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I was told that alcohol would be two or three times more potent than it was pre-op, and as I couldn't really handle more than one drink then, I'm sure I better just steer clear of it entirely--no big loss for me. I don't think there are any things we can't ever have, but judgment has to play a big part of this. I know I'm better off avoiding carbs such as bread, rice, potatoes, so I'm going to try to do that. Steak, on the other hand--steak is definitely in the plans down the road!

I was supposed to start solid foods today (at one month post-op) but I anticipated a bit and had some things earlier this week--I have had no problems at all with any food since the surgery (other than not liking some things--canned chicken, ugh). I've been eating fish, eggs, cheese . . . had a little hamburger but probably will wait a while before trying that again. I'm having a hard time getting all the protein I need without relying on shakes, but I'm trying to do that.

I have diabetes (with multiple medications, including a lot of insulin), GERD, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. I had the sleeve a month ago. I'm on half the insulin I was pre-op and have stopped one of the meds completely--blood glucose numbers are great. I controlled GERD pre-op by a medication and now I take a different med for it. I buy regular vitamins, as I did pre-surgically. I haven't had post-op blood work so I don't know for sure that everything is being absorbed appropriately, but I'm definitely with you--I don't have extra money and I doubt I'm going to suddenly become financially secure or well-off in the future. I'm hoping that I do better than the 50 percent of excess weight lost, but even at that I'd lose more than a hundred pounds. That's got to help my health issues! I agree that you should discuss this with your surgeon. He or she may direct you one way or another with reasons that make sense. Whichever surgery you choose, you will almost certainly be better off after it than you are now. It's not easy, but I don't regret doing this for a minute. Good luck!

Couple of typos: First line is "Doesn't help I've never done any in my life . . .", or so I'm guessing.

I'm 61 and today is the one-month anniversary of my surgery. Including pre-op losses, I've lost 43 pounds. My total for the first month post-op is 17 pounds, so not as fast as many others, but I'm fine with it--can't remember losing 43 pounds before in my life EVER. Very little pain from the surgery, no problem eating and drinking other than getting enough water in. I'm never hungry and wouldn't eat at all, probably, if not for the ever-constant need to get the protein counts up. Had no energy for the first three weeks; feeling more normal now if not perky. I'm also on half the diabetes medication I was beforehand. My blood pressure is "perfect" according to my doctor; if it gets any lower I'll be cutting my medication (that I've been on for decades). I have a long way to go and it hasn't been easy (the first couple of weeks after surgery kind of suck), but I have not regretted it for a single instance. I'm anticipating a better and healthier future. You can do this! Good luck.

I've been taking biotin since day one because I heard it might help with the potential hair loss.

My doctor said the important things were water, protein, vitamins, and exercise. I'm supposed to go for 60-80 grams of protein and 64 ounces of water (that's still tough for me). I haven't been given calorie guidelines, but I track what I eat and drink with MyFitnessPal, which gives me that information. I'm still under 600 calories a day, so it's not surprising that I'm losing. Given the restrictions we have now on how much we can consume, I don't think you could go over on the calories without consuming things you know are bad!

Even if you've had trouble swallowing pills initially, by several months out you should be able to handle them. No need to go broke for specialty vitamins--just get a bottle of pills. Speaking personally, I've been using the pills since day one. Maybe a little tough the first week or so, but now I just take them all . . .

I tried four ounces of the ricotta bake and it was too much; I also tried two eggs with some cheese and that was definitely too much (I was really just trying to up the protein). I can do four ounces of soup or something liquid, but a lot of foods that's too much. I can do one egg scrambled with some cheese . .. that works for me. At this point I wouldn't worry that much as long as you are eating the right foods--you almost can't eat too much. As a check, if you're tracking your foods, you'll see your calorie counts--not the first thing to measure, but something to tell you if you've gone over what's normal for you. I think I've only gone over 500 calories a day once or twice at this point . . .

You've got it here. Good luck! Different people have different experiences. I had almost no pain and no trouble getting things down. Sick to death of protein shakes at this point--and sweet things generally. Real food at the end of the week; can't wait. But have lost weight and it's still coming off and I'm not hungry at all. The first couple of weeks post-op aren't much fun, but believe everyone who says it does get better.

Sorry--I accidentally posted the same message three times. If there's a way to delete a post, I don't know what it is. The only thing I could do was "edit" it by removing the long response in the extra posts. My apologies.

