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I'm with @wannaBthinsoon. I wasn't a "heavy" smoker, probably just a pack/week. But when I decided to have surgery, I added the quit smoking to my preop to do list, along with cutting out caffeine, drinking more water, and eating slower. Three months before starting my two week preop diet I smoked my last cigarette and never looked back. I kept finding partial packs in a drawer, in my truck, etc. And I just threw them away. It was really a matter of priorities for me. My surgeon does not test for nicotine and I was not under orders to quit. But being healthy and reducing the chance of any surgical complications more than outweighed the nicotine fix.

Thin out your shakes with milk or water. Have you tried Isopure or Syntrax nectar protein drinks? They have the consistence of water. Try broth with added unflavored protein powder. Warm stuff went down better for me. And for heaven's sake, stay off the scale! Sounds like you have very unrealistic goals. How is 36 pounds in less than a month a "slow" weight loss?!? Took me 3 months to lose 30 pounds and I was thrilled with every single ounce. And I only stepped on the scale about 6 times in those three months. Quit obsessing over the numbers, concentrate on getting in all of your nutrition, relax and enjoy your NSV's.

It's funny, that's how it started for me. I told my parents, sister and 2 friends several months before my surgery. Within a week I was getting phone calls and texts from friends and family even several states away! And you're right, having it out in the open proved to be a relief and talking about it helped me get over any embarrassment I initially felt.

You need more calories and you need to STAY. OFF. THE. SCALE. Stress will also slow your weightloss.

I have read two posts about Dr. Ortiz not doing surgery if you didn't lose your preop weight. You need to buck up and just do it...we all have gone through it. You want to give yourself the best chance of a safe surgery and easy recovery. Try finding protein drinks that you like and vary the flavors so you don't get bored. I'm a year out and still have a protein smoothie everyday. Syntrax Matrix, Syntrax nectar, Un jury, muscle milk, Spirutein, BSN Syntha6, Raw Fit , Raw Protein, Premier, and some of the Jay Robb flavors all tasted good to me. Isopure, Bariatric Advantage, Bariatric Fusion and Designer Whey were all gross. Flavors vary from chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, to lemonade, citrus, cake batter, chai tea, coffee, and banana (to name a few). I also used mio drops and Torani syrups to add even more flavor. (Dreamsicle, Carmel red velvet cake, chocolate English toffee, piña colada, Irish cream, cherry lemonade, etc). As a change from all the sweetness, I also mixed unflavored protein powder in many different broths....chicken, hot and sour, tortilla soup base, etc. And the green veggies allowed on the preop were a life saver. I ate a ton of spinach, Brussels sprouts, lettuce with flavored vinegar for dressing, and the tomatoes and mushrooms we were allowed. They wanted me to lose 12 pounds and I ended up losing 22. Yes I was hungry, crabby and had headaches, but it's only two weeks and just a drop in the bucket as far as the road that lies ahead for you. Just commit and do it! It's all worth it.

I'm one year out and I visited family over the holidays and gained 4 pounds in 1 week. Not surprised considering my 4 food groups were sugar, fat, alcohol and more sugar. But I got right back on plan when I returned home. Spent 3 days detoxing by eating only Protein and veggies. Even cut out the fruit and whole grains to try and get all the sugar/carbs out of my system. Then back to my regular balanced diet that worked so well before the holidays. I lost the 4 pounds by the end of the second week. Just get back on plan and throw out the junk. You got this!

I couldn't drink plain water or use artificial sweeteners. They both upset my stomach. Also had a bit of lactose intolerance. I had to find protein shakes sweetened with stevia and I drank a lot of Lactaid, soy milk, diluted 100% fruit juice, regular Sports drinks, regular Vitamin Water, pedialyte and decaf herbal teas. All of these issues resolved after about 4 months and I can tolerate anything now. Although I still dislike the taste of artificial sweeteners and prefer real sugar if I am drinking something sweetened.

So my parents want to get me an activity tracker for a late Christmas gift. My brother and his wife and daughter are totally into the Jawbone up24 and are actually looking to upgrade to the Up3. Of course I research the shit out of any purchase I make before I make it, so much to my dismay, I found way too many activity trackers to choose from! After reading all the reviews I could online, I figured I'd turn to good ol' BP members for advice. As for my activities, I do not have any sort of exercise routine. I do not run or workout or swim, etc. I do not use MFP or any other app to track calories or food. I simply have what I consider an active lifestyle and would like to keep track of steps, distance travelled, possibly elevation changes and sleep patterns. I'm thinking the data output may point to areas that I could improve on. So my first basic question is....which is more accurate, the wristband style or the clip on? I do a lot of movements with my arms at work, so am concerned that it may be interpreted as steps. Does the pedometer clip on style give you a more accurate step count? Also, I do occasionally ride my recumbent bike. Which style would more accurately track this activity since my arms aren't moving in this case? Thank for any insight. I will have many more questions once I proceed past this first obstacle of style.

that will make for a good experiment. As for me, I finally settled on the Fitbit Charge HR (I figured the realtime heart rate monitor would make the assessment of my activity more accurate). However, I became impatient since they wouldn't give a release date and I finally broke down and got a Fitbit One. I figured it would be easier to transition from one Fitbit product to another once the Charge HR became available. And then, just my luck, they released the HR the day after I ordered the One. I debated just sending the One back, but decided clipping the One on my pants or bra would work better for me than wearing something on my wrist. I just deal with too much gross stuff during the day....cat pee, dog vomit, diarrhea, sweaty horses, stinky cows, etc. and not being waterproof, I would worry about washing my hands 20+ times/day. Let us know how the two compare.

Tramadol is another option. But obviously this is a question for your surgeon.

I told my family and close friends before surgery. There was naturally a lot of shocked reactions and concern over the safety of the surgery (especially since I was going to Mexico). But everyone supported my decision once I calmed their fears. I even got several "good luck with your surgery" sentiments in Christmas cards. Postop, it took about 40 pounds before people started noticing my weightloss. I see 10-12 different clients everyday and every one of them had comments and/or questions about my appearance. When they asked how I was losing weight I told them I had surgery and answered any questions they had. Most people know about Lapband and bypass, so it was nice to be able to educate them about VSG, as well as my Mexico surgery experience. I simply was not comfortable letting everyone think I did this just with diet and exercise. Although that is a big part of it, I know my weightloss would not have been possible without surgery. And like SuzeMuze, I feel hiding it does perpetuate the stigma surrounding obesity and WLS. For me the questions and comments lasted about 9 months. By then, several hundred people knew about my surgery and everyone was getting used to seeing me thin so the questions slowed down. As for the feedback, almost everyone has been supportive and thrilled for me. Some people throw out "you're too thin", "when are you going to stop losing" "You're skinnier than me, b***h", etc. But all with good intentions and friendly banter. I only had two truly negative comments...one from a gal that was jealous and is a confrontational b***h anyways, and one from a girl who is terrified of doctors and surgery in general. In both cases, the other people in the room jumped to my defense and I never even had to say a thing in response to their comments. And those comments are more than balanced out by the three people that have had WLS themselves as a result of hearing about my experience. We are all doing great! You just need to figure out what you feel comfortable with as far as to tell or not to tell. And you're right, you will encounter a LOT of questions once you start losing. After reading about other's experiences with telling about their surgeries, I realize how lucky I am to have such loving family and friends and to live in such a non-judgemental, supportive community. I really feel sorry for anyone that has negative, petty people in their lives that have made them feel like they need to hide their surgery. Good luck with what you decide and with your surgery!

Check out the thread "Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Obesity Control Center" in the Mexico and self pay subforum. Everything you ever wanted to know about them. I had my VSG a couple days after slvrsax and I, too, can't say enough good things about the entire OCC crew. 110% satisfied with my surgery, recovery and results!

I was still on liquids at 2 weeks. Didn't eat anything "solid" for at least a month. So maybe it's just a little early for you to be eating those things. If you had stitches for a cut on your arm, they would leave the sutures in for 10-14 days. Your sleeve incision is basically sitting in acid, so it probably isn't even healed that much. Be patient and remember to treat your sleeve gently. Leaks and other complications can occur several weeks and even months postop.

If your doctor is advising against WLS because of a MEDICAL concern, then that is appropriate. He should discuss these reasons with you and weigh the pros and cons in a professional manner. If he is against it for any other reason then he is being an ass and you need to find a new PCP. You really need to make sure he is on board and totally supportive of your decision. Or find someone that is. Or the best thing is what Proudgrammy said....You control how successful you are, so you can prove him wrong! I was self pay and went to Mexico, so my doctor was not involved in my decision at all. When I did tell him, He was skeptical because he had seen so many failed WLS cases. Not to mention the going to Mexico part. But he still supported my decision. He admitted to not knowing much about VSG, so he did some research and mostly defaulted to my surgeon's recommendations for followup. At this point I have made a believer out of him, both with my decision to have surgery and my choice of surgeons. (He should be used to that, though...I chose my own neurosurgeon and made him write me a referral when I needed a cervical fusion years ago.). I trust him with caring for me, but he also trusts that I am an intelligent, resourceful person. Very mutually respectful relationship.

Source Naturals 1mg. I take it 2x week and my blood levels are high normal. Whatever you get, make sure it's methylcobalamin, rather than cyanocobalamin. The methyl is better absorbed and utilized, especially by our CNS. BTW, got it on Amazon, is cherry flavored and tastes great.

Get bloodwork done ASAP. I get a CBC, metabolic panel, lipids, Vitamin D, vitamin b12, folate, and zinc done regularly. I've had thyroid checked in the past as well. Don't let things like this linger. Vitamin deficiencies are much harder to correct the longer you have them. And thyroid issues can affect your entire endocrine system which is VERY hard to straighten out.

I never used anything. I can barely even see my scars. But my uncle swears by coconut oil. He even used it on old scars from a knee surgery several years ago and they faded significantly.

