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My go-to breakfasts: part of an over-microwaved all natural hot dog (or turkey dog), w/o the skin (the skin is hard to digest but when over-cooked in the microwave til it pops, the innards are yummier!) -- I eat maybe 1/2 to 3/4 depending all natural (not starched up) cottage cheese with a tiny bit of sugar-free jam - 1/4 to 1/3 cup canned tuna with salt, pepper, garlic powder & a bit of cheese melted on top - like a tuna melt - 1-2 oz some leftover meat from the day before, possibly chopped up in some soup Cottage cheese is more solid AND has more protein than greek yogurt, even tho it's super easy to eat, so it's a real winner. Tuna is also super high in protein and yet easy on the tum.

Meggie, sorry to hear you so frustrated! That sucks! I second the advice to EAT MORE VARIETY. Ever heard of the Shangri-La Diet? Goofya** name but written by an actual scientific researcher, who found out a lot of interesting things about the body's weight set point. Imagine your body has a setting like a thermostat for its weight. When the thermostat is turned down, you will drop weight. When it's turned up, you gain. When the weight is the same as the setting, you stay the same. And the body fights for whichever setting you've got. The researcher found that DITTO FOODS -- eating the same foods over & over, esp processed foods which are consistent in flavor -- actually RAISED the body's set point for weight. Because the body is all, "Hey, now is a time of plenty, cuz I can find and catch the same food over & over again." So change it up! Add spices. Add Peanut Butter. Eat something different. Ever tried turkey or chicken pounded flat and poached in milk, yogurt or cream? With a little garlic, salt and pepper? My mother-in-law prepared that for me a week ago and it was awesome. And very soft, blended up with a single small boiled potato.

bilka, my perspective: Your husband is used to controlling you and you've been letting him. When you started defying him, he changed the topic and tried to make it sexual to cover up his lack of control. Now you defied him and had the surgery, he is punishing you by withholding sex. Sound familiar?

BlackBerryJuice, I'm sorry you had such a shitty time in school. The best revenge is for you to get over it. It's not easy, but if I can do it, you can do it too. There's a book that saved my life and helped me let go of all my obsessing over past and presents hurts, and actually live my life - you should check it out. It's the audio book version of "When Things Fall Apart" by Pema Chodron. It's secular (non-religious) Buddhism and has really helped some of the folks I've given copies to.

LADIES, BEWARE: Depo provera can cause GLUCOSE INTOLERANCE, which is a type of pre-diabetes -- which is why so many women gain ridiculous amounts of weight on it! They call this an ultra rare side effect, but anecdotally, most women I know who have taken depo have commented on their tremendous weight gain and then said something like "but it was probably because I ate too much." IMO, that is too pat to ignore! new_beginnings, my husband & I use condoms because I am never going to take hormonal BC again after what depo did to me. When I'm thinner, I am going to get a non-hormonal IUD. They are very effective, tho not perfect, however, no nasty hormones to mess up your body. If you tolerate hormones well (tho, to me, it sounds like you don't -- you maybe just don't believe those are side fx you're having)... have you looked into 'the ring'? NuvaRing is the name. It is a tiny amount of hormones that are "local" (allegedly) because you insert it into your vagina. One important thing is to check if there's a "weight limit" above which the drug is not concentrated enough to work (but I bet there isn't since it is local).

coops, which holiday season?! You mean this summer? Remember that if you go someplace sunny and affordable in Europe, you're going to probably be around a lot of fat french and germans Sure, more europeans are thinner than americans, but it's been my experience that (with the exception of Italy & Spain) even the skinny people are not as intimidating as in the US because they're not so INTO it. And there are lots of overweight older people, esp germans and frenchmen/women, who are wrinkly, totally shameless, will walk around in tiny speedos and take off their tops, etc. (And I'm using "shameless" as a good thing here!) So you might even feel more comfortable in Europe than at home. I know I do!

