Help! 1 month out and disappointed!

I dont know if anyone else is going through this but I could really use some help. I had RNY on Nov 14th. I have healed and recovered rapidly and have been working out for a week now. My problem is that nothing makes me sick. nothing has gotten stuck, nothing has disagreed with me. I am terrified. I know i shouldn't have tried certain things but i was almost testing myself to see if i could get sick or uncomfortable. I almost feel like i never had surgery. the only difference i feel is that i am not hungry, but i feel no restriction. I just need to know if anyone else is going through this. i am really scared that i am going to fail. I am still down 35 pounds since my surgery which i think is great for 4 weeks, but i am scared anyway. any ideas?? Jen

DON'T TEST YOURSELF. I had my surgery on 11/7/07. I haven't lost as much as you (I've lost 20lbs). Treat those rules you've learned as WRITTEN IN STONE. This is a chance to make permanent, lasting changes. You don't need to test it. I haven't had much of a problem with food either, but I've been 100% compliant with my meal plan. I assume you're not eating portions like you used to, but that you're worried about certain food you've eaten (bread maybe? or sweets?). Stay completely away from those foods you shouldn't have, and believe me, yes, I know that's hard. But, you didn't go through what you've gone through to throw it all away now. YOU CAN DO IT! If you're still worrying, call your nutritionist or doctor and ASK. No point in just worrying. You can use your fear to push you to do things you shouldn't or to motivate you to stick to the rules you've learned. It's up to you. Good Luck, and I hope to hear about your success soon! ~Shirley in NH

Jen, The reality is that you are not going to fail unless you decide to fail. I am just over 6 months out and I also had no complications. You need to take advantage of the first 6 months because the hunger will come back over time. You really want to get as much off as you can while the tool has this side effect of little hunger. You want to capture your new eating habits and not test the waters too far beyond what your doctor has recommended. If you do what you are supposed to, you will have some great success. For me, I've been fortunate enough to lose about 135 pounds since January of this year and I stayed as focused as I could. I was not perfect, but I did what I needed to do to get toward my goal. You can do it too.. John

Testing your limits with foods you shouldn't be eating is proof that this surgery is more than just a stomach thing. We need to work on our emotional issues just as hard (or harder) as we work on our new way of eating. Figure out WHY you feel the need to cheat on the rules you were given and tackle those emotional and mental issues NOW. During surgery the Vagus Nerve is normally cut - this is the nerve that connects our digestive system to our brain and creates hunger pangs. It takes 3 to 6 months for that nerve to heal and regenerate itself so you'll start to feel hunger again. So until that time you need to take advantage of this time of no hunger and follow your diet religiously. My understanding is that MOST post-op folks are just like us. No complications, not getting sick, not getting stuff stuck, etc ..... it's just that we don't hear about those people because why complain when everything is going great? We hear about all the complications and peple who have difficlties and automatically think that's the norm. It's not. We are normal. We're doing great and we need fight hard these first few months. Congrats on the 35 pounds. You're doing great! Pam

I had my procedure on 11-6-07 and am in the SAME boat as you! So you are not alone!

Same here, had surgery on 11-20-07 and I am experiencing every thing you described...same weight loss too..35 pounds. I have tried everything milk, sugar, fats not dumping. Not much restriction...I mean a LOT LESS than I could take in before, but I do apprieciate the full feeling I never had before.

The Ditch The Ditch is part of a story told to me by my father. My grandfather once took three men out to test them for being a buggy driver. He drove them up to a ditch and asked them to tell him how close they could drive to the ditch without going in. The first driver said he could easily drive within a yard of the ditch. The second one said he could go within about a foot of the ditch. The third one said he would not drive anywhere near the ditch and to count him out of the running. The third driver was hired. The object lesson to WLS is to stay away from The Ditch by not trying to see how much of this or that you can eat. The real key to long term weight loss through WLS seems to be the adoption of a new attitude towards food. The small size of the new stomach allows us to achieve a feeling of satiety with much less food. The trick seems to be to recognize that the smaller amount of food will be sufficient and not to tempt fate by trying to see how much we can now eat. The Flanagan Pouch Study (cottage cheese test) showed that relative pouch size, i.e., 4 oz vs 8 oz, had little to do with weight loss success. What mattered was whether both the 4 oz and 8 oz person developed new eating habits and stayed away from The Ditch. -Ray Hooks