Question:
I feel too hungry the last several days!!!!
I had my revision to RNY 02/01/2008. The last several days I have been eating too much!!! I am still eating about 4 to 8 ounces at a time, and it has been healthy foods only (that's all I keep in the house) but too frequently! For example, Yesterday, over the entire day, I ate 1 packet of no sugar added oatmeal, 1 low-sugar protein bar, 1- 5-ounce can of tuna, 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal with a splash of 1% milk, 1 Protein Bullet, 1 chicken breast/mashed potato/gravy 9 ounce frozen dinner, and a handful of crackers. This all came to about 1,100 calories and was eaten over the course of the day between 6:00am and 9:00pm. Each item was eaten individually, so I don't think it will stretch out my stomach, but I think it is too many calories and too much food for one day. I don't know what has happened, I feel hungry and am not sure of that is real hunger or just psychological hunger. I think it is just psychological hunger but why has this started? I am drinking plenty of fluids between meals, like Crystal Light or sugar-free Lattes, and am taking adequate Multi-Vitamins, Biotin, Calcium, B-Complex, and Protein. Can someone please help me, and tell me what they think? Thanks everyone as always, may God bless you, I appreciate the support and caring that is shared here!!! — Gina S. (posted on August 9, 2008)
August 9, 2008
I don't know that you are eating to much. I was told to eat no more than
1200 calories a day after 3 months. You had 1100 calories. What did your
surgeon put on limits? The protein bullet isn't really a meal. I mean I was
told to eat 3 meals a day but if I was hungry to have a healthy snack like
a protein bar. Now I am no where near this stage because I am only a week
and 5 days out but this it what is in my guidelines for the future. You
also ate all of that in the course of a 15 hour day. It really doesn't
sound like to much to me. Maybe I am wrong? But I would look at the
guidelines the surgeon gave you or call his/her office.
— bridgadean
August 9, 2008
****ADDITIONAL INFORMATION regarding the question above**** I have
written-down what I've eaten the last few days to help me keep track of and
understand what is going on with my eating. The following is from 2 days
ago, what I ate from the time I woke up, until bedtime, and the items were
eaten individually: Chicken/stuffing/vegetable Frozen Dinner 7 ounce, 2
ounce jar banana baby food, no sugar added, 2 Mozzerella cheese sticks,
melted with 1/4 cup marinara sauce, 2 ounce piece of chicken breast, 1 cup
sugar free Cool Whip, 3 ounces chicken breast with 1/4 cup melted cheese,
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal with splash of 1% milk, 3 ounces chicken breast
with 1/4 cup melted cheese (again!), 1 cup sugar free Cool Whip (again!).
— Gina S.
August 9, 2008
ADDITIONAL INFO********* I haven't been back to see my surgeon or any
Doctor since 11 days after my surgery. I have been eating based upon what
the Nutritionist told me when I met with her a few months before the
surgery, and by what I have learned here from other OH Members, so I do not
have any guidelines for eating from the Surgeon. I do however, have an
appointment with him on 8/19/08 and will be keeping the appointment! I need
to have him check me out, do some long overdue blood-work, and tell me what
I should and should not be doing....
— Gina S.
August 9, 2008
Hi,
My name is Jennie, I had surgery on April 14, 2008, I have lost 55 lbs and
cant seen to lose any more. I feel like you and I am depress about it. I
am having craving, I sometimes feel hungry all the time. what is Revision
to RNY. But you should be very proud of your seld of your achievement.
Please help me understand what I am doing wrong, Please.
— zydeko47
August 9, 2008
Gina,
Some times what we say to each other here is hard to do because we all have
different life styles and have to eat to make those fit to our life style.
You asked me to reply to this inquire and to do it in this forum, so I am
replying as you requested.
I understand your frustration with the "head hunger" and that is
what it is. Your hunger is not because you pouch is telling you it needs
food. You are not likely going to stretch the pouch, but you are making it
harder for your body to lose the weight by a few of your eating habits.
The advise one party gave you to keep a food diary is very good. Even
though they charge $9.00 per month, I found for one month using the site
www.myfooddiary.com was a big help in accurately calculating my calories
and seeing what was in them. Remember you are needing to have 75 to 85
grams of protein each day.
Try to keep your calories to 80% of what you eat in calories coming from
Protein sources. That is lean meats, low fat, low sugar or no fat, no
sugar dairy, like cottage cheese, 1 % cheese, yogurt, and skim milk. Read
the diary labels carefully. The balance of those 1000 to 1100 calories
after the protein, which would be only 200 to 220 calories, should come
from everything else you are eating and should be first fresh fruit and
fresh vegetables that are not carbs. If fresh is not available, then
frozen is the next best choice, but not packaged dinners unless it is an
emergency and you have no other choices, because first, potatoes before 6
months is a complex carbs, and most likely in a packaged dinner, had some
kind of gravy on it that was made with fat. It is hard to break out the
calories from packaged dinners to understand what you are eating. In the
case of fruit, the next option is "No Sugar Added" canned fruit
like Del Monte NSA canned fruits like peaches and pears. The fluids you
are drinking are fine as is your vitamin supplements.
