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Hellooooooo So I'm one week shy of being 7 months post op, and for those 7 months I have avoided sugar like the plague except for some rare occasions where I was traveling and the European country I was in was famous for desserts that I would order and only have a miniscule bite of. On one occasion I got excited and had 3 bites and thought I was fine. 10 minutes later I started feeling extremely nauseous that I was almost dry heaving, I started walking back to the hotel and after 1 kilometer I felt much better so I guessed that was dumping! Not fun Yikes! So fast forward this week, and it is that time of the month and I was craving some chocolate, so I picked a 72% dark chocolate square which I had with a few roasted cashews (to manage the blood sugar spike) and guess what? 10 minutes later I am extremely nauseous and queasy that my skin was crawling. I was at my desk and got up and walked back and forth but to no success. It lasted a good half an hour/40 minutes and it only fully subsided midway through my Pilates class. Does this happen to anyone? The chocolate square barely had any sugar! Will I ever be able to have a little fun? A tiny slice of cake for my birthday? Ice cream? Anything? I don't crave sugar anymore but I like to taste things and take bites here and there especially when I'm travelling/out for a nice meal (which is often).

Well you started at 250 pounds and lost 50. If you started at 440 like I am I'm sure you would have weighed 300 pounds by now. I really hope within a year I could lose the weight. I don't want to be 400 pounds for forever. Honestly if I started at 250 pounds I probably could do it on my own. I lost 50 pounds when I weighed 350 before I met my wife. Wasn't super difficult for me I just stopped eating like a pig lol. I was eating a lot I actually weighed 290 when I moved out of my parents house and I gained 60 pounds in 4 months from all of the food that I was eating after I moved out so I was like "I'm going to lose weight". Now I'm 100 pounds heavier than that and I can't do virtually anything or I wouldn't get the surgery at all. But if my wife weighed 250 pounds I can see how she couldn't do anything either because she weighed 150 at her heaviest and lost 10 pounds when she got her job. Her job made her get a lot of exercise. If she weighed 100 pounds more than that she probably couldn't do much either.

Yeah I heard that immediately after the surgery you lose a lot of weight. I'm hoping they do a lot to help me keep that weight off. My goals are realistic and manageable so that I don't fail I could try to get to under 200 pounds and live for 10 years longer but it's like I want to set a realistic and achievable goal so 300 pounds is good. Then when I hit that and keep that off maybe I can go down to 250 and keep it there. I haven't been 250 pounds in a very, very long time. I had to have been in my late teens early 20s the last time i was 250 pounds. So either weight would be very good. My doctor said if I got down to 300 pounds a lot of my health issues should go away but I'll still need to be on anti coagulants no matter what my weight. So I can't ever stop taking those unfortunately but a lot of my other health issues should drastically improve or go away. I haven't exercised much in 20 years either. To prove myself worthy of getting the surgery I've exercised a lot more lately than I have in a long, long time but I still don't exercise a lot because it's very difficult to do so. I hope that will drastically change with my surgery.

Champagne is one of my favourite drinks @Arabesque. I really don’t want to have to give this up as it’s a special treat for me. I’ve also got 10 bottles of the stuff at home (been collecting for a while) and I don’t want to have to give them away 😭 Would a champagne swizzle stick be useful as a way of getting rid of the bubbles do you think? Might drop a hint to hubby. He’s tea-total so culling my stock is all on me!

The surgery went great, I woke up feeling sick to my stomach and hurting, They gave me an anti-nausea shot with Toradol. I slept from the time they woke me up, around 1pm until about 4pm. I was finally able to hold my eyes open for more than a few seconds, I got up and used the restroom, and then they took me for a walk around the nurse station, which went well. Then the nurse sat me up for a little bit in the recliner in the room. Then I started dosing again for another two hours until my sister came back to sit overnight with me. Then they got me up to use the restroom again, we did another walk around the nurse's station, and then they put me back in bed. I worked on sipping as much water as I could. The next morning the PA & Surgeon came in early to check on me, and because I did really well they discharged me very early. So here I am sitting at home in bed, trying to get comfy. Prior to the surgery, before they put me out, they gave me a nerve block on both sides of my spine. which was a whole new experience in itself, hurt like hell. But I was literally out before I knew it, at first the only way I could describe the discomfort I felt was like I had done a billion tummy crunches and overworked myself. But now that the nerve block is wearing off, its more uncomfortable, and the gas situation is next level. LOL 🤣 But not to worry, I'm feeling a little better every day, just have to watch what I do with my mid section. It burns and hurts if I move the wrong direction, especially trying to get comfy on my bed. And getting my 10-year-old stubborn furbaby to understand he can't be in my arms right now is been hard. He won't leave my side, which is so sweet. Big thank you to everyone for the encouragement and support sent my way, it means a great deal and helped with my anxiety over the surgery. 💗💜

