Hungry!!

I'm so frustrated.  I cannot stop being hungry.  No, I don't mean head hunger.  I know the difference.  I mean stomach growling, empty feeling, gnawing, painful HUNGER.

My surgery did not go well.  It turned out that my surgeon did not do the job she had been paid to do.  I have a small stricture (see my blog for details and pictures) between an upper and lower normal sized stomach.  I have lost weight through perseverance and HUGE amounts of exercise at the gym.

I have so much stress right now with my job.  I know that's a lame excuse but it's all I've got. 

I'm trying and trying to figure out what I can eat that will not make me gain weight and will fill me up.  I've tried everything.  I just got done eating 3 oz of chicken breast and a glass of milk.  I am still hungry.  I just want to stop thinking about my stomach and food! 

Joyce,
I can relate to the stress at work.  We have a gym here at work and I am just realizing that when I go down to the gym and workout, I'm no longer hungry when I'm done on the treadmill. THIRSTY, but definitely not hungry.  Just wanted to know you mentioned eating 3oz of chicken and a glass of milk...did you have them together or did you wait before you drank the milk?

Dreamgirl119

 I do feel better and less hungry when I exercise.  I love going to the gym.  I'm sick right now, but VOW to get back to the gym as soon as I'm well!

I do sip a little when I eat just to wet the food and get it down, but drink the majority 30 min. before or after.

Are you getting ALL of your water, protein, vitamins, and supplements in every day?  When will your surgeon repair her error?

Hunger is a ***** but it won't kill you. Try drinking more teas or other warm, low or no-calorie drinks--they provide a warm, relaxing feeling, a taste passing over your tongue,  and temporarily fill you up so you can get through the worst of the hunger. Sugar-free chewing gum is also a good thing.

There are lots of low-cal, high volume foods out there. You can chop up a zucchini and a summer squash, throw them in the microwave for 5 minutes in 1/2 inch of water, drain, and eat with a teaspoon of butter for like 120 calories. Salads are a mainstay for me because they keep me chewing for long periods of time and are low in calories, high in fiber and vitamins/minerals.

Another thing--think of how much extra energy you might be carrying around, just waiting to be burned off. Every pound of fat represents 3,500 calories or STORED ENERGY that your body can live on. This mental switch helped me in particular when I was hungry. I would calculate, based on my body fat percentage, how many pounds of fat I had on my body, how many calories that was, and how many days I could live off my fat stores without dying.

WEIRD, I know, but it put weight behind my realization that I truly didn't "need" whatever I was hungry for at the time! Like Twinkies. And Doritos.

 thank you so  much.  I copied and pasted your answers so I can refer back to them whenever I please.  I appreciate the effort you all put into your replies.  it is so hard, so frustrating.... I just want to lose the rest of this weight!