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Follow your surgeon's recommendations. I had decaf coffee for 2-3 weeks post op, then switched to half-caf for about 3 weeks then regular coffee and presently have 2-3 mugs of regular coffee a day. I read studies that dispel that it is a strong diuretic. Caffeine is a little bit of one, but not where you should compensate for liquid lost to consuming caffeinated beverages. Caffeine in moderation is ok. If someone has a cardiac issue or ulcers, then they may want to be careful about how much they consume of it. Having Cookies, cake or doughnuts with your coffee or adding a few teaspoons of sugar and cream to your coffee all the time would be a bigger issue. Keep in mind that other drinks such as tea, and sugar-free sodas & drink mixes contain caffeine too. Enjoy.

Speak to your cousin and tell them that jokes and comments like that hurt you and you know they will not make them anymore now that they are aware of that. If they continue to make fun of your weight, distance yourselves from them. People like that are cancerous to your mental well being. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people.

I was only a type 2 diabetic for only a couple of years and was taking 1000mg of Metformin 2x's a day. My A1C numbers reached a high of 6.8. Since the surgery and weight loss, my A1C numbers were normal (the last 4 readings were 5.6, 5.2, 4.8 & 4.6) and I no longer need to take Metformin or see an endocrinologist. When I researched WLS, I found articles leaning towards the RNY patients had slightly better results in improving (or eliminating) some comorbidities such as diabetes. The VSG hasn't been studied as long for WLS, so there is still some knowledge to be learned, newer studies may show there are little differences. Discuss this more in depth with both your endocrinologist and surgeon to make the correct decision for you. You should have successful results too with either surgery due to the weight loss, dietary changes, exercise and (there is a hormonal/gut change that is kind of technical that I read about in a medical publication, which I won't do any justice by trying to recite it).

First they came for the people who used no punctuation marks, and I did not speak out— Because I used punctuation marks. Then they came for the people who did not use paragraphs, and I did not speak out— Because I used paragraphs. Then they came for the people who had run-on sentences, and I did not speak out— Because I did not write run-on sentences. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to write for me.

Let me check: 1. I have a circumcision scar. 2. I am wearing a Star of David pendant. 3. I Celebrate the major Jewish Holidays. 4. I feel "guilty" about saying the first one. I guess I am too. (found on the web) You Know You’re Jewish When... submitted by: Simon You know you were raised Jewish if... ...The only good advice that your Jewish mother gave you was: "Go! You might meet somebody!" ...You grew up thinking it was normal for someone to shout "Are you okay?" through the bathroom door when you were in there longer than three minutes. ...Your family dog responded to commands in Yiddish. ...Every Friday morning your father went to the neighborhood deli (called an "appetitizing store") for whitefish salad, whitefish "chubs", lox (nova if you were rich!), herring, corned beef, roast beef, cole slaw, potato salad, a 1/2-dozen huge barrel pickles which you reached into the brine for, a dozen assorted bagels, cream cheese and rye bread (sliced while he waited). All of which would be strictly off-limits until Sunday morning. ...Every Sunday afternoon was spent visiting your grandparents and/or other relatives. ...You experienced the phenomenon of 50 people fitting into a 10-foot-wide dining room hitting each other with plastic plates trying to get to a deli tray. ...You had at least one female relative who penciled on eyebrows which were always asymmetrical. ...You thought Pasta was stuff used exclusively for Kugel and kasha with bowties. ...You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven. ...You were as tall as your grandfather by age seven and a half. ...You never knew anyone whose last name didn't end in one of 5 standard suffixes (berg, baum , man, stein and witz). ...You were surprised to discover that wine doesn't always taste like cranberry sauce. ...You can look at gefilte fish and not turn green. ...When your mother smacked you really hard, she continued to make you feel bad for hurting her hand. ...You can understand Yiddish but you can't speak it. ...You know how to pronounce numerous Yiddish words and use them correctly in context, yet you don't know exactly what they mean. Kaynahurra. ...You're still angry at your parents for not speaking both Yiddish and English to you when you were a baby. ...You have at least one ancestor who is somehow related to your spouse's ancestor. ...Your grandparents' newly washed linoleum floor was covered with the NY Times, which your grandparents couldn't read. ...You thought speaking loud was normal. ...You think eating half a jar of dill pickles is a wholesome snack. ...You're compelled to mention your grandmother's "steel cannonballs" upon seeing fluffy matzo balls served at restaurants. ...You buy 3 shopping bags worth of hot bagels on every trip to NYC and ship them home via FedEx. ...Your mother or grandmother took personal pride when a Jew was noted for some accomplishment (showbiz, medicine, politics, etc.) and was ashamed and embarrassed when a Jew was accused of a crime... as if they were relatives. And finally, you know you were raised Jewish if you knew that Sunday night and the night after any Jewish holiday was designated for Chinese food.

