One year out and hungry all the time

[Nyxienoodles 5]

Hi! I am almost 1 year out from VSG surgery. I am a little over 100 lbs down. It is getting really really hard to stay between 900-1200 calories a day. I am 6ft tall and have a large frame. Staying under 1200 calories has me starving. Lol. It is so hard not to eat at least to 1500. Any tips and tricks? Foods that fill but don't have much calorie wise? Please help!!!! My doc and nutritionist haven't been much help. They don't see how I am as hungry as I tell them I am.

[swimbikerun 1,043]

How do you know you are hungry? There are lots of veggies that are good: broccoli (no cheese or sauces), cauliflower, cucumbers.

What is your new weight? If you go online, what does it say you should be taking and exercising?

How much Water are you getting in a day?

Are you sure its not head hunger vs real hunger?

[Nyxienoodles 5]

8 minutes ago, swimbikerun said:

How do you know you are hungry? There are lots of veggies that are good: broccoli (no cheese or sauces), cauliflower, cucumbers.

What is your new weight? If you go online, what does it say you should be taking and exercising?

How much Water are you getting in a day?

Are you sure its not head hunger vs real hunger?

Well, I have low energy sometimes. I'm at 225 right now. My goal is 170-180. I guess it could be some "head hunger", but I also have spells that seem to me to be hypoglycemia. Also, my stomach growls and I feel sickish. Idk. If it is "head hunger", do you have any tips for getting through it? My psych suggested sipping a warm drink when hunger hits. I'm not a warm drink fan, but have tried herbal tea a few times. I just feel like my weight is coming off so slowly now. Like a pound every 2 weeks. At this rate, I will never reach my goal. I do exercise at least 3 or 4 days a week. I try my darnedest to stay under 1200. But, there are lots of days where I go over and the guilt murders me.

[catwoman7 11,070]

1 hour ago, Nyxienoodles said:

I just feel like my weight is coming off so slowly now. Like a pound every 2 weeks. At this rate, I will never reach my goal. I do exercise at least 3 or 4 days a week. I try my darnedest to stay under 1200.

it's like that once you get into the second year. I had months where I'd only lose a pound or two. I'd think "well, this must be it..", and then I'd drop a couple more pounds. I finally stopped losing at 20 months out. It can take some people a couple of years.

[ChunkCat 722]

There are things like miracle noodles, heart of palm noodles, and of course most of our "fullness" should come from veggies once we are a year out. Think high volume low carb veggies like lettuce, mixed greens, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, as well as colorful things like bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, green Beans, etc... These paired with a little fat and a decent amount of Protein should help you feel fuller longer.

I think it is very well possible you could be experiencing true hunger. You are MUCH taller than the average woman (if you are not a woman I apologize for the assumption) and the dietary guidelines that surgeons and nutritionists hand out are usually useless if you fall outside their standard patient. If you are exercising enough to get your heart rate up for a consistent amount of time or doing weights/strength training, you could be burning a fair number of calories too. Both of these things would make me think you may have a higher caloric need, even though you are a sleeve patient, than the average sleever would. If your surgeon's nutritionist isn't interested in customizing your true caloric need given your frame, height, and activity level, you may need to have a few sessions with someone else who is trained in bariatrics and will actually help you work through this so you can stop feeling guilt when you eat more than your surgeon wants you to.

Also, have you tried the Millie's sipping broths? You can get a sample pack of their flavors on Amazon for a pretty reasonable cost. They might help ease the hunger between meals until you find a dietician to talk to.

[Nyxienoodles 5]

7 minutes ago, ChunkCat said:

There are things like miracle noodles, heart of palm noodles, and of course most of our "fullness" should come from veggies once we are a year out. Think high volume low carb veggies like lettuce, mixed greens, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, as well as colorful things like bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, green Beans, etc... These paired with a little fat and a decent amount of Protein should help you feel fuller longer.

I think it is very well possible you could be experiencing true hunger. You are MUCH taller than the average woman (if you are not a woman I apologize for the assumption) and the dietary guidelines that surgeons and nutritionists hand out are usually useless if you fall outside their standard patient. If you are exercising enough to get your heart rate up for a consistent amount of time or doing weights/strength training, you could be burning a fair number of calories too. Both of these things would make me think you may have a higher caloric need, even though you are a sleeve patient, than the average sleever would. If your surgeon's nutritionist isn't interested in customizing your true caloric need given your frame, height, and activity level, you may need to have a few sessions with someone else who is trained in bariatrics and will actually help you work through this so you can stop feeling guilt when you eat more than your surgeon wants you to.

Also, have you tried the Millie's sipping broths? You can get a sample pack of their flavors on Amazon for a pretty reasonable cost. They might help ease the hunger between meals until you find a dietician to talk to.

I am a bio woman, just a big, tall one. Lol. I definitely need to eat more veggies. I am guilty of grabbing a few pieces of beef Jerky, a handful of nuts, and some cheese cubes for lunch. My boyfriend calls it my "Confederate lunch". (I live in Alabama). Ha.

I have tried the shiritaki noodles. They are pretty good with a little seasoning or sauce. I went through a phaze where I ate them daily with some veggie "meatballs". Then got bored. I do that with food. Get bored. I do think I may need to see an outside nutritionist. I think the one I see at my surgeon's isn't very thorough.

I will try broth. I have some powdered variety left from when I first had surgery. It should still be good. Thanks for the input!!!!

[Arabesque 6,840]

Oh yes the hunger returns. It was around a year for me too. Think you’ll find developing a better eating routine helpful with more complete meals. Ensure you’re including some vegetables or other food group with every meal. Will help ensure you’re meeting all your nutritional goals too. Maybe find a dietician to help with meal planning & menu ideas. They’re way more qualified than a nutritionalist.

I know it’s easy to grab a few nuts & Jerky for a meal but each are really just Snacks. And I’ll put my hand up, I was guilty of grabbing a chicken tender I’d pre cooked from the freezer & reheating it for lunch while I was losing. It’s likely why you feeling hungry after you’ve eaten.

Differentiating between head & real hunger is an important learning. Are you craving a specific food, flavour or texture? That’s head hunger. If you’ve eaten recently it’s head hunger. If you do something to distract yourself (go for a walk, Water your plants, read, phone a friend, craft, check social media) & the hunger decreases it as head hunger. If you have a warm drink (like tea) & the hunger decreases again it’s head hunger. If your tummy is rumbling (hunger pangs) that’s usually head hunger too. Real hunger feels vey different to me. I feel restless like something is wrong. Don’t crave or want anything specifically. Takes a while to realise I’m hungry. And there is always a logical reason why I am hungry.

I reached my goal at 6 months but lost another 11kgs in the next 11/12 months. The weight loss got slower & slower until I was losing grams a week. So don’t give up yet.

[Edward 19]

17 hours ago, swimbikerun said:

How do you know you are hungry? There are lots of veggies that are good: broccoli (no cheese or sauces), cauliflower, cucumbers.

What is your new weight? If you go online, what does it say you should be taking and exercising?

How much Water are you getting in a day?

Are you sure its not head hunger vs real hunger?

Can you elaborate on your "My sleeve caused lot's of medical problems) about to have revision from band to sleeve. Thanks

[swimbikerun 1,043]

I didn't say that.

[Edward 19]

sorry