clk, I'm sorry that happened to you but so glad you figured it out and feel better now! Me, I know BC is evil. Haha. Let me add my voice to the cautionary tale choir: I started taking depo provera shots (that last 3 mos) as a 15yo cuz I knew I was not responsible enough to remember to take a pill every day. Sadly that was the WRONG decision, since I had such a host of side fx that I assumed were "just me" -- depression, etc. -- until the drug finally made me paranoid. It also gave me a rare blood sugar side effect which caused me to gain >100lbs in extremely short order (about 15 mos). No doctor I told believed me, just told me I was eating too much, even when I ate nothing but 2 bowls of rice a day for a week and gained. And, when I finally quit the depo, it took 18 mos to get my period back. Now at 27 my skin is all white-on-white tiger striped with extreme stretchmark scarring and I have 113lbs left to lose. Hormones are scary, scary ****. I am definitely not taking any ever again if I can avoid it! And I always tell all my girlfriends that they should run screaming from depo or anything that lasts in the body after you stop taking it.

To contradict what Tiffykins (don't hate me and a couple others have said: It's not "punishing" your spouse if you ask him to eat fast food somewhere else. Nope. Not at all. Imagine if you were a recovering alcoholic just a month in. Would it be "punishing" your spouse to ask him not to drink a whole bottle of your favorite wine in front of you? No. That would be reasonable. It would be unreasonable to ask him to not drink at all (or not eat fast food at all), because YOU can't at all. THAT would be bratty. But that's not what you're talking about. You are fighting an addiction and you want your husband to help you steer clear of it until you get yourself under better control. That is totally fine, not bratty. Is it possible that part of the reason this hurts you so much is because you otherwise don't feel very cherished and supported by your husband on your journey?

Day Dreamer, no way you could rupture your stomach with one extra bite or expanding rice. You are not a seagull. That said, it seems like a very bad idea to eat too much while the stomach is still healing (first 6 mos, everybody says...). But, I have accidentally taken an extra bite at several meals (I feel nothing at all til it's too late) and it felt a bit tight and then came right back up. No acid, just the chewed food.

Sorry to hear that, Raine! Maybe it'll keep tasting better as time goes on. I really wonder about the "tastes change" thing. None of mine have. Everything I've had so far was exactly as enjoyable as it was post-op (minus the chewing to liquid and tiny sips part, of course). It makes me wonder... is it more normal to have tastes change, or not? Could it be related to sleeve size? (Mine is euro, definitely bigger than current American/Canadian/UK/Mexican sizes). Could it be just the opposite of conditioning... like how it took quite a while to learn to like coffee/beer/soda to start with, and when you don't have them for a month or so, your tastes reset? (Definitely had that when I quit drinking diet soda, pre-sleeve. Afterwards, it tasted like lighter fluid!) I also didn't go nearly as long as other folks before being able to drink coffee etc., another Euro difference. No point to it, just curious

Been there! You will feel SO much better when you get to mushies. Don't jump the gun, but just know that this will definitely pass

Go you!!

I am 2 weeks post-op! On a different plan than most because I had my surgery here in Austria; I did not have a prolonged liquids or mushies stage after surgery. They transitioned me to mushies in the hospital (they kept me a week, that's just what they do). I haven't felt hungry but about once, and I bet that was acid. After surgery, I went 4 days without eating anything at all! Or drinking anything at all - they gave me IV fluids and that was it. I wasn't hungry; it was incredible to me. However, once they gave me broth and I started to feel better, I started to obsess about food. But I still didn't feel hungry. It's like the stomach wasn't there at all -- no feeling in the belly for food, none of those craving "pulls" I would get where I felt like my tummy was about to jump out of my throat and eat stuff all by itself, hehe. Just in the head. It was very weird! As soon as I got to eat some semi-solid foods, though, those cravings pretty much disappeared and I haven't been hungry since. Just wanted you to know that most people do the "obsess about food" thing when they are on liquids but find they are no longer obsessing when they can actually, you know, eat something. I was worried it meant the surgery didn't work for me, but obviously it did!

