Cape Crooner

I have migrated to different meat and vegetable combinations. I think a hot meal is emotionally more filling, so I've created a bunch of dishes that are dietetically more like hot salads without lettuce.

Kung Poa - I found this Panda Express Kung Poa sauce that's only about 25 calories per tablespoon. If you cut it with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, you can create a very tasty Chinese dish. I stir fry celery, carrots, and peppers. Add some peanuts and beef, chicken, or shrimp and I have a great 250 calorie, Protein rich dinner.

Broccoli "Pasta" - Create Classic protein oriented Pasta dishes using broccoli instead of pasta. Chicken with garlic, capers, tomatoes in evoo tossed with a little Parmesan. Again, a great protein rich 250 hot dinner.

Chicken Sausage, Pepper, and Onions - Grill them like a street sub, but leave out the roll. Melt a little provolone on top and voila.

I still eat salads, but only as a garnish with my hot meal...

Diet Coke is no different than any  food group that's less than healthy. A little now and then wouldn't hurt, but anything approaching addictive consumption should be taken as a red flag and be quickly curtailed. As mentioned, I probably had one 20 ounce Diet Coke a day pre WLS. I was not addicted, just preferred it over ice Water with  lunch.
I was fairly addicted to nuts (after decades of low carb dieting).
I have zero concern about drinking 8-16 ounces of Diet Coke a week, but I am very cautious when it comes to nuts.
After WLS each of us happily discover things that once caused us to overeat are no longer a threat. We also discover new risks that never concerned us in the past.
I do agree that carbonation is a mild form of acid, but I think labeling it as toxic is not backed up by any real science.
I know plenty of very old people (over 90) who drink it many times a day and have not had cancer or any stomach problems - but these people were never obese.
I do question the whole science behind zero calorie anything - and I know that post WLS, we can still drink thousands of calories a day.
That's what concerns me...

My NUT said iceberg lettuce is a waste of space (the little we have been) because there's no nutritional value.

I eat salad mostly as a garnish these days - maybe 2 ounces. The reason is simple. I need Protein and watch calories. With few exceptions, salad dressings are high in calories and virtually nothing in a salad has protein.

I'm 19 months out and can eat about 8 ounces of food. That means 6 ounces of protein and 2 ounces of veggies.

Do you know that roasted fingerling potatoes are only about 25 calories each?

When your side dish only weighs 2 ounces, you eat most anything.

That said, I do offend many home chefs when I go to a dinner party and barely touch the 12 ounce gourmet salad they carefully prepared for me!

We both work remotely now so we don't actually meet face to face at work anymore. We have a company messenger thing I can use to talk to her. At least if I get shot down, it won't be in person and I wouldn't have to see her anymore. I sometimes think maybe she is waiting for me to ask her out. It's somewhat sad that at 31 this is so foreign to me. I should have figured this stuff out in 7th grade.

I don't think suggesting you "find new friends" is a very helpful suggestion at this time. You're still healing and that's a lousy time to add the pressure of having to find new friends.

I stopped drinking 2 months before my surgery because I wanted to be a model patient and I wanted to lose my excess weight as fast as possible.

As much as I was committed to the the journey, the first Friday night without social drinking was traumatic - so traumatic that I tried going to a hypnotist for help!

I'm not sure I was ever "under", but his suggestion really helped me and it might help you.

You need to think of all of this as a project with multiple phases that each take several months. Think about life in each phase and plan to deal with it as it comes. Know that the final phase is the "new you" thinner and healthier.

I actually dropped out of all socializing for 6 months. I found this easier than trying to explain to people why I suddenly stopped eating and drinking without revealing my WLS or lying.

I'm coming up on two years and I'm pretty much into my new normal. I have added some new friends and moved away from others. More importantly, I have emerged as a different person; one who is far more health oriented and with my new confidence, more interesting to others.

Let your imagination project the new you and chart that course. I do still drink (I knew I couldn't give it up, which is why choose a sleeve), but I drink differently now.

I do have many friends who don't drink and are still lots of fun. Think about what makes someone "fun" and project yourself becoming more like that person.

In terms of your current friends, parse them up and spend less time with those who only seem to want an eating/drinking coconspirator and more time with people who want more from life.

Above all means welcome new friendships that cross your path.

I think if you spend time envisioning you're future and charting the path that will get you there, you'll get there faster than you think!

