Totally Freaking Out!!!

Hi September Friends! I am freaking out about how much I can eat now, and I was wondering if anyone else is too. I had the distal bypass, and my dr. has told me not to be worried if I can eat more than a proximal patient can, because my pouch is made bigger because there is way less intestine for the food to pass through. Well, today at lunch, I almost finished a bean and cheese tostada. (A regular flat shell kind.) I am freaking out because I feel that might be too much. Of course, before surgery, I would have had an entire combo meal and added a tostada on the side! I am 5 months out, my surgery was 9/27/04. I am still losing, although I have hit two plateaus along the way. I have lost 100 lbs. since surgery. But- on the bright side- I have made it to the century club by my 5 month mark! Thanks for all your support, Tonya 368/250/170 -100lbs.

First of all - I gotta tell ya - losing 100 lbs is absolutely GREAT!! That is the bright side of things. That is something to be proud of. When would you have done that on your own? See? About plateus - that's the norm too. Going through that myself - nothing to freak about. Remember the expectation is that weight loss goals are achieved in 12- 18 months or 24 according to different docs - and you have achieved an amazing amount of weight loss. I would say just be consciense of what you are eating. Sometime I can eat a bit more of certain foods than others. And you are supposed to eat until you feel full. So if you're eating beyond that - then that's something to freak about. And you yourself said before you could eat a combo AND the tostada - and now you are just eating the tostada - that's not to bad. And you are still losing - you're doing great - REALLY!!

Hi Ruth, Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I think sometimes I slip back into the old fatter me, and get scared that this won't work for me. But like they say, they fixed our tummies, not our minds. My weight loss has actually speeded up again, as I have been getting in my full 80 oz. of fluids a day, so I'm doing fine. And I had that one "tostada" day, and I'm back to normal now. Thanks again! Tonya

I had this same concern. I even went through an upper GI and a scope as I was convinced my pouch was too big. My doctor made a good point. Just because I can eat a whole sandwich at one setting doesn't mean that I have to eat the whole thing. I should start to figure out what amount of food is good for me and not fall into my old eating habits of eating til I'm uncomfortable. I have started to do better since having the procedures, not sure if it is because my mind has relaxed and figure I'm not doing anything wrong or what but I now have a better control on my eating. I visualize the amount of food "I should be eating" before I actualy start. Eat that first and then ask myself before going further if I'm eating out of habit or because I'm still hungry. Hope this helps. Otherwise I think you have done fantastic in the weight loss department. We are all going to have days where we eat more than we did the day before. As long as we don't revert to our old habits I think of it as a learning experience as we go. Good luck

Thanks so much! I never thought of eating in that way! It's good to get a different perspective on things. I guess I have just been stuck in this "eat until you are full" thing since surgery, that I haven't realized the times I take a few bites and really have no desire to finish. Thanks for giving me something to think about! Tonya

Congratulations on your loss! I don't think you should worry at all. I hear all the time that some days people can eat more than other days and think it is totally normal. Some times I am able to eat more than I think I should, and other times I can't eat as much as I thought I should. I think we will have days like this. I also think later on we will be eating a more "normal" portion permanently. Don't freak, you are doing great and what you experienced is par for the course. Take care ... (we are surgery buddies) Karen 273/206/145

Hi Karen, Thanks for your support. Sometimes I think I get apprehensive and scared of being the one in a million person that this won't work for, and I get too frightened. You are right of course. There are days when we can eat more. And I am back to normal now, so I feel much better. I have increased my fluids and that has stepped up my weight loss again. And I weeded the yard for two hours yesterday for the first time in years! I felt great! I'll take the triumphs however they come, even with bugs and dirt! Thanks again, Tonya

I personally don't think that sounds like too much at all. I agree with the others that some day we can eat lots, and some days hardly anything... I start counting calories again if I feel like I am eating too much. I feel like as long as I stay around 1200 calories I'm fine, no matter what I ate!! You are losing great and I really don't think you have anything to worry about! Be re-assured!!!