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I had on and off symptoms of lactose intolerance that were mildly annoying prior to surgery. Post op I was absolutely intolerant and unable to consume any dairy for several months. Some time around one year post op the situation improved. Prior to my pregnancy (my intolerance is always worst when I'm pregnant) I was able to consume small portions of even cow's milk, yogurt and cottage cheese. Hard and soft cheeses didn't bother me at all. The only food I absolutely cannot consume even in tiny portions would be ice cream. If I really want something like that, I choose one made with coconut milk or a sorbet. And honestly, ice cream was never a food I really loved so it's not an issue for me to give it up. ~Cheri

Dee in my case it's mostly circumstance but I'm forced to make most things from scratch. It just takes far too long to wait on food to arrive from the states. So I make my own granola bars and now that we've been eating them for over a year, my kids won't eat the box of store bought ones my husband picked up on a trip to Tampa. If there's a food you want in your diet because you enjoy it and it makes your life easier, it might be worth trying to see if you can replicate it yourself in your own kitchen. It puts you totally in control of the ingredients, portion sizes, flavors, etc. It seems time consuming at first but once you fit it into your routine you'd be amazed at how easy it is to set aside a small block of free time for this. I wouldn't say it's the biggest cost savings, but I do know what we're eating and that makes me happy. As for my own check-in, staying on track is something I need to re-boot every few months now that I'm living a post-goal life. It's odd. It's never an immediate collapse into bad habits. It's that tiny bit here and extra portion there. Being pregnant after WLS is HARD. I didn't expect it to be easy but my diet is so bizarre because of the inability to eat meat (baby doesn't like it) and my lactose intolerance. Good quality Protein choices are getting hard to find here. I'm very, very grateful to be going back to the states in two weeks. There are so many more convenient (but still healthy) options for protein there that aren't easy to find here. If I want any kind of bean I need to think about it a day or two in advance so I can buy them at the market, soak them and cook them before making them into a dish. It's not the end of the world it's just those added steps that make my life more difficult than it needs to be! I hope everyone else is doing okay keeping on track. We tell new folks this all the time but it really is a lifelong commitment and the work is only beginning once you reach goal. I think if more people understood what that really means they wouldn't be so worried about their rate of weight loss. ~Cheri

I flew about fourteen hours from San Diego to Germany within three days of my surgery. Take it easy, walk as much as you can and sip as much Water as possible. Ask the steward to bring you a liter bottle of water and keep it with you, so you don't have to ring them or wait on them to come by and offer more. Compression hose might be helpful for your circulation so soon after surgery but that's up to you. ~Cheri

Even now there are times I cannot eat and drink at the same time. There simply isn't room. I can either eat my portion of food, or I can have a drink. The only time the drink flushes my food down would be exactly when I don't want it to - things like chips, Cookies, popcorn, etc. - slider foods - that a drink will wash down. So I also try to avoid drinking if I'm splurging on a junk food like that. It's easy to mindlessly eat more than you planned if you're drinking a drink while you snack. I'm careful to portion out my food because of this. For a really long time you'll want to just eat or drink. I can drink something like Water all the way up until a meal, and then not drink during the meal. I'll wait a short while (maybe twenty, thirty minutes) after I eat to resume drinking. ~Cheri

I have a tip for you that is going to save your sanity and help you feel better. Ready? Do not compare your rate of loss to anyone else's. I know, sounds so easy. Everyone loses at a different rate and the person dropping twenty pounds in two weeks might stall out for six weeks later. No telling. I didn't lose a single pound until the last week to ten days of my first month. I lost at exactly the rate my body wanted to lose at, no matter what else I did to tweak my program. This is how it works. We do not get to control the rate of loss, and we will stall and hit plateaus on occasion. You will definitely notice restriction when you're actually eating. In fact, you'll likely feel frustrated because you'll know you need to eat more food but will only be able to fit a very small amount for a while. Everyone has a moment where they feel like they'll be the first person ever to completely fail to lose any weight with surgery. And we're all wrong. We have varying degrees of success, mostly based upon how we dealt with our head issues and how well we worked at changing our bad habits into good ones. But we all lose weight. Relax. Really, relax. Put the scale away before it makes you crazy and don't pay attention to how other people lose weight or it'll make you crazy, too. There were times in my journey I lost so slowly it's nuts. Seven months to lose 32 pounds? Five more to shed the final 15 pounds? So what? I'm still a success, still made it to goal and even pregnant get to wear small/6 clothing and look pretty darn good doing it. Focus more on addressing the head hunger that will creep in and busting those bad habits like grazing or emotionally eating rather than on achieving scale success. The scale will happen if you keep doing the right things, but working on yourself will help you keep the scale in place once you're at goal. ~Cheri

