Hi all, I am almost at 6 months being sleeved. the past month or so has been hard. I've been feeling hungry/having cravings. I'm so upset that my surgery didn't get rid of the hunger/cravings like it has in other people, but i've been thinking about it and maybe I need to be eating more? Up until now i'm pretty much just eating protein, shakes and lean meats. No veggies, no carbs. I know this is not how I'm going to live my life, so maybe I should be incorporating more veggies and whole grains. Also, I'm thinking that maybe I need to up my calories so that I don't get to the point where i'm hungry and crave and eat too much. Right now my dr says to get 800 cal a day, but my friend who also had the same surgery at the same time w/ a different doctor and he told her that she should be eating around 1,250 cals.....

I'm just really down and depressed because the old fear is coming back that this won't work, just like any other "diet" i've been on....... This was my last resort, I don't have any options besides this. So if I can't get control of my hunger now...... *sigh* i'm scared whats going to happen a few years from now.....

Hi

So I some days feel the same...about the hunger.

And then some days I decide to just eat 3 meals and I know it is not hunger in the stomach but in the head.This is a very hard thing for me to accept.

Now,I have started eating a little less Proteins and I added some healthy carbs like a little sweetpotato,some lettuce and salad veggies,some mixed grilled veggies even a little bir of feta cheese to liven up the taste some times.

Then,other days,the majority of days mind you,I will eat mostly proteins,just to keep the weight going down.I am between 800 and a 1000 cals a day and I started walking 30 minutes a day on the days I cant do other exercises.

You need to cut yourself a little slack.Be hyper vigilant not to go over board or eat refined carbs....to often.Once a week have a treat if you like and then gwt back on plan.

For the past 10 days I have had the constant fear that I have already failed at this like I've always done with weightloss....but in my heart I know I will lose it because I am not giving up.I can only eat a little and even if I eat anything I want (food...at meal times only 3 per day) my cals will still be low and I will still lose weight.I have been in contact with a lot of slow losers lately and they are the people that eat carbs...but only 3 meals per day no snacking and they did get and are getting to goal as well...maybe slower but hey I was fat for 20 years a few extra months will not kill me.

Ok,this is about you not me.

Relax,be nice to yourself and get a hold on what is going on in the head as far as food is concerned.Eat tasty small meals,healthy,dont snack and you will lose weighht and be ok.

xxo

I find that there is a difference between "hunger" and "craving." I can crave chips (and I do) but I'm not hungry for them. My body doesn't need chips to survive.

The hard part about this surgery is the "Protein first" rule--it gets boring because there isn't much variety. Sugar-filled foods, including fruit, call to us, as does crunchy food. There isn't much crunchy protein out there...

I guess what I want to say is, your surgeon has lots of experience with WLS patients and I imagine you picked him for his expertise. Please follow his instructions, be patient, and do not compare yourself to other people or their plans.

Desertmom, THANK YOU for your kind and empathatic reply!!! it feels good to know that there are other people likeme :-) sometimes we need someone to say its ok. I am gonna start thinking about healthy, flavorful meals and not just how little calories can i force myself to stick too.

Foxbin, thanks for responding but that was already stuff i knew. I feel like alot of times on this forum website people like to give the Dr responses instead of being real. Have you honestly not given into or had struggles with hunger or cravings?

O yes,and my dr isnt one that forbids any food as far as I can see.Small portions,no refined carbs,Protein first and veggies after.

It is actually quite easy to do Your Proteins if you plan it correctly.6oz of chicken and fish or beef should give you 51g of protein and the rest is easy to make up with veggies,milk in tea or coffee.

Since I've figured I dont only have to eat protein I am much happier and dont have to take a laxative all th time to boot.Good luck to exploring healthy veggies.

xxo

Ok there are times when I am really hungry...like watch out...I need to eat now...so I start eating and I can't eat a lot and the hunger goes away. I would just eat something and see what happens. It is not like you will be able to down 4 piece and a biscuit.

Have you ever considered having your metabolism checked? I had mine checked at a Lifetime Fitness. The trainer told me not to eat less than 1500 cals a day ( I had it checked at 2.5 months) so that's where I have stayed and made goal in 8.5 months. Maintaining now with ease at 1800-2200 per day depending on my activity for the day. (I easily ate 3500+ cals a dayto maintain my 255lb pound physique pre-op) 2000 cals per day for an active (i jog and lift weights and work full time as a nurse) 28 year old like myself is reasonable and healthy to maintain my 169lbs-- I have maintained or even built more muscle. I do have lots of protein and veggies but also have carbs. If my weight creeps back up even a 1/4 pound I reign the cals in! I happy with this because unlike some sleevers I can eat very very normally with ease and I didn't lose all my muscle mass and tank my metabolism eating 600-800 cals a day. Cause when you eat 700 cals a day for 8 months and get down to 125lbs-- bad habits can creep in and then you eat 1200 cals on a "bad day" and gain weight cause you have no muscle and you tanked your metabolism!!!

I think the point is this isnt as easy for some of us.My one friend lost 130 pounds without ever feeling hungry once.She just didnt really care for food anymore after the surgery.I prayed so hard that I would be like that and when I didnt I felt so lost and defeated.

Making a few small adjustments have helped me tremendously.

10 years ago I for sure would have been able to stick to the low carb thing for a long time but this whole cycle of dieting (because low carbing is dieting) just wore me down over the years.I am 10 years and a hundred diets older and I do need some quality veggies for that feel good factor that I somehow lack lately when I dont eat them.That in itself is a miracle as I am not craving chips,chocolates and cakes but veggies....great!

