Arabesque

@SpartanMaker is correct. There will always be a layer of fat under your skin. It’s something we need. So even under the loose skin there will be some fat which is why it is hard to tell. How thick (dense) the skin is if you pinch it may give you a bit of an idea of how much fat is left in that area. And pinch different areas around your body to compare as we carry our larger deposits of fat in different areas of our body. Have a chat with your surgeon or get a referral to a plastic surgeon & ask their opinion. If you are thinking about having the loose skin removed, they’ll likely advise to wait until your weight has been stable for a while. If you are just curious as to how much fat you have left, yes a body fat or dexa scan is your best bet.

I agree. Contact your surgeon. This is unusual & needs to be investigated, especially the shortness of breath, to find the cause. All the best.

I remembered last night that I sometimes used Curash which is used to treat & sooth babies’ happy rash.

Oh, yes. When I roll over in bed I don’t have to readjust my breasts anymore. They’re so much smaller so they don’t get in the way nearly as much & I can lie on my tummy without lots of discomfort. 😁

First thought is are you meeting all your protein goals still? Is there anything lacking in your blood tests? How old are you? How long is your hair? Anaesthetic can be hard on your hair making it dry & changing the texture. If your hair is long you could still have hair that was affected growing out. I started losing hair again when they discovered I wasn’t absorbing protein after my gall was removed. It took a few months to sort this out (diet & meds) & it’s okay again. I asked your age because, thinning hair &/or changed texture, can be a side effect of menopause & peri menopause. My hair isn’t as thick as it was when I was younger & it’s not as coarse in its texture. When I started peri menopause some of my hair became wavy. Not all of it just the back half. Weird but true. It’s straight everywhere again now. If you’re too young for this, still maybe get your hormone levels checked.

As @catwoman7 said, yes, eventually. Your calories will increase, your portion size will increase, you’ll need less time between bites, how much time you need between eating & drinking will decrease, etc. Just progress as you are able. Don’t push yourself to do more than you can. Listen to your body & how it reacts. It will soon tell you if it’s no, not yet. Will you go back to doing these things exactly the same as you did before? No. But that’s a good thing. Think of this time as learning what is best for you & the healthier, happier, smaller you.

Agree totally with @The Greater Fool. The number on the scale is less than important than how you feel. Happy & healthy should be the real goal. Can you drop below your set point & lose more? Sure. But it will require you to reduce your calories & up your activity. And when you get to that lower weight you will have to continue to consume fewer calories than you do now & do more physically.. It will be a constant battle because your body is most happy at its set point & will do all it can to keep you at that weight. Only you know if that battle is sustainable. Don’t forget, if you are going to have skin removal surgery, you will lose another couple of pounds so you may be closer to the lower weight you want to be at than you think anyway. Maybe the question is why you’ve selected that weight as your goal? An arbitrary number? A number chosen for an emotional reason? Because someone said it was the right number for you? Even science gives you ranges in all things which indicate how healthy you are (body fat, cholesterol, BMI - agree with it or not -, sugar, blood pressure, etc.). How wonderful you were able to donate your kidney to your daughter. Just think this wouldn’t have been a possibility before your surgery. And it’s fantastic your daughter is doing so well now. Hope your husband continues to be successful with his weight loss too. Congratulations on the weight you have lost.

Aaah boob rash. Never had boob rash but had plenty of upper inner thigh rash. If you don’t live somewhere with hideous summer temperatures you can’t understand the irritation that is these rashes. Try to keep the area dry - gently pat the area dry throughout the day as needed. Try using a barrier cream as well as the steroid cream. Avoid synthetic materials as they make you perspire more. And pray for cooler weather. Congrats on your weight loss so far. Just think, this may be the last summer you ever experience boob rash again. Woo hoo!

Congratulations. So much difference. You look great.