I only avoided coffee for a brief period and only because I chose to, not because I was advised to do it. I have one every day. I wish I could have more, honestly, but I can't tolerate caffeine like before. Just watch for acid issues and for a stronger reaction to the caffeine, but otherwise there are a lot of us that never gave up coffee for any length of time. ~Cheri

You'll be fine. Just go really slowly. I was amazed that I felt full after two or three spoonfuls of warm broth but immediately post op your stomach is still very swollen. ~Cheri

No, but only because they don't sell them where I live. I have to go to a Turkish market just to find the dried ones. That said, it's possible to do it with canned chickpeas. Just rinse them well and then toss them with a little oil (very little - just a tsp or two to make the spices stick - and if you use canned Beans you might not even need the oil) and your favorite spices, then bake at 400 on a lined baking sheet for 30-45 minutes, until they're dry and crispy. ~Cheri

Hey now, there are unflavored Proteins out there that don't taste terrible - I like the Syntrax brand. I'm not sure the Greek yogurt would work, though it might be an interesting texture change. How much tahini does your recipe call for? My small batch (from scratch) recipe calls for 2 Tbs. and an equal amount of Greek yogurt has almost the same amount of Protein (though it is less in fat). Anyway, if you cut the tahini out and miss the flavor just blend in a touch of sesame oil to make up some of what you're missing. To me it simply wouldn't taste "right" without it. For a change of pace, I make dips from black Beans or cannellini beans, too. If you want more protein from your chickpeas, make a salad with hardboiled eggs and veggies. That's what I'm eating for lunch right now. ~Cheri

For a long time it was jerky. Now I'm not so very into meat - especially since I got pregnant - and my very favorite snack right now is roasted chickpeas. I do them with a sweeter blend of spices or I do them with paprika, garlic and onion. YUM. Or hummus, with some homemade pita chips and an assortment of veggies. I'm on a chickpea kick right now, and blame the pregnancy. It's a far better craving than the chicken nuggets (gag!) I wanted with my twins. ~Cheri

Flour tortillas are still hard for me, even more than two years out. They gum up and sit like a stone in my belly. Corn ones are better, but I won't lie - I'd rather eat a few chips and guac or salsa than a burrito, anyway. I usually do a bowl. I used to skip the rice and ask for extra black Beans but now I just do the rice. It still makes about three meals for me. If I'm feeling like it I'll sometimes do crispy tacos, but I don't eat a lot of meat and prefer the black bean bowl. I don't eat Subway, so I can't help you there. Just about any place you can think of has some possible food options for the post-sleeve diet, and it gets easier the farther out you are. ~Cheri

I weighed everything in the beginning because you cannot be sure what you're eating otherwise. One of my issues prior to surgery was overeating and grazing. It would be too easy for me to eat the entire bag of almonds mindlessly while reading a book or watching the boob tube. How else can you accurately track your calories? Guesstimating? That's not much help, is it? Being consumed by surgery and healthy eating? I'd argue that it's paying attention to what I'm putting in my body, something that might have prevented my obesity in the first place. If you're willing to have life altering surgery and remove an organ, you should probably be willing to invest at least a few minutes each day into the other parts of the equation: what you put in your body, and how much/why you're putting it there. Now that I'm so far out I seldom actually need to break out the scale, though every now and again I do it just to check myself. But if I'm going to indulge in a junky food, like those flamin hot cheetos I ate last night (something I'd normally avoid but sounded oh so good to me) you better bet your hind end I'm counting out the 21 cheetos that make up a portion. No way will I allow myself to eat the whole bag like I used to. Oh, and I only ate ten of them and put the rest back. I think I just wanted something spicy and would have been just as satisfied with a scrambled egg covered in hot sauce. chips and the like never went stale in my house prior to surgery, but it's something we have to watch out for now. ~Cheri

