IncredibleShrinkingMan

@@drumking88 I had my sleeve 3 months ago the day after my 31st birthday. I would've qualified when I was 25 but wasn't independent then and faced backlash from my family which, incidentally, is full of doctors and health vigilantes. I had to get to an even more desperate state to convince them it was the right time.
I don't believe there is such a thing as too young for this surgery. If a problem is in the making, this should be available to everyone. You shouldn't have to wait until you are severely impacted. It is just denial by the community. There may be such a thing as too old, just due to surgical mortality risks, but nobody in the medical profession seems to put their money where there mouths are with childhood and adolescent obesity. Hopefully a generation from now, at which time experts think the obesity rate in the nation may be near 50%, young people like yourself will no longer feel underage in the bariatric community, as this solution expands its eligibility to where it truly should be, and gets covered by a lot more insurance.

Unreasonable expectations are the ultimate downfall of so many bariatric patients. This author is fortunate that all the misconceptions did not ultimately sabotage her weight loss success. I also agree that the non-scale struggles, such as relationships, are minimized, and that the NSV's are often overemphasized in support groups, blogs, and in other places. At the end of the day, if weight is the only thing that changes, it is still a great thing to have had done, but people need to be prepared for the fact that, just as with the weight loss itself, if the patient doesn't make a conscious effort to change the game, it is perfectly foreseeable that nothing else will change.

@@kimmyco Congratulations on the transformation, and even more so for embarking on your Ph. D.!

Just take them. Better safe than sorry. Plus, any problem that arises from not having them will be insidious and will be very hard to correct with future diligence. Besides, the sleeve is too new a procedure for anybody to have truly credible data.

I had scrambled eggs at two weeks myself. Every bite seemed to cause me some problems, so I shelved eggs for about a month, and then they went down fine. Two whole eggs does seem like a bit much for two weeks out portion-wise, but virtually all pureed plans give the green light to eggs.
You need to overeat on a regular basis for several months to stretch. You will not gain weight because you can't possibly be getting enough calories to maintain a 50 BMI right now. The early going is a virtual guarantee of weight loss unless you are drinking thousands of calories worth of sugary drinks. Once you've lost a bunch and entered maintenance, you will be able to tolerate more even though your maintenance requires less, and I think at that point you'll want to be careful, but just consider this experimentation that you needed to do to test your limits. Anything that doesn't sit well, just give a two week moratorium to and try again.

@@Babbs I didn't mean that literally, it was a personal decision to just blend in instead of drawing attention to myself. I didn't feel like being asked if I was dieting or doing P90X or crossfit or something when we were just trying to Celebrate the nuptials, and then being told "oh but this is such a special day just take a break..." by 500 different sixteenth cousins of my old schoolmates' new spouses. And yes, these were receptions at which it would've been quite hard to fly under the radar. I was able to say I quit drinking (and that would be true I guess with the sleeve) so I didn't have to explain to everybody why I wasn't having champagne or commuting every five minutes to the open bar.

You will eventually want to come off the Protein shakes so that you are getting your Protein from solid foods that produce satiety and fend off hunger. Once you can have mushy or solid, you should emphasize those sources of protein, and only use the shakes if you are not getting enough or need to restart weight loss after a stall. The liquid Protein is a proven stall-buster.
The other thing that is lifelong is the separation of Water and solid food. The game is to get all your Water despite the fact that you can't drink it with your meals.

Lifelong.
And 60 mg. Protein is not "high."
Neither is the Fluid requirement of 64 ounces "high."
That's just a healthy nutritional recommendation.
Once again -- it's only hard to get down early on. It won't be hard later on as you continue to heal.

Forever if you have the discipline to stick to that, which is great. Otherwise, I would say that if you hit an unexpected stall or experience any regain, it might be time to check quantities again.

@ You are right. I started out with a big, hairy goal of losing 123 lbs and no longer being in the obese range. In the next day or two I will have reached that goal. another goal of fifty pounds seems manageable in comparison.
I just have such an extreme fear of failure. I've failed with weight loss programs so many times before and then loathed myself for it.
I have to remember this isn't a diet, I've changed my life, my attitude and thinking. I have an arsenal of tools to help me this time - the sleeve, a support network that includes you folks, friends and family and the bariatric program staff. I eat properly, exercise and am continuing to lose weight.
I'm thinking I'll set a goal of 140, then Celebrate every ten pounds as I get there.

Ran my first 5K in 17 years over the weekend...and headed for more
Went on the Superman ride at Six Flags (Maryland), which was local coaster still precluding me based on size
I think about work at work, instead of food, and think about [insert activity here] while doing [insert activity here], instead of food. Yes, I think about food when eating food, and I actually didn't before, which was a problem.
People actually sit in the seat next to me on the Metro instead of assuming there isn't room for the both of us.
Interestingly, I haven't had the experience of the poster directly above...nobody who didn't want to be friends before wants to be friends now, but in the event they do, my response will be exactly as it is described in the above post.