I'm not sure if y'all read my last post, but I've since gotten closer to one of my good friends and she's very helpful and we actually go in hikes and do stuff together outside of drinking/partying. I was just in a dark place and for a 23 year old who is used to that kind of socializing it was hard to get used to. I'm still going to talk to someone because IMO no matter how prepared you feel about WLS nothing compares to the reality of it, and I just need some more guidance, and I feel counseling will help a lot with that. Thank you all for your input, it is greatly appreciated!

I don't think suggesting you "find new friends" is a very helpful suggestion at this time. You're still healing and that's a lousy time to add the pressure of having to find new friends.

I stopped drinking 2 months before my surgery because I wanted to be a model patient and I wanted to lose my excess weight as fast as possible.

As much as I was committed to the the journey, the first Friday night without social drinking was traumatic - so traumatic that I tried going to a hypnotist for help!

I'm not sure I was ever "under", but his suggestion really helped me and it might help you.

You need to think of all of this as a project with multiple phases that each take several months. Think about life in each phase and plan to deal with it as it comes. Know that the final phase is the "new you" thinner and healthier.

I actually dropped out of all socializing for 6 months. I found this easier than trying to explain to people why I suddenly stopped eating and drinking without revealing my WLS or lying.

I'm coming up on two years and I'm pretty much into my new normal. I have added some new friends and moved away from others. More importantly, I have emerged as a different person; one who is far more health oriented and with my new confidence, more interesting to others.

Let your imagination project the new you and chart that course. I do still drink (I knew I couldn't give it up, which is why choose a sleeve), but I drink differently now.

I do have many friends who don't drink and are still lots of fun. Think about what makes someone "fun" and project yourself becoming more like that person.

In terms of your current friends, parse them up and spend less time with those who only seem to want an eating/drinking coconspirator and more time with people who want more from life.

Above all means welcome new friendships that cross your path.

I think if you spend time envisioning you're future and charting the path that will get you there, you'll get there faster than you think!

I'm 19 months post and while I never had second thoughts going in, I now see things that add to my confidence in my decision.
1. I see friends who killed themselves to successfully lose weight "the old fashioned way" in the same time frame as me put it all back on and more.
2. I see other friends who are very diet and exercise conscious still gain a few pounds a year, eating salads and going to spinning classes. The fact is, as we age it's much harder to lose/keep off extra weight. Which means if you have a serious weight problem now, you'll have a worse one as you age.
3. After 19 months of logging calories and fitness tracking, I can tell you that MY body doesn't metabolize like they say in the diet  books.
I have averaged 2,500-3,000 calories burned each day for 21 months. Pre op, I ate 1,000 calories a day, then post op 400 to start up to 1,000 a day until I reached my goal. Today, I still exercise 90 minutes a day (average 2,750 calories a day and eat 1,200-2,000. Based on the books, I should be skin and bones, but I'm simply maintaining my goal weight (26 bmi).
The one pound lost for every 3,500 burned is bunk. The truth is much harder and impossible for ME without my WLS.
Understand, without WLS, your weight loss efforts will ultimately fail and when they do, you're looking at a short life full of health problems!
Who wants that?

I'm 19 months post and while I never had second thoughts going in, I now see things that add to my confidence in my decision.
1. I see friends who killed themselves to successfully lose weight "the old fashioned way" in the same time frame as me put it all back on and more.
2. I see other friends who are very diet and exercise conscious still gain a few pounds a year, eating salads and going to spinning classes. The fact is, as we age it's much harder to lose/keep off extra weight. Which means if you have a serious weight problem now, you'll have a worse one as you age.
3. After 19 months of logging calories and fitness tracking, I can tell you that MY body doesn't metabolize like they say in the diet  books.
I have averaged 2,500-3,000 calories burned each day for 21 months. Pre op, I ate 1,000 calories a day, then post op 400 to start up to 1,000 a day until I reached my goal. Today, I still exercise 90 minutes a day (average 2,750 calories a day and eat 1,200-2,000. Based on the books, I should be skin and bones, but I'm simply maintaining my goal weight (26 bmi).
The one pound lost for every 3,500 burned is bunk. The truth is much harder and impossible for ME without my WLS.
Understand, without WLS, your weight loss efforts will ultimately fail and when they do, you're looking at a short life full of health problems!
Who wants that?

