Question:
I am 11mo. out and need advice on a few food topics.

I have been thinking about all the stomach problems I have been having,I think it is because of the way I eat now. I am wondering how much is normal to eat now? I eat 1 to 1.5 cups of food now, just a few months ago it was .5 to 1cup. Also wondering why I can all the sudden eat sugar? I eat almost normal again, but less amounts and im not close to eating the same bad choices. I have been stuck at the same weight for a long time now, how do I get my weightloss started again? I'm not sure what is normal at this stage. Thanks for the help:o)    — Sandy M. (posted on August 19, 2003)

August 19, 2003
Sandi.. You are right on track hon! I think that we all fully expect that we are going to be eating 3 tablespoons of food for the rest of our lives. The surgery is meant to allow that sort of food restriction for a short period of time. If we were only able to eat that small amount for the rest of our lives, we would surely starve to death. In the world of the WLS folks, we can say that the "Honeymoon" Period is officially over! lol For the first six to eight months, we only eat a small amount.. then it seems like overnight we can eat double and triple what we used to. This is where the behavior modification you have been working on for the past 11 months comes into play. It is definitely a balancing act to make sure you eat what your body needs and not to over eat or eat the wrong things because now you can do it a bit more easily. Don't worry though. You will be fine! With all that you have accomplished in the past year, you will be able to make the right choices to stay on the path you are on! You are doing great!!! Hugs, Kathie in Hawaii (Open RNY 08/07/2002..Down 160 Pounds!)
   — KathieInHawaii

August 19, 2003
What stomach problems are you having? Pain? Your eating a normal amount of food. As for sugar, a good 30 percent or more of the RNY'ers do not dump on sugar. I only dump if its a LARGE amount unfortunately. And as for being stuck at the same weight, I think that happened to me around that time too and lasted for a while. Try shaking up the routine-track the calories you eat to establish a baseline of what is normal for you and for a week eat a good 200 more a day, then cut back to 200 less than the norm for a week. Add an extra protein shake a day or change up the exercise routine (its heart pumping cardio right?)-if you are doing 3 X a week, make it 4, or if you normally do treadmill, try a stair stepper or cross trainer machine. Sometimes just mixing things up a little can trick your body into jump starting the loss again. But keep in mind that overall the bottom line is that calories in =calories out, so if you are not burning or using up more than you take in , your loss will stop.
   — Cindy R.