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Awesome !!!!! The real work actually begins now.....following the pre-op diet. Things are fairly simple and easy after the surgery.....just eat what you are supposed to in the manner you are supposed to. No more....no less. Very simple. No hunger. No real work. Stay on track and enjoy your results.

Great thread.....always makes me grin to read the cool stories in here. Well.....had a NSV myself yesterday. I put on a pair of cargo shorts and shirt and wore 'em out and about on my excursions. The NSV part of this is that I haven't worn shorts outside of the house in years.....years. Oh, and the shirt.....was a size that I didn't think I'd be able to wear until late this coming Summer. It's actually too baggy right now. Fun stuff.

You are far, far from alone. You've found a great place to hang out and bounce thoughts and ideas around with folks that have been where you are. It absolutely sucks to not have family support. That is something that is beyond your span of control. Right now it's time to rally and focus. Don't worry about things that you have no direct control over. Simply take care of the details that you can.....such as getting all your ducks in a row leading up to surgery.....following your eating plan and getting your mind wrapped firmly about the changes that you're making to claim your health. Any type of surgery has risks. I've heard the spiel each time I went under for repairs to my knees, ankle, hernia repairs and etc. Each time I woke up feeling relieved that it was over and all that was left was to heal and recover. I'm a special kind of stupid, though, in that I'm always tearing something up in some misadventure or another. Oh well......having fun has it's risks, too. Nothing is as risky as living at the weight I was last year, though. The Grim Reaper's shadow was creeping over me. Stroke, heart attack or worse was a real threat. Now......nothing could be further from my mind. The sleeve was a gift. The benefits it has delivered have been rolling in ever since. It starts with small things....scale moving in a great direction, clothes getting loose, aches and pains subsiding.......then it leads to other events.......having blood pressure go into normal range, after falling into "low" range briefly....lol at those low bp feels....never before had I experienced it. I was at Best Buy reaching down to get a CD from the lower shelf and I almost.....almost blacked out. It took a huge effort to get upright and breathing. Turns out my bp meds and the 3 week post-sleeve weight loss had joined forces bigtime. Funny stuff. I will wager this for you...........Those unsupportive folks will change their tune once they see your resolve. They will see that you aren't waiting around for a miracle, but taking steps and applying your effort and focus to make this happen. They can't help but be impressed by your dedication and work. It takes dedication and effort on your part of the sleeve to work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The stuff about being able to eat anything the first year and still lose lots of weight is bullcrap. It may apply to some.....but not to everyone. Eating the right foods is the crucial part for me. Sugars and starches will cause my losing to stop and weight gain to occur. I know this because I've had it happen last month. No.....losing weight takes effort on your part.....with or without wls. Once your family sees you putting forth this effort every single day.....and your weight coming off......they will most likely come around to supporting you. Don't hold your breath, though......just do your thing. Get healthy and reap the benefits of getting there. You'll find your stride and never look back. I have nothing but respect for you making this change. You are young and have a great life waiting for you. Don't sweat the pre-op diet and post-op first weeks......simply stick with the plan and work through it. It's a brief phase and you'll get on to losing very quickly if you stick with it. Go buy a full length mirror and get ready to see the progress....take lots of pictures along the way so you'll never forget what happens if you don't stay with the plan......and then look back and see how far you came and how good you feel. You've got this. Your new life is waiting......

Excellent thread topic. I'm looking forward to seeing the responses. I'm far, far away from maintenance mode....but it sure is cool to think about it. I have tremendous respect for you both and for the others that will be replying and sharing their secrets to success. Good stuff to contemplate this glorious sunrise with a cup of coffee in hand.

One of my favorites is to by some Haas avocados, red onion, tomato, cilantro and limes. Slice, dice and mix with a bit of S&P and enjoy the guacamole that results. Love this stuff.

I stayed on Protein shakes for 4 weeks and was glad to avoid the "mashed potatoes" phase. I know that slider foods would be a temptation issue. So glad I avoided them. Now....I'm at 4.5 months and my surgeon has me on 3-4 meals a day.....each consisting of 1/2 cup of food. "Food" for me is defined as chicken breast, tuna, salmon, steak, sandwich meat & cheese, nuts and other high protein foods.