I felt hunger from the first week post op, it never disappeared. In fact I was starving on the first week of liquids. at 10+ months post op some days I feel ravenous (especially on days I lift very heavy) and some days I'm not interested in eating. How did/do you cope? To be very honest the first week is very hard and generally the first 6 weeks are tough not gonna lie. I hated eating soups and mushy foods. I hated the feeling of my restriction but what made it all worth it was the progress I witnessed on a daily basis. The pounds were melting off and I was so ecstatic about that. Do you have/need coping mechanisms in place- if so what? I traveled. That really helped, I traveled at 3 weeks post op, 3 months post op, 6 months and 8 months post op. I went back to exercising and took up Pilates. I regularly checked in with a friend who's had VSG before me. All these things helped me cope plus the weight melting off!! Does it get easier? It really does. You will look and feel better, you will re-learn how to eat and it'll be okay. Do you have any helpful advice for a newbie like me? Take it one day at a time. Don't be too hard on yourself. Don't compare yourself or your progress to anyone. The first few months are a gift, use them but also free your mind of food anxiety and accept that you are not perfect and you will make mistakes and learn from them. Oh and indulge in movement you enjoy (it makes a big difference, physically and mentally).

@BigSue is right on the mark. I will also add that not everyone reaches their goal. And that’s okay. The win is you’ve lost weight and are healthier than you were. Remember that your goal weight is an arbitrary number you chose not the weight your body settles at & is happiest at as your new set point the surgery has gifted you. The point people’s weight stabilises at is different person to person. You do tend to lose the most in the first 6-12 months but people can lose for another year. Not everyone but some do. It took about 17months for my weight to finally stabilise. Though I reached goal at 6 months I kept losing for another 11months & at a very slow rate. (Took 6 months to lose 31kg then 11 months to lose the final 11kg.) Your rate of loss will get slower and slower as you near your final stabilised weight. It could be ounces a week or even a month near the end. So you may not have finished losing yet. But do check your calorie intake. If you’re maintaining at the calories you’re consuming now you’ll have to eat less to lose more. And you will have to eat fewer calories than you are now if you want to maintain at a lower weight than you are now. Another consideration is you’ve likely built up a lot of muscle with the activity you do. Muscle does way a little more than fat and it will change your physical shape somewhat too which may explain some of the clothing size discrepancies you’re noticed. There are lots of averages and generalisations around weight loss (how fast, how much, when things will happen, how many calories you need, how much activity, etc.). We’re too different for the sane hard and fast rules to apply to everyone, You just have to find what works and is right for you, your lifestyle and your body. PS: Another average, but exercise only accounts for about 10% of the weight you are to lose. Better to look at exercise for the benefits it brings to your cardiac health, muscle strength, flexibility, bone density, etc. & not so much for weight loss.

you are fine. Most people seem to lose somewhere in the 7 - 11 kg (or 15-25 lb) during the first MONTH, and you've lost 10 kg in six weeks, so you're absolutely in the normal range. I lost 16 lbs (7 kg) the first month, so I was probably exactly where you are at six weeks out. I went on to lose over 90 kg (200 lbs). (you will always find people who lose less or more than the range I stated, but they're either outliers, or they started out at MUCH higher BMI's than most of us have - such as the people on shows like "My 600 lb Life"). Your nurse and doctor are fools. I had a resident tell me the same thing when I was a few weeks out, and I wish that jerk could see me now!! I'm sure I lost much more weight than most, if not all, of the people who went through the program when I did! rule #1 with this is; don't compare yourself to others! Your rate of weight loss depends on so many things, only a couple of which you have much control over. Age, gender, metabolic rate, what percentage of your body weight is muscle, genetics, starting BMI, whether or not you lost a lot of weight before surgery, diet, and activity rate are all factors. How much you're eating and how active you are are really the only things you have control over. Do well with those, and the weight will come off, whether fast or slow. But don't forget - 10 kg is six weeks is completely normal. Just carry on and don't listen to foolish crap like this. EDITED to add: I lost weight for 20 lbs. Yes the first month tends to produce more loss than following months, but just like with regular diets, that's because some of it is water weight. One kg a week is pretty normal after the first month - but that'll gradually drop as you approach a normal BMI.

