FifiLux

Looking great. I really wish I had taken some before pictures of myself but just didn't think of it at the time.

I only ever made my own as the shop bought ones have too much salt and additives most of the time. Just different veg cooked in the slow cooker for a few hours with a stock cube and then blitzed to no lumps, nothing else added. So for example the hospital gave one soup recipe that could be adapted; 1 onion 500g vegetables ( carrot & pumpkin / zucchini, spinach & small leek / celery & carrot) 300g potatoes 1000ml veg or chicken stock/broth nutmeg salt & pepper to taste 1 bay leaf I went with the carrot & pumpkin. Then the next one I did my own, cauliflower and watercress.

When in hospital I suffered from dry mouth as I wasn't able to drink or eat for periods so the nurses would give me lemon flavoured glycerine sticks, I would rub it on my lips and gums. Maybe you can get some in your pharmacy - they are just like large cotton buds with liquid in them. Picture below of what I was given. Would home made ice pops be of any help? When at home I made some for my liquid stage just with sugar free jello powder and plain protein powder mixed together. Could help you get in some liquids and protein plus the sucking/melting aspect may help with the dry mouth.

This is the light I got, saw it being given in the gift bags for the Oscar winners this year so figured if they thought it was good enough to give them I would give it a try. https://helight.com/ I got it at half price on Amazon.

Well done on the loss so far, 29lbs is great. Everyone's body will react in different ways and your body is just trying to recover from the surgery and process the changes it is coping with. The loss can be big one week, then nothing for a few weeks, they can be slow and steady throughout, it is different for everyone but you will get there in the end. If the tomato soup was an issue maybe try less creamy soups, like a broth, if you want a change from the shakes and make sure you are getting enough liquids in as well. You will get through this, I think just about everyone who has gone through the surgery has had a low day or more, and it is just about being kind to yourself, not stressing and just realise that you have already had a substantial loss in just two weeks. You have got this 💪

I have suffered on and off with bad insomnia for years and tried all forms of prescribed or over the counter tablets. teas, sprays, lotions etc. After my op and my stays in hospital the surgeon prescribed me sleeping tablets (stilnoct) but I found they didn't really help with a good sleep more just helped me fall asleep. I felt my recovery was being slowed down by a feeling of complete and utter exhaustion as I was only managing about 3 hrs sleep a night and I was waking up at the times the nurses used to call to my room - 11pm, 4am, 7am etc. In March I bought a red light to use in my bedroom at night time, it activates your natural melatonin, and I find it is working wonders. It runs at a bright level for 14 minutes and then spends another 14 minutes dimming but I find I am rarely awake by the time the dimming happens. I am asleep in minutes, if I wake during the night I can usually now fall back asleep but if I have an issue I just turn the light on again. Most days I now wake up feeling like I have had a great sleep.

Not sure if you would like it but you could add high protein/greek yogurt to the jelly, before it sets, so that it sets like a pudding texutre. You would get a higher protein amount if you also included some protein powder into the mix. This is how I have made it; 1 packet of sugar free jelly 250ml boiling water 300g greek yogurt 30g protein powder (I alternated between vanilla and natural) To make: In a just/bowl add the boiling water and jelly sachet. Mix until well combined and set aside, just to let it cool for a couple of minutes. In a blender add the yogurt, protein powder and jelly mix. Blitz until smooth. Pour into ramakins /small bowls and cover, let set in the fridge for at least 3 hours. One large bowl is about 50g protein so it will then just depend on how you portion it out but MyFitnessPal (or similar) can calculate that for you. I found the above one on Instagram and I am sure you could find similar if you wanted to have a look. The rest of the time I just had broth, made out of stock cubes with protein powder in it. The liquid phase isn't that bad or too long (if you only have to go through it once, I had to do it three times) so I just had the yogurts. puddings and broth/soup.

Well done to both of you, looking great. It is great that you have each other for support on the journey.

