One year post op and worried

I am exactly one year post op and doing well. I eat very little--even the doctor would like me to eat a little more, but I get full so quickly. I know that I still do not get enough protein daily, however, I feel ok. One things worries me, I find I still crave sweets. I can just take a bite of a cookie or a taste of something my husband eats, but I still crave them. I am so so so afraid of going back to old eating habits. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also I have lost 153 lbs (from 370). How long can I anticipate a weight loss continuting? I would appreciate any answers and support.

Well.. according to my surgeon and all my own independent research, *typical* patients lose weight unimpeded (meaning the surgery mostly does the work for you) for between 12 and 18 months. That DOESN'T mean you'll stop magically at 18 months.. that's just the typical patient sample. Tooter, on the main board, lost for 21 months.. others are finished at 9... so maybe it's time to think more along the lines of your long term lifestyle rather than how long this is going to "work" -- it "works" for the rest of your life if you use it correctly. That said, here's what I do re: sweets. I find that I do not dump on a little sugar. I DO DUMP.. but only after a certain point.. so I can tolerate the sugar in a SERVING of something I like. So when I crave something sweet like a cookie or some ice cream.. I have it. A serving of it. If that means two cookies, then I get two cookies out of the bag.. put the bag away and eat my cookies somewhere else. I discovered that by eliminating the monologues of guilt ("can't have," "wrong food," "naughty eating," "cheating"), I freed myself from the control of those things I like. I CAN have it.. I just have a serving of it, rather than a bag. Being afraid of those foods is a good way, in my opinion, to one day fall victim to them again. So don't banish them.. if you can tolerate them, eat one serving if you crave it. Then get busy doing something else. This way you're not denying yourself the treat.. and you're not destroying all your hard work. That's what works for me. Stef Lap RNY 11/12/04 390-> 291-> 175

Ok, the doctor did surgery on your stomach not your brain. It is up to you to work on the brain part, and it is not going to come overnight, it may take years. You may go through the rest of your life craving some foods. Everyone of us has their own food "demons". For me it is carbs and sweets. It is now up to you to continue with the weight loss. You may have to step up your exercise, aerobic and weight conditioning. But remember this that you will need to get more protein in to maintain healthy muscle and internal organs. Maybe the key to your getting full so quickly is that you are eating too quickly. You should be taking at least 20 minutes to eat a meal and about 10 minutes for a snack. How many meals and snacks does your doctor have you on? I am on 3 snacks and 3 meals. And I am to get in at least 1000-1100 calories a day and at least 60-80 grams of protein. If you cannot get the food in then you are maybe going to have to consider finding a protein drink that you like. As far as feeling ok with what you are eating, not getting enough nurishment in you may come back to haunt you in bad labs indicating that you are lacking in your nutrition. The consequences of poor labs could start to show up within the next year because at about the 2 year mark is where the poor calcium and the B complex/B12 deficiancies show up. You do not want to end up with the complications of those things happening.