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Maybe try another shake. Find one that you like with Water. The thinner, the better. I like Syntax nectar chocolate with water. Tastes like Yoo-Hoo. The thicker shakes will fill you up more and take longer to drink. It also takes time to hit those Protein goals. Your primary focus should be hydration and as soon as you're getting the necessary liquids in, worry about easing up your protein intake daily until you hit those goals consistently. Unflavored protein (I prefer Syntrax, two scoops in just about anything) or the unjury chicken broth will also help you boost your soft foods, as suggested. It takes a while to get there, so don't beat yourself up. Congrats on that new sleeve, ~Cheri

And I have no idea who you guys are talking about. Really. ~Cheri

Let's face it - I thought the sleeve was insane until after six months of lurking on LBT I saw how many revisions and miserable people were there. A procedure with a massive complication rate and shoddy % EWL stats is being phased out by the market because surgeons and patients are doing research? Say it ain't so!! And I'm sick of the "sleeves stretch" rhetoric. Yes, they stretch. MINUTELY and IF YOU MAKE THEM STRETCH. Ya know, with work, with regular overeating to the point of pain over a long period of time. But people act as if it becomes a damn football field if you slip up twice. Hardly the case. Anyway, there's enough people on the sleeve forums I want to go away, so I don't venture into other forums as a general rule. I try to limit the stupid in my life. ~Cheri

I want to light the BMI chart on fire. This is the number one reason I hate my doctors. With my age (33 as of tomorrow) I can reasonably weigh 101-131 and be normal. Instead of weighing 93-123 pounds...which range I haven't seen since age ten. Well, let's face it. I'm never gonna be normal, not even BMI chart normal. ~Cheri

The loose rules for the forum are six months out and 100 posts, right? I think that it's just a label and means as much as you think it means. Welcome to you and misty, though. I'm still figuring things out and there's no question I'm a vet, so don't feel bad. And I'd make fun of your illiteracy but illiteracy's no joke. ~Cheri

I bounced around a bit post op. I actually needed insulin several times the first two days I was in the hospital. My numbers didn't stabilize until about a week to ten days post op. By then, my body was used to the new diet, the immediate stress of surgery had worn off and my pain was gone. All of those things contribute to spikes here and there. I had the same experience as you. Give it a few days and keep taking your readings. You might want to record them somewhere if your monitor doesn't store them long term. It was neat for me to look back and see how quickly they fell into the normal range and stayed there. Good luck, and congrats on that new sleeve, ~Cheri

Yes, nobody can point you to a time frame and say there's just a point where it happens. It takes work. A lot of work, in my case. Not sure how well the search function is going on here but there are many posts that discuss this. In my situation, I was not unhappy because I was fat. I was fat because I was unhappy. Losing weight exacerbated my issues until I confronted them and worked on them. I lost my favorite coping mechanism and had to actually start dealing with things that had been bothering me for years. With time I am more confident. But it takes a lot of work and I'm a work in progress, even after three years. I was hiding things with food and fat so I could avoid them, and truly felt that my weight was the reason I was unhappy. I floundered a bit around a year and a half out because I was forced to confront the truth: I was still unhappy, even at goal. And yes, skin bothers me. And yes, the shape of my body bothered me for a bit (it actually gets a lot better by two years post op, though). But really, these were easy targets. Easy, clearly visible things I could point to and say "THAT'S the reason I feel sad" but in truth they were distractions. Counseling helps. Nobody can answer this but you. It's so individual it's not even possible for us to speculate! ~Cheri

Maybe. Could also be dairy. I had progressively worsening nausea and didn't put two and two together until I was in misery all day, every day. Dairy got me every time. If this could be it, try a lactose free shake or doing a day without dairy and seeing how you feel. ~Cheri

Honestly, I can see both sides of this. People have no business, sure. But as a fat girl, didn't I think I had the right to tell my skinny friend that had put on ten pounds that she didn't need to lose any weight? And now I AM that skinny girl that wants to lose ten more pounds. Weight is one of those things where people don't obey boundaries really well. Unless the person is being deliberately cruel or unless a pointed remark will let them know they upset you and keep them from doing it again, there's no real need to get yourself worked up over it. Two things go into this. One, we don't see skinny people in the mirror even when we're skinny. And two, they do. Every change is magnified to them, especially if you were round and shiny faced the last time you saw this particular group of people! Try to remember they think it's a compliment. They're telling you that you look fabulous and that you don't have to lose more weight to look great. ~Cheri

