Am i the only one?

[pedsnurse120304 19]

I feel i have little will power. Im only 6 weeks out and i am aleady picking at junk food at work. I didnt think i would be tolerate it but unfortunatly i am. Why? Nothing is really filling me..my quantity of food is way to much..

Can something NOT have been done correctly? i didnt know this was possible with the sleeve..anyone else feeling the same?

Im knew the sleeve would not cure me of my poor eating habbits including my love for food but i feel like i should not be able to tolerate the way i am still eating..

[SeriouslyChange 319]

Is it almost time for your period? Maybe that could have something to do with it? Try drinking more Water. It'll keep your stomach full for a bit. Protein drinks may help too

I'm 4 weeks out and I'm getting to the point where a Protein Drink that use to keep me full for 5 hours lasts for 3.

[No game 14,436]

They took out our stomach but left behind our brains! I think about it and hunger was not driving me to eat my head was! It is a big thing to over come I struggle daily with it.. I found that junk food goes down way easy. So we need to be really careful with it. I only feel the restriction when I eat Proteins. So that's the key right ?

Easier said than done.

[*Dean* 1,594]

Nip it in the bud!

You've identified the problem so you need to go back to basics. Have your meals planned the night before or in the morning and stick to your planned meals / Snacks. For me it's 6 (very) small meals a day.

Once you have that planned comit to yourself that you won't snack / pick / graze. And keep sipping!

Good luck,

Deano

[ascooke 50]

Yes agree it sounds like you are grazingand making the wrong choices when you do try to avert your attention to something other than food. Always ask yourself Am I really Hungry? Is this food worth it? Could I make a better choice? and remind me of all this when i need it please lol

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Some sleevers can't tolerate certain foods but many can tolerate anything. There's nothing about the surgery that will prevent you from eating any kind of sweets or junk. Your stomach is just smaller. That's all.

[clk 3,519]

If you're grazing it's not going to fill you. Basically, you'd be eating artificial junk that slides while leaving behind a craving for more artificial junk. Empty calories and artificial crud should be avoided by all of us. While I advocate a balanced approach to eating, without denying yourself, I also advocate healthy eating and the use of moderation.

The ways to feel full? Protein first. Lots of Protein, including shakes, will help you feel full longer. Eat a reasonable amount of good quality carbohydrates so that you don't feel deprived and have energy. Eat real fats, in moderation, so that your food is more satisfying and tastes better.

Eliminate as many artificial, fat-free fake foods from your diet as possible. These things do not satisfy you and the sleeve is not a diet. You do not need these foods. The goal is to eat real food, in moderation, so that you feel happy and satisfied without turning to foods that lack nutrition and cause you to crave.

Address your eating habits NOW. You're grazing? Stop it. I know, it sounds so easy and simplistic and almost cruel to say. But that's the reality here. The sleeve gave you a limited stomach and will stop you from eating a pizza in a sitting, but nothing is ever going to stop you from eating a cookie an hour around the clock. If you choose to continue eating out of habit, boredom or due to emotional triggers, you will have trouble reaching goal and trouble maintaining. That's the absolute truth.

There is no shame in wanting or needing counseling. Our stomachs did not make us fat. Filling them up beyond capacity for years on end, for whatever reasons we did that, is what makes a person obese enough to require surgery. Address the cause of your obesity and you'll find that life gets a lot easier. It's time to discover why you eat when you do and correct that behavior. Building healthy habits now will help you maintain for life. Treating the sleeve like a diet and then cheating on that diet will lead to the same success as past diets did prior to surgery. That is to say, it won't work.

Good luck. There is no shame in admitting that this isn't easy. It's not. If it were easy and the sleeve were a magic tool we'd all have 100% success and never complain or hit a roadblock. This is using a tool to change a lifetime of bad habits and food issues. It takes time and it's not always forward progress.

Work on it and do your best to overcome these things and you can only help yourself be happier and healthier for the rest of your life.

~Cheri

[Territravel 217]

VSG is a tool.. It will help with hunger, and how much food we can eat at a sitting, but doesn't address the issues we have with overeating, and eating the wrong foods. I'm 6 months post op and still have to remind myself that just because I can eat something, doesn't mean i should!

Carry those high Protein shakes and Snacks everywhere you go. The second you see goodies that you shouldn't have, run and eat a good snack or drink. Remind yourself, every day, every hour, if you have to, why your health is more important than junk food.< /p>

Head hunger is a dangerous thing for us. Lets take it serious..."That includes me also."

[TheCurvyJones 721]

You don't have much willpower because there is no such thing. We make a choice and we stick to it or we don't.

We must focus on Protein and foods that will nurture our bodies, fuel our engines. There are no magic words or techniques that we can give you to make you decide to do it the right way.

Get your Protein in. Stay hydrated. Our sleeve only hold 4-6oz of anything....fill it with good things. Grazing = weight gain. Decide to stop doing it.

