NurseTricia

I am currently sitting on my luxurious king size bed at a 4.5 star beach front resort after having my surgery in gorgeous Puerta Vallarta, MX with Dr. Juan Francisco Hidalgo on the 22nd. My insurance company would not approve me in the states either.
Some of the Eurocentric crap I've heard from Americans is disappointing to say the least. You'd think that Mexico was the newer civilization and not the US! The people of this country have been kind and forgiving of my ignorance of their customs and inability to speak the language; unlike many Americans I know (and am ashamed to be related to)
I went through a standard medical history that was several pages long and spent my initial hours with staff going through pre-op testing. I even had a video conference with the doctor and his staff to answer my billion questions and receive 2 years additional post-op Skype follow-up. I can barely get into my regular doc when I'm actually sick let alone if I have random questions.
I was given my complete chart, post-op notes, test results and x-rays to take home. The doctor will be visiting me in my room to check my incision sites both mornings before I leave.
The care and professionalism I've received here belies some of the ignorant elitist crap I've heard from people and I'm glad that I have an educated mind of my own to make informed decisions about my care. The insurance company who I pay premiums to, back in the good old US wasn't willing to help me; I'm sure glad I had options.

There are those folks in this forum who can expess the need for counselling with your doctors and nutritionist much more eloquenty and clinically than I can, so I will move on to what my original thought was when I first read your post.
Perhaps you need to think of the next phases not as a pre-op liquid diet and a high Protein diet bereft of your former culinary favorites, but as war! You are literally in a fight for your life (and your quality of life) until you reach your expiration date. Those of us who are in our sixties can attest to the fact that excess weight which is inconvenient and embarrassing in our thirties turns into arthritis, joint replacements, high blood pressure, strokes, immobility, heart attack, etc etc and the list goes on.
You are at a point where you can make so much more of difference now, and have a much longer, healthier, happier life. You will be more able to travel, enjoy family and social activities and become more present and involved in the world around you. At some point, the excess weight that is inconvenient can turn you into a shut-in as I am now, due to a stroke brought on by high blood pressure brought on by excess weight brought on by lack of control over my stomach's desire to hijack my brain.
If I can encourage you to do anything, it would be to find a private moment alone with your thoughts and without distraction. You are grown and no doubt smart and capable in many ways. Take on the devil on your shoulder and you be the one in control of your health and your future by being in control of you dietary choices, against all odds.
How would you encourage someone else who is two weeks behind you in this journey? This is one time in your life where you MUST NOT get tired of being strong. You deserve to be healthy and happy and active, but good health will not come knocking on your door. You are going to have to chase it down and put your name on it.
Please don't think of the pre-op liquid phase as a burden to bear. It is a right of passage and will be over in a few days. After you have your surgery, you will learn by doing and become quite adept at making smart choices and weighing and measuring and tracking. You can look forward to becoming a champion at this, well able to encourage others with confidence.
I cannot believe that come Christmas, I will pass my first year since my sleeve surgery. There were rough spots to be sure, and times when I thought I am not losing fast enough, but the scale keeps going downward, and I will take that as a good thing. Keep your chin up and trust in yourself to do a great job at this. You can always come here for encouragement when you are having a dark day.

I've had hard liquor and wine a couple times/month since 4 months post op. I have no clue if I gained temporarily when I did because I don't weigh myself that frequently. But since I'm 7 pounds under goal weight at 8 months postop I'm not about to second guess any of my choices.
Just one more reason to throw your scale away....guilt free enjoyment of libations!

Stalls? Massive weight gain? Huh. Glad my doctor didn't install those extra features into my sleeve. The couple of times I've imbibed heavily, I've "gained" 3-4 pounds over a weekend only to lose them by Tuesday. Just go back to plan and drink Water. I don't recommend heavy drinking regularly, but an occasional shindig won't hurt you.

time to move to washington or colorado! LOL! 0 calories.....

I am telling my boss I am having a sex change operation. She deserves that kind of information.

If anyone wants to be a WLS missionary, knock yourself out.
I'm not telling anyone!

I am 7 months out and have had no hairloss. I have very fine, thin, slow growing hair, so any loss would be noticeable. I did not take any extra Biotin. I do not use special shampoos. I've always gotten in all my Protein (except for the first 5 days after surgery). I take a very good whole food based Multivitamin, including enzymes and Probiotics, not chemically synthesized Vitamins. (You really can't imitate nature). And I was a happy, optimistic post op patient. I did not obsess over the scale or stalls. I didn't stress or whine over the diet restrictions. I even had the added physiological stress of a bad C. diff infection from a dental procedure 6 weeks after surgery that resulted in 2 months of diarrhea and required a fecal transplant to cure. Still....no hairloss.
So my "secret recipe" is Protein, good nutritional supplements, and above all, a good attitude.... But in the end, I think it's all a crapshoot. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen.