week 3, had 1000 calories no problem, and I'm panicking

[CJ of Dallas 1]

HI, I'm new here. I had VSG on 10/28 and so I'm just over two weeks post op. I still have incisional pain, but I am having very little restriction. So far, nothing at all has made me sick, I have no food aversions whatsoever, and I have been hungry since day 1. I was allowed to transition from liquid diet to soft foods ONLY FOUR DAYS AGO.

Today I was trying to follow the meal plans laid out in my resources which basically was 1 cup of soft food and two Protein Shakes. I did that, and I had a snack in the afternoon of about 3oz hummus and olives. I had ricotta bake, an egg, a Protein Shake, and that's about it. Maybe a sup and a half fo soft food all day, but I tracked my calories at 1000. I'm so upset with myself. My clinic told me that people are able to get between 500-800 during the soft food stage. What is wrong with me? How do I fix this? How do I keep from feeling like I did all this for nothing?

Edited November 14, 2021 by CJ of Dallas
correction

[Happymouse13 17]

Thank you for this...I'm in the same boat.

[Arabesque 6,495]

First, you are still healing & the messages are likely not getting through. Take it slowly. Remember all those sutures & staples holding your tummy together.

You are not alone in getting overexcited about being able to eat ‘real’ food again & consuming more than is recommended. Though all because you can doesn’t mean you should. Spread the cup of food out across the day. Sip on the Protein Shakes interspersed with your Water because they count as Protein & Fluid. My plan was 1/4 cup of food per meal from purée stage but that was my plan. It is always best to follow your plan as closely as possible. It’s there for a reason - to aid your healing & recovery & to start you really reflecting on what & why you eat.

And yes, some people do feel hungry from after surgery but whether is it head hunger or real hunger is harder to discern. Certainly, the emotional aspects of the surgery can really exacerbate cravings - seeking food to soothe & comfort. Only you can really tell which hunger you’re feeling. For me if I’m ‘hungry’ for something like a specific food or a more general l want salty or sweet or carbs then that’s a craving or head hunger. Real hunger feels different for me. I get restless & I don’t know what I want to eat (except I now want it to be healthy). Head hunger also passes quickly - distract myself for 30 minutes & it’s abated.

Working all this out takes time. And we’re all allowed to make mistakes & slip. And when you do, you have to pick yourself & get back on your plan. You’ll get there & work out what it all means for you.

Edited November 14, 2021 by Arabesque

[Tony B - NJ 641]

When at your stage I was having only 1 Protein Shake in the morning with an egg that I could not finish. For lunch I had tuna or chopped chicken with a little mayo and yogurt mixed in to keep wet. I barely got in 3 ounces. dinner very similar. Force Water all day between meals. I am 2 and 1/2 months out and I am still 800-900 calories and feel satisfied.

[vikingbeast 985]

Don’t freak out. You don’t feel the restriction right away even on soft foods. The important thing for me is I have to eat slowly; the new “full” signal apparently arrives in my brain via slow boat from Gibraltar. And honestly, even if you were eating only 2000 calories in the Before Times, a 1000 calorie a day deficit is 3.5 pounds a week loss. Chances are you were eating more than that. So a day of 1000 calories isn’t going to kill your weight loss.

I am two months out and eating 1000-1400 a day and losing weight hand over fist—3-5 pounds a week. (The amount was set by my NUT, who calculated in my very active lifestyle.) I had a barium swallow last week and my stomach is fine, I still feel restriction.

Courage, you will be fine.

[AjaSlimtone 34]

I've read that that's normal. It was for me. liquids and purées slid right through me the first few weeks. Once I started eating "real food", that's when the restriction kicked in.

[QuirkyParrot 28]

Check the calories on your Protein Shake, I've noticed some of them can be quite high calorie.

My NUT recommended trying to keep the calories around 160-180 for a 20-25g Protein shake, I've seen some with over 300 calories.

Edited December 1, 2021 by QuirkyParrot