CHM

I absolutely hear you. I have been under 210 since 4 months post-op, and in the 2 months that have passed in the meantime, I just this morning got below 205. This. Is. Taking. FORRRRREEEEEVERRRRR!!!!

Alright, so... It seems that I rather suck at eating. I was fortunate enough to have my appetite and hunger return a mere 6 weeks after surgery, so getting appropriate nourishment hadn't been much of a struggle from that time until recently. Somewhere around 4-6 weeks ago, my appetite and most of my physical hunger (barring perhaps the middle of the night or first thing in the morning) seem to have just switched off. Since then, hitting my goals has become quite the battle. This morning I poured over my MFP entries to average out my calories and Protein for the past month, and it came out to 687 calories (current goal range is 900-1100) and 68g protein (surgeon's goal range is 75-113g, my personal minimum is 90g). And if I'm being entirely honest with myself, several of those days were 'padded' a little. Not deliberately - just things like recording a Protein Bar but only finishing half, recording a snack I intend to eat at work but forgetting, things like that. I know that I shouldn't be consuming so few calories at this stage, and that getting my protein in should be my top priority. I know that I need to suck it up and eat whether I like it or not. I know that eating when you don't want to is no walk in the park for anyone. But I feel that I am having a particularly difficult time with it. I've no problem with the timing - its not that I'm just getting busy and forgetting that its time to eat (okay maybe a few times, but its not the main issue), so setting an alarm won't help much. The problem is that if I don't feel like eating, then not only do I flat out not WANT to, but I am physically averse to doing so. The thought of it turns my stomach. Having food in my mouth can trigger my gag reflex. Swallowing becomes very difficult. I instantly feel 'full' and like I'm stuffing every bite. Now there is nothing physically wrong with me, as I can eat just fine when I actually want to. I really don't know what the problem is. Full disclosure: I do have a notable history with eating disorders (nothing threat-of-hospital-worthy since my late teens, however I've had more minor relapses as recently as 2010), but I truly don't believe that's what's going here. An eating disorder involves a certain mentality that simply isn't present right now...not to mention that I've grown too old for that sh*t. I don't know if its the summer heat, the upset of my recent move, working for the first time in a decade, having to share a house...whatever. I don't want to make excuses. I've been considering returning to a liquid diet for a week or so to see if the absence of solid food will re-trigger my hunger/desire for it. Does anyone think that might work? I'm quite certain I'm not the only one in the history of WLS who has struggled with this. If you are one of them, what has worked for you? How have you been able to get passed this? Does anyone have any suggestions? Harsh words are as welcome as supportive ones here - I know that I'm totally f*cking myself over right now. I'm going to end with a few stats and tidbits so no one is forced to dig around in my profile or past posts for relevant information if they don't want to: Gastric bypass on 25 Jan 2016 (5.5 months post-op) Pre-op loss = 86 lbs, Post-op loss = 64 lbs (month 1: 26 lbs, month 2: 13 lbs, month 3: 9.5 lbs, month 4: 10 lbs, month 5: 3.5 lbs, month 6: 2 lbs so far) Age 35, 5'7", 205 lbs, goal 170 lbs I currently have NO medical team due to my recent move to Canada, so consulting my surgeon/nut/psych is not an option. I must fulfill a 3 month residency requirement to qualify for insurance here, then I can get a referral to a new team for further care (paying out of pocket is not possible for me at this time). The vast majority of days still include adequte Fluid intake and Vitamin supplementation Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to read my novelette and reply to it.

Sorry... 205.2.

Hey! I actually have that on my watchlist. Haven't started it yet though...

Thank you very much for the kind words. I have to keep reminding myself that I HAVE been quite successful to keep from getting caught up in the stalls and early (I feel, anyway) slowed loss. My surgeon told me to expect to lose 60-70% of my excess weight from bypass. Starting at 355 lbs with a goal of 170 and currently sitting at 205, I'm already down over 81%. I have to remember that I've already exceeded expectations, even if I'm not at goal yet.

Ooh, band training. There's something to look into. Thank you! *Gasp!* How DARE you generalize our male counterparts!! . Lamb isn't super popular in this area. You can find the little lamb t-bones here and there, but I haven't found anything more yet. Granted I've only been to 3 different grocery stores in the 8 weeks I've been here. I do love swimming. I suppose I could go jump in the lake one of these days...

I know I could. But I do love the flavor of lamb!

