One Year Out, Feel Like I Am Doing All Wrong

I am coming up on one year since my RNY.  I am deathly, and I mean DEATHLY, afraid of stretching out my tool.  So much to the point that all I eat are protein bars, eggs and yogurt.  I am starting to feel a bit of hunger between lunch and dinner.  At my last appointment in May, I was 8 pounds shy of my goal weight, so my nutritionist decided to slow down my weight loss since I still have quite a few months left of rapid weight loss.  I have added in a protein shake between breakfast/lunch and a healthy fat snack (usually a serving of almonds) between lunch and dinner.  I don't overeat, but am afraid to go outside of my comfort zone as far as what I eat.  Todays lunch was chicken salad, about 1/4 cup and I was able to eat it all in about 20 minutes and felt fine, not full but satisfied. Is this normal or am I traumatizing myself with my fear of stretching out my pouch?

Camfam,

You are definitely traumatizing yourself with this fear.  Does your nutritionist know what you have been eating over the last year?  and if so, what is their response?  I know of NO nutritionist that would be okay with what you said you have been eating, especially one year out.  If I were you I would also find a counselor that specializes in eating disorders (I say this being a counselor myself).  Congrats though, on being so close to your goal weight!

Yes my nutritionist knows that, and I got a lecture about how the stomach is a muscle.  I was told to eat denser proteins, and I am trying to eat more than bars, eggs and yogurt.  I probably haven't had a yogurt in a good 3 weeks or so. I got sick of them.  I am getting sick of the bars as well. Now my breakfast is usually an egg with cheese and picante sauce, lunch is a salad with grilled chicken or something of the sort and dinner tonight was turkey sausage with bell pepper and onion (yumm!!!) My mother is absolutely upset with me and doesn't believe me that I have been eating more, she is going with me to the doctor tomorrow to discuss this with him.  I am going to get back to support group, I think that will help a lot.  Plus, I have found that several of the people I work with have had some sort of WLS and are extra willing to help me out.

 I would suggest tracking what you eat for a couple of weeks and showing it to your dietician. by a year out I would think she would want you to be eating more variety.  As long as you are not eating too much VOLUME you won't stretch.   It is scary, but I know I need variety in my diet to stay sane! 

Anne

To stretch your pouch, you'd have to eat a very large amount repeatedly.  1/4 cup of food is a very small amount.  At a year out, I was eating about a cup of food.  I think you are worrying over nothing.

I agree that you should be sure that your nutritionist and or surgeon knows how little you have been eating (and what it consists of).  How have you been getting in enough nutrients with so little food?

I also think that counseling might be useful, because it does sound like you are far too afraid of something that, in reality, happens very infrequently.  

People usually gain weight because they start eating the wrong things or start snacking again.  You, on the other hand, are not eating nearly enough for someone who is a year out.  You may be endangering your health because of the intensity of your fear.

Lora

I have started eating more and tomorrow I have an appointment with my doctor.  All things will be discussed and I am going to get back into support group. I think that will help a lot.