Bufflehead

Have you tried Unjury chicken soup or Celebrate tomato soup? Perhaps something hot and savory will work better for you?

I still portion my food and the only time I eat something different is when I feel satisfied (NOT FULL) before I get to the end of my portion, Looking to feel "full" or worse "stuffed" is a recipe for disaster IMO. In a similar vein, I see people saying things like "I know I'm full when I burp/get a runny nose/get the hiccups." No -- that means you ate so much that you've managed to compress and irritate the nerves in your stomach. I.E., you ate too much and need to eat less next time. You aren't "full" -- you over-ate.

Stuff I used pretty much every day: kitchen scale, immersion blender, heating pad, Bubba Keg, soft cotton fasten-in-front leisure bra (you may end up with an incision right at your bra line -- a regular bra, particularly underwire, is NOT your friend at this time), variety of sugar free/savory drinks and protein powder and drink samples, SF popsicles and fudgesicles.

You are also likely experiencing a lot of hormones being flooded into your system. Your fat cells store hormones, and when they open up to release that fat, they release the hormones, too. This leads to mood swings, rage, irritability, etc. etc. A common piece of advice for post-wls people is not to make any major decisions for 6 months post-op (divorce, quitting your job, and so on).

Ocean Spray makes a line of "Diet" cranberry variations that I like a lot - Cran Pomegranate, Cran Mango, etc. They are zero sugar. At your stage I drank a lot of G2, Powerade Zero, hot tea with splenda and a splash of light cream, all kinds of broth, sugar free hot chocolate (made with 50/50 water & unsweetened cashew milk), and V-8.

tall redeye (dark roast) is my standard. For a treat, tall skinny vanilla latte, tall nonfat flat white or tall nonfat latte macchiato.

I was given a carb ceiling, and it didn't matter whether they came from fruit, I still had to stay under my ceiling. I wasn't allowed any grains, refined sugary treats, or high carb vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) no matter whether I could have shoehorned them into my daily carb/sugar allowance or not. I could have eaten fruit like bananas, but they are so high carb that if I had chosen to do that, there is no way I could have eaten things like yogurt or beans that are much better for you than bananas are. So, you might try counting how many grams of sugar you are getting overall, no matter where they come from, and see if they fit into your daily allotment. Good luck!

Any kind of bread with yeast and anything carbonated. Nothing else bothers me.

Are you allowed snacks? What is your protein goal? If you are looking for 75 grams of protein in a meal, you can get that from 3 meals of 3 ounces of meat, then have Greek yogurt or turkey jerky for a snack.

I generally find something good in the appetizer section: grilled shrimp, meatballs, chicken wings, etc. For Entrees, I have them hold whatever carby side is usually attached to the entree (potatoes, rice etc.). Stay away from sauces and cheese. Do not order a drink and push away any Water glass so it is out of easy reach. For Breakfast, my standard order is one egg over medium. Even if it is not on the menu, that is something a cook can handle. I have yet to be in a restaurant that didn't have something healthy I could eat. Good luck to you!

My hospital brought me a tray full of drinks a couple hours after surgery and they all had straws in them. I guess my team doesn't believe in the whole "no straws" thing. I used the straws in the hospital -- they made drinking easier when I was still clumsy and foggy from painkillers -- and they never gave me a problem. I haven't really used them since then, but that's my choice. I just never liked using them in the first place.

Last thing: it's kind of cold in here, I guess we will get started pretty soon First thing: my shoulder hurts and I need to pee

You know what I never see here? Someone who comes and posts something like this: Help! I've regained 40 lbs and I don't know how to lose it or get back on track. My eating is out of control. I eat carbs every night when I get home from work. I weigh or measure all my portions and log them on MyFitnessPal and I know exactly how many calories, carbs, and grams of protein I eat every day. Okay the first part we see every single day here. But it's never accompanied by the second part. So for me, I aim for logging. It's just a habit to me now, like brushing my teeth or putting my seat belt on. I do eat pretty much the same things on most days, but I still log. My dietitian says it is great to eat the same things every day, that most healthy weight people actually do eat the same thing at least for breakfast, lunch, and snacks every day. It really doesn't bother me. I am pretty much a creature of habit. For Alex, things I would like to see in a tracker but don't get on MFP (at least not in the free version): Ability to set macro nutrient goals by gram rather than percentage Ability to set goals as either a floor (I want to get a minimum of 75 grams of protein), a ceiling (I want to get no more than 60 grams of fat), or a range (I want to get between 30 and 40 carbs) Ability to decide whether to regularly add burned exercise calories into the daily food diary Ability to set target calorie ranges below MFP's stupid 1000/1200 calorie floors without being punished for it/yelled at by it Be able to search the food database and restrict my results to only "official" USDA type entries rather than user-input ones. If I search for apples, I want the USDA standard info for apples, not Betty Sue Random's entry for apple fritters. eta: even if all of these things were in a new logging app, I wouldn't use it if it didn't have a robust food database similar to what is on MFP. The data in the MFP food database is awesome -- they just have an incredibly bad, pathetic, and weak search engine for it. /librarian mode

You trust your surgeon, correct? If you don't, you should find a different surgeon. There are lots of different pre-surgical protocols, and no pre-op diet may be the minority but it is definitely one I have heard before. Trust your surgeon that he knows how best to prepare his patients for surgery. And get ready for the fact that your post-op diet will be different from other people's too -- because they are all different! You will exhaust yourself if you run off to poll the internet every time your doctor does something differently than other doctors do. If you don't understand why your doctor is doing something differently, ask him! I am sure you will do great in surgery. Your doctor doesn't want to nick your liver and will do everything he can to protect your safety. Have faith -- but when you don't have faith, talk to your doctor about it! Good luck.

