Okay, so, we're rapidly approaching week 7 post op and I am having issues.

Not ever being full for long enough.

Now, I know that if you eat carbs, it makes you want more and yes, I have been in social/life situations over the last two weeks or so which have necessitated a few white lies to cover why I was avoiding the mash potato in its mountainous glory or the pile of fluffy white bread like the plague. Which, if you're of Irish lineage and in Ireland, is verging on the impossible to do...

However, I was told by my nutritionist that by week 7, I should be eating three square meals and snacking on only yoghurt, nuts and fruit in between. I was also informed that I should be eating my meals within 20 minutes and not drinking before or after the food.

Lovely in its idealism, but frankly, it's just not working. I am hungry.

It is true. Exactly 2-2.5 hours after consuming my meal - I AM hungry. And for the record, it's not indigestion.

Can someone please tell me of any wondrous ideas as to how I am supposed to eat and not be hungry so quickly afterwards?

I have no idea the volume I'm consuming in ounces or anything. I eat until I'm full and stop happily - because I don't want the discomfort. So, we're talking between 4-8 tablespoons of food. Approaching a third of a side plate full.

However, irrespective of cramming in the Protein and veg, exactly 2.5 hours later, my energy levels collapse and I'm a dozy, glassy-eyed incompetent (some might say this is a permanent disposition). But seriously, 6 small meals a day work better for me than three main meals - because I simply can't take enough food in to sustain me.

Which, and I am ashamed to say it, is why whilst out and about, I have eaten some convenience foods like wraps and sandwiches.....

All of this appears to be placing me in the 'grazing' category (note: I don't graze on junk) and as my scale has moved by but 1.5lbs since week 4 (bouncing up and down by 1lb in the meantime), I am starting to get concerned...

Any suggestions for this predicament would be greatly appreciated. Kinda feeling a bit miffed with it all - particularly as my nutritionist during our recent discourse offered no solution other than 'dried nuts and fruit' and kept uttering 'hmm... most unusual'.....

Revs, I am on a much stricter post-op plan than I think you are, but here you go. I'm in week 2 of full liquids, then on to purees. I'm allowed in this phase to have cream of wheat and yogurt. I also rely on the bariatric puddings for snacks; there are only so many shakes I can take.

Breakfast is: yogurt with extra Protein powder, cream of wheat, or a shake. 4 oz of the first two; about 8-10 if it's a shake.

lunch is generally a Soup, extra blended if necessary, with unflavored Protein Powder stirred in. Mmm, clumpy!

Snacks: bariatric pudding (you could also do SF pudding with protein stirred in), popsicles, glass of milk. Etc.

Dinner: soup or shake, see above.

Lots of Water, occasionally G-2, iced tea. One cup of coffee per day.

I've ranged from about 600-850 calories. Most of the time it's right around 750. I do sometimes get hungry but I feel like this phase is carb-ier than I want to eventually be.

I generally hit between 70 and 85 grams of protein per day. Haven't really figured out grams of the rest yet because there's only so much you can do with soup and yogurt.

Revs....18 months post op and heavy exerciser so take my numbers with that in mind. But 2000 calories per day. Yes I count and yes I log every bite and every drop of water. Instead of actual numbers I'll give you the percentages.

40% fat, 40% protein, 20% carbs.

And for me the best protein is poultry, eggs and fish.... In that order.

So sorry you've hit a bump. It happens and will probably happen again later. Part of the journey and all!

I didn't do a lot of carbs early out. They aren't bad and they're not gone forever. But honestly, they should be fruits and veggies at this point, and only after a good bit of Protein. Otherwise you'll fall short of nutritional goals.

And I'm not going to contradict your doc. But three squares and mini Snacks doesn't even do me now and I'm three years post op. My honest opinion is that you need to find the way to eat that keeps you happy and satisfied and keeps you losing weight. Method be damned, what works for you may not work for anyone else. What matters is that it works for you.

So find that and do what it takes.

Dense protein like chicken, beef (SO hard early out for me), lamb and eggs...all of those work to keep a body full longer. Tuna and salmon fill me up but any white fish isn't as good for me - it's soft and I can eat more (yay protein) but I don't feel as full as long.

