Thank you very much, Sparlekitty. I'll order it and start reading right away. This is the best place I've ever found to get information from a number of people, very grateful. What a great community!

I haven't had surgery yet. I'm waffling between the VSG and RNY. My surgeon hasn't told me his preference for me.

The more I read these posts though, the more worried I'm becoming. I've read quite a few posts about people who are having trouble continuing to lose weight and those who have gained the weight back. That scares the heck out of me.

How do I avoid this after my surgery? I'm already having a hard time sticking to an eating style before the surgery. I've lost a few pounds, but not enough. If I can lose a few pounds why do I need the surgery in the first place? I know, I know it's about maintaining weight loss, but I'm really afraid I'm going to fail and in a year I will not have lost the weight I desire and still won't be able to do the things I want to do after my presumed weight loss.

This process really scares me. I am not a very disciplined person.

Help!?

If you're drinking cold liquids, you might have better luck with hot liquids (or vice versa). Experiment to see what works best for you.

If water seems too "bulky", try adding a touch of lemon juice (or something else acidic) as recommended above. I find it makes the water "wetter" and "lighter".

You may be able to take in more fluid if you sip small amounts more frequently, as opposed to taking "normal" (pre-surgery) mouthfuls.

Lots of people find the protein shakes very difficult early on. My dietitian told me not to worry about protein at first (you're not going to become malnourished in a few weeks!), so if the protein shakes are causing trouble, ask your medical team if you can postpone them. Avoiding dehydration is your number one concern right now; everything else can wait.

I had my surgery on 2/12/20 and they sent me home on 13th. I know it doesn't seem like the walking will help with the gas but it will,Just keep moving and you'll hear some rambling and before you know it you'll be farting and burping....You can also drink some ho****er with lemon or just plain ho****er and that should really help you.

I have to get my calories down to 900 per day to lose a pound a week. And include exercise of an hour at least every other day. Same before my gallbladder removal. Having weight loss surgery made my metabolism work much slower. I used to lose on 1200 a day before surgery.

It takes 10 calories a day to maintain one pound, Multiply current weight by 10. Subtract 500 calories and that is what can eat every day to lose one pound a week. Track your water and exercise.