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And maybe have a sticky post at the top titled "READ THIS FIRST". Have the post explain that stalls are normal and they happen to everybody. And include one of the good articles that scientifically explains why stalls happen.

I don't get a lunch break and have to eat on the go everyday. My favorites are Mixed nuts, protein bars, beef jerky, seasoned pumpkin seeds, and kale chips, And if you have a way to keep things cold....hard boiled egg, Greek yogurt with granola, tuna salad, chicken salad, deli meat, protein shakes, and cheese sticks.

I just kept a water bottle (or protein shake) in hand and never stopped sipping all day from wake up to bedtime. It was definitely a full time job to get in all my fluids in the first couple months and that had turned into a strong habit. I actually kind of panic if I don't have water readily available so I make sure I always have a full bottle before leaving the house.

I'm 6 1/2 months out. Between weeks 6 and 10 I gained 3 pounds, so I'd say that's the least amount I ever "lost" in a month . But I still reached my surgeon's goal by 5 1/2 months and I've lost an additional 8 pounds in the month since reaching goal.

I have had wine, vodka cocktails and a couple shots of whiskey. And no, don't get buzzed any faster than preop. However, beer is out of the question due to the carbonation. It's the only thing I've truly had to sacrifice for my sleeve. Small price to pay.

I've tried dozens in order to find the ones I really like and now drink regularly. It's hard because a lot of them only come in big tubs. But Jay Robb, Unjury, Nashua nutrition, bodybuilding.com, mybariatricpantry.com, and probably a lot of other online stores offer sample packets and starter kits so you can try their products before diving in with a big purchase. A lot of RTD come in 4 packs in most grocery stores. Just be careful to read the labels because a lot of them have more sugar than protein. Good luck!

I added Unjury unflavored protein powder to mashed potatoes.

After surgery, I developed a strong dislike for the taste of artificial sweetener. So I started adding a little bit of real juice to my Syntrax nectar to mask the artificial taste and they are a lot better. I also add at least 50% more water than it says to because everything tastes too sweet to me postop, too. The Isopures were the only thing that ever made me gag postop. I've used both skim milk and water to dilute other RTD shakes like Premier, because again, too sweet and thick for me too drink straight. Have you tried any of the powders mixed with milk or water? You can't really taste the milk anyways.

Mellyb. I had just eaten a small piece of garlic sesame chicken, a couple bites of zucchini and no more than 1/4 cup of regular cottage cheese....the cottage cheese would have had less than 3 grams of fat, so I wouldn't say that was a high fat meal. Slvrsax, are they going to remove your gall bladder or just have you wait and see what happens?

No work missed preop. Like Linda, I was out walking and shopping at two days postop. I am a vet tech and have a very physical, active job where I am on my feet all day, bending, lifting and twisting...10 hour + days with no lunch break. I was back part time at 7 days and full time at two weeks. I just couldn't lift more than 20 pounds until 3 weeks, so we had to scheduled all our large animal stuff and big dog surgeries until after that, I had no problems but had to make sure to plan my day's meals and snacks and drinks ahead of time. I definitely could have sat at a desk after one week.

Very cool eye! Where is it on your body?

I'm certainly not in the same boat as you, but since I'm below my surgeon's goal and just 2 pounds away from mine (normal BMI), I've been trying to eat a little different to slow my weight loss. I really can't eat anymore than I already am, so I switched from skim milk to 2%, eat real peanut butter instead of PB2, 4% cottage cheese instead of nonfat, I added more fruit, whole grain fiber bars and whole wheat sesame sticks to my snack list, etc. I don't mind losing more, but I'd feel better about doing it slower at this point.

Having a great time at a social function without having to stuff your face is definitely a NSV! Good job! And thanks for the recipe.