Again, with nutrition you have to go with what works for you. The right number of calories is the one you lose best on and it may be a larger range than you think. The magic number of carbs is what keeps you feeling satisfied, not deprived and doesn't hinder your loss. For me in the initial loss phase I was determined to keep it to 50 and under a day. But I lost at the same pace once I doubled that. And I felt loads better eating a bigger variety of foods. Something you probably can't do just yet, but over the next month or so explore your body's limits to see what you can do.

I'm not advising you push it and eat cake, just so you know.

To lose I needed low calories. Between 700-900 a day in loss. Now to lose again I'm at roughly 1000-1100. Oddly, I can consume an average of about 1,600-1,800 calories a day in maintenance and not budge on the scale. I just have to stay moderately active and make sure my eating habits don't slip. So if you feel too restricted, keep in mind that it likely won't be forever.

And I like to keep my protein around 90 grams a day. I get lower days for sure, but never below 60 grams a day. I still do a shake most days to keep those numbers high.

Hopefully something in this jumble helps. We all try to the magic method. It's individual. You can get ideas here but it's all up to your body in the end.

~Cheri

Stupid question from someone who's still pre-op. I've heard all these amazing things about hunger elimination due to absence of ghrelin in your stomach. How is hunger possible early post-op? I have heard it comes back at like month 6 or 9, but I didn't think this was something that was even *possible* until much later...?

(Sorry if this is a dumb question...!)

Hey Revs - I usually am between 800-1000 calories but I'm only 5'4" and older so I've found lower numbers work better for me. I'm finally at the point where I can tolerate shakes again so I have one every morning - powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury, PB2, blueberries and Fiber powder (a godsend). A bit of skim milk in my tea an hour later will hold me til noon. lunch is usually less than 3 oz. of chicken or chicken sausage - whatever the leftover Protein of last night's dinner is. I've been having either an oh yeah good grab bar or an ounce or two of turkey Jerky around 2 or 3. That'll hold me thru a workout or run then dinner is chicken or lamb or eggs.

Today I was utterly stupid and ate a cookie that I'll be paying for for days but I try to stick to grapes or cheese if I need something between workout and dinner.

You should get on My Fitness Pal and see what peeps are eating. Or one of the "what I ate today" threads. Consider it more of the research you love. :-)

Lisa

I'm 3 months out and I keep calories under 700, and get 40%from Protein, 40% fat, 20% carbs. I eat a lot of meat, fish, chicken ( really tough for us), ground beef, shrimp, lobster and fish. I too eat 3 meals and 2 Snacks but the difference between meals and snacks is not obvious.

I eat fewer veggies than I would like because the protein goes thunk so hard and I get full on 2-3 oz of meat. If I get hungry before my next meal time, I start drinking liquids to tide me over. They seem to help stave off the hunger, whether real or perceived.

No bread, Pasta, rice. Tortillas, chips, cake, etc during this losing phase. I still think I might add them later, but not right now. We'll see how it goes I guess. But right now, they just make me ravenous. I had half a baked pear this morning---SO hungry after that! Ridiculous. I had no idea half a pear would set me off but it did.

If you are on myfitnesspal, my id is dr_urvashi and you can see what I'm eating. Several of us are on there if you'd like to join us.

HTH

Stupid question from someone who's still pre-op. I've heard all these amazing things about hunger elimination due to absence of ghrelin in your stomach. How is hunger possible early post-op? I have heard it comes back at like month 6 or 9, but I didn't think this was something that was even *possible* until much later...? (Sorry if this is a dumb question...!)

Some people do lose hunger but many of us don't. It's normal and natural to be hungry when you're eating as little as we are. It's very different from pre-op hunger though. It's REAL hunger and you'd eat anything just to fuel yourself. Not like, "I'm hungry but only if it's a yummy pizza". More like "feed me!NOW, I'll eat whatever I domt care,I need to eat". And then 2-4 oz later you're dome and life resumes and you don't think about it until the next meal time. SO much more mangeable.

Stupid question from someone who's still pre-op. I've heard all these amazing things about hunger elimination due to absence of ghrelin in your stomach. How is hunger possible early post-op? I have heard it comes back at like month 6 or 9, but I didn't think this was something that was even *possible* until much later...?

(Sorry if this is a dumb question...!)

Don't believe the myth that hunger disappears for everyone. It does for a great many people, but some people never lose it. And many others experience head hunger as well....which in the moment is very hard to differentiate. You possibly can and will still be hungry after surgery. But you can satiate that hunger much much easier and that is the key to success. Learn to eat until satiated.....never till full.

