Question:
Does this target really apply to every patient?

I went for my 3 month yesterday and was told that I am behind target by 5%. I do not know how to set a time to say that I am going to eat 3xs per day and snack. My schedule is so hectic. I was told that basically, I would not lose weight if I do not set a time and stick to when I eat. When my hunger comes back in I will not know when to eat and I will basically fail myself. I know I am not the only person to have a busy schedule and not eat at set times daily. I was told that I wasn't making my weight loss a priority..duh! I am, but life goes on. Our weight loss changes, but our lives otherwise remains the same and I am battling lifes problems of just keeping roof over my family's head and food on the table. I was, am, and is poor and have to work for a living and am two semesters away from a BA degree, which she told me to postpone. I can not for sake of working a normal job with a normal shift. I am even thinking about bankruptcy at this time my finances has gotten so bad, but what do you do when people just don't understand. Please no lectures, just some advice as to what I need to do to satisfy this doctor's staff. Diana    — Diana D. (posted on August 9, 2003)

August 9, 2003
Diana-- First of all, you are to be commended for sticking with such a busy life to further yourself. It is no easy task to work and go to school (I know). Second, 5% off what target? 5% is not a big deal in my eyes, and every doctor should know that there is a range of normal when it come to everything, including weight loss. I bought a special cooler type bag that I put an icepack in to keep food and drinks cold, and take it to work and school so I don't have to spend money eating out, and I always have food with me. I have also figured out a way to get exercise in, despite work, school, and being a single mom. I go to the gym, but you can start by taking the stairs, park the farthest away you can, etc. Make time for you in addition to your busy life. You're going to do fine -- keep up the good work!
   — [Deactivated Member]

August 9, 2003
Don't think of it as satisfying the doctor's staff, think of it as finding a way to maintain your health. Surely you didn't go through all of this to risk failure! Everyone is busy, but we do what we have to to get in meals and vitamins at the right time of day. I find it helps to build in a routine. I eat breakfast at work (I'm lucky that I can have my yogurt at my desk). I have a regularly scheduled lunch break, I eat a small snack at 3:30, and dinner at 6:30. If I am not at home (I work two jobs), I make sure that I bring something with me that I can eat (a protein bar, string cheese, nuts, whatever). People eat as they commute, they set a wrist alarm, they carry food. Do whatever you have to to make this work. Develop good habits before your hunger returns. It is not for the doctor, it is for you!
   — Vespa R.

August 9, 2003
Thanks for the replies so far. I do eat, but not on a schedule. Because my hunger has not come back I simply forget to eat sometimes. NEVER happened before surgery. I have yogurt and jello in the fridge at work, but I was told we had to get all of our protein from FOOD not supplements. Another problem, because I know when I am not getting enough protein in I eat a protein bar or a shake and go on. It is much harder with so many restrictions and I would love to try the Real Meals. And just being at three months, there are times when food is just not my friend and a protein shake can do the trick. I am almost regretting my decision to have this surgery because it is almost like a jail sentence. I knew there would be some restrictions. I stay away from sugar, I watch my carbs, etc. But I have not been properly taught what was right for us now. I do not know how to do the fat/carb/protein count. They just handed me some books and left it up to me to figure it out on my own. I know I am to get 60+ grams of protein, but when I am vomiting some of my food back or am not able to ingest so much, what then? They started me out to be eating rice, potato, and crackers, etc and now are telling me to stay completely away from it. I am confused. We have menus that THEY gave us. No I do not want to fail. I am not going to fail. I have been a fighter all of my life, not going to stop fighting now. Just need lots of direction.
   — Diana D.

August 9, 2003
Is there a dietician that you could talk to?? Personally I think them telling you you're 5% behind target is a load of hockey, HOWEVER, that being said, I'm also 3 months out and work 2 nights a week (12 hour shifts), which means I can't eat on any "schedule" either, sometimes I'm awake during the day and sometimes I'm alseep. My dietician was wonderful at helping me figure out what to eat and when, so that when I'm switching between nights and days I can keep on track, it's overwhelming at times, I know! And if you haven't gotten a lot of diet support, I think a dietician is a wonderful support for us, mine is like a counselor/confidant/dietician!
   — Sungurl B.

August 9, 2003
It seems you are getting a bunch of mixed messages from your surgeon and comapny. I have always made sure I had high protein things available to me at work. I keep individually wrapped string cheese and pouches of albacore white tuna at work and have since early on. Many times I got to work and ate 2-3 cheese sticks and maybe even had the same thing for lunch. I also would bring things I could heat up and doesn't take much time. Some of my early favorites were cottage cheese (keep a small carton at work), shredded BBQ turkey by The Turkey Store (before you poo poo look at the label, it's awsome protein with very low carbs and fat), Manwhich made with ground round or sirloin. Both the turkey and manwhich I would put a slice of reduced fat american cheese on to boost the protein. At your point I was avoiding carbs quite a bit. While yogurt and jello are easy they have zero or very low protein, so dump them and substitute with some high protein items. Watch the protein bars also as even the low carb ones still tend to have lots of carbs and lots of calories. I use them only when I can't get to something else and then only eat 1/4 to 1/3 of a bar. Just enough to settle the hunger. <p>If you are not feeling hungry it is okay to only eat 2 meals but you will have to supplement with protein drinks to keep yourself healthy. While I am not a fan of them for some people they are an important part of their post-op life and if you chose a quality one there is nothing wrong with them. It is better to get everything from the food but if it's not working them go the other route. <p>The only peson you need to satisfy is YOURSELF. It just may be that you will lose slower because you cannot give your post-op life 100% of your focus and you are not alone. Figure out what you can do and do that much. I personally think it is inappropriate to lay that on a patient. I've always been told that everyone loses ata different rates and for no particular reasons. Our bodies go through changes etc. My surgeon would not approach it the same but would ask what I am doing etc and make some suggestions, not make me feel bad about myself. Pushing you to get down about yourself helps no one, especially you. <p>You have a lot of stresses going on in your life right now and I can see why it would be hard to totally focus on post-op life. I also agree that at some point we need to come back to reality and find how post-op eating fits in our lives and how we incorporate it so that it is not a prison for the main focus for us. We must always be conscious of it but being the end all, be all of your existence is not reality. For the most part I do eat at "normal" times but some days it just doesn't work that way. Breakfast ends up being mid morning, so lunch and dinner shift accordingly. I don't sweat it as that's just how life is sometimes. However, maybe if you could establish a routine with breakfast then the other meals would fall into place better. I hate to tell you to eat when you are not hungry as that doesn't help build a new relationship with food, so in those cases go for the protein drinks. Sorry I babbled on so long but you are doing quite well under the circunstances. Keep trying! I hope things improve for you. Chris
   — zoedogcbr

August 10, 2003
Hi, again, Diana: You know, I think it'd be better for you to have 1-2 protein shakes per day if you can't get all your nutrients in with food (and that's hard to do!). I like the Ultra Pure Protein ready to drink cans by MetRX. They have about 165 cals, 35g protein, and only 2g carbs. Or do the Real Meals like you want. You gotta do what you've gotta do, and while getting protein from food may be better, if it's not feasible, then screw it. Drink 1-2 shakes, eat good meals when you can, and hang in there.
   — [Deactivated Member]