Arabesque

It’s quite common for our taste buds &/or sense of smell to temporarily change after surgery. Things we enjoyed before can be too sweet, too salty or just taste disgusting. Or it can be an aversion to certain textures or smells. I found the shakes awful after surgery: too sweet, grainy & blah! I’d have one in the morning (diluted) & then had soup for my other ‘meals’. I tried bone broth, which is a good alternative, but found it too salty. It can last a couple of weeks or a couple of months.

I agree with the others: it’s not the cashews. Stalls are a common & important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body shuts down to take stock of your changing needs & then resets things like your metabolism, digestive hormones, etc. They usually last 1-3 weeks. Do look for a lunch that is going to offer more protein (1oz cashews provides only 5g of protein) & includes other foods for a wider variety of nutrients. Try a meat like chicken or tuna, or tofu or a boiled egg, etc. with a small side of salad vegetables, or an omelette, soup, etc. Have a chat with your dietician for some meal ideas

Your experiences may be totally different to mine or others. We have different pain thresholds, there may be subtle differences in our surgeries, our health & physical statuses/situations are likely different, etc. There are some generalisations though. Most find the pain is gone or greatly reduced by day 4 or so. The opioids you’ll be given will manage it & you may only need the odd over the counter non NSAID pain med by day 4. You may have continued discomfort from gas pain (shoulder region) for a few more days - heat pads help. Some have localised discomfort around the surgical sites or experience pain spasms on getting up or down or lying in certain positions like your side - move slowly & carefully. You may have difficulty swallowing for a day or so due to swelling. You may experience sudden diarrhoea, constipation, or nausea. If intense pain persists & your prescribed meds aren’t managing it contact your surgeon. My pain was pretty much gone by day 4. I had difficulty swallowing for two days. I could sleep in my side in hospital and the few days of discomfort on getting up & down was more like the muscular ‘I’ve been exercising’ type. I didn’t have any gas pain (my surgeon made up for it when he removed my gall two years later 😁) My back went into spasm in hospital & that pain was way worse than the surgical pain. I wasn’t hungry or interested in eating at all which is the general accepted effect of the surgery. Some people do feel hungry but some of this is likely head hunger not real hunger. I do recommend warm drinks over cold. Cold can cause your poor healing tummy to spasm/cramp while warm (room temp or hot) can be more soothing. Some find a pillow t hold against their tummy when travelling or get them my up & down helpful. Som find a binder supportive too. I didn’t use these at all. Don’t be reluctant to ask for pain, anti nausea meds or anything else you may need in hospital & to seek medical advice or help when yi get home if you need it. You’ll be okay. All the best.

I agree, you wont need much. I took my own toiletries & changed into my own pjs - made me feel better. I was glad I threw in extra pjs & knickers though (you can experience very sudden diarrhoea - unpleasant). Different surgeons will have different advice & restrictions in regards to activity post surgery & when you can begin more strenuous activity, usually everyone is told to walk - gentle slow walks as you’re able (a couple of short walks every day even just around your home your yard is a good place to begin). Remember you will have restrictions on how much you can carry (lift, pull, etc.) in the first couple of weeks while you are healing. Check with them before embarking on an exercise program. Oh, those surgical gowns can be thin too. I’ll never forget the man wearing his gown sunning himself in front of the windows in the ward lounge area without a care in the world. The sun was highlighting everything under the gown & believe me when I say he was only wearing his hospital gown. 😱. all the best.

American health insurance is crazy to me but would it matter if both your doctor & the dietician sent in the form? I mean your doctor would provide the most relevant information about the benefits of the surgery to you medically in regards your health status while the dietician would provide information in regards to your eating & nutritional needs. 🤷🏻‍♀️ If your insurance says your doctor sends in the form they should send in a form. It’s the insurance company approval you need not the clinic’s.