Quest chips are good to go in my book ! If you really wanna make 'em great.........mix up a fresh batch of guacamole and a pitcher of skinny margaritas and let the good times roll. FWIW......it takes some exceptional music....at least an album's worth to slice, dice and stir a proper batch of guacamole......thirsty work. A pitcher of skinny 'ritas should suffice for said efforts. All that is required is a bag of Quest chip goodness and somebody to enjoy them with.

Great thread !!!!

Stay the course......my 2 weeks was Protein shakes only. I'm glad of that. It kept things very simple. Just 3-4 Premier Protein Shakes per day with all the Water and non calorie drink I wanted. No actual food. Being able to have any type of food would have made it more difficult, IMHO. It would have opened the door to temptation and then I'd have to be all about portion control and etc....during that phase. You are in the toughest part. It's a test. Gut check time. You can do it and do it well, too. Hang in there and stay on track. You'll be so glad to have done so when you come home from your surgery and the weight loss numbers really begin to pile up. It's going to be so much fun for you. Hand in there......the couple weeks before were the toughest part for me.....and they really weren't all that tough once I stayed on my plan.

Maybe we all have! Hells yes !!!! Gotta love it, too.

Getaways are by far the BEST treat yo self treats! Somehow myself and one of my best nurse buddies at work got the same 5 days off at the end of the month... So we're going to Myrtle Beach! And we don't even have to use our PTO! Enjoy your trip.. Hope you bring something home to put on the grill Sounds like you've got a great trip planned yourself. Have fun !!! Myrtle Beach is always fun. I used to golf a good bit and always enjoyed the courses there. Now.....I'd probably be doing some bar-hopping. Lol. As luck would have it....looks as if my trip dates will be on scheduled off days, too.

Treat Yo Self !!!! Killer theme. Well........I feel like the coin I dropped on my sleeve surgery was a hell of a treat. It was gonna go towards a new car that I'll wait on. So glad I made that choice. My first post-sleeve treat is in the planning stages. Gonna get together with a buddy and go on a fishing-drinking-telling a few lies trip somewhere. I can't wait !!!!!!

Looking forward to the these future feels you are speaking of........... Just kidding......I think I've regressed to my teenage years. Lawd......I just hope the old ticker can keep up!!!!

That is outstanding !!!! Don't sweat the "gain". Stay the course and you are going to reach your goal. Excellent progress thus far !!

Very cool !!!!!!!

Good times in a fun, fun locale. Have fun and don't work too hard !!!!

So very sorry for you.

Thank you! Did you "find your stride" by finding things that you were able to eat, or were you more able to digest food in general? Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I found it once I realized that the liquid phase...pre & post is simply temporary......the part where you figure out what, when and how to eat more solid foods is not much fun......but once I advanced past that and realized I could pre-portion my meals and eat a slow pace I could avoid discomfort and it all worked out great. Weight loss was steady and I felt great. Nothing has changed over the months following, either. Life is good. Zero complaints.

You are right about taking the calories into account. Calories are calories....be them in liquid or more solid form. I am astounded at how many calories I used to drink. Crazy. The pre-op liquid diet sucks.....but at least if done correctly you'll get some great weight loss from it and lead into your surgery with excellent momentum. It'll pass quickly, too.

Regrets over my sleeve surgery? Yes. Just one....... Wish I'd done it sooner !!!!!!!!!!!!

Only 4 months out from sleeve surgery here, but I am very uncomfortable if I drink anything 30-34 mins after a meal. I have learned this the hard way.

I didn't take a bite of ANYTHING for a lot further out than 7 days. Your new stomach is healing right now......please be very careful. What type of things are you eating now?

It gets better for sure. You are in the toughest part of the post-op experience........at least that I've been through thus far. I remember weeks 5-6 and on being able to find my stride and glad for the trouble-free time ever since.