MrsFitz

It’s been a strange kind of week. I haven’t gone wildly off plan but I have definitely struggled with focus. Nothing has gone wrong, I’m not upset about anything or fed up. I just think that having the dietitian appointment and everything going OK with that sort of had me taking my foot off the accelerator a little. Then the shock of getting my appointment with the surgeon has played with my head somewhat? “I honestly don’t know” is the answer right now. I think, as others have pointed out, that this whole WLS journey became very real this week and there’s a bit of panic going on. Me and hubby have had lots of conversations this week too, about how the future may look what with the LRD to come, immediate post-surgery things to deal with and then long term. Hubby admitted that he knows he’s going to find how little I will be able to eat a struggle but takes comfort in the fact that others have done, and continue to do, the exact same thing and survive plus the Bariatric team at our hospital seem really switched on so he knows I’m in good hands. It’s a learning curve for him too, with more lessons to come! Thankfully the hospital team does welcome questions from family members because they know it can be difficult for them too. I’m not worried about anything specific, just more a case of the practicalities of things. I always do better when I have planned things, even if it’s just in my head, because it’s feeling like I have some control! I’ve ordered a mini food processor to hel with the purée part of the journey to come, so that should be here by the end of the week. Hubby has been looking at different sized ice cube trays for freezing individual portions of purée plus looking at recipes etc. I think he feels a bit ‘in limbo’ at the moment, which I do understand. Anyway, went to see Fatboy Slim on Saturday. I felt good in what I was wearing: Size smaller sparkly black jeans (with lots of stretch, obviously 😉) It was a nice confidence boost anyway! However, the gig was outside and it was freezing cold - that a UK summer for you 🙄 I had a blanket plus a wrap but it got too cold and my hips and knees just had enough, especially with being locked in one position while sitting on the scooter. We left before the end because I honestly couldn’t handle the cold anymore. Disappointing, yes but it happens. On the drive home the heavens opened and it rained so I didn’t feel too bad after that. It took me ages to get warm though. Had a hot shower, extra blanket on the bed, plus pyjamas but I couldn’t warm up. Hubby eventually made me a hot water bottle and I managed to slowly thaw out. We’ve said no more outdoor things for now, especially as the weather is so unpredictable here. Nothing else to report. I will knuckle back down and re-focus. I’ve had a weekend of pizza and alcohol so that’s my wander off-plan done with! Oh, my new weighing scales are in agreement with the dietitian’s scales, which surprised me! The dietitian suggested that I took a photo of her printout from when she had weighed me. I have no idea what everything means but she did underline a couple of things like the visceral fat number, metabolic age etc etc and my new scales match those numbers exactly 😮 So thank you @FifiLux for your suggestion 🥰 I just need to make sure that the weight numbers on the new, shiny scales start reducing again… Wishing everyone a successful, happy week regardless of where you are on your weight loss journey 😎 Onwards and downwards everybody!

Well done on getting to this point 👏👏👏 Just keep reminding yourself that it’s a teeny-tiny blip of a way of eating that will be over before the end of the year, and that you will be eating different foods and textures while getting in to smaller sized (no cute puppies or kittens) clothing and shocking yourself at the continual changes and healthier feelings. Cheering you on!

Hey, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do 😉😂🤣 The portable kitchen scales have me thinking though…🤔

Seriously, this honestly sounds like my house - 2 deliveries today, 1 tomorrow, 2 Thursday. Not all weight loss related though, trying to get stuff bought now for the dreaded “C” word in December 😬 Just look at it as you’re not buying as much food so it should all balance out eventually…sort of…maybe 😉

Excellent! LOL!!

I would order it for delivery to your hotel, especially as it ties in with the one you have at home plus it uses to same app so your information will be much more accurate.

OMG!! Travel scales!! I’ve just checked my Amazon and found them 😮 I’ve told hubby that they will go in my basket for a future purchase! Have a look at these @ShoppGirljust in case you can order where you are: https://www.amazon.co.uk/RENPHO-Bathroom-Portable-Traveling-Composition/dp/B09YC48Y1F (Can’t believe how excited I am about these…I need to get out a lot more 😉)

Still pre-op but thanks for the advice @ShoppGirlre what to eat, that’s very helpful 🙂

Ah…run by people who don’t have the first idea then? I just know that occasionally they offer funding for gym memberships and didn’t know if it was something that was offered to you. It is bloody offensive though that we have to jump through hoops just to prove our ‘worth’ before being offered WLS 🤬

My NHS offer 3 ways of completing the LRD - all shakes/meal replacements or 2 meals of replacements and 1 of food or all 3 meals actual food. All 3 ways are for 3 weeks and must average between 800-1000 calories. If you’re having food for say dinner, they say you can have a healthy ready meal of approx 300 cals plus a yoghurt of around 100 cals. As @Bypass2Freedomhas said, different providers seem to have different rules and expectations so I would contact your dietitian or Bariatric department just to double check 🙂

So unfair isn’t it?? Does your LA offer anything health & fitness-wise? Ours has something called Better Living and offers free 12 week courses for such as keep fit, various diet programs etc. I had to do one of the slimming world nonsense things through them before I could be referred for WLS. My GP told me about it all so maybe your GP could point you in the right direction should there be something similar where you are?

