i'm failing!!!

Hey everyone. I'm completely freaking out. I had gastric bypass June 05' weighing 267. I had a blockage this summer so I couldn't eat very much so I went from around 192 to like 173 in about a month! So a few of those lbs came back on late summer. I withdrew from college in september because I was depressed and eating fast food and wayyy too much of it. I was eating and drinking at the same time therefore getting a lot of food in! And definetly was grazing all day long and skipping classes. So anyway i came home and i'm living at home with mom and dad and trying to do a lot better. But i went to my doctor's today and the scale said 190!!! Its been like 17 months since surgery and i only went from 267 to 190?? I'm still wearing size 12 pants. I mean granted I've been focused more on my weight the past couple weeks so its not magically going to disapear but i just get so hungry!!! Do u guys get hungry?? I mean if i have lunch at 12 I could def eat again at 1. Is that normal? How do i stop the hunger pains and the empty feeling? I just feel like I never should have had this surgery in the first place. I'm failing at it and it's bringing me down. I'm only 23 years old and I just want to be at my goal! (150) Help is appreciated

If you eat at 12 and are hungry by 1 - you may want to see your surgeon about getting scoped. It could be that the stoma (exit point from the pouch) is too large. Are you eating large quantities? Like more than a cup at a time? For me, I have to eat every couple of hours because my blood sugar drops and i get the shakes real bad. Because I have to eat so often, I don't have very large portions. Here's some examples of how different things settle with me: A banana will hold me for about two hours. An english muffin with meat & cheese will hold me for 4-5 hours.... An english muffin with butter will hold me about 2 hours - MAX A cup of chili will hold me for about 3-4 hours.... A mini bagel will hold me for about 2 hours.... 2 chicken tenderloins & veggies will hold me about 3-4 hours. Here's what I learned about what I eat - breads by themselves DO NOT stay in my pouch long. This goes for anything with the consistency of bread (crackers, muffins, biscuits) Meaty foods - a hamburger patty w/cheese, chicken, meaty chili, adding meat to my english muffin ALWAYS holds me over longer. I just can't eat alot of it at one time. I am a PRO eat out person for lunch! Here's my fast food fixes: McDonalds - double cheeseburger no bun with mustard (use a fork!) Taco Bell - One beef taco supreme hard shell Taco Bell 2 - Pinto's w/cheese topped with chicken Taco Bell 3 - The insides of a beef n bean burrito (use a spoon!) Wendy's - small chili Wendy's - Single with cheese n mustard no bun Wendy's - baked potato with chili n cheese Wendy's - grilled chicken breast with cheese n grilled onions (no bun) Chick fila - grilled chicken breast with cheese no bun - no toppings Chick fila - grilled chicken salad Chick fila - large fruit cup (when mother nature needs some assistance) Checkers - Champ burger with cheese No bun Arby's - hot ham n cheese (with bun AFTER peeling as many layers of bread off as possible) Subway - Sweet onion teryaki chicken in a cup with cheese melted on it Subway - meatballs in a cup (about 3 meatballs) WaWa - Meat balls in a cup w/ a roll (about 3 meatballs) WaWa - Chicken parmesan (no bread) (made with grilled chicken) Sheetz - English muffin with ham n cheese Ruby Tuesdays - white chicken chili Ruby Tuesdays/Damon's - Cheeseburger (medium well) NO BUN sometimes with grilled onions & Mushrooms Well, that gives you an idea of how I do it. Any of these above would be my Noon meal. I normally eat a muffin every morning. (I have weaknesses too!) I nibble on the muffin from 7am til about 10am. Have lunch about Noon. Have a snack around 2:30 (usually a piece of fruit or a small fruit cup) - then I have another snack around 4:30 while driving home (almost ALWAYS a banana) then I make dinner and eat about the same size portions as above. Dinner is usually around 6 or 6:30. I don't know if this helps at all. But like i said - If you are able to eat large quantities or are hungry an hour after eating.... you might want to ask your surgeon about being scoped. Hugs, Pam

I would definitely check with your doctor or at least a nutritionist. I find i can eat more then most and as i have acute gastritis (too much stomach acid production) it dissolves my food rather quickly. I do have to stick to the guideline. protein first which will sit heavier in my pouch. I also have to do chicken breast instead of deli meat because i won't stay as long. I too was getting hungry frequently. But now i write down my food and the dietician helps me with choices that stay with me longer. Good luck Monica

First off, let me say that if you are a size 12 you are within a normal range. You probably feel alot better than what you did, so keep that in mind. Next, Pam is right about meat lasting longer in the pouch. I don't eat alot of meat due to my ulcer is still healing, but what I do, it sticks with me. STAY AWAY from fast food if it is a trigger food! Some people can handle it others can't. We are like alcoholics that way. If you can't stay away from it, you may have trouble ever reaching goal. Keep protein bars or nuts on hand and when you feel the fast food urge, eat some and then you won't feel hungry for it, this works for me. Water is another trick I use. LOTS of water and you don't feel hungry all the time. One other thing I use is sf jello with a little whip cream in a can. Not much sugar in the whip cream if you use just a little and eat a couple cups of the jello and you are full for awhile. I am still losing a little tiny bit now, but still dropping. I have not gained any weight yet because I try to trick my metabolism. When I have a bad eating day, I go right back to the high protein the next. I don't always do everything I am supposed to, and I struggle, but don't give up. You can do it! Wendy

Hi Kristin I'm so jealous of your size 12s. I can only wear a 12 in a skirt or dress and I'm 145. Unfortunately, I'lm only 5 feet. Anyway - I LOVE to get a chicken bol from Chipotle - chicken and cheese only, sometimes lettuce - it fills me and keeps me full. Also, don't forget to keep your protein way up - over 100 gms. Getting my drinks in in bettween meals really helped keep the hunger down. When I was in the height of loosing, I wouldn't eat until I had supplemented past 50 gms. It didn't take long using Profects, but it was just my little guideline. Don't forget to watch the carbs - no more than 20 a meal, less than 60 a day. Oh - if your eating is out of control, keep a journal and track calories, carbs, and protein. Just to see where you are. Good luck Sharyn