[Kayargh 112]

My stomach is like an Iron gut!! It handles nearly everything!! It has taken me almost 4 months to wrangle with my desires and cravings. Some days I would give into them freely- but when the scale didn't move I was reminded how I felt pre-sleeve, constantly feeling down on myself. It is actually easier than u may think it get a hold of this. You just have to start- that's the hardest part! Start with a Breakfast you can stomach- oats, Cereal or small toast with a small amout of Peanut Butter. Pre planned meals are excellent, when your at work there is no other option so u have to eat the nutritious food, fruits and Snacks you have prepared. Up your intake of Water, for the first few months i couldn't stomach water alone, so i added a very small amount of lemon juice or cordial. I didn't worry about the cordial as at the start, getting the water down was more important than calories or sugar content. Now 4 months on I can have water very easily and squeeze lemon in it for taste but don't require it. Water will help fill the gap, trust me. To curb my cravings for crap foods I allow a jarrah hot chocolate at night- 45 calories - it stops me from wanting to go out and buy rubbish food. You will get through this, u just have to start! Tonight i had a friend over and i picked up some malaysian food on the way home from work...it was then I realised for the first time that I didn't even think about pulling into a corner store to buy junk foods to stash for later when he went home.....infact I was amazed at how the idea actually repulsed me! Progress! It's been tough for me but I feel like I'm getting there, and I believe u will too :-)

[Catracks 865]

I measure, weigh and pack my food the night before. I use one of those bento boxes and it holds Breakfast lunch and a snack perfectly. Keep food away from your desk except for what you have packed.

I tend to eat what I've pack slowly throughout the day instead of setting aside a "lunch hour." When I feel liker it I grab a piece of meat or a piece of cheese here and there. My sleeve does better with this method. If I eat all at once I get a full feeling I do not like. That's just me. I can't overeat this way because everything has been measured.

[doxieville 799]

In don't have a regular job so honestly, yeah, I'm finding it hard to plan meals. That's been my one flaw in all this.

[pedsnurse120304 19]

Thanks for all the great advice..appreciate the support..

[PetraLuxor 83]

If you're grazing it's not going to fill you. Basically, you'd be eating artificial junk that slides while leaving behind a craving for more artificial junk. Empty calories and artificial crud should be avoided by all of us. While I advocate a balanced approach to eating, without denying yourself, I also advocate healthy eating and the use of moderation.

The ways to feel full? Protein first. Lots of Protein, including shakes, will help you feel full longer. Eat a reasonable amount of good quality carbohydrates so that you don't feel deprived and have energy. Eat real fats, in moderation, so that your food is more satisfying and tastes better.

Eliminate as many artificial, fat-free fake foods from your diet as possible. These things do not satisfy you and the sleeve is not a diet. You do not need these foods. The goal is to eat real food, in moderation, so that you feel happy and satisfied without turning to foods that lack nutrition and cause you to crave.

Address your eating habits NOW. You're grazing? Stop it. I know, it sounds so easy and simplistic and almost cruel to say. But that's the reality here. The sleeve gave you a limited stomach and will stop you from eating a pizza in a sitting, but nothing is ever going to stop you from eating a cookie an hour around the clock. If you choose to continue eating out of habit, boredom or due to emotional triggers, you will have trouble reaching goal and trouble maintaining. That's the absolute truth.

There is no shame in wanting or needing counseling. Our stomachs did not make us fat. Filling them up beyond capacity for years on end, for whatever reasons we did that, is what makes a person obese enough to require surgery. Address the cause of your obesity and you'll find that life gets a lot easier. It's time to discover why you eat when you do and correct that behavior. Building healthy habits now will help you maintain for life. Treating the sleeve like a diet and then cheating on that diet will lead to the same success as past diets did prior to surgery. That is to say, it won't work.

Good luck. There is no shame in admitting that this isn't easy. It's not. If it were easy and the sleeve were a magic tool we'd all have 100% success and never complain or hit a roadblock. This is using a tool to change a lifetime of bad habits and food issues. It takes time and it's not always forward progress.

Work on it and do your best to overcome these things and you can only help yourself be happier and healthier for the rest of your life.

~Cheri

Awesome post, Cheri! I definitely needed to read and remind myself of this. Thanks. Thanks also to the original poster for bringing this topic up. :)

[cherrybombknits 184]

I measure' date=' weigh and pack my food the night before. I use one of those bento boxes and it holds breakfast lunch and a snack perfectly. Keep food away from your desk except for what you have packed.

I tend to eat what I've pack slowly throughout the day instead of setting aside a "lunch hour." When I feel liker it I grab a piece of meat or a piece of cheese here and there. My sleeve does better with this method. If I eat all at once I get a full feeling I do not like. That's just me. I can't overeat this way because everything has been measured.[/quote']

Bento boxes are a great idea!