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Early in the piece I found I was not really what would be classed as 'hungry' [still the case] so cut back what I was eating. Unfortunately not eating caused my the mind/body to think it was going into diet/starvation mode & weight loss just stalled, until I started eating reasonably & regularly. Only then did weight loss re-commence. My Doctor said there was no need to count carbs or calories/points etc. Just eat what you liked, until I felt satisfied.

Some really good comments & observations....we are all different & so are our metabolisms before & after this reasonably radical surgery. Luckily I had an excellent surgeon who has a support team of heart, psych, nutritionist etc. So it was a real team environment, not just cut, stitch, go home & muddle through it on your own. A retired Army cook, I knew a bit about food, hated those shake things but they started me off loosing weight quickly. Got a couple of cook books specifically directed @ WLS patients. What a waste of money. These books are primarily aimed @ one eating the same stuff/way they used to & that is what one will automatically or must change away from, IMO. All this pre-programmed stuff upstairs went skewiff, after my sleeve. There was no 'let's' eat healthy consideration or planned change. It just happened. I can tell you the nutritionist would not like my diet, milk consumption, drinking diet pop or beer. But my blood tests come back all good, every time. The food that I used to enjoy were french fries, steaks/hamburgers & leave the salad, I no longer like. Indian food is off my list, as is most Asian except for dim sum/yum cha type offerings. Just the smell of some frying foods now, tends to make me gag. I don't like french fries, but love real cream, mashed potato/parsnip/carrot combo. chicken legs & Chicken Maryland* [done in the Charbroil Big Easy Turkey Fryer] fish any style & salads I really appreciate. *In Australia the term "Chicken Maryland" refers to a butcher's cut for a whole leg consisting of the thigh and drumstick.

Nothing to do with Carbs or Protein IMO. My GP, in the 1990's, when asked about weight gain/loss said "just keep your 'explicit adjective' mouth shut". Oh how right he was! The most important thing is the psych aspect! One needs to forget what is considered normal plus all the peer pressure along the lines of needing to eat 3 times a day & cleaning your plate, whether you are hungry or not. Keep reminding/asking yourself 'am I really hungry'? & if the answer is NO or NOT REALLY, don't eat or leave whatever is left on your plate. Friends now know not to give me large servings as I eat & chew slowly & 3/4 will be left on the plate. Eat & drink anything that you like, take the Vitamin & supplements your doctor/s recommend & have the required blood analysis done every 6 months or so, to ensure it's all working to your advantage. It's nearly 2 years & although my wife went to meet with the nutritionist, who fully explained/demonstrated serving sizes etc. she still insists on trying to do things, as before my sleeve. I like a good hearty Breakfast & light lunch, then maybe a salad, snack & perhaps a couple of beers @ night.... She doesn't do/want breakfast or lunch but likes a big evening meal. There are always copious leftovers & the dog up the road gets extremely well fed. Plenty of arguments, but I did not go through this to get fat again. Regarding carbs: Make own bread from scratch 2 or 3 times a week with plenty consumed as toast & open sandwiches, Love rice & noodles Have a few beers or ciders most nights & drink about 1 litre of full milk throughout the day as iced coffee [decaf]. So am I doing everything wrong carb wise? Weight stabilized @ about 80kgs [surgeon said it would be 83], BP 120 on 72 & blood glucose 4.2

No need to give up cheese. Like everything just chew properly & masticate it well. Slices of cheese become no different from milk when chewed properly.

Well it seems doctors/patients use different methods & give different advice....my sleeve was in February & my doc said not to bother counting calories/carbs etc. just keep track of the cm's or inches if you want to keep track of anything. Have been consistently on the docs predicted before surgery 80-82 kgs without really watching anything & not feeling hungry, for the last couple of months. I told him prior to surgery I wanted to get to 75 kgs & he said that wouldn't happen. He was right.

Possibly a similar situation may arise for others.... My wife & I had cocktail hour @ home or used to visit a local watering hole for a few pre-diner drinks. I used to make beer & have the equivalent of about 6 beers a day. Now I don't even like the taste of beer & never liked wine, so it was easy to stop drinking it & other beverages altogether. This started a downhill situation that could have easily ended in divorce. Some may want this outcome & consider it a positive. I certainly didn't, so had to adjust my habits to adapt to the other half's needs after GS surgery to having @ least one drink each day. This took the steam out of a very sticky situation. There are social occasions when one is invited to drink, such as dinners with friends @ their place. I always take my own preference including suitable glass for lots of ice & limited quantity of my drink. Non sweet, low carbonated apple cider poured over ice [reduces carbonation further & markedly] & is a drink that I now like & can easily sit on about 500ml/1 pint over an hour. Other participants don't really notice or care, plus may have 2 or even 3 drinks while I just sip away. I can drink slowly right up until food is served, then have normal small size well chewed food portions. Taking about the same time as others with portions 4 or 5 times what I can handle. But I can't drink for up to an hour after eating. Then I can be sociable again if required or I feel like continuing drinking, which is generally not the case. I have also found that I have re-acquired a taste for bourbon [i stopped drinking that 20 years ago] & can handle a couple of those with a non caffeine cola poured from a distance over ice, in a long glass. Seems one can start this drink sooner after eating. Maybe it is the higher alcohol content [using less fizzy even flat cola] that relaxes things more quickly? DON'T DRIVE AFTER DRINKING if you have had gastric sleeve surgery....you will have a higher blood alcohol reading if pulled over & be a danger to yourself & others, plus more likely to have a wreck. Stating you are driving & have finished drinking makes it very easy to explain to friends why you don't drink after eating, if pressured. My friends are unaware I have had GS surgery [just think I have good will power] & think my eating/drinking habits have changed, due to gall bladder removal, which I had a couple of months prior to GS surgery. Actually it was the surgeon who did the gall bladder surgery who suggested I should consider weight loss & GS surgery was a good vehicle to do this. He did not do the GS procedure. Hope this helps someone else who likes a couple of drinks now & again & is not hooked on or abuses alcohol.