I'm fortunate in that I'm the home chef and I do all the shopping. My suggestion would be to feed your family Protein and green food. If they complain, add a starch and just don't eat it - major on the good foods.

I stopped for 5 weeks before surgery and 10 weeks after then went easy. I was down about about 55 when I started up again and continued to lose at the same rate until dropping a total of about 95 lbs.
My advice would be:
1. Count the calories in the alcohol. Distilled alcohol like vodka is 64 calories/ounce. There are plenty of sugary drinks out there that are over 300 calories each.
2. Drink plenty of Water and take an extra antacid.
3. Plan EXACTLY what you'll eat when you drink and the day after and stick to it. My problem wasn't so much the calories in alcohol, but rather the bad food choices that followed.
I'm not going to argue with those who preach abstinence, but I know that's not me. The world is full of skinny people who drink alcohol every day. Study what they do and eat and create your own strategy for weight maintenance. Log and weigh yourself ever day and if things get off track, correct!

Thanks @indieflickers. I'm still learning my way, but closely monitoring weight, food and (occasional) alcohol is part of the process.
I'm 63, retired, 36 years married, and virtually all our social life involves some alcohol consumption.
Prior to WLS, I'd drive my wife crazy by "just saying no" to invitations to socialize where food and alcohol would be preeminent. I think my forced abstinence built an inner anger.
You know, "it's not fair that I can't go out on a Tuesday night, when my skinny friends have a beer at lunch."
Now, with my tiny stomach, I can socialize more while eating/drinking far less (understand, I'm talking about once a week, rather that once a month.)
I've been on this site for almost a year and have come to the conclusion that there are many troubled souls here.
Well meaning "newbies" report observations, ask veterans if they've had similar experiences, or just make light hearted comments and people jump all over them like they're stupid, lying, or just born losers!
Kinda sad, but after suffering though the way society treats obesity, it is totally understandable.

I'm about 16 months out and doing well. That said, having closely tracked my calorie intake and burn for 20 months, I have to say many of my old myths have been shattered.
I consume about 1500 calories a day on average.
I burn a total of 3000 calories a day (about 2000 by living and breathing and about 1000 more from about 2 hours of exercise).
Yet, my weight stays exactly the same!
I take a couple of things from this:
1. The myth about losing a pound for every extra 3500 calories burned is BS.
2. We're different. I know a lot of skinny people who eat far more than I do. I'm not sure if we were born this way or it's just something that we programmed into our bodies though bad behavior.
3. There is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own without the help of WLS.
What about you guys?

I'm about 16 months out and doing well. That said, having closely tracked my calorie intake and burn for 20 months, I have to say many of my old myths have been shattered.
I consume about 1500 calories a day on average.
I burn a total of 3000 calories a day (about 2000 by living and breathing and about 1000 more from about 2 hours of exercise).
Yet, my weight stays exactly the same!
I take a couple of things from this:
1. The myth about losing a pound for every extra 3500 calories burned is BS.
2. We're different. I know a lot of skinny people who eat far more than I do. I'm not sure if we were born this way or it's just something that we programmed into our bodies though bad behavior.
3. There is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own without the help of WLS.
What about you guys?

I was sleeved in October 2015 and have somewhat similar experiences.
The only advice I'd share (and try to follow myself), is to either push back on getting into "The Valley of Death" - endless buffets of bad food, or give yourself stronger rules about what you'll eat if you find yourself there.
I think the idea of limiting the number of less careful meals a week is a great start, but I fear the right number is only 2-4, not 1/3rd to 2/3rd.
Of course, you probably know all this!
I put on 5 lbs since fall and I've gone back on my post opt diet and stepped up my exercise level. My pants are falling off, but the pounds aren't. I'm thinking this is my new normal, but who knows?
Crazy journey!

I seem to have gained 5 pounds over the last month and it's not coming off despite my return to my post opt diet (low carb - under 1,000 calories/day).
Since my pants keep falling down, I'm about ready to chalk it up to my stepped up exercise routine, but who knows...

I'm about 16 months out and doing well. That said, having closely tracked my calorie intake and burn for 20 months, I have to say many of my old myths have been shattered.
I consume about 1500 calories a day on average.
I burn a total of 3000 calories a day (about 2000 by living and breathing and about 1000 more from about 2 hours of exercise).
Yet, my weight stays exactly the same!
I take a couple of things from this:
1. The myth about losing a pound for every extra 3500 calories burned is BS.
2. We're different. I know a lot of skinny people who eat far more than I do. I'm not sure if we were born this way or it's just something that we programmed into our bodies though bad behavior.
3. There is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own without the help of WLS.
What about you guys?

