Need Help Please!!!

Ok for any of you that read my goal for today you will know that I have a serious problem.I am hungry and I don't mean a little I mean 24/7,I mean I feel like I am starving and I just can't stop eating,and in no way am I getting full at all.What is wrong with me?I am not depressed so I don't understand what is going on and I know I am gaining weight because my bra's and jeans are getting tighter.Now I have spent the last 2 hours on here trying to do research to find out what could possibly be wrong and I have found nothing,I did find some people on the hunger board with similiar symptoms but no one has found a solution to thiers either.Does anyone have any idea's of what this could be or where I can find out some more information.Please help me!!!I am not in any pain so I don't think this has to do with my pouch but I didn't have this surgery to gain this weight back and even if I have to lock up all my cupboards and fridge and only let my kids have the key thatv is what I will do and I won't eat anything anymore.I need help and I will take any I can get.So someone please come to my rescue with some advice.I am not asking for any miracle's or magic potion's just some words of advice or maybe of any site's you may know of where I can find more things out or just find out what I need to do or what is wrong!!!!PLEASE LET ME LIVE AND NOT BE A FAILURE AT THIS AND COME TO THE POINT OF POSSIBLY DYING AGAIN!!! Candi

Candi, Breathe three times....Okay? Now you are not a failure. Okay you are hungry all the time. Think WHY are you hungry? Is it visual cues, smells, etc. Write it down. Are you keeping a journal? Write and plan your menu for the day and list the times that you will eat and only eat then. The other times drink water, decaf tea, Fruit2O, etc. No calorie stuff and stay away from caffiene. You don't need the stimulate! I was told to keep my calories at 1400 and about 98 grams of protein. Perhaps you can use this as a guideline for your plan. I am not losing alot but not gaining and that is real important to me. Take a real look at what you are eating. Is it what you originially started eating? Have you strayed from protein and vitamins. Get back to the basics of how you did it in the beginning. You can do it! We are there for you. Debbie

Debbie,I don't think iti s really anything around the house,I sat down and thought about it last night and I think a lot of it may be boredom.Caffiene I don't have to worry about because I mainly drink decaf Ice Tea.(Luizianne)Protein I have not strayed from but the vitamins yes I haqve because I am on a limited income and just can not afford them anymore.Thankyou for your advice and I think I am going to try and start journaling a lot more,I hope it helps!!!

Candi, I don't post or reply much, but I'm here every day, and your post just grabbed me. I'm struggling w/ grazing for the last few months, just hangin' on for dear life some evenings, so far successfully not letting things get totally out of hand (I'm maintaining within a 3-lb. spread.) The difference b/w me and you, though, is that I'm not truly feeling hungry. My problem is just the old compulsive demons making me feel like I just HAVE to keep eating. At this point, I'm still limiting myself to pretty healthy things, BUT it worries me that I'm eating in the old way, and I'm definitely eating more calories than I need. If I weren't exercising at the level I am, I'd be in big trouble. My natural metabolism is shot, as I'm 55 yrs. old. With that said, the only encouragement I can offer is this--you CAN do this. You are stronger than your compulsions. You are stronger than your appetite. If you're eating & drinking reasonably close to the way you should be--and you know if you are or not--then nutritionally, IT WILL NOT HURT YOU TO BE HUNGRY. We don't LIKE to feel hungry, but it won't hurt us. I don't know what your calories are, I'm presuming somewhere in the 1200-1500 range (??). That is plenty to feed the body. The trouble is--all of us formerly MO people, in the old days, never let ourselves be hungry; we used food for absolutely everything! I know I still turn to it out of anxiety, excitement, boredom, worry, celebration, grief, to keep me company, what I see on TV, just what I'm used to doing, etc., etc. Everyone says variations of "Keep busy doing something," drink your liquids, eat better/more protein, get the stuff out of the house, etc., etc., and we KNOW these things; we just don't want to DO them--me included. The reason everyone says to do them is that they really do work. What I've been doing recently in the evenings is counted cross stitch--I'm working on a picture for my daughter's wedding. Incredibly, it's a great deterrent to eating--it keeps my hands busy, I can't eat while doing it (have to keep my hands clean), and I enjoy sitting in front of TV while doing it. Only thing I keep at my side is Crystal Light. Please hang in there, Candi. We just have to be good to ourselves; there's too much at stake. You're NOT ALONE and not a freak. I don't know if there could be something your surgeon might know/suggest. Sometimes I think we're the strongest people around--what other group of people has to deal with such a strong compulsion/addiction and STILL HAVE TO INDULGE IN IT EVERY DAY!?? I hope others have some words of wisdom; I'm going to be checking the answers! Jo 295/152 (goal--but I'd really like to get under 150!) -143 lbs.

Jo I think a lot of this is in my head like compulsiveness and boredom,so so far today I have been trying to stay really busy and so far it is working.I guess the fact that 15 days agao I quit smoking doesn't help it any,maybe it is the whole hand to mouth thing too.Who knows!But Thankyou for your support and advice!!!

First, you are not a failure! You have done great! I would really evaluate what you are eating. Carbs make me really hungry. When you get this far out and can eat most anything, we have to be really careful about not eating what is not really nutritious for us. Go back to basics. Protein first. Then the good carbs, veggies - but not the starchy ones like peas and corn. Stick to the fiberous types, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, etc. Be sure you are not drinking with your meals. Just basic stuff. It worked in the past, and it will again. It usually takes me several days to get rid of the hungries when I've been carb grazing. Just take it a meal at a time, having 6 small protein meals a day. If you don't eat often enough you will be really hungry. Hope this helps! Lyn 262/150/142 Having TT on Tues!

Lyn,Protein is not a problem for me I am always snacking on string cheese or like the budding meat.As far as carbs is concerned though I know what somew of the bad carb's are like pasta,but what do they consider good carbs for us?

Have you discussed this with your doctor? I mean could you have surgical or stoma failure? I've heard of some who have stretched stomas further out that feel this way - one gal I felt really bad for - back then there was no way to 'fix' a stretched stoma and her doc told her basically to just suffer through, not eat and diet. Yeah right. IF you've not addressed this with your surgeon - PLEASE DO SO!!!! (((HUGS))) If your stoma is stretched, the food literally shoots straight from esophogus into the intestine. Nothing banks it's path and you get hungry quicker or never stop feeling hungry. I'll be watching for your reply to this. (((HUGS)))

Dame,No I have not discussed this with my surgeon actually and truthfully I haven't gone to see him in over 6 months because he is to far away and I can not afford to travel back and forth and I don't know what I can do about that.Also I want to ask you if you did stretch your stomach out,and you kept eating wouldn't you eventually feel full or sick and if it was just passing through wouldn't you have a lot more BM's because I have a problem there too and hardly ever go and when I do it is very hard to go and painful,sorry just some question's!!!

It's usually not the stomach stretching that's the problem...it's the stoma - it can widen to the same width as your intestine - which makes your digestive system basically a funnel from mouth to bowel, leaving the pouch empty unless you are gorging and eating a LOT of food, so that it backs up... As to the constipation or trouble going or whether you should have increased waste - I truly have no idea and REALLY suggest you bite the bullet and make an appt to see your surgeon. You can 'suppose' until the cows come home or you gain so much weight that you feel totally hopeless - I'd hate to see that happen to you IF it is merely mechanical failure. Ya know? I sypathise on how expensive it is to travel. My doc is 4 hours away via car, but you can bet - I'd hitchhike there if I had any suspicions of failure to the pouch, stoma, etc. - I mean you could have a fistula even - if you were transected and that would cause increased hunger when food filters down into the old stomach. (((HUGS)))