Is it just me or does anyone else have "hollow" days?

[AGreenEyedWolf 97]

On 4/27/2017 at 0:25 AM, kimberb said:

My plan does not allow any fruits until 6 months out. Nutritionist reminds me constantly Protien first.

My plan allows you to go to a regular diet of anything you feel comfortable eating and can tolerate at 8 weeks post surgery... but I think most people simply CAN'T eat most things that soon - for whatever reason, I have little if any restriction and have a really hard time feeling full for very long, no matter what I eat... even if I eat nothing but Protein (baked chicken for instance), and drink nothing but water... I still spend the whole day feeling "hollow" - essentially, I end up feeling hungry ALL the time.. I have noticed that if I am away from home and busy I do not feel hungry or notice the "hollow" feeling - it only seems to happen when I am at home. I do my best to stay out of the house and active, but I am disabled, have little money, and all my friends live in other states or at least an hour away... so I really have no one to spend time with, either... and what little work I do is from home on my computer, so staying out of the house and busy is not always easy. I need to get back into counseling, but I am struggling to pay my $35 per visit co-pay because my husband has cerebral atrophy and his out of pocket medical costs are easily $500-$700 a month (about a third of our monthly income) :-(

The struggle is real, I can tell you that. I am trying hard to get back on my pre-op diet (protein shakes every 3 hours all day and otherwise one sensible meal of mainly protein and Water, water, water) so I can sort of "reset" my brain again... but it's a slow process.

This is my progress so far - my starting weight in December 2016 was 220... I had my surgery on 01/25/2017 and weighed 210 when I checked into the hospital...

DATE	WEIGHT	BMI	TOTAL WEIGHT LOST
01/27/2017	208	35.7	12
02/03/2017	198	34	22
02/10/2017	194	33.3	26
02/17/2017	193	33.1	27
02/24/2017	192	33	28
03/03/2017	190	32.6	30
03/10/2017	189	32.4	31
03/17/2017	188	32.3	32
03/24/2017	186	31.9	34
03/31/2017	184	31.6	36
04/07/2017	181	31.1	39
04/14/2017	179.2	30.7	40.8
04/21/2017	178.8	30.7	41.2
04/28/2017	178	30.6	42
05/05/2017	177.4	30.4	42.6

[biginjapan 647]

@AGreenEyedWolf:

Please note that what I say next is coming from a good place - I have some of the same struggles as you, so this advice is as much for you as it is for me.

Just because you have no restriction, just because your plan allows you to eat whatever you want, doesn't mean you should. You (your brain) has to be in control over your stomach/cravings/etc. Get rid of the fruit - that's way too much sugar! My plan allows for 1/2c of berries or 1/2 a banana a DAY total, and I only put them in my Protein Shakes (if I do). However, even for me I feel this is impacting my weight loss, so for the next few months I'm going to stop eating any and all fruit. Get rid of the bread and wheat thins - I don't even know why this is on your plan. Both are simple carbs, both will induce cravings, both will impact blood sugar levels. Meat/fish/tofu and veggies - focus on that. Your macros are important - Protein should be at least twice your carbs. Weigh out your food and eat only the portion you measure. Don't go back for more, even if you feel you can eat it. Finish eating within 20-30 minutes - if it takes you longer than that, you have too much food on your plate. I totally understand the feeling of feeling hungrier at home - this happens to me too, especially during weekends and holidays, so I force myself to do things (clean the closets, go for a walk, etc) to keep myself busy and not in front of the computer all the time, which, for whatever reason, makes me hungry. Your idea for a reset is good, I hope it helps you get back on track!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@AGreenEyedWolf

I work from home too and it is easy to eat all day, especially if you are bored. If I am bored in the afternoon and want to snack just because I am bored, I walk up the block and back. Just something short but it breaks up the day and makes me think.

Looking at what and how you eat, basically everything you eat is a slider, which is why you have no restriction. If you were eating dense Protein you wouldn't be able to eat so much and you would be more satisfied. I bet if you had a 4 ounce burger turkey or beef BY ITSELF you would feel a lot of restriction.

That little stir fry you described, is a bad idea. You are mixing dense protein with vegetables and and kind of oil or fluids.

