FifiLux

Yes, I had one for a couple of months right as I got close to my goal weight and then poof one day the scales showed I had lost a couple of kg even though I had done nothing different. Body is just coping best it can as it looses so much of its reserves of fat etc.

I know it is hard to do but really you just need to try and relax, stop blaming yourself and do a mental reset if you can. These are slips, you are not a failure. Everything takes time and you need to be kind to yourself. Is it possible that even when you can't stop eating you are still eating less than you would have before the weight loss journey? If so that is a step forward. If you don't qualify for any therapy from your medical team could you find someone online, it means it may be more affordable and more accessible? You can do some research and hopefully find a more suitable therapist. I was lucky with the therapist I got, she really helped with my post surgery ptsd but I have found more help here than I have with the dieticians they have given me. Would it be possible to work from home for a bit more, that way be away from temptation until you can get to a place where you feel comfortable being around food? Do you have someone within your family circle that can help you stay on track (as much as possible) in the coming days and maybe a work colleague for the time in the office?

Everyone has different plans from their doctors but in all of them I have never heard of being on regular food after 2.5 weeks. Do you mean non liquid phase and that you are normal food but soft? I hope so as that is all your stomach should be handling now as you can't digest normal food at this stage, which is what may cause the vomitting and pain. It should be no water 30 minutes before and after a meal so maybe if you are only leaving it 10 minutes that is causing the problem? I did have gas issues but it was caused by complications so not the same for you I am sure. Could you ask your doctor about taking something to help with reflux?

I made cups, like reese; 1/4 maple syrup 1 1/2 cup of a nut butter (I use My Protein) 1 1/2 cup of blended oats Mix the syrup and butter until combined, then stir in the oats until you have a consistent smooth mix. Put into cupcake liners. Then I make the topping; 1 cup chocolate chips (I use dark) 1 tsp coconut oil Melt the chocolate and pour over the cups. Chill in fridge for a couple of hours at least. I got 12 from this recipe. ****** Protein version 1 cup protein powder (vanilla) 1/2 cup nut butter 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup chocolate chips plus another 1/2 cup chocolate chips Pinch of salt (if you want you can leave it out but it helps with the flavour) Mix protein powder, nut butter and maple syrup until it becomes like cookie dough. Then add in the chocolate chips. and salt and mix to have the chips distributed through the dough. Roll into balls and but into cup cake cases/tray and press them down. Then melt the remaining chocolate and spoon over the top. Chill for at least an hour. ****** My luxurious treat; 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/4 cup protein powder ( I have used a caramel one from My Protein) 1/4 cup peanut butter (My protein) 1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey) Combine and roll into balls. Chill and then see how long they last for Fudge yumminess. **** I also have a satay chicken dish that is delicious and uses the peanut butter.

Not that familiar with the switch surgery but I presume it would be the same for all surgeries in that after the surgery there is a new "standard" to meal sizes. If you went back to eating what would be a normal size meal pre-op you would probably make yourself ill and uncomfortable as you can't fit the food in. I am almost a year and a half out (sleeve) and if I had to have a sandwich I would have half per meal but I am trying to stay away from bread/pasta/rice as much as possible as they take up space in my smaller stomach that should have proteins as the priority. I was in the US recently and was happy to see that Pret did half portions so I just got their one half chicken and avocado to have when on the go. For me I still find that for breakfast a yogurt, for lunch and dinner 150ml/3oz of food with a small snack a while later is sufficient for me main meal wise. I think have protein drink or bar as snacks if needed. When eating out I usually just have a starter and would not always finish. If ordering a main course I usually manage 1/3, or 1/2 if it is a small one, and bring the rest home.

p.s. I love love love my slow cooker. Possibly one of the best investments ever.

