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I'm on week 8 also (July 17), but can't have the variety yet that you do. I'm also in a stall that has lasted 2 weeks. Very frustrating and demoralizing. Always feel hungry, and nothing satisfies. Have never had nausea, vomiting, acid reflux. Long for caffeine and a real salad. I have a regular b'fast I've been on for over a year: 4 oz plain greek yogurt, 1/2 t Zing, 3 oz strawberries, rasp, or peaches. I add a scoop of Unjury plain so b'fst is a 31g protein. I don't mind that every day. Lunch is 4oz cottage cheese and V8+collagen protein = 27g protein. I can make a choc latte protein shake for 40 g protein, but I am so bored with it. So I am getting 98g protein per day and still feel empty and unsatisfied. I keep hearing that protein is the way to end cravings, and provide satisfaction. I wonder how much protein I need to get to that point, and when this stall will end. Bummed.

Me, too! At 5'2" my HW was 368 in 2017. At Surgery Consult I was 350 and today at 316. I struggle to remember when I last weighed that - many years ago, so it takes on a surreal feeling, one of disbelief and "can't quite get my head around that." 52 pounds is a 40# box of kitty litter and a 12# jug of it. I just lift one of each and marvel what my joints and bones and feet were having to lug around.

@lviz Did you break out of your stall? I seem to lose 1# per day for 3 days, then stall for 5 days, then lose again for 3 days, and stall for 5 days. After the first time when I freaked out so, I'm learning to roll with the punches, so to speak. When do you get to add more things to your food plan? I'm looking forward to Sep 10 when I start Stage 5 foods.

I am on Omeprazole (Nexium) for 3 months. Is that what you're referring to?

...PPI ? I don't know what this is.

I just dealt with this with my surgical PA appt; she had WLS 4 years ago so she fully understands the stages and pitfalls and emotions. I said "I never feel full, never feel satisfied, am always hungry and have cravings. Was it a false expectation to think surgery would eliminate cravings? The anxiety from seeking a sense of satisfaction has led me to prematurely eat foods in the next stage. Also, (33 days out) I have had 2 weight stalls, which I expected, but then I gained a pound! I am depressed and feel I am careening toward yet another, AGAIN, dieting Epic Fail, even knowing it is illogical due to the surgery factor. Her replys: 1. Forgeddaboutit - don't look toward food for any sense of satisfaction, ever. Seek other kinds of satisfaction in your life. 2. For most people, cravings disappear after 5-6 weeks. 3. No! You are not failing. Your body needs time to catch up, and it balks like a toddler. 4. Everything you are going through and feeling is all normal. This is HARD WORK and it is more mental than physical. Her words were reassuring, eased much of the anxiety, and the next day I included her in my will (!),I then lost a pound and another pound today. But a discussion with my brother has me confused, so I turn to the rest of you for input. What is your definition of satiety? Do you find any enjoyment from a good meal, either now or before? Do you feel satisfied after a tasty meal where you are not overly full. Do you EXPECT to feel satisfied from a flavorful, healthy meal? Do you now eat only for fuel - eat to live? Isn't it possible to enjoy what you eat any more - to eat for Balance, Moderation, and Variety? Maybe it's just semantics and different interpretations of the words. Why have all these bari-cookbooks if not to enjoy meals? Why not just eat the same things forever and use protein drinks? What are YOUR expectations once you can have regular food again - meats, fruits with skins, celery, etc?

L.O.V.E. this. Thank you for posting.

Day 29 post-op. Down 30#. I have eaten foods that are on the next Stage 5 list because I couldn't stand it not getting any satiety or taste satisfaction. I've had a crackers, p butter, peaches, mashed potatoes and carrots. I am craving chicken, a salad, and a slice of homemade bread. I made pancakes with an egg, oats and cinnamon, and fake maple syrup but it hit the spot. I'm reworking recipes to build in fewer carbs and more fiber and protein. Today I ate 2 roasted black cherries. So frickin' tasty. Have never had nausea/vomiting, but I do need a nap most every day. It's a lot of work coming up with a whole new menu of foods I can have in this new life (can't eat processed foods) but it's also a creative challenge. Food is forever on my mind!! Tomorrow I will make marinara so I can try the Ricotta Bake so many are raving about here. We don't count anything but proteins so far. But soon we will add in carbs. Thanks for asking! I haven't been on the forum as often lately... I do find I'm not jumping with excitement about the weight I've lost so far -- realized I'm feeling wary. I don't trust it yet - I know this weight loss road well and watched it boomerang so many times. I know it's totally illogical because of the surgery factor, but I'm still suspicious, if that makes any sense. I'm not ready to order the party hats after just one month. Looking forward to support group next week.

@PENGU1N-- It was hard to argue with the facts presented by a bariatric surgeon at the seminar I attended - "Obesity is a disease -- a chronic disease -- a chronic, deadly disease" -- those stark words really hit me between the eyes. Once that sank in, I was totally on board, and 6 months later, am 4 weeks post op and down #30. It starts with being overweight, then maybe you add high BP to it, then high cholesterol, then joint pain, or maybe Type II diabetes, and sleep apnea, and the list goes on and on. It's no magic bullet, but it's the best treatment medical science has to date. If you had cancer or some other disease, wouldn't your spouse want you to get treatment? The general public is slowly coming to terms with the notion of obesity as a disease rather than a self-imposed character flaw. Cancer is also not caused by a character flaw.