I was trying to find a way to introduce eggs into my food intake as I dislike them and hadn't eaten any in about 30 years so I tried savoury muffins in my air fryer and they were very tasty, so much so I made a second batch 4 eggs and then whatever I have as left overs so the most recent batch had small bits of red onion, green pepper, green beans, cherry tomatoes, bacon and then a drizzle of siracha sauce.

I used this recipe https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-carrot-lentil-soup without the bread obviously and didn't bother holding half the spices back for toasting, I just bunged everything into the slow cooker for a few hours. Once cooked I blended it and added the yogurt. Then when I moved on to the soft stage (and going forward now), after the blending I add in a few extra pieces of carrot and leave it for about 30 minutes to soften them so it gave a bit of a bite before adding the yogurt. I like spice so I used a tad more than a pinch of chili flakes, I probably have that in each portion Think I got 9 or 10 servings out of this

Once I was through all the phases and it was ok to eat 'normally' I started to allow myself a 1/4 of a protein based pizza once a week as Friday's is my pizza night if I am not out out so I have gone from having an entire pizza and garlic bread to 1/4 (at most) of a pizza. I try to be good most of the time and even my little bits of 'boldness' are minor by my pre-op standards, in that I know I probably eat too many nuts at times but they are yummy and I am probably having a couple of squares of dark chocolate (good for the heart ) a bit too often but they stop me feeling like I am being restricted. If I felt I was living too restrictively food wise I think I would just go back to bad habits again. I do try to avoid potatoes (a love of my life), pasta and bread when at home but if out for a meal I may have a small amount, or take a few fries from a friends plate (with their permission ) I didn't go through all of this to be miserable for the rest of my life so just have to know my own limits and make the best choices for myself.

I varied between protein shakes and soups mainly. I made a lentil and carrot soup with a kick of chili that was delicious and got me through many meals. Reminds me that I must make it again I also just had a low sodium liquid vegetable stock pot/cube a couple of times.

I have the lemon and lime and it is fine for what it is. I tried the pre-mixed/made (found it weird that it was pea protein based) one first and once I could stomach it I then ordered the clear whey powder. I must get back to using it again, I have the little Robinsons no added sugar lemon pots that I carry with me everywhere that way it makes me drink water. I also use the MyProtein pancake mix, maple syrup flavour, as I find a couple of small ones with a bit of fruit is a nice sweet treat every now and then, though I use half their measurement advice as I can only eat two small pancakes. I then also use their crunchy peanut butter in some of my foods - satay chicken, homemade protein bars etc. In my next order I am going to get the peanut butter powder as I think it might be easier to incorporate.

Yummy. I was just back in Ireland at the weekend and found some mint chocolate ones so bought what the store had left (5 bars) and keep them for a special occasion.

Yes, I was one of the few 0.01% unlucky ones who suffered post-op complications. 4 months spent in hospital and even though I am 11 months post-op it really only feels like a few months as I didn't start to feel well until Feb/March so about 9 months post-op. I couldn't fly home to see family until December (6 months post op) and work couldn't pay me most of my annual bonus as I was out sick for 6 months, instead of my expected two weeks!

You can get Fulfil in the US? Wow that is great for a little Irish brand . I love their salted caramel. I make my own but have Fulfil as my fallback, as in I always have a bar in my handbag for emergencies.

I didn't have to pay for my surgery (financially anyway, just with lost months in hospital, lost bonuses from work, lost time with friends and family!) but look at it this way... think that what you will save on food post-op can go towards monthly payments

I have an unflavoured protein powder that I put into soups etc. but not sure what countries it can be purchased/delivered in - https://www.barinutrics.eu/fr/produits/barinutricsr-whey It doesn't have a smell (just double checked) and once it is blended/mixed in I have had no issues but it can clump a bit.

