Hunger or thirst?

I'm only 4 weeks out from surgery and I'm eating 1/2 cup of food per meal. I can eat pretty much everything but meats, raw veggies, and nuts. I can even have two crackers or toast with every meal. My concern is that I've been "hungry" in between meals and wind up having the crackers then instead of with my meal. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to snack in between meals and I feel like this is a precursor to me falling into bad habits. Any ideas or suggestions? I know I need to drink more water, but I can't drink for an hour after each meal or half an hour before each meal. 

My suggestion is to cut out the crackers and toast completely.  At this point, concentration should be on PROTEIN first -- and crackers, cereals, breads not only offer nothing in the way of protein, but really nothing nutritionally at all.  They are basically sugar -- sugar that causes insulin spikes which in turn, causes you to feel hungry.  Of course you can eat crackers and toast -- they are basically slider foods.  

Your list of what you can't eat reads like a list of what you should be aspiring to eat  -- especially the meat.  For now, concentrate on soft meats -- even deli, seafood, stewed chicken, etc -- ricotta cheese, cottage cheese -- protein shakes -- PROTEIN. 

I am 21 months out and still haven't eaten a cracker or toast.  Don't waste your honeymoon -- it will never be this easy again.

edited to add: there's no reason to restrict drinking before eating and half an hour after eating is sufficient.  Of course, follow your surgeon's plan -- but truthfully, there's no good reason.  I drink up until 5 minutes before eating and time it for 30 to 45 minutes afterwards.

I am not allowed any protein shakes at this time or from this point forward. No liquid calories for me. I only eat the crackers if I'm still hungry at that meal, but since I'm not, I figured I could eat them in between meals. On second thought, I think I'll stay away from them all together! Dr. Baranov is strict about the 1/2 hour and 1hour time slots. The protein is eaten first and he said my pouch needs that time to digest it before being flushed away. Meats get added in week 7. Until then it's salmon, white flaky fish, soft cooked veggies, couscous, quinoa, cottage cheese, yogurt, beans, etc. I've been focusing on those proteins that I can have. I think I'll eliminate the couscous and quinoa and add more of the beans. That may help with hunger. I do take the omneprozole, so maybe I need more?

Yes, definitely LOSE the crackers and any other "white carbs"!  Every single successful "vet" here will tell you that you are making the road to losing the weight and maintaining it MUCH more difficult by eating crackers and toast!

Lora

Hi Diana, im very new out of this surgery too. My doctor told me she didnt care if I EVER ate bread again. The first thing that goes into your mouth should be protein. If you are feeling hungry, you are probably not getting enough. You may try to supplement with some protein shakes between meals. What my nutritionist told me is not drinking a half hour between or after since water flushes out the food and you dont feel full. Are you on an acid blocker? You should be taking one daily. That could be lending to your hunger as well. Good luck!

I am not allowed any protein shakes at this time or from this point forward. No liquid calories for me. I only eat the crackers if I'm still hungry at that meal, but since I'm not, I figured I could eat them in between meals. On second thought, I think I'll stay away from them all together! Dr. Baranov is strict about the 1/2 hour and 1hour time slots. The protein is eaten first and he said my pouch needs that time to digest it before being flushed away. Meats get added in week 7. Until then it's salmon, white flaky fish, soft cooked veggies, couscous, quinoa, cottage cheese, yogurt, beans, etc. I've been focusing on those proteins that I can have. I think I'll eliminate the couscous and quinoa and add more of the beans. That may help with hunger. I do take the omneprozole, so maybe I need more?

oh, hmm, well obviously your doctor would know best. Mine mentioned "liquid calories" too but that was more about things like koolaid,liquor, etc. My nutritionist said that for a while I may have to add in a shake to meet my protein goals. One thing I've learned talking to different people, is alllll doctors are different and have their own ideas of what should be done hehe! Just level with your doctor and tell them you are struggling with hunger. They are probably the best source of help since they know what they want you to do. All the best of luck to you! 

Thank you!

How many meals are you eating a day. You should not be snacking between meals, but that doesn't mean that you need to stick to three meals a day. In fact, my program requires at least four and up to six meals a day. The additional meals are often referred to as planned snacks. If you are getting hungry between meals, then maybe you aren't eating enough meals. A lot of people eat something every few hours to keep hunger away. I eat a late breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and evening snack, and I plan them all in advance. I know if I don't stick to my plan, I will get hungry, which leads to bad choices. If you feel as though you need to add some planned snacks, eat protein. You are better of eating a cheese stick as a planned snack than you are eating crackers between meals.

I eat three meals per day, 1/2 cup each meal. I feel like I'm not "supposed" to be hungry. I don't know if I'm supposed to have snacks at all! I told the nutritionist I felt hungry and she said it was normal a couple hours to an hour before my next meal, but, I don't feel like this is normal. Especially since one of my nurses said I shouldn't feel hungry for over a year!! Ahhhhh! 😐