Not even 3 weeks out and I can eat pretty much anything ...

Are you following your doctors plan for food? At 3 weeks out, I was on puréed. Food. Please be careful. Let your body heal.

I'm 5 months out, and while I did feel restriction in those few weeks immediately after surgery, once I was no longer swollen from the procedure, I haven't ever really felt restriction. I also haven't had more than two or three instances of food getting stuck or making me feel ill (I tried ice cream at 6 weeks and had a bad episode of dumping, but haven't ventured down that road since) I too, could probably eat "whatever I wanted." But knowing that I CAN frightens me. Without feeling restriction or having any food issues it would be very easy for me to go back to old ways of eating--fast food, high carbs, high calorie snacks. I have to make it a point to stick to plan, and measure and track every bite in MyFitnessPal. I set my calorie limit at 800 and the only time I come close to breaching that is if I have a particularly fatty cut of meat (bacon for example) or cheese. I still eat those things, just not every day.

I make sure I'm getting 70-80g of protein, sticking to less than 30 carbs (often more like 20), and keeping my hands and mind occupied the rest of the time so I'm not tempted to snack.

Good luck!

I?m two years out. When I Was in the losing phase I only ate 600-700 calories of protein. Very low carb and tons of fluids. I?m in maintenance now and still ha e entire weeks where I must eat 800-900 calories that are protein dense and very low carb (under 20). I?m a band to bypass person and I rarely if ever feel restriction. Don?t hunt for that feeling we had with the band cause it never comes. Weight what you eat and plan calories and macros wisely and take advantage of this year. The only thing I felt and still feel to some point is lack of hunger. Don?t hunt for band type or normal type of fullness and this early out I didn?t feel a thing. You?ll lose if you plan and be real with yourself otherwise it just won?t work for you.

I am a revision - LapBand to RNY.

IMO you must forget everything you know about full. RNY is completely different and the sensation is 100% different.

Weigh and measure, eat and then walk out of the kitchen. You'll get the hang of it. Also - if you do a search on OH you will find 1000 posts about the famous 3 week stall. This too will pass if you stay in plan.

Some say revision patients lose slower than 1 st timers. I did not have that experience- if anything I learned the hard way through failure to be religious about food and portions from day one. You can so totally do this - use the clock, a good scale and set your goals so you can track your progress.

Good luck!!

Just because you can does not mean you "should". While that may sound mean, it's true. You have some head issues going on that you need to deal with. See about support groups and counseling if that is an option. Please don't be offended by this reply. I have lived this for 14 years and see it time and time again. I tell people they have to get it right between the ears before re-arranging the plumbing. Here are the basics that will help! Reach out any time. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Planning/Preparing

Remember when we were preparing for surgery? How many meetings, classes and such did we attend? We were told the more prepared we were the better our chances were for success. And they were right. Go through the house, car and work place and get rid of trigger foods. Stock up on foods that will keep you on track. I removed every bad carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies, grains and fruits.

Journaling

Get back to journaling. This will help you identify when you feel like eating, stress factors and any triggers in your life. Once you identify these factors, this will help you put tools in place to keep you from eating. It became clear I was not taking time for me anymore. I worked my day job and then spent the rest of my time caring for my husband. It was easy to reach for fast, prepackaged food. Since I purged my home I have to eat clean as there are no other options LOL

Use a tool to track you're eating and exercise like Getting Started with Health Tracker. Once I started to track ever bite and drink it became clear why I had gained.

Goals/Rewards

Make a list of goals for yourself. Make them realistic and small. Some of mine were move more, purge all junk from my home, eat more protein. If you didn't make a Weight Loss Surgery bucket list when you first had surgery do it now. GREAT reminder of all the things you can enjoy in life after losing weight.

Food

In general, a long term post-weight loss surgery eating plan includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat?, calories, and sugar. Important, vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. (if you had a different surgery adjust this to your food plan).

Water

Water is our Best Friend. I have to say I never went back to pop or any bad drinks, however I was drinking tea like crazy. What is wrong with drinking tea? I was either using sugar or 3 equals and 3 sweet n lows per 32 ounce glass. I found once I started carrying one of the metal bottles of water to keep it cold I drank water all day.

MOVE!

I can't say enough about how key this was for me. The reason I kept my weight off for almost 10 years was no matter what, I kept moving. If I could not go to the gym I would walk. Grab a cart and walk all the isles at your local box store. I loved Zumba, bootcamp workouts, lifting weights. When I stopped, the weight started coming back. So for me I am starting slow to avoid injury by walking and using some of the workouts on my Demand TV. Find something you love to do and it won't feel like a pain in the *** to do daily.

Support

If it's an option "run" don't walk to a support group. Come here on OH daily for support and participate in one of the food threads. It helps you be accountable and also great ideas for food prep.

Keep me posted on how you are doing.