That is crazy. I just had to pay about €80 for the year to join the once a week class. If you haven't checked them out yet on YouTube you should look at Meredith Shirk of Svelte Training in case there are some exercises they have that you might like. They do lots, free to view, and a lot of them can be modified depending on aches and pains like knees, back etc. some are seated or on the bed - https://www.youtube.com/@MeredithShirkandSvelteTraining

You are looking great, well done. Not a man but feeling the same way and have a lot of self doubt about starting to date (my friends are trying to push me to it) because the excess skin is all fine when it is hidden under the clothes but God forbid anyone was to see me naked, it is bad enough when the good looking doctors have to take a peak! I realise that a lot of my fear is in my own head and of my own making but not helped by social media etc.. At the moment I am trying to focus on the mental side of things and practice a bit of self love (no not masturbation 😂) by reading books on finding happiness and learning to dampen my own negativity. I never thought it would be something I would read and try to act on but I am trying my best to put positivity out into the word and hope it comes back. I am learning to have a smiling face instead of resting bit*h face, it is hard work 😂 Not sure if or when I will ever put myself out there but the positivity is good to give and get. Anyway, I just wanted to say you are not alone plus everyone (not just bariatric patients) is weird in their own way and we just have to try and embrace it and find that other person (persons) who get us.

Like the others said before me, I think it is highly unlikely that you have stretched your stomach. Weight will fluctuate (annoying I know) as your body copes with the changes. Please try not to stress yourself out unnecessarily. I think try to find a resource of a dietician, maybe even one online if that is quicker than a local one. Did your care team, at the time, give you any reading material for post-op foods etc? I didn't get much advice for long-term from my team so I spent a lot of time online and found some good online reading material at 'Bariatric Meal Prep', 'My Bariatric Dietitian' and a few other sites/blogs.

I started out with some chewable vitamins as it meant they were easier to swallow and it meant it left fewer tablets for me to take during the day especially as Summerseeker says, having to space them out between eating. drinking etc is exhausting to plan. I can gulp, not by my pre-op standard but when compared to the sipping of the first few months post op it is now a gulp or double sip 😀. I have moved on from the chewables and now have five different tablets to take during the day and as I can now drink larger volume of water in one go it is easier however last night for the first time in many months I had a problem swallowing the calcium one, I took a few sips of water to go down to the point I couldn't take on more water but it was ok in the end.

Welcome and it sounds like you are ready to start the journey in the best mindset.

If you have access to a pool and don't mind being seen in a swimming costume aqua aerobics is nice and easy to get the body moving and help joints. If you have a yard/garden even just walking around it would be good to help get you moving, or stairs if you are in an apartment complex. I am not the best when it comes to exercise but I can certainly feel an improvement in my interest and energy levels as the weight comes off. I start each day with good intentions but often procrastinate or find something else to do but I do go to aqua aerobics once a week since February and since last month I am doing pilates once a week. I believe in turning up if I have paid so signed up for a year of the aqua aerobics and doing the pilates in 10 block sessions. At home I do the One and Done program, seven minutes every two days or three days depending on how I am feeling. Again as I paid for it, think $30, I use it and I can feel the difference. I also have an stationary bike that I use once a week or so if I haven't done any other exercises. I just do about 5km at a time as I find it boring but I am sure any little helps. My main problem area is my legs (ankles to thighs) as I have bad lipedema and while they have gone down in size since my sleeve surgery they still do me no favours in the appearance department so I am just trying to target them as much as possible.

Yes the surgeon I met pre-op warned me at the time about hair loss but I was a bit dismissive as have (had!) such thick hair that I didn't think I would have as much fall out as I did. I am thankful for the thick hair as I think it is how I coped with it not being noticeable to others. My hair loss stopped after month six and the regrowth is strong and thick again not sure if that is luck or down to the fact that I added in the special bariatric hair vitamin, plus collagen on top of the other bariatric vitamins I take. I just don't know where the curl/kink is coming from now in the regrowth underneath. My hair is now long enough to tie back a bit but I will be getting it cut again next week to try and get closer to it all being one length at the back.