I specifically made sure that purée was one of the options @ShoppGirl. I can’t say that the thought of puréed food thrills me but the hospital says that, if you have a bypass, the puréed stage is for 6 weeks (4 weeks for a sleeve) If nothing else, it allows hubby to have a play when he’s prepping meals for me too! I’m reigning in the free fall @Arabesque This is where things can go wrong for me as I’ve experienced many times in the past. It can be a delicate balancing act at times. This is why I feel I will benefit from WLS because it’s difficult to be make good choices all the time when something inconsequential can send me spiralling into unwise food choices. Willpower can get me so far but I know myself. If I was able to be moderate in my choices, portion sizes etc then I wouldn’t be in this position now! Oh, I have an electric heated throw that I use for the sofa plus we have an electric blanket for the bed which we haven’t put back on for the colder months yet. It’s difficult isn’t it, when you feel the cold has seeped through to your bones? I’ve always been a warm person - windows open, fans on all night so feeling cold is a strange experience 🥶

I’m lucky as I’ve just re-joined my local authority gym at £23 per month. This entitles me to use any of the LAs gyms, pools, fitness classes etc. My local gym is at the bottom of my road (it’s a very steep hill!!) and has a fully equipped gym, pool and fitness studio with lots of different classes. I just wish the gym part was bigger as it can get crowded at busy times but I can’t complain re the cost

Welcome @Gypsy_Life 👋👋👋 There are lots of lovely people on this forum, all with different experiences and at different stages of their WLS journey. I’m pre-op, waiting for my surgeons appointment next week. I’m in the UK and my NHS Trust is relatively new to offering the mini-bypass. How have you found it so far, with recovery etc? I’m interested in it but haven’t made my mind up until I speak to the surgeon. I hope your new surgery works well for you this time around 🤞

Silly question but have you been checked to make sure that your Lupus is behaving?

Eek! Had a voicemail left from the Bariatric team saying that they had been notified by the dietitian that I would be happy to take a cancellation and that they have one on Friday 6th September at 4pm 😮😮😮 They have booked me in for it but would appreciate a call back to confirm. I’ve called back and left them a voicemail saying yes please. I’ve had to rearrange some family plans but I have to be selfish and think of me. I’ve called the family and explained and they understand so I’m happy about that. So, what questions do I need to be asking of the surgeon? Any advice? This has thrown me and I don’t know why - strange huh??

It must be really difficult to get your head around at the moment, especially if you’ve had a past where you could put weight ON with no effort and now you’re at the opposite end where you’re getting weight off with no effort either 😮 I can feel your frustration with this part of your journey and I wish I had an answer for you. Have lots of hugs and I hope that your body will stop causing you stress and will finally settle down.

RA is a degenerative autoimmune disease so no cure but it can be slowed down with medication. I was really lucky that my GP didn’t delay with the tests and referral to Rheumatology so I don’t have too much damage to my joints. Fatigue can wipe me out though!

Thanks @FifiLux, @SleeveToBypass2023and @NeonRaven8919 for your posts. Some excellent questions which I will note down because I have a mind like a sieve at the moment and information falls out of my head as soon as it enters it! As you said @FifiLuxI have a lot of information from the team already so it’s putting it in to some sort of sense for me now - LOL! I’ve received an electronic copy of my appointment letter with the name of the surgeon I will be seeing and so no hesitation - straight on t’internet to find out what I could. From what I’ve read, he is experienced in all things gastric and Bariatric. Hubby seems to think that he whipped out my gall bladder last year (same surgeon team) but I honestly cannot remember, what with writhing around in pain at the time of seeing him 🙄 Anyway, his CV seems very impressive so that’s reassuring. @SleeveToBypass2023- exactly that - nervous, excited and freaking out a little! @FifiLux- my new, pretty scales are here. I’ve got the basics set up but not the all-signing, all-dancing bits to them just yet. I definitely like the bigger, light-up numbers on them, saves squinting while trying to make out the numbers (don’t wear my glasses obviously because that 50gms or so that they weigh will make all the difference when weighing in 🙄) @NeonRaven8919 the LRD I have to do is 3 weeks. I did tell the dietitian that as long as I had 3 weeks plus 1 days notice of any last minute cancellations for surgery then I was good to go. Thankfully hubby will hoover up any foods that I won’t be eating so there won’t be any waste. I’m just hoping that the surgeon is happy, the MDT all agree and (a bit of wishful thinking I know) I’m able to have surgery this side of Christmas.

