TakeTwo

Before you drink alcohol, look up the calories. You will be surprised. I've found that knowing the calorie count makes me less likely to indulge in alcoholic drinks. Before I knew the calorie count, I was more likely to have "just one" and depending on what kind that one drink was, I could be drinking up to half my entire calorie count for the day.
I have had beer, wine and mixed drinks since being sleeved. I don't drink as fast or as much as I used to do.
In social situations, I've found that I need to specifically tell the bartender or waiter to NOT bring me a drink if someone buys a round for the table. My drinks tend to get warm before I am able to finish them if I finish them.
When I am out socially, I have a few stand bys:
For beer, I usually get a Budweiser 55 because it is low in calories. It tastes OK.
Water with a shot of cranberry juice (no alcohol), but it looks like a mixed drink
Tomato juice (no alcohol)
Arnold palmers (tea and lemonade mixed, no alcohol)
Rum and coke (I've found that I tend to drink these slower than most drinks, especially if they are fixed strong.)

Things I've learned to avoid:
margaritas (too many calories)
Girly beers like Mike's Hard Lemonade, Mojitos, blueberry/lemonade drinks, etc. These start at about 220 calories and go up from there. I can drink them too fast, and about 3 of them over several hours will make me drunk enough that I want to go to bed. The Mike's berry flavored ones also give me a headache the next day even if I only had one, and I don't usually have headaches.
Fancy Shots (too many ingredients that are usually high in calorie)

I tend to mix my drinks up. I might start with a Budweiser 55, but for my second round, I will get Water with cranberry juice. It will be a couple of rounds before (if) I get another beer.
I don't drink wine when I'm out socially. I do have it at home in the evening sometimes. I've started pouring myself half a glass instead of a full glass.

I enjoyed various wines, beers, Hennessey, Crown Royal as well as other "adult beverages" prior to my surgery. I was a "social" drinker and could put back about 4-5 mixed drinks or glasses of wine before feeling REALLY good... My surgery was April 16th and tried my first drink which was wine at about 8 weeks out.. It BURNED my throat and didn't sit well at all. I tried a Crown n Ginger at about 12 weeks and still... not good.. the only drink I have tried that went down okay was Ciroc and pineapple with a splash of sprite. It took me about 2 hours to drink it but at this point I can honestly say that I don't even desire alcohol anymore..
Once you are sleeved you will notice that your tastes change when it comes to drinks or food.. Some of the foods and drinks that I enjoyed prior to my surgery I don't like at all now..
Not a big deal for me personally.... My boyfriend loves it!! I'm a cheap date AND the designated driver!!! LOL

Hey girlie!
I completely understand. For the longest prior to surgery I was in size 16/18 (mostly 18) even though I lost about 50ibs and kept it off for years. It took me losing another 30Ibs before I could firmly say I was a size 16 in the bottoms and 14 on dresses. I know that's strange. Sometimes these things are hard to explain its just the way God made us and we're all different. On the day of surgery I was squeezing into my old size 14 pants as I had lost during pre op. Today 7 weeks post op and 19Ibs down, I am firmly in a size 14 (whether its a dress or pants). I know it will take a while before I see size 12. I too am 5'7 and I'm hoping to reach a goal of 145/150. One thing I would say that has helped tremendously is the total body wieght training class I do at my gym. Especially when it comes to my thigh area. I also do a bunch of pilates/ toning exercises on a YT channel called FitnessBlender. I love that channel!! I understand you feeling you might bulk up as I initially feared that when it came to my thighs, but I'm quite proud of how toned they've become.

I've been doing yoga daily for over 5 years now. Nothing beats it. Yoga won't firm you up on it's own, it won't give you that 'yoga' body you see on TV. I know that because I've been as high as 284 pounds despite daily yoga.
What it will do is make everything else feel better. You can run, bike, swim, climb, lift, surf or anything else you like to do better than you did before and with less pain. It's the best way to prevent injury and recover from all other activities and life in general. in my opinion everyone can benefit from daily yoga.

I don't subtract exercise calories, but there's probably nothing wrong with it if you can estimate well enough.
I've actually added Protein and calories lately because I'm working out more and getting into a weight lifting routine.
I think any method is good as long as you're happy with your rate of loss and body composition. I'd rather lose a little more slowly and gain some muscle along the way to help balance things out.

