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I cook dinner for my family every night and started as soon as I got home from surgery. Since I was on clears at that point, I got out of the habit of sampling as I cook. Now I make my husband do it - I'll call him in and have him tell me what, if anything, the food needs. I'm not eating most of what I cook these days anyway, so the seasoning should be to his taste. If he's not home, I make it the way I think it should taste, but I don't taste the foods myself. I agree with Tiffy that it's a bad habit that you should try to break. It's very hard to hit your calorie/protein goals by grazing. Everyone manages their new diet differently, but for me weighing and measuring everything I put in my mouth is a must. If I don't do that I tend to seriously under or over estimate my calories for the day. If I do that for a few days the scale stops moving and I have to start all over again. Now that I can eat pretty much anything, I have to really focus on the Protein part of my meals. I can't waste space tasting sauces or nibbling green Beans if I want to have room for that protein. Good luck. ~Cheri

I was sleeved about six weeks ago. I came home from my surgery up a bit, from IV fluids and long flights. I'm down 26 pounds so far, and I wouldn't say it's terribly noticeable. My face is thinner and my double chin is going away. My waist is very noticeable, and I'm getting back my old hourglass figure. I can only tell that my waist is smaller when my clothes are off, so no luck with other people noticing that one yet. My biggest indicator so far is that my clothes are all either loose or more comfortable. I never realized just how tight those pants were until I lost enough weight that they fit the way they're supposed to fit! It seems that most people don't see a dramatic difference in themselves until about 50 pounds or so (depending on how much you have to lose, of course). At 50 pounds you will be down maybe two sizes, you'll be thinner all over your body and other folks should be noticing. For now, enjoy the small changes. With 26 pounds off, I can climb the stairs in my house more easily, my joints don't ache as much and my clothes aren't so tight that I wear lounging pants all day to avoid the torture. Soon, you'll be experiencing your own benefits, but you do have to be a little patient. I hate that part! We all want the weight off NOW, don't we? ~Cheri

From everything I've seen and read both during my research period and post op, what you're going through happens to other people, too. Depression after WLS isn't uncommon and I know that if you search just this board you'll find some threads discussing it. I completely agree with BlackBerryJuice - while you overdid it yesterday, your sleeve kept you from going as overboard as you might have gone in the past. Today is a new day, with new chances to get the eating thing right. It's a learning process, and you're not that far out from surgery. It takes a long time to break those habits, especially using food as a comfort when you're feeling down. If you need someone to talk to, maybe you should find someone in your area, or get involved with a weight loss support group. If you're not sure that's something you're comfortable with, vent here, because I know there are other folks here that understand. I hope today is better for you. ~Cheri

Nope, but everyone is different! I get the hiccups when I'm full, and I've gotten a runny nose a few times as my "you've gone too far" signal. I have my own little sneeze thing, though: If I cough I always sneeze afterwards, two or three times. It makes those summer colds and bouts of bronchitis so much fun! ~Cheri

I didn't eat any meat until 30 days out. For a while it was really hard to eat more than a bite or two of even soft things like tuna or chicken salad. I'm almost six weeks out , and now I can eat just about any meat. But like Tiffy said, it's better for me to stick to soft chicken, tuna and salmon right now. I can only eat 1.5-2 oz. of something like steak or ground meat, but I can get in 3-4 oz. of tuna or soft fish. Right now I need the Protein enough that I find myself steering clear of beef entirely (other than a bite or two) because I just can't eat as much of it as I need to eat. My doc also said the same thing about fruits and veggies - and definitely avoid celery for a while. I was told that fibrous veggies and fruit peels can get lodged in the staple line and cause problems. I'd say if you really want to eat some burger, skip the bun and try a few bites of the patty with some sauce or cheese to help it go down a little better. Eat it and get it off your mind, if that will help. But I bet you won't be able to eat nearly as much of that ground beef as you'd eat of some tuna or chicken, which is the trade off. Good luck. ~Cheri

Hey, not too bad, right? You got back on track and dropped them in just a few days. I feel your pain - I put on 3 pounds right before my period and it took six days to lose them! I hope this doesn't become a monthly routine. Great job getting back on track. It's nice to hear that it was fairly easy. ~Cheri

You guys look fantastic! Keep up the good work! Thanks for documenting your progress - I know that when I was researching the surgery I wanted to see how people were doing. ~Cheri

Congrats! You have lovely hands, too. ~Cheri

Congrats on the milestones and thanks for sharing. It's completely thoughtless but I'd never taken the time to consider how an overweight man is treated by other men and women. Your story made me realize that I know other men that probably feel the same way, and I've always assumed that they didn't have the same issues socially that overweight women have (yeah, I guess I'm really self-centered). Thanks for making me more aware. And again, congrats! ~Cheri

