Would love to hear "what I wish I had known" facts/comments from you all!

I most certainly did, I would squeeze it into a bowl, measure out my tsp (or whatever), and then track it on MFP. I measured the calories in 1 tsp of salt, and every other spice as well. I measured EVERYTHING. You don't have to believe it, but it's what I did. I was told to measure every single thing I put in my mouth, and I did exactly that. It worked, and it was MISERABLE, and extremely tedious. I absolutely was a slave to tracking.

I fully understand and expect that I will have to track in the beginning. Even if I thought I didn't need it to judge my calories (which is NOT the case), I would need to do it to learn how to eat with my new stomach. I would need to do it to learn how to make sure I am getting enough food. I completely understand that. I attempted to clear by saying "EVERY. SINGLE. THING." I meant just that.

I am not looking for an easy out, or a quick fix. I am just trying to simplify some from the last time I lost weight.

I was the same way when I dieted pre-surgery.  Tracking was miserable because I was so OCD about it.  Trying to figure out how to count points (or calories or fat or whatever) when I couldn't find a food in my database gave me very real stress and anxiety.  I would track for a week, maybe two, and become overwhelmed and quit.

Tracking after my sleeve was much, much easier.  And now, since I eat pretty much the same things for breakfast and lunch most days, I don't track or even measure them any more.  When I stalled last month, I went back to tracking (and consequently upped my water intake).  If I start having problems, I'll start tracking again.  But honestly, I'm eating so much less that yes, tracking is easier for me than it was pre-surgery. 

I am only 11 months out and do not have the wisdom or experience of a lot of the people here.  What they are telling you is valid.  My methods and results may not be what you end up having, of course, so take it for what it's worth!

I hate to say it. Some are NOT good candidates for surgery. If you are this argumentative preop you will not be successful. You ask for advice but only want to hear the advice that fits into your ideal postop lifestyle. If you don't want to measure and track your food, surgery isn't for you. You are making an agreement with a surgeon to assist you and he is doing it if you follow the instructions. I don't think you will be very compliant. 

It's awesome that you know me so well!! Especially since you are basing your opinion on 1 thread, in which I apparently wasnot very clear, and I tried to clarify.

If you think that makes you qualified to determine whether or not I should have WLS, well so be it. Should I send you my doctor's number so you can weigh in with him?

I have a cloud of positive people around me, people who actually know me, support me, and have seen me overcome some pretty heavy things in life. It seems you need a place to drop your negativity, so you are more than welcome to leave it here. I can take it.

I don't see the people responding here as being negative, but totally realistic....and really trying to help you succeed.  

It's all a matter of perspective.  

My reply was not to "the people" at all, only to ChiliPepper, who's response was negative (at least in my perspective) and not at all helpful.

I can admit that my original post may not have been as clear and concise as I had thought/meant it to be, and I spent subsequent replies trying to clear things up.  There is no way comments like "I hate to say it. Some are NOT good candidates for surgery.", and "I don't think you will be very compliant." could be taken as "trying to help me succeed".

Everyone else was clearly offering advice and were trying to give me a more realistic view (based on what I inadvertently implied) of what this process would take. I do appreciate that (Thank you, and I apologize for not having said so earlier), but was caught up in trying to clarify what I had meant originally.

So here are some realizations that worked for me. 

1. My very best thinking, the best decisions I could make for myself, got me to 268 lbs. - sick, miserable, in pain, and hopeless.

2. The only weight loss success I ever experienced was when I surrendered to somone else's rules.  Sometimes that was Weigh****chers, sometimes it was Atkins, sometimes it was OA's "higher power" - you get the idea.

3. Every time I took the reins back, the weight came back too.

SO, I decided that if I was going to do this, I would need to find out what the "rules" are.  I put on my big-girl pants and spent a whole lot of time lurking on here, seeing who was successful and who was struggling. I determined that I would do what the successful people did. If that meant standing on my head for an hour a day, that's what I would do (and I swear, sometimes the things we do seem as strange as that, LOL!)  There were a lot of people on here who had experienced great success, and their experience, strength, and hope sustained me.  From Day One, I didn't post a lot, but read just about everything.  (I.e., didn't talk much, just listened.)  While there's wiggle room for a weight loss and maintenance lifestyle that works for everyone, it's pretty clear what the basics for success are.

I'm coming up on five years, and so far that has worked well for me.  Just sayin.

i wish i could like this 1000 times! awesome. 

You seem really focused on getting surgery sooner, rather than later. The Canadian system is very different than in the US, and experiences vary quite a bit between provinces. If you have questions along those lines, check out the Canadian forums here. Ontario, in particular, is very active, if you are from there.

Honestly, I don't weigh every single thing that goes into my mouth because I did it so much in the beginning that I can sort of eyeball what too much looks like. I do however weigh every single morning without fail, keeping in mind that weight goes up and down about 3 to 5 lbs. The moment I see five pounds I may do the weighing thing for a week and reassess the kitchen to see if there is anything knew that might propse a problem. There usually is because I have 2 children. I know some people are dead set of the weighing and measuring and that's good but it doesn't work for me mainly because it's too difficult for me to stick with for the long haul. I do work out and move as much as I can though which I think attributes to me keeping my weight off. My advice would be that if you want to be a little more relaxed with the food tracking just amp up your workouts and physical activity. weigh often, even when you're afraid of what you'll see, and make changes immediately if the scale starts moving in the wrong direction