Yes please! Damn thief. Just because you're pretty... If it took you over a year to get up to 1000 calories, then I wonder if 900-1100 is perhaps just too high to be regularly attainable at less than 6 months out. That happened because every time I hit a stall, after 3 weeks or so I added 100-200 calories to my intake, and its always gotten things moving again. Maybe it should have been a temporary increase to shake up my metabolism rather than a permanent one? Perhaps I should consider dropping it back to 700-900 and protein back to 80g. Goals may be easier to hit if the numbers seem less daunting. I know there are many days where I basically throw my hands up and say "F*ck it...I know I'm not going to get close, so why bother forcing it at all?" With lower numbers, the gap would be easier to close. I could certainly try to contact them. Kinda feels like bordering on fraud though, since I know they're not getting paid anymore. And I don't feel I'm beating myself up. I'm just trying to be accountable. As previously mentioned, I've already had bypass - there are no options for revision. I can't afford to f*ck it up!

EDIT: Ooookay...I don't know what happened to my quote formatting when I edited this to fix a typo. Removing the quotes and replacing with tags. Because its easier. And I'm lazy. @@VSGAnn2014 cheese and I are BFFs. We have a loving and enduring relationship. 3 year old cheddar is my favorite (and a daily staple), medium cheddar is my melting cheese, chevre is a regular visitor, and my beloved pecorino romano is sprinkled pretty much anywhere it makes sense (including directly into my mouth...). I've also used apple or pear slices in lieu of crackers several times. Ham and cheese sandwiches sound like a great idea. A google search has informed me that Aldi products are not available in Canada, but I'm sure if I read labels I can find something comparable. Chili is something I've made regularly since surgery. I prefer a white chicken chili, however. While I can handle beef just fine, the flavor and smell of ground beef has never been something that has agreed with me. Well-seasoned taco meat aside of course. Who doesn't like tacos... @@BigViffer Activity. Yes. I've TOTALLY been getting that in... I'm currently just a walker. I walk everywhere. Lots of little hills around here though, so it still gets my heart rate up. I know its not ideal, but its better than nothing. I don't drive and there are no gyms within walking distance, so strength training is not going to be an option until my next move at the end of the summer. There is a bit of a home gym here (no weights), and while I have met the elliptical machine I certainly don't use it as much as I'd intended. @ I had the same issue with Protein shakes after surgery. Pre-op, I'd never met one I didn't like. Post-op, I wasted sooooo much money trying every different brand I could find because nothing was palatable. I finally lucked out and found a brand. Then I moved, and now I have to find another one. I do bake unflavored protein powder into 'egg muffins', which have served as quick and convenient Snacks that help get me closer to my goals when needed (which is apparently always...). Just remember to add extra liquid when baking with protein, or the end result will be quite dry.

Sorry for the silence: its been a busy/distracting couple of days. Now... Good fats can be ok. Peanut Butter. Try adding Protein powder and PB2 to oatmeal. Add a half an avocado to your meal. Add a half a banana to your meal, Protein shake, or similar. Add melted cheese to mashed potatoes. Bake a small sweet potato. You can eat good fats and complex carbs. It sounds like that you would really benefit from increasing your protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs. Okay, does peanut butter oatmeal sound like just the greatest thing to anyone else right now? I HAVE been missing steel cut oats lately... I do get a lot of fat in my diet already - that's the only reason that such content was a factor when trying to come up with calorie dense protein sources. Cheese, omega-3 enhanced eggs, and peanut butter mostly, and I don't much worry about the fat content of my meats. My average for the same four weeks is 31g, or 41% of my calories (I aim for 40% protein, 40% fat, 20% carbs). I've tolerated it very well, and quite frankly, I need it, or I'd not even be getting halfway to my calorie goal. Ooh, salmon! I love it, but for some reason I haven't prepared it once since surgery. It has been a restaurant staple when eating out, however. I'll have to pick some up this weekend. That recipe looks amazing. I'm having a heluva time finding ground lamb in this area, but I'll mince up a chop myself to try that, dammit!

But not in that order...

This also seems like an appropriate place to ask another question... @@KindaFamiliar and I were talking a bit ago trying to come up with some Protein dense foods that are also calorie dense, so we can hit our protein goals without having to stuff ourselves all day to hit our calorie goals. We couldn't really come up with anything that wasn't also unreasonably heavy in the fat department. Anyone? Anyone?

