If you could give newbies just ONE piece of advice

Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

You may be one of the lucky ones who loves the same shakes you loved as a pre-op, who does not need pain meds, experiences no nausea, can take your kids to an amusement park 5 days after surgery, can eat carbs forever without regain, does not have to exercise and has great labs by taking aquADEKs.  It is possible.  

But if you expect you will not have to try sample shakes to find ones you tolerate, don't fill your lortab liquid cause you heard someone else didnt need theirs, plan to fly across country to walk your daughter down the isle 10 days post-op, waste your weight loss window by not controlling your carbs until you reach your goal, and fail to develop a lifelong habit of moving your body on a regular basis cause there is a guy at your support group who does not work out ant he lost all his weight, you will likely  regret it, be severely disappointed.  This will make your journey harder.

On the other hand, you can expect things to be rough for the first bit, be prepared and pleasantly surprised when things turn out well.

If you cannot commit to a lifetime of vitamin supplementation and taking responsibility for your own health, then don't do it. 

This chosen road has been great so far, but you are never 'out of the woods.'