Arabesque

Could be from the oestrogen flush? Oestrogen is stored in fat & as you lose weight it’s released into your blood stream causing an increase of the hormone. It can cause changes in your menstrual cycle (heavier or lighter, more or less frequent, more or fewer PMT symptoms, etc.). You can also become more fertile - be careful. It does settle as you lose more. Have a chat with your doctor/gyno. Maybe request a hormonal blood test to see.

Very common. Your digestive system is pretty sensitive & will be for a while while you are healing. (Just like a cut is sore & tender for a while healing but this is on a much bigger scale.) You will be swollen internally too. Expect some quirky & unexpected random reactions to eating & drinking for a few weeks. Try warm drinks as cool/cold drinks can make your tender tummy cramp/spasm. Warm drinks are often more soothing.

You are absolutely 100% correct in how you are approaching your surgery & weight loss. You can do heaps of research but until you really experience it itself you don’t really know what it will be like. The research does go a long way to ease your mind when you experience some of the quirks & changes along the way, to know when to ask questions, to know what questions to ask & when to ask for advice or help. I was almost 54 when I had my surgery & hadn’t been part of a forum before either. Am so glad I found this one - a wealth of knowledge, experiences & support. It was my four year anniversary yesterday. I didn’t have any comorbidities but I knew they were likely ahead of me. I’d always bounced between healthy to not quite obese for most of my adult life but menopause pushed me over the line & I could not shift that weight for love or money. I lost more than I expected & have pretty much maintained. Having the surgery has been such a wonderful decision for me. Keep sharing your story (the highs & the lows). Never be afraid or reluctant to ask questions, for help or advice. You’ve got this. All the best.

I know what you’ve been going through has been absolutely awful but it did lead to them finding the cancer. Thank gracious it was picked up so early & you won’t need more aggressive treatment. Have you tried using resistance bands or other less strenuous exercise? Remember exercise only contributes to about 10% of the weight you are to lose. I didn’t exercise through my weight loss & all I do now are stretches (on the floor) & a few resistance exercises. I do short bursts of 5 or so minutes about 4 times a day. My arms are nicely toned & I see a little muscle definition in my knees & thighs which is what I wanted & my back doesn’t cause me as many issues. Actually have had to drop my sit ups (the most strenuous thing I did) because I had a fairly significant retinal bleed in my ‘better’ eye & was ordered not to by my specialist. (Not completely disappointed because I really hated them. 😁) Praying the end is in sight for you & you’ll be cleared for your revision soon.

I went through four size changes. The first time I bought 2 or 3 new ones. Got fitted properly because I’d experience back pain if the bras I was wearing were too big. I thought I was safe when I got to my goal weight & bought a few very nice ones. Bad move as I kept losing. All up I went from an 18E to a 10E when my weight stabilised & been the 10E for a couple of years now. Have empty upper boobies but the bottom is still full. The only bras that fit me properly are an expensive French brand (others are too narrow in the cup) - sigh! I’ve spent hours being fitted in other (cheaper) brands & styles but nope that wire would dig in the side. The only breast change I’ve had since then was when my HRT wasn’t working (absorption issue) & one breast got a little larger. Still the same cup size but not as many gathers in the upper part of that cup. Fixed the HRT issue but still have one breast a little fuller. I tend to wear crop top bralettes around the house even now. I started to buy & wear them them as by the end of the day I’d get pain from the underwire pressing on my bony ribs (much better now). I buy Bonds (Haynes) which I can pick up at the supermarket here in Australia. Not hugely supportive but comfortable & stretchy. I donated all my bras as they got too big.

I’m so sorry you are struggling & don’t seem to be getting any real answers from your surgeon. I wish I had answers for you. I’d probably go to an emergency centre (may be at the hospital where you had your surgery if it’s close by - might force the surgeon to really look at yi & yiur circumstances). Hopefully they will then organise a variety of tests to see what’s going on. Certainly rehydrating you via IV as @MountainClover suggested wouldn’t hurt. I hope you gets some answers & help soon. All the best.

You can’t break a stall. I know some will say I did by doing this or that but what happened was their body was ready to break the stall. Stalls are an important part of your weight loss. It’s the time the body takes to readjust to the stress of the changes you’ve made & making. It’s also the time your body uses to reassess your needs & adjust things like digestive hormones & enzymes, metabolic rate, etc. Even though the scales don’t move, many find their clothes get a little loser which I think is part of your body readjusting. My body kept settling & changing shape for a time even after I’d stopped losing & my weight had stabilised. How many stalls you’ll experience & how long they last (most tend to last 1-3weeks but can be more) will depend on your body & it’s needs. Stick to your plan, don’t make big changes to stress (or confuse) your body more than your plan advises & the stall will break when your body is ready.