We all mange pain differently & our bodies react differently to the surgery so you can’t really say you will have this much pain. I didn’t have much at all. I was on opioids for three days in hospital & no pain at all except from my back but that’s another story. On the fourth day I only took one of the opioids I was sent home with in the morning & took an over the counter pain med on day 5 but didn’t take anything else. Some say they struggle to get up & down & find it uncomfortable to sleep in a bed for a while. That wasn’t an issue for me & I even could sleep on my side. How much your muscles were pushed & pulled during the surgery will influence this & how much your tummy might pull on your wounds. Some say they find binders helpful. I also didn’t have any gas pain which some struggle with but things like heating pads, walking, gas X, etc. can help with that. (It usually lasts about week.)

Should have also mentioned a consideration is that losing weight is pretty hard on the liver. Plus as we lose weight cholesterol is released into your blood stream from your fat. It is quite common to have poor liver function results & to see your cholesterol levels rise while you are losing weight. (It settles again once your weight settles.) A high fat diet would put even more stress on your liver & increase your cholesterol levels further. Just something to consider & discuss with your surgeon & dietician.

You can include bone broths & cream soups during the post surgery liquid stage @LookingForward22. That way you don’t have to rely on shakes. Add in some protein powder to help with meeting your protein goals. Or make your own shakes using a non dairy milk, yoghurt, protein powder. There are some flavour powders about that don’t contain sugar or artificial sweeteners - saw a peanut one recently. Congrats on your weight loss so far too.

Invited to attend a Brisbane Fashion Festival event last night with all the beautiful people. Great people watching. Some amazing fashions & some that were questionable (usually worn by young women taking selfies of each other 😉). Had a little angst as to what to wear because it’s winter here & a colder night was predicted. All my latest better clothing is northern spring/summer so my choices were limited to things I could wear a wool skivvy/sweater underneath & not look like a school girl in a pinafore. Ended up wearing the coat dress & went for traditional French fashionista chic - all black. LOL! Fortunately they had erected a marquee this year as the sky opened up just prior to the start.

That’s great you’re meeting your fluid goals so soon. Yay! As to not feeling any restriction, this is not uncommon. Liquids go through your tummy much more quickly & it is unlikely you will feel any sense of fullness or restriction until you are on soft or solids foods. It is also important to remember you had a lot of nerves cut & damaged during the surgery & they take time to heal. Best to tread carefully while the messages aren’t getting through to your brain so you don’t overdo it & strain your healing system. You may discover that your real hunger & full signals are very different than before when they come back: nose running, sneezing, etc. This includes learning what is real hunger vs head hunger. (For me I get restless & think something isn’t right with real hunger & I never crave a specific food or flavour.) All the best.

Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Cure book & his you tube videos. He’s a bariatric surgeon who supports a low animal protein diet. It may not be anything all that new but may make you more comfortable about how to manage your weight loss post surgery. A good dietician should help you devise a way of eating that is best for you, your health requirements & your eating preferences. The biggest ficus post surgery is your prirein intake (& fluids) but I’ve never heard anyone say they were restricted to getting their protein only from animal sources. Plenty of plant based protein shakes & powders, yoghurts, milk, etc. as you know you can eat to meet the goals you’ll be given. Initially after the surgery you will be on a staged return to eating diet. This is support your healing tummy & not put undue stress on your digestive system. There are some foods we’re not advised to eat during this period. But again a good dietician should be able to advise you of alternatives. Mind you many have refried beans on their list of recommended foods during the staged return to eating stages. While I was on keto for my pre surgery diet, I was not encouraged to follow it long term by my dietician: good for kickstarting a diet but not long term she advised. I had my own doubts about it so I was glad. Many of us use the weight loss stage to devise a way of eating that best suits our needs & preferences & don’t follow any specific ‘diet’. I mean if there was a diet that worked for everyone none of us would have been obese & needed surgery. Personally I’m a low fat, low carb (2 serves of whole/multigrain carbs a day), low sugar & high protein (absorption issue). Many vegetarians successfully have surgery so your eating preferences should not be a deterrent to you either once you find a supportive surgeon & dietician.