It's been 5 years since my gastric bypass. Have done fairly well in staying in my safe zone. My goal weight was 170 initially although mentally I wanted to put 150. After starting at almost 400 lbs, I wanted to see if I could even hit 170 which I did. For 2 days about 2 years ago I briefly 'dipped' down to 167! LOL. Fast forward to 9 months ago, I hit a rough patch and went up to 180'ish. I knew some folks going to a local place that compounded their own semiglutide if I understood them correctly. After asking repeated questions about whether taking this would disrupt the supply to diabetics who needed the medicine, I decided to try it. I was never one of those fortunate ones who after bariatic surgery lost the desire to eat (grehlin?). Even though I obviously had the 'restriction' kicking in due to the pouch size, I had to white-knuckle SOMETIMES during the first 6 months. Part of me feels like I cheated by introducing semiglutide but there are also people who think that weight loss surgery is the 'easy way out'. I can tell you that none of those people, in my opinion, have ever had the surgery. I actually really like the semiglutide, it removes the..trying to think of it as I saw on someone else's post, it is the first thing that has ever removed the mental 'food chatter' in my head. Sometimes I will skip weeks on the injections and I'm already making plans to taper off now that I'm down to 163. I realize I will need to be able to then try to maintain in my new 'safety zone of watching for a weight gain of more than 5 to 10 lbs over current weight. I like to nip those things in the bud. Just curious if anyone else post weight loss surgery (by years) has brought semiglutide into the picture whether to break up a stall, or to get weight gain that has started to creep up halted.

I finally gained weight!!! I'm officially at 180, and I like that. I feel better, I have more energy, and I don't feel nearly so run down and out of it. Still look super thin, but it is what it is. Now I'm going to work on maintenance since this is where I want to stay. I'm ok with 2 pounds in either direction, but I definitely don't want to drop below 178 again lol I got all the way down to 170 and it was just really bad. I literally don't work out at all anymore because I'm on my feet all day working 5 days per week. I increased my calories to 1700 per day (up from 1500), my carbs to 55 net per day (up from 40 or so), my protein to 100g per day (up from 80), my healthy fats to 80g per day (up from 50), my fiber intake to 30g (10 from supplements and the rest from food - up from 20) and upped my fluids to 120 fl oz per day (up from 90 - 100). I'll add my weekend workouts back in now (nothing crazy, just core and strength but on the lighter side, not heavy) so I don't gain too much now that I've figured out how to finally gain weight lol

it took me 4 months (and ~15 lbs) to figure out my maintenance calories were. i also had to get over my fear of gaining all my weight back and actually start eating MORE. maintenance level calories are VERY individual, and vary greatly from person to person. and even then, it varies greatly form time to time for the SAME person. 4-ish months after achieving goal, i finally figured out that i needed 1800 cals a day to stop losing weight... AT THAT TIME. over the years, this amount has changed depending on my activity level. luckily, i am anal and i track my food intake and weight DAILY so i am armed with data to figure out what i need at any point in time. i am 6 years post op now, and these days i need about 2300-2500 to maintain my current weight (i exercise alot). had i continued to stay at 1800 cals from the before days i would have shrunk beyond what i wanted. soooooo....long story short: your maintenance calories will change depending on your output and input, on your sleep patterns, overall health, stress levels, age, genetics, etc....its up to you to notice what affects you and act upon it. so, so, so, so, many times i read folks on here saying "i gained/lost weight and i just don't know why!". the answer is PAY ATTENTION....you will know why. P.S. i do know that "normal" people don't need this level of attention to stay at a healthy weight. i also know that i am NOT a "normal" person. i mean, i got to a BMI of 43 (from BMI 23), in 10 years. it takes more "effort" for me to stay at a healthy weight that a "regular" person. so i do what i am willing to do.

Hey all, I'll catch up on reading soon. It's been a rough few weeks. I caught a stomach bug last week and thought I was gonna die. And yesterday I woke up with a runny nose and muscles aches, same today. The fatigue seems to be worse these last two weeks too, but I'm guessing that's because my immune system got shot. But that is why I've not been around, I've literally been wanting to die. It has taken everything in me to be able to push through work and classwork before I pass out for hours on end. Just wanted to give you an update. 0/10 recommend on getting a stomach bug after gastric surgery.