@LBM - You are right about not having enough Protein and adding cheese and egg. But I also selected shrimp and crabmeat. For me I make sure to get at least 35gm of protein (with shake) during Breakfast. Then between two Snacks and dinner I'm getting in at least 25gms. so it doesn't hurt to have spinach salad for lunch you will at least get in 10gm. like I said if you add shrimp/chicken/tuna etc and eggs. what works for me is getting that protein in my shake in the morning. The rest I do through regular meals.

It depresses me that I turned down an awesome family cruise during Christmas just to avoid having to watch everyone eat their hearts out, and to avoid judgement.
I am afraid of possible unknown side effects of ghrelin deficiency.
As miserable as I've been post op, I tell everyone I've been great out of fear of the "I told you so" attitude.
I had dreams about food almost every night for the first 5 days post op lol
I miss Pasta, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, sweet iced tea, and awesome blossoms from Outback. I miss the carb coma feeling.
I look at clothing stores online and have contemplated buying a size 8 dress (I'm a 20).

Hey girlie!
I completely understand. For the longest prior to surgery I was in size 16/18 (mostly 18) even though I lost about 50ibs and kept it off for years. It took me losing another 30Ibs before I could firmly say I was a size 16 in the bottoms and 14 on dresses. I know that's strange. Sometimes these things are hard to explain its just the way God made us and we're all different. On the day of surgery I was squeezing into my old size 14 pants as I had lost during pre op. Today 7 weeks post op and 19Ibs down, I am firmly in a size 14 (whether its a dress or pants). I know it will take a while before I see size 12. I too am 5'7 and I'm hoping to reach a goal of 145/150. One thing I would say that has helped tremendously is the total body wieght training class I do at my gym. Especially when it comes to my thigh area. I also do a bunch of pilates/ toning exercises on a YT channel called FitnessBlender. I love that channel!! I understand you feeling you might bulk up as I initially feared that when it came to my thighs, but I'm quite proud of how toned they've become.

pre op I worked out almost everyday at the gym. I did everything from spinning classes, total body (weights), kickboxing and elliptical. Post op - I started walking from day one. I am now 4 weeks post op and was clear to hit the gym earlier this week. I have already done spinning, elliptical and yesterday Total body weight training class. I was able to lift 5 and 8 pound weights with no problems.

You all need to take your measurements NOW and then compare them during stalls. I walked out of my first pair of pants during my first stall. The pants fit one day and then fell off me the next day, even though the scale stayed the same. You really can't "break" a stall unless you're stalled because you're eating too much.
Basically, our bodies are adjusting to the changes we've made. When we stop eating so much and start adding hydration, the body says "Whoa!" and tries to hold onto the weight because it thinks we are in a famine of some kind. Once the body metabolism resets itself, you will drop weight, and usually dramatically.
Those stalls are when I lose sizes and inches, always. I'm learning not to dread stalls but to look for the NSVs (non scale victories) during them.

What drives me crazy is my scale. It is a decent digital scale. And for the last 4 days I have weighed the exact same thing to the 1/10th of a pond. The odds of that are astronomical. A few weeks ago it gave me identical readings for three days - ten boom, I lost like 3 pounds in 2 days. Hopefully, I am on the edge of another 3 pound drop.
Bottomline - The scales are in a wicked conspiracy to keep us unhappy. They somehow know when we are vulnerable and then they just give us the same weight day after day.... and they laugh about it. The fact that your scale has maliciously added 2 pounds means you have an especially evil scale. Probably a conspiracy ring leader. I say we round them up and throw them in a dumpster tobe free from their evil tyranny. (although mine cost $75, maybe I will just have a talk with it) .....Sushhhh, I hear the black helicopters, they must be reading my e-mail.
Good luck. I am sure you will be losing again in no time.

