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Most greek yogurts have fairly equal protein levels. I eat a 2% fat one, you can also get 0% and you can get higher. The key is to stay away from the flavored ones. Typically, they are sweetened with sugar and higher in calories and carbs. I buy plain and sweeten it myself with sugar free syrups (torani, davinci) and a little liquid stevia. You are early out, take this time to learn new ways of eating. I am a firm believer that if you do not change anything, you will not be successful in the long term. However, you have to make changes you can live with for a lifetime. Good Luck!

First of all, you have not failed, you are just getting started. Give yourself some slack, it is a huge learning curve. A stall around the 3 week mark is totally normal. Another poster had a great article about what our bodies are doing and why we stall early out....search 3 week stall and you should be able to find it. Now, you should be following your post-op guidelines from your surgeon...600 to 800 calories is not bad and you will lose. The only thing I would say is crackers and chips are high in sodium which causes Water retention...this might explain the small gain. Plus, they are what is called a "slider" food...which means they mush up significantly as you eat them and in your stomach, thus allowing you to eat more. Because of this, you take in a lot more carbs and calories. I know you start to feel like you just want to chew something, but it is best to stick to your liquids and better sources of Protein. I am not sure where you are in your post-op, but if you are in mushy stage, you could have scrambled eggs, greek yogurt (amazing source of protein), Protein shakes, and on some diets, ground meats chewed well. Good luck on your journey and like others have said, try to relax. I know it is hard, we all want to lose all our weight in 2 or 3 months, but the fact is it doesn't usually happen that fast. Just stick to the plan and you will lose!

I am glad that you rescheduled your appointment just to talk. You are still not committing yourself, but you are getting informed, and that is the best starting place. If you decide not to get the sleeve, at least you know you have done your research. I was 31 when I got my surgery. I also had ZERO healthy issues. My cholesterol was low, my blood pressure was low, my blood sugar was normal, other than being overweight, I was normal. However, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart problems ALL run in my family. I knew it was just a matter of time before it would probably happen to me. My mom was in her thirties when she developed high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. I didn't want to wait until I already had problems, I wanted to prevent them. I had 2 very young children (14 months and 3 yrs) when I went to have the surgery done. I was scared leaving them, what if I didn't some back...but deep down I knew this was the right thing to do. I have not regretted it for a moment since I had it done almost 2 years ago. I am healthy, and, for the first time in my life, I am happy with myself. Yes, I also got it done not only for my health, but also for my self-esteem. I wanted to look better too. I didn't want to be stared at and made fun of walking down the street. I wanted to shop in normal stores, I wanted to feel normal. Like others have said, continue to research. Read all the positive stories on here too. All the NSV's. Of course there are risks and complications, and despite them being very low, they can happen. So you have to go into this with open eyes. Whatever decision you decided to make, just make sure it is the right one for you. Best of luck!

I am 22 months post op and still do it sometimes...I am a slow learner too!! It only happens when something tastes oh so good, and I think the same thing...one more bite can't hurt. Oh, then it hurts something terrible!

I am wondering if you are having bad heartburn. That is pretty common after surgery. Do you take anything like a proton pump inhibitor (PPI)? Many people have to take them after surgery. A PPI stops your stomach from producing acid. I would talk to your doctor about it.

I am almost 2 years post op, and yes, you can eat normal, and it feels normal. The only thing I would like to mention though is if you are eating to the point that you are feeling pain, you are either eating too fast (which it doesn't sound like you are) or you might be eating just a little too much. I am not sure how far out your are, but even 1 bite early out can be too much. I still experience pain if I eat too much (yes, it happens, I'm not perfect). But as your stomach heals and the swelling goes down, you will be able to eat a little more. Eating to me now feels no different than it did pre-surgery.

read the link in Butterbean's signature. It is GREAT information. Stalls are totally normal and almost everyone goes through a stall at around 3 weeks. The important thing is not to sweat it. Just relax, keep doing what you are doing, and it will come off. And my biggest piece of advice, DO NOT COMPARE. There will be people that lose faster, there will be people that lose slower. If you start to compare, you will drive yourself crazy and be miserable. Celebrate your own success and be proud of yourself for your accomplishments!