I am all too familiar with the metabolic effects of extended malnourishment. The damage I did in my teens took over a decade to remedy, and I'm still not 100% sure that it's 'undone'. What would be an example of a protein-rich semi-slider food? I'm honestly drawing a blank. As for carbs, I typically avoid starches, save for maybe a bite or two if I'm really wanting it. My daily average for the same 4 week time period is 37g (net carbs round down to 23g, though my Protein Bars already track net carbs), and that is mostly dairy, with a bit from veggies and the occasional fruit. I do my very best to keep that number under 50g even on days when my calories actually hit 4-digits. I guess I don't really do 'complex' carbs. I don't know how low they have to be for ketosis though. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time right now krakow57. Again though, unless I'm just completely lying to myself (not likely), I'm not sure that I'm all that stressed. I'll admit I don't like the medical end of things. I hate that I can't call my former medical team to ask about pouch pain when drinking, and that I'm self-treating a suspected Vitamin D deficiency (which I've had before and am familiar with the symptoms of) because I can't get my levels checked to know for sure. I know I definitely don't eat well on days that I'm sad or upset. Boredom aside, emotions and food don't mix well for me. Never have really. Thank you for the well wishes. And you're right, this IS a great place for support. Sounds like you may need to take advantage as well... It WAS a good idea, and I have indeed received wonderful support. I never imagined I was alone, however. I know from perusing these forums that eating without appetite is not an uncommon struggle around here.

Okay this is taking too long. I'm going to start multi-quoting... That makes perfect sense. And for the most part, I feel that this has largely been my attitude. I've not been terribly worried about my weight loss - I know it will come as long as I don't let myself slip back into old eating patterns or start eating around my pouch. I don't even really think about my stalls until I've had them for over 2 weeks (yes I know - 2 week stalls - honeymoon phase problems...). I do need to focus more on my nutrition though and just suck. It. Up. Thanks Thecloude1! This is a good idea. I think I will indeed shift my focus to my weekly averages rather than daily numbers. Except for Water of course. That sh*t NEEDS to be checked daily, if only to keep the headaches at bay!

I was sorry to hear about your father Christinamo7. I'm not sure that stress is much of a factor on my end though. There were changes, sure, but nothing I didn't want and need. The only part that's even remotely straining is the living situation (nothing like moving into your mother's guest room at 35! ), but I wouldn't consider that anything worse than 'not ideal'. Its just an adjustment period.

I think I am indeed going to shift the focus back to protein for now. Personally I feel that the calories requirements matter for me too, however. I'm sure its one of those things that varies from person to person, but when I fall too low I start to feel ill. I'll be fine until I leave for work or an errand, when the little bit of exertion from the walk will make me feel almost like I'm dumping (minus the fun gastrointestinal symptoms) - dizziness, shakiness, weakness, clamminess, nausea, and a strong need to sit down NOW. Calories may not be as important, but for the sake of simple functioning, I do need to figure out how to maintain a certain minimum - and I have yet to pinpoint that number!

'Food like medicine'...probably a good concept!

Wow, I've recieved a lot more replies than I was expecting. Thank you so much everyone. Time for some proper replies! I really appreciate your point of view. I will admit that the promised lack of appetite was one of the things I was looking forward to with surgery, however I quickly learned that without an appetite I simply resist food down to my core, making me quite grateful when it returned. I think what might be throwing me is the fact that I DID have it. I know most people don't get their hunger back for quite some time - even my surgeon's office and nut were surprised by the unusually early return of my physical hunger. If I hadn't, I imagine I would have long adjusted by now and none of this would be an issue. As for calories, I wouldn't say I am 'consistently' getting over 600. The numbers provided were averages over the last month - I've hit as high as 1065 and as low as 180, and I'm getting more and more low numbers as the days go on. A few weeks ago it was 1 or 2 days a week that were below 600. Now it's 50/50. It's not that I'm 'sincerely concerned'. Its more that I'm spotting a trend that I don't like but don't quite know how to stop.

Thank you for the replies. So...I'm NOT doing as bad as I think I am? Maybe I will just go back to Protein shakes for a bit until I'm consistently hitting my protein goal. Perhaps then I can keep the balance as I reintroduce normal food one meal at a time. Something to try anyway...

And I look forward to hearing how that ends.

@@curlgirl Thanks for the entertaining post - I enjoyed your writing style. Glad your weekend worked out. Late-life babies aren't my thing either!