Do you feel mentally unsatisfied with your meals?

The last few days  I have been eating dense protein like chicken , turkey.  I am only able to eat 3-4 very small bites (pencil eraser size) before I feel full and sometimes that 4Th bite makes me feel uncomfortable. I do realize that the point is to eat less volume (those 3-4 bites amount to what used to be one bite) but I have found that I mentally don't feel satisfied and almost feel like it was not even worth eating because it has made me feel like I want more. 

Yes I know this is head hunger but it is not that I crave eating constantly and things I should not eat...it is just that the amount  at each meal seems almost "non existent".   I was able to eat a bit more having less dense foods which is normal and understandable but I thought at 7-8 weeks out I would at least be able to have a couple ounces of protein and maybe an ounce of veggies so it feels like I am having a meal.  I guess I should be happy that I have this restriction.......and I am and could not be more thrilled with my weight loss so far but I'm finding it very difficult to get it all in at this rate and want to learn to be satisfied with my small meals. Sorry for the rant but I wonder if others feel the same way and what they are doing about making it better.

Just like a women *****  when were are happy and ***** when we are not. That being said I agree, I am only 2 weeks out and can finally have mushies. I made some tuna had 2 small teaspoons and was done. It was like why did I go through the trouble of making it to eat so little and be done.  I have lost 34lbs so far and I am really excited, but I do morn the food. But I love putting on jeans and other clothes that I haven't worn in years. We will get thought this, this is a life style change that we have chosen. It will get better.

I was on full liquids till almost 4 weeks out then I started on thin pureed for then onto thick pureed  and that's when I had tuna and was on able to get a few teaspoons in myself but that seemed more satisfying to me then the dense proteins seem to.  How exciting for you to be able to put on those old jeans!!  Your doing great!!

Do I sometimes wish I could eat more?  Yes.  Mentally unsatisfied?  Not really.  In a lot of ways, it's a miracle.  Example:  Pizza used to be my biggest diet downfall, but I don't enjoy it now.  It still tastes great, but the fact that I can only eat half of a piece makes it not worth fooling with.  Previously I might eat a whole large pie on a Friday night as a "reward" for my hard work, get totally frustrated with myself, and end up off-track for the whole weekend, negating a whole week's worth of dieting.  Sleeve = problem solved on that point.

You had surgery on your stomach, not your brain.  It still hasn't caught up to the fact that this is the new normal for you.  The restriction is what makes this surgery so effective.  It'll ease up a little in the future, so make the most out of what you've got right now.

First of all....congratulations!!  You have done amazingly well and you look Great!!

I understand what your telling me. For me it's not that I want to eat an outrageous amount...I would like to just be able to eat the amount that is suggested in my plan which is 2 - ounces of protein and 1 ounce of veggies.  I guess that in time as you and many others have experienced I will be able to.  I'm actually happy that I have no desire to "overeat". Not being able to eat the recommended amount and wishing I could is what leaves me unsatisfied.  I know it will get better and the restriction I have is a gift!

 I totally agree with you on things like pizza....if it's not an amount you can enjoy why bother.  Pre op I could eat 3 slices with no problem.  I don't think I could eat more than 2 bites right now and forget the reaction from the crust....but it was one of my favorite foods.  I will at some point down the road try the cauliflower crust though. 

Continued success to you!!

 Exactly the smae for me.

It's tough but we will work through it and make it to where we need to be!!  We already know what the other alternative is and I'm not going there again.

 First, I had surgery about a week or two weeks after you and I have only lost 29.5lbs so far so congrats on your 56lb loss!!  As for the new eating, you will get where you are satisfied both mentally and physically by the end of the week.  I like it because it is easier for me to figure out when I need to stop.  As you eat more dense food and time goes by you will be able to eat more. 
Now, my doctor told me not to drink within 30 min before or after I eat.  The before drinking fills the stomach up before the protein gets there and you don't get as much protein in the stomach. The after drinking pushes the food thru too fast and the nutrients don't absorb as well. So maybe if you wait 30 mins or longer to drink anything, that will help.  I am eating 4 oz of dense food now and I love it.  I am not hungry and hunger holds off longer.  When I get hungry, I am hungry, not head hunger!  

Best Wishes, 
Granny

Thanks Granny.....your doing awesome yourself!  I am very careful about the drinking 30 min before and after.  I believe it is the denseness of what I am eating and know it will get better with time.  I'm not feeling hungry at all so that is why I know it is all in my head and what I feel should be my portion which I am happy to say is not above what is recommended so I think when I get to the point of being able to eat the 2 oz of protein and 1 oz of veggies I will feel satisfied. Best wishes to you also!!

I think your satisfaction with increase in time. First of all, you will be able to eat a little more at 3 months out...and then even more at 6 months and 12 months (so I hear), so that will gradually increase. Secondly, you get accustomed to your new, smaller portions.

It takes awhile for your head to catch up with your new stomach, but I think it will happen. I think I am pretty good at eyeballing things now, but I still put a little too much on my plate sometimes. But now it is just a little more than I can eat rather than a regular sized portion.
 
For example, at Easter dinner recently, I put a piece of turkey on my plate. My plate was bare compared to all the other family with all the other goodies, but I still was only able to eat about 75% of the piece of turkey I put on my plate. So, I knew I would be sastisfied with only the turkey and didn't load up a big plate with all the fixings, but I was still overestimating the size of the piece of turkey. But in any case, I am satisfied with my smaller portions now. I enjoy being able to walk away from the table after a small portion.

Anyway, I hope that made sense!

Lindsey