I really Need Serious Feedback

I had surgery on Sept 18 2012. I have been doing fine until now. I started at 522 and now I'm 265. I have been doing everything I can to stay on track, but lately I can understand for the life of it ...WHY AM I SO HUNGRY....for about a week now I have been eating like a pig. I'm so afraid of gaining weight so I eat lots of fruit and veggies salads and drink protein. I even put fiber in it to try and keep me full. I'm so happy with my new life and I can't handle if I gain all that weight back. Over the holidays okay it was my fault i was addicted to the peppermint thing...peppermint bark, cake, ice cream, candy canes, you get the picture i did gain 6 pounds. So in the beginning of the new year I buckled down and left it all alone. Over the next 2 weeks I lost 15 pounds (7 the first and 8 the second) and been losing a pound or 2 until last week. I stalled and I thought it was one of those natural things right.. but todays which is my weigh day I gained 2 pounds please don't tell me the scale is going to keep going up. I'm literally sitting here in tears and I cant think about anything else but me getting bigger. Please someone tell me what I can do to get back on track. I just don't understand why??????

I DON'T MEAN TO BE RUDE BUT I DON'T NEED MESSAGES SAYING "OH IM GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING" and not have a trying solution. I need real answers from people that have been through this or know someone that has and then found some solutions in fixing this problem. 

 

I'm so scared...

First of all, sometimes our weight just fluctuates a bit.  You may be up two pounds because  you may be retaining water or maybe you need to poop. Seriously.

Second, do you know how many calories and how many grams of protein you're getting on an average day?  Are you exercising?

Yes I do exercise but every other day. The two ponds is not the only thing that is bothering me. I just don't understand how can I go from not being hungry and eating small portions to needing to eat bigger portions. I dont eat the bigger portions but im hungry now all the time. I fwel if I eat more than my appetite will grow. So I just stay hungry all day.

I'm not bypassed but it helps me to have five or six small meals instead of fewer but bigger ones. 

If you're like me, you may have an issue with carbs.  I had to carb detox for a couple of days, and that got the scale moving again.  Sometimes you have to shake it up a little bit with your food choices - I had two days of pacing the floor wanting to eat BAD, but after that everything settled down.

So....make sure you're tracking your food on something like MyFitnessPal, up your water intake, lower your carbs and see if that doesn't help with the hunger issue.  It did for me, and I went a little crazy over the holidays too!

Oh, man, I hear your struggles and fears! I do think most of us here share them, but I also hear you asking for concrete solutions.

And I wish there was a magic wand I could wave for myself, let alone you. I wish I could shut my frigging unhelpful noisy brain up, or at least put it into time out. I wish like anything I could stop the cravings- I find them as hard to deal with now as I did pre-op.

So all I can do is share with you what I do to manage myself- you may or may not find it helpful for you.

I practice being mindful and staying in the present, and every morning when I first wake up I remember my goals and recommit to my promises to myself. I practice doing this day by day by everlasting day.  

I also practice no excuses, no matter what, no matter what I feel like- this is the most important thing for me.  

I don't have any junk in the house, period, and I don't buy any. Luckily my husband doesn't either.  

I cook and eat healthy, protein first, and I speed walk at least 2 ½ miles every day. I make myself climb stairs at least 3 flights whatever building I am in.  

I keep myself as busy as I can.  

I eat lots of low fat popcorn- boring, but does the trick for me managing the munchies.  

Now, do you think I did any of these things before surgery? Not a chance!!!  

I like your commitment to doing what you need to for yourself. Practice practice practice! It only takes getting up one more time than you fall down.

"OH IM GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING"  But seriously we both have similar surgery dates, starting weights and current weights so congrats on your success thus far. 

I've had the same issues the past 6 weeks and my plan has been to detox off carbs and really push protein first. When I consume meat/eggs/Greek yogurt etc. I'm full faster and longer. After starting this a couple weeks ago I suddenly dropped 4 lbs.  but mostly I feel better about hunger control. 

