The dirty little secret of RNY...(long)

I think eating schedules really help. Dont hate me but I dont have a problem over eating or under eating, at least in my book, and I eat pretty much whatever I want. I think the key to myself, not sure how it would be with others, is that our NUT wrote in our Barix Book what we would have to be eating caloriewise to maintain. I saw that I would have to be at 1500 calories to maintain and was seeing how low my calories were that first month of logs so I tried to make sure I got in more. I was up to 1200 calories by 2mths out but I drink a LOT of milk so that helped me. I am not lactose intolerant.

I am not the go to the gym and work out type of person. I walk, I work a 2nd job since June now that is more physical and I count that as a work out so I guess I 'work out' 3xs a week. I eat between 1600-2200 calories a day depending on what my body demands. When I have an endless pit, I eat. Usually the next day I have a not very hungry day. I dont really log my food anymore now but it was IMPERATIVE for the first year for me to make sure I got everything in. Now I just make sure I get my vitamins in and keep a running idea of my protein in my head which is usually between 68-90g a day which is the range my NUT wants me in.

Where I am going with all this is that you CAN wreck your metabolism by eating too low. Yes, if you eat too low of calories for too long your body will snatch up any extra you give it to store as quick as possible for the next famine it thinks you will put it through. I am maintaining very well where I am. I flux between 150-153 and my size tens I have to wear a belt with. Aunt Flo is visiting and I am still at 153 and Lord knows I have been on a carb kick all week with her visit. Perhaps because I can have what I want, when I want, I dont feel deprived and I dont over indulge. The only thing I am fanatic about is stepping on the scale every few days to keep track of myself.

Nik, I agree with you. They really need to bring up UNDER eating in part of the maintance programs and the abuse of SF items. The reason I say abuse of SF items is my NUT brought up at my year appt that most people she sees gaining weight back, but whom insist they arent eating sugared products, she usually finds that in their logs there is a lot of SF this or SF that as a snack. I dont do SF that much. I do the regular stuff. The reason being is that SF causes no fear so I could see myself over indulging. Sugared causes dumping. Had one case of it that wasnt a full blown episode last March but was just the racing heart to the point my husband wanted to take me to the ER. That lasted 30 mins and trust me, I am very careful with that 1/2c of real ice cream now. (liquids absorb in quicker, mental note there!)

I think I am going to bring this up at our support group meeting next Saturday....ah crud. *sighs*  They have me opening next Saturday. I will have to email our NUT instead.

I'm just coming up on three months, and I totally get the undereating thing.  Part of my problem has been that my pouch is happiest empty.  Has been that way since surgery.  Breakfast for the past couple of months has been Pam T's chai and 8 ounces of milk - that way I get 35 grams of protein in before I start.  Almost all my protein is from cheese.  I haven't had violent reactions to meats, I just can't tolerate more than an ounce, and even that leaves me feeling icky.  So I am doing 24 ounces of milk daily, plus cheese, and sometimes yogurt.  I can finally drink enough water without getting sick feeling from it. 

I am horrible with journalling.  With the milk, I would guess I'm getting 6-800 calories a day, maybe more on the days I break out the peanut butter. 

But I am finally able to take a Citracal petite without vomiting!

i have big pouch days, and small pouch days, but i rarely have trouble getting enough calories, probably because i have no issue with restricting fats.  I expect I eat more than most at my stage of recovery from WLS.  But, i've also never had any real reduction in hunger as a result of surgery, only of my ability to eat humungous meals.  Without the fats, I feel ravenous all the time.

Last night i wanted to snack bad.  I wasn't hungry.  I had the munchies.  I didn't do it, mostly because i don't have much munchy stuff around the house.  but it was mentally hard.  That doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

Restriction - i won't say i don't fear food.  But I don't fear it enough to cause me to restrict unnecessarily.  The only thing that puts me off eating is when pouch is grouchy.  there are definitely times it's easier to go hungry than eat and feel sick.  but that doesn't happen all the time, only sometimes.

First of all, Nikki, I just want to say that I thank you for your candor, humor and wisdom.  You have made me laugh out loud on severa occasions!  Thank you, and the other veterans on OH for your suggestions to  new members' problems and answers to frequently asked questions.  I hope that someday I will be able to help others through my WLS experience as you all have.

Normally, I would have read today's post, and never added my two cents, but today's thread in your topic suggestion was too close to what has been uppermost in my mind.  I too have struggled with the idea of eating more to lose weight.  I suppose that has always been part of my problem with food.  The contradictory message of eating more t o lose weight goes against my "weigh" of thinking about food (sorry, I couldn't help the pun...I'm an English teacher). 

The last time I was on WW (yes, I am a several-time loser at WW) I cut my points in the hope that I would lose weight much more quickly and in greater quantity...Obviously this did not work for me.  

I had researched surgery seriously for several months,and felt ready for the after effects of the surgery, but I can honestly say that I had no "real" idea that I would end up force feeding myself...I still have a hard time wrapping my head around this concept.  For the first eight weeks after surgery, I was repelled by food.  Many days I would only be able to ingest my vitamins and gag down a protein shake.  While I'm thrilled with my weight loss, I have just recently been able to eat up to 500 or 600 calories and 45 to 60 grams of protein a day.  I know that I need to up my calories and protein levels.  I'm smarter than the average bear, but cannot ignore that little voice in my head that urges me to eat less in order to lose more...! 

Every day gets better thanks to the availabiity of the topics posted here on OH.  I use resources like Livestrong.com, Eggface, Pam's, and your recipes to add healthy calories and protein to my daily diet.  I now eat to live...that is the greatest thing I've taken from my surgery so far.  I no longer live to eat or for taste.