Ask your surgeon what he requires. Everyone and every situation is different. Self pay in the US has different requirements than insurance, even with the same surgeon. In my case, I submitted an extensive questionnaire to my Mexico surgeon and any required preop testing was based on that. Since I had no known comorbidities or other health problems, all I had done was bloodwork, a work up with their cardiopulmonary specialist, and a brief meeting with the nutritionist. No sleep study, no endoscopy, no psych eval, no doctor supervised diet, etc. Of course, you can get all these tests done on your own before heading down, but it's not something I felt was necessary for myself. As for post op, I just called my PCP and told him what tests my surgeon wants run and he wrote the orders for the lab. My OB/Gyn also volunteered to run them if I needed her to. Good luck!

I was a big beer drinker before surgery...a twelve pack a day was no challenge on a river trip or weekend camping. But alas, I cannot handle the carbonation postop. I've had a couple sips, but the fizz is a no go. (And yes, it still tasted yummy). As for the getting drunk faster, I have had wine and vodka cocktails postop, but I really didn't notice a big difference in "rate of buzzedness". Honestly, my desire for alcohol has drastically lessened since surgery. I guess that's a good thing. Waking up hangover-free after a few postop parties has been wonderful.

I wish I could "like" this post a hundred times! I really think some people are only looking for the answers that validates their destructive behavior or attitude. If they wanted "real" answers they could search the forum. It's frustrating for me to see so many people sabotaging their efforts or making themselves miserable with self-induced stress. It's like they don't recognize the incredible gift that this surgery gives them. I know I come across as harsh in a lot of my posts, (and I've got the whiny PM's to prove it) but my replies are no different than what I would tell a close friend if they were asking the same thing.

I was self pay in Mexico and I had to wait longer than that to save up the money and to schedule the surgery for when I could take 2 weeks off work. It will be totally worth the wait!

If Medicaid is your secondary, why would you have to drop it? Can't you just move forward with your Aetna guidelines? Just don't submit anything to Medicaid (unless you can slip it in as non-surgery related)

You're kidding? Right? You are stressing over two tenths of a pound?! My bladder holds that much. You seriously need to look at the big picture. 81 pounds..that's great!! Have you stalled yet? This could be the start of a stall. No biggie. It happens...keep following the rules and move on.

Well it's obvious people are going to post about their stalls like it's a new thing rather than do a simple search on the forum, so we might as well corral all the posts into one sub forum that the rest of us can avoid. Maybe the administrators can post a big banner at the top that states "STALLS ARE NORMAL...GET OFF THE scale AND START LIVING YOUR LIFE!" But I doubt it would help.

That would be great...then I could just stay out of that sub forum and never have to read another post about a three week stall ever again!

I eat soup once or twice/ week. They make super yummy homemade soups at the corner deli. A 12 oz container lasts me 3 meals. So what if it's out of my tummy faster because of the "not drinking when eating thing"?! No one is forcing me to eat more than 1/2 cup at a time. It tastes good, it's good for me, and I didn't have to cook it. Win win win.

About the Chinese buffet... My local grocery store has a fresh sushi and Chinese food buffet. Usually noodle,rice,egg rolls, and at least six different entrees. You buy it by the pound. I can select whatever combo of meats, veggies and flavors I want. The smallest container lasts me 3 meals. It's the greatest invention ever!! As for what I miss....I thought I would miss beer and whiskey, but I really don't. It's nice being the only sober one with no hangover after most parties. I eat anything I want (in moderation), so there are no foods to miss.

You are super lucky with only a 3 day preop. Just go with what your doc instructs and ignore the other kinds of preop.

I've never counted calories, so I can't give you details. I just know by the number of meals and Snacks and Protein shakes and fluids I was eating and drinking. Even now I have no idea what my calorie intake is. Tracking seems too much like a diet so other than knowing I'm drinking at least 64oz. of fluids and eating protein first, I don't have a "plan" or meal schedule. I never really let the numbers on the scale bother me because I've felt great and I keep shrinking out of my clothes. I actually dropped a whole pant size during the month I lost no weight. Good luck with your choice! BTW, with your great excercise routine, you may be trading muscle weight for fat weight, that's why the scale isn't moving. Are your clothes fitting any differently?