One suggestion in terms of your bra is to buy a bra with the correct cup size, but one that actually fits you on the biggest hook. That way you can use the other two or three hooks depending on how many are on it as you lose weight still because usually when they fit you, they aim for that middle hook so that you can gain or lose 10 pounds and it’ll still fit, but you know you’re not gonna be gaining anytime soon. Another option that I thought about doing myself because I had the sleeve and I know that I don’t lose much in my cup size. It’s just the band size is to buy one that fits in the cup, but it’s actually a size smaller in the band and use a bra extender, so it’ll last longer

So I get very very very hungry right before my period and the first few days of my cycle. It is so intense that I feel that there is a hole in my stomach where the food disappears 10 minutes after I’ve eaten. It is so weird and I have never experienced this pre WLS. I have clocked 1750 calories for 4 days straight and a whopping 120 grams of protein because I can’t seem to get full. Then I just lose interest in eating for the rest of my cycle, anyone else experience this? Things I’ve eaten the past few days: Galore of burgers. Double smashed cheeseburgers, a classic burger, and a spicy crispy chicken burger. Maple buffalo shrimps Up close and personal on the spicy chicken burger. So hubby was quite taken aback at how much I ordered (knowing he’ll have to eat most of it, teaser: he did) I got excited to try everything (teaser: I didn’t). I hade around 3/4 of one half of the smash cheeseburger, and a bite of the spicy chicken burger which was soooo good but then I felt so sick and regretted eating that. Hubby ate most of the shrimps, his whole burger and my half. The rest was put in the fridge. There was also a large portion of fries which I didn’t taste.

A few things stood out to me about your post. 1137 calories is oddly specific. Since most people can't be that accurate with their food intake, I'm curious why you used this specific number? Can you elaborate? For example, most food logging software is only accurate within about 10% plus or minus, even if you are really meticulous with weighing everything. Keep in mind as well that if you are eating very many processed foods, Manufacturers are given a pretty wide latitude in terms of the listed calories, so those aren't near as accurate is you might think. Most people drastically underestimate their overall calorie consumption by as much as 20 to 25%, even if they are logging their food. There are a number of reasons, but things like guestimating certain amounts, using "average" calorie amounts for some items, and not counting certain types of foods are common errors. In short, you may actually be eating a lot more than you think. I'm also curious how you came to the conclusion that 1137 calories per day is the proper amount for you to lose weight? It's entirely possible your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), is anywhere between say 900 and 1700 calories per day. While BMR is just one component of your overall calorie burn per day, it's typically the largest single component, even if you are super active. If you are only working out 3 days a week, I'd not put you into the super active category. My point is that while it's not super likely, it is possible that you are actually eating at maintenance right now. Especially if you are eating more than you think. (See points one and two.) Scales are a REALLY terrible way to track success since they don't account for variations in other tissues besides fat. Water, which is a huge component of your overall weight can fluctuate dramatically day-to-day. Ask yourself honestly, are your clothes fitting differently? There is a pretty good chance here that you have been losing fat, but made up for it by retaining water in your muscles. This is super common in people when they work out, especially when they start a new fitness routine. There's also a small possibility you are actually adding some muscle mass, especially if you are new to strength training. Muscle is much more dense than fat, so if you gain muscle and lose fat, your clothes will fit better, but you might weigh about the same. My advice is going to sound counter-intuitive, but I'd suggest adding 200-300 calories per day to your diet. Preferably lean protein. Do this for 4 weeks and then reassess where you're at. If you are really currently eating at maintenance (as you might think from weeks of no loss), then you would be expected to gain a tiny bit in the next 4 weeks. If it's as I suspect and you're actually eating too little right now, eating a little more may actually up your metabolic rate as well as change your hormone balance. This could be just the thing to kickstart some fat loss in the next 4 weeks. Best of luck whatever you decide.

So I have a work around! You will need: 1. vanilla protein shake 2. sugar free pumpkin spice syrup (Jordans skinny syrup as a yummy one) 3. sugar free pumpkin spice sauce (Jordans skinny syrup as a yummy one) 4. pumpkins pie spice Recipe: 1 vanilla pre-made protein shake (such as premier or fairlife) 10 pumps of sugar free pumpkin spice syrup mix them in a jar together and you can use it as a creamer. Then I take a pre-made protein shake (about 1-2 oz) and use my frothier to make the foam THEN I assemble. 2oz on the bottom of the glass jar, ice to top it off, sugar free pumpin spice sauce, add decaf cold brew, then add your foam and sprinkle some of your pumpkin pie spice. ITS DELICIOUS! I drink one almost every day and its 36cal!

