Eating "normally"

[brajt 17]

I am now almost post-op 9 months and I have exceeded my weight loss goal. My goal weight was 145 and my dream weight would be 138. I am now down to 125 and very thin. I have for the most part, had a great experience with this whole process and truly believe this was the best thing. However, I have felt even in the 130's that I was getting too thin looking and was trying to figure out ways to either maintain or gain.

I stick to a lot of Protein, then veggies, then starch. I have tried Keifer, Peanut Butter, etc and nothing is really helping me keep it on. I cannot stomach the shakes anymore, they make me sick, I have tried everything to make them better. Was fine before surgery but after surgery they have become my enemy.

I have tried pushing it with eating more and to the point where I was vomiting 2 of the 3 meals and they even did an emergency EGD to make sure no strictures or obstructions and I do not have either. So here I am, 9 months post op, I can eat maybe 2 oz of food at a sitting. If I go more, I got from a stomach pain level of 2-9 in minutes. Either I end up vomiting or try to work through the pain. I actually just decreased from 3-4 oz because I could no longer stand the pain/vomiting scenario.

Where is everyone else with the amounts they can eat? Is anyone else having these issues?

I know I have gotten really thin when my dad called me this weekend and said Beth, enough of the weight loss, you are WAY TOO THIN. Last week, I had several friends and even doctors tell me the same thing. When I look at all the scales of BMI I can technically go down to 115lbs before I am considered underweight, but really, when I tell people I am at 125 lbs they say no way, I look like I am 110. What would I look like at 115? YIKES.

I have spoken to the nutritionist about this, she is a nut case I think. She told me I am not thin enough yet and that was when I was at 134. So really, I am reaching out to everyone that has suggestions, or experiences that can relate to this and give me some feedback.

Thank you everyone!!!

[Bufflehead 6,358]

I would say add in some healthy fats and complex carbs. Have some guacamole with your Protein. Saute your chicken in olive oil. Have nuts for a snack. Have a half a baked potato (or sweet potato) with butter occasionally. Good luck to you!

[No game 14,436]

Most of us do not, will not have this problem..

There was a woman a couple of months ago that had this problem but it was more that she refused to eat any foods with fat...

You've tried Peanut Butter so I will assume you will eat full fat? I would suggest adding full fat cheeses and milk if your not already.

How many meals snack a day do you eat?

Can you try for six min meals?

[TES 858]

Congratulations on your weight loss. Can you try to eat smaller amounts of more calorie-dense foods...even something like milkshakes or ice cream?

How tall are you? I don't like that the BMI charts don't consider how big-boned someone is. If you have a large frame, underweight for you may be a at a higher weight than what the chart says.

[Momonanomo 534]

I agree with everyone above, since you cant handle quantity, go for quality (calorie dense & full healthy fats) and frequency (several small meals per day).

[TJL 222]

I agree with everyone here, go for some dense fats/oils with a little carbs thrown in. Laura-ven is right go for some mini meals but make them calorie dense. Hope you start doing better, I certainly don't have this problem. Good luck to you, let us know how you are doing.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

The others have made some great suggestions: eating Peanut Butter , eating calorie dense foods and eating more often. I also agree eating a small meal every 2 hours is a great idea so your body gets used to wanting a higher caloric load during the day.

You might also try drinking some higher calorie Protein shakes. For example, mine has 400 calories a serving. I have also seen mass building Protein Shakes that give you 600-700 calories a serving. Drinking a casein shake right before bed is a great way to finish out the day with an extra 200-300 calories.

Eat complex carbs and good fats. Try eating oatmeal with Protein powder mixed in. Try eating avocados, olives and salmon. I love to eat salmon because it is not only tasty, but gives you good fats with the Protein.

My weight oscillates between 175 and 178 for the last month and I am trying my darndest to pack on muscle so am shoveling in as much protein as possible during the day. At 175, I am almost mid BMI healthy range for my height of 5'11".

Let's see, what else can help you? Perhaps eat some healthy Cereal like Fiber one (200 calories for 1/2 cup). Eat fruit when you can. Bananas are higher on the glycemic index and will "stick to you" more than, say, an apple.

Getting your carbs over 150 a day should help you gain a little. Once you are at 130 or where ever you want to stop, drop daily carbs to about 80-100.

Just be a little careful about making good food choices as it will be easy to tip the scales in the other direction. If you eat not so good choices of food, you may find yourself with the opposite problem: too much weight gain. It is a careful balancing act to figure out where your caloric and macro loads need to be in order to hit that sweet maintain range and stay there.

Good luck.

[sheilarae 84]

How is your health otherwise? Do you feel good with lots of energy? I like all the suggestions I've read here, but don't forget that it's more than a number in the scale. Best wishes.