I still admire those for whom this is such an smoothe transition and that feels happy with mostly Proteins.

On good thing though.By the time I reach goal I will already have my balance with food that I lacked for such a long time and I dont anticipate maintainance being a huge struggle.No relearning to eat then or low carbing as "a way of life".

xxo

I agree with June13Sleever--if you're truly hungry, eat something. Just be sure it's something healthful for you. One of the goals of this procedure is to get back to a "normal" (aka "healthful") way of eating and break the habits we had before. If you are truly hungry, try eating a couple of bites of turkey lunch meat or a hard-boiled egg or a couple slices of tomato--lettuce was actually fairly hard for me to tolerate at first, so you might consider starting with less fibrous veggies. See if you can tolerate a couple of green Beans or some canteloupe. Whatever you select, just keep it healthy and small.

You may want to experiment with spreading your meals out over a period of time. I eat probably 6 times a day, small "mini-meals" with very few frivolous foods (no room, thank you Sleevie!). For instance, a container of yogurt OR 2 TBS peanuts OR 3-4 boiled shrimp OR a couple slices of cheese--you get the drift. Small, frequent portions--I don't do overly sweet, fried, or most flour-based foods because my sleeve still hates them (I get what I think is akin to "dumping syndrome"). See if spreading your meals out a bit helps. Broaden your selections.

Listen to your body--and a good signal for me between head and true hunger is, if I think I'm hungry and I've eaten recently, I always say to myself, "I think I'll have ____" and I deliberately select something healthy that's not a trigger food--for me, that's turkey, which is not my favorite, or some veggies. If I still want and will eat my healthy selection, I get it and eat it. That's hunger. If I catch myself saying, "I don't want the turkey, but I think I'd like some ____," that's head hunger, and I can find something else to do.

Best wishes to you!

Sleeve of Steele,what did a day's food look like while you were still losing?

It is very interesting to know that quite contrary to what so many says (eating only 800 a day) it is possible to eat more HEALTHY food and get to goal that fast.

I also do better with more cals but only if coupled with exercise daily.

xxo

My pre-op psych visit i was told to live normal, eat like you will in the future. She had the band, she said if we stay so strick "dieting" our sleeve will get immune just like our tummy did before to all the "dieting", so when the doc says normal food, to do normal foods including carbs, just practice portion control. we have a new start we all have our baby belly back, we will shape it this time not our parents!

Allmyjoy,a lot of sleevers will tell you that in the beginning we will lose weight like that but after 6 months or so it will be increasingly difficult to drop weight this way.

I watched the HBO programs on theweightofthenation today and I believe if one consistently burn more than you take in ( and not refined carbs which is unhealthy for anyone) you will lose weight.

But the low carb,low calories works for a lot of sleevers.It just shows again we are all different arent we?

xxo

Have you ever considered having your metabolism checked? I had mine checked at a Lifetime Fitness. The trainer told me not to eat less than 1500 cals a day ( I had it checked at 2.5 months) so that's where I have stayed and made goal in 8.5 months. Maintaining now with ease at 1800-2200 per day depending on my activity for the day. (I easily ate 3500+ cals a dayto maintain my 255lb pound physique pre-op) 2000 cals per day for an active (i jog and lift weights and work full time as a nurse) 28 year old like myself is reasonable and healthy to maintain my 169lbs-- I have maintained or even built more muscle. I do have lots of Protein and veggies but also have carbs. If my weight creeps back up even a 1/4 pound I reign the cals in! I happy with this because unlike some sleevers I can eat very very normally with ease and I didn't lose all my muscle mass and tank my metabolism eating 600-800 cals a day. Cause when you eat 700 cals a day for 8 months and get down to 125lbs-- bad habits can creep in and then you eat 1200 cals on a "bad day" and gain weight cause you have no muscle and you tanked your metabolism!!!

I totally agree with this. I got up above 1200 cals per day as soon as I could post-op, cos I didn't want to hose my not-too-awful metabolism. I eat in the 2000 cals neighborhood now as well, with a fairly active lifestyle. I didn't reach my "goal" yet -- but I'm not sure I want to, cos I like where I am currently, so I upped the calories to see how it feels to hang out where I am.

FWIW, I NEVER lost my hunger, not at all. It wasn't head hunger or acid, it was just good old hunger. The ghrelin thing didn't seem to apply to me, which was frustrating at first. But then I figured, well, I was hungry before, so I can deal with that. And I have. You can be hungry and still do this!

I should of mentioned I'm only 17 days out! So I'm learning from everyone as well! Sorry I was just stating what I had been advised!

Hi,I didnt mean anything negative in my answer.I was actually confirming what you said,I fully agree with your dr but a lot of successful sleevers will differ from us.LOL

xxo

Desertmom, THANK YOU for your kind and empathatic reply!!! it feels good to know that there are other people likeme :-) sometimes we need someone to say its ok. I am gonna start thinking about healthy, flavorful meals and not just how little calories can i force myself to stick too.

Foxbin, thanks for responding but that was already stuff i knew. I feel like alot of times on this forum website people like to give the Dr responses instead of being real. Have you honestly not given into or had struggles with hunger or cravings?

I am in maintenance now and eat a much more balanced diet. When I was losing, I was afraid that if I gave in to my cravings or went off program, I would not reach my goal. I had failed at so many diets I didn't want to fail again, especially after going through surgery to help. I did not give into cravings until I reached a normal BMI, and then I made a rule--weigh myself everyday, if over by two pounds, back to Protein again until the weight is off. I also have not increased my portion size since about 8 months. I eat small amounts of mostly protein every two hours and I don't really feel hungry eating that often.