If all you need is the step counter function you can get an old school pedometer for like $7 or $8 on Walmart.com and a pedometer watch for 10 bucks (although the clip on one would be hidden) Most of the fitness watches cost a little more (the cheapest I seen is $15) I assume because they also record heart rate but that’s more for speed walking or other exercise not just walking around work.

I think for your height, you can afford lose more and not have a health problem (meaning being underweight or under BMI 18.5). I am now at a BMI 19 and my weight loss is going strong no matter what I do (mind you I am 24 lbs under goal), so I gave up trying to do anything about it 🤷‍♀️ The more I try to stop it the more it doesn't lol, so I don't really stress about it much and I am letting my body do its thing because I know while losing weight is a breeze and unintentional now, it won't be in a few years so a little cushion and wriggle room isn't bad, unless I drop to BMI lower than 18.5 then I will do what is needed and see my surgeon. I say, let your body do its thing as long as you're healthy, eating well, working out and your blood work is fine. Congratulations on your success ❤️

I don’t take them because of an issue with my pancreas either. I don’t absorb protein well as a result of my gall removal. Malabsorption after gall surgery isn’t uncommon but it being for protein is more rare. (Also don’t absorb some medications either now like hormone replacement meds.) I forget to take them at times too - usually my lunch time one. I keep the bottle on the bench right in front of me to remind myself. The creons keep my protein levels at just on the border of okay. The original dose of 10 000mg 3 x a day didn't do anything so it was increased to 25 000 3 x a day which does. I don’t like having to take meds. Am lucky & very glad I only take the creons and a Nexium in the morning.

Yeah, it was awful. At least I could keep water and chicken broth down. I'm been working slowly to building back up to more purees again, but I definitely didn't want to risk it last week. Otherwise, I'm doing okay. Been struggling with hitting my goals the last couple of days, which I assume is because I feel not great still. But I'm listening to my body. Eating and drinking until it feels like I can't and then pausing for a while. (Obviously, not eating and drinking together, but you know what I mean.) I go for my next post-op appointment on Wednesday. That will be my 1 month check-in. I can actually feel more weight loss in my legs and places around my stomach. I'm curious to see how much weight I do end up losing after all this. Like, I noticed my weight loss in how my clothes fit before my 10-day post-op. But I can actually feel it in places on my body when touching them now, so that's going to be interesting. We go on vacation 10/6 and we've already talked about my clothing situation. Even my bras need to be replaced at this point. But since I don't go anywhere except the doctors appointments right now, I'm going to make what I have currently work for the next couple of weeks. And then on our way down to our vacation spot on the 6th, we're going to stop by the outlet store and get me some new clothes and get properly fitted for the correct size bra. That way I have the most accurate fit for clothes for a couple of months. lol I still need to catch up on reading the forums. Hopefully I can get to that this weekend.

It's valid to feel scared about this new experience and really good that you can express your fears to other people. My first thought as I'm reading this, though, is that your size is thoroughly unremarkable. It may not be where you want to it be, and you're doing great taking control of that and changing your life through having gastric bypass. But at your height and weight, surrounded by adults as you will be in college (and not middle school bullies), your weight simply isn't going to be a thing people notice about you all that much. I had my surgery when I was just slightly under where you are now, and I honestly had a friend (who is average weight/skinny) express total shock at my choice because she thought I was "only a little overweight" (while I thought I looked like a Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloon on two legs). Other people do not see us the way we see ourselves. In your mind, you seem to see yourself as worthy of being judged poorly and disliked for your appearance. I would ask, is this how you look at other people? Do you only befriend skinny people? Do you think fat people are terrible? Because if you do, that's a serious personality flaw that I would be way more concerned about fixing than my weight. And if you don't...neither do most people. Also, if they do? See my point about it being a serious personality flaw. Don't give that kind of person power over you. Your existence, exactly the way you are at any point in time, is not the problem. A person who is judging you for existing is demonstrating that their opinion is not worth considering. Most people don't notice weight first, unless maybe when someone is truly remarkable in size. Most people remember a person's confidence, humor, and overall disposition. They might remember a beautiful smile or a charming laugh, or maybe how you wore your hair or a colorful scarf. They want to be friends because they feel a connection to your personality, not because you have the "correct" size tag in your jeans. Again, if this is not the case, ask yourself why this is someone you want to concern yourself with. The person you want to be is not just a "skinny" person. At least, I really hope not. I would encourage you to make a list of 10 qualities right now that you want people around you to see and remember about you, and none of them can be about your weight or similar societal measure of physical attractiveness. Focus on that list. Do you want people to see you as smart? Kind? Funny? You can be all of those things today. You probably are all those things right now, if you let yourself believe that it's true. You don't have to lose a single ounce to make that happen. Do you want to be someone who takes care of your health? You're already doing it. Who eats right? Who exercises? You're that person now. Focus on the things you have control over. You don't get to choose your weight. None of us do. But you can make food and activity choices every day that promote a lower weight. You can't make a specific person or group like you. But you can be the kind of person many people will like. I wish you the very best of luck. I really wish I had known 30 years ago how absolutely, perfectly fine I was without changing anything, and how little other people's judgement actually mattered. It would have made so many things so much easier.

