I am struggling like hell

" I feel like all my work to get the surgery done was for nothing."

I am looking at your ticker, and gosh, your persistence in pursuing WLS is remarkable. Yes, a lot of work and time. Did you perhaps think that the work was finished when the surgery was done, and that, magically, the weight was going to drop off without any further effort?

"I can eat anything I want, and there is no restriction...I do feel full, rarely, but it only lasts a short while"

(I am speaking for myself, here- my experience)-

When I was MO, I felt that what I was supposed to feel was the sensation of fullness ALL THE TIME and that, If I wasn't feeling full, something was missing and I should be eating. Being full only lasts a while, and I don't think the natural order is to be full ALL the time. It's ok to feel empty.

Regarding the restriction--after I made goal weight, I unfortunately discovered that one can "eat anything" and not feel restriction. That's what slider foods do- slip in easily- and out quickly- I could eat all day long-consuming huge amounts of calories--and I did to the tune of 125# regain.

Now here is the crazy thing--I lost the 200#s and re-gained 125# and RE-lost 130# all with the same sleeve surgery. How is that? What I have learned (and, please God, hope to remember) is that the surgery is the tool, but it is not the tool that completes the task--that function (job) belongs to the brain which manipulates and puts that tool to use. It was my brain that needed the adjustment--my sleeve works just fine.

I'm almost certain they "chopped your stomach" just as I am certain you have the ability to see this through. You can do it! Be as persistent in the weight loss stage of this journey as you have been in your courageous perusal of it--

Do what it will take--protein forward, lay off the slider simple carbs, plenty of liquids, move, journal,- all of that--and, yes, you will have to restrict your calories. You did not have this surgery to continue to think and behave the same way as before the surgery. Think, and reflect, and change--and change will happen. I'm rooting for you. Bonnie.

I don't think I've ever actually felt "full" post-surgery. Just very uncomfortable - if not in pain - if I really overdo it (which ideally, you should never let yourself get to that point). I agree with what all the other posters have said. It takes work. The surgery just makes it somewhat easier....and makes it possible to lose/maintain your loss (whereas I could never do that pre-surgery - lost weight would just come right back on...). I still have to weigh/measure/track everything at three years out, and I know I'll have to do that for the rest of my life if I want to remain at a normal weight. That's just reality for a lot of us...

We can all eat anything we want to do. If we do we gain weight. Completely drop the carbs and eat dense protein. No flour, sugar, rice, cereal, pasta, noodles or breads. Count calories. You need to be on 1200 calories a day or less just to maintain without a lot of loss. I have to go to 800 calories a day to lose one pound a week.

Drink a lot of water. I drink 30 ounces of plain water before I eat anything. Water first and then track every thing that goes into your mouth.

Giving up the carbs is not just for the weight loss phase, it is for life. They make you hungry and they keep the weight on.

You are in the honeymoon period for RNY and it lasts about 18 months. It gets much harder after that. Use this time to lose all of the weight by following what I said above. Then you will know how to eat after the honeymoon ends and your body absorbs all of the calories again.

Protein shakes and bars are a waste of calories for you. They are for when your stomach is so swollen that you cannot eat real food. After that they will just make it quicker to take in too many calories.

Just echoing what was said but wanting to emphasize the "Protein first" rule.

1. Set a timer on your stove or watch and make sure you wait the full 30 minutes after drinking before you eat.
2. Find some dense proteins that you can eat/enjoy even if they aren't ideal. Tuna, lunch meat, fish... and eat 3 to 5 oz. of that first before you have a bite of anything else.
3. eat other non liquid or mushy foods that are healthy after your protein but no simple carby/processed foods. Think greens or a little fresh fruit, maybe a little whole grain food like an oz. or two - try to keep the non-protein part of your meal to under 100 calories
4. Set a timer again and make sure you don't have a sip of liquids until it's been 30 minutes.

Get used to the "empty" feeling and use self talk to remind yourself that you are NOT in fact, starving, but the sensation you're feeling is your body turning to it's fat stores for energy. Set a timer again for an hour or two and don't eat any calories, just remind yourself it's just for a little while, and distract yourself with a walk or other activity that takes you AWAY from food.

Clear all the junk food out of your house - if you live with kids they really don't NEED junk food, you're not hurting them!