Don't beat yourself up! Everyone goes through stalls. You can either mix it up a bit - get more calories or carbs for a few days and then go back to your usual guidelines - or you can stay the course and wait it out. The weight will eventually come off again, so don't worry. And don't compare yourself to your husband! The men always seem to lose weight faster. Qured: I read something about doing carbs in a cycle being effective for some people. You would up them for a few days and then drop them again, then repeat when you hit another stall. Maybe that will shake things up a bit? I find that I don't lose if I stay in a rut or limit my diet too much - eating the same things every day or limiting my carbs or fat excessively seem to stall me out for a few days. Good luck, both of you. The weight is going to come off, just not at any predictable rate! ~Cheri

Mellifrits: How are you feeling? Did you email your surgeon? I hope all is well. ~Cheri

I'll just say a few things, because I know other folks will chime in. 1. Yep, the preop diet is tough. No lies. But you can do it, because almost everyone here that had a surgery did it, too. Turn here for support if you need it. 2. Post op the diet is NOT hard. It wasn't for me, anyway. I got to the point where I was tired of drinking my meals, but I did it with zero hunger and zero cravings. You'll be sore, a little weak and a little tired. Trust me, a cup of warm Soup (with some Protein added!) is going to be all you can handle. Unlike the band, once you're healed you can eat and expect to be able to eat, with restriction, every day. 3. Don't let any news about the band healing faster make you believe it's a better idea. It's not. It may heal faster, but 25% of those people that get one will need a follow up surgery. I recommend you do a search on this board for revisions, because there are a number of people here that had a hell-on-earth experience with their band before revising (some of them at their own expense) to a sleeve. You're making the right choice to get the sleeve. My insurance didn't cover the sleeve. They cover bands and RNY. I did my research and I'm very glad I didn't buckle and get the band just because it was covered. I paid for my own sleeve, but I'm going to lose this weight without the complications and aggravation of a band. I'm just over a month out, but I can tell you the surgery was worth every single penny. Take care. Do your research until you feel more comfortable and prepared. ~Cheri

I totally forgot to address supplements. I take 3 gummi children's chewables a day (I could NOT tolerate the usual chewables), B12, Calcium citrate (in the evenings, so as to avoid absorption issues), the nexium and Biotin. I take them all every day. I forgot the nexium two days in a row one time and by day three the acid was killing me at night. I think I might also need an Iron supplement as I've always been on the borderline for anemia, but I'm waiting for my three month bloodwork to be sure. ~Cheri

I'm now one month and one day out from surgery. I lost 24 pounds - my goal for the month, and one I thought I wouldn't be able to meet. I've lost just over 22% of my excess weight. The most I've ever lost on a diet was 30 pounds (Nutrisystem, 2006) and I'm confident that I'll exceed the current record next month. Otherwise, all is well. I feel wonderful, though I had my first (and hopefully only) issue due to not chewing something well enough. I was too busy talking to my kids and not paying attention to my food. I won't make that mistake again! I hope everyone is doing great, and I'm excited to see what the second month brings me. La: I'm glad you upped your fat intake. Fat is not our enemy, in moderation. We need it to properly absorb Vitamins and minerals. Keeping your fat so low was probably really limiting your food choices, too. How are you doing on that front? Don't fret too much about a stall. Mix it up, girlie! If anything else, wait it out. You know, deep down (no matter how frustrated you are right now) that you cannot fail at this surgery. That's why you chose it. Keep doing the right thing and the weight is going to come off. I haven't been watching the weight as closely, but when I do check it's either the same as the last time or a little less. The weight isn't flying off, but then again...it is. At least, compared to any diet I've ever done. Some newly sleeved people are losing faster, sure. But how can I complain about what I've accomplished so far? I just figured out that you've lost more than 26% of your excess weight - based upon your goal - so you are doing great! Does your ticker include your pre-op? I really didn't lose much pre-op - somewhere between 3-5 pounds. Qured: Welcome! Losing so much the first week might catch up to you by week three, so your goal of 30 in the first month is a pretty good one. Keep up the good work, and congrats on your loss so far. ~Cheri