I think your goals are admirable. So many get caught up in how much they lose, how fast or slow they lose, how long it takes, etc. as they’re losing. Of course when we’ve lost our weight we all feel pretty darn happy about what we have achieved (& deservedly so). How you eat after you’ve stabilised is really up to you & how you want to live your life. If eating carbs fits in better with your lifestyle & your family then eat carbs. Just maybe choose better carbs - complex, whole & multi grains, low processed versions, smaller portions, or less often. You’ll work out what & how much of certain foods or food groups you need to eat, can eat, can eat occasionally, or those you may be better off avoiding. It’s your choice. Of course we can’t go back to how we used to eat - that’s just asking for trouble 🙂. Accompanied with this may be that your weight settles a little higher than at your lowest as you work out your caloric needs (what your body needs to function effectively to maintain your weight & activity level), eating style & lifestyle preferences and that’s okay. For me deciding not to call how I ate after I stabilised a ‘diet’ was a positive mental move. I’m not on a diet this is just how & what I eat. Diet had such negative connotations & memories for me: restrictions, being limited, missing out, etc. & failure. Personally, I cut out a lot of sugar & generally avoid artificial sweeteners & sugar substitutes whenever I can so I don’t eat cakes, biscuits, desserts etc. except a couple of times a year like Christmas. Don’t miss it. Don’t feel I’m missing out or being restricted & my friends & family accept it, no fussing or pushing me to eat. For example my niece was serving out cake for her 13th birthday earlier this year. When she got to me she asked what I’d like and added we have strawberries too. (I had strawberries.) It didn’t happen overnight but slowly it became just me. All the best.

It could be just your fussy sensitive tummy. Many of us experience temporary changes to our taste buds &/or sense of smell. For some certain textures upset them. I was so excited when I was able to eat vegetables again but nope my tummy said no to some of my favourites. But it was only temporary. At best it’s just a ‘this is yucky’ reaction. At worst it may cause you to vomit. And yes certain artificial sweeteners (usually the alcohol ones) can cause digestive distress - bloating, vomiting, diarrhoea, etc. I actually had a reverse experience. Before surgery, I often found smoked salmon too rich & strongly flavoured. After surgery I surprisingly could eat it (smear of cream cheese wrapped around a wedge of cucumber - yum). But a few weeks later - nope awful & still avoid it. Give your tummy time to relearn flavours, smells, textures, etc. This is often a great time to try different foods or foods you fed isn’t enjoy in the past. Avoid those foods that upset you fur a couple of weeks & then try again.

Exactly everything @catwoman7 said. There is no right or wrong rate at which to lose your weight just what is right for you & your body. The stats only give you an idea of what you might experience. As with all stats there are always outliers: those who lose more & those who less less. Your rate of loss doesn’t affect whether you’ll lose your weight either. Just may mean it takes a little longer or a little more quickly. By the way 15lbs in 3 weeks is not slow. That’s averaging 5lbs a week. Can’t be unhappy about that. I’d lost about 13lbs at the three week mark & my surgeon & dietician were always happy with my rate.

Check with your team. While there can be similarities, different surgeries can have additional vitamin needs. Bypass often has very specific vitamin needs but sleeve not as much. I only had to take a multi vitamin with my sleeve & stopped taking them at around 8 months. Surgeons have different requirements too in regard to whether you can swallow vitamins or need to get gummies/chewies or patches. Plus your blood work may show you need or don't need a specific vitamin/s as well. Vitamins are too expensive to just randomly buy them without finding out exactly what you need first. Some will make you nauseous so be warned & yes don’t take your iron with your calcium. Spread them out through out your day if yiu have trouble with them.

Oh yeah a food replicator like on Star Trek. Do you notice no one every seems to have to wash up after a meal either. No loading or unloading the dishwasher. Yay!! Teiyaki salmon looks delicious.

I took a gulp of water the other night & half went down the wrong way. I burped which is incredibly weird for me as I can’t burp. Then I could feel it starting to come up - my last bite or two of my dinner. I sometimes think it’s because I can’t burp that I do have issues with the foamies & can’t release what may be a gas bubble adding to any blockage or slowing the passage of what I’ve eaten. I often worried about having an attack when out @Lisa XO. I quizzed my surgeon’s colleague at a follow up. She agreed that my worrying it might happen was likely tightening my oesophagus & my tummy increasing the odds of me getting the foamies.

I don’t know if that is what I had @BabySpoons. It was only on my arms & randomly scattered & I could pop them or scratch their top off sort of like a pimple so … 🤷🏻‍♀️. It would be great if it did help you.

