so long status quo

I am 12 days pre-op and on day 2 of my 2 shakes & 1 lean, green meal pre-op diet. I've been having the shakes for breakfast for about 4 weeks. I've been on my feet a lot and working outside in the yard this weekend (I live in Nevada) and have been trying to drink plenty of water, but this afternoon I started having unexplained pain on the top of my foot in the ankle area. It feels like I dropped something on my foot & it's badly bruised. It occurred to me that this may be gout - which I've never had before, but my husband and brother in law have had. There is no redness or apparent swelling. I plan to drink 16 to 24 oz before heading to bed tonight, but am wondering if the increase in protein from the shakes could be a factor. Any insight is appreciated!

Hi all, I was sleeved on June 24, 2011 & have had no complications as yet. I lost 14 lbs the 1st week, 3 the 2nd and it doesn't look like I'm going to lose very many this week (1-2 if I'm lucky) Have most of you experienced a steady, slow weight loss? I know plateaus are going to happen. It is just amazing to me that on such few calories it's not coming off faster - not that I'm complaining too much because I know slow & steady is better for me.

I used to work as a circuit coach at Curves - and this is all so true! We would weigh and measure clients once a month. Sometimes they would not lose a pound, but would have lost an inch here or there. Muscle is more compact than fat & your body cannot do it all at once - lose weight, tighten up, and get smaller. I too need to toss the scale. I'm 17 days out from VSG & have weighed nearly every day. I'm looking for positive reinforcement from the freakin' thing and if it's not down by at least one, I find myself discouraged - not a good thing when you're trying to shed! I am aiming to limit myself to once per week (along with taking pictures) for diary and scrapbooking purposes, but it's hard. I wonder if a pad lock would do the trick...

I'm 1 month PRE-op and have noticed an increase in the number of pimples on my neck and face & have wondered if it's from the protein shakes which I've been having for breakfast. I have never had any real issues with my skin (clear, fair, and dry) and am very curious to know how the sleeve, diet changes, and hormones have affected others' skin and what has been effective in treating the problem. Thanks!