One thing you veterans have is the gift of experience. What advice would you give me as a 1-month PO VSG? Anything I should know as I go through this first 6 months, first year, and beyond?

I know there are a few things I would have already done differently if I had the benefit of experience. Any of you care to share what you've learned, or what was important for you to understand in the beginning of your journey?

I'm very grateful for any wisdom you would care to share!

I am right at 6 months out - I wish I would have been more prepared for the mental/emotional part of this process. I wish I would have addressed my issues with food prior to surgery (why am I stress eater? Why do I turn to food for comfort?). I had to address those issues (still addressing them, actually) while trying to recover from surgery, the different stages of eating when I re-introduced food, etc.

I have no regrets about getting the surgery - it's been one of the best things I could every do for myself. This is a life-changer.

Take advantage of the "Honeymoon period" (like the first 6 mths or so). It's much harder to stick to small portions when ur hunger returns and u find u can eat much more at 8 mths than at 3 mths (I'm 10 mths out and can eat about 2x as much as 6 mths ago).

And please don't follow my advice on the way I lost my weight. I eat everything - just a few bites of it (including burgers, fries, tacos, pizza, and sandwiches). I have found myself stuck, 13 lbs from goal, almost a year out becuz of my philosopy. Trying to get it straight now but I think it's much harder now.

Good luck to u

I would say take one day at a time and don't worry about stalls. The sleeve works. Enjoy it. Relax.

Let me ask you: are you where you think you should be?

Let me ask you: are you where you think you should be?

My doctor thinks so, therefore I do too. I've last 20 lb in the 4 weeks since surgery. The PA told me that since I started out at the lower end of BMI at 38 I won't lose as much initially as some others. My BMI is now 35 so definitely some progress. She told me to expect to lose 1-2 lb per week at this point. My clothes are definitely loose, and people who don't even know I had surgery have noticed my weight loss so yes I think I'm where I should be at this point.

So far I've had zero complications, and no trouble with my sleeve until today (I ate a hard boiled egg for breakfast; I think it was just too dry, it has sat in my stomach like a rock all day and made me nauseas). Lesson learned. Texture is important, so is moisture! It can make the difference between a happy sleeve and an angry sleeve.

I'm hoping that stupid egg will pass sometime during the night. I haven't eaten much today and it's difficult to even drink when your sleeve feels so icky.

My best advice to everyone is to find a good therapist, not just for eating issues, but someone you can talk to when your emotions go haywire, when relationships change, and your mindset about so many things changes. I can't stress enough how important it is to take care of your emotional self as well as your physical self while losing this weight. None of us got to where we are because we have healthy food behavior, and its important for success to address this as early on as possible.

My other advice is to always under-eat your sleeve! You will have better restriction at 6 months, 10 months, a year out if you do this. The reason many people feel they can eat more after 6 months is because they have been eating to capacity, which causes the stomach muscles to relax to allow more food in at a time. The stomach is a muscle and it will do what you tell it to do, so if you're always eating to the point that you're full, it will remember that and adjust itself so you can eat more without pain next time. This will become more important around the second month when solid food suddenly start going down a lot easier.

Lastly, do not put moral labels on food. Do not label food as something you can't have. When you do this, you give the food power over you in a very real way. A lot of people talk about "eating clean", so then what happens if you eat something that's not "clean?" Does that make you dirty? You may not think so on a conscious level, but subconsciously these thoughts can run rampant and derail your progress with thoughts of "I'm a failure." I see that so much on here! Make your weight loss about forever food, not diet food!

My advice is pay attention to what you are doing and the response your body gives you. Each of us are unique, and while there are overarching rules we all need to follow, our success is as unique as we are. What works for one may not work for another. For me, I attribute my success to tracking what I eat. I have to weigh and measure food. I don't do it as much now as I did at first, but I still do it to get a reality check and make sure my eye sees portion size correctly. I track EVERY bite I eat and and drink. I do not let one thing slip past my lips that I don't log on myfitnesspal. You can consume a lot of calories without realizing it, and I have to constantly fight the urge to graze. Forcing myself to be honest about what I'm consuming really keeps me in line. I've learned that I need very little calories to maintain, and even fewer to lose. Follow your docs plan and pay attention to what works for you.