Arabesque

And …. You will have some pain & disconfirm but this passes in a few days. Don’t be surprised if you’re constipated or have unpleasant diarrhoea. The diarrhoea will pass but the constipation will remain. You may have nausea & may bring up something you ate/drank. Listen to your body while you are recovering & healing. If it says to rest today, rest. If it say you’re low in energy today, don’t push yourself to exercise. If it says it doesn’t like the taste or smell of something try something else (this can last a few weeks or a few months). Your tummy is sensitive while it is healing so treat it gently. Follow your plan. And don’t worry if you don’t get all your protein & fluid in as long as you’re close - it gets easier to do as you progress. And if something seems odd to you, contact your surgeon or their team. All the best.

Your weight loss is never a perfectly straight downward line. It zigs & zags girls up & down. Stalls, hormonal fluctuations, fluid retention, constipation, diarrhoea, etc. all affect our weight. Last month I was retaining so much fluid due to some very high humidity I couldn’t put my rings on. Took three days to pee it all out & get back to my usual weight range. We all have a natural fluctuation too. I mean we don’t eat the exact same thing, pee & poop the same volume & do the exact same activity every day. Stick to your plan & you’ll be fine.

I third it. It may be some time before you are allowed to eat some of those foods certainly while you are losing. The time while you are losing is a great opportunity to break old habits, cravings & food preferences & to find alternatives to your traditional food choices. Also many find their taste buds change too so don’t buy up big as you may find when you try them they taste disgusting. Carefully read nutrition panels not just for protein, carb, sugar content but also the specific ingredients. For example no sugar products usually mean no added sugar but rely on artificial sweeteners (some find they upset them after surgery especially the sugar alcohols) & fruit juices/purées which still feed your desire for sweet & you don’t know how much they use. Look to low processed foods & raw ingredients. Try to prep more food yourself so you have better control over the ingredients & how you cook it. Look for & try other foods you can snack on & not just a high processed ‘healthier’ version of a something you always ate like chips. Not saying don’t have them but be very conscious of portions & frequency. They can be useful to have on hand & if travelling. I always have baked fava beans or chick peas, hummus & rice crackers in my kitchen for when my young nieces & nephews or friends pop by. When losing I got in 50-60g protein every day without any protein enriched processed foods (except yoghurt) or protein supplements/shakes. I get in 60-70g now. In saying all that you will find your own way, what suits your body & it’s needs & your lifestyle.

Check with your dietician to see what your plan recommends. Some people are allowed bread or bread alternatives relatively early out (but usually as the protein, then vegetables then only if you are able as @Jeanniebug mentioned). I still don’t eat bread at almost four years out. I’ve tried the odd bite & it just sits heavily in my tummy. So you may be allowed to eat it but physically can’t. I get all my carbs from low processed rolled oats, vegetables & multigrain crackers. Don’t miss bread or similar products at all.

The withdrawal from caffeine, sugar, etc. can be awful. Headaches, shakes, cold sweats, …. and the craving for them can be greater. Thankfully the first week is usually the worst. My surgeon recommends different diets for different patients but the all shake diet is known as hell week in his office. I’d done the shake diet twice before (two shake meals & one low carb, low fat meat & vegetable/salad meal) so I was much relieved when the dietician said I was to do keto for the two weeks. No calorie requirement or macro goals just high fat, high protein, low carb, low sugar. (She also said keto was a good way to kick start my weight loss but not as a long term diet.) I lost about 5kgs.

Try a donut cushion which has the hole in the centre so there is no pressure at all on your tail bone. This is where your butt pain originates.

Our weight loss is never a consistently straight downward line on a graph. It goes up & down, zigs & zags, has peaks & valleys. Much like the fluctuations we all have when we maintain our weight - no one ever weighs the exact same weight every single day. It could be this same natural fluctuation (hormones, water retention, constipation, etc.). It could be a stall as we can experience a number of them. And your rate of weight loss slowly but surely slows as you progress. Have a chat with your dietician about the timings of your meals. It may be having an impact 🤷🏻‍♀️. There’s no one way of eating which works for everyone. Personally I eat more often as the day progresses & consequently eat later (I have lunch at 4pm & dinner at around 6/6:30) but I also don’t eat after 8pm. It works for me.

Fluids go through your digestive system much more quickly. Plus a lot of nerve endings were cut during the surgery & take time to heal which is why portion control is even more important from when you begin purées. When you’re more healed your full or had enough signals (be careful they can be different to those you are used to) will begin to kick in. There’s a great video that shows how fluids flush solid foods through your tummy reducing our absorption of nutrients which is why we are advised not to drink 30 minutes before & after eating. This isn’t it but it shows the same thing & also helps understand how fast fluids go through our smaller tummy. And yes you’ll have days when it’s more difficult to meet your goals & others when you reach them easily. Your plan of two weeks per stage is pretty common. I was told 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée.