I haven't heard this at all about the sleeve. My baby is measuring larger than either of my previous, non-sleeve pregnancies. I do know this is an issue with bypass, but that has more to do with Vitamin malabsorption from what I understand. Perhaps someone that has already delivered will chime in here, but I've been treated as if I have a totally normal pregnancy. My stateside OB did ask me specifically about malabsorption with my procedure (he's not familiar with the sleeve) because that does cause issues, but he had no worries about either my health or the baby's. ~Cheri

It sounds worse than normal but I had to resume my PPI once I got pregnant, too. If you're not on it, you should be. If your symptoms are that bad, your doc should be writing you a prescription that's safe for the duration of your pregnancy. I'm back on omeprazole (generic Prilosec) and need to take it every day or I'm very uncomfortable. As for stomach pain, I would wait to see if a PPI addresses that for you, and if not, get in to see your surgeon or PCP for that. I do not have stomach pain, though I have had to re-learn my capacity while pregnant and I did have a heck of a time with morning sickness. Good luck, ~Cheri

You really should see someone for physical pain - there might be an issue that needs to be addressed that will improve your quality of life immensely. As for emotions being wacky post op, that's normal. It's not reassuring but it really is normal. Ha ha, so you ARE feeling normal right now...for a fairly newly sleeved person! In addition to having hormones stored in our fat cells that get released and screw with us as we shed pounds, it's not easy to make such a serious lifestyle change. What was food to you? To me it was a comfort, almost a friend, a secret indulgence...a way to not feel sad, a way to fit in with my family and friends...it was all of those things. And then I had this surgery and when I felt frustrated or angry or sad I couldn't eat my way out of it! It's not easy to find new ways to cope, especially when I was totally in denial about my food relationship before I had my surgery. I was completely blindsided by how depressed and restless I felt until that phase passed. It also doesn't happen overnight. You have a journey in front of you and you're working hard on doing the right things and reaching a goal but you aren't going to have the body/weight you want for a while and it's going to take some time for your head to catch up in any case. Hang in there. Vent here and find threads with people in the same place you're in because you're not alone. And get to your doc about the pains. That's not normal. ~Cheri

I've said it before but you guys will really be astounded at how much rebound and redistribution there is in your skin/remaining fat pockets in the time from one year to two years post op. I am not kidding. Yes, I'm younger (32 now) but even allowing for that, my skin wasn't exactly resilient before surgery as proven by my stretch marks and the lovely apron my twins left me. But I still had a consult roughly one year post op and it was very interesting. If I went back now I know I'd need less work than I felt sure I needed at one year post op. As for mentally adjusting it is a challenge. And while, for the most part, I can see myself more realistically now, it's still a shock to see a photograph of myself and realize how small I am. Heck, I'm nearly 32 weeks pregnant and feel like a bloated, puffed up cow right now. But it really hit me last night, looking in the mirror while changing for bed, that the only places I've puffed up are my upper arms, face and calves...and it's not much. The rest of me is just baby belly and the same loose skin I had prior to pregnancy. And here I've been feeling kinda down about being so heavy lately. Face it - we do not see ourselves the way other people see us. I spent years as a big girl wearing a size too small and looking ridiculous for it until I realized how much more comfortable and attractive I'd look wearing the proper clothes. And it took me nearly a year to accept that I really do wear the size I wear and to stop panicking every time I put in a clothing order. Sometimes I still buy shoes in my old size and have to return them. But I spent most of my life obese and can't expect my brain and eyes to catch up in just a year or so. It does get easier and better. I have no doubt that baring your naked body to a doctor to be poked and prodded and measured, would enhance any feelings of doubt or insecurity you had about your body. I know how ridiculously uncomfortable I was during my consult and yes, I went home and did an inventory of everything afterward, too. You might get down to that eight and you might not. I think all of us will see or read someone's goal weight or goal size and think about how we'd love to be there but we're hindered by bodies that simply will not cooperate. I'll never be a two. I'm very short and my doctor harps on how I should really weigh in the one-teens and I think he needs to stop doing drugs. Because it's not ever, ever going to happen. If I set my goal weight there I'd be destined to be unhappy because it's unattainable. Losing one size after plastics is probably not unattainable. But it's also important for all of us to take the time to think about what we're saying. Because after years of never being smaller than a 14 (and let's not lie...I had no business squeezing into those 14s) and after spending many years in 18s and 20s, I cannot possibly be complaining about not being small enough, right? Perspective. You've come a long way. Get the plastics if they'll help you feel great about your much smaller and more fit body. But do not compare yourself to a woman that's 5 feet tall and with a tiny frame and feel like THAT is the feminine ideal. We're all shaped differently. Women that are very tall set their goal weights where some of us had a starting weight - that doesn't make them any less feminine or beautiful or damn sexy once they get to goal. ~Cheri

