Help with physical hunger

Help Needed!!!Hi Everyone - I could sure use some support and encouragement right now. I am 11 weeks post-op today from my RNY proximal and I have lost 35 lbs, and two dress sized. Now before you stop reading, please don't think I'm going to complain about the slowness of my loss because all things being equal, I feel great about it. However, all things are not equal and it's one of those 'things' that I need support and encouragement about. I'm nearly in tears because I'm doing everything right, but am constantly hungry - a gnawing, deep hunger. It's not head hunger - I'm not craving anything like pre-op, but I'm never without hunger, except for 10 or fifteen minutes after I finish eating. Then the hunger just grows and grows. One of my reasons for having this surgery was to beat the hunger demons. Well, guess what? I feel like I'm doing battle constantly even more than before surgery. It's ever present and only diminishes while I'm eating and for a short time afterward. I feel like I'm on a diet. I envy the post-ops who are having difficulty even eating 1 or 2 oz of anything and are never hungry. It's a hunger that I want to go away, but nothing seems to take it away. It just makes me so sad that my life post-op remains a battle ground around food/hunger instead of the lifting of the burden that I had hoped for. I could just cry. And I'm afraid I'm experiencing some sort of mechanical failure of the surgery - maybe a staple line disruption or an enlarged anastomosis? I can, but am trying not to, eat more than the 3 or 4 oz per meal that I'm allowed. Please, if anyone has some encouraging words, or wisdom, or even advice, I would welcome it. When I first began experiencing this hunger at 4 weeks post-op, the suggestion from my nutritionist was to add a bit of fat to my diet, but that didn't help and actually became a slippery slope to eating more than I should. My meals consist of the following: Breakfast: Real Meal shake; Snack: 4 oz lite yogurt or ricotta cheese; Lunch: 3 oz lean meat and 1/2 cup veggie; snack: same as morning; Dinner same as lunch; evening snack: 1/2 banana. My calories average about 650/ day; I'm drinking on average 90 oz water a day and walking every day. Thanks in advance for any thing you can offer. Many blessings to all. Toodles, Robin

Robin, I wouldn't want you to go against anything that your nutritionist is telling you.....actually...I think we go to the same one! I don't think you are eating enough solid food. If I remember, you should be aiming for 800 calories a day. I would try to eat something more solid at snacks like 2 pieces of string cheese with a couple of rye crackers (I use a brand called "Finn Crisp). YOu could also add a small portion (1/4cup) of brown rice or wheat pasta to one of your meals. That might help. I also find that liquid meals or snacks (like protein shakes or yogurt) tend to go through me too quickly and I feel hungry very quickly afterward. I try not to drink my calories. I hope that I have been helpful. Kim O

Hi Relax and don't worry. I really think you are not eating enough, especially protein. Have some string cheese between meals or yogurt and make sure you eat the amount of calories you are suppose to.