With the info I posted about collagen and beef protein, thought I should pass along this article that came in today from livestrong.com about potential side effects of collagen supplements -- although this article focused on collagen from marine sources... https://www.livestrong.com/article/325664-side-effects-of-taking-collagen-supplements/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=081418_tue_roundup&c_crid=cta1

I wonder if you are reacting to the lactose. I have trouble sometimes with too much lactose, so I throw into my shakes 1 or 2 Lactaid caplets to prevent cramps, bloating, and all the other things... it works great for me.

I ordered from Amazon. I also use Unjury unflavored whey isolate protein, but really don't care for it, and only use it in chocolate or latte protein drinks. For everything else, I use the Great Lakes Green, adding a capsule of the 5HTP to make it a complete protein. For soups and such, I use the Great Lakes orange (I'm so done with jello!). So I feel I get a balance of dairy protein and then the collagen protein (no discernible taste - it is really neutral and dissolves in hot or cold (the green does -- the orange stuff needs boiling water). Add either one to boullion cubes for chicken soup with ramped up protein. Very tasty.

It takes 10 weeks for the stomach to heal. The longer you can stay home to rest and heal the better for your overall health. I am 4 weeks out and now able to avoid a nap, but then I am also 70. :-). Having said all that, go back when your doctor clears you to go back to work. When you DO return, try to go back on a Wednesday or Thursday to make it a short week. Those first couple days will be exhausting. Hopefully you won't have complications that delay your return plans. Just be sensilble about it.

1. Can take larger sips of water without pain. 2. Can drink colder liquids. 3. Stage 4 foods include pureed soup, tomato juice, blended soft fruits, applesauce, ground chia and flax seeds, cottage cheese - the added variety is so welcome. 4. Cravings continue for bread and sweet carbs. Current dilemma is I don't feel full - ever. Should I stop expecting to feel full? Is that a sensation I need to forget about? I wonder if I'm eating too slow. Can anyone comment?

Where did you have your surgery done?

My program said just try to do a little better each day, with protein total and fluid total. The protein drinks count as fluid, too, along with water and anything else you drink. By the end of the 1st month we should be getting 50 g daily protein and 48-64 oz fluids. It just cannot happen all at once. I thought of my new stomach like a newborn infant - whose tummy doesn't work well all the time, and it needs gentle soft things - no extremes in temp, taste, texture, seasonings, etc. As a new mom in the lake 60's, we started adding a bit of rice cereal to formula, then oat, etc -- all mild, bland things, with new things added gradually, and one at a time. I'm told my cravings may, or may not stop. It is what it is, and I just have to deal with it!

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-august-1-2018-1.4769487/how-fat-shaming-from-doctors-is-leading-to-misdiagnoses-for-obese-patients-1.4769569 This is an interesting article -- lots of education needed by physicians.

That's just one of many reasons this forum is a godsend for all of us. Here you can vent, get support, understanding, and even some tough love now and then. :-) You are not a failure. You recognized before when WLS was not the right thing for you at the time, so you paid attention to your intuition and best self. You've done a lot of work, and now you feel ready. Let NO ONE stand in your way. FORWARD!!

So help me - how do you manage it, and how do you tell the difference?

I assume you trust your new medical team and the hospital, so you are ahead of the rest of us who had to climb on the gurney with blind faith! You will be in good hands before, during, and after. You will be just fine. Keep us posted, OK?

I think everyone gets nervous at the last minute. I think it's the unknown - not knowing how things will go. I got zip sleep the night before, so you are no different that thousands who have gone before you and who will go after you. Try to embrace the journey. Try to relax. It is different for everyone when you wake up. There may or may not be pain. If there is pain, it will not last, and they will give you pain meds to make you comfortable. The future will be a grand adventure and a journey. You'll be just fine. You are part of our team here now! Keep us posted!

Just try to put all that madness behind you and focus on the NOW. It is stressful and nerve-wracking, until you wake up from surgery! just think happy thoughts and trust that all will go well. Enjoy the journey!

I'm in this camp, too. 19 days out and OK for the mushy soups, cottage cheese, applesauce, etc - which is wonderful. But I can't achieve satiety or sense of fullness and satisfaction. Maybe I need to get over that hope/expectation? The cravings have never stopped. I thought the key to staying ahead of cravings would be high protein intake, but so far that isn't the case for me. I've analyzed real hunger vs head hunger but haven't found much difference.

Sure, Missouri Lee, I'll eat your dust -- if it has protein in it! Good find, girl. I'm glad there are several articles on this topic being published. Waay overdue. I think physicians must be required to get Continuing Education credits to maintain their license in the same way that teachers are required to do. Doctors are not taught how to communicate with patients well, if at all. A lot of work to be done in the medical field to get them up to speed!