Curbing Post-op Hunger

In one of the daily threads,  Jan and Vesta posed these questions to me, after I mentioned that I eat 4-5 times per day to avoid the munchies [Jan C. quote]Traci how do you keep from getting the munchies? You have been out for a long time so what is your secret?..........when I try to schedule 5 or 6 small meals I never can get it all eaten and yet I want to munch some , can you tell me what you eat and when, and how much? I really need some organization to my eating, Of course being stuck in the house so much doesn’t help me. When I am outside I don’t have this problem at all. [/quote] [Vesta quote]Jan I am having trouble too and need some help too traci..I dont know what is going on with me...I cant seem to get satisfied[/quote] My initial response was this.... Well, I eat 4 or 5 times per day, so there isn't much time for munchies.  I plan that to keep my blood sugar levels stable so I don't get too hungry.  Those in between meal planned snacks are healthy and very small.   Aside from that, I keep so busy, there isn't time to sit around bored thinking of what to eat. I will say right now, I do what works for me, and you will need to do the same.  Every one's body is different - your struggles and food issues are going to be different than mine.  That said, here's what I do, as it may help someone: 1.  I eat three small proportioned meals:  breakfast, lunch, dinner every day.  2.  I eat usually 2 snacks per day.  3.  I drink 3-4 protein shakes per day in addition to the above.  4.  I drink my water. 5.  I take all of my supplements. 6.  I'm active. 7.  I get plenty of sleep each night. Okay, now a breakdown explanation on each of the above points to further explain/help: 1.  Small proportioned meals:  I use a salad plate for my meals.  I never use a dinner sized plate.  I rarely fill the salad plate with portions of food.  This helps me keep my portion sizes in line with where they should be.  I am almost 4 years out and I can eat more than 1/2 cup of food at one time, and it depends on the food (density of it) as to how much I can eat, but generally I can eat about 1 - 1.5 cups of food.  However, there are days that my picky pouch will only allow that old standard 1/2 cup.   Yes, my tool is still there and working quite well. 2.  Two snacks:  I like salty things, so I will eat soy crisps, which are a protein chip thing.  or even regular pretzels sometimes.  I also like Trail Mix, string cheese or any kind of cheese and some whole wheat crackers (like Triscuits or something), protein bars are another biggie for me.   The key is to keep the snacks small.  These aren't a meal - they're a snack.  Something to keep the blood sugars level. 3.  Protein shakes:  if you've had RNY or DS or any of the malabsorptive surgeries, you absolutely can not get all of your protein from food.  The portions of your digestive system that are required to breakdown and digest protein have been bypassed and thus we now much get our protein from pre-digested protein shakes.   I have found that when I get in all my protein shakes each day, I feel more satisfied and I'm not hungry, shaky, etc.....  The protein satisfies my body's hunger much longer.   If you find yourself with an urge to snack or munch - grab a protein shake, drink it, then get moving:  go for a walk, get out of the house and away from the fridge if you need to.  Change those habits and get yourself out of the situation at that moment that is tempting you to want to eat when you know you shouldn't.  BUT if you are eating 3 meals + 2 healthy planned snacks and your protein shakes, you shouldn't be hungry! 4.  Water.  Aside from the fact that our bodies need it, some of the side-effects of not getting it can be hunger and fatigue.  DRINK YOUR WATER!!!  Always keep a bottle or glass of water with you at all times and drink. 5.  Supplements: again, if you've had a malasborptive surgery, this isn't an option - you must take your supplements.  Get your blood work checked regularly (at least every 6 months) and adjust your supplements according to your lab levels.  But keep in mind, that some things can take several months to years before they start showing up as deficient in labs, and that's why you should take certain things from day one after your surgery - even if your labs are still showing fine; your body could be using stores of these things and you'll end up in big trouble and pretty quickly if you haven't been supplementing.  If anyone wants more info on this, say so and I'll post separately about it or PM me through the board and I'll help you. 6.  Activity: I stay active.  I'm busy all the time.  I do some "formal" exercise, but I lead a much more overall active lifestyle than what I used to.  Again, this is the change in lifestyle habit that was needed to keep the weight off. 7.  Sleep:  So many folks just don't give their bodies time to rest, restore and heal.  We need at least 7 hours sleep each night at the absolutely minimum; ideal is 8.  I personally do better with 9.   You will function better if you get a good night's sleep each and every night and do not vary greatly from a set sleep schedule.  Go to bed at approximately the same time each night and get up the same time each morning; including weekends.  This is the ideal for a good night's sleep and to feel rest and refreshed.  So that's it.  No real "one" secret.  It's just living a healthy post-op life with a common sense approach.  If you're one who is struggling with munchies, it could be that old carb addiction kicking in.  I've heard many have had success with the 5 Day Pouch Test.  It's not a diet, but a 5 day plan to help you get back in touch with your pouch, getting back to basics in eating and to help break the carb addiction.  Some folks do lose weight on this, but that isn't the purpose.  If you think that carbs are causing you problems with munchies - check out the 5 Day Pouch Test web site for more info.  I've not personally done the 5 Day Pouch Test, but know many who have with great success.  I would much rather see folks do this, getting back to the basics of pouch use, then to re-gain weight, or feel they need to do a diet plan or something.  We had this surgery so we wouldn't have to do that stuff again.  So re-train yourself in the use of your tool, and get back on track, if that's what you need to do. 