I'm pretty much sick of protein shakes, although I suppose Premier chocolate is less heinous than many of them. Too sweet . . . I prefer Atkins Lift protein water (20 g per bottle), as it also counts as water. It comes in citrus flavors. And I'm currently out *sob* of it.

My doctor told me not to even worry about how much I lost at this point, just to focus on water, protein, vitamins, and exercise. It makes sense (alhtough of course I'm weighing myself!): I use MyFitnessPal to keep track of what I eat and drink, and at this stage, there's almost no way to get too many calories unless you eat or drink totally wrong things. It's useful that MyFitnessPal tells me the calorie count, as I'm sure I'll be much more aware of that down the line, but as it is I spent the first couple of weeks getting maybe 350 to 450 a day and now that I'm on pureed it's more like 600 or so--in any case, far less than even normal eating would give me. Anyway, don't worry about your calories now! That's another thing for the future . . .

This is exactly where I am. I don't care whether I eat or not except that I know I have to get those protein numbers in and I'm trying really hard to avoid protein shakes as much as possible--certainly no more than one per day. But last night I put 4 ounces of ricotta bake on the plate and couldn't eat it all.

Atkins Lift protein drink . . . 20 g of protein per bottle, counts as water, not nearly as disgusting as protein shakes. I still like eggs, thank goodness. A lot of stuff I've tried I'm not crazy about--canned chicken pureed and made into a salad was disgusting to me. I'm okay with the ricotta bake, but can't eat a lot of it. Like yogurt or cottage cheese. Still early days here . . .

Your mileage may vary, but the only pain I had was the first ten minutes or so after waking up. The rest of the time I was fine in the hospital and the worst part was getting woken up every hour or two all night. Much happier at home the next day. The first couple of weeks after the surgery aren't a lot of fun, but I've reached the point where my energy is coming back and my biggest issues are getting enough protein and water in. But feeling pretty well overall.

Wow. I tend to look at the right side of the page's list of recent topics and click on subjects to read the posts. Most of the time I don't even notice which forum it's in. I can read just fine, thanks, I have a MA in English Literature. I thought I was being respectful: But you sure weren't.

This reminds me of one place I worked, a branch office with the main office in NYC. The landlord of the building sent a bill to the accounting department in NYC for the toilet seat, which the landlord claimed was broken because of the larger women in our office. Several overweight women worked there, but I was the largest. I don't think I broke the toilet seat there ever (the repair guys used to stand on it to repair something above it in the bathroom--a vent, maybe, or the light?) but how do you defend against something like that? Humiliating. That wasn't my final straw at all, but the humiliation--I feel you pain. Sorry you had that experience.

I'm having similar problems--I've just eaten 5 ounces of the ricotta bake and I really had to force myself--I feel stuffed. And I'm still short of the protein goals for the day--had eggs and cheese for breakfast and yogurt for lunch. About the only thing I can see at this point is to drink the protein water (but I only have one bottle left, alas). That at least helps with the water goals as well as protein without filling me up. (I drink Atkins Lift; 20 grams of protein per bottle). I'm sure this is temporary and eventually I'll be able to eat enough. But it's tough now.

Brightfaith, one possibility would be to use Pinterest to save pictures of all the places and things you'd like to visit. Very inspirational! i was in Italy about ten years ago and walking around Florence nearly killed me--but I saw it. Another hike that wore me out was going through the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel--people are led through a LOT of rooms on the way there (up and down stairs, too). I would be completely unable to do those walks now--knee pain too bad, never mind not enough stamina. But I'm hoping that will change and I'll travel again, too. Plenty of the world yet to see.

I didn't know that; I use my laptop and I agree with the OP, it is much more useful to see people's stats. But it's an individual choice--I just take post a lot more seriously if the person seems to be an active user of the site rather than posting a plea for advice as their first or second post with no info provided.

Mountaingal, thank you. My loss has slowed a bit, though I'm still in the first month post-op. I also just noticed which forum I'm in--I had the sleeve, so that may make a difference, too, as well as my rather high initial weight. We're all different and lose at different rates, but the truth is that if we each follow the guidelines we're given, we'll lose weight. This part can be tough, but the long-range goal of keeping the weight off and changing our habits forever--now, that's a challenge! Good luck, all.

Congrats on your loss! If you're asking what I think you're asking, there are threads on the subject--does it actually get bigger or does it just appear bigger when the stuff around it has shrunk? At any rate, almost everyone seems to report a better sex life post weight loss--more energy, more flexibility, more interest from partners . . . And if that's not what you were asking, my apologies!