Clearly you should do whatever you want, since the bariatric team you hired and trusted to perform major surgery on you are a bunch of nitwits who don't know nearly as much as you do. All snark aside, it's good to get in the habit of trusting your medical team. If you want to advance early -- call them up and ask for permission! Explain what is going on and why you feel like you can advance early. I did that twice and once they said yes, and the other time they said no and explained why. I felt better about sticking with the plan then, since I knew more about the reasons, and kept with it. I really encourage you to be open with your team and turn to them for support if you feel like you haven't received enough information or direction.

I had the same chubby chaser hit on me twice, about three months apart. I firmly rejected him the first time. He didn't even remember me as someone he had talked to (and been rejected by) before the second time around . . . clearly he just saw a creature who met his criteria with respect to shape and size and didn't bother to gauge me as an actual human being. He was totally creepy and gross, tried to grab and stroke my arm the first time. Ew ew ew.

Some doctors will. I know my surgeon takes on follow-up with other surgeons' patients, including people who have had their surgery in Mexico and other out-of-country places. However, he's a couple hundred miles away in Tennessee so no particular help to you! If I were in your situation, I would request a copy of my chart from my previous doctor and simultaneously start calling around with different bariatric surgeons in your area to find one who will take on your follow-up, I would make sure to mention "I had gastric sleeve surgery with Dr. Bridget Holden in Dallas" -- be specific because some surgeons will do follow-up for a patient who had surgery in the US but not in Mexico, or who had surgery in the US but has moved, etc. It sounds like your original surgeon is not being terribly supportive or helpful, so don't be surprised if they drag their feet on getting you your medical records. Be persistent -- you are entitled to them. If you can't find a bariatric surgeon in Atlanta, your PCP should be able to run your labs and take care of routine matters for you, and you are far enough out that post-surgery complications really shouldn't be an issue. Good luck!

I have a mostly desk job. I did fine until about midway through the afternoon, when my energy just crashed, so I went home. I think going in for 5 hours the first day is a good plan.

I have 3 ounces of chicken breast for breakfast every morning. Usually I eat it cold, at work. But when I am at home for the day, I heat it up in the microwave, sometimes with a little sauce of some sort. Delicious, high protein, low calorie, low carb. In terms of nutritional value, it's very hard to beat.

Do a six day carb detox. Yes it is hard. Yes it is a pain in the butt. But it will get you back on track! First two days: eat dense, lean protein, green veggies, and small amounts of healthy fats. You can eat as much as you want. Don't drink anything with calories. No, not even protein shakes. Next two days: eat the exact same way, as much as you want, but weigh everything you eat and track it on MyFitnessPal. Religiously! Last two days: eat the exact same way but confine yourself to three meals and three snacks. Keep tracking on MyFitnessPal. After that, gradually add in dairy, eggs, small amounts of fruit, nuts, and beans. Continue to avoid grains, starchy veggies, refined sugar, and liquid calories. Set a reasonable targets on MFP for your daily calories, carbs, and protein. Keep tracking your intake. Good luck!

Pregnancy is not an issue for me personally, but I can assure you that women of healthy weight have less trouble getting pregnant, maintaining a healthy pregnancy, and delivering healthy babies than obese women do. Also, slim women are much more likely to raise slim and healthy children than obese women are. I can't think of any reason that the sleeve surgery and following weight loss should do anything to affect your chances of pregnancy other than make them much better than they would be if you stayed obese.

Also, black coffee has lots of health benefits: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/12/upshot/more-consensus-on-coffees-benefits-than-you-might-think.html?_r=0 As the article says, this is specifically about black coffee, not a bunch of sugar and cream and/or artificial crap with a little coffee flavoring

Coffee does not dehydrate you, that is a myth! http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2014/02/27/3951831.htm http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee-myth-busting-cup-of-joe-may-help-hydration-and-memory However, it is true that coffee can be a gastric irritant, so if you are having problems with acid or anything like that post-sleeve, it is probably best to stay away. I personally consume lots of black coffee every day and very little of any other kind of drink. If coffee actually did dehydrate you, I'd be dead of thirst long ago. But here I am, alive, well, and healthy.

I haven't had plastics but if I did, I would certainly at least consult with Dr. Capella in New Jersey. He specializes in post-weight loss surgery and he has done fantastic work on some people I know. His prices are very reasonable, especially compared to other US surgeons. http://www.capellaplasticsurgery.net/photo_gallery.htm

Go back to the store and demand they fix it. Chances are good that they can.