help!

I am 50 weeks out from bypass and have lost 102 pounds, but this past week I feel like I am starving. I can't seem to get a handle on this.  I do real well during the day but by dinner time I am ravenous.  I eat a reasonable dinner mostly protein and vegetables and light on the carbs -about 2/3 - 1 cups worth of food and an hour later I could eat the entire fridge. I don't want to undo all the good I have done so far and I am scared I am on the verge of doing that.  Don't mean to whine but I am afraid of doing that.

It is unlikely that you are physically hungry an hour after dinner.  Evening snacking/binging is a HUGE trouble spot for many people who did a lot of evening eating before they had surgery.

SInce you are right about a year out, it sounds to me like you have just reached the point in time where the old habits are now trying to creep back in (It happens to most of us. We all get a "grace period" after surgery when our motivation is high and our bodies are still adapting to the surgery, but eventually (as we can eat more in the rms of both volume and variety of foods, and as we start to settle into a more normal life again), the old habits start to rear their ugly heads.

As far as avoiding evening binging, you can try several things to address any potential physical hunger: make sure that your evening meal is a dense protein (meat, poultry, etc.) with limited veggies so that your pouch will stay full for as long as possible; delay drinking after dinner for as long as possible (again, to keep your pouch full); once you do drink, when the urge to eat hits, drink MORE (if your pouch and intestines are filled with a bunch of water, you won't physically feel like eating).

To address the psychological "hunger": stay busy (something that occupies your hands is especially helpful since you physically cannot do two things with your hands at one time); pay attention to how you are feeling emotionally and what you are thinking about so you can try to identify what it is that is triggering the urge to eat.  You may also want to consider seeing a counselor who can help you with this process (many of us have found it very helpful to have a counselor to help us deal with the old "food demons").

Lora

Thank you.  All good advise now I need to work on following it.  I think perhaps the hardest is the psychological part.  I read about forming habits and one article I read said 21 days and another said 500 + or -.  So this is probably a lifelong task I have set myself and not the magic cure I had hoped for.

This is definitely a lifelong task. Every vet here can attest to that! The things we have to overcome aren't just bad habits that we picked up. We have to undo behaviors that are driven by psychological issues, and that is much more difficult.

As a mental health professional, I can tell you that the 21 day "habit" figure is nonsense. Yes, it gets you beyond the first couple of weeks (which is when most people slip up and give up... Like with New Year's resolutions), but even people who are trying to change some simple behavior may find it relatively easy to do for 21 or 28 days, but find it much more difficult to continue doing it for several months or years. (How many people quit smoking for a month or two and then go back to it, for example...? Lots!)

Hang in there.  This is a battle that is well worth fighting!

This is so true. Just take one meal at a time. Planning is a great way to stay on track. 

I found that keeping my hands busy really helped;  I found something to do that meant I had to keep clean hands.  So, no food.  

Also, try having a protein shake in the evening;  make it a favorite flavor so its a treat.

If all else fails, go to bed early!  I don't eat once I'm asleep.

My post-op handbook lists three types of hunger: 1) STOMACH... true physical hunger  2) MOUTH... urge to put something in your mouth based on habit and availability of food  3) HEART...experienced mainly as an emptiness inside the "soul" and an urge to try and fill the emptiness with food; based on meeting emotional needs with food.           Can you identify which type you are experiencing?  Only #1 will intensify where the other two can be diverted.  The trouble for me is my mind if very good at convincing me to answer it's #1 when it's probably that damn #3.   

Great post! A lot of good info here! Thanks everyone!!!