Here's something that might help you visualize the slider foods and what eating with meals does. We are told to chew our food to the consistency of applesauce. Take a quarter cup of applesauce and put it in a small kitchen funnel over a glass. Notice how slowly it drips out. Then add a tablespoon of water and see what happens. Generally, you'll see the applesauce just slide right through. Like water. You need the food to stay in your pouch as long as possible to avoid feeling "empty". That is the reason for eating dense protein first and not drinking for 30 minutes before and after meals.

I live by the mantra "no rice, no pasta, no bread, no sugar". I'm 8 years out from surgery, and at this point occasionally have a little of the forbidden foods, but my daily routine is to avoid these like poison.

Thank you so much for all the words of wisdom from everyone. I feel very encouraged that I can do this.

Besides for all the mistakes I have made I am learning a lot from reading all your posts. I really want to be successful at this. It took me over 2 years to go through the process and I don't want it to be for nothing.

Today I am only going to eat 800 calories and see how it goes. I hope that eating my proteins (in dense protein rich food) will help me with the hunger issues. I know I can do it. It might take me awhile to get completely on track but I will do it. I want to be successful.

I see the clinic for my 4 month follow-up next week and I hope I have some sort of weight loss. I am sure they won't be pleased with me... yet.

That's ok, they don't have to be pleased yet! They will see soon enough.

I know you can do this too!

Something I love to eat is chicken and cheese, it's so good to me lol for lunch the other day I ate 3 oz of skinless oven baked chicken breast with a slice of muenster cheese melted over the top. It was 210 calories - 9 g fat - 0 g carbs - 30.4 g protein and filled me up for 6 hours (I don't eat snacks, but on 800 calories you totally can)!

Like another poster said, the thing we really have to stop doing is trying to feel full all the time. I still struggle so much with that. I sit there and my stomach isn't hurting from hunger or growing and I don't feel weak, but I still feel like something is wrong because I don't feel "full". We have to learn how to just feel normal, not full.

Also, try and drink as much water as you can today! (Outside of meal time obviously lol)

Best of luck and please come back if you need any support

One other thing to think about. Besides the hunger possibly being head hunger ( a very real thing after WLS) if you are dehydrated that can also mimic hunger. If say a couple of hours after you eat your protein you start to feel hunger try drinking water and see if that helps. Me personally I get in over 100oz a day.

I'm curious, did they give you a program to follow? Seems like you are a bit of following your own program or autopilot. People ask me all the time - RNY is just another way to fail a diet - you failed so many times before - why will this be different. I then explain all the ways I'm more accountable. But, the most important thing I'm doing differently is not allowing the tomorrow syndrome or going on autopilot take hold of me. Always my downfall in the past. Don't worry about calories and focus on grams of protein and ounces of fluid. That will get you going. What was your protein goal per day. It will likely net you around 600 to 800 calories, but don't eat to the calorie target. My best friend was on a 1500 calorie a day diet. He was very unsuccessful - why - he was eating all sugar and not counting really (he was actually eating twice the target). Weigh, measure, drink, protein forward, document in an ap. That will get you going. Good luck

Hello!

before surgery, I expected to feel full after eating tiny amounts of food, which was the "magic" I was hoping for. For the first few weeks, I did feel bloated all the time, even with liquids! But that went away (the swelling and edema from surgery went away) and I too, can eat "anything I want." I do not ever feel "full" like I used to, but rather if I eat too much I'll feel very uncomfortable or like it's sitting in my throat and I need to cough it up. This has only happened a few times, though. "Full" isn't the same anymore and you will make yourself sick chasing that feeling.

Ask your surgeon how much you should be able to eat, capacity-wise. Mine said 1 cup of dense food max, with wiggle room for things that don't add up to much once chewed (like lettuce). Depending on the density of the meat I'm eating, I can eat 2-4 oz of weighed protein. Closer to 2 with something dense like chicken breast, but I can eat a whole 4 oz tilapia fillet. I usually have about 1/4 cup (a few bites) of a vegetable with it, or may put that 2 oz of chicken on a salad, but still generally aim my fork at the chicken pieces first ;)

even though I don't feel full, I don't eat more than what I've measured out. I do have 1-2 small snacks between meals, like a string cheese or yogurt, once in a while I might do something like cucumber slices with dip.