So I had surgery June 3 and I weighed 242. I weigh 194 now. I'm grateful I'm happy I'm healthier. However if I wanted to I could snack all day and not lose weight. I've been 194 for a month. Surgery hasn't cured me from night time cravings and I'm trying to fill up the limited space in my belly with salad before bed instead of what I really want which is always carbs and fat. Grrr. Any advice from pros?

Are you getting enough protein? If you aren't you could "fill up" on a ton of carbs and still be hungry. Try having a protein-rich snack before you go to bed rather than salad and see how that works. Have you talked to your NUT about this?

I don't really have a nut or time to see a nut I'm working or taking care of a baby. I'm getting enough protein but I do still eat carbs and I need to stop. Something I've been saying all my life!

Have some fat. A hard boiled egg, a tbsp of nut butter, guacamole with some veg for dipping, 1 ounce of nuts, etc.... Plan an evening snack that fits into your eating plan. Look for good Protein and healthy fat. @@tdhaddox says she found a recipe on Pinterest for Parmesan wonton crackers. Leave some room on your daily menu for that evening snack. Try to balance out those carbs. I don't really run from carbs but I stay away from the processed carbs like white bread, crackers, white rice, etc....

Thx!

The more starchy carbs and sugar you eat, the more you crave. You're going to have to basically wean yourself off of that stuff to stop the cravings. It's hard the first few days, but once you get past the hump, you won't crave the stuff anymore. Good advice above. Keep your sleeve filled protien and fluids. You won't have room for much of anything else Protien keeps you satisfied longer, too.

While I'm in the weight-loss phase, the only carbs I am having (at the moment) are vegetables and the occasional greek yogurt. 1/3 cup of Protein at each meal plus a couple of bites of vegetables.

Maybe in another 3 months it will be different, but right now, I don't have room. What carbs are you eating?

I'm going in to see my therapist here in just about half an hour and am going to have a similar discussion. I'm hungry and mentally, I go to the "I deserve this. I want this." I call it my "internal temper tantrum." I keep reminding myself that this is a journey, not a sprint but the old feelings of "I'm going to fail. I can't do this. I'm such a loser" are rearing their ugly heads!

I'm six months out and I have zero complications. I can eat anything and I can eat a lot... So it's like a double edged sword you want to recover and feel great but dang if I had some issues I might be losing more.

Cj I totally hear you my mom said to be the other nite as I was eating a tortilla chip (perfect timing) I'm scared you are going to gain weight again. I'm like well dam woman now I am too! Why did you have to say that to me!

Definitely eliminate flour and sugar if those are not already gone. I believe that quest protein bars also have like 19 grams of carbs so you don't have to go carb free just cut back. Before surgery I was on this "belly fat" diet by Jorge Cruise and he said never go over 30 g of sugar or 100 g of carbs a day. Many folks on bariatric pal only do 30-40 g of total carbs a day. So even if you want to do "some carbs" just keep it under control so you don't get those insulin spikes and cravings. I myself had some nut bark today which is mostly nuts with some 70% cocoa chocolate and yes some sugar. But the nuts even things out a bit. Just set a limit for yourself and don't go over it. And whether it's 30 g or 80 g or whatever if you lose control then it's not low enough. Go back to three days of protein shakes and bars to normalize if you need to.

I think the only disappointing thing to me about my journey has been that surgery didn't take away the inner struggle I've always had with food. It limits the amount of food we can eat. That is it. It is not magical, sadly. But, since it is a great tool, there are things we can do to maximize it's effectiveness like eating more Protein and fewer carbs (as others have said, Proteins make you feel fuller, carbs make you crave more carbs), drinking Water when you think you are hungry because you may actually be thirsty, cutting out between-meal snacking, etc. But for me, I also had to do some "me" work to figure out why I was always running to food....I've been working with a therapist since about 10 months post op to deal with disordered eating. It has been so incredibly valuable to me and without it I probably wouldn't have been as successful. Good luck to you!

Thx!

One hard boiled egg in the evening is my go to for late night cravings. It never fails make me feel full and reduce the severity of the craving. I keep several on hand.

@@Yaberhoo - I've done this too! Now a days cucumbers are my go to evening snack, but if I am genuinely hungry. a hard boiled egg does the trick.