My damn pouch must be made of steel!!!!!!

Hi guys!! I'm 10 months out and a few pounds below goal weight. I've been hovering around the 180lb. mark...sometimes up a few.. sometimes under a couple, but pretty much solid at that point. I've always craved pretty much the "right" foods since surgery, but there's been a few times that I had a few spoonfuls of ice cream or a couple of miniature candy bars while at work. I work in a Fire Dept., and there's always food around us. I never have bought junk food at home yet.. unless you consider cereal or tortilla chips junk.  Lately it seems my hunger has really waken up.. especially the last week. I'm not happy about this as I'll always have this fear of gaining weight back again. My diet has been about the same.. but more quantity as of late. As you all know.. the food we eat doesn't stay with us very long some days.. and the hunger pangs seem pretty intense until you put something in there. Usually about every 3-5 hours depending on the day. There has never been any food that has made me sick or dump except mayonnaise early on... and I'm afraid to ever try it again. Sugar doesn't bother me one bit. I haven't tested my limits( and don't plan to)..but it seems that it wont ever bother me. I wish that were not so!  A very tolerant pouch is sometimes more of a curse than it is a blessing! How bout you guys?  Does anyone else feel like they can eat more food at a sitting than they originally expected?  I do!  Is anyone else surprised how tolerant their pouch is to all foods?  The excess weight is all off.. and I did it pretty fast, but I sure hope that over time the weight isn't going to start creeping on again. This surgery was the final step in a lifelong struggle to overcome this obesity thing. The next step would have to be decapitation, but I'm hoping I never have to go there.

I feel the same way. Some people can depend on the bypass and still keep off the weight (not recommended at all), but what I do is start out with the harder stuff like meat or chicken. Anything pastey or liquidy or that's in small pieces is not going to fill you up if you start out eating with that. You really have to eat solid food and eat it every three hours.

As you may know, I do have two days a week when I eat whatever I crave. I often feel low blood sugar (late stage dumping?) coming on a couple of hours later, so I'll eat an orange or two to stop that.

Best Wishes,

Dave

Hey 3-Beast! I am thankful that I’m one of the ones lucky enough to have a complete intolerance of sweets. I could eat a quart of Mayo (and often seem to come close) Without ANY problems. Fats have no effect on me at all. But Sugar? Just about Anything over 4 gms and it’s like I had a steaming bowl of Ex-Lax. With other simple Carbs, I have “Late-Stage Dumping.” More than a slice of bread, And about an hour later I’m sleepy as a milk drunk puppy. The result has been that those things have made the subconscious link As being “Really Bad,” and therefore, I don’t really like them anymore. Sort of like the way the smell of Tequila can be repulsive after you’ve had a few bad experiences with it back in college. Same with me and sweets. They’re kind of off-putting to me now. My subconscious jumps in with- “No Thank you!!  I’d rather Eat Poop!” Thank Heavens.  If I had to rely on my will power, (That did such a good job for me pre-op?) I’d be Mr. Re-Gain in an instant. I eat a good bit of fat, But I have gotten in the habit of using “Good Fats,” So the net result is even better cholesterol levels. All in all, Coming up on 5 years post-op, 4 years at a normal BMI, Down from a "Super MO BMI" of 51+??? My surgically induced intolerances have served me very well! Cool Topic…. Best Wishes- Dx

It's amazing to me how we can all have the same surgery and end with so many different results in the aftermath of it as far as food tolerance is concerned. Great replies guys!

It's true, if you're a sweets or carb addict you'd better pray that you dump to have that deterrent. I was always a big regular food eater, not really big on snack food of any kind. Probably also one reason I was only 260 day of surgery.

I can eat anything.  18 months post op and can eat anything!!  Yet I know my limits.  I had KFC this evening...1/4 of a piece!!  I had Pepsi last week...3oz.  I can handle fat and sugar...Just not alot.  Things like cream soups, ham, soft serve ice cream don't sit well with me.  I do eat really good over the day...It's just there are many temptations to deal with.  I weighted myself today...202.5  Not great, but not bad either.  Think I'll go eat some spinach and tuna out of guilt right now...Brian

Hi, I'm pretty much like you. I'm about 16 months out and I can eat pretty much anything. Nothing seems to upset my system. I sometimes wish things did. I'm at 220 lbs, maybe a little less, my goal is to get under 200 lbs. If I were not exercising to the extent I am, I'm certain I would be gaining. I eat small meals and "snack" on protiens like jerky as much as possible. But for some reason I just crave chocolot. I still have other "issues" like stress eating and alcohol to deal with as well. All the old problems are still around. Sometimes I think if I would just retire from this teaching job my stress levels would decline and perhaps some of these issues would go away; perhaps not. In any event, It is what it is", as they say. The thought of re-gaining the weight  scares me and is my biggest motivator for making the right choices. If you or anyone else comes up with ways to deal with these old "monsters" please share your ideas. I'm pretty sure we are not the only ones interested in this topic. Good luck to all of us. 

Doug, you and I are very simular even teaching. We all worry about regain. I do andI'm a year out this week. Good Luck and God Bless all teachers!!

Randy, Not to steal the thread, but thanks for the note. This business we're in isn't getting any easier is it? Doug

Alcohol has never been a problem for me. I've drank to excess at times but I've never craved it. But yesterday when I got home from work, I was in such a foul mood that I either wanted to murder someone or get drunk. I guess now that I can't overeat my way to killing the pain, alcohol may become a temptation. Unless they decriminalize murder.