MichiganChic

Head hunger is a problem for most of us. I still have it, and it's something we all have to learn to manage. Some days are easier than others, but most days it can be a struggle, even if only for a few minutes. I find that when I've had simple/refined carbs, I crave more. When I've got the right mental attitude and resolve firmly in place, it's easier. It's just something I have to overcome, a day at a time. Food IS everywhere, and so much of what we do does revolve around it, it's no wonder we have these issues. At least now with the sleeve I have a fighting chance with actual physical hunger decreased and a decreased capacity, I can usually get a hold of myself before I do too much damage. I also find that tracking every bite helps keep me focused.

This sounds like neuropathic pain, and if it's new, you need to get it looked at right away. It might be from a reversible cause that can be corrected, like a Vitamin deficiency. As @@Miss Mac said, if you are diabetic, that's an unfortunate complication of diabetes. Or, if you are like me, you could have it and never know why. I started getting it about 5 years ago for no known reason, and I've been looked at inside and out, we just don't know why. Unfortunately, that not all that uncommon. Sorry you are having that - it's not fun!

@@pinkbarbie no, because peanut butter is not a liquid. But you knew that.

@@CowgirlJane How long have you had this? I can't say I've experienced it, but I do know that some days I am hungrier than others for no reason at all, and I do go through periods where food has less importance to me. I also find that after a while, I am totally unmoved by what I should eat, I won't eat what I really want (cake), so nothing has appeal to me. I have to force that chicken in (or whatever it is) during those times. I also wonder if this could be some other physical thing, totally unrelated to your sleeve. A decrease in appetite could be attributable to many other things, as is unexplained weight loss. I'm not sure your weight loss is unexplained, though, since you already said you are eating less. As for the 10 pounds you lost, it could be that some of that was Water weight since a decrease in food equal lower sodium intake, too. Since you already spoke to your surgeons office and they didn't have any advice for you, I would go see your primary care doc. Explain your issue and hopefully he/she will have some insight and help get to the bottom of this, or do some testing and declare you healthy and send you on your way, worry free.

CGJ, good advice. Since I first posted this, I have changed my thinking some. I've begun to consider the value losing a few more pounds would add to my life, and honestly, I don't think there is much, if any. I consider the physical and mental struggle it is going to take to get to a "normal" BMI, and think that certainly detracts from my overall happiness and well-being. It's more than a little frustrating to be so focused on an arbitrary goal that may not even be achievable. That way of thinking is really pretty self-limiting, but when you are in the throes of it, it's hard to remember the big picture and have a true sense of reality. As @@gamergirl said, we still have to keep tracking and maintaining the changes we've made in order to maintain the weight we've achieved. So, that's what I'm doing. And as FeedYourEye said, if I lose a few more pounds while doing this, that's fine too. The responses in this thread have been so helpful to me to shift my thinking. Thank you!

I'm in the same boat, I also have about 10 pounds to go. I've been stuck here a while, and the longer I'm here, the more discouraged I become. It's harder and harder to eat 800 calories a day. At 16 months out, I'm closer to 1200 most days, over that some days, and I need to eat less than 1000 to lose. So I go back and forth with myself about accepting where I am, and feeling like I should work a little harder to get to a specific number. Right now I'm just trying to focus on eating well most of the time, and increasing my activity, and enjoying the success. You are only 7 months out, so you might just be at a plateau and weight might start coming off again. Either way, you've done great and you should enjoy your success, too!

@RJ'S/beginning I'm not sure if there is a specific post that bothered you, but I hear what you are saying. I think that in general, there is still such shame associated with obesity and that people are discriminated against on many levels. This leads to feelings of low self-worth. Each of travels a unique path, and so you never know what others have encountered that make them feel the way they do. Some people think they are fat with a few pounds to lose, and others tolerate being truly obese without feeling that way. That shame factor is as unique as all of us are, and it's sad, because we all need to let go of it. At any rate, I was one with a lot of weight to lose. For me, I felt like that huge amount made my journey a little harder because it is taking longer....but then I remember that it's hard no matter what weight you are at, or where you started. You have to do this, every day, all day, if you want to succeed. You are great example of success and great role model on the boards. You live and own it, and have NOTHING to be ashamed of.