I'm in the same boat. I find myself eating every 2-3 hours as well. . Everyday is an adventure but I think it's my new norm for now. Thanks for starting this thread it's good to know others are experiencing the same thing.

I'm not a vet but I am finding that it is much easier (now) to understand my hunger cues. If I haven't eaten, and I feel some discomfort, I probably need to eat. I am sure this will change as I adjust…but right now it seems like it goes: I eat, I'm full, and around 3 hours later I need to eat again. But it's not eat the balls off a charging rhinoceros hungry.

It's REAL hunger and you'd eat anything just to fuel yourself. Not like, "I'm hungry but only if it's a yummy pizza". More like "feed me!NOW, I'll eat whatever I domt care,I need to eat". And then 2-4 oz later you're dome and life resumes and you don't think about it until the next meal time. SO much more mangeable.

You described it perfectly!

Rev, what do you use for snacks? Like you I'm in the UK so I know what is available. I use deli24 cheddar sticks wrapped in ham ( 50 cals, 5g protein, 1g carb) or mini baby bel light ( 50 cal, 5g protein), 2 of either of these can fill me up and I get 10g of protein in.

Stupid question from someone who's still pre-op. I've heard all these amazing things about hunger elimination due to absence of ghrelin in your stomach. How is hunger possible early post-op? I have heard it comes back at like month 6 or 9, but I didn't think this was something that was even *possible* until much later...?

(Sorry if this is a dumb question...!)

Hey Detroit Chick...

I also had great hopes for Grehlin...

But found myself "hungry" a month out. There are GREAT differences between us, and many folks will share different experiences.

Here's what I think. I think my fat self had NO idea what hungry felt like. I just ate. All the time. See it. Eat it, and then eat some more.

SO NOW, I plan my meals and ONLY follow my plan. I do not let my evil fat brain (named Skippy) to make "have a little bit of this" decisions. EVER. If I see a food commercial on TV, that food is BANNED. I have to be strict with myself because for me that "slippery slope" is a 45 degree angle covered with ball bearings and Mazola oil.

And you know what? Hunger is not "bad", it just is. And when the plan says to eat, I eat, and get un-hungry for a while.

Maybe the reduction of Ghrelin is helping. But control of "Skippy" and a plan that I follow helps more!

At 11 months out, I'm eating 800-1100 calories a day, but I try to stay closer to 900. I've learned that's where I need to be to lose. Some days I go much higher, but I don't like to because it slows my loss. I've learned to accept that this is life, and every day I get up with the intention of doing it right, and most of the time I do. I still use a Protein shake every day, and try to get at least 75 gm a day. I avoid bread, rice, and Pasta, and other than that, I don't think about counting carbs. If I do eat something sweet, or even bread, I have to fight it for the next day or so. I definitely could slide down that slippery carb slope and start regaining! I don't count fat grams, and I don't eat very many things that are low fat, but I do avoid butter and high fat foods. I figure I can only focus on so much, so for me, it's calories and protein. I usually eat about 5 times a day, saving most of my calories for after work when I struggle the most. I track every single thing I eat, and it usually works out to about an even split between protein, carbs, and fat. Probably not what a dietitian would suggest, but it seems to work for me.

I understand your concern about grazing - I was a grazer before surgery. I have to really fight not to be now, but in some ways, I am. I don't worry as much about it as I did - I just make sure nothing gets in my mouth that isn't logged. That's been the key for me. Once I see it in print, I'm much more likely to stop putting things in my mouth.

As for the hunger, I do have some, but mostly not too bad. I gt head hunger. I'm a stress eater, and I agree with BTB, it's pretty hard to tell the difference. I've learned that sometimes it's just thirst.

At six months out (tomorrow!! WHAT!?!?!), meals don't work very well for me because of my schedule and my tiny eating capacity.

I am generally out of the door by 7:03am. (Not 7, not 7:05.) This time of year, I get home around 8:30-9pm between my business, my kids' activities and martial arts. Grazing works best for me and my NUT is ok with it as long as I hit, not exceed, my nutritional values. She is all about 5-7 mini meals and I am OK with that, too!

My best grazing bits?

beef jerky

cheese

beef jerky

sf/ff lattes

nuts (I've cut back on these - trigger food)

beef jerky

protein bars

seafood salad with extra artificial crab leg added in

beef jerky

protein chips

What else...? Oh! Did I mention beef jerky?