Quitting isn't an option. Sometimes it doesn't matter if I'm motivated. I did not spend ten grand and slice out a major organ to fall short of my personal goals. I do what I have to do, even when I hate to do it. Period. I forget how far I've come sometimes, because I'm covering ground I've already covered. It's easy to slip into old habits. Both eating habits and self-abuse habits. I can't possibly believe I'm fat or feel fat weighing 100 pounds less than I did the day of surgery but if I don't watch it I'll do think it anyway. I look at pictures. I remember how that fat girl felt and I do everything I can to NOT be her again. And if that means I eat chicken instead of cake, so be it and if that means I actually have to get off my can and exercise even though I hate it, so be it. ~Cheri

Congrats! You look great and I honestly can't believe you've been poking around these boards that long. It doesn't feel like it! I swear you and Laura showed up yesterday. Enjoy it. I do love that you can be so healthy and NOT be a normal BMI. We put too much emphasis on that stupid damned chart. That said...man, I've love to see a normal BMI again. ~Cheri

I schedule in a nighttime snack. I mean, record it early in the day, account for it and plan it and then I have no issues. If I feel hungry even after that, well, it's not really hunger. So Water, or tea or a Protein shake if I have room and can use the protein. If I'm hormonal and it's just uncontrollable, something crunchy like a stalk of celery or a carrot. I bust out a book, post here or play a video game or even go to bed early if I can't stop thinking about food. Getting into nighttime eating off the books is a problem. Planning my meals and Snacks for the entire day lets me feel like I'm eating all day long, am never hungry and like I'm not deprived. I always know what's next and I stay within my calorie goals for the day. Most often it's thirst. I still have a problem mistaking thirst for hunger. You have to be in control. For me, planning keeps me in charge. ~Cheri

It'll come back. I won't lie - that diet most of us had prior to surgery, the one full of fried and fatty foods - really helps a person have lovely hair. So my hair has come back and it's much thicker than it was. It's also shiny and healthy again. But it's never gotten quite as thick as it was prior to surgery. It should last just a few months and wrap up some time between your sixth and seventh month post op. For me it was almost overnight that it stopped. I went from a Wookiee sized hairball each day to just a few strands one morning. And from then on, it was solid regrowth. Nioxin did help my regrowth and unlike my husband (who can't stop using it or his hair will start falling out again) I had no ill side effects or hair loss when I stopped using it. But Biotin never did anything except make me feel nauseated. I just try to get plenty of good fats and take care of my hair better than before. And coloring it really shouldn't cause additional hair loss, so if it makes you feel better you should go ahead and do it. At least consult your stylist and see what they say. I kept on coloring those greys during my loss and had no problems. ~Cheri

Dee, I went ahead and sent you a message from my gmail. We'll see if you get that. How's everyone doing? I'm doing okay. WAY up on the scale, THREE pounds since Monday but I suppose it could all be my cycle. I hope they fall off. I'll be beyond ticked if I have to lose the same three pounds I lost over the last two weeks again! Shingles stink and I hurt but I'm doing okay. I have been truly blessed and avoided the rash. But the nerves are just live in my back and buzzing away. Though it's not nearly as bad as it was the third day so I hope it's all fading. My birthday is Sunday - I'll be 33, can you believe that? My five year old told me that it's old, but not as old as her daddy (he's 41) and I gave her a look. Just wait, kid! I remember when my mom turned thirty and I made her a grandma at thirty four so I figure I'm doing alright with my kids! Take care all, I'm off. Elisheva is on a nap strike (just what I need) and refuses to rest and let mommy have a little cup of coffee and a few minutes of quiet. ~Cheri

