I almost didn't post this because I am so embarassed and ashamed to admit how much I am eating. I am about 4.5 months post op and this past week I have eaten so much!!! I haven't really been feeling a lot of restriction and it scares me. I read what others eat and they eat SOOO much less than me, probably like 1/4 of what I eat. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but its so hard not to.

Monday I had a Protein shake in the morning, and then ate Skyline (chili), and ate an entire 5 way (Pasta, chili, onions, Beans and cheese and crackers)!!! I ate it in 3 different times, but not too far apart. It's like I can be kinda full, but then 30 mins to an hour later I am so hungry again. I hate being hungry. After I ate the Skyline, I even ate an entire lean cuisine meal. This is such a HORRIBLE habit to get in to because I know I will gain all the weight back. UGH!

Then Tuesday I did a little better, and ate around 1000-1100 calories, in 3 meals and a few Snacks. Wednesday was another bad day. Breakfast I had 1 egg and 2 turkey sausage patties, 1 piece of thin bread, 2oz turkey, and a reduced fat cheese stick. Snack I had a Fiber one bar. dinner was 1/4 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of ground turkey and whole grain pasta, and a dark chocolate raspberry weight watchers ice creams bar. Well, I was doing fine, then all hell broke loose. Throughout the rest of the night, I snacked on 4-5 more of the ice cream bars and 2 Peanut Butter sandwiches on the thin round bread. I took in almost 1,600 calories that day How can I even eat all this!!!!! I just felt like I was starving! I was very uncomfy last night, but it was more like a constipated feeling. Today has been kinda the same, though I haven't eaten as many ice cream bars, but I want to so bad. I hate to throw them out. But once they are gone, they will never be in my house again!!! And no more peanut butter because I can't control myself. Gosh, I am so ashamed I ate all of that. I feel like I wasted my money having this surgery since I can't even control myself, I am still so hungry all the time, and I still go back to bad habits. I can't even use this tool right! Sorry for such a negative post, but I am just really down on myself right now. I have had good weight loss thus far, and I just want to keep that up. I just don't know how to not be hungry. Maybe I need to make sure i am getting fluids in and that will fill my tummy. And I do need to exercise which I haven't gotten back to yet, but that usually makes me even more hungry. I currently have a part time job and I think it would help if I was working full time. It's just the night time that is so bad! I think I really need to work on why I go to food. I know it makes me feel better, but I don't know how to fix that. But I really am hungry a lot of the time too.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Once I measured oat meal and ate it to see how much I could eat at one sitting. That might answer the question of whether or not you have restriction you need. I think several months out I barely at 6 oz. It might make you feel better to know you have that restriction.

I am further out than you, but I have days I eat tons more than others and I go through phases of eating bad. I don't really freak out bc I know it will pass. Normally I can buy tons of Snacks for my family but not even touch them, but there are times when I can't leave them alone.

I think during those times it is just better to go with it and eat more meals, so I'm too ful to eat tons of ice cream sandwiches. Like maybe drink some milk with a meal, bc that has dairy that your body might want.

Also, did you DIET to lose that 90 lbs?. Bc people fall of of diets. That is why I didn't diet. Just relax and eat Protein first, veggies second, and just minimal carbs and drink a lot and try to exercise and take Vitamins. That won't lead to yoyo dieting if you just make a habit of eating things that are better for you in the right order. To me all this counting is just wow, so much. But then again I haven't reached goal so I shouldn't say that maybe. I just think we had the surgery so we could lose weight but not live on a diet. I'm just not a 'counter' though.

I have followed my surgeons and NUTS guidelines to lose the 105 pounds I have lost. Not really a diet, just ate small healthy meals. Just followed what I was suppose to do.

Thank you thinoneday for the book rec. I will look that one up!

Thank you everyone for the responses and advice. The ice cream bars are GONE! The Peanut Butter might be in the trash soon too! I have been adding the peanut butter to my one dogs food because he hasn't been wanting to eat.

I do track calories. I think if I didn't, I would eat way too much. I think I need to add some veggies in. I don't get a lot unless they are mixed into something.

For those of you who asked about the peanut butter.... it is organic. Here are the ingredients: organic dry roasted peanuts, organic palm oil, organic unrefined cane sugar, sea salt. Carbs per 2 Tbsp:6g, Sugars: 3g

So, I really don't think the peanut butter is making me hungry. I think it is because its one of the only things in the house and I would eat anything. If I had Protein bars, I would eat a few of those. If I had chicken cooked, I would eat a lot of that. I might do a few days of just liquids, like Protein shakes, Soups, SF Jello, SF FF pudding, yougurts, etc. I just need to get a hold of this!!! I hate this hunger! I started today with a Protein shake, and wanted to do only liquids, but just got so hungry I ate a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and a cheese stick and 17 pop chips. Tomorrow, I just have to force myself to only do liquids.

I am so, so glad I have this board to come to. I think if I didn't have the support and place to come to "spill my guts", I would just slowly slip back into bad habits. At least I know it is BAD and I WILL fix it. THANK YOU ALL!!!

And yes, I will be doing the "happy dance" again some day

My nutritionist told me that your brain only knows that sweet is sweet and it doesn't matter if it's sugar free or a piece of juicy fruit. He said that your body and brain reacts to the sweetness and not necessarily the source of the sweetness. Of course some sweeteners are much healthier than others but when it comes to cravings and the brain it doesn't really make a difference. He suggested a book called 'Licking the Sugar Habit' by Nancy Appleton and it was REALLY interesting. Well, at least for me because sugar and carbs are my weakness.

I've noticed that my Protein drinks don't cause a lot of problems for me (I don't add anything but the powder and open up some Vitamin capsules in it) but if I eat sf pudding or sf chocolate I start craving like CRAZY and it takes all my will power not to eat all I have (like I would have done pre-surgery). I'd rather not throw those obstacles in my path so I'm trying hard to stay away from all that stuff and maybe have one cheat day a week (on the weekend) and prepare myself mentally and physically for the negative effects. Maybe after being so conscious of the effects I will someday not want this stuff at all.