3-week update and some questions

Generally, advancing your diet ahead of surgeon's instructions is NOT recommended, no matter how slowly you eat or how thoroughly you chew. I'm glad to hear that you're doing okay, though.

Congrats on your progress!

Thank you!

I agree with what everyone else said. With respect to hoping to lose 30 lbs the first month, you'll find people on here who did, but they're kind of outliers. I would say most of us lose in the 15-25 lb range the first month (and less thereafter). I think a lot of people have that expectation coming into this because they've watched a lot of "My 600 lb Life". Yes - those people pretty much all do it, but then, they start out much heavier than most of us do. For those who us who are more "normal" obese people, a 30 lb drop in a month is not all that common.

Thanks. I knew it would be a long shot, but that's what I was hoping for. In my spreadsheet that I keep, I put a first month goal of 20 lbs and I've already hit that, so I'm happy. My spreadsheet has aggressive, but realistic goals through year 1. My "hopes" are a bit higher... :-)

You can see my my monthly losses in my signature. I never lost 30 in one month, and I was a lot bigger than you. You are also due for the three week stall, so don't be surprised if you lose nothing for a week or two. It will just mean you are like everyone else.

Thanks. I haven't seen movement in the last few days, so I'm guessing it's a bit of a stall. I just don't want to gain and if I start losing again in a week or two, that's "fine". I say "fine", because I know I'll be disappointed, but it's good to know that it is normal.

There are different patterns to weight loss, but probably the most common is referred to as stair-step. You lose a bunch, then stall for a week or two, then lose a bunch, stall for a week or two, etc.

After a week of no loss, many start asking about ways to "break" a stall. I've seen crazy ideas, like eating a donut or Three Musketeers. It's all crap. If you are truly following a good plan, work the plan like a machine. It'll all work out great in the end -- but maybe not today, or this week.