Fear of Failure

I went to a group NUT session earlier this week. It was our first. She said we should start trying to lose weight as of that day. She said, "you all know how to diet right? just do what you would normally do when you try to lose weight."

 

Well.......................on my own without any direction I'm failing miserably.  I do ok at breakfast and even at lunch but my God when 4pm rolls around people better get out of my way because I'm HUNGRY.  And that hunger doesn't seem to be quenched by anything until I go to bed.  I have been told that my insulin coupled with the fact that I'm in menapause will make me gain and now I understand - it makes me have a monster in my tummy who constantly says "FEED ME"

So, I'm afraid that this is what it will be like after the surgery.  I don't have a goal to get to now and a different doc just told me that I only have to diet two weeks before my surgery which is on Aug 27.  But will the hunger REALLY go away after the surgery? That's my biggest fear, that the monster will hide from the surgeon and lur****il I'm home and then make me incredibly hungry.

I promise you - the kind of hunger you're facing now will either disappear or be greatly reduced.   I can get hungry bu*****pically happens if I go too long without a meal or my scheduled small snacks.  But it is NOTHING like the hunger I had pre-op. 

If you need more structure then I would suggest either working with your PCP to get on a plan or join WW or some group like that.  It sounds like you need structure and accountability...both of which are lacking right now.

Thank you.  I do need structure. I'm an accountant and I leave and come home the same time every day.  I even have the same lunch everyday so I thrive on structured environments.  I'm going to the psychologist at the weight center today so maybe she can grab a diet from someone. I'm kind of shocked that the NUT didn't give us a set plan. 

Our pre-op instructions from the surgeon were to eat 1500 calories/day. It was much better than the typical 1200 that I'd always tried to go for when I dieted in the past. I didn't get the overwhelming hunger that you are talking about. Maybe I did for a day or two, but it was really do-able. Did your NUT give a calorie limit for your "diet"?

There's no reason to suffer. Make sure to eat a snack at 3 pm: greek yogurt or 1/2 C cottage cheese and fruit or cheesestick, something like that. That should get you to dinner time. Then a snack before bed, same kind of thing: a small something with protein in it. Try that out.

Thanks I will try to remember to bring a snack in for the afternoon munchies.

I still don't have any hunger like I did before surgery unless I go almost all day without eating, then I mostly have a headache and my tummy growls a little.  I do get head hunger and think I need something to eat and that is usually when I eat the wrong things.

Don't think about going on a diet - think of it as changing your eating habits.  If you are like me, my diets would work for a short time period, but then I would binge and go off the diet and couldn't get back on it, ending up heavier than I was before the "Diet".  Start making small changes in your eating habits like no soft drinks, no caffeine or cutting your food up smaller and chewing more than you have in the past.  Put your fork down between bites.  Stop drinking with your meals and for 30 - 45 minutes after your meal(for RNY I know-not sure about the others).

Try to start some type of exercise even if it is just walking to the mailbox and back and add a little more each day. 

It is really good if you find a program to enter your food into each day to keep a food diary of some type so you will know exactly what you are eating.  You won't have to worry about calories right after surgery, but the further out you get it is good to have this habit already in place.  Join us on Menus and Miles each day.  We have had people post pre-op also.  You don't have to wait on your surgery to post there.

What type of surgery are you having?  Good luck.  Be sure to keep us updated.

Linda

I'm having the sleeve done Aug 27.  I did just give up any fizzies like sparkling water and soda.  The not drinking before/after is something I think I'll try tomorrow.  Thanks for welcoming me into that food diary - I think maybe that will make me more accountable.

I'm going to the center this afternoon for a psych appt so I will ask her what to do.  I just think it was wrong of the NUT to tell us just to diet. She should have given us guidelines or something since, helllloooooo....our failure at dieting is why we are there in the first place!!! That's like telling an alcoholic, just don't drink, without giving him/her the big book or meetings listings!

You're having most of your stomach removed and with it most of your ghrelin. The reason WLS works and diets don't is that WLS changes our body and that gives us hunger control. Our appetite control mechanisms are broken and WLS repairs them. Dieting doesn't do that. Dieting is a bandage on a huge gapping hole that is spouting blood everywhere. Of course it doesn't work.

Personally I don't think your first NUT gave you very good advice. if you want to get ready for surgery, this what I would do:

-start practicing eating without drinking

-start practicing chew well and eating slowly (THIS IS A BIG ONE)

-stop drinking soda even diet soda

-start taking your vitamins and get into a good routine

-order protein powder samples to try after surgery

-start tracking your food using an online food diary such as My Fitness Pal

-start an exercise program

These are all good habits to get into before surgery and they will serve you well post-op. Just losing some weight any old way will not. It's not about losing pounds on the scale. It's about adopting healthy habits that will serve you for the rest of your life.

The surgery will force you to lose weight at first. You don't need to do that. It won't force you to go the gym or track your food or take your vitamins. So those are things you need to work on as soon as possible and as much as possible.

Great advice! 

In addition to what macmadame said,try to really limit your carbs as you are incorporating the other ideas. Carbs/sugar/ white flour products will send your hunger thru the roof,totally!

The first three or four days of low carbing will be the worst then you won't think about the things you crave so much.

I had a vsg three years ago and I can count on one hand the times I have been hungry in that time Frame.I just am not. If I didn't eat by the clock I would starve to death. I converted on to the DS four months ago cause I lost 98 # with the vsg and just couldn't lose anymore. I am losing again now but still can't eat a lot of carbs even with the malabsorption component.

Many post ops simply can't eat carbs and lose and that includes fruit. It would be nice to be able to eat whatever we wantb just in small portions and still lose,and you probably can do that early on,but later,when closer to goal? Not so. Much. My very best advice is wean off carbs NOW and don't let any back in till you reach goal. It is not forever and we can do most anything for a while,Kwim?