two shakes & one protein plus vegetables meal a day. It could be no shake but milk like @summerseeker. The 3 or 2 shake plans tend to be the most common. He put me in keto for the two weeks prior. There’ll be slight variations in the post surgical plan too. Also, not sure your age, I was almost 54 when I had my surgery and there are people here who were in their 60s and 70s so you’ll be fine. There was a thread a little while ago called 50 and over I think. You could search for it as you might find it interesting. Found it:

Welcome too. Not as short as you either (5’3”) but after I lost my weight I discovered I actually had a small frame so in a way I look tinier than I am. My biggest challenge has been feeling overwhelmed in certain styles of clothing. (Bet you thought I was going to say it was something about my weight loss experience.) When I was larger I had this big body that carried/filled a lot of clothing styles. Not any more. I look like I’m drowning or am a lifetime girl wearing my mummy’s clothes. And certain proportions can be way off now too. Like tops are too long & make me look weird & unbalanced. (Trousers have always been too long.) Being shorter than average with a smaller frame didn’t affect my weight loss at all. My experiences were the same as most others here. Just need fewer calories than many of my taller friends to maintain my lower weight. I remember once my surgeon’s colleague, who did my follow ups, weighed me and started to say I had lost too much weight. She paused and looked me up & down & said you really are quite tiny aren’t you. My weight wasn’t an issue after that. (Except every now & again they’ll say I should try to put on a couple of kilos but that’s because of my age, 59, and not anything else.) Keep us updated on your progress. Don’t hesitate to ask questions here either. Everyone is happy to help, share what they’ve learnt and offer support. Though having the surgery can be a bit scary, it also is the beginning of very exciting and rewarding future. All the best.

I had a very sudden diarrhoea attack in hospital on day 3. It was very dark & smelly & obviously from the surgery (old blood that slowly passed through my intestines). If yours is a brighter red that is newer blood so more likely from a small tear that occured as a result of your painful post constipation poop. That’s not unusual & they generally heal on their own … But do ring your surgeon’s office/medical team to check (which is what @SpartanMaker was suggesting) to be sure everything is okay. They’re the experts when it comes to experiences like unusual bleeding. Try to keep on top of the constipation. You may need to take something everyday or every couple of days to avoid experiencing the discomfort of being constipated for several days. It will be a regular experience (battle) while you’re losing. Also add a soluble fibre to each day to help keep things moving.

Never heard of either of those things before but then my classes were at 6pm & my friend & I would have dinner after.

Kitty mustn’t be a salad lover like his mummy. 😉

Insurance in Australia doesn’t cover pharmaceuticals in there same way as the US. Prescription meds here are either on the PBS (pharmaceutical benefits scheme which are meds subsidised by the government to keep the costs low - about $31) or not. If you have private health insurance they may cover some of the costs of non PBS drugs but I think it depends on your insurance company and your cover. My insurance would pay the difference in the cost of a prescribed non PBS med and if it was a PBS drug. So if non PBS drug cost me $35, I’d get $4 back. Think ozempic is on the PBS but there have been lots of shortages & there are restrictions on who can be prescribed it (diabetics only I believe). Not sure about the other semaglutides. Wegovy only recently became available here for weight loss - it’s not on the PBS currently.

Do you track (weigh and measure) everything you eat and drink? Are you following the plan set by your surgeon and dietician? Are you meeting your fluid (alcohol doesn’t count) and origin goal every day? Are you focussed on eating protein rich and nutrient dense foods? Yes, alcohol will slow your weight loss. Did your surgeon really say live your life? Did they mean alcohol? Did they know how much you drink? Did I drink alcohol while I was losing? Yes. I had a gin & tonic at around month 3 (nursed it for hours) and then a couple of single glasses over the next 6 or so months after that. This first 6 months to a year or so are a gift. You want to embrace this time to lose the majority of your weight. So yes, you will have to make some sacrifices but for these few months it’s so worth the lifetime of future benefits. Doesn’t mean you can’t go out and socialise. It just means you have to make best choices you can in whatever situation you’re in and put yourself first. The reset diet of returning to the liquid stage is an old wives tale. You’re not trying to reset your tummy but reset your head, your thinking. You can do this.

There are lots of averages around weight loss and the different surgeries but, trust me, there are a myriad of differences around those averages. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s how they get those statistical averages. Everyone loses at their own rate and as with all averages, some will lose more or faster and some will lose less or slower. You’re losing and that is the only thing you should consider. If you are losing any amount, you’re winning. Celebrate every pound you lose. You’ve lost 10kgs! That’s amazing. Congratulations!

You tend to experience constipation &/or diarrhoea post surgery. The constipation will often remain a regular occurrence. Initially it’s because of the surgery (blood and digestive irritation from the surgery and then because you’re on the liquid diet & consuming so little & not having much to poop out. Best advice is to try to keep on top of it. Add some soluble fibre to your diet, set a routine for a stool softener or similar. For example I’d take a stool softener (coloxyl)or similar if I hadn’t gone in three days. (Going every 2nd day was pretty common for me especially while losing.) Now 5 years out, I’ll take one if I haven’t gone for 2 or 3 days. (I’m on Creons and they tend to firm things up and slow the progress through the intestines which doesn’t help.) Some people swear by smooth tea, or regular miralax. You may have to try a few things but you’ll discover what works for you in time and it may change as you progress and eat more and a greater variety of food types.