You should eat the meat first, separately, then eat the veggies after you have eaten all the meat. Eating the veggies and the meat all together makes the meat softer and moister, it won't sit in your stomach as long.

You are losing weight right now because you are freshly post-op. If you keep eating like this, it won't last. Especially when you are fully healed sometime after July. You need to correct this path before you go much further, while you still have as much restriction as possible.

Edited May 9, 2017 by OutsideMatchInside

[orionburn 1,024]

I have days where I feel the same. Despite not being able to eat large quantities I can eat and feel hungry an hour later. We had our surgeries on the same day so I can relate to what you're going through. It's much more of a problem when I'm home on the weekends. At work during the week it doesn't bother me so much, but when I'm home working on the computer and/or in front of the TV the old snacking habits come back hard. I've come to learn that head hunger is and always will be something I'm going to battle.

You did mention in an older post that you were having a hard time saying no to ice cream of chocolate. Are you managing that okay or still allowing those things to creep back into your diet? I also agree with @OutsideMatchInside that if you are fighting hunger pangs to try to go do something else for 5-10 minutes. I do that at work as much as I can. If it's just to get up from my desk and go walk in the plant for a few minutes it gets my mind off of it.

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

I am pre-op, so I have no actual experience to contribute. But a couple questions - are you consuming liquid with food? And are you getting all your liquids in between?

When I was on weight watchers and they changed fruit to being a free for all, I could not lose weight if I ate fruit daily. I could have maybe 3 servings a week at most. Non starchy vegetables were still okay. Maybe try upping the amount of Protein, and adding a little hard cheese in between meals. Cheese takes the edge off cravings for sugar for me anyway. A nice piece of 8yr old cheddar. It adds some fat.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Sosewsue61

[mzgapch 1]

I understand I was about to post about the same thing! And I have terrible cravings I am only 4months out and I haven't loss weight in 3weeks and I am fluctuating between 2lbs gaining loosing I don't know what to do. [emoji20]

[Joann454 1,329]

I understand I was about to post about the same thing! And I have terrible cravings I am only 4months out and I haven't loss weight in 3weeks and I am fluctuating between 2lbs gaining loosing I don't know what to do. [emoji20]

Read all the advice above. Those posters have lost and maintained since sleeve surgery. They are offering some sound advice for getting back on track. I have drilled into my head "dense Protein first and alone" lol. Good luck!

[bellabloom 2,469]

You're walking 5 miles a day and barely eating. Of course you are feeling hungry. Your body is literally starving. It's trying to keep you alive.

It's just happening faster with you because of your high energy needs with the walking. Just your walking alone is a 600-700 calorie burn.

Up your intake until it eases. That's the only advice I can offer at this point. Or stop the walking.

I didn't workout during my weight loss for exactly this reason.

You need to eat more.

I definitely don't believe in cutting carbs. I never did cut any carbs while I lost. Your brain needs glucose and your cravings are telling you so. I used carbs as a vehicle for Protein all along.

If you have no restriction this is going to be pretty nightmarish for you.

[AGreenEyedWolf 97]

I am drinking only Water now - I stopped drinking anything else but my morning cup of tea - and I drink four to six 16.9 ounce bottles of water a day.

I eat my Protein first at lunch and dinner - I seldom eat Breakfast, that is just me... I start my day with a cup of hot tea sweetened with Splenda and a splash of milk at about 7 am but then eat a snack - usually blackberries - around 10 am... lunch around 12:30-1:00 is usually grilled chicken by itself or grilled chicken with cheese on wheat thins. Dinner is at 4:30-5:00 and I either eat whatever my family is eating (example: small amount of pork roast, a few green Beans and a couple of tiny potatoes - the ones that are smaller than the size of a ping pong ball) or more grilled chicken (by itself). Evening snack is usually more blackberries... (my doctor approves that I eat about a half cup of them 2 to 3 times a day as my snack)... and I usually have a sugar free Popsicle once or twice a day, depending on my craving level.

My doctor also approves of my walking 5 to 8 miles a day, doing 10 squats 3 to 4 times a day and using my total gym to do 6 different exercises once a day every other day. He is happy I am losing 1 to 1.5 pounds a week on average, but I guess I feel I should be losing more because I have been stalled at 175 (ish) for 3 weeks now.