Struggling with filling the mature pouch

So, I'm back on track at least for today. I lost 100 pounds after gastric bypass in May 2013 but never lost the last 80. And then I started to regain. Now I have 100 to lose. One of the major mistakes I made is to continue to eat like I had a new pouch because of all the warning that stuck in my head about making sure I get my protein. I can drink endless protein shakes and eat endless protein bars without getting full. Mixed with a carb addiction and ability to tolerate sugar some of the time, not a good combo.

Yesterday I had problems feeling full at all. For example, last night I ate sirloin pot roast, about 5-6 ounces, and steamed carrots, probably a half cup. I didn't drink after and was hungry within two hours. Very frustrating. This morning I ate two eggs scrambled with a very small amount of butter with an ounce of cheese and I'm full still. None of this makes sense to me, why I get full sometimes with dense foods and sometimes not. I had an EGD a couple of months ago and the surgeon said I have a normal mature pouch. So my wishing to tighten up the stoma or some surgical solution is not appropriate. I'm not ready to give up, just frustrated and looking for a solution that will work and not leave me hungry.

I'm still a newbie, but are you physically hungry or mentally. It could be that you just want to eat in your head?> Or are you not getting enough water intake during the day?

I'm sure there may be a mental component to it but there is a stretch feeling in the pouch I was not getting last night. The amount of food I ate should have made me full. I'm drinking plenty of fluids through the day.

Here's my strange pouch tale (well as long as we are sharing ~grin~), my pouch too goes through periods of being insatiable and full for what seems like no rhyme or reason.  Then I did some further contemplating and head scratching, and here's what I came up with for me:  in the morning, I can always be full on less.  It's like she (my pouch) hasn't fully awakened and is quite happy on one boiled egg, 2 slices of turkey bacon and whatever small fruit cup du jour I'm enjoying....or whatever my breakfast is...usually something very small and portioned appropriately for someone who has a mature pouch.  She also doesn't like any type of cold beverage in the a.m. as well, yikes, nothing works except a nice warm cup of joe/tea.  By lunch, I'm able to eat a fairly normal portion (for a mature pouch... gosh I like that term) a protein forward yet wholesome meal and my pouch reaches a level of satisfaction/fullness), but remember I'm not trying to stuff myself, just feel satisfied and keeping the blood sugar levels even.

I have an afternoon snack, usually a greek yogurt and a string cheese because the "hangry" thing kicks and it helps me cruise along till dinner which I typically eat at 7:30pm or so.  But by night, the pouch she's been fed three times and is all stretchy and loose (my words and theory no scientific facts here) so I have a much more difficult time feeling satisfied with my evening meal.  Therefore I make sure I have significantly more dense protein, more stick-to-my-ribs grains/legumes, and foods that have some heft to them.  That's what works for me.  Plus I've tried very, very, very hard to limit sugar to a simple piece of dark chocolate as a late night, put-me-to-sleep treat or something very  similar. 

Other than that, I think you absolutely have to retrain your brain to enforce that your pouch is not the king of you, that hunger is not life threatening merely annoying, and when this happens to take a deep breath and remember that this too shall pass. Find something else to occupy your thoughts, your hands, or do what I do when I can't get full.  I sip a cup of tea, have a mini dark chocolate Ghiradhelli square and then go to bed, and put in my upper night guard.  9 hours later I wake up wanting to eat, and voila, it's like Ground Hog Day, my pouch has reset and a small breakfast fills me right up.  Oh the joy of a mature pouch. 

I think once you develop the habit of a routine in eating, your pouch becomes trained (yes, I think you can train your pouch to expect different volumes of foods at different times, I know silly me and my theories) and your life and habits become just that....habits.  Healthy habitual eating patterns are a GOOD thing, something that once adopted serve me so well.  I hope they can do the same for you too 

Good Luck...I do know you'll find something that will work for you!  You can do hard things...look at the distance you've traveled so far.

Wow that rings true for me. I do have morning issues, and problems with any cold fluids in the morning. Maybe eating a bigger healthy meal at night will help. I'm defrosting Chicken breast now, maybe I'll make veggies and lima beans to go with it. 

What works for me is six small meals a day.  I eat every four hours and about 200 calories each time.  I eat at 6:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 10 PM, and 2:00 AM.  I never eat to fullness.  I gave up protein shakes as soon as I started to regain at three years out.

In between I drink a lot of water.  I have a kitchen scale and weigh my food before eating it.  Five or six ounces of pot roast is a lot.  When you start weighing your food I think you might find you are over estimating some items.

I've been amazed by how much of my eating is mental/behavioral.  Because Im so new to surgery (exactly three months today) I still dont "get hungry".  But, at certain times, I find myself wanting to eat.  I believe that my body has absolutely no need for food, but my brain tells me its time to eat.  Its been so interesting to track. 

Its taught me that I need to keep track of what and when I eat and do things based on logic, instead of emotion or cravings.  I think I'm ready for it (half the battle is admitting theres a problem, right?) but who knows?  Just doing my best not to have that 9PM snack tonite. Tomorrow I'll worry about tomorrow.

Most days I can eat much more at evening meal than I can eatfirst thing am.  Some days - I can't eat food until noon. 

if I eat carbs  during the day - mu pouch may seam like bottomless pit - I can eat and eat and eat.... But if I maintain proteins + non starchy veggies during the day - 4-5 oz of good dense proteins and a few bites of veggies are all I can handle...

now - protein bars are like glorified candy bars...  my body does not care if the manufacturer put "net carbs =5" My body see all the damned carbs, even fiber, and properly uses that as "simple carbs" . My body got that efficient doing that probably way before WLS...   that's why was so difficult , if not impossible for me to lose weight....

skip the frankenfood... eat real food... be happy...

carrots are full of sugar. That is why you didn't feel full. Are you tracking what you eat? Tracking shows you how much sugar etc things have so you can avoid the high carb/sugar items. 

Pas long as you are eating high carb items,you are not going to fill full. Same with protein shakes and bars. Liquid calories and candy wanna bees are going to make you feel less full ame able to eat a lot. 

I've also found that sometimes I have to be hungry. I don't like it. My brain revolts against it. During those times I'll drink more fluids (non caloric) and internet surf or watch a movie. It recedes away. I survive it. It's a hard thing to sit with but a mantra I learned here is that hunger is not an emergency.

I am working on losing regain as well. Things I find filling are hard boiled eggs (scrambled eggs are easier to eat) and chicken.

Deb