@@sandisleeve yes, you can also drink yourself to obesity, too! You'll probably find over time that your stomach will relax some, maybe stretch a little, and you can eat normal portions. In the beginning I couldn't eat an egg either. Now I can hold more than I wish I could some days! So that's why I always have to weigh and measure and count - otherwise I'd be back to where I started.

Curvy jones how is the weight gain for some after sleeve and bypass explained? I'm only 4.5 months out and still battling gastritis and inflammation so my restrictions are more than most and my diet is 98% full liquid but I hear stories of ppl gaining 30 40 50 even 100+ After several years post op Weight gain is explained by eating around your sleeve, usually. You can eat the wrong things that are slider foods, high in calories, and you can eat more often. It would be super easy to eat over 3000 calories a day if you did that. What I've found now is that I have to watch every calorie. I do follow the rules for the most part, but a little indiscretion at this point is a big deal. When you are at or close to goal, you don't have much wiggle room. A few extra calories every day really can pack on the pounds.

No, I don't. And most days I'm lucky to be able to do it with the sleeve. It is truly a just a tool, and its how we use that makes the difference.

I aim for at least 75 grams of protein. At the end of the day, I'm usually around 1/3 of each. Sometimes higher in protein, sometimes not.

You guys that have so much restriction are lucky. I have restriction, but nearly as much! I can easily eat a cup at a time. I still follow the rules, I do try to not eat that much at once. I agree, it's harder now, for sure. I haven't lost anything in about 3 months. I do pretty good through the week eating less than 1200 calories, but then on the weekends my calories creep up to around 1500-2000, which seems to have put me into maintenance. It's working for me, but I would really like to lose the last few pounds....so I need to dig deep and find the motivation!

i chose "other" because I'll go wherever the group wants to go. I go out at least once or twice a week, and I enjoy it. I can't say I don't worry about it, though, and since I never get sick, that's not a measure of success for me. I will usually make the best choice I can from what's on the menu, and manage my portion size. I also remember to count all the calories I've eaten, but even when making the best choices I can, I find my calorie intake is usually higher when eating out.

I was 50 when I had my surgery, and I felt 50 or 60. Now I feel 20 again. I do think my age is preventing (or at least making it more difficult) to lose the last few pounds, but I'm way better off at this weight, even if I never lose another pound. I didn't have any co-morbidities - yet - but I was on my way. My blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar were all rising. I feel like I dodged a bullet by having the surgery and losing the weight before any of that had a chance to take hold and do damage. Now all of my labs and vital signs are great. One thing though, I started moving a lot more, and I do have a bad knee that needs to be replaced. I'm sure I had that before surgery, but because I sat all the time, I didn't know it. Pretty sure all the excess weight caused it to wear out prematurely, but being thinner makes it much easier on my body.

You can research this topic and probably find many similar threads with thousands of answers. But to answer your question, yes, I would do it again, but I didn't always say that. In the beginning I worried a lot, and I wasn't sure I would do it again.I feared I would develop a leak, but at the point in my life I was, I felt the risk was worth the potential benefit. I had a complication of an infected incision post op that took about 7 weeks to heal. That infection really reminded me that while the risk of complications is pretty low, it DOES happen, and when it does, it's 100% you. In comparison and now that it's over, it was a pretty mild complication, but still frightening while it's going on because you don't know that you'll be OK. I also had a lot of weight to lose, so in the early days, I feared every pound lost would be my last, and I didn't want to have put myself through all of that for nothing. Now at 16 months out, I feel great and I'm happy that I did it. I know that I'd still be 300 pounds and miserable. I used to always be on a diet, miserable because I was hungry AND fat. Now I still have to stay on a diet, though I'm much less hungry, and at least I'm thin while I'm doing it, so I'm not miserable about it. I've had to permanently change my life style to accommodate the changes I made to my body and it's not easy, but it was worth it to me. So a couple of things to consider - What is your risk tolerance - is the risk worth the benefit to you? And, can you make the changes you need to make to succeed? Good luck to you!