Purely my experience - when I lost a lot of weight previously, I had a lot of pains in my hands and feet. Had the usual blood tests and everything was fine. My GP wasn’t convinced and booked me in for a different blood test and an ultrasound scan on my hands. Both confirmed that I had seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. I’ve cut & paste the following from the RA website, just in case it may ring a couple of bells with you: Some of the most important symptoms in diagnosing seronegative rheumatoid arthritis include: Joint pain, stiffness specifically in the hands but also in knees, elbows, hips, feet and ankles Joint swelling and redness Joint tenderness Symmetrical symptoms and in multiple joints Ongoing inflammation Morning stiffness lasting longer than 30 minutes Fatigue Eye redness I may be way off but this was my experience. I was 43 when I was diagnosed and just entering perimenopause (which also has an effect on having the symptoms and being diagnosed RA too) I hope you find some answers and some relief.

Hope everything goes smoothly with the hysterectomy for you @Arabesqueand that it can put your mind at rest with regards to wondering if something is wrong or not going forwards 💜

Many, many congratulations on your wins and successes @NickelChip🥳🥳🥳

Ooh, thanks for this @FifiLux🥰 It links to my Apple Watch/iphone, which links with my Nutracheck app so I’ve ordered the pretty purple and red one which should be here tomorrow 🥳 I’ve given the tape measure and skipping rope a miss for now but they are bookmarked for future reference. @AmberFLI guess it will be like the grand unveiling won’t it, come revealing my weight when hitting target! Hubby doesn’t really equate a weight with anything really, he works off clothing sizes (more visual obviously) so he asked me yesterday what clothing size I was aiming for and I said 14/16 (UK sizing) and he understood that. @catwoman7I think, from reading what others have said, your body pretty much chooses where it wants to be so I will be guided by that in the short term. I previously got down to around 165lbs and I still cannot envisage me weighing that now! I’m still in shock from how small the Billabong shorts I rescued look, never mind to think that, once upon a time, my fat arse fit in to them 😂 @Arabesquesorry, I didn’t explain myself very well - the Drs surgery called me for my updated weight when the Dr was putting in the referral. I had to show willing right at the start and try the Slimming World programme before I could be referred. When I started the programme I weighed 130.5kg but this actually went up (unlimited pasta and potatoes huh?? Really??) and I duly reported 135kgs which somehow ended up as 130kg on the referral letter 😮 Can only think that the second weight report got missed somehow 🤷‍♀️ My home scales always weighed me 2lbs heavier than the scales in the Rheumatology Department at the hospital but I didn’t mind that as it gave me a little breathing space. I did tell the dietitian that obviously I weigh myself in the buff etc and she just laughed and said it was fine.

Had my dietitian appointment this morning and it went really well 🥳 I’m a healthy fat person, which was good to hear. All my tests have come back good, no issues with diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease etc. We had a really good talk, told her about this forum and the ongoing support everyone receives, showed her my two food diaries - one pre-watching what I eat and one for now. She was very happy to read both, laughed at some of my comments regarding how I was feeling when I was eating, and congratulated me on the changes I have already made. She asked if I had a surgery in mind and why. I explained that I felt that a bypass would be more beneficial for me due to not feeling full, snacking etc, and she agreed. Thankfully she has no issues with me, and was happy to refer me to the surgeon, which was such a relief to hear. Honestly, I felt quite apprehensive and anxious this morning (thanks menopause 🤨) and was definitely snappy with hubby. I went in on my own as I didn’t want him to know what my weight was/is - does anyone else keep their weight secret from their other half? I know it’s just shame that makes me not want to tell him 😕 The dietitian thinks a reasonable target post-surgery for me is around 14stones (196lbs) but reckons I will sail past that as I am fully onboard with it all. I’m glad that she hasn’t given me an unrealistic expectation and I do feel it’s fully achievable. We discussed lowest adult weight plus weights my body had ‘stuck’ at previously. She also went through the post-surgery diet - will be 6 weeks on the purée diet due to having a bypass, and gave me the info for that. She also explained about the bounce back once the body has reached its lowest weight and that it did not signal a failure. Next steps: appointment with the surgeon, which should be September (eek, next month!!) After I’ve seen the surgeon it’s then the MDT weekly meeting for everyone to agree that I’m OK to go ahead. As long as they agree, I will get my surgery date which is looking to be either Jan or Feb next year. She’s put that I would like to see the surgeon ASAP and will take a cancellation for both his appointment and also for surgery as long as I have one day to get ready for the 3 week liver reduction diet. She warned me that I could be on the LRD over Christmas but I’ve said that it’s fine, I’m truly not bothered in the slightest. I asked about going away next September and she said everything will be done and settled down by then but not to buy holiday clothes until the last minute! Just to wait for the next stage now. I’m certainly glad I lost some weight pre-appointment though as the weight the Dr gave and the weight I was actually was a 5kg difference, and not in my favour 😮 I’m still 7kgs lower than the wrong weight given and it’s the initial referral weight they go off so I could coast now if I wanted to (but I won’t ) A relief all round!

Can you get some ‘chicken fillets’ in the meantime to bulk out a smaller cup-sized bra? It might make you feel a bit better for the next few months? I’m just about a C-cup and I know that if they disappear I’m going to be left with something resembling a pair or spaniel ears on my chest! Who said Mother Nature doesn’t have a sense of humour?? 🐶