thanks Traci,,,,good (food) for thought...lol

Traci, Before I ask my question I would like to thank you for all the very helpful information you so willingly share.  You seem to have a very sensible approach to your routine. I am pre-op and would like to know "what" your three small meals are like.... would you please post a couple of examples of each meal of the day (type of food and amount).  I know you are a busy lady, and would sure appreciate the effort. Blessings to you, becky

Thank you so much for the information.  Would you mind giving an example of your diet, what you eat for your three meals, what you have for your snacks, etc?  I am almost 3 years out and am struggling. Patty

Tks so much Traci this really helps me...vesta

Traci, I know you are a really busy person but do you think you could do a daily post of your menu for that day? just  breakfast:-------                           snack                           lunch                           snack                           supper                          when you put the protein shakes in and stuff like that? just for as few or as many days as you want to do it.    It might be a response thing to let other post what they have daily too so they can see if they are on track or not... I think it would be a big help to newbies as well as us oldsters. 

Absolutely!  A day goes something like this: 5:30 am  - wakeup and coffee 6:00 am - protein shake #1 6:30 am - breakfast of either oatmeal, or raisin bran, or protein bar + supplements (whi*****lude : calcium, Vit D, multi vitamin, Vit. E, Coromega, Zinc, B100  and hair, skin & nails supplement:  makes one satisfying breakfast of champions ) 8:00 am - iron & vitamin C supplements with water #1 9:00 am - water #2 10:00 am - protein shake #2 11:00 am - lunch which is often leftovers of the previous night's supper, or a meat and cheese sandwich (bread is a multi-grain bread - for more fiber) - usually toasted, or chicken salad, or a green salad, or a protein bar + supplements (see breakfast) 12:00 pm - water #3 1:30 pm - iron & vitamin C supplements with water #4 2:30 pm - snack of soy crisps, pork rinds (or similar low-carb type crunchy food), or cheese like string or sliced co-jack on Triscuits (fiber again) 3:30 pm - protein shake #3 4:30 - water #5 5:30 - supper:  I eat pretty much whatever my family does.  Chili, meatloaf, fish (which we eat (baked) about 2x per week), soups, stews, casseroles of various types, steaks, chicken with veggies as side dishes (yes, even potatoes!).  + supplements again.   Two things to mention:  I don't fry anything, it's either baked, grilled, broiled or I do use the crockpot quite often; and I keep to my small portions.  Since I do the cooking, I keep the preparation and ingredients as bariatric friendly as possible; but I do eat some bread, some carbs and some fat.  I said some, not tons and boatloads, but enough so that my family will eat it (especially the children), but not so much that it's bad for anyone.  7:00 - protein shake #4 with a snack (yes, I drink it with food), but sometimes I don't even have this snack, depends on how much I was able to eat at supper 8:00 - water #6  then bed.  Yes, there are days when I wake up later, get busy and can't stick 100% to the above, so I drink extra water at the other water times, or try to squeeze in an extra protein shake when I can.  But this is my normal daily schedule and has been for years.  It's what works for me.  Obviously, you need to come up with what will work for you.  Write it out, plan it out, then do it and tweak it as you need to - but I suggest putting it on paper, posting it in your kitchen and taking a copy with you, so you know what you need to be doing when, to keep you on track.  After a while, it becomes habit and you won't need to refer to the schedule so much. 

this all sounds really good. im going to try it and see how it works for me. what type of protein shake do you use.  i make my own with  ON protein powder , frozen strawberries and lactaid milk in a blender, taste like a fruit smoothie. 

I use Champion Pure Whey Stack in either chocolate or vanilla.  I'm allergic to any artificial sweeteners, and this brand, in these varieties do not have artificial sweeteners.  I also use Unjury protein too.  I don't make "shakes" with stuff added to it.  For me, I found when I did that, especially with fruit, it really kicked in that urge for sugar and made me hungrier.  So I don't do that.  But that's just me - others might not have this problem.  I use 4 oz of soy milk and one scoop of protein powder, mix and drink.  Since you can only absorb about 30-35 grams of protein at one time, any more than that is wasting protein.  If I drink a huge glass of protein, it's hard for me to drink it all, and still get in all my water and food in a day, so I mix it with just 4 oz of soy milk.

any information you can give about the why of protein shakes would be really appreciated. I know that i feel better when i drink them than not but i hear a lot of girls saying they have never used protein shakes at all because they dont like them.  Im not crazy about them but do know i need it.   thanks for all the info,.