Surgery problems?

I had gastric sleeve surgery back in July and lost 30lbs during the post op recovery period but haven't lost anything since then. I've noticed there seems to be very little, if any, restriction to the amount I can eat. I'm trying to stick to the post op diet recommendations I was given of 800 calories or less but I screw up occasionally. And it seems the surgery isn't helping with the weight loss at all. What do I do? When I see the doctor I tell him what I'm doing but he seems like he doesn't believe me when I say I don't drink anything with calories in it and I'm trying my best to stay at 800 calories. Did they screw up my surgery? Why don't I ever feel full?

at 800 calories you should be losing weight. Are you logging your food and weighing/measuring portions?

I don't feel "full" the way I did pre-surgery. Many of us don't. Instead, I feel some discomfort in my chest - sort of like a pressure. Once I feel that, I know it's time to stop eating. Some people have even weirder "full" cues - like sneezing or a runny nose.

I've done the whole logging thing. I look at the calories per serving of whatever I'm eating and log that.

I never get any cue that I'm full. And I can eat quite a bit if I want to. That's why I feel like the surgery isn't aiding me at all to lose weight. It's just like before I had the surgery... I'm trying to stick to 800 calories but not having much success over a long period of time.

I assume with most people the surgery plays a part in controlling how much you can eat making it easier to meet the calorie requirements needed to lose weight. I thought that was the whole point.

I don't count on my stomach ti make me feel full (most days anyway..and when I eat til full, it tends to go badly with discomfort anyway). I do measure and eat that portion and then give it some time. I can always have more later but I also try to remember what is mindless eating and try to distract. You might be focusing a bit too much on the physical not the mental aspects (which is by far the hardest!).

Yes indeed! One thing that is important to learn after surgery is don't chase the feeling of fullness. Just like Partlypollyanna, If I eat until I feel full, I will almost certainly eat too much, and will feel uncomfortable a few minutes later. So measure out the serving size, eat that, and give it some time.

I've been at my goal weight for over a year, but I still weigh and measure almost everything. I will have to do that for the rest of my life.

what does a typical days eating and drinking look like for you? Maybe we can help.

Two possibilities occur to me:

1. Perhaps you're eating the wrong foods. After surgery, foods that are high in protein will make you feel much fuller than foods that are low in protein. If I chose to, I could eat carbs all day long and not fill up. But a small amount of protein will fill me up for quite a while. So I try to include some protein in every meal.
2. Perhaps you're not feeling true hunger. After surgery, it's quite common to feel your stomach rumble due to excess acid and confuse that with hunger. For most people, that seems to settle down after a few months, but perhaps it's taking longer for you. I assume you were prescribed a PPI (most of these drugs have names ending in -zole). Are you still taking it? If not, talk to your medical team about resuming it. If you are still taking it, maybe your stomach is just taking a bit longer to adjust the amount of stomach acid it produces for your new smaller stomach. I'd talk to the doctor again in a few months if things aren't better. In the meantime, here's a tip that really helped me. If you think you're hungry but you're not sure it's real hunger, drink a big glass of water. Wait to eat until the hungry feeling returns, or it's mealtime.

I usually have two protein shakes a day and a meal of some sort. Sometimes I have applesauce as a snack. I'm not sure how much I'm drinking a day but I only drink water or vitamin water which has 0 calories. I don't have any problems with stomach acid. The frustrating thing is I could try sticking to 800 calories a day without having surgery. What was the point of the surgery if it doesn't help in the weight loss process?

I screw up and exceed 800 calories all the time... just like I screwed up before I had surgery and couldn't lose weight. So I did something drastic thinking it would help and it hasn't. Seems like the whole "weight loss surgery" is terribly misleading. I fully understand you have to make changes in your eating habits and I'm trying my best to do that. But I've had zero success in losing weight. I have a feeling everyone I ask about this assumes I'm lying and I actually sit around eating candy all day but that is not the case. I don't touch and sweets and haven't eaten out at all. I never get to eat what the rest of my family is having for dinner because I'm having chicken and cauliflower or something like that. I don't know.... All the doctor says is don't drink anything with calories in it and DO NOT go over 800 calories per day.... Ok, can I just pay you for the nutritional advice and have my stomach back? Really frustrating....

It sounds like your program only focused on the mechanics of the surgery not the head work that can help make it successful and you may be fooling yourself about what surgery will/won't do for you. I'd recommend tracking everything you put in your mouth for a week, no changes, just track everything, and then focus on where you can make changes to make sure you get protein needs met first and then you can focus on calories later. It seems like you are hung up on the calorie restriction so focus on the other needs - protein first plus hydration, and once you've met that then you can have what you want.

Find a way to do the work on your head as well - counselor, support group, etc -- the pieces I found the most useful from the 10 week behavioral modification class I had to take pre-op was the part that focused on understanding the different types of hunger (head (I just want to eat); eye (I see options and I want them); mouth (would like a different texture); nose (something smells good and I want it); heart (emotional eating) and how you can deflect each of them.

Good luck!

Something similar happened to me. I'm now fighting to lose weight, but struggle with portion control and sweets. I bought a scale which really helps measure out how much I should be eating. I also pay out of pocket to see a dietitian once a month. It's like I had surgery and no follow up expectations other then follow the program. There's a lack of emotional support, so it's a good idea to see a therapist, recommend one that specializes in eating disorders/obesity.