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I picked up a digital food scale and I weigh everything that I eat at home. This has helped me to get much better at estimating what my portion sizes are when I am out. I then track everything in Fitbit. There is some approximation that goes on when you don't know exactly what is in something, but so far, since my portions have still be very small, I continue to see progress despite any variation in my estimated vs. actual calorie intake.

Just FYI, the idea that coffee does not contribute towards your hydration goals is pure myth that seems to persist among many doctors and nutritionists despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. It is true that coffee has a diuretic effect, however it is short lived, and it has minimal impact on your hydration. In fact, studies have shown that the hydration effect from drinking coffee is similar to drinking water. This isn't something you have to take my word for, though. A few Google searches and you'll find study after study that confirms this.

I would echo what others have said here. BMI is not the end-all, be-all of determining what your "healthy" weight should be. People are built differently, and while that range generally works, it isn't appropriate for everyone based on their individual build. It would give me some pause if multiple people are telling you that you might want to stop losing. Have a conversation with your nutritionist and support staff to make sure you are getting a well-informed assessment of your current and goal weights.

I use Fitbit's tracking app, but I haven't tried any others, so I can't really say if it is comparatively a good option or not.

I set my goal weight at something that is over the "normal" range, because I am trying to be reasonable in my expectations. There is nothing that prevents me from going past that goal or setting a new one once I reach it though. Mostly, I just wanted to be healthier, and even at my present BMI of 36.5, I feel A LOT better than I did before. I'm back into martial arts; I don't get winded going up a flight of stairs -- in fact, I run up them now; and that is already a success for me even if my weight loss were to stop exactly where it is now. Keep in mind, being healthy isn't measured in just BMI. In fact, I was just recently reading about a recent study that showed cardiovascular health for subjects who were "overweight," but exercised frequently was significantly better than subjects who were normal weight and didn't exercise.

If you're waist size is decreasing even though your weight is not, that is a good sign. You might be putting on more muscle mass, which is heavier than fat. So, while you may be losing fat, you don't go down in overall weight.

That has been my experience as well. A number of people at work noticed, but didn't feel comfortable saying anything. Eventually, someone who was a little less socially-sensitive brought it up at a group lunch and other people commented that they had noticed for a while. So, yeah, if you've lost 50 pounds, people have probably noticed, but just don't feel comfortable saying anything. What is more important than looks though is is how you feel. At 50 pounds lost, I could already tell that my knees and back didn't hurt like they used to; I could bend over and tie my shoes without straining; and I could run up a couple flights of stairs without feeling like I was going to die.

I'm about six months out and I can't say that I have forgotten about it, but I have definitely gotten used to it. Since I go out to eat for lunch with my coworkers, I've got a consistent reminder since I can't finish most things I order -- sometimes I can finish a cup of Soup. But, it certainly doesn't bother me and the health benefits have been awesome.

Just be careful because eating sugar tends to make you crave more which can start to really snowball into a vicious cycle of cravings.

I have no idea what the problem might be, but I'd recommend calling your doctor or visiting an urgent care clinic just to make sure.

When I went into my solids phase, I asked my wife to make a pot roast and just cook it in the crock pot until it was falling apart at the slightest touch, basically. That worked out quite nicely for me, though I hear some people have problems with beef early on after surgery.

Trader Joe's has a fantastic organic tomato Soup that comes in a box. It is delicious and counts towards your hydration goals.

Smoking is going to impact how you heal and raises your chances of having complications. Instead of thinking about how you might fool the screening process, talk to your doctor and ask for help. There are pharmaceutical options that could help you. (BTW, I quit smoking 16 years ago, so I can relate on how hard it is to finally quit.)

Very normal to have periods of stalls, and it is also very normal to have trouble with meeting your Protein goals at 2-weeks out. My nutritionist advised to concentrate on making my goals in this order: hydration, protein, and then Vitamins. In other words, if you need to skip a little protein to make sure you are getting hydrated, you should do that first. It's going to be very tough for you to approach your protein goals until you are back onto solids -- and even then, it requires work to always make sure you're eating your protein first. One thing that has helped me through stalls, by the way, is recognizing that whether I am losing at the moment or not, it's not like I could go back to my old ways and start eating pizza. Because we can eat so little, we have to make sure we're meeting our protein goals. So, I just focus on making sure I'm doing that and realizing that what is happening with my weight doesn't change what I need to be doing.

I know it has for me. My doctor actually told me that I should expect to not feel hunger after the surgery. I can't say that he was completely right on that front. I do still get an empty, grumbly, even unhappy feeling in my tummy if I go for a long time without eating -- that happens if I do something stupid like not eating anything until lunch time, for instance. BUT, the feeling that usually went along with that of: I really want to eat pizza or scarf down a hamburger right now; that's 100% gone.

I had a Reeses Peanut Butter cup last week when we were giving out candies to the kids at work. While it tasted pretty good, after having gone so long without much in the way of sugar, it actually made me feel a little ... I dunno, gross afterwards. Kind of like you might feel if you had eaten something particularly greasy. So, back to work today and that jar of chocolates is still there. I had some almonds instead. Much more satisfying actually.

Drink what feels comfortable. Don't take big gulps, and you'll be fine. Fluids basically go straight through you. You're not going to stretch your sleeve. If you drink to fast, you'll feel uncomfortable and that is your signal to slow down.

My surgeon recommended that if you wanted to lose more than 100 pounds, gastic bypass was the way to go. I was only interested in a restriction only type of surgery, nothing mal-absorptive, so I stuck with the sleeve.

Just remember that it isn't forever. You only need to make it through these 10 days, and post surgery you aren't going to feel hunger in nearly the same way.

If you want to get rid of some of those cravings, I'd recommend dropping sugar. After you crash, you're going to feel a lot better. It's really hard to get rid of sugar entirely because it is added to so many things, but juice, candy, soda, Desserts -- those kind of things you should eliminate. CNN had an interesting article about sugar the other day you might be interested in: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/10/health/sugar-may-make-you-sick/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool

I'm always surprised when I hear something like this. For my first solid meal, I could barely get in 2oz of meat. Even after 4 months, I'm still only at around 4oz.

I live in Washington state where it is legal. When asked, I told them that I was an occasional smoker. They noted it, suggested that I don't smoke in the 3-weeks leading up to the surgery and that was that.

Yeah, I wouldn't categorize the discomfort I felt as anything like hunger. It was definitely unhappy, healing stomach.

After the gastric sleeve, about 80% of your stomach is going to be removed, which will dramatically reduce the production of a hormone called ghrelin. That hormone works in concert with leptin and is responsible for some of the feelings of hunger that you have. That feeling will be greatly reduced after surgery. From my own experience, I'm currently about 3 months out and I sometimes have that kind of "growly" feeling in my stomach if I have gone too long without eating, but the cravings and hunger I felt before are basically gone. You'll also do yourself a big favor if you kick the sugar habit, which you will end up doing by default in your post-op diet. So, it definitely gets better.

Currently, your stomach is still healing and you are contending with a lot of swelling. Once that goes down a bit more, you'll definitely be able to eat a bit more. As to whether you should switch back to liquids for a while, you should probably consult your surgeon or nutritionist. I'd probably keep trying on the "mashed" foods, but supplement with protein shakes as well. I think at the stage you are currently at, I was having 1/2 cup of Protein shake for 2 out of my 6 total meals.