Very eloquent response!

I hear you! I am honestly not sure if there is anything you can do. It is a really hard area to target, but search for inner thigh exercises and you might come up with some. I know that you can get them lifted too, but I heard that it is one of the worst spots to have plastic surgery done.

Personally, I think your doctor is off his rocker! The average weight loss in the first month (as I was told by my surgeon) was 10-20lbs. Now, of course there are lots of variables, and the more you have to lose, the more will come off in the first few months. My stats were very similar to yours and although I can't remember exact numbers, I lost between 20 and 25 lbs my first month! What a way to discourage you and make you feel like a failure. You have done awesome!

You are right, they vary wildly in quality. If you read the labels, many of them are nothing more than candy bars in disguise. I don't eat many, but one I don't mind is Quest. They are fairly low calorie, low carb, high fiber and high protein. I find they taste the best warmed up in the microwave. They are a different texture than your typical bar, no fake chocolate coating and on the chewy side.

So I have read through all the posts on here, and I agree on some and disagree on others. I am getting close to my 2 yr anniversary, so I am not sure if that allocates me as a veteran, but I do think have a more experience than some. Here is my take. The rules are there to help people develop new habits. I used my first 6 months to develop new eating habits that I could live with. Did you read that part, that I could LIVE with. I do worry about some of the people on here that go to absolute extremes with post-op diet, obsessing over every calorie, carb or Protein gram that passes their lips. Neilsleeve, you are correct in that. We were all good at diets, but diets are not something that you can live with forever. I never counted or weighed anything. BUT, I did use that time, like I said, to form a new routine, a new way of looking at food, and a new way of eating. I think telling people to go out and eat whatever they want is not good advice. Like ButtertheBean said, there are the people out there that have not dealt with their issues and are just waiting for someone to say it is ok to eat a chip. I don't think people can go into this surgery expecting to not change a single thing and have a positive result. Sure, you will lose weight. Will you reach your goal, maybe, maybe not. Will you be able to maintain, chances are probably not. The further out you are, the more you can eat. And trust me, although it is nothing compared to what a person could eat pre-op, if you aren't careful, you can eat a substantial amount. And if you continue to eat foods that are unhealthy, you are going to be in trouble. How do I know, I have seen it. I have seen others that have went through the same program that I have. They have not changed anything. Eating chips and crackers, eating fries everyday and justifying it by saying, well, I can just eat a little. And some of those people have lost the weight, only to start to regain. Maybe not the 100lbs that they lost, but all of a sudden they have put 20 or 30 lbs back on, which is harder to lose 2 years out than 2 months out. It takes 1 year to form a new habit, take the first post op year to form yours. I do completely agree with the obsessing. Now, you have to do what works for you. But, cutting out complete food groups or going to eating extremes does not form a healthy relationship with food nor do I think that it is sustainable for the long term. If I like Bananas and I post a recipe with Bananas, I am not asking you to come on here and preach to me about how "fattening" bananas are. Do they have carbs? Yes. Are they higher in calories than other fruits? Yes. Are they unhealthy? No. If your world is consumed by every morsel you are putting in your mouth, you are going to be miserable. Like I said, I have never counted anything, and I have never dieted. But I also know my trigger foods and do not keep them in my house. Does that mean I never have anything that would be classed as a treat? Hell no! I have ice cream, I have chocolate, and I have chips. They key is, I only have small amounts and I do not have them often. The key here is healthy, lifelong changes, not diets. The last point I would like to make, and sorry for the long post, but it was touched on, is the guilt and shame around food. We have spent our whole lives feeling guilty and made to feel bad about what we eat. It creates a vicious cycle of eating something we think we shouldn't, feeling guilty and beating ourselves up, and then eating more to shove down the pain of the guilt. The sleeve is an opportunity to develop a healthy relationship with food. And it is not easy. There are days that I still struggle. But I have worked very hard at putting those feelings in their place. If I have a few chips, should I feel bad about it. No? If I eat half a bag of chips, should I feel bad? Equally, no. Learn from it and use it as a chance to change. Tomorrow is a new day and use that new day to make better choices. Let's stop beating ourselves up and berating ourselves every day. I am not going to let food define who I am anymore.