So sorry you've hit a bump. It happens and will probably happen again later. Part of the journey and all! I didn't do a lot of carbs early out. They aren't bad and they're not gone forever. But honestly, they should be fruits and veggies at this point, and only after a good bit of Protein. Otherwise you'll fall short of nutritional goals. And I'm not going to contradict your doc. But three squares and mini Snacks doesn't even do me now and I'm three years post op. My honest opinion is that you need to find the way to eat that keeps you happy and satisfied and keeps you losing weight. Method be damned, what works for you may not work for anyone else. What matters is that it works for you. So find that and do what it takes. Dense protein like chicken, beef (SO hard early out for me), lamb and eggs...all of those work to keep a body full longer. Tuna and salmon fill me up but any white fish isn't as good for me - it's soft and I can eat more (yay protein) but I don't feel as full as long. Again, with nutrition you have to go with what works for you. The right number of calories is the one you lose best on and it may be a larger range than you think. The magic number of carbs is what keeps you feeling satisfied, not deprived and doesn't hinder your loss. For me in the initial loss phase I was determined to keep it to 50 and under a day. But I lost at the same pace once I doubled that. And I felt loads better eating a bigger variety of foods. Something you probably can't do just yet, but over the next month or so explore your body's limits to see what you can do. I'm not advising you push it and eat cake, just so you know. To lose I needed low calories. Between 700-900 a day in loss. Now to lose again I'm at roughly 1000-1100. Oddly, I can consume an average of about 1,600-1,800 calories a day in maintenance and not budge on the scale. I just have to stay moderately active and make sure my eating habits don't slip. So if you feel too restricted, keep in mind that it likely won't be forever. And I like to keep my protein around 90 grams a day. I get lower days for sure, but never below 60 grams a day. I still do a shake most days to keep those numbers high. Hopefully something in this jumble helps. We all try to the magic method. It's individual. You can get ideas here but it's all up to your body in the end. ~Cheri

If you think that's a long post you haven't been reading my posts. Shame on you. Okay, so here's what I see. Let's start with your stats. One, you COULD lose more weight if you want. Your BMI is still overweight, though let's not deny that there is almost certainly a large amount of loose skin because of your tremendous loss. Congrats on that, by the way, you've worked the hell out of your sleeve so far. But you don't NEED to lose more weight. So don't feel like you're not a success or that you fell short. Because that's obviously not the case at all. Two, let's talk about this "enough is enough" thing. This is more common than you think. I did the same thing. "If only I could be 150 again, I'd be so happy." But today I'm 141 and mad I'm not 135 (my goal) and frustrated that I never saw 120 pounds (firmly in the normal BMI range for my short stature of 5'1") so I relate to this a lot. In my case? It took realizing that I wasn't unhappy because I was fat. I was fat because I was unhappy. And my weight was the very easiest of the many issues I was lugging around in my suitcase o baggage to tackle. It was the big, obvious thing I could change to feel happy. But losing weight did NOT make me happy. Don't get me wrong. It made me happier. But it wasn't that magic switch where one day I went from having problems or issues and the next day to loving myself because I could fit in a size six. It just doesn't work that way. I wonder the same thing. Now my focus is plastics. And my husband asks me what the focus will be once the plastics are done. Because once the loose skin is gone I've completed my journey, right? So do I finally feel completely content with my results at that point? Or do I find another issue to pick apart until I'm there? Will I need another distraction from whatever else I've got going on in my head? Look, there is nothing wrong with keeping onward. Just remember that success is measured by achieving a goal and then maintaining it happily. If it's an obsession, you're not happy. If you always want more, you're not happy. I beat myself up trying to hit 135 and stay there. But until I got pregnant with my wee one I could easily stay between 137-141 pounds with zero effort. Staying just two pounds lower took a strict diet and it was always a challenge. So go further if you want it or need it. But stop before you get to that point where you're fighting your body and making yourself unhappy. You have come so far. There is no need to live as though you've stopped short if you've done all your body can do. And be smart about this. I don't need to caution you about the people that trade one form of disordered eating for another, right? It happens. So be careful. And I recommend some counseling if you're not already doing it. I firmly believe everyone can use it, and it certainly never hurts a person. Congrats on coming so far. Remember to change your perspective if you start to get negative. I am guilty of this, too. If you look in the mirror or at photos and only see the parts you'd like to change, you need to stop and reflect on how far you've come. Good luck, ~Cheri