I would never had had it pre-op as hate all cheeses but decided to try it a few months ago after seeing so many posts about it. I made banana bread using cottage cheese and it was lovely, I also made a chocolate pudding using it which was tasty. https://rachlmansfield.com/cottage-cheese-banana-bread/ 😋

I have made this a few times and really like it (without the pasta accompaniment) https://motivation.ie/recipes/dinner-recipes/smoked-paprika-goulash-motivation-recipe/ Some other ideas you might like (all of which I have tested and gone back to again and again); https://www.bariatricfoodcoach.com/lasagna-stew/ - I do not do the pre-slow cooker browning https://skinnyfitalicious.com/crockpot-chicken-shawarma/#recipe - Love, make using chicken breast cubes/strips https://bakingqueen74.co.uk/slow-cooker-spicy-bean-stew/ https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-carrot-lentil-soup - I don't do the pre-slow cooker step, just bang it all in the slow cooker. I do keep back one carrot though and add it in after blending but sill with about 30 minutes left on the cook so there are some soft bites, I also add a lot more chili but that is to my taste. https://www.bariatricfoodie.com/crockpot-curry-chicken/ - I skip step 1 https://www.bariatricfoodsource.com/blogs/bariatric-friendly-recipes/pureed-chicken-soup-bariatric-phase-3-soft-food - I just put all in the slow cooker and let it do its magic. I have added chili sometimes or other herbs. https://motivation.ie/recipes/lentil-soup-with-crispy-bacon/ - again I just put all the ingredients (skip the oil & bacon) into the slow cooker.

Woohoo, well done.

I'll be home in Ireland this weekend so may get the chance to fit a bit more shopping in at M&S in person rather than online has I have had to do over the last year.

Same, I tried every diet going over the years and they worked for a while but then I would just slowly, without realising, gain it all back again plus usually a little more. That is why I knew the surgery was the correct tool for me as no matter how much I tried I couldn't do it on my own - and I wasn't on my own even as such as my family and friends supported me so much over the years. My target at the start of this sleeve journey was not a figure on the scale but to get down to a clothes size (UK 10), to have more energy to then get fitter and to not feel ashamed and like the fattest person in the room all the time. Anything more than that has been a bonus, which I will not take for granted.

That sounds like a very good mindset to go into this with. It is about feeling better about yourself, improving your health and extending your time with loved ones. Unrealistic goals just work for a short time and then in most cases people go back to where they were before or even worse. Setting realistic goals will get you a long way, slow and steady really does win the race. I couldn't do much exercise before my op as my knees would get so sore but now they are so much better with so much of the weight off them. I walk with a spring in my step, I do pilates and I have now joined the gym - none of these things would have been possible for me in recent years. I have lost more weight than the goal my surgeon set but over the last month it seems to have steadied now to up and down the same 1kg so I think my loss is stopping and now I am trying to focus of turning fat into muscle, knowing that that will result in another kg or two on the scale but it will be a healthier body,

I thought that but the waist would need to be taken in, the legs taken in and possibly some work done on the bum area so probably not worth it.

It will happen soon don't worry so don't spend a lot of sizing down as I have found that I buy something and then a few weeks later it is too big already. Buy cheap if needed, belts have been great.

Yes, you need to get a few things for work at least. I thought I had work trousers, usually wear jeans to office, but for meeting clients etc we can't do jeans. Yesterday put the M&S size 10 trousers on and they are so baggy (not in a flattering way) and barely stay up. Had to wear them yesterday and today but think they will go in recycling bag. Annoying as I have another lovely M&S pair in a 10 also but they are too big, but at least can take a belt, but all too late to return them and they are out of stock in a 6 and 8,

That is great news and the choice of surgery, as you explain it above, shows that really have considered what is best for you for the long term. Hopefully it will be sooner than the 4 - 6 months but if it is even at the shorter end of being 4 months that is not that far away and you have been doing great work the last few months so I have faith that you can keep going, plus it does mean that you will likely not be on the LRD for Christmas so can relax a bit.

I agree. I never got any results as such from my psych eval, it was a step on the way to the surgery. You could always ring to reconfirm your appointments for later this month and as a by the by ask if the psych step is now complete, that might put your mind at ease.

