Butterthebean

a good question to ask your doctor. Not the people here.

If that doesn't work, try upping your calories for a few days to see if it breaks the stall.

My fitness pal does track water and protein, as well as a bunch of other stuff.

My advice is everyone should carry some extra "provisions" with them after surgery until you're digestive sytem gets back to normal.

It's most likely to happen within the first couple of weeks. Your digestive system is freaking out after the preop diet, surgery, clear liquids, full liquids....it's nuts. You have gas. You have diarrhea...then you're constipated. Then one day you try to fart....and you go too far. It happens.

And at 5 weeks, you could very easily be having head hunger. And believe me, it feels just like regular hunger. That's the point. It fools you. Just because your stomach is growling does not mean it's not head hunger.

The only thing that made me throw up was the barium swallow. Not fun. I know I'm gonna sound like a broken record but you're hunger could have something to do with what you're eating. You say you eat 1/4 cup of vegetables AND a 1/4 cup of carbs. What do you mean by "carbs", because the veggies are complex carbs. If by carbs, you mean things like rice and low fat gravy (which is full of sugar) then those foods could easily increase your hunger because they are extremely high glycemic foods. They cause the release of alot of insulin in the blood which drives hunger (as well as fat storage). At 5 weeks out, I would think you would be more focused on eating Protein. How many grams of protein are you getting in a day? And how many calories?

Will you explain to me how to read that link? It says 400 calories, but then it says 390 come from fat. How is that even possible. And when you add up the protein, carbs and fat it's way over 400 so clearly I'm not reading it right. Also, where does the protein come from? If it is 51 grams, that's alot of protein unless they're putting some Protein powder in there.

I workout 7 days a week, but I rarely do the same thing more than 3 times a week....and never 2 days in a row. I mix it up between jogging, cycling, weight lifting, elliptical, circuit training and hiking. I think the variety prevents overuse injuries.

Here is one family sized bag of Doritos.....after being crunched up in the blender. It wouldn't take up much room in the stomach. 1600 calories in that little cup.

Once you're on solid foods, if you can eat all your Protein you don't really need the shakes. Some NUTS don't like patients to continue using them at that point. They would rather see you eat nutritionally complete wholesome food, as long as you have the capacity. Me, I see nothing wrong with supplementing your protein intake with a shake, so long as you're not living on them. They do make it easier to get in calories because they will not stay with you as long, so if you have the need to increase your calories they can be helpful.

I work out everyday so I don't really eat more or less, but I'm realizing that timing of meals is more important with exercise. Specifically, on days when I'm doing long cardio workouts, I need more carbs before the workout. Sometimes I eat a few simple carbs right before the workout, but it would be better to eat more complex carbs leading up to the exercise. On days where I lift weights, I definitely try to concentrate on protein after the workout. Its very critical to ingest some protein as soon as possible after weight lifting.

My read of the situation is...he's not so scared you'll leave him. He's scared he'll be forced to take a look at his own eating problems and most people don't want to do that. I didn't....until I was ready.

I don't know. I wasn't hungry. I really didn't even want it. I went to a training class for work and there were several boxes, as there always are. I decided one wouldn't hurt so I got one and took a bite. But as soon as I did I realized that I'm not that guy anymore. I'm kinda glad that it had no appeal to me anymore.

I took a HUGE bite off a glazed donut a few weeks ago...chewed it a few times...then spit it out. Does that count? As soon as I tasted it I thought, it's not worth it.

Some of what you say is correct, but this right here is wrong. I'm sorry but even the link YOU posted earlier contradicts this statement. You will be more hungry eating 1-2 larger meals per day. Eating smaller, more frequent meals will prevent you from becoming as hungry because your tank always has fuel in it. When you eat a big meal and then wait too long before eating again, the tank runs out. Plus, as I said earlier, WHAT you eat has something to do with it as well....in fact it plays a huge role. High glycemic foods will cause the production and release of more insulin into the blood stream. Larger meals cause even more insulin to be released to bring down the excess blood sugar. As your blood sugar comes back down, you will feel hungry again. Smaller meals (with lower glycemic foods) do not cause your blood sugar to spike, therefore you do not have the huge release of insulin.

I'd be real surprised if a therapist would work on you this soon post op. I am an LMT and my general rule is 6 weeks after any major surgery. Massage causes massive amounts of fluids to be moved around inside your body. You don't know what kind of issues that might cause, nor does the therapist. Maybe nothing, but most professionals don't want to risk it.

I have no idea what "gnocci" is, but I was eating steak, seafood and Mexican (fajitas) within 2 months of surgery. You won't be too long without those good foods.

My doctor set my goal...never asked my opinion about it at all. Frankly, I don't know where he got the number, but it doesn't matter. My real goal is not a number....it's gonna be the way I look, the way I feel, the things I can do that I couldn't do before. I hope I know it when I see it. Then again I may always just keep pushing for more. Weight loss is getting me there, but it's not the goal.

As I understand it, it's really a problem for people with reduced kidney function, isn't it? I have read that it could be a problem for people with healthy kidneys, but you'd have to eat more protein than most sleevers are capable of.

Neil, for me drinking too soon after eating definitely makes a difference. I can normally chug Water. I drink a 32 oz bottle every morning before I workout, not while, before. It takes about 20 minutes. Now, after I eat and wait thirty minutes, I cannot drink 6 oz of water. I feel like there is no room. If I forced it down, I doubt it would stretch my sleeve, but it would definitely flush out food before it's time. If you don't think a little bit of liquid makes a difference, watch this video. Now having said that, it does not mean you won't lose weight or be successful. But it won't help. Plus you are so freshly post op, you could eat cupcakes and still lose weight. The test will be in 6 months. If you learn and practice good habits now, by the time your honeymoon is over they will be second nature. My advice to you and anyone else, don't trust your old eating habits and the restriction of the sleeve to get you through the rest of your life. It has worked for some people, but it won't work for everyone. And you won't know it until you see the weight coming back on, and then it will be very difficult to turn things around.

Did you get a free t-shirt for mentioning his name in the title like that? You should have.

Well, frankly, if you are only 6 weeks post op it's doubtful you can even eat 90 grams of good carbs a day, because that's a huge volume of asparagus or brocolli. Amazon13 is dead on about the Water component you normally would have gotten from food. Now you're not getting it. But the big answer is twofold. First, we are all different. What you need is totally different from what I need. We both had the same surgery, that's where the similarities end. We are completely different people with different goals and needs. Secondly, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and every doctor thinks their way is the best way. Remember, these are people who are trained to be thinkers, not followers of instructions. They are also trained to be supremely confident in themselves, they have to be (although they can be too confident). They do their own research, and they draw their own conclusions from the literature. They don't just follow a manual....usually. And they all want to stand out, they want to be "leaders in the field." So they come up with their own plan and tweak it as time goes by depending on what works and what doesn't. The end result is the advice your surgeon gave you.