If you're still here two years post sleeve we'll throw you a party, dude! A lot of the folks that have come around since after I was sleeved seem to be hanging on longer. I hope this continues. Well, I won't lie. I hope it only continues with people I like. All the people I don't like can fizzle out time now, that's cool. Anyway, I didn't post more than a dozen things in my first year. I got almost zero support here when I wanted/needed it, so after my second year I made a point of coming back and posting to give something back that I felt wasn't there before. Mostly, I get a headache from it but I do enjoy the group we have here now. The current vets seem to post more than the older group we had here. I'm waiting for the pervs to chime in because yeah, that pretty much sounds like a menage a trois. Hey, totally weird but one of my stepdaughters is a lesbian, too! Small world. We can share their coming out and totally hating kids stories - she hates kids, too. Weirdest thing. Well...she does have SEVEN siblings, so maybe it's not surprising. Good luck on softening your son up for those grandbabies. Have I told the group yet that we have a grandson? He's eight months younger than the twins. That's the kind of stuff that happens when you are the same age difference from your husband as his oldest daughter. It's another reason I don't want/need any more kids. I expect the grandbabies to start rolling in over the next few years. And I'm glad you're sticking around. Change is good, and for as massive a job as this was I don't think they're doing too badly rolling things out. ~Cheri

I'm not jumping ship! WTH am I, chopped liver? To you, I mean. Cause you hate liver. You just don't know good things and Jewish comfort food when you see them. In any case, I'm not leaving. I, personally, have had a TON of issues from the app but have no problems finding things or posting if I'm on my computer or laptop. Are there things I don't like? Sure. But there are growing pains every time Facebook changes their crap on me, too. I just want them to fix what's wrong with the PMs! I figure most people will get used to it in time. And really, not to sound mean or argumentative, but what's the lifetime of most posters here, anyway? Really, folks like Oregondaisy, NtvTxn and CowgirlJane are the exception. Most folks fizzle out around 12-18 months and vanish forever. And that's not counting the massive numbers that leave well before a year is up, pop in for a one year update and boogie onward never to be heard from again. There's nothing for Alex to lose...most of these people would have left VST in a short time anyway. Even super posters - remember OTR? Where is that dude? Diva, Tiffy - all the old timers are G-O-N-E. And many of the other old timers don't bother posting on the heavy traffic forums, anyway. They stick to their groups or their favorite areas and that's all they do. So, meh. I don't necessarily like the changes but I'll deal. And you better message me if you leave, Laura! I really think it's too much effort to cyberstalk you to keep in touch, but I'll do it if need be! ~Cheri

Almost everyone loses hair. Most often it starts between 3-4 months out and continues for 3-4 months. It does stop and it does grow back. I had a repeat loss after my baby, unfortunately. There are hundreds of threads about this so you're not alone. I currently wear bangs to cover the huge amount of regrowth baby hair that's sticking up around my forehead! ~Cheri

Great perspective. I wish I had less but quite honestly, I'm less bothered by stretch marks than loose skin. The positive side for me is that after years of stretch marks covering my entire torso, I'm hardly worried about plastic surgery scars at all! ~Cheri

It's all perspective, ladies. I'm glad that thread GG started has helped so many people. So, I went to the ER yesterday. I tried to make a call with my PCM for this weird patch of tingling, numbness, pressure and pain on my back. They told me no appointments - get to the ER. I was frustrated but now I'm so happy I spent three hours of my day there. Apparently I have shingles. I had no idea people under sixty get shingles. The PA said it's from stress and I laughed. Of course it is. I live in stress, I get incredibly small amounts of sleep, and I've been sick with one thing after another since the 3rd of October. So I have shingles. I caught it before the rash because the numbness was spreading and I was terrified it would spread to my arm and I'd drop the baby or something. I had no idea shingles did that. In any case, we're all hoping I avoid the rash but my word, it's painful just having those nerves live in my back - they're like little live wires just firing off with pain and buzzing and last night it was terrible. Felt like my back was a water logged towel and someone was just wringing it out. Here's hoping the meds kick it quickly. I feel pretty darn awful and I was already feeling crappy from my cold. In other news, weight is up a touch but I'm actually grateful it's only a touch. I've always gone up three pounds on my cycle but this month I only went up half a pound. That's pretty awesome. Hope everyone is doing ok. So long as you update me on what you plan to do with the group, I'll follow along with whatever the majority decides. And comfort eating is hard when we snuggle up in sweater weather. No lie - it's just the time of year people eat. Like we're still biologically wired to pack on fat to make it through winter. We all struggle with it - not just surgery folks. ~Cheri

