Hello bariatric family,

Let me start by saying that I am 21 years old and im a college student currently in San Antonio, Texas. I am from Nicaragua (im an international student) just came to the US for college, im blessed to have parents that could afford paying a superior education.

I had my surgery on May 30 2014 back in Nicaragua. It was a big deal because over there people are very close-minded and no one was pro my decision.. Little i cared.

I am about 5 month post op and have only lost 53 lbs. Ive read that people are losing 70 lbs in 5 month and cool things like that. To be honest I dont follow a specific diet. I am a college student with budget so I can't be paying a nutrionist here to be controlling me, plus my doctor back home said to prioritize Proteins and just eat what makes me happy but in small portions, obviously always choosing healthy first.. And so ive been doing.

Ive been stalled for the past month. I feel I am talking this too chill, I started drinking my third month, it just seems impossible not to drink when you are in your early 20's and in college. I used to be a party animal as back home we are known for Nicaraguans to be party animals.. I have lowered my party level though. I started by just drinking one day each weekend and only whiskey and Water or vodka water, since i read they are the ones with less calories. And i feel i have the same alcohol resistance as i did before. But the past two weekends i drank thursday friday and saturday and i drank basically everything they offered me, speacially last weekend that i was turning 21 and went to Austin City Limits festival. (Im regreting this so badly but I did this surgery to be happier therefor i must enjoy moments)

I started boot camp last week with High- Intensity Interval Training and I can't stop thinking on food! Im hungry all the time and this past week I gained 3 lbs. I am flipping out! The trainer told me and my friends its totally normal to feel hungrier because our metabolism is going faster. I am scared i am doing a normal person with normal stomach exercise, i mean my friends eat normal quantities but i dont and still doing such intense things.. But i love it and i feel i am able to do that and more. I just dont know if im going the right track

I need some one to kind of call my attention and tell me if they know some one or some thing about what im going through. I need y'alls help! My friends and family dont know much about this surgery, and my doctor back home just dont seem as strict and good as all of yours here in the USA. I feel like every one in this app talks about Protein protein protein and measuring portions etc.. I have NEVER measured a meal and i dont drink Protein shakes.

What do you guys recommend me to do? I am feeling like im loosing it! And that my surgery is failing! I have to guidance whatsoever and i havent tell many friends i did this surgery because i find it something personal.

First of all, losing 53 pounds in 5 months is awesome! congratulations on doing that, especially with the little support you've had.

i like that you said you are concerned about doing "normal people things", and that you're reaching out for help.

i understand that you have limited resources, so coming to this forum was a great thing to do. you can get great answers here.

i think that tracking your Protein intake and your calorie intake for a week or so will help you get a handle on what you need to modify in your diet, if any. people who are exercising heavily will definitely need more calories than people who are not, but without knowing what your intake is, we can not offer concrete suggestions.

do you think you could track for one week and then come back and ask for more specific suggestions?

With doing the boot camp exercising, your body is changing; and a weight gain is not uncommon as you are building muscle, not fat.

That being said, STOP the alcohol as much as possible; all empty calories!!! Have Water with some fruit in it (or bring one of those flavor dispenser/packets with you)...be the designated driver... that stuff is not doing you ANY favors...

Next find out if there is a bariatric center near you and if they have meetings, a lot of centers have to have a monthly meeting for post-bariatric members to keep their certification. It has been proven that if you attend these meetings you are more likely to succeed in your endeavor! Helpful hints are always given at these, including easy recipes!

try "The World According to Eggface" for recipes, she's got some great stuff...

your weight loss is nothing to sneeze at...it's great! when was the last time you lost that much weight in that amount of time?!?! If you are like the rest of us, the answer is "never"! Don't discount yourself...you can't compare yourself to others!

And lastly, remember, Protein FIRST!

Good luck, you've got this!

Yep that's more than 10lbs a month which is fantastic. I agree with Jessiquoi. We need measurable data.

You also should consider curbing any alcohol for awhile. Reason being that it is carby and when your body burns, it will burn the alcohol before it burns any fat.

Our rule is always Protein first. If you're sticking to that, you should be fine. Your loss is GREAT. I know it's hard but try not to compare yourself to others, especially because a person losing 70 lbs in 5 months may have started MUCH heavier than you did and therefore they have more to lose. Eventually EVERYONE slows down... there's no race, so do it right, not fast!

How much do you have to lose?

I lost over 160# and i have to tell you - I was quite strict during the weight loss phase. That meant low carb, no drinking, limited sugar etc during weight loss phase. I am in maintenance now, and do socially drink but am still pretty restrained on my eating - that is what I need to do to maintain.