Yeah covid was a bit of a kick haha, but I started to feel a little ill out there, but just kept pushing on! My cats definitely did miss us, and we are glad to have them home! Yeah I didn't even imagine I could do that many! It now feels weird being home and not out walking, but I thought my body could do with resting and recovering 😂10-15k per day is amazing - I need to be doing that!! Hahaha, I love that you call them dogs too! You're gonna love it! Definitely somewhere cold...that is my ideal too 🤣 Oooh okay I am glad I am not the only one literally feeling nothing from alcohol! I agree that I just feel it's a waste of calories and money, so I doubt I'll try again! Very strange. Don't get me wrong, he was enjoying all the extra food 😂 But he was excited to come home where I could control my portion sizes and he didn't feel the need to eat my leftovers haha. Thank you!

7 years out this November (I can’t believe it’s been that long!) 1. The surgery did all of the work. I didn’t wake up hungry, I didn’t feel like I could eat more than recommended. I didn’t have any (initial) complications that slowed the weight loss process. 2. I was really strict and followed every rule pre and post op. I was super serious because I absolutely needed this to work. My motivation remains for medical reasons first and aesthetics second. 3. I limited calories from liquids. 4. I am finally ready to admit that I have a narrow palate. I don’t like most food and definitely not most fast food but in a pinch I will eat it *some* things. I cook the vast majority of my meals and most are very boring by foodie standards. 5. I was converted from VSG to RNY at my goal weight (GERD etc) and I’m sure the durability of RNY has made a difference in maintaining. 6. I was given a higher BMI range by my surgeon and thank goodness because getting any lower would have been a real struggle without added benefits. 7. I invested in plastics. I shouldn’t make sense or a difference but I didn’t want to mess up the work I had done plus removed skin and fat cells are gone forever. 8. I address the smallest regains IMMEDIATELY adjusting behavior and intake. I’m not ashamed of it or ignore it, I weigh often to stay accountable to myself. 9. I found what works for me and focused on that, adjusting as needed. I try very, very hard not to compare myself with anyone else. I never attached self worth or morality to weight (gained or lost). I think it helped immensely that no one ever bothered me about weight. I realize it maybe a different story if this wasn’t the case. 10. I check in yearly with my bariatric team.

Sorry…not sure if it’s the same in the US but in the UK 14lbs = 1 stone. My post meant that I had gone down from weighing 20 stones + to weighing 19 stones + 🙂

This week, my doctor has restricted my diet even further (from 1200 calories to 800) to make sure that the liver really shrinks so he said Slimfast Shakes and Weight Watchers soups because it's pre-made whereas the shakes I've been making it might be harder to get the right measurements when I'm cutting calories from what I've been doing for the past 10 weeks. I guess it makes sense. Honestly, those slim fast shakes are the worst. The only one that tastes Ok (and not in that British deprecating way where we say "it's alright" when me mean it's pretty good) is the chocolate one. The rest? How do Strawberry, banana or cookies and cream shakes end up with an almost chicken-y aftertaste? How is this possible? Is this some kind of pact with Satan? Long digression, I know. But it made me dream of food last night. Which I have never done before. I dreamed all my family had gone to all the fast food places and I couldn't eat any but I ended up having a bowl of porridge from KFCs Breakfast menu? Talk about head hunger vs actual hunger!