A lot of factors come into play in regards to how much lose skin you’ll have. Age, genetics, gender, how much weight you lose, how long you carried your weight, weight loss & gain history, etc. The lose skin you end up with is skin that has been stretched out to a point that nothing can make it bounce back and the only way to get rid of it is through surgery. I always compare it to a well used hair band that has lost it’s stretch - can’t do anything with that. Collagen, while it has its benefits, won’t stop or get rid of the amount of lose skin most of us have. Some people will suggest exercising but this only works on the supporting muscles not on the skin itself. I have lose skin. Not a lot (not handfuls but good pinches over my body). I can still wear body conscious clothing without support garments. More from good genetics I think. I chose not to have surgery to remove it. I look at it has something I earned through my efforts to lose my weight. It’s a reminder to keep me on track. I’d rather have my lose skin than be 200lbs again.

This made me smile & remember when my brother bought his children that rainbow bread where they colour the bread dough with food dye before baking. His children told him never to buy it again as, as one niece whispered to me, it made their poop rainbow too. Lol! Mine used to be pale if I ate yoghurt. I put it down to my then lactose sensitivity. While yoghurt didn’t give me the full gamut of lactose intolerance reactions, it would do this.

Portion size recommendations are generally the same regardless of surgery but do check with your team to find out their recommendations for you, your needs & their plan for you. Ask for cup, spoon & ounce recommendations as not everything can be easily measured on scales. I was told 1/4 to 1/3 cup from puree slowly increasing as I was able until I got to about a cup & about recommended portion sizes of different foods around goal.

I’m sorry you’re feeling so isolated through this. Have you spoken to your husband about how you feel? Maybe he’s feeling uncertain about what your needs may be & how to support you? He may worry you’ll become a different person when you lose all your weight? Same with other family members & friends. It can be confusing for others because they don’t understand (they haven’t experienced this either) & they don’t want to upset you or appear to be too nosy. I only told one of my brothers & his wife (I knew the other would be critical). They rarely said anything to me except if we were eating together they’d just check I could eat what they were preparing or if I had special needs. My mother, who I spend weekends with every couple of weeks, got upset at one point saying she didn’t know what I ate or needed to eat & was worried she’d get the wrong food in when I stayed with her. Wonder if you speaking with a therapist will help you have conversations with your husband, etc. about your feelings & also give you the opportunity to talk things out in a non judgemental environment.

That’s funny @ms.sss. He’s usually eating your leftovers. 😁😁

I didn’t exercise & still don’t. I do some stretches, use a resistance band & do some sit ups now but more to help with my back & to keep me a bit limber than for anything else. I wouldn’t burn 30 calories. (Ironically I would burn more calories if I weighed more LOL!) I really don’t enjoy structured exercise at all. It’s boring, I don’t like being forced to ‘perform’ & I hate being sweaty. I do my stretches, etc. in 5-10 minute blocks through out the day (it’s called exercise snacking & is just as beneficial as doing a single long block of exercise). I’m more willing to do it like this. Exercise only accounts for about 10% of any weight you have to lose. Want to lose 60lbs? Exercise will only contribute to you losing about 6lbs. Of course there are many other benefits to exercising but don’t rely on it for boosting your weight loss. I have never been this successful with sustained weight loss ever before & I’m almost 58 so have quite a few years of dieting experiences. 😉 I’ve changed so much about my relationship with food. I still enjoy food but know & accept I can’t just eat what I like, when I like & how much I like. I don’t consider I’m making sacrifices or missing out. It really is about changing your thinking about food & eating. It doesn’t happen over night but you’ll get there too. Day by day, week by week.

It could be from the tube they put in your airways during surgery. Could be some reflux because of acid buildup. You’re likely still producing the same amount of acid you used to need in your larger tummy & to digest the larger meal portions you used to eat. Plus the surgery alone stirred up things too. If it’s from the breathing tube this will pass - warm/hot drinks can be quite soothing. If it’s acid, were you prescribed a PPI to reduce it’s production? I had a lot of swelling for the first couple of days from the intubation - made swallowing very difficult. Was spitting up a lot of saliva due to the irritation too. Mine was mostly gone by day 4. If it persists call your team.

It’s pretty common but usually temporary. As @catwoman7 said it’s usually related to getting up from lying down or sitting - postural hypotension. Your blood rushes to your feet thanks to gravity & it takes a little time to be pumped up to your head again. Hence the light head mess, dizziness, loss of vision or fainting. I always had a predisposition to low blood pressure (hereditary) & now I have it all the time. I can experience it tipping my head back, reaching up to get something off a shelf & with a hot shower/bath as well as getting up. Definitely talk to your team. If you are on BP meds they may need to be adjusted. Keep your fluids up. Add extra salt to your diet. Get up slowly & stand before moving. I find bending over at my waist so my head is level or just below my heart helps it pass more quickly. And as I feel it coming on I reach for a wall, table, chair, person, etc. to ground myself until it passes.

