I was a bad girl today.

I started off okay - had my cream of wheat around noon but it didn't set well with me. Didn't eat it all, but enough. Then every 3 hours I was hungry and I ate 3 meals by 7pm. I had cottage cheese w/strawberries for lunch w/a dollop of FF/SF yogurt on top. It went down way too easy and seemed like a lot, and I never felt full. But dinner was the kicker. DH and I were going on a "date" so he wanted to go to the Chinese buffet. I told him it would be a waste of money for me, but if he wanted to pay full price for a tiny amount, that was fine. Well, I ate chicken and broccoli and cauliflower and it again, seemed like a lot. I also had a little steamed rice with it. Looking at the plate, it was probably half full of food and I ate about half that, but it felt like more. I asked DH if it looked like I ate a lot and he said it looked like a lot on my plate but that I left a lot. (Did have some soup I didn't touch on my plate which took up 1/3 of it with the bowl on the plate.) Anyway, I have NO CLUE how many calories were in what I ate, and then when we got home to watch Alias, I was getting hungry again. About the time the Practice was close to being over (nearing 11p) I caved and ate a 4.5 oz can of chicken breast (150 calories, 25 g protein). It went down really easy also. I can only guestimate how many calories I had today and I would put it between 650-800. A lot more than what I expected, that's for sure. I know I should have put my foot down on the buffet, but I guess I could have done the same thing almost anywhere. So tell me folks - is this something you have dealt with? Is it just a passing bad day or do you find yourselves spiraling out of control when doing this? I just feel like a failure to have eaten so often and so many calories. Dina

Dina, I have days like that. I never had an epsiode until I was about 4-5 months out. There are just sometimes when I feel like I need more. I try and make the best choices when that does happen. I do beat myself up for it. Then the next few days I may harldy have much at all. I get the guilt trip about how I was before this surgery, stress eating, closet eating, but this little tummy will never let that happen again. Just remember what Dr. Aguirres rules are. Eat 3 meals, no snacking in between. Plan your meals, sit down an eat slowly, chew well, no liquids with meals. Drink your water in between meals. Remember this is a "tool" we still have a job to do ourselves. It is work just not so much. How long has it been since your surgery? I just started eating stir fry crisp vegi's this week. They made me soo full, and I didnt like the feeling at all. There are still many things that I just stay away from. I have found what I can tolerate well and just stick with that. I am satisfied and content so that is all I want. If I get the snackies I reach for a handul of almonds. You have to chew them well and it is a different texture. Well I hope this helps. Lori

Lori - I'll only be 3 weeks out on Wednesday, which is why I'm so alarmed. I expected to get that "never hungry" feeling everyone talks about, but I definitely am getting it. I know I'm not supposed to have meat for another week, but I feel it's what is satisfying me most and it never has been a problem for me, so I went ahead and started eating it Saturday night. And the stir fry veggies I had last night were pretty crunchy, yet they also went down just fine. I just don't get it.....guess I'm going to have to start looking for things to quell the hungries that are little or no calories. Someone mentioned pickles once - that might be a good idea. Or cukes. I don't need to eat a meal to feel full - veggies are fine. I just need to not feel hungry so often. Dina

Dina, Maybe you just need to drink the fluids in between meals to feel full. I bet you are doing fine. Just take one day at a time and one meal at a time. Hang in there, Lori

Dina,I really have a hard time only eating 3 meals a day. I am actually hungry between meals. How can you not be hungry when you only take a couple of bites of food for a meal? I just don't understand it. I find myself eating 5 meals a day on some days. But its hard to consider one chicken leg a meal, ya know what I mean? I eat between 600-800 calories a day. How many do you usually eat? maybe that is too much?

Deanne - I don't know if that is too many calories, but I was going based on what someone else mentioned they were eating a day which was around 500 calories, and I took that to be the average of what I should have. I know they weren'****ching it to 500, but they counted what they happened to be eating and that's what it ended up to be. I just want this to come off as quickly as possible. I don't want to have this linger, so I'm really wanting to find the best way possible for me to get it off quickly. I think I'm going to try to eat more low-carb veggies between meals...ones I can tolerate. Maybe that will be a good plan. Dina

I have some days like that too. I worry that I am able to eat too much on some days and then I can go for days where I can hardly eat anything. Where is the logic?

Tina - I guess when I think about it I've had days where I didn't feel like eating much either. It's just alarming that this day was so hard on me... Dina

Dina, Don't worry about it! We all have days when it seems like you are hungry all the time. For me, those are days I am upset about something or bored. I tend to snack then. I have learned to drink water, alot of water, until that feeling passes. I forget sometimes, but I have found that if I eat something, like a cheese stick, that will take care of it, or an apple with peanut butter on it. I have also learned to stay way from crackers, chips, etc,as they just make it worse and then I really snack. No, I still can't eat alot, and I am still losing (5 months out now), but it does slow things down. Don't beat yourself up. I have also seen quite a few posters on different sites whose Dr told them to eat 5 small meals rather than just 3, so I don't think that is set in stone. It is whatever works for you. Dr. A may wish we only ate 3 meals aday, but somedays, that just doesn't work. Keep it up, it will come off, but lose the guilt, as that will just add to the problem.

Thanks LeeAnn! I did much better today and felt less hungry. Maybe it was just a phase or something....it is hard not to be hard on ourselves though. Dina