So, here is what I know from my experience, FWIW.
It was suggested to me that better endurance translates to easier recovery from major surgery. I had a membership to the health club for years, but did not go religiously. However, one month prior to surgery, I started hitting it hard. To increase my endurance, I did elliptical and spinning classes almost daily. 45 minutes minimum. Started low, but after the month, I was able to go for 45 minutes at a pretty high level. I would go over to the weights occassionally when I had time and was able to increase my weights by the end of the month.
Day of surgery (I was outpatient in Vegas, baby!) after taking a nap back at the hotel, I walked around downtown Vegas for a couple miles and took the wife out to dinner. Next day, we were all over the strip walking at least 5 miles. Same thing the next day, maybe even more. I felt great. I knew that my cardio workouts played a large role in my being able to do this. At my appt with my surgeon before I left town, I told him all this and he just laughed saying how incredible it was to do what I was doing. He believed it was my preparation that was responsible for this.
Now, when I got home, things were definitely reduced that first month or so. As Butter says, you cannot build muscle on a calorie deficeit. For starters, muscle can only be built from Protein, which is just about impossible to meet quota for the first few weeks post-op. Your calorie intake is so low, it can be tough to muster up enough energy just to make it through the day let alone take on a serious workout. Napping took priority over working out.
Fast forward two months post-op and I add walking/jogging around the neighborhood to the workout regimen dropping elliptical in favor or high intenstity interval training. As you can see from my signature, I'm dropping weight like crazy during this time. Almost too fast, if truth be told as my excess skin is really starting to show up. I am sagging from places you just don't want to sag. I have definitely lost muscle mass, but I am lifting weights and taking in over 100 g of Protein daily. Buuuut ... still only getting about 900 calories a day. It is just difficult to get it all in.
6 months in I run my first 5K and actually do really well. Inspires me to try to be a runner. I basically only run and do HIIT and weight lift about twice a week. I cheat the rules of the sleeve to get extra calories in (drinking while eating) to be able to support my running efforts. I'm still dropping weight, but at this time, I feel pretty confident all of my weight loss is fat as I am able to increase my weights on the lifting side of things.
One year out and I've been at goal for several months. My exercise has been sidelined with knee issues, but I follow the sleeve rules pretty tight, so I am able to maintain. In my last 5 races, I have either won or come in 2nd in my division. I had never even ran a mile before in my life. Never had an interest in running, even hated it, to be honest. But, I don't think there are a lot of obese people who like running ... know what I mean?
What am I trying to say? This all started with cardio endurance training 1 month prior to my surgery. I know this was the basis for my recovery and transistion to a healthier lifestyle. Weight lifting ... yes, but only after I completed my cardio.
Good luck and keep us all posted on how you do.

Just take a deep breath and it will be alright. I am 3 weeks out today and I think you are doing great. From reading this site EVERYONE has stalls.
I have lost almost 15 lbs from my surgery on the 17th and everyday the scale is different (I know I shouldn't weigh everyday but sometimes can't help myself ) . Your body probably needed time to readjust after your initial loss and from surgery....with as little as we are taking in you WILL lose weight. We can drive ourselves crazy with how much. I think a lot of people think that once we have the surgery we will drop huge amounts of weight over a short time. 14 pounds is a lot to lose in 1 month. Just don't be so hard on yourself this isn't a race (so I keep telling myself ) but a journey.
If you ever feel the need to just talk it out feel free to pm me. We are strong for having made it this far and will continue to get stronger along the way!!!

You will be successful! You will lose the weight! You are losing weight. The amount of exercise you are doing is great. You are probably gaining muscle. This is good and I think you know this. Muscle weighs more than fat, so you may not be seeing a huge drop in the scale, but you will. All that new muscle will also increase your metabolism. It's all good!
Also, at week four, as you have read on the forum, things slow WAY down for a while and may even stop. I experienced this. Your body is readjusting to the initial weight loss. You are probably losing inches. It will pick back up again. My doctor was really happy with an average weight loss of 2-3 lbs a week. Prior to surgery, we would have been thrilled with this rate also! Try to look at your average over a month rather than looking at each week. I will see a sudden drop in the scale, then it's back up the next day, then it is down one more, then same....But when I look back over time, I am losing an average of 3 lbs a week.
You are not the first one to think this will not work for them and you will not be the last. I have had the same thoughts. Just keep up the fantastic work you are doing. It is obvious you are sticking with the plan! You will do great. My prediction is you will have some rockin' 6 month post op photos posted five months from now!!