Brandeis

I'm in Yonkers; not NYC but not far away either...

If you do online dating, absolutely do not give in to the urge to talk to the person endlessly before actually meeting up for a date. It can be very tempting to chat via text or email or what have you for days or weeks before you ever see them face-to-face, and this can always be a huge let down. People are different, online, than they are IRL. And you'll never know if you have that chemistry until you're with them! Online dating can be a great way to find like minded people, but schedule the date as soon as you know the person isn't a creep/annoying!!

I think the big thing that could help you is pointing out statistics about the long term failure of weight loss without surgery -- which was a huge part of why I got surgery in the first place. In fact, keeping off weight after you've lost quite a bit is a near impossible task. Two people of the exact same height & weight; one has always been this BMI, and the other was once obese, and lost the weight. The person who ever was heavy has to consume much fewer calories in a day simply to MAINTAIN this weight. It's not simply as easy as 'diet and exercise'. For most of us, a change has been made to how we metabolize food, and how our body stores away calories in fat, leaving us heavy even when we're being careful.

I'm nearing the end of liquid stage and I definitely am having these dreams too. For me, they're anxiety dreams. It's always "oh shit, what did I do?" when I wake up. They're not happy; they're nightmares in which I mess up, eating turkey or brussels sprouts or something that causes me sickness when I swallow...

I was sleeved on the same day as you!! I think with the jello, you have to make sure you chew it up a lot before you swallow -- turning it to liquid instead of just swallowing bites of it. That works for me really well. As for the shake, just make sure to take really small sips, I think? Or, alternately, make your shake and then leave it in the fridge for 20 min before you drink it, allowing the air to escape from the bubbles, since probably the thing that's causing you pain is the trapped bubbles~