Hope this helps a little. 

Tom

After RNY we get a honeymoon for about 18 months and then the hunger comes back.  We can eat more now because the pouch is larger.  We stop losing because the body has learned how to absorb calories again.

The first thing my NUT had me do was stop the protein shakes and then cut back on soft sources of protein like yogurts.  Also cut out things like bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, crackers, chips, candy, cookies, ice cream, sugar, and other carbs.

I have to stay at 800 calories a day to lose a pound a week.  I eat mostly dense protein like chicken, fish, ham, pork, beef.  I eat very little else, just a few veggies like celery, cabbage, spinach, brussels sprouts.

Very little milk, almost no fruit and nothing made with flour or potatoes.  You got away with indulging over Christmas but that was probably the last time you will be able to lose so easily.

It gets a lot harder now.  And it will get harder and harder every year.  It sounds like you are still weighing yourself and you need to be very careful to never stop doing that.  Weight comes on very quickly and easily for us once our honeymoon is over. 

Sweetheart, I don't mean to make light of this because I know you're hurting, but it sounds to me that you are already back on track...

The only thing I can really think to tell you is make sure you're drinking lots of extra water to keep you feeling full, and increase  the dense protein where possible.  I think things will begin to move soon.  Keep in mind that you've lost a lot of weight in two weeks; consequently, your body may just be going through a temporary adjustment.  Hang in there, you've got this.

 

 

You said you needed serious feedback, but I guess you didn't recognize Poet_Kelly's serious questions.  The biggest reason for hunger like yours is eating off plan.  That's why she asked, how many calories and how many grams of protein and carbs.  

What was the foodplan your doctor & /or nutritionist have you on?   Do you journal every morsel that goes in your mouth?   Many fill in all foods eaten at MyFitnessBuddy.com - your calories, protein and carbs are counted & totaled for you.  

Solid proteins fill you up & keep you satisfied the longest.  Fast carbs keep us satisfied the shortest length of time.  Slow carbs can provide you with satisfyingly filling fiber fullness.  

To attack our fat, we need to starve the body of carbs & force it to turn to burning body fat for energy.   But if you don't offer it sufficient protein (your nutritionist knows how much you need), then your body will consume your muscles, too, because the body prefers the fastest way to get energy

- the body is lazy, doesn't want to waste energy to make energy.   Carbs provide fast energy and too many get stored as fat.  Protein catabolism is second easiest.  Fat takes the longest & takes more energy to turn into energy. 

If you slash calories, but eat more than 15 grams of carbs  at a meal (45/day), your insulin goes after the carbs first, not your fat.  They are used up fast, since we are eating less of them.  But when they are all used up, your insulin is still looking everywhere for CARBS and tells you that you're starving for more food.  So we play smart, giving the body dense protein to keep it happy.  You don't have crashing blood sugar and your body spends the hours between meals using fat. 

Those with the RNY, hunger will come back around 18 months because the stomach is emptying quickly now.  All the more reason for solid protein (meats) and lightly steamed or raw vegetables which don't turn to slider soft mush. 

So eliminate most dairy (cheese for flavor or snacks), eliminate fruit until you reach goal, and get rid of all powdered & liquid protein.  Protein bars are for self-protection when you're away from home - otherwise, they too get chewed to a liquid slurry. 

No one likes the hunger returning, especially before reaching goal when you'll finally be able to add back in some carbs (maintenance calories).  From there, it's a matter of daily weighing and cutting out those extra carbs before 2 pounds turns into 5.

 There are tons of recipes on many sites where you can learn to prepare carb substitutes.  The gluten crowd is creative, too.  

There are non-food ways to keep your tummy quiet, mostly variations on focusing on goals or activities that keep us busy.   Old-timers often tell what works best for them, like, I believe, Anne did. 

Get your spirits up - easier after you adjust your menus, and know it's possible to be an old-timer, too, staying at or near goal for years and years. :-)