I only had sips of wine (for Shabbat, we're Jewish) for several months post op. Beyond that, not only did I not want to drink, I had no room to do it! I'd wait at least a few months. The only thing to be very careful about are transfer addictions. As we mourn the loss of our old emotional crutch and coping mechanism (food) it's not uncommon to see people develop other bad habits because they haven't learned to cope without yet. Alcoholism is a real problem for WLS patients. And yes, drinks are empty calories, of course. And while some people can still drink the same way post op I think stories of getting tipsy on just a few sips are more common. I can sip on one mixed drink all night and keep a buzz going, so I'm much more sensitive to alcohol post op. ~Cheri

I had no problems at all securing care, blood panels, prescriptions for Vitamins, etc. The real concern is if you have a serious complication post op. No doctor or ER is going to be permitted to refuse you care if there were a life-threatening emergency BUT your insurance could refuse to cover the complications. That said...I'd have to really search here to find a case where that happened. Maybe someone with that kind of experience will chime in. My surgeon (Dr. Aceves) did my tests for me before I left, and the only reason I'd do another swallow would be if I had a complication and suspected a stricture or something. Depending on your relationship with your PCP, you might want to disclose that you're having surgery before you do, but that's up to you. I go to military hospitals and clinics and count myself lucky if they can say my name properly. I wouldn't bother telling my doctor anything because they wouldn't remember and likely wouldn't even note it in my file. Hopefully you have better care than that. ~Cheri

iegal, you can do this! Hang with it, lady. Find distractions when you get frustrated. How's today treating you? Congrats on the pound but remember that the big success here is in regaining control. Speaking of hummus (that iegal can't eat yet, sorry), I finally found garbanzo Beans (and tahina!) at a Turkish market here! I was so happy to find them as I've been scouring every market stall and grocery shelf for them for more than two months. I had to soak and cook them, but man, I had the BEST chickpea salad for lunch today and made up a yummy batch of hummus for Snacks. I added roasted red peppers and extra garlic to mine. Yummy, and YAY for Protein. ~Cheri

I just wanted to add that if calorie deficits were so cut and dry as simple math, we'd all lose the weight on our first diet. We all know how to diet here - we're professionals. There's so much more to the equation that simple calories in vs. calories out and using a little willpower. If it was so easy, none of us would diet for most of our lives only to wind up having surgery to fix the issue. I think genetics, hormones and blood sugar play a much larger part than anyone realizes. Hang in there, ~Cheri

Yes, you need to invest a few minutes in searching out the stall and broken stall threads here. This is just a normal part of the process, despite how frustrated you feel. A stall is three weeks or more at the same weight. My typical loss pattern was to stay the same weight for roughly two weeks of the month, gain three pounds during my period and then lose any weight I would lose that month in the last week to ten days of the month. It was like that almost every month. I had two 9 week stalls. On average, I lost just over 6 pounds a month, but in reality I had entire months where I lost nothing or lost only one pound, followed by a month where I'd drop eight pounds. My diet never varied enough to account for the changes. PdxMan posted a really informative post on stalls some time last year, and ButtertheBean has posted one or two, also. They're normal. They happen with WLS and without WLS. The best thing you can possibly do for yourself, no matter how hard it is, would be to try to let go of any time-related expectations you have. You can't expect to lose weight every time you step on the scale. It will discourage you. So long as you generally keep heading in the right direction, you will continue to lose weight and you will reach goal. This is not a race, this is about losing the weight and keeping it off for the rest of your life. Every pound gone is one gone forever if you take this time to do the head work that should accompany the lifestyle changes you've made. The sleeve works, you just have to be patient. ~Cheri