I had trouble sleeping until last week. I'm one month out as of yesterday. I've always had insomnia but this was far worse and similar to what you describe - tossing and turning all night, and feeling restless. I was told it could be hormones, but I also evaluated my own habits and found that I was consuming a lot of artificial sweeteners - SF syrups, Splenda, Protein shakes and Crystal Light. I cut back on the ones I couldn't avoid and cut Crystal Light out altogether and two days later I was back to feeling tired around ten or eleven and getting seven to eight hours of sleep again at night. For me, adding in the artificial sweeteners was a new habit and easy to find, and it was definitely causing me sleep issues. I know that it's not a "proven" thing, but there are people that have cut back their consumption and noticed a difference. Everyone is different. I hope you find a solution and get some good sleep. A week on a non habit forming sleep aid might reset your sleep schedule again. Take care, ~Cheri

Congrats! You're doing a great job. While some people do lose a little faster, you're definitely not a slow loser. Keep it up and you'll be at goal in no time. ~Cheri

Everyone's different, but for me the craving is gone. I used to love the sweet, sugary Snacks and chips (oh, and french fries). Now none of those things sound good to me at all. I've found that as my eating habits have changed I feed less of those things to my husband and my kids. We still have boxes of snack donuts for my husband and individual bags of chips for his lunches, but most of the junk has been cleared out. Nobody misses it. And while it might change later on, the thought of eating any of those foods makes me feel ill right now. I feel like all I do most days is eat and drink...there's no way I have room for junk snacking. Though I will say that I wanted a nibble of a cracker the other day when my husband had some Ritz with sliced cheese for a snack...two tiny nibbles off the large cracker and I was done - the urge to eat it was totally gone. I handed him more than 3/4 of a cracker and he just laughed at me. I find most foods only taste really good for 2 or 3 bites these days, and that's fine by me! ~Cheri

Hey La Lady! I was having this issue last week and wasn't losing, remember? I got vigilant about tracking on myfitnesspal and had to change up my menu so I could get between 700-750 calories. And voila! Three pounds down in four days. Here's a sample of two days for me, keeping in mind that I'm now eating soft foods and some pureed meats. Breakfast: Peanut Butter chocolate Protein shake (made with 1.5 scoops) and skim milk, an extra TBS peanut butter. OR 1/2 cup eggbeaters, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, 2 slices pureed turkey bacon OR 6 pureed thin slices turkey lunchmeat, topped with one slice low fat cheese [this takes me all morning to eat - it's like two meals] Lunch: Tuna salad made with 2 TBS light mayo, 1 Tsp Dijon mustard, 2 hardboiled egg whites, dill, onion powder OR 6 slices thin deli meat, with 1 TBS flavored cream cheese Dinner: Salmon patties (fresh salmon, a little light mayo, herbs and spices, fried in nonstick spray) topped with a little greek yogurt with dill mixed in OR Ricotta bake, with 2 TBS spaghetti sauce and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese Snack: 1 Light string cheese OR 1/4 cup cottage cheese My fat goals are higher than yours - I aim for less than 40 a day. I also have too much reliance on processed meats while in softs - now that I can actually transition to real meats that will get better. I also hope that now I can eat real meats I can cut back on my dairy consumption, and thereby reduce my fat intake. On average, I eat about 750 calories, 25-28 carbs, 35 fat, and 85-90 protein a day. But some days my calories are down around 650, and some days my carbs are less than 20 while my protein hits 100...I try very hard to keep things interesting. I drink whenever I'm not eating, usually only waiting about 20 minutes after my meal to start again. I find it's not hard to get in my Water but I am drinking from the time I wake up until I go to bed at night to get to goal. That's what works for me, though. We're all different. All I can say is keep changing it up. Some days I eat more carbs but less calories, some days I eat more protein and less carbs but I never eat the same thing or the same menu two days in a row. Once I got out of my rut (same shake for Breakfast, same cottage cheese for lunch, same ricotta bake for dinner) and upped my calories I started losing again. Good luck! ~Cheri

First off, I had to slowly build to get in my Protein and liquids. It wasn't until about 2 weeks out that I could get in both almost every day. It gets a lot easier with mushies. Follow your own doc's guidelines if you have them. If not, there are several generic VSG guidelines posted on this board. My doc wants me between 600-800 calories a day, 60+ grams of protein (I shoot for 90-100), less than 30 grams of carbs and keeping an eye on my fat intake. I found that while it might not be the best habit in the long run, I have to eat four times a day in order to get all of my calories and protein in for the day. Those meals sometimes take more than an hour, too. Some days I supplement with a protein shake to make it easier to hit my goals, but those Protein shakes have a lot of carbs if you make them with milk, so I try to only do that every few days. I'm transitioning onto soft foods - I've been doing a mix of mushies and softs for a few days now. I'm allowed pureed meats as of today. It's very easy to get your protein in with just food once you can have tuna or chicken salad, eggbeaters with some cheese, etc. My recommendation is to sign up with a calorie tracker. I use myfitnesspal, some folks use thedailyplate, and there are other sites out there. Plan your menu for the day in the morning and see how it fits into your nutritional needs and your ability to actually eat all of that food. Once you get into the habit of doing this, you'll always know what you're eating and you won't have to guess. I didn't realize it until I stalled out but I was hardly hitting 600 calories a day. Once I started tracking and upped that number, I lost three pounds in four days. Good luck. Always ask questions if you have them, the folks here are very helpful and there are vets here that know way more about this than me, that's for sure. ~Cheri

