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Once a month, as I'm in maintenance. Although I do have a cheeky morning weigh every now and then to check I'm on track. Old habits die hard....

Every morning. I’ve noticed that my large weight gains in the past are all this mysterious weigh-in free time. I literally have almost a decade of data on MyFitnessPal showing drops in weight then a missing 6 month period that then reappears like 50 lbs heavier...then weight loss for a while, missing time, huge weight gain, etc. I try to stick my head in the sand about weight gain. I need to make it a daily habit or I just stop weighing in and I know where that leads.

Head hunger as in "appetite and could eat something"? Well... my first WLS was March 6th 2001 so since 19 years, 8 months and 15 days. 😂 Head hunger is normal, everyone has it (yes, even the "skinnies"). Accept it and get used to it.

I have named my sleeve Claire and she speaks to me a lot. We have full blown conversations about food sometimes lol

Yes, a battle. One thing that has helped a lot was my Dr. suggesting not going over 2 hours without eating something. When I plan these mini snacks, most times I’m able to say “okay self, it’s just head hunger. You had something an hour ago and will again in an hour, so hold tight and get over yourself”. Doesn’t work 100%, but hey, I’ll take 60% help and trust that this muscle memory will get stronger each time I refuse to give in. Good luck!

I don't think the head hunger ever goes away. We're just better equipped to deal with it post-op because of the loss of gherelin and the smaller stomach. We just have to learn to combat it by drinking something. I find that drinking a sugar-free flavored coffee in between meals keeps me from getting head hungry because it takes me an hour to drink the tumbler of coffee and it keeps me busy and my mind thinks I'm eating something with the sweetness of the flavored syrup.

Yep. I'm "only" 20 months out but I still deal with head hunger on a daily basis.

Everyone's experience is different, but I haven't found managing nutritional needs to be difficult after my sleeve surgery. I'm not cooking these days either but I'm able to get enough protein with basic things like rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, eggs, yogurt, cheese and so on. I eat a little weird because I don't often eat a whole meal but I'm managing to get my nutritional needs met (I know because I'm still keeping track of everything). And of course I take my multivitamin daily and B12 weekly as my doctor prescribed. My bloodwork always comes back fine, the only suggestion the doctor has given me was to start taking Vitamin D, which I did. And there's no malabsorbtion with the sleeve, so that's not a factor. I do find that my appetite is significantly reduced. I know hunger comes back more quickly for some people, but 20 months out I'm still hungry less often and less urgently than I was before. One of the BEST side-effects of surgery for me is that things that used to be "comfort food" for me no longer have that emotional kick they used to have. I can eat a pancake with syrup and it tastes good, but whatever that emotional hit was that I used to get, that's gone. And that's a VERY good thing for me. I mostly avoid the carby, sweet stuff but I do allow myself a treat every now and then. And then it's RIGHT back on my eating plan because I don't want to wake up cravings for all that stuff. I still don't keep sweets or junk food in the house. When I have a treat, I have to make a special effort to go get it and it's planned. And I only get enough for one serving. When that's gone, I'm done and it's back to protein, dairy, nuts, eggs, etc. I'm an apple shape like you, so I know exactly what you mean. I've lost 11 inches off my waist, which my doctor is ecstatic about. Only you can decide if weight loss surgery is right for you, but I wouldn't let malnutrition fears be the deal-breaker. Your bariatric team will give you a diet designed to meet your nutritional needs and they'll be monitoring you. All the best, whatever you decide! 🤗

Wow! Great endorsement. I just ordered one 😊 Just this week I have become so frustrated with how all of my bras fit, but I don’t want to spend a bunch of money on new bras until I am closer to goal. For the price, this is totally worth a try. Thank you ☺️ ps. You should probably look into getting some kick backs for the excellent advertising/product endorsement 😂 maybe free bras?

@Debbieduck4 PM me if you want to attend my online support meeting tonight at 6pm CST. We're a great group of committed folks who really motivate each other and help us with accountability and focus. It's hard to go back to basics, but IMHO that's what it takes. Plan, weigh/measure, log EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth for a baseline. Everything. Then look at ways to cut the trash out and emphasize the healthy stuff. Prioritize protein, water, healthy veg, healthy fats. You can do it. Seen too many people succeed in getting back to goal to believe it won't. Hang in there. These are tough days.