Question:
Why can I only eat 7 ounces of cottage cheese, but an entire big mac or 6 inch Sub

I know already that I "shouldn't" be eating a Big Mac or pushing my limits on how much I can eat. I also know that I usually drink with my meals and that makes it wash out faster. However, my concern is more about our mental and emotional weight issues. I did the cottage cheese test this morning for the first time (3 years post op) and I could only eat 7 ounces. However, Friday I had a staff training all day and they brought in Subway sandwiches. I was able to eat a 6 inch Sub with meat, cheese, veggies, and mayo AND a bag of chips. I also drank a Dr. Pepper. I still wasn't really "full". I could have eaten another half sandwich probably. I understand that drinking with the meal can make you hungry sooner because it washes the food out faster. Why am I able to eat more of some foods or when I am drinking though? Is it just that it tastes so good I am overeating? I don't know if I can even really feel when I am satisfied. I am either able to eat or full to the point of throwing up. I really can't distinguish much between there. I had lost over 100 lbs in the first year and was following a low carb, high protein diet and exercising every morning. I honestly don't think I can maintain that for life and when I started eating carbs and continued to drink with meals I gained a little over 50 lbs back. Some of this was caused by an anti-depressant, but I have been off the medicine for over a month now and still have the cravings and appetite. HELP! What is real hunger and what is in my mind? Does anyone else have this problem or am I the only one?    — [Deactivated Member] (posted on February 15, 2005)

February 14, 2005

   — MagickalMom

February 14, 2005
Nope, you're not the only one. We can gain control of this though. Do a search on the "pouch rules for dummies" article and read (or re-read). I do this every so often to remind myself of what make a successful post-op. Also, buy and read the South Beach diet book to understand the difference between hunger and cravings. This really helped me! I'm over three years out, and I'm not perfect by a long shot, but everyday I wake up intending to make healthy choices (lean protein, veggies, whole grains, low glycemic index fruits). Then, when I make unhealthy ones, it's an exception, not the rule. The biggest things that help both my weight loss and my hunger is to stay away from things make with white sugar or white flour, start the day with protein only (helps my cravings) and avoid drinking when I eat, and for at least an hour afterwards. BTW, I just rented "Supersize me" over the weekend. I'd recommend it... I couldn't eat at McDonalds now if someone paid me LOL.
   — mom2jtx3

February 15, 2005
I'll be 3 years out this Spring. Nothing you've written surprises me about how much you can or can't eat under certain circumstances or how that happens. I think lots of people find lots of ways to eat around the surgery . . . you have your ways, which you've already identified, and I have mine (too much chocolate, lax in exercising).<P>For what it's worth, I try to look at it this way: Morbid obesity's a disease, and WLS can help put it into remission but, as you already know, does not cure it. The hard truth for me is that, if I don't maintain certain good habits for life, whether I want to/like those habits or not, the disease will return. Sometimes, looking at it and treating it like a disease helps me take it more seriously. When I lapse into pre-op thinking about quick-fix diets, not having time to exercise (or not caring enough to make time), oh well what's another pound, etc. . . . that's when the weight piles on. Justification and resistance are part of the disease. We gotta treat it head on, or suffer a recurrence. :-(
   — Suzy C.

February 15, 2005
It's not that drinking with meals makes us hungry faster, it that drinking with meals washes food out, so *WE NEVER GET FULL*. Bite, sip, bite, bite sip, sip . . . pouch never gets full. Drink before meals, up to first bite. Eat dense protein. Then wait to drink for a while. At least until you're not hungry anymore. 30 min or more. I might have eaten one bite of the sandwich, then eaten the meat/cheese/veggies as a wrap (handroll) or with fork as salad with meat. Better to order it that way, IMNHO. Get some protein shakes from VitaLady.com. Drink one 10 min *before* you eat, to beat your appetite into submission. Then cut out the carbs; sugars, breads, etc. And if diet sodas are trigger for you, cut them out. And good luck . . .
   — RWH G.

February 15, 2005
Really and honestly- you've answered your own question within your question. First- just because you can, doesn't mean you should. You need to exercise restraint on a regualr basis. Second- BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY- Let me be very clear here... STOP STOP STOP drinking and eating at the same time. I mean it. It's not only the cause for being hungry sooner than you should but also the cause of you not being able to feel full. How CAN you feel full, when you're washing the food out of your pouch. You need to really think about the FUNCTION of your pouch and how it works. You're defying the most basic and simple rule of WLSers. So, it's really no wonder you're having the problems you're having. I hope you can find a way to discover WHY you can't comply with this simple rule and CHANG your behavior. This may involve some professional counseling, but I hope you're big enought to make the hard decisions that ned to be made here for your long term benefit. Good luck to you.
   — LMCLILLY

February 15, 2005
After reading your profile, I have one piece of advice for you. Post, or at least lurk, here, on the main message board, or another message board site that you are comfortable with. You said on your profile that you were out there living life like a thin person, like we all hope to one day, and somewhere you lost touch with your journey. Nothing keeps your journey forefront of your mind like reading and posting with other patients. You have a wealth of advice to share, from the perspective of a long-term post op. Don't be embarrassed. I'm sure you are far from unique in that you have experienced regain. What *is* unique about you is that you are getting ahold of the situation and are about to conquer it again. You could offer a lot in terms of support, inspiration, and advice, and you could get a lot in return as well. Let the boards help you. That's what they're here for! :) Best of luck!
   — Jeanie

February 15, 2005
The previous posts about not drinking while you eat are spot-on... not only will it keep you from feeling fully satisfied at the time of the meal, it will also make you hungry faster. Have you tried water-loading before eating? Another huge problem for hunger: WHITE CARBS (white bread, white rice, pasta...). They make your blood sugar spike up and then fall, making you feel hungry very soon after eating. I never drink with my meals but if I cheat a little and have some white carbs, I'm hungry an hour later. So: try water-loading, NO drinking with meals, and stick to lean protein and brown carbs (whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole grain bread). Good luck! Patricia (285/155, 5'7", 2+ yrs post-op).
   — Patricia E.