@@gamergirl good to see you! It makes me happy to hear you have the same track repeating in your head- I hate to be alone, lol. I'm so happy I posed this question and that people responded. It's given me some perspective and allowed me to reconsider my goals. Look at you - your BMI is normal, so great job! Thanks for responding and your words of encouragement.

@@Curvy Well said! We really should just accept it as success and shift focus to continued health and happiness. And thanks for note and kinds words.

I am also "specific" as you called it. In my case, I think it's a bit of being a wanna-be perfectionist. I work in data, and make decisions based on facts and data so I think that contributes to the crazy dialogue in my head. I'm gradually letting go of that "ideal number" and realizing it's more about the big picture of health and happiness. So thank you for your kind words, and I suggest the same to you!

@@Indigo1991 Great Story! Enjoy every minute of that new found happiness, you deserve it!

My daughter sells it too, and I like it, but my dietitian said no because the sugar content is too high. I'd ask your dietitian, but I really can't see the harm pre-op.

@@erp Yeah, people are always shocked that I weigh that much, too. I'm adjusting to it, the longer I'm here. According to the CDC, about 34% of Americans are obese, and 39% in my age bracket are obese (I'm 51). So I also think that might be contributing not only to our own dysmorphia, but also to others! No one has an accurate picture of what we should look like.....or is it that the BMI charts are wrong? LOL, it's the chicken or the egg thing. At the end of the day, I am happy that I can shop in normal sizes, fit anywhere, blend in, and I'm healthy. That's all I ever wanted. I have to work to stay at this weight no matter what, so if a few more pounds come off, good. If not, so be it. I am tired of striving for something that may not be adding an value to my life.

You look great, no wonder you couldn't be happier! Congratulations on a wonderful success! Don't know if it was intentional or not, but those pictures tell a story a thousand words couldn't. The one on the left involved food, and the one on the right involved some sort of fitness! Great job - enjoy your new life.

Great question. For me, it's a variety of reasons. The main thing is that I ate more calories than I burned. I ate to Celebrate, and as a stress reliever. It took years to realize how stress impacted me, and I've had my share of stress. I also come from a family who loves to eat, and my grandparents LOVED to feed me. I was a very willing recipient, lol! I can't say I have anything in my history that I'm trying to stifle with food, and for the most part, I've been very fortunate and live a pretty charmed life, in spite of the stressors. I grew up in a home with an abundance of good food and lots of choices, and I recreated that with my own family. I also inherited the tendency to gain weight easily. So now that I've successfully lost the weight, I know what it takes for my body to lose - I have to eat around 800 calories a day to lose. If I eat more than about 1200, I will gain rapidly. It's shocking to me! I often think now that it's no surprise I weighed over 300 pounds. I certainly ate too much, but it never was really that out of line with others who way less overweight than me. The combination of overeating and a body that doesn't need many calories to exist was a perfect storm for developing and maintaining obesity. I don't think I would have ever lost weight without surgery because I just couldn't eat less than 1400 calories a day before, and that wasn't low enough to lose, even at 300 pounds.

Thanks for posting. I do not fear the word diet, and it drives me a little crazy when people are so offended by it.

Me too. I love cake. And cookies. Candy is also good. Sigh. Once I'm exposed to them, I struggle in every way to stay on track. Once I'm away from them for a while, it becomes easier. I KNOW that's the thing that could send me into a tailspin. I'm pretty irritated that anything has that sort of impact on me. I guess I should feel happy that I know that and how to avoid it, but still....