It's still a tiny struggle for me. I don't actually eat anything, but I find myself peering in the fridge and don't remember walking there. Those old habits are really ingrained. I'm also thinking about digging out my knitting supplies and starting some new projects. I used to read in all of my free time, but I also used to snack while I read. Now I sip Water when I read but sometimes I still find myself staring into the fridge like it has answers for me. So far it's easy to stop and realize I'm not actually hungry. I'm just worried that if I don't break the habit soon, it won't always be so easy. My husband has been out of town this entire week and I've done really well occupying my time with something other than food. I'm glad I'm not the only person that had to deal with this, and it's good to see that you're overcoming. Hopefully I can, too. I suppose the real test will be my first period post op - will I have the urge to do the binge fest I usually do, or will it be just another week? ~Cheri

I did research and lurked on this board and ObesityHelp for more than a year before my sleeve. At first I was set on Dr. Nick but I started to change my mind when I looked at how much more hospital time you get in Mexico. When I was making my decision, the issue with Alvarez wasn't leaks; it was a large number of his patients developing complications one after the other. Now, there are people on the two boards that used Alvarez, had a great experience and are completely happy with their results. But there are also stories about leaks, infections and other complications. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Sit on these boards another month or two and you'll see a trend: some folks are happy with Alvarez and love him; some folks use him and have complications. But NOBODY comes back from Aceves with major issues. Everyone raves about him and the quality of care at Almater. I think that says something. You get what you pay for, and picking the cheapest surgeon can backfire. I chose Aceves and I never for one moment worried about the horror stories I read about Alvarez. I don't regret my decision one bit. Good luck to you. I also recommend you browse this board and ObesityHelp for stories, both good and bad, about Alvarez. Then make your own informed opinion. ~Cheri

It could be esophogeal spasms. I know some sleevers had them for a while (I might be wrong, but I think Vegas Angel had them for a few months) but many people experience them only during the early days. I had them in the hospital for a few days. Once home, I had them the first two weeks if I had a drink of something too cold, or if I took a sip that was too big. If it persists, I'd have my surgeon check it out, just to be sure it's not a larger issue. Warm liquids helped ease my discomfort those first two weeks - if you haven't already you might try some warm chicken broth (or even better, some warm unjury Chicken Soup for the protein). Good luck. ~Cheri

Not a one! Well, other than I wish I'd done this five years ago, so that I could have enjoyed my 20s as a thinner person! I was lucky and had very little pain or discomfort post op, I've not had issues eating or getting liquids in or anything like that. I will say that no matter how complicated things got - even if, heaven forbid, I had a leak - I'd still be thrilled in the end. I'm already off my diabetes meds, and I'm not even a month out yet. I have never, NOT EVER lost this much weight in such a short time before. There's absolutely nothing to regret. ~Cheri

Mine is similar to Libby's. 10 days of clears, a week of full liquids, mushies for a week to 10 days, then soft foods for as long as necessary. No meats, even pureed, for at least the first 30 days. Every surgeon is different. Follow your surgeon's advice, unless eating purees that early out is difficult for you. If you start to have heartburn or pain, maybe step back and do liquids for a day or two. But there are other people here that left the hospital on purees, even if they are the minority. Do what your surgeon says, unless you have an issue. ~Cheri

I agree - follow the VSG diet that most people on here follow, adapating it to suit your personal needs. It sounds like you were on track before your nutritionist gave you advice. Once you're in maintenance and more than a year out, your sleeve will be relaxed and you'll be able to eat more calories and carbs in a day. If traditional diets never worked for you before (they sure didn't for me, which is why I had surgery), then why would you follow a 1200, standard diet now? I know that for me, I NEED very low calories to lose - and I still lose slower than most. The sleeve is what helps me not be miserable while I'm eating low calorie, low carb. If I eat more than 40-50 carbs in a day I feel lightheaded and sick. If I eat too much food, I feel sick. Stick to what you were doing before, for as long as that works. If you stall out, reconsider your carbs/protein/eating choices. Good luck to you - you're doing great so far! ~Cheri