I just used my exisiting pots & pans. I did eventually buy an air fryer but in maintenance. I already had a stick blender & an ordinary blender. I did buy a small thermos to keep soup warm on my desk at work & at home. Some swear by those thermal cups too. Makes sure you have a good set of kitchen scales with small weight increments, measuring cups, spoons & jugs. Other useful, but not necessary things: I found using splades/cocktail sporks helpful - small bites & the combination of fork, spoon & knife was useful. Some buy a set of children's cutlery but a teaspoon works equally well. Small containers to refrigerate or freeze single serves or leftovers though I tend to use zip lock bags if freezing. Small bowls & plates are handy too: psychological effect of a full small plate vs an near empty large plate. Children sized or tapas size are best as are the cup sized soufflé dishes. I still use side plates & small bowls.

It happens to almost everyone. Just have to ride it out until your natural hair loss cycle returns to it’s usual rate. The accelerated rate of loss is a stress response to all the changes you’re putting your body under. The hair you’re losing is dead & would have fallen out anyway - it’s just happening faster. Your new hair is still growing just at it’s usual rate. Some will swear by supplements like biotin but their hair loss slows in about the same 3 or 4 months time frame as those who don’t take or do anything. Save your money I say. Keep meeting your goals & relax - don’t add more stress. Many of us with long hair cut our hair shorter so the new growth didn’t have as much to grow to catch to the length of the remaining hair.

Speak to your doctor but dropping the iron supplements are the most obvious response. Is this something new or pre existing? What were your iron levels in your pre surgery blood work? Are high iron levels in your family? Hemochromatosis is a genetic condition & regular blood donations can easily help maintain your iron levels. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hemochromatosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351443

My goal weight put me at a BMI of about 23. I’m at about 19.6 now but was a little less. I’m an outlier & initially lost about 137% of the weight I had to lose. I maintained that for about a year. At the end of last year, my HRT dose was increased & I had to increase my protein intake (absorption issue) & I put on a good 2 kgs in the same month. I’ve lost a little of that but have maintained that new weight for about 6 months now making my loss about 132%. I look at BMI as a guide only. I chose my goal weight based on a weight I was always able to get down to in the past - I used to bounce between 60 & 75kg until menopause. Too many factors can influence what is the ideal weight for you. Age, skeletal frame, gender, level of activity & muscle mass, health considerations, etc. Plus, & most importantly, you have to be happy & able to enjoy your life. If the dietary restrictions or exercise regime you have to follow to maintain a lower weight are too restrictive & limit how you want to live your life it won’t be sustainable.

I cut out a lot of sugar (real or sugar substitutes like monk fruit) from my diet & avoid as much artificial sweeteners as possible. I know there are artificial sweeteners in my yoghurt & protein bar but that’s really all & I usually keep my added sugar to around 10g or less. We all need glucose but I get the bulk of that from fruit, dairy, etc. - naturally occurring. I really embraced that period of food tasting excessively sweet period post surgery & just didn’t reintroduce sweet back into my diet. I prepare most of what I eat eat from scratch as I can control the ingredients that way. There are some exceptions like I love the crumbed lamb cutlets my butcher makes & their honey soy pork chops (I make them myself unless I’m feeling lazy). I rarely eat dessert, cakes or biscuits (except for multi grain crackers). I’ll have a small amount on certain occasions like at Christmas so only a couple of times a year. (It’s ironic really because I’m the family dessert maker.) Pre surgery, I always enjoyed something sweet after dinner & every couple of weeks I’d buy a treat or two from a local patisserie on a weekend. But I really don’t miss it now. I can think something may be delicious but aren’t really tempted to try it. But this is me. You have to find the right balance for you & of what you want or don’t want to include in your future way of eating.