My stats:

highest lifetime weight (2005) 332#

Preop weight: 308# (surgery Dec 2011 weighed 300# day of surgery)

Initial goal achieved Feb 2013: 158# (lost 150 in 14 months)

Lowest weight: 140#

current weight: about 145#

A 50 pound loss is great! Now, keep in mind that you are a grown woman with a toddler's stomach. I suggest you give it a name to make your relationship with your stomach more personal. Mine is Miss Tummy, and she is the boss of me and makes all of the rules. Miss Tummy has turned me into a "nutritarian". That means that every morsal and sip that I give to Miss Tummy HAS to have nutritional value. If Miss Tummy does not like something, she either makes me suffer with miserable pain and nausea for four hours, or she gives it back.

You need to be more kind to your stomach. By drinking and eating as you please, you are disrespecting the fact that your stomach has been altered in a drastic fashion and now needs a more drastic approach to nutrition. Your tummy can't reach out and take what it needs. Like a child, it depends on what you present to it to eat and drink.

I agree that you should weigh and measure and document what you eat and drink just for a month, to get a realistic picture of how you are doing. There is a scientific principle that you cannot control that which you do not measure. If you were a scientist trying to find out how much food it takes for lab rats to lose weight, you could not just take some rats for this group and some rats for that group and feed the first group some food and feed the other group some food to make a proper determination.

You would need to know if the rats you are using are the same kind, the same size, and the same age. You wouldn't feed one group a cup of salad and the other group a bag of Cheetos. You wouldn't feed one group for a week and the other group for ten days. You wouldn't give one group and hampster wheel and the other group a little teeny tiny TV turned to Animal Planet. You cannot control that which you do not measure.

So, don't beat yourself up, but be like someone with a Forensic Science Major and do a proper study on yourself. Once you get an idea of actual input, you may be inspired to make some changes. And don't start tomorrow - start with your next meal. Protein first, then veggies, a little fruit, real food as close to its natural state as possible, walk away from the Cheetos!

I wish you the best. I will be thinking of you and hope that you return here and ask all of the questions that are bugging you. At some point you will be able to encourage those who come behind you.

@@yescobar

Good advice here! Let me just add...you are GORGEOUS!

Oh my god, im impressed how there is actually people here who took the time to read and write to me back. Im very thankful for your feedback and suggestions. I love this app!

I have a question? Is it normal that now that I am doing high intensive interval training I'm constantly hungry? Before I was never hungry, I ate because I had to.. But now I eat and maybe half an hour later I am hungry again or one hour or two hours later. Which that was not my case past months.

I dont know if my stomach is streched or what? I was thinking on juicing but my trainer said said I need food for the exercise that I'm doing. But again, he's a trainer, not a nutritionist.

Have anyone gotten this problem? Getting hungrier once you start doing more intense exercise? And what are some healthy practical Snacks?

High intensity exercise does trigger more hunger. I think the exercise is worth it, but you need to learn to :"manage it". I find the right balance of Protein and carbs before and after (mini meals) are the way to address this. PDXman and Fiddleman are two guys that used to post regularly that had lots of knowledge on this - I don't really.

What I will say is that you can "Eat your way through" ANY exercise program. Football players work out HARD and yet many of them are overweight....

Just think about how low your caloric intake is, compared to how much you eat before surgery. And how much energy you're expending. So long as you're feeding that hunger with Protein, don't be afraid of eating! A lot of people need to eat every 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I see people 9 months out, afraid to eat because they can get full off of more than 3 bites. That won't last. Agreeing with CowGirlJane, you must learn to manage it.

Also make sure that you're taking an effective PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitor). This would be like Prilosec, Nexium, Zantac and the like. Hunger a half hour after eating sounds more like acid than hunger. Just to be sure, make sure you're taking (or increase or change) your PPI to combat that feeling.

I don't know what to think about juicing, but I do know that if you resort to liquids, that doesn't mean like 300 calories all day. Make sure you're still getting in a recommended amount of cals (my surgeon likes to see us at 600- 800 or so cals a day through the first year.

If I can, I would recommend you pick up my surgeons book on the Gastric Sleeve. He's Dr. Guillermo Alvarez and you can find his book on AMazon. He's just printed a second edition -- it's packed with great information like the history of the gastric sleeve, pre op, post op and success beyond the first 12 weeks. Also if you're on facebook, seek out his private facebook support group-- it's Endobariatric.com in Groups. Lots of people there with good info and some Spanish speaking patients if you're more comfortable in another language.

Thank you girls so much! I am indeed eating pretty healthy. A tilapia and veggies but before i couldnt even finish the tilapia, now i can finish the tilapia and the veggies! That is what freake me out. And probably in one hour im going to crave a fruit or something.. This is what im not seeing normal.. I hope is just because I got my period today

Don't panic...follow the guidelines...eat slowly; you'll be fine.

Juicing is not good for us...all that carb/sugar content and little Protein... if you throw some protein in it, then, maybe, not so bad

try smaller "meals" at intervals of like 2 hours apart and see if that helps... when I was grazing, I found that if I set up a mini meal at an interval of 2 hours, I knew I had that to look forward to, and didn't eat (much else)

Ask your questions, this forum is great for responses!