Woohoooo!! PS - my surgeon specifically said "DON'T EAT ASPARAGUS." It is one of the most fibrous & hardest to digest veggies. As long as you don't have ongoing symptoms, it was probably just an asparagus thing. Don't let it taint your AWESOME MILESTONE Just back off on the ultra-Fiber veggies til later

Myrori, you rock! Especially in such a shitty situation. 106 lbs lost… that is amazing! And it's mostly you, just a little bit the sleeve. That's what we know that the "not going under the knife" people don't know. Ha. The easy way, right? RIGHT! How many weeks of liquid and mushies and endless different types of bland Protein and acid and diarrhea and constipation and... well, you know. Not to mention the crap that we have to go thru BEFORE surgery. Seriously, you rule. Pat yourself on the back. 106lbs is a whole person you lost. As for your husband... I'm so sorry. Sometimes people really don't love us for who we are (and especially who we are becoming), but how we reflect on them

My nutritionist definitely said that <700-800 calories a day, you risk setting yourself up for rebound because the body will adjust -- starvation mode, or crisis mode, as it may be. If I were you, I'd consider upping my calories. You can do it with a little creative thinking. Add some nice cheese to your tuna or egg, a little healthy olive oil, or even a little butter, Peanut Butter, or soft Beans.

Pamela, the 1200-1400 range is what most people consider maintenance! If you are sedentary and not very muscular or very overweight, you don't need more than 1600 calories a day to maintain your weight... maybe less, even. If I were you, I'd look closely at the carbs in the Protein Bars and wheat thins. If it's not less than 30-40g/day, I'd cut something out. Have you tried rebooting to 20g/day for a couple weeks -- for low carb Atkins-style induction? Then, if that doesn't get things moving, cut down your calories a little. Say back to 1100 then 1000 then 950 to see how it goes. You also might try Wii Fit for home exercise. I get bored of exercise really easily and don't like exercise equipment (you can do only one thing with it? boring!), but the Wii Fit is fun and it helps you track how much exercise you do every day, makes it into a game. It's got yoga, aerobics, balance games, and muscle-building exercises as well -- worth the investment. I told myself I was allowed to start with just 5 minutes a day, then 10, then 15, then 20... worked my way up, so there was never that whole "I'M GONNA GET FIT YEAH, STARTING NOW I WILL EXERCISE AN HOUR A DAY, I WILL BE PERFECT!" delusion. Cuz it never, ever works FYI: I'm a newbie to the sleeve, but not to stalls in general.

Joy35, I was obsessed with food from about day 3 til I could start eating semi-solid foods. I was so worried that it wasn't working for me, but now I don't feel any hunger at all. You'll probably obsess about food (and "feel hungry") until you can actually eat some. But then you'll get over it, I promise. The questions about pills & how long on liquids.... you really need to ask your surgeon or nutritionist those questions. Didn't they tell you anything?