I can’t recall my skin being more dry but it certainly became less dry & itchy, smoother & softer (still is) as my weight dropped. And those little pimply type lumps on my arms disappeared & haven’t returned. Yay! Could be hormonal. Could be a reaction to the anaesthetic. Could be a reaction to dietary changes. Exfoliate (not aggressively or excessively) & moisturise day & night.

Dr Matthew Weiner & Dr John Pilcher have excellent videos (you tube) on a range of bariatric topics really aimed at you & not so much your family members but they are very informative & an excellent resource. As for food, you may find by soft food you will be able to eat some of the same meals. Soups, stews, braises, mince dishes, etc. You may have to make ingredient substitutions, change cooking styles as you slowly reintroduce certain foods & ingredients but generally meals the whole family can eat - you’ll just have a much smaller portion. Great opportunity to try new healthier, more nutrient dense recipes & new/alternative ingredients. I live alone but regularly spent weekends with my 80+ yr old mother. She ate whatever I cooked & ate without issue or difficulty. I’d often have dinner at family or friends or go out to eat I just made sure my friends new what I could or couldn’t eat & made careful choices. I’d check menus before going out so I’d know what I could eat or what I could ask to be modified. I ate many of the meals I always did simply by making modifications to the recipes so it would be appropriate for my needs. My friend cooked for her family & basically ate that same meal from solid foods. For example making a pasta dish - she’d use zucchini noodles or would just eat the meat sauce component. Having tacos - she’d eat the filling not the taco shell. A bonus of your smaller portion size is leftovers. I freeze leftovers all the time. They are easy meals fir you to have when you don’t feel like cooking or for when your family wants something which isn’t a good option for you. Your weight loss period is the time you use to establish better eating habits & food choices. When you stop losing you don’t go back to eating how & what you used to eat. That’s why every other diet we were on failed & we’d regain weight. All the best.

I’d always bounced between being a healthy weight & being on the top end of overweight. Then I became perimenopausal, then menopause & I became obese I swear overnight. Couldn’t lose more than a couple of kilos which would come back even more quickly. I battled for a good 4 years. A friend who’d lost a lot of weight told us she’d had the surgery and about three months later I woke one morning & decided enough. Got an appointment with my GP who gave me a referral to a surgeon (the one my friend saw). It was about 5 weeks between the morning I made my decision & my surgery. So very glad I did. I didn’t have any comorbidities though I knew if I continued at that weight I soon would. I was fed up with my large body because it wasn’t who I really was. My energy was compromised & I felt I couldn’t play with my younger nieces & nephews as I wanted. Looking back I realise I also used to work harder & do more at work or home to prove my weight wasn’t limiting me. Another factor was I love fashion, clothing designs & fabrics & my choice was being restricted by my size (about a US14). To me the difference between the surgery & medications is you’ll always have the changes to your digestive system but medications are a temporary artificial change. Of course in the end both depend on your willingness to make permanent changes to how you eat, what you eat & why you eat. If you go back to eating how & what you did before you will regain weight regardless of the surgery (you can eat around your surgery if your determined to) or medications. All the best.

Check with your surgeon about taking ibuprofen. We’re all usually told to avoid all NSAIDs & often forever. There is a much higher risk of damage & ulcers forming in your much smaller tummy. As you have a sleeve you may eventually be told you can take the odd NSAID by your surgeon but highly doubt not this close to your surgery. I was told I could after two years but only half a dose & never on consecutive days.

I was surprised by that as well @summerseeker. Prolonged vomiting or vomiting for 2 or more days yes, you should seek medical help but vomiting after a meal or with the foamies is pretty common especially in the first couple of months. I still randomly experience them & bring up what was stuck or too coarse. But I don’t consider that true vomiting (certainly not like I used to experience before surgery) more a regurgitation as it doesn’t come from the whole tummy spasming. Certainly don’t end up with sore or tender muscles after.

It’s going to do what it needs to do. A sip or two may help or it may not but I usually find it doesn’t. I had a lump of fatty gristle stuck for a few hours last year (darkened room & didn’t realise that was what it was until it was too late). Felt awful, coughing, spitting up saliva but the offending lump wouldn’t come up at all. Tried sipping green tea hoping it would sooth it’s passage but nope. Just had to wait it out for it to make its own way down.