My hand is up. I’m 5’3” & weighed 200lbs when I started. I lost to my goal by 6 months (132lbs - so loss of 68lbs). I kept losing very slowly for another 10 or so months until I reached 108lbs - a total loss of 94lbs. I’ve been pretty much stable since then aside from little fluctuations & I’ll be 4 years out on the weekend. There is no right or wrong rate of your weight loss. There are averages but like all averages (statistics) some will lose more than the average others less. And some will lose at a faster rate & others will lose at a slower rate. Averages only give you an idea of what might happen not what will happen. And all of this is okay. Remember it’s not a race. There are some things you can pretty much rely on. If you weigh more at the beginning you tend to lose larger amounts at first (like you see on My 600lb Life). Your weight loss is always more in the beginning. Everyone’s rate of loss slows. If you follow your plan, you will lose at the rate that is right & best for you. Nothing wrong with 21lbs in 6 weeks. (I’d lost about 22lbs at 6 weeks.) That’s about 3lbs a week. Can’t complain about that. The only time you should be concerned is if your surgeon or team is. Celebrate every pound you lose.

All the hair on your head eventually sheds at some time. It falls out itself onto your clothes or the floor, you wash the loose strands out or you catch it on your brush or comb. It’s just that at the moment your hair loss schedule has been sped up. Can’t stop it & you can’t really make yourself lose more than what you currently are. Just be gentle. I like the idea of putting conditioner on it before swimming, & ensure you rinse your hair out well after swimming until you can wash it properly.

Everyone heals & recovers differently for many reasons. You may find you won’t need your opioids (or as many) in the next day or so & over the counter, non NSAIDS, will be enough. Start slowly with your walking & increase as you’re able. Walking around your home is fine if that’s all you can mange at first. Doing several short walks is just as beneficial as doing a single long walk. Or do some seated exercises for your legs & arms (raising your arms & legs up & down, foot & wrist flexing, etc.) if getting up & down is difficult at first. Of course if your strong pain persists into a second week or your opioids aren’t managing your pain, contact your surgeon. All the best.

Stalls are a important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body stops to get used to the changes, assesses your new needs & readjusts things like the hormones involved in digestion, metabolic rate, etc. You’ll start losing weight again when your body is ready. How many stalls you have or how long each one lasts don’t have any affect on your final weight loss. I agree: stick to your plan, stay off the scales. And yes, they always break. All the best.

The temporary changes to your taste buds &/or sense of smell can make enjoying food difficult even the shakes you have to drink at your stage. Many find the shake flavours they drank before surgery are disgusting after surgery. I agree try (thin, strained) soups like broths & consommés. And I too found warm drinks more soothing & easier to tolerate. I’d warm my shakes, drink room temperature or warm water & drink green tea (herbal if you prefer).

Pain under your rib means it’s more likely surgical gas. This gas isn’t in your tummy & digestive system (like gas you burp or eventually fart out) but in the abdominal cavity - the space around your organs. It rises up behind your lungs, putting pressure on nerve endings hence the shoulder & likely your pain behind your ribs. It’s then absorbed into the lungs & you breath it out (that’s why walking, marching on the spot, deep breathing, lifting your arms up & down all help you breath more out). It usually takes about a week +/- to fully go.

Three months is pretty common & that’s regardless of taking additional vitamins or supplements or not (save your money on those - they may only benefit your new growth). Of course for some it’s a little longer & others a little less. Just make sure you’re meeting or very close to your protein goals. Most of the accelerated hair loss is down your body’s reaction to the surgery, anaesthetic, hormonal fluctuations, stress, etc. Remember, your new hair hair is still growing at it’s usual rate. In a few months you may start to see the little fluffy bits of your new hair growth. Many of us cut our hair shorter. Shorter hair looks fuller & bouncier than long & it will take less time for your new hair growth to grow to reach your shorter length hair. You can always grow it again. If your hair loss is significant or noticeable try wigs or hair pieces or once the hair loss has slowed/stopped maybe look at hair extensions.

Establish little habits so you drink when ever you do something specific. I keep water by my bed so every time I get up to pee I drink (before & after). At work, read an email then sip. I sip every time I get in or out of the car & at every red light. You can do this with public transport too. Watching tv or a movie sip every scene change or ad break. Sip after every page or two you read. Keep liquids by your side always. Yes, setting a timer can help too but as you’re new out try every 3-5 minutes as you are only sipping. It does get easier and you will be able to do more than just sip.

Your surgery hasn’t failed. You have lost weight - yay! This is likely a stall as others have suggested. Stalls are very common. Almost everyone experiences them & they are an important part of your weight loss (it’s when your body pauses to reassess your new needs & resets digestive hormones, metabolic rate, etc.). They often last 1-3 weeks but for some they can be longer. The stall will break when your body is ready. Just stick to your plan & don’t stress your body more. And yes I know even with knowing this, stalls can still feel frustrating. We all lose our weight at our own rate. There’s no wrong or right amount you have to lose each week. There are just averages which only give you a bit of an idea of what you might experience not what you definitely will. Being a slow loser doesn’t mean you won’t lose all your weight either. It just means it may take you a little longer & that’s okay too.

This will happen often while you are losing. Your weight loss won’t ever be a consistent straight line on a graph. It will go up & down, zig & zag & plateau. All to be expected. Our weight always fluctuates even when stable. Hormones, water retention, constipation, diarrhoea, eating or drinking a little more or a little less, doing more or less activity, etc. all play a part.