"You know you lost weight when" ...People from Green Peace do not throw buckets of Water on you when you are laying down on the sand.

"You know you lost weight when" ...You now look like an "after" picture in a weight loss add instead of a "before" picture.

Congratulations on the tremendous weight loss effort you made. Keep up the excellent work.

My mistake; sorry. Posts can be misleading sometimes. It was right after a reply that it appeared to be related to.

How fitting. Not only is this your birthday, it is also the day of the birth of a new you. Happy Birthday and congratulations!

At that rate, by this date next year, you will have lost another 52 pounds.

VSGAnn2014 calls "a spade a spade" and is straight forward. I don't believe she meant to be offensive, only that her supervisor may not want to be stuck in the middle of this. She never told the OP to STFU, she only hypothesized what a supervisor might think in regard to this.

Typically high carb, highly processed & fattening foods that are easily digested and pass through the stomach quickly such as ice cream, chips, crackers, Cookies, etc.. They do not need to be fully eliminated from one's diet, just eat them on occasion and in moderation. "Something that went down easy" is a post for a different forum.

My BMI was 48 when I started the pre-surgery diet (at my peak, I was a little over 50). Both procedures are effective. The Roux-en-Y (bypass) is a slightly more so with overall weight loss at the 2 year mark (the weight loss initially is faster, but the overall is only a little better). It is also more effective for people with diabetes and a few other comorbidities, based upon studies I read. Also, if you have gastric issues, this may be the better choice. I personally did not want my intestines rerouted and did not like malabsorption associated with the bypass procedure. From the studies I read, the small percentage of greater excess weight loss and improvements of comorbidities was not worth that for me, that is why I chose the sleeve. The flip side is that ~85% of my stomach had to be removed -there is no free lunch (pun intended). Research both types extensively, consult with your surgeon & PCP to discuss YOUR medical history so the best choice is made for you.

Wait until she says it in front of a group of people and then, in a performance worthy of an Academy Award that would make Meryl Streep look like a 2nd rate bit actor, tell her (while pretending to hold back your tears) "I have struggled my whole life to lose weight and went through weight loss yo-yo diets. I finally made a major lifetime commitment to have this surgery, eat better, eat less and exercise along with other lifestyle changes. I am finally feeling good about myself for the 1st time in years, I thought I could count on you to be more supportive". Then quickly walk off and go to the bathroom, lock yourself in a stall. Someone will come in after you to see if you are ok, they will hear some muffled sounds that they think is crying, but it will be you laughing. After this, she will earn the name you called her in this post by everyone else. Unfortunately in life, you just can't physically "B-slap" people who really deserve it.

"That’s one small crap for woman, one giant wipe for womankind,”

REALLY?? NO ONE ELSE SNICKERED!?!?!?! Thankfully it wasn't this English dessert.

As a child money was a little tight, so we ate a lot of carbs (rice, Pasta, bread, etc). Rarely did we go to a restaurant and far and few between we would have some fast food and minimal commercially produced junk food for the same reason, but ate homemade brownies Cookies and cakes. I was overweight or obese a good portion of my life. Living on my own, I never craved junk food nor did I go to fast food restaurants. I didn't miss what I didn't have, also I worked very hard to waste money on fast food when I could splurge and blow it on rent, electric, phone, etc. bills. I cooked and ate fairly healthy and was in good shape. Getting married and having children, well that led me to my downfall of eating less healthy, overeating and making poor choices. No one to blame but myself for eating as much as I did (especially as a crutch to stress), although a little more support from my significant other when I tried multiple attempts at dieting would have been helpful. That led up to the present, having a VSG procedure performed last year and getting my life back on track.