Question:
I am incessantly HUNGRY at 13 months post op and CRAVE carbs.... HELP!!!

I had surgery open RNY on 11-21-01, I have lost approx. 140#, and am only half way to my goal. I am panicing because of the fact that my 12-18 month window of maximum loss is approaching, and I have failed miserably. Can anyone identify with me, or offer me suggestions. I am so wrapped up on eating now, that it is killing me. I can almost eat a whole plate of food, or maybe I am making myself over eat. Have I stretched my pouch, or what? Please, and advice, desperation has set in... Thanks...    — Melinda C. (posted on January 7, 2003)

January 6, 2003
First let me say that you are anything but a failure! You're doing GREAT! Here's your problem....CARBS! Evil, evil carbs. Can you tolerate protein shakes? When I have a major carb event I immediately start upping my protein intake. Instead of 2 protein shakes a day I do 3 or even 4 and after 2 or 3 days it kills that carb craving and, as an added bonus, it will usually jump start weight loss too. If you can't do protein shakes try beef jerky when the carb craving hits but I recommend the protein shakes - they're a great cure all when this happens. Please don't feel like a failure - you're a champ and doing GREAT! Best wishes to you!
   — ronascott

January 6, 2003
There a few items at play here. Right now I have gone to a mostly protein stage for three days. I have to detox from carbs. My 2 cents worth is that I believe carbs cause cravings and the only way to stop the cravings is cold turkey. Second on the quantity of food. There are two ways you can eat too much food. One, drinking when you eat. Two having a stretch stoma.
   — faybay

January 7, 2003
I'm going to second what Fay said. I took the last three weeks "off" and was having major relapse to old habits, but the SF version! Not good. Anyway, I went pretty much cold turkey on the carbs (less than 40) yesterday and started drinking my protein shakes again. I feel better, the scale moved down a pound this morning and the carb cravings are really tapering off. I would recommend doing an all protein day, and then maybe another one behind that. It's not easy. Yesterday sucked, but today I'm feeling better, and my carb induced headache is gone. Give it a try, and see what happens. Also, remember the no drinking w/ food rule. What kind of plate of food are you eating? You can do this. If I can, anyone can!
   — KelBurt

January 7, 2003
A couple of things to try: First, try eating only protein for breakfast. If I have carbs first thing in the morning I crave them all day and eat more than I otherwise would. Try cheese, eggs, deli meat, tuna, etc. Bonus: It's really simple! :) <p>Also, make sure you are getting enough protein. I shoot for 100 grams a day (appropriate for my lean body mass and weight). www.fitday.com is a free site that allows you to enter the foods you eat and see the carb/protein/fat/caloric breakdown. I don't track my food all the time, but I used it to learn what 100 grams of protein looked like for a day's meals and I still use it to spot check. <p>Third: How often are you eating? I can eat a LOT more if I wait too long to eat. I try to eat a small meal every few hours. Bonus: It keeps your metabolism steady throughout the day AND you don't feel as hungry. Make sure there is some protein in every "meal."<p>Hope this helps. I think you have done great so far. Hey, I hit this wall WAAAY before you: at 6 months. You'll do fine. Just try some of the tricks to get back on track!
   — ctyst

January 7, 2003
Melinda, another good tip is to get all the evil carbs out of the house. It is true that the more carbs and sugar you eat, the more you crave. And without knowing what was on the plate of food you ate, we can't tell ya if a whole plate is too much or not. I would say if they plate was filled with a 10 oz steak, then that is too much but if the plate was filled with salad, then no, its not too much. Also are you exercising? Exercising consistently is a great way to boost the metabolism and get the weight to go down again. Even when you don't feel like it, just adopt the motto, "JUST DO IT" and it works. Good luck!
   — Cindy R.

January 7, 2003
You might want to pop onto the Grad list. It's for people 1+ yrs out from surgery. We're dealign with regain or not being "done" yet. The "window" is not set in concrete. It's very flexible and MANY have restarted loss at 2 yrs or later, just by changing a few habits. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG
   — vitalady