I am a side and stomach sleeper. I could sleep on either side without discomfort from day 1. No body pillow needed. But like everything else, we all recover differently. It was about 2 weeks before I could sleep on my stomach because I felt so bloated.

Come to think of it, I do leave open premier chocolate and vanilla RTD containers in the fridge for up to a week. I use them for creamer in my coffee sometimes. (The vanilla mixed with Celestial Seasoning Bengal Tiger tea actually makes a great decaf chai)

I knew I lost enough when my body stopped losing. I'm 5'5" and I Started at 238. Lost 22 pounds preop. Passed surgeons goal (160) at 6 months out. I started eating at "maintenance level" at that point. Passed personal goal (150) 7 1/2 months out. Weight loss slowed and I have bounced between 137-141 for almost 4 months. Yes, I'm bony and I have loose skin, but I feel great and I can do all the things I want to do without effort, so that's the part that counts. I remember when I was 170 thinking that if I lost no more I would still be happy because I felt so good. Everything after that was bonus. And at this point if I gain some weight back, I'm OK with that too, as long as the feel good part is still there. I don't really care what people have said about me being "too skinny". They are just used to seeing the old fat me, so it is a bit of a change in perception. Like seeing someone who's been blond their whole life suddenly become a brunette. Once you are thin for awhile the comments will stop because everyone will be used to seeing the skinny you. (Except the ones coming from jealous b*****s) Don't let anyone except you and your body dictate where to stop.

I have always only eaten plain Greek Yogurt...the flavored ones always taste too sweet to me. I use protein powder (vanilla, banana and cake batter are my favorites) or Torani syrups (English toffee, almond and pumpkin pie are great) to flavor it. This way I can control the sweetness.

I make a large Protein smoothie every morning, stick it in the fridge at work and drink it in between afternoon appointments. I use Premier mixed with milk (too sweet and thick for me to drink straight), Muscle Milk powder, Syntrax nectar and Matrix powders, Spirutein, Raw Fit, Raw Protein, and BSN Syntha6 powders. I use a 24oz Blender Bottle and they all mix well. Sometimes I add a pureed banana or peaches or berries. Sometimes I use Torani syrups to vary the flavors. I also add a big scoop of insoluble Fiber that I need for regular BM's. Since its insoluble, it settles out and that's where the blender bottle comes in handy. I just shake in between drinks to resuspend the fiber. Been doing this every day for over a year. Every once in awhile I get too busy to even drink it, so I just leave it in the fridge for the next day. It's just the same. Maybe a little "thicker" because the fiber supplement absorbs the liquid and swells up.

I researched gastrectomy vitamin deficiencies and it turns out Vitamin D, B12, iron, calcium, folate and zinc are the top things found to become deficient within the first 10 years postop. I basically customize my vitamin supplement based on research findings and my own bloodwork. I started out taking a whole food based multivitamin (personal preference over synthetic vitamins), calcium citrate, iron, Vitamin D3 5000iu, and B12 500mcg sublingual. My 3 month labs were perfect. My 6 month labs indicated my iron and calcium were high so I stopped taking the calcium and iron supplements. My 12 month labs still showed slightly high calcium, high folate and everything else normal. My PCP wasn't concerned about either of the elevated levels. I will repeat bloodwork again in 6-12 months. If you want to keep things simple you could start with OCC's own vitamins. VITALEPH is a complete Bariatric vitamin that you can order from them. I'd also add in a sublingual B12 or give yourself B12 injections because we can't absorb B12 in our intestines anymore. According to my PCP, Even non-surgical patients are often deficient in Vitamin D so I'd add extra of that, too. Start there and make changes to your supplements as needed based on bloodwork. There really is no one size fits all since we all eat different things and metabolize differently and have different nutritional requirements. As for protein, look for the highest protein, lowest carb you can find. Fat doesn't matter. Look on line. If Nashua Nutrition ships to Canada they offer sample sizes of dozens of different protein powders. Vitamin shoppe is another good online store. Also look at body builder supply places. Do you have GNC's? There are a lot of options available with at least 20-30g protein and 0-5carbs.

So I just got the results of my 12 month postop labs. My 6 month labs showed high Iron and Calcium so I discontinued those supplements. This time around my iron was in the normal range but my calcium was still slightly high. Probably from all the dairy I eat. The only other abnormality was that my folate was high. This can be an indication of low B12, but in this case my B12 is fine. My PCP just figures it's from what I'm eating plus the 400mcg in my multi and he's not concerned. And just for shits and giggles he threw in some hormone tests and I'm happy to report I am not yet menopausal! So looks like I'll just keep on my current supplements (1/2 dose Vitamin Code for Women, D3 5000iu 3x week and B12 500mcg sublingual 4xweek) and check bloodwork again in a year. BTW, the tests we ran were CBC, metabolic panel, lipids, B12, Vitamin D, ferritin, folate, zinc, TSH, and FSH. Wishing good health to all of you!

You're not doing anything wrong except needlessly stressing over meaningless numbers. Just follow your surgeon's guidelines, concentrate on protein, fluids and vitamins and don't step on the scale for another month.