You won’t be alone in doing this but do remember all those sutures & staples holding your tummy together. The staged return to eating solid food is in place to protect your healing tummy & support your recovery. I found the shakes awful too. I’d have a diluted one in the morning but then had cream soups (strain so no lumps or fibrous bits) & broths (bone is very good but can be salty). Make your own yoghurt drink by blending yoghurt (plain Greek) & milk. You can add some protein powder too. Just keep everything thin so it goes down easily. It’s only for two weeks. You’ll get through it.

Being able to eat something one day but not the next does happen. It’s your fussy tummy. I used to describe mine as a petulant, temper throwing two year old. 😁 Even now, sometimes something is a little to coarse or fibrous (usually vegetables) & my tummy goes nope. And yes it can take a few visits to the bathroom to clear it.

Food that is too dry, too coarse, too dense or if you eat too quickly or too big a bite can cause problems like blockages or irritation resulting in you bringing up what you ate as your body tries to clear the blockage or digest the food. So yes it could have been the steak (it does cause issues for some) or the skin or both. Out of curiosity did you spit up thick, sticky saliva as well? This is what we call the foamies which is the body attempting to clear the blockage & sooth the oesophagus. Check your allowed foods list as vegetable & fruit skins are often on the avoid list for a while. Keep your meats tender & moist (use gravies & sauces) & avoid fibrous vegetables. Your tummy & digestion will be sensitive & fussy for a while so go slowly when introducing new foods and textures. Regular foods doesn’t necessarily mean all foods for everyone. Lots of trial & error on the way especially in the beginning.

Some people are slow losers & some are fast. Nothing wrong or right about how fast or slow you lose. You’ll find lots of stats about weight loss but they are just averages & will give you an idea of what you might experience not what you definitely will experience. But 21lbs in about 5 weeks isn’t slow. Excluding your initial 7lbs, you’re averaging about 3lbs a week. That’s about what I lost & my surgeon & dietician were happy with my progress. Don’t know what your starting weight was but were you expecting to lose 40 & 50lbs in your first month? That only happens for those who began at very high weights like on My 600lb Life. Oh & how fast or slow you lose doesn’t affect how much you lose. You’ll be fine. Just stick to your plan.

I was older, almost 54, same height & weighed a little less, 200lbs. I have loose skin. Not a lot though - not worth plastic surgery. I can still wear body con clothes without support garments. How much you’ll have depends on many factors. Age, gender, genetics, how much weight you lose, how long you carried your excess weight, etc. things we can’t control. As an adult I bounced between 60 & 75kg so healthy to the far end of overweight. When I became perimenopausal & then menopausal I put on my extra ‘obese’ weight (I swear I gained overnight). I carried it for about 5 or so years. When I got back to 60kg I had very little loose skin - pinches. As I lost more weight & got to a weight I hadn’t been since I was about 12yrs, my loose skin became more noticeable. Have a little tummy pooch, some bat wings & my butt is halfway down my thighs (it’s the worst bit & what you can see sometimes like in the dress pxt.) Still rather have the loose skin than those extra 42 kgs. I find the loose skin a great motivator. I earned it with my weight loss & I don’t want to gain again.

Your tummy is still healing & sensitive. Sometimes it’s just not ready to move on to the next stage yet. Don’t be afraid to go back a stage for a couple of days or add in the next stage foods slowly (one meal, then two meals, etc.) Your tummy can be very fussy about foods too. Eggs, chicken breast, steak, etc. can be troublesome for some for a while. Also if your food is too coarse, too dry or you eat too quickly your tummy can say nope & up it comes. And don’t be surprised if you eat something easily one day & the next your tummy is just no way! I used to describe my tummy as a petulant temper throwing two year old. It does get better but how long until it’ll take is individual. Lots of trial & error at first.

I found minced meat meals the easiest. Meat balls (rissoles & gravy), zucchini noodle bolognese, savoury mince, etc. Single serve portions freeze really well too. I also made chunky soups & slow cooked casseroles. Just add the spices, herbs & vegetables you like & can tolerate. I remember staying with my mum & I made chicken chasseur for our dinner. Bad idea because I added the white wine as per the recipe (alcohol cooked out so thought it’d be okay) & it made it taste disgusting. It as all I could taste. Like acrid. Couldn’t eat it. My mum loved it. So tread carefully.