I am SOOOOOO Hungry..HELP!

Cathy---I am five months out tomorrow & still really haven't battled, hunger yet, but sometimes (to avoid grazing) I find that I do have to put myself on a strict schedule of "get up...have my decaf w/S-free cream, then, 1/2 hour later, eat an egg...then get 16oz of liquids in...then have a carb master yogurt w/my supplements/Rx mixed in...then, for lunch, tuna....etc, etc.)...that way I always  know what I need to have next and I don't let any type of hunger get ahold of me.  I make sure that what is on my "meal plan" for the day meets the protein & calorie requirements/limitations and, sometimes, it does feel more like a "diet" than it did right after surgery when it was easy not to eat.

You will find someway around this....you have to....you have worked too hard & come to far to give in to this.....if you continue to get hungry then give yourself three things that you can have unlimited amounts of....for instance, sugar free popsicles....or, even just tuna.....I am sure you are not going to eat yourself back into weight gain w/sugar free popsicles (which count as a fluid) or popsicles......and, if you are eating a can of tuna & still feeling hungry, then add your low-carb veggies (green beans or asparagus, etc.)....and then, if still hungry, add a starchier veggie......if you are still hungry at this point, you are battling head-hunger....so, drink, drink, drink.....

I plan my day w/lunch 3 hours after breakfast and then dinner 4 hours after lunch....sometimes I have a piece of string cheese or a carb master yogurt for a snack.....

Are you exercising?  That can also be a reason for your "hunger" if you are really putting yourself in the negative on calories....I have been eating between 400-600 calories a day since surgery & when I work out extra hard (sometimes I do a spin/lift class for two hours that burns 500+ calories).....then I do feel "hungry" and I do have a protein drink on those days.....

My big concern in your post is that you said, "I have figured out things I was afraid to eat don't hurt me".....the fear of the unknown is a very positive tool after weight loss surgery.  It will keep us from eating things that we think we want because we are not sure what they will do to our body (i.e. dumping), but, if we are sampling them & don't dump, then we start to think they are okay to have.  Remember, they are not.  These are the foods that got you to the point that required you to have this surgery...they are not your friend....they will hurt you and it is your job to find a way to avoid them. You just get one chance to have this surgery & do this right.....make sure that you take full advantage of it!!!

Good luck!!!! Stay strong!! xo, Micheala.

See post to Mel on this Thread.  I can't write all that again. (LOL)

Cathy,
My appetite has come back this month too. I'm sticking to the plan religiously though. Are you tracking you food? Counting carbs? If I eat anything that is a little too carby, I am always hungrier later. Carbs make you crave more carbs. The dense proteins are much more filling. Are you still focusing on those? I can manage about 3 ounces of meat or chicken or fish and this leave me little room for much else and stays with me for a while. I am allowed 100 grams of carbs per day but never more than 30 grams at a time. Also, I dont do carbs without also having some protein with it. My best advice is to log your food if you arent already. You may see some areas for improvement.
Karen

Thanks!   See my post to MEL on this thread.  Can't write all that again.

hey Cathy, I have battled the very same thing the last 2 weeks, i think it is hormones for me though... but i am still gradually losing as well-- trying, like yourself, not to eat what i shouldnt or too much....

just wanted to let you know i am in the boat with you girly...

michelle

gilr!  YOU LOOK LIKE A DIFFERENT PERSON!   I am so glad to hear from you...my surgery date pal! 

I was out of pocket last night and have not been able to answer my posts.  I think it is the carbs with me.  I knew I was addicted to them before surgery, but thought I had kicked the habit after surgery.  When my weight loss slowed down and I went for my 6 week check up, the NUT told me to increase my carbs to at least 100 per day.   I haven't touched bread, rice or potatoes, but I have eaten some wheat crackers with my tuna and some ff granola with my yogurt.  I make some killer white bean chili and I have eaten that since i was able to after surgery.  It has carbs, but it doesn't seem to do the same thing to me.  The crackers sit in the cabinet and "call my name"  It is horrible.   I get them out of the house then I look at every label at the store to try to figure out what kind of crackers I can eat that have hardly no carbs......Wheat, almond crackers whatever I can justify.  I think I need to stop eating any of them.  I know I haven't eaten the wrong kind, but they are like trigger foods for me.   God help me if I ever got my hands on some cheeze-its. 

I know better.  but it is like heroin or crack for me.  Boy what a realization!  I never realized how addicted I was.   I have to stop but how do you live without some good carbs?   It is a balance
I am strong and I think I know what it is now that I have put it out there.  I will still need the support of all my friends on her to get a handle on this.  I don't want to be a failure.  I am the only one who has control.   IT IS HARD!   

You say you want to add "good" carbs - how about fruit? or veggies like carrots, peas, sweet potato, or lima beans? These carbs have the added benefit of fiber as well as vitamins and minerals that are very good for you. Carbs do not have to be potatoes, rice, bread or crackers. Those products tend to be more empty calories than the healthier fruit & veggies options.

Since the crackers are an obvious trigger for you, keep them out of the house!