Those of you reading my response, please remember I am being very direct
here because Gina asked me to in a separate communication. She wants very
much to accomplish her goal and is looking for the best guideline she can
have to progress with her weight loss. None of us can 100% of the time
follow the rules, but too often, many of us never understood or had the
education from our medial advisers to fully understand what it takes to be
100% successful and obtain the goal of a BMI of 24.9.
Focus on the content of what we eat day after day (as well as what we drink
and what supplements we take), will help each of us meet our weight loss
goals sooner and be able to maintain them for the rest of our lives.
— William (Bill) wmil
August 9, 2008
Bill and everyone else!, thank you so much for taking time from your day to
answer my question and offer your advise. I see what you mean about the
mashed potatoes and gravy in the frozen dinner, as well as the crackers. I
think everything else I am eating is good; here is a list of the things I
typically eat/buy each week, and the order I eat them in: tuna, chicken,
low fat cottage cheese, low fat cheese, baby food vegetables, no-sugar
added blueberries/blackberries, no sugar added applesauce, low sugar
yogurt, occasional sugar- free-cool- whip as a treat. I eat the proteins
first, and try to eat a low-sugar protein bar or drink a protein bullet
each day, as well as take my vitamins and fluids.
I think I was lying to myself by eating the frozen dinner. It had mashed
potatoes and gravy with the chicken breast, and too much salt. I used to
lie to myself about food back before I had the surgery, and was doing it
again. You helped me realize that, and I sure do appreciate it. I will not
buy any more frozen dinners or crackers!
— Gina S.
August 10, 2008
Hi Gina...Bill gave you awesome advice...I hope you don't mind me throw a
few more things in...I too don't think 1100 cals is bad at all! That
sounds like a decent place to start. The problem though is your food
choices...Those TV dinners are so loaded with fat and sodium (salt) That
alone could make you retain water and discourage you from losing weight.
You are eating too many carbs and empty calories between the potatoes,
crackers and even the sf cool whip...Those need to be replaced with steamed
or sauteed or raw veggies...Cauliflower steamed and then mashed with a
little olive oil and parm cheese and gaarlic if you like garlic is an
AWESOME sub for potatoes. MUCH leaner and while the texture is not quite
as smooth as potatoes, it satisfies the palate.(taste buds) You can add
that whipped cream to some low carb yogurt, whipped cottage cheese or
ricotta cheese and at least you'll be getting a protein which will fill you
up so much better than that empty fluff that just doesn't keep you feeling
full. Nuts are another good protien snack that satisfies hunger ratehr
than a few crackers...I count out about 16 almonds (1 oz) and that totally
satisfies me for a few hours. The Bullet you are taking ...is not filling
you up...If you add protein powder to your SF lattes rather than a SF
sweetener, you get a latte full of protein! See how this works? Your
snacks need to be for your pouch or in other words you should be eating to
live rather than living to eat! The further out i get ...the more I seem
to have to focus on food choices because it's sooooo easy to slip into old
habits or forget that carbs have a terrible influence on our head hunger.
You've got to limit thse things if not totally cut them out until you can
grasp a little self confidence. I think that is really hard to do once we
get away from that honeymoon period and begin to gain weight. I have done
it...So I totally understand. Food has to have a reason in your life
now...It can't begin to rule your emotions...Food feels good...Taht is a
hard hard thing to control and not give in to. I think you are doing
fantastic and trying so hard...So don't give up and just make a few little
moderations in your choices...Proteins keeps you full longer...The denser
(drier) they are, the less you need to feel satisfied. Don't drink
anything after you eat for at least 30min to an hour! Then start drinking
a lot! Often when I think I might be having head hunger, I chug a glass of
water and that almost always works...sometimes i am genuinely hungry! Good
luck!
— .Anita R.
August 10, 2008
When I am experiencing lots of hunger, I tend to find that it's because my
carbohydrate intake is well above 40 grams per day. For me, my body
doesn't burn all calories equally-- carbs tend to boost my blood sugar
levels which then inspires hunger when it dips. If I were in your
position, I would eliminate the oatmeal, mashed potato, stuffing and
crackers and in their place substitute some cheese, maybe a few slices of
deli meat or an extra protein drink. I've found that many nutritionists
fail to fully appreciate that many of us who have suffered from obesity are
particularly sensitive to blood sugar variations and, instead, tend to
think that the solution to our eating woes is to simply limit calories.
— SteveColarossi
August 15, 2008
Eating aside, you failed to mention what the scales are saying? Are you
losing weight?
I would recommend focusing on the simple rules, protein first, then
veggies, eat until you are satisfied... NOT full, lots of water, some
exercise and your vitamins. Carbs are the enemy... at least for now in the
weight loss phase. Do these things and you will do well.
Good luck,
Dawn
— DawnVic
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