Remember when everyone hung their knickers & bras on the inside of the clothes line so the neighbours couldn’t see them? (Or may be you’re all much younger than me & never had clothes lines to dry your clothing. Lol!)

While many plans say to avoid caffeine, green & herbal teas are often allowed but check with your team. Eventually caffeine can be reintroduced. I gave it up some years back (almost 20 yrs I think) because it began to mess terribly with my sleep which was already bad. I switched to green tea but usually only have one cup (albeit a very large mug every day). They often say green tea will help with weight loss - didn’t me 😁 - but I think it is if you drink it instead of eating or don't eat anything with it.

It acts as a distraction to your head hunger. You sip it slowly which allows time for the urge to eat to pass (head hunger doesn’t last real hunger does). Tea (black, green or herbal) tends to have a calming/soothing effect so if emotions are behind your desire to eat it can help with that too.

I had a period of time I was ‘doughy’ in the head. Poor concentration, etc. I put it down to the surgery (anaesthetic can do odd things), reduced calorie intake, low energy & tiredness & low blood pressure (was pretty woopsy woo at times). It improved over a month or so. Oh, & are you on any anti nausea meds? They can often make you forgetful … well they do me. I suffer from vertigo & had a bad bout so was taking stemitol frequently for two days. Returned to work & a man started chatting to me in the lift. I had to ask him who he was & it turned out we’d had a two hour meeting only three days before & there was only three of us in the meeting. 😱 Felt so terrible.

This made me chuckle. When my cosmetic physician was doing my derma needing RF session last month, she said ‘I’m not going to do your forehead because it looks so good.’ I said ‘that’s all the Dysport you put in it’. We both had a good laugh. I tell people I have Dysport (Botox) too for much the same reasons. (Why did I wait until I was 56.) You can usually tell if someone has it anyway.

Wouldn’t think so on the pre op diet but it is allowed in most plans after surgery. Check with your surgeon &/or dietician because pre & post surgery plans are different. All the best.

It’s all skin that has been over stretched much like an old well used hair band or old well worn knickers. Your skin will bounce back a little but factors like age (we stop producing elastin in our early 20s), how much weight you carried, how long you carried it, genetics, etc. impact how much loose skin you end up with. There’s nothing you can do about except have it surgically removed. Exercising works on the muscles not the skin so the scaffolding underneath might be better but the skin will still be loose except for what you fill out with muscle. Collagen & retinal creams won’t really help with the laxity (certainly not how much we can have). They will make your skin smoother, even out skin tone & texture. Same with collagen supplements. Honestly I’ve tried a few things for various periods of time and I still have loose skin. I’d give it 4-6 months & if no change I gave up on it. My skin quality has improved & my arms are nicely shaped but I still have bat wings, marionette lines on my face & a little waddle. Initially after my loss I had a number of fine lines that ran from under my chin. They’ve reduced dramatically but whether it was RF, collagen serums, collagen supplements, UV lights, my remaining body fat resettling & a better diet I don’t know but there’s still loose skin. I had some filler put in the side of my face just in front of my ears - was sunken there as I had no fat left in those pockets at all. Thought we ‘d try it to see if I got a little lift too - not noticeable if it did give a lift but my face shape is better. I’m trying dermal needling RF (Secret RF) at the moment. Predominately for acne scarring but if I get a little tightening that’s a bonus. I know it won’t get rid of it. I mean I am almost 58 & naturally should have some laxity & saggy skin. Aging & gravity are hard to beat … except with surgery. The loose skin is way better than being obese.

You’re allowed juice? That’s unusual because of the naturally high sugar content. There are many pieces of fruit used in a glass of juice than you’d eat as fresh whole fruit & without all the nutritional benefits of whole fruit. Fresh whole fruit is always the better choice from when your allowed solid food. A squeeze of lemon, lime or other citrus added to your water is generally okay & can help make water easier to drink in the beginning. But yes, check with your team.

The mouth texture of so many is awful but I found if I keep the one I prefer in the fridge that gummy almost gluey texture is better.

My father took that, as zyloprim, every day but never had to take NSAIDS as well. Once on Zyloprim he rarely if ever had an attack. But definitely speak to your surgeon & prescribing doctor. I think it was in my second year my surgeon said I could take a NSAIDS very occasionally as a low dose. One tablet not two. Not on subsequent days & not regularly. Rarely take one but did take one tablet a night immediately after dinner for three nights in a row when I had COVID.

I still feel cold. It’s a lack of insulation (fat) thing now & my body doesn’t have to work as hard to get about. I dress to compensate & always have an extra coat with me.