MystrysA, I think I'm a younger you. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue (developed after a virus in July 2009 that wouldn't go away), in lots of pain, weird Vitamin deficiencies, unable to move move, not really having any kind of eating disorder or being a junk food junkie, just ate... too much. Too much GOOD food, but still too much. As part of (either cause or symptom) my chronic fatigue, I have very very bad chronic sinusitis... the swelling in my sinuses is almost completely solid (flesh, ew), and my immune system is constantly activated due to it, chronic inflammation too, but the same immune system wouldn't respond to minor things and I have caught EVERYTHING, had seriously crazy immune system overreactions to new/minor allergens, ended up in the ER after having a brand new food allergy, etc. I weighed about 308lbs (sans Water weight) and 312 with, just before surgery. In short: I'm a freakin mess. BUT there's an upside! I just had my sleeve on May 25 and I am already so glad I did. It caused a minor fibro flare but that's already died down. You know what's freaky? My sinuses are less clogged. They used to lock up like cement at night, or any other time I laid down, no matter where. That has improved immensely, just over a week later. The puffy black swelling around my eyes is almost gone too. For whatever reason, this surgery really works. And I feel "free" of food. My surgeon lets me have mushy foods this early out (9 days) and honestly? It's great. I don't want to eat everything. I love it. I already feel much better physically AND I feel more free. So, I'm obviously no doctor, but based on my experience, it sounds like you're making the right decision. The one other thing that's helped me is a book which you should absolutely buy, called From Fatigued to Fantastic. It's by a doctor who specializes in cfs/fms, and I've started some of his suggestions (Desyrel to improve my sleep, Diflucan to work against yeast in the sinuses/gut, D-Ribose and Magnesium for the muscles, Rhodiola Rosea for energy... had to stop that for a few weeks before/after surgery cuz it's a blood thinner tho!) and they have helped immensely as well. It's been a real life saver for me. It helped me feel human again before surgery. Please send me a private message if I can help you with anything fibro-and-sleeve related!!

They injected me the whole week I was in the hospital. (That's just how long they keep people here.) The trick is to inject it really slowly. If it burns a lot, if you get a big bruise, you're not doing it right! The good news is, slow will sting a lot less

Hey, successful sleevers... can you tell me what your target calorie numbers were for the losing period? My doc waved his hand and said something about "a thousand," but that is way higher than anything I've heard from anyone else, AND he is operating under the assumption that I will need another operation (like RxY) to "finish" the weight loss. Well, I'll be damned if I do. He may be a brilliant surgeon but he is clearly not invested in my personal success off the operating table. No way I am going to swap my fully functional little stomach for a reroute. Your guidance is appreciated.. especially if you've lost around 100lbs or more. Possibly useful factoids: I'm 27, 5'6", 295lbs & sleeved May 25. I need to lose about 120-135lbs (I was a trim size 8 at 165lbs when I was 16). I have a hard time being very active because of fibromyalgia (ex: there is no way I can take up weightlifting any time soon). Thank you so much!

ChubbyBritneySpears, you said you're worried cuz your hair is your best asset... well, not to be rude, but is that maybe because of the excess weight you carry around? Chances are you're gonna have a lot more great assets when you're a healthy size I also love my long, beautiful hair, but it's not worth the enlarged organs & daily suffering. I got sleeved last week.

Okay, prepare for hard-line advice... You do not "maybe" need IV fluids, YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED IV FLUIDS. RIGHT NOW. 20oz a day is not enough to live on. It is not enough to protect you from DEADLY consequences of dehydration. Without enough Water, your major organs eventually fail, your blood pressure will drop, and you will die. Of course you're tired. If you get help now, there's every chance that you will be FINE. But you CANNOT WAIT. Call your doctor and tell him how much you are able to drink, AGAIN, and tell him that now he is definitely aware, on record, of how little Fluid you can take in, and if he does not treat you with IV fluids immediately, you're quite sure it will be considered malpractice. If he does not take care of you IMMEDIATELY -- "come in right now" -- then you must go to the ER. You should have at least 2L of isotonic fluids/day until you feel better. Maybe you need more, because you're in such bad shape. I'm not a doctor, but I know a lot about dehydration. When I was in the hospital post-op, I was given 4 L/day of fluids and then told to drink 2 L/day. Then, after you have enough liquid in you to start feeling better, find another doctor. (And you really ought to file a complaint with the medical board, too, because he is endangering your life with his stupidity.)

Seriously. Fire him!

I haven't hit the "first month or so" yet but I did no preop diet and I'm down 19lbs on day 9. Based on major weight fluctuations the week before surgery (due to new blood pressure meds), I am sure 4-5lbs of that was pure water. So 14lbs right after When I hit my stall, I'll let you know!