I buy the plain stuff and then sweeten it myself with sugar free syrups (DaVinci or Torani) and liquid stevia. No added sugar other than the sugars that occur naturally in dairy.

You could also try the Jello Sugar Free pudding mix cheesecake flavor spread on graham crackers, maybe a little sweeter than straight cream cheese. Sounds yummy thought, I will have to try it!

Same as above. It is to shrink your liver. When they go into do the surgery, the liver is in the way, and overweight people tend to have larger livers. When you go a very restrictive liquid diet, it shrinks the liver. It reduces the risks and complications of surgery (just google "liquid diet to shrink liver). So as difficult as it is, know that you are doing it for the safety of yourself. It has nothing to do with losing weight or looking good before/after surgery...that is just usually an added benefit to the liquid diet. The program I went through, the higher your BMI, the longer your liquid diet. Some people have had to go on as long as 4 weeks. Best of luck, you can do it!

Congratulations! You look amazing and I am so glad that you did this! I don't think there is anything reserved for people that have reached goal. And hang onto 1 pair of those pants. I go rid of everything except 1 pair of my biggest pair of pants. Whenever I feel down about myself, I pull them out and remind myself about how far I have really come!

It is new territory for them. My husband made comments like that too (and, as I said, has a little healthy jealousy!). I have told him over and over that he is my everything and he never ever has to worry!

I think despite what the media tells us, there are men and women out there that find a full figure attractive and sexy! My hubby has loved me and has found me attractive no matter what size I have been.

I am always blown away by what people think is ok to say! I am glad that you are putting a positive spin on it and are using such a nasty comment as motivation! You will be gorgeous!

I was told about 3 months. You have to be careful because of the husks in the kernals. Eating it too early and they can get stuck in your sutures. I love popcorn and have continued eating it after surgery. You just have to enjoy in small quantities. It is a slider food, which means you can eat a lot of it (think of a wet piece of popcorn, how small and mushy it gets!). And like the above person mention, if you can pop your own, that is the best. Then you can control what is going on it.

He is most likely worried. I know my husband was, but it was very supportive and still is to this day. He actually has a little bit of a harder time now because I am getting more attention from other men and it makes him jealous...which he hasn't really had to be in the last 12 years! But when I ask him if he thinks I am too skinny now, he always says no and that it makes him so happy to see that I am finally happy and confident with myself. The only thing he has fessed up to missing is my big boobs! But he is also very willing to pay for new ones (I want them...he is not arguing!).

I am so sorry that you have had to endure this. You can hear a million times that the chance of a leak is so tiny (1%), but you never think it will happen to you. And it can happen with the most experience surgeon. I am praying for you and a speedy recovery. I know 2 others that have had leaks, and it is a long road to recovery, but you have made it past the worst of it. And I know it sounds crazy, but the 2 people I know still say that they do not regret having the surgery. I hope in the end you will feel better than ever! Take care!

Problems with excess acid are common. Go talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for a good PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitor). It stops the stomach from producing acid and should help.

i don't think a small amount of sugar is going to be a deal breaker, the problem is when it becomes a slippery slope. I have been trying to get away from artificial sweeteners and i have found a stevia product that I love! It is NOW Bitter Stevia non better alcohol free extract. I find no bitter taste with it and it works amazing! I sweeten my drinks with it, my yogurt, everything! I have heard that coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index and works well, but it is expensive and I have not tried it. Try a few natural sweeteners and see how you do! Good Luck!

I am almost 2 years post op, and you will be able to eat normally again. In the very beginning, she is right (although everyone is different). You can literally only eat a couple of tiny bites. It is because your stomach is extremely swollen from the surgery. As it heals, you will be able to eat more. Just remember to eat slowly and chew well in the beginning. Go to fast and it will all be coming back up.