The surgery only removes part of your tummy not the part of your brain where cravings originate unfortunately. They’re always there. We just have to recognise them for what they are & what may be behind the craving like seeking something to sooth & comfort you, stress, anger, etc. Then work out how to manage them. You had your surgery a couple of years ago didn’t you? So maybe these craving are from some old issues you never really dealt with. Find something to distract yourself or look for a healthier alternative. I don’t crave anything very often. Never a specific food but a flavour (i.e. salty, sweet, bitter, sour, umami). If I want salt I might have 4 or 5 salted macadamias or roll a wedge of cucumber in salt. If you want sweet try a little fruit.

With those additional symptoms you’ve mentioned a hernia does sound more likely. Could it have been something that occurred during your gym session - lifted or strained something - as the first symptom you noticed was just after your session?? Sometimes it doesn’t take much & can be nothing all that unusual. I did my back the first time leaning sideways to pull out a weed. I hope you get on to your surgeon soon.

I like Dr Weiner too. Don’t follow his diet, too much of a carnivore & can’t give up the animal proteins, but I like his straight forward advice. I agree check out his you tube clips. They’re an amazing resource. https://m.youtube.com/user/DrMatthewWeiner You can post questions which he’ll answer too. I also follow him on instagram. I don’t like artificial sweeteners either (so much information about the negative side effects) & try to avoid them where possible. It’s difficult because it seems like they’re in every damn thing. I know they’re in the yoghurt I eat most days & in my protein bar but that’s really all. Neither are what you would call sweet tasting. I also avoid sugar substitutes & try to keep my added sugar to less than 10g a day. Quite happy to consume naturally occurring sugar lime in dairy, fruit, etc. A lot of my decision was to break any craving or desire for sweet. I’ll have the odd traditionally sweet thing like some dessert or cake but it is very rare & I’m happy to have just a few small bites. In the liquid stage post surgery, I only had one shake a day & ate soup/broths which limited artificial sweeteners to just once a day. After that I dropped the shakes & had yoghurt & yoghurt smoothies instead so artificial sweeteners still only once a day. I should say I make most of what I eat from scratch. It’s the only way to control the ingredients (& avoid processed foods).

We’re all different but I was barely eating 200-300 calories for the first weeks (I wasn’t given caloric goals). I only got to about 900 at 6 months. You’ve only just had your surgery so take the time you need to reach your goals. My surgeon was happy if I was getting closer & making an effort. If you’re close to getting your fluids in you really shouldn’t be experiencing dehydration but it’s still important to watch out for. Don’t worry if you miss your goal/s one day, as long as that’s an odd occurrence & not a regular one you’ll be ok. Headaches & nausea aren’t that uncommon this soon after surgery. The stress & anxiety of the surgery & then worrying if you are doing the right thing contribute plus you may be experiencing some withdrawal type symptoms too because of the restricted diet. If it persists, & reduces your ability to get your protein & fluids in, contact your surgeon. Many of us experience changes in our sense of smell & taste over the first weeks. Many find the shake they enjoyed before surgery is suddenly disgusting. It can affect your reaction to any food. Some can become excessively sweet or salty. Then there will be days when your tummy says nope don’t like to something you regularly ate/drank. If that happens, avoid it for a few days even a week or so & try it again. Your tummy is just sensitive & fussy while it is healing - I described mine as being like a petulant, temper throwing 2 yr old. Artificial sweeteners are awful. I try to avoid them where I can but they seem to be in almost everything. I loved when foods became crazy sweet & used the time to eradicate any craving for sugar/sweet. I only have a small amount of sugar (<10g added sugar) or sweetened food in my diet (yoghurt & protein bar only). Instead of yoghurt, what about make your own smoothie from protein powders & milk? You can better control the ingredients that way. These things all pass. Just give yourself time to heal from the surgery & feel more comfortable & confident with the changes & how you’re managing them.

Have to admit my first thought was lactose intolerance, which can occur after surgery but you said you’re dairy free. My second thought was artificial sweeteners - many, especially the sugar alcohol ones can cause gastric distress like you described. https://www.livestrong.com/article/510270-can-artificial-sweetners-upset-your-stomach/ But whatever the cause, I agree with the others, contact your surgeon as soon as you can.