TakingABreak

Yes completely normal. Until you transition into soft foods, you will experience hunger. Foods with more texture, like meat and eggs will fill you up quickly once you progress to this stage. Try and stick to your program and eat foods that don’t “slide” through. Lean protein first, and then non-starchy veggies.

You know we don't....

Posts daily? You mean from women who weren't "allowed"....that's a gag. I think one man's response, means it died. I'm trying to say that women can offer ideas on what to take for lunch too, we eat too!

Sorry dear, I keep interjecting my opinion..... You can use MyFitnessPal and enter the ingredients of the soups into the "recipe" section, and it will help you get a gage of the calories for each soup. It saves your recipes and is easy to log again, and again. I don't think you do know what to eat... I'm sorry, but if you do... than what's worse than that, is you are choosing to eat things AGAINST your plan. You should stop blaming the hunger for eating the wrong foods. You could be hungry and eat the right foods. Again, I challenge you to think really hard about your hunger. https://primesurgicare.com/head-hunger-vs-belly-hunger-difference/ https://www.bariatricfoodie.com/head-hunger-vs-physical-hunger-vs-wha/

yes.

Where in IL are you from?

I wouldn't worry about hitting your full protein goal just yet. Concentrate more on your fluid goals. In the full liquid stages I ate: 1)Kefir 2)Cream of wheat (added protein powder) 3)FairLife Milk, sometimes with SF chocolate syrup 4)SF jello 5)Bone broth. Walmart carries an excellent one that is almost creamy... yum! 6) Diluted 100% juice 7) Strained creamed soups (added protein powder) 8) SF popsicles

I hope I can help you to sleep better at night, by saying this, you are not going to go into a coma if your a 12. Let me put it this way, I am regularly a 4 when I wake up in the morning.... never have I had a scare. 12 is a vast improvement from 17-22, but I bet you can get that even lower by cutting out the carbs. Just think about it.

I do a lot of meal prep! I go shopping usually on Sundays (sometimes a separate trip to the farmers market). I get meat and veggies. I cut everything up in one day. I put it in zip-lock baggies and use them to marinade or spice the meat at the same time. Sometimes I do skewers, which are fun. I will mix up the veggies this way. I like to do a brussel sprout, chicken, and cherry tomato skewer. I make my own bariatric friendly marinades as well. I just play around with different options. I will cook more meat on Sundays and Wednesdays for lunches. I make salads as well, with added protein source. I usually use chicken or soy meat. The most important thing, I always go to the store with a list. I never allow myself to browse. In fact, I really don't go to the grocery store ever anymore. I utilize grocery pick up and order online. It keeps me from getting things I don't need.

Its a weird feeling when your BS drops and you are in "normal" range. You said you start feeling crazy at 5, which is 90 in US metrics.... I usually wake up around 70. I feel hungry and shaky, but ideally you should be sitting between a 6-7 all day long. When you are at a 8-10, that is too high, and your body will react to dipping down, but that doesn't mean that you are "hungry", it just means your blood sugar is lower. I'd try hydrating when it gets within normal range.

Ideally, you are a type 2 diabetic. You may not need insulin, at all, if you are less than 30 grams of carbs per day. If you truly stick with that diet plan, you can go without (still test) and see where your BS falls.

lol I have no idea how to use that thing. I guess the point is... cut the carbs down to less than 30 grams per day ( I do 50 grams, but considering your access to diabetic supplies, you need to control it by diet). It will curb your appetite and your levels will be much better controlled.

I'm confused, maybe I didn't ask that right..... for example... my fasting blood sugar is usually 70-80.... 12 doesn't make sense, nor does 8-10. Maybe your meters in Barbados are different?

I agree. Hard boiled eggs don't sit as well as a over-easy or sunny side up egg for example.

I would test before breakfast and 1 hour after dinner. You want to take advantage of what little info you are able to gain. What is your typical fasting blood glucose level?

Are you testing throughout the day, before each meal? An hour after each meal? Taking it twice a day, isn't doing you any favors because its not controlling throughout. Your basil insulin should be taken 2 times per day. But your short acting should be before each meal. do you have a sliding scale? For example, if your blood sugar is X-Y... you take Z amount of insulin prior to a meal?