All liquids count while you're on your liquid diet, including your shakes, broth and even gelatin! Later on, when you're well healed and eating normally, I don't count my coffee, tea or shake as part of my Water intake. I aim for a full 64 ounces on top of my other beverages. But I'm a ways out from surgery and for most people this takes time. ~Cheri

It's amazing what people think they have the "right" to discuss. It used to drive me nuts but now I just laugh it off. Let them wonder! And I will clarify in case anyone stumbles upon this later. I'm not saying that we all have to wear our surgeries on our sleeves and tell strangers about them. But know that you are going to lose a lot of weight. People are going to ask how. People are going to speculate. Telling a lie - not just evading the whole truth - can bite you in the can later on. It also makes it harder for you to come out and be open later, which could help steer other people to this life saving surgery. I didn't divulge the whole truth to everyone, either. But I was honest. I eat less. I move more. I eat differently, counting calories and focusing on Protein. All of those things are true. And now, three years out, I have NO issues being fully honest about my operation. And three of my friends have had it done, too, and I hope my sister will be next. So my honesty and openness about this (even when it was kind of embarrassing, which it was at first) has helped those people, too. It's one thing to keep the whole truth to yourself. It's another to outright lie and say you lost weight with pills. ~Cheri

Way to cheerlead Cathy and Jane! Yes, I think some of us are feeling the funk. Maybe weather related? It's darn cold here (to me) and overcast and gloomy. And yeah, hormones. I'm a bit prickly just now. GT, those olives sound lovely - for my hubs. I'll be looking that recipe up for him for sure. Dee, I hope you are feeling better today. Come share with us when you're feeling up to it. We all have days where we feel defeated and angry and blue. Oh, and ladies, my fail safe to always reach my posts is to go to my profile and from there to my content. Boom, I can get to this link with no problems every time. If you can do that, you might have less issues. It won't help with posting to new content, which I cannot do at all from the app. From the app, every single post only shows the first page and then tells me the other pages don't exist. Bah! Thankfully, I only use the tablet to see what's happening on things I've already posted. I'm also only getting a handful of notifications - but it you go to your content, you can see it all anyway. Weight is holding steady. Glad for that. As for the positivity we so desperately need, I cannot call myself fat. I'm not fat. I'm just not at goal yet. However, I'm doing quite well. It's all perspective. And it's hard to hang on to that the farther out you get. With time you forget what it felt like to have more than one hundred pounds to goal. You're focused on the now - on the ten or twenty that refuse to budge. You almost become like a normal person in this! You know, those "normal" folks that pack on fifteen to twenty in a rough spot in life and then moan about it until it's gone again. I used to hate those people, back when I had more than one hundred pounds to lose. I suppose it's easier than I'd like to forget that. Take care gals. Have a good day. ~Cheri

Gotta say I love this. Because I bake - a lot. I entertain. Not as much now that I have baby on my hip, but I regularly do gatherings with at least a dozen people, and do larger ones a couple times a year. I have always felt that food isn't taboo. The taboo is my reaction to the food. It's a self control thing for me. Because even if I choose to enjoy just one or two slices of bread I'm still baking three or four loaves a week. And dozens upon dozens of Cookies, pastries, pies, whatever the occasion calls for - it's up to me to say no. The food is just food. And if I eat some, it's just different calories to record - not bad ones or good ones. Yes, eating two cookies instead of a bowl of tuna salad is a less than ideal choice. But it all boils down to me. The pictures, while tempting, are just pictures of food and I'm around food all the time. ~Cheri