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WLS is NOT the lazy easy way out. Get that out of your head. It's not a miracle cure. It's only a tool. You still have to do all the hard work. Second, it's only been a week. The surgery released hormones in your body and you're second-guessing what you did. You're healing. Life is changing. It's all normal to feel this way. Talk to the counselor at your surgeon's office and deal with some of these issues.

Sorry...I feel your pain/frustration. Mine was postponed from 1/18 to 3/3.

Have you utilized a BMR calculator and or TDEE calculator? They can provide some helpful insight. BMR calculator tells you how many calories your body burns at complete rest in a day. TDEE calculator tells you how many calories you burn a day at your specific activity level. These calculators can give you an idea if you're perhaps eating too few calories a day, especially if you're burning more calories than you realize when you work out. Also you mentioned weight lifting, and I was told by my trainer and bariatric surgeon to not lift heavy until I reach goal weight. Something about your body can't lose weight and build muscle simultaneously... so lower weights and higher reps is what I was told to do while losing weight. Best of luck to you! You'll get there!

My main strategy is to fill up on low-calorie foods. Once a week, I buy and prep a bunch of snack veggies (celery, carrot chips, cucumber slices, pepper slices, and cherry tomatoes). I portion them out in meal prep containers, one for each day, and I have a saved meal that I enter in My Fitness Pal at the beginning of the day. Then I snack on the veggies whenever I want (I usually split them between mid-morning and mid-afternoon), knowing that they’re already accounted for. I use Walden Farms “calorie-free” dressing as a dip. It is a LOT of food for ~60 calories. If I’m in the mood for something warm, my go-to is cauliflower rice with Flavor God cheese seasoning and Mrs. Dash. Or I make a soup with cauliflower rice and chicken broth. 20-30 calories and very satisfying. I have a great substitution for ice cream! Whip pasteurized egg whites (safe to eat without cooking) with cream of tartar, calorie-free sugar substitute, and flavoring of choice (vanilla is delicious but I like to experiment with different flavors of One-On-One) and freeze. It’s best to eat before it’s frozen solid, or after letting it soften for a few minutes. It makes about 1 cup for just 25 calories, and it’s dairy-free and high in protein. I also use it (without freezing) as a substitute for whipped cream and put it on 10-calorie sugar-free Jello. Sometimes just looking at the nutrition information is enough to deter me. One time someone brought donuts to work and they were calling my name. I looked up the nutrition info to see how bad a small glazed donut would be, and it was 280 calories! I could eat two Built Bars for that and I would enjoy them more, and once I looked at it that way, I had no desire to eat the donut. Not worth it!

A couple of thoughts pop into my head. One is you may actually be at your set weight. Was your goal realistic? Do you feel healthy and happy at the weight you're at? The second thought is that you said you follow what your nutritionist recommended on "most" days. While we can't be perfect, what are you doing on the other days? Sometimes, believe it or not, we are getting too FEW calories that is keeping us from losing weight. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but it happens. Is your weight lifting adding muscle weight so that even though you're losing inches and re-shaping, the scale isn't reflecting it? Keep in mind that the scale is only one measurement tool. Have you been tracking your inches lost and shape? By the way, you look GREAT! Good luck with your continued WLS journey.

The fear is theirs to deal with, not yours. However, people with huge fear issues can be very hard to live with. My husband also yelled lots about how I was taking the easy way out, etc. etc. all of my kids had to do a couple of conference calls with him to calm him down, express their support for my decision, etc. I’ve since lost 85 lbs, am off cholesterol meds, no more insulin nor high blood pressure meds. I feel so much better. Let their fears be their issues and not yours. We have enough of our own problems to deal with!

I have not been told to use an abdominal binder. I probably won’t. @freckledMegan it sounds like you are prepared. The ProteinO2 surprises me. They are delicious. I also drink the Premier Protein shakes and have some unflavored protein powder to add when needed.

Hey all! I'm also scheduled for Feb 3rd and I'm getting the sleeve here in the Los Angeles area. I started this process back in August, and now that I'm weeks away, it's a little overwhelming. I'm mostly really excited, so I'll focus on that emotion as much as possible.

Thank you for all the replies and I agree with this. I have another appointment schedule with new doctor in January. Office was so nice, doesn’t require referral, and said I see the actual doctor several times, especially the first time. I’m feeling a little better now and not like I’ve just cut my foot off

Hard work paid off. You look great!