I have a smoothie every morning. I use a protein powder, and 1 serving of fruit (for example: half of a banana) and 1/4 cup of almonds. However, that being said, it runs right through. I do it because it has 45 grams of protein in it. Therefore, I have to have a mid morning snack to satisfy my hunger until lunch. Liquids are natural slider foods. You need to be eating foods with sustenance. The hunger has to do with hormones, not the size of your stomach. Think of babies, they eat every 2-3 or 3-4 hours, because they are hungry. When they get to baby food, or softer foods, they eat less frequently because their food has texture. The texture is what causes you to feel full longer. When you are able to start eating foods that have more texture, you also will feel full longer. You aren't alone, many many WLS patients don't get rid of their hunger. Me included.

Also, its possible your diabetes would be better controlled if you did cut out the carbs. A lot of what you mentioned in your diet is carb based. If you aren't using appropriate insulin to counteract the carbs, then you'll never get it in control. How about eggs? Have you tried eggs? You could do omlets... I'll keep thinking about foods you could try.

If you are hungry, its because you are eating all slider foods. They are literally sliding.... right through. You aren't maintaining any type of fullness. I am a type 1 diabetic, and I don't believe this ("hunger") has anything to do with insulin levels. Sure, when your blood sugar is low, your body mimics hunger, but you are saying yours aren't controlled, which says its high. Its important that you are dosing your insulin correctly. Reach out to your Endo and find out what you should be taking. Ideally, more long acting insulin. I hope you don't replace those bad food items. There are four common ways you can fail at this surgery: 1. Graze. 2. Drink your calories 3. Eat and drink at the same time 4. Slider foods You are grazing with slider foods.....

CONGRATS! You look fab! and I have to say... I WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED you are 53 years old. You look fabulous.

Clearly..... not a great attitude. I see why you are frustrated, but saying that you can't eat meat....is not indicative of whether you will succeed. There are vegetarians and vegans that have WLS and get their protein from plant based foods or soy meat. Have you tried other protein high foods besides meat? A few that comes to mind: - Greek Yogurt -Cottage Cheese -Refried Beans Your hunger isn't real hunger though. It's head hunger. Until you get a grip on your mind... you won't succeed. Like I mentioned in my first post. You have to find a replacement for boredom, stress, whatever makes you eat. Go for a walk, scrub the kitchen floor, dance in your underwear.

^^^this! I'd suggest not weighing for the first month.

When you get to the point where you can swallow pills again, you may want to consider a capsule vs a chewable. I take ProCare Health 1x per day tablet with iron. With chewables, you have to take multiple times per day. Whereas, I take this at night, only one capsule. Its just like prenatal vitamins, where they recommend to take at night, if it causes nausea. I take my calcium/vitamin d tabs in the AM.

@BajanSleeve ^^^^this is exactly your problem. Do you have a diet plan that you were given by a NUT? Because almost all of those foods are excluded from my allowed foods. - Toast with avocado, at 5 weeks I was not allowed even whole wheat bread until 6 weeks. Even now, 5 months post op, I have only whole wheat bread sparingly. -2 cups of soup is too much. Soup is a slider food, but you shouldn't eat 2 cups, just because you can. Measure out what you should be eating, which is approx. 1/2 cup at your stage. -A pack of popped chips. Why would you even? Chips is a no-no. -A protein bar. I don't eat these because they typically have way to many carbs (hence why they are a slider food) and typically too much sugar. -A fiber one bar. Again, bars are not good.... and this one doesn't even have enough protein to make it worth it. -Short bread biscuits. You know that this isn't a good choice. I don't need to say anything further. - dark chocolate. Slippery slope, slippery slope. Why not just stay away from tempting foods? I didn't eat my favorites, not because I couldn't, but because it was easier thinking "I can't, what if I get sick?" than trying it and seeing that I could, and keep going. - Mac And Cheese. There is no nutritional value for you in this. Pasta is a slider food, a bad carb, and not necessary for your nutrition at this point. I think if you tried eating lean protein in every meal, you wouldn't struggle with "hunger" as much. I also think you have a lot of head hunger. Therapy would be ideal, but try and focus that "hunger" into an activity. Or, you can always say to yourself, I can eat something when I've drank a full 16oz of water. Chances are you won't be hungry by the time you drink that water.

Baritastic app has a timer for chewing. I used it for 2 weeks, and never had to again. Muscle has memory, and you just get used to eating slower after it becomes a habit.