Well, if you think about it, it is kind of hard not to have a big one, first, because we all have dreams and hopes, second, because if we don't have a long-term goal, i.e., the result of years and years of efforts, on which all shorter-term projects can be predicated, it is impossible to plan the day-to-day baby steps. Of course, you can still make small, quick turnaround goals and assignments for yourself, but that seems a little disconnected from what is really one big integrated process which involves so much more than weight and looks. I guess if you start this way, see how you do, see what success you can achieve with the short-term goals, you can start to have clearer expectations as to what you will eventually end up with, and determine a sort of "safety," "target," and "reach" set of end numbers. I personally find it hard to do little quick-turn around things if I can't pinpoint exactly what I am working towards by doing them.

Forever if you have the discipline to stick to that, which is great. Otherwise, I would say that if you hit an unexpected stall or experience any regain, it might be time to check quantities again.

...recent pictures of you look heavier and heavier each day
...used three different belts in the last two weeks
...your car has been getting suspiciously good mileage
...you have to look harder to find yourself on a surveillance camera

It's yesterday. It's done. It's over. Don't dwell on it, but rather, go eat clean so that your brain doesn't get an opportunity to readjust to the sugar expectations. The way this started for all of us is that our brains managed to become convinced that these foods were necessities, rather than flukes. That said, you are not what you eat, and your self-worth should not be tied up in how well you follow dietary rules. If you separate your diet from who you are, you'll have a much better chance of putting behind you psychologically. Learn from it, because, as you pointed out, Halloween is hardly the last opportunity of the year to fall through quicksand.

Its funny to read "trust your gut" on these forums

That's very typical. I was ruminating about my last supper at the Brazilian steakhouse at about 6 days, in addition to a whole host of other things, like cheesesteaks and pizza. That still happens, but all I have to do is take a few bites of Protein (or in your case a Protein drink) and all cravings are gone. I hope that will be your experience too.

Awesome. I was just asked to have my network picture updated because it isn't "current" (it was taken just before surgery). #NSV

It's yesterday. It's done. It's over. Don't dwell on it, but rather, go eat clean so that your brain doesn't get an opportunity to readjust to the sugar expectations. The way this started for all of us is that our brains managed to become convinced that these foods were necessities, rather than flukes. That said, you are not what you eat, and your self-worth should not be tied up in how well you follow dietary rules. If you separate your diet from who you are, you'll have a much better chance of putting behind you psychologically. Learn from it, because, as you pointed out, Halloween is hardly the last opportunity of the year to fall through quicksand.

-Weight regain,
-unsupportive significant others/spouses/family,
-back to work issues,
-psychological evaluations,
-separate category for questions about pre-op cheating (I have answered at least 50 threads on this issue),
-how to handle problematic times of the year like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, summer Monday holidays, etc...),
-how to handle typical food-laden events or places (office holiday party, family reunion, weddings, etc...),
-theme parks and which rides are most problematic because of size or anything else
-what to do with old clothes and shopping guides for new ones
I'll think of more...

Awesome. I was just asked to have my network picture updated because it isn't "current" (it was taken just before surgery). #NSV

-Weight regain,
-unsupportive significant others/spouses/family,
-back to work issues,
-psychological evaluations,
-separate category for questions about pre-op cheating (I have answered at least 50 threads on this issue),
-how to handle problematic times of the year like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, summer Monday holidays, etc...),
-how to handle typical food-laden events or places (office holiday party, family reunion, weddings, etc...),
-theme parks and which rides are most problematic because of size or anything else
-what to do with old clothes and shopping guides for new ones
I'll think of more...

Think of the restrictions as stemming from your new intelligence about and dedication to healthy eating rather than as something that is in place because you've had a surgery. For sleevers, I second all the posts above that point out that there really are very few things that don't work when enjoyed in an acceptable portion. Starches and other carbs are the biggest problems because these foods expand in the sleeve, cause bloating, and take up room that needs to be used for critical Protein and other nutrients. And, as always, they will stall weight loss because your body uses them instead of burning fats. "Restrictions," once you are where you are, is really about how far you want to go with your tool. Like any tool, you can opt not to use it for its purpose. Just eat what feels right and makes you feel right afterward, and keep track of what foods tend to increase your weight loss and which ones tend to slow it. It won't be the same for everybody.

Think of the restrictions as stemming from your new intelligence about and dedication to healthy eating rather than as something that is in place because you've had a surgery. For sleevers, I second all the posts above that point out that there really are very few things that don't work when enjoyed in an acceptable portion. Starches and other carbs are the biggest problems because these foods expand in the sleeve, cause bloating, and take up room that needs to be used for critical Protein and other nutrients. And, as always, they will stall weight loss because your body uses them instead of burning fats. "Restrictions," once you are where you are, is really about how far you want to go with your tool. Like any tool, you can opt not to use it for its purpose. Just eat what feels right and makes you feel right afterward, and keep track of what foods tend to increase your weight loss and which ones tend to slow it. It won't be the same for everybody.

It's yesterday. It's done. It's over. Don't dwell on it, but rather, go eat clean so that your brain doesn't get an opportunity to readjust to the sugar expectations. The way this started for all of us is that our brains managed to become convinced that these foods were necessities, rather than flukes. That said, you are not what you eat, and your self-worth should not be tied up in how well you follow dietary rules. If you separate your diet from who you are, you'll have a much better chance of putting behind you psychologically. Learn from it, because, as you pointed out, Halloween is hardly the last opportunity of the year to fall through quicksand.