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Congratulations for all of the great effort you have made so far!

YEAH LIPSTICKLADY! You have my vote in 2016. Could you run as the VP to Vermin Supreme so, if you are elected, we all can have ponies too.

Good thing you didn't say you used a straw, that would have really stirred up a s*** storm. If you do not have any information from your surgeon or a nutritionist on the post VSG diet, there are documents out there from reputable hospitals & doctors. Try a Google search like this: post vsg diet filetype:pdf We all make wrong choices, we are humans. If I made all the right decisions, I would never have been obese and needed the surgery. Your stomach was traumatized (80-85% was surgically removed); you are in a recovery process and are making a lifestyle change. I think some of the people were just trying to give you tough love. PS. I like your sense of humor with your bacon avatar picture.

No one ever thought you were a bully.

Some "vets" may leave due to: People giving arrogant replies to their posts, because they didn't want to hear the truth and wanted someone to coddle them or condone bad or potentially harmful behaviors. Reading for the umpteenth time about "drinking through straws", "3 week stalls" etc.. But out of fairness, for a newbie, it is a new question to them (even though there are numerous posts that could be searched here for the same answers). They are comfortable in their journey and no longer find much value for them here (although, there are always informative posts/replies constantly being made, helpful hints, recipes, websites referenced for info and even posts just for laughs). People whether a "newbie" or a "vet" can give helpful information at any stage of their journey. Granted someone who just had bariatric surgery (or is awaiting) can not tell you their first hand experience at the 1 year post surgery mark, but they may have an interesting question to ponder or relay information they researched or learned regarding that. But in any case, information should be researched and verified and possibly discussed with a person's surgeon and/or nutritionist before acting on the advice. Not all advice, even when accurate, can be applied to everyone due to different medical, nutritional, psychological and physical requirements. Sometimes people (at any stage of this journey) are misinformed or misunderstood advice and relay that incorrect information with good intent. Sometimes people give medical advice with no medical background when someone really should contact a healthcare professional. Along the lines of information received over the internet from strangers that are not verified, I need to go to the bank and wire over $10,000 to a prince in a 3rd world country who won the lottery that he can't cash, so I can buy his ticket.

I hope you reconsider staying here. I have enjoyed reading your posts and learned things through your writings. There will be some people who do not follow their pre or post surgical plans, but hopefully after they read other people's responses, they will understand what they are doing is incorrect or possibly dangerous.

1 week shy of my 50th birthday and weighed 353 pounds (my highest was around 380 pounds - I was literally a round in shape).

I saw this quote and it made me laugh and gave me some food for thought (pun intended). I sometimes find myself doing old bad habits with food (not as bad as this, but justifying my actions is not good either).

People do change, including yourself. It could be unrelated to your WLS, but I have read some people post that some people distance themselves from people who had WLS (it wasn't always people who were overweight or obese). Perhaps you changed too. You are probably more self confident, outgoing and have new interests (other than food) and maybe they had more in common with the "old you"? What is worse are people who would not give you the time of day because of being obese but now are friendly and want to socialize with you after the excess weight loss, or at least be willing to tell you the time of day. That can also be attributed in part to more self confidence and a positive change in demeanor too or maybe they are just fat- shamers and are shallow.

I just hope the manufacturer of the surgical robot isn't the same one who makes those crane-claw prize games you find at carnivals. Then every time the surgeon goes to retrieve the removed section of the VSG stomach, the claw will hit the side of the abdomen dropping that piece of stomach back in. In all seriousness, I had a traditional surgery, but read many positive aspects of the robotic bariatric WLS (less invasive, finer control, etc.). There is one called the da Vinci system you can Google. There must be other manufacturers out there too.

Wow! Congratulations, you look great. Keep up the excellent work.

I am sorry about the loss of your brother. Try to stay strong and positive; sending you a virtual hug and hope you have a great day.

I remember you posting about liking sausages.

Further more, hotdogs (unless they are of a high quality one) are made with pig snouts and anuses. (Pork products are a little dense to eat until a little while into the last phase.)

Just what ever you do, don't drink your caffeinated beverage with a straw. Not because if it is hot it will burn your mouth or the drawing of air, but because if you post it here, OMG, a s### storm will happen!

I can't help you from an experience standpoint. I just want to wish you a quick and speedy recovery and hope everything is easily treatable.

Follow your post diet plan. If you don't have one from your nutritionist, there are reputable sources on the internet. Raw carrots and foods like steaks, etc., can be consumed at a later phase. Don't beat yourself up for it.

How about the world's shortest joke: Two women were sitting quietly on a bench. (Ba-dum Tish)

I responded to this in the new posts tab. The OP did not list their surgery type. Regardless of the surgery type, they need to follow their plan.

Follow your plan. Each phase gets easier. You had major surgery, the post op diet phases were designed to help the recovery of your stomach. You can do it!

LOL!!! Here's hoping I NEVER have that problem! Even at my thinnest, my legs have always been pretty muscular so as long as I keep up with my Protein, I doubt that I'll ever have to post something like that. My son is asking what I am laughing so hard about. At least I got a good laugh today so thanks for that! I am glad you had a good laugh, we all can use a few every day. After reading what your post was about, I now won't be concerned if someone has a post called "cheese balls".

That is a fantastic NSV. More importantly thank you for all of your back breaking work to help the people who, unfortunately, so desperately need it right now.

"Crab legs". Ohhhh, as in the edible "King Crab" type. I'm relieved, I thought your legs may have taken on a different look with all the weight you lost. Keep up the great work and enjoy the crab legs.

I am deeply sorry to hear about the loss of your father. I hope the memories of the happier times spent with him keeps you strong during this difficult time. As an emotional eater, I understand your concerns. You have done a great job so far on losing your excess body weight. Talk to loved ones and friends (and if necessary a professional) to help you deal with your emotions. My father passed away a little over a month ago, I can relate to what you are feeling. I knew I needed to be strong and not to turn to food as an emotional crutch; overeating would not bring him back. You will be strong too during this time of mourning.

I was told that 2 cups of caffeinated coffee a day would be fine by my nutritionist. I have closer to 4 cups a day, but I started to mix in some decaffeinated coffee with the regular coffee grounds. Out of fairness, my nutritionist prefers that I drink non-caffeinated beverages whenever possible, but doesn't mind reasonable caffeine consumption. Caffeine in reasonable quantities is only a mild diuretic. There are more sources of caffeine than just coffee, such as tea, diet sodas, etc. You may want to be careful of the acidity and the effect on your stomach that is associated with either type of coffee if you drink a lot of it. The calories in a latte, depending upon how it is made and size, can be pretty high.