I stopped for 5 weeks before surgery and 10 weeks after then went easy. I was down about about 55 when I started up again and continued to lose at the same rate until dropping a total of about 95 lbs.
My advice would be:
1. Count the calories in the alcohol. Distilled alcohol like vodka is 64 calories/ounce. There are plenty of sugary drinks out there that are over 300 calories each.
2. Drink plenty of Water and take an extra antacid.
3. Plan EXACTLY what you'll eat when you drink and the day after and stick to it. My problem wasn't so much the calories in alcohol, but rather the bad food choices that followed.
I'm not going to argue with those who preach abstinence, but I know that's not me. The world is full of skinny people who drink alcohol every day. Study what they do and eat and create your own strategy for weight maintenance. Log and weigh yourself ever day and if things get off track, correct!

I would say that it doesn't seem to matter much what I eat as long as I avoid sugars. My weight stays the same.
That said, I'm afraid to eat much more than my 1500 calories/day.

I'm about 16 months out and doing well. That said, having closely tracked my calorie intake and burn for 20 months, I have to say many of my old myths have been shattered.
I consume about 1500 calories a day on average.
I burn a total of 3000 calories a day (about 2000 by living and breathing and about 1000 more from about 2 hours of exercise).
Yet, my weight stays exactly the same!
I take a couple of things from this:
1. The myth about losing a pound for every extra 3500 calories burned is BS.
2. We're different. I know a lot of skinny people who eat far more than I do. I'm not sure if we were born this way or it's just something that we programmed into our bodies though bad behavior.
3. There is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own without the help of WLS.
What about you guys?

I'm about 16 months out and doing well. That said, having closely tracked my calorie intake and burn for 20 months, I have to say many of my old myths have been shattered.
I consume about 1500 calories a day on average.
I burn a total of 3000 calories a day (about 2000 by living and breathing and about 1000 more from about 2 hours of exercise).
Yet, my weight stays exactly the same!
I take a couple of things from this:
1. The myth about losing a pound for every extra 3500 calories burned is BS.
2. We're different. I know a lot of skinny people who eat far more than I do. I'm not sure if we were born this way or it's just something that we programmed into our bodies though bad behavior.
3. There is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own without the help of WLS.
What about you guys?

I'm about 16 months out and doing well. That said, having closely tracked my calorie intake and burn for 20 months, I have to say many of my old myths have been shattered.
I consume about 1500 calories a day on average.
I burn a total of 3000 calories a day (about 2000 by living and breathing and about 1000 more from about 2 hours of exercise).
Yet, my weight stays exactly the same!
I take a couple of things from this:
1. The myth about losing a pound for every extra 3500 calories burned is BS.
2. We're different. I know a lot of skinny people who eat far more than I do. I'm not sure if we were born this way or it's just something that we programmed into our bodies though bad behavior.
3. There is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own without the help of WLS.
What about you guys?

I'm about 16 months out and doing well. That said, having closely tracked my calorie intake and burn for 20 months, I have to say many of my old myths have been shattered.
I consume about 1500 calories a day on average.
I burn a total of 3000 calories a day (about 2000 by living and breathing and about 1000 more from about 2 hours of exercise).
Yet, my weight stays exactly the same!
I take a couple of things from this:
1. The myth about losing a pound for every extra 3500 calories burned is BS.
2. We're different. I know a lot of skinny people who eat far more than I do. I'm not sure if we were born this way or it's just something that we programmed into our bodies though bad behavior.
3. There is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own without the help of WLS.
What about you guys?

I'm about 16 months out and doing well. That said, having closely tracked my calorie intake and burn for 20 months, I have to say many of my old myths have been shattered.
I consume about 1500 calories a day on average.
I burn a total of 3000 calories a day (about 2000 by living and breathing and about 1000 more from about 2 hours of exercise).
Yet, my weight stays exactly the same!
I take a couple of things from this:
1. The myth about losing a pound for every extra 3500 calories burned is BS.
2. We're different. I know a lot of skinny people who eat far more than I do. I'm not sure if we were born this way or it's just something that we programmed into our bodies though bad behavior.
3. There is absolutely no way I could have done this on my own without the help of WLS.
What about you guys?