Most people who "watch their portions" have no idea what a portion should be. Even my husband, who has never had a weight problem, was amazed when I talked to him about his portions of Pasta and rice. I don't see a practical way for you to demonstrate to them that won't come off as preachy, but the one thing that really hammered home my out of control portion sizes was seeing the models of what a portion of each food should look like. I'd heard the "deck of cards" and "fist sized" thing before but actually seeing how much larger (and grotesque) my portions were impacted me. It didn't help me lose the weight but it was a piece of info I carried with me and the comparisons are easy to visualize. In any case, you can't change a person's mind or attitude about anything. When someone really wants to lose weight, and by that, I mean they want to lose weight more than they want to keep eating, they'll do the work and find a way to eat healthier. Most people (even sleevers are guilty of this) want to keep eating the same horrible way but lose the weight. It's why people flock in droves to by miracle pills to help shed weight but never adopt the simple habits that would probably help without the side effects. ~Cheri

coops is my hero and was sleeved within days of me! She's fabulous but doesn't post as much as before. I'm hoping she'll find the time to post when she does come back. ~Cheri

Congrats on the really great work. You look wonderful. I know that you'll still have loose skin but it really does rebound once your weight stabilizes for a while. So put off plastics until you've been at goal a while if you can. I had an apron even prior to surgery (I have twins) so I knew the stomach would be rough and I was right. But I was amazed at how much bounced back on it's own. So you might save yourself some procedures if you wait. Then again, plastics are really the icing on the cake after we work so hard, so why wait if you don't have to? I was in the same nutritional window in the loss phase and upping it in maintenance happened slowly but surely, so it's possible you'll have more leeway later if you want it. I still have a ton of restriction, too, but it's still a lot more than I was able to eat at one year post op. Thank you for posting. I appreciate that you not only show a nice, moderate approach to your loss but that you are demonstrating to new folks that you don't have to lose all of the weight in one year to be a success. Congrats! ~Cheri

My husband supported me but never believed I needed the surgery. He felt I was beautiful and he didn't want to see me struggle if it turned out like the dozens and dozens of failed diets I'd put us both through over the years. He was also worried about complications during surgery, because he didn't want me to risk my life because I felt I had to lose weight. He stood behind me on this because he knew it was important to me. And truthfully, he would rather I had stopped losing weight about thirty pounds before I actually stopped. He genuinely likes larger women. He calls me skinny all the time. That said, he's still very attracted to me and loves how much more comfortable I am in my skin and how much happier I am. Loose skin was never an issue. And honestly, I'd love to tell you otherwise but it's a rare case when a woman gets skinnier than she'd like to get post op! Usually it's a struggle to drop those last fifteen to twenty pounds and hit goal. Now that I'm no longer diabetic and can keep up with him physically (he's more athletic than I am) and he sees that I have more energy for our kids and my own interests, he's glad I lost the weight. But he never stops reminding me that he has loved me and been attracted to me every day he's been with me, because I think deep down, he wants to reassure me that he loves ME not the body I'm wearing. Anyway, you have to approach it with education and honesty. You have to understand they do not understand what it feels like to be so unhappy about our appearance. If he's overweight himself and food is a big part of your time together, expect an adjustment period where he also mourns the loss of that ritual and socialization. But most of all, reassure him that you're doing this for you, and for him as well, because you want to live a long and healthy life as his wife. Too many men have heard of or know someone whose wife lost a lot of weight and the marriage fell apart. Every case is different, but usually if there are problems and trust issues prior to surgery, they might be exacerbated as you go through physical and emotional changes post op. If the marriage is on solid ground beforehand, it's usually stronger afterward. Good luck with your surgery, ~Cheri