That seems about bright. I was eating about a cup at 6 months which is what my surgeon advised. Slowly I was able to eat more until I am where I am now. So about a good cup of vegetables and about 3 or 4ozs of protein. My portions fit nicely on an entree plate (9inches/23cm). Doesn’t matter how large a portion you eat you can still enjoy and try a variety of foods. Five years out and my restriction is still there too. Not as tight as it once was but it can still shout no stop when it wants too. But yes, picking is the devil. So easy to lose track of how much you’ve actually eaten and because it’s usually such small portions, whatever you have left of your restriction, isn’t going to kick in. I have specific times I snack and I generally don’t snack or pick outside of those times (of course there are odd times or situations when I don’t stay the course perfectly). @SleeverSk did you speak to your GP or your bariatric surgeon about GLP -1 meds? Wonder if your surgeon may be more open to you trying it if you only spoke with your GP.

Me. My hand’s up. I do. I love soup. Make it often too. Easy and nutritious. But I do get not being able to eat solids and liquids at the same time. I used to do what @ms.sss said and drank the liquids first and then slowly ate the solids of a soup. Also give yourself time, it may be something that gets easier as time passes.

@ShoppGirl just had a revision to Sadi. She’ll likely respond to your post but you could message her too and also read some of her posts about it. She struggled to find much information and personal stories from others who went through the same revision. Keep us updated about your experiences.

Brag all you want. You’ve earned the right too. Congratulations.

Can’t give you any specific advice only share what I experience & honestly it can be erratic. Sometimes it’s easy other times not so much. It takes about 15 minutes (+/-) for water to pass through your tummy. I find I can sip up to about 5 minutes before I eat but it does depend upon what I eat & drink and I am still a slow eater so that likely helps. That’s water but say champagne I have to wait longer (the bubbles). The more dense the food the longer I need to wait too. Right now I’m sipping a mug of green tea and eating multigrain crackers with labneh. It will take me about 45 (sometimes longer) minutes to eat the 6 crackers & fillings & drink my 350ml mug of tea. Sometimes I can get a bit tight in my chest but a few minutes wait & it’s okay. I can eat soup without issue and that liquid & solids. It may be a matter of finding out your sweet spot time wise, the volume of liquid and the food & liquid combinations you can tolerate within the time window. I am 5 years out and I wasn’t doing this at 2 years. Think it may be another one of these things that just takes time.

Has anyone experienced an increase in their cholesterol levels? Before surgery, mine sat around 5 regardless of my weight (healthy, overweight or obese). In the first 3 years post surgery it was about 4. Then it went to 5 again. Okay I thought just where my body wants to be. But it’s 5.7 now. Like what?? My surgery follow up doctor suggested I speak to my GP about a coronary artery calcium store test. My dad had a higher cholesterol level but not enough for meds. One brother’s is about what mine is now but he follows one of those fat is good diet (I swear he slathers his toast with butter like an inch thick). My mum, other brother, aunts, uncles, grandparents levels are/were ok. Rest of my blood work was great.

Just a CT scan @ShoppGirl so super easy. A couple of minutes of lying down in a hospital given while the machine takes the images. It doesn’t completely rule out any issues but it gives them a good idea of what might be happening. And yes, as with mine, it’s a good base line to have for the future.

Damn about picking up COVID but so happy you had such a wonderful time. Look at those amazing progress you’ve made so far. Congratulations!

I did it for years too. It was focussed on breathing and stretching & included the flow routines so it sounds like what you will be doing. It did have a fancy yoga name which I can’t remember now. I loved it which is why I incorporated the stretches in the routines I do at home now. Hope you enjoy it too. It likely wouldn’t be considered strength training but many of the stretches and poses use your body weight so will it help build strength? Yes. You’ll also find that it slowly improves your general fitness too because of the broth work. I remember noticing the improvement when going to the camp we took our year 6 classes to every year. There was this big hill I’d always struggle to climb but a year after starting yoga I didn’t have an issue at all. Actually lead the way up the hill. I only wore slim legged track pants and a t shirt or fitted singlet top. Your bike shorts will be fine and I top you’ll feel comfortable in and bare feet are fine. Sure there will be people in the latest trendy yoga gear but it’s not necessary. I found a thick foam exercise mat at Kmart (here in Australia) which helped with my bony bits when I do my stretches now. See how you go with your yoga mat and look for a thicker mat if you need it. My yoga instructor used to provide latex bands to use for some of the stretches and we all just bought a towel which we rolled up to use if we needed extra support. Honestly you can end up spending a fortune on clothing and equipment so I’d hold off first to see how much you really love it and what you actually need. If you’re worried about your personal belongings, keep your keys, wallet, phone & whatever else in a bag and set it beside you with your water bottle. You could pop in your shoes & jacket (for when you start to feel the cold) too so you have all your belongings with you.

The more I think about it the more I think the creons I take are a contributing factor. They slow your digestion down as it passes through the intestines so you can absorb more nutrients. It’s used for malabsorption of protein, carbs and fats. Adds to my occasional issues with constipation. Fun! I’ve always eaten lean meats and while I eat more dairy now it’s still only about two serves of the recommended three serves a day. Can’t do the low fat or skim milk as I drink lactose free milk and reducing the fat makes it taste incredibly sweet & I can’t tolerate it. And the high protein yoghurt I eat (isn’t sweet) isn’t available in low fat. PS - The coronary artery calcium test gave me a score of zero the best you can get. At least I have a base score now for future comparison.

Coloxyl is a stool softener. A bottle has had a regular place in my bathroom cabinet since my sleeve - LOL! I’m going to take another one (not doing two again 😱) tonight @Spinoza as there was nothing again today. I only took one in the past if I hadn’t gone for two or three days and that would be enough to get things soft and moving again but two is obviously too much and cleans me out. Probably why I haven’t been for two days - had nothing left.