That is good news, hopefully it gets signed off or at least with some points that can easily be ticked off. That is strange to be asked about side effects. When I had my psych call it hadn't even been decided which surgery it would be so it didn't come up that I recall but as we have said each doctor has a different approach.

Until recently I bought mainly second hand (Vestiaire and Vinted) or sales in M&S and Next. It meant I wasn't paying a lot for good quality clothes that I wasn't going to wear for very long.

@MrsFitz the body scan etc is not included free, there is a €150 charge for the administration/set up and then it is €85 every two weeks hence I only signed up for a six month agreement, to see if it is worth it longer term. That said it does include about 8 or 10 personal training sessions in the six months as well as general gym access. That main course sounds lovely, I love steak and pepper sauce though I tried it in July and it did not stay down, think the sauce I had was too creamy.

Delighted to hear you had a lovely dinner and felt (and looked) fabulous. As you say December is not that far away at all now so fingers crossed. I was back at pilates at the weekend after a summer break (theirs, not mine) and boy could I feel it yesterday in my abs/core area but it is a good pain. On Friday I went to an intro session at the gym near me and am due back in two weeks to go through their body scan process and have them design a workout plan for me. Thankfully on the scales today I was back down to just below my goal weight so the flights and plane food have worn off, woohoo.

I am sure it varies for everyone depending on the approach of the psychiatrist and the medical programme but from what I remember I was asked about why I believed I put the weight on, what I had done in the past for weight loss, did I suffer from depression, did I have an eating disorder, how my weight impacted my life, did I have a supporting family and friends group etc. Then I was asked about what I wanted from the operation, he made sure to explain that the op is not the treatment alone and I would have to put in the work on myself and my body, how the op was a tool to help me and I would have to make changes and choices for the rest of my life. He also then asked would I be happy with the changes to my body such as saggy skin as that is what a lot of people are left with. We discussed my weight journey over the years, how I am an organised person so if I am given a set of rules (with a few bendy grey areas 😉) I felt I could follow the changes that would be required without much of an issue and that while I would love to not have saggy skin I knew that would be impossible but that being a healthy weight with less risk of health issues was more important. If you already put down about being schizoaffective on your medical forms and they considered it an automatic fail I would hope that that they would have already told you.

Congrats and enjoy wearing the clothes now as they probably will be getting loose in the coming weeks/months 😀. Did you get all of what you tried on? I still honestly don't see a thin me a lot of the time. I know that I don't have to shop in the plus size shops or sections anymore but I find it difficult to comprehend at times that number of sizes I have come down. In my jeans and trousers I have gone from a UK 22/3XL to a UK 8. I think part of my problem though is also the inconsistency of sizing across different brands, it doesn't always help with a healthy body image. I mentioned it in another post this week about my holidays in the US last week, I found it very hard to find clothes as in some cases even size 0 and XXS was too big, all I came back with was a rain coat, t-shirt and blouse in XS, tracksuit bottoms in a small and a youths small t-shirt and tracksuit top (thankfully the shop had the same tracksuit for youths and adults 😂). Seriously disappointed as I had brought an extra suitcase with me which came back empty though on the plus side I came back with more than half of my spending money. I still do double takes at times when I see myself in the mirror. Today I brough another three suitcases of clothes to the recycling center. It took me three trips to walk there with the full bag each time but it also helped me get my steps in.

I don't mind, I will get there again in once I am back on my usual foods etc but just frustrating.

I don't think my cat is impressed with my new lifestyle as he sits in front of the oven expecting to be served food however I don't think I have used my oven more than twice in the year since my op, now it is air fryer or slow cooker if cooking. Guess he misses his oven cooked chicken 😂 I know he missed me (his servant) while I was in hospital for so many months with my post-op complications as he has been so affectionate and chatty since I was finally released last November. For weeks I felt he would go into panic mode if I grimaced and had a bit of pain but I presume he was just afraid I would not be home to serve him!