The long term success of either surgery depends upon you. Many of the initial benefits of bariatric surgery fade over time. Your hunger comes back, your restriction can soften, it is possible to eat around your smaller tummy & your body’s new set point, etc. What the surgery does do is give you time. Time to make changes to your relationship with food: the why you eat, what you eat, when you eat, how you eat. Time to understand your cravings & develop strategies to better manage them. Time to establish new habits about eating & exercise. Time to work out how you want to eat in the future & what works for you & your body. Regain occurs for many reasons: psychological, physiological, behavioural. Bounce back regain (usually 20%+/- of the weight lost) around the third year is common. It can be because your body settles into the weight it is happiest at (your set point). Medication changes. The crap life can throw at you (employment, relationships, health, pandemics). Complacency. A too restrictive way of eating or too demanding exercise regime. Not dealing with your relationship with food. And for some it can be a deliberate choice as they themselves feel happier at a higher weight or they make adjustments to their food choices to better suit their life. Not failure of the surgery but the impact of outside factors. The average weight loss for both sleeve or bypass at the three year mark is about 65% of the weight to be lost. Of course as with all statistics there are some who lose more & some who lose less. If you are considering revision surgery of sleeve to bypass as a sign of the failure of the sleeve, remember many who have revision surgery do so because they developed GERD not necessarily weight gain. I have a sleeve & lost more than my goal and have pretty much maintained though at only almost 4 years post surgery I’m still somewhat of a bariatric baby. I settled at 49kg (48.5-49.5). I unexpectedly gained about 2kgs about 18months ago (50.5-51) but recently we discovered I wasn’t absorbing my HRT meds. Changed to a patch & my weight is slowly decreasing (49.2-50). Small numbers I know. Has it been difficult? No, not really. It was very obvious what I had been doing wasn’t working for me & I needed to make changes. I put myself & my health first. I changed my relationship with food. Made a decision to change what, when & how I ate. It became a new mindset. The changes have been sustainable & haven’t restricted my life. I still enjoy food & eating but my desire is for healthier, more nutritious foods. And no I’m not running marathons or spending hours in the gym just some at home stretching & resistance bands. Sorry long post.

You can usually add protein powder to any liquid you’re allowed during this stage. Have you been given your dietary requirements for post surgery yet? There are foods & liquids you should avoid during the 6 or so weeks of the restricted diet while you’re healing. Check with your surgeon’s office & your dietician about what you can & can have. There can be differences in what you’re allowed & when across surgeons & plans. Like I didn’t have a clear liquid stage just liquids. All the best with your surgery.

Ha! Carrots were the first thing I officially threw up at about week 8. Ate a soft slice one day easy but the next up it came. They actually weren’t on my permitted food list for a few months - root vegetables were a no. Slider foods are high processed, high sugar &/or high carb foods with very little nutritional value. How many do you eat? 6 baby carrots/half cup is considered a single portion size but this is for someone on a regular diet.. If your carrots are very soft & well cooked, you possibly are digesting them quickly & can eat more but they wouldn’t be considered a slider. Are you eating them raw as a snack or with protein as a meal? Remember eat your protein first then your vegetables if you’re able. Portion size is important for everything you eat. At 2 months I could just eat a small cauliflower floret or a green bean after I ate my protein. Could also be the baby carrots are satisfying your craving for sweet &/or crunchy not a real hunger. Head hunger can be very powerful. Have a chat with your dietician.

You poor thing, How awful. I’d go to your nearest medical centre/ER. They should be able to help.

I get it. Like @Starwarsandcupcakes, sometimes I too just don’t feel hungry. And other times I didn’t feel like cooking (think this is common for most people some times & I only cook for myself not a family). I know I still need to consume something nutritious so on not hungry days I’ll have yogurt for lunch (easier to eat & digest than a proper ‘meal’) &/or I’ll skip snacks. On the don’t feel like cooking days, I go to my freezer where I have lots of single serve meals. Then it’s simply a matter of reheating & microwaving a few vegetables. I always prep enough food for 3 or 4 meals & will freeze 1 or 2 of them. This week I made zucchini noodle bolognese which I’ll eat for a few days & I froze four servings I can eat in the future. @NP_WIP, have you tried to find some meals everyone in your family will eat so you only have to cook one dinner or keep some of the meal the same for everyone. I know it can be difficult with different dietary needs but even if you can do it a couple of times a week it would be easier for you.

This is very common this soon after surgery simply because you’re slowly sipping all your ‘meals’ as well as additional fluids to meet your goals. Once on solid food this will change. It happened again when I was trying to maintain. Because my meal sizes were still smaller (couldn’t eat more at a sitting) I couldn’t get in the calories I needed to maintain so I was snacking (on nutritious foods) several times a day. It felt like I was eating all day then too. Then when my portion size increase a bit more I didn’t need as many snacks it didn’t feel as much like all I did was eat.