Total loss of appetite! Eating once a day?

TonyBia · November 22, 2005

Hello all,

I have recently undergone a total transformation regarding appetite and the inborn urge to eat. Before my life revolved around it--each minute was consumed with when I was going to eat again and what it was and how much longer before I do it. I would always have to tell myself,while eating, to slow down,don't eat so much, stop eating now--your definately going to gain weight now with what you ate.

However for the last 3 weeks or so I have come across a phenomena that I am having a hard time understanding. If I skip Breakfast, I rarely get hungry for the rest of the day and usually wind up eating one meal a day at around 4-6 p.m. I know part of this is because I am tighter in the morning and at lunch I have gotten tired of "fighting" with the band in trying to get food down, and I am getting bored with alot of the "soft" fast foods available at the restaurants-having repeated them over and over again. I have also noticed that if I am totally busy with things like work or study that I can go the entire time without thinking about food or eating. I have noticed that if I do eat in the morning that I will get hungry at lunch time and have more hunger at that time also. So far I have been keeping the one meal a day schedule and am hoping that I don't stop loosing because of it. The meal I do eat is a large bandster meal- but alot smaller than pre-banding- for example I splurged 2 days ago and for my only meal for the day I had 4-5 chicken nuggets and 5 potatoe skins with bacon and cheese on top. The 5 skins were actually half skins or half boats--triangle shaped if follow what I am describing. That was it. Last night I had chips and salsa, a refried bean burrito, a cheese enchalada (small tortila with cheese in it-nothing else), and a tostada-again refried Beans with lettuce and sour cream and Tomato on it. Those meals fill me totally up and seem to last me for about 24 hours when I eat again.

Anyways the whole reason for this post is to see if anyone else has experienced dramatic hunger loss (many have) but have also taken up eating less meals in a day?

By the way I have only had 2 fills and about 3 cc of fills.

Thanks,

T

Quilter Mom · November 22, 2005

T,

I've heard about this happening before. Just make sure you get in all your Protein and Water. It's very important.

Quilter Mom

Road Queen · November 22, 2005

T,

Last week when I got a fill I told my dr I was eating 1.5 pieces of salmon with vegetables for a meal. he was afraid that I would stretch my pouch. I would worry that you are going to stretch yours with the quantity of food you are eating (unless you are drinking with the meal and pushing the food through).

I would try to get some food in earlier, if nothing else try Protein shakes, yogurt, broth, hummus, etc. That will get you away from the fast food and eating better.

Good luck and I hope your weight loss continues. Celeste

NJChick · November 22, 2005

Yes, I've read that eating once a day is not good for the colon. Try to eat, even if its a Protein drink or yogurt, fruit, something.

Good luck !!!

Ceparano · November 22, 2005

Tonybia,

Are you still losing weight eating like that?

Ceparano

Jachut · November 22, 2005

These posts alarm me - 5 chicken nuggets and potato skins as your only intake for the day? Where's the fresh food - where are your Vitamins, your Calcium? If you only eat once a day at least make it a healthy meal. Weight loss aside, you're going to become malnourished on that sort of intake.

I cant comment on tight bands in the morning, etc its still a tad over 2 weeks till I get banded. But could you try to get, say, a thin fruit smoothie in in the morning, and some thin vegetable Soup for lunch? Even if you really cant manage solid food at those times?

Someone posted a week or two back on this topic though, about how eating a large meal at night, inflames your stomach, causes over-restriction in the morning and that this pattern becomes a viscious cycle. I wish I knew where it was for you, perhaps the poster will see this.

kimalicious · November 22, 2005

I understand your thinking on this, since I don't have the constant head hunger any longer and even turn meals down, that I would have never done pre-band. Problem is when you only eat one meal a day your metabolism is slow. THat is why if you eat Breakfast you are hungry by lunch because your metabolism got kicked started for the day. I have to eat at least 3 small somethings a day because at anyone sitting I can't get in that much food, I'm lucky at lunch to get a half of a grilled chicken sammich down. I fought with the foods for a while and figured out I was eating the wrong food (fried)and not taking small enough bites and not chewing to mush. I do this now and don't fight to get my food down as much. I still eat no more than 800 calories a day, but at least I am keeping it spread out to keep my metabolism up. I hope you reconsider this way of eating because not only will it cause malnitrition, you paid a lot of money for this surgery and to not use it to it's potential would be a downer. You have got to work with the band and not battle it. I guess the only reason I say anything is because I got up to my top weight eating one time a day. Now of course that was a super sized big mac meal from McDonalds, but I still managed to get up to 275 eating that once a day. Please don't think we are harping on you we just want you to be healthy and we want you to be sucessful and not miserable with the band. Keep us posted on your progress and let me know if any of this helps.

Alexandra · November 23, 2005

I do think many of us experience, at least temporarily, a loss of interest in food that can really come as a surprise. But it doesn't mean it's OK not to eat. I sure hope you're taking your Vitamins and getting in enough fluid! And that meal doesn't sound like you're getting enough Protein in, either.

It's wonderful to be focused on other things besides eating for a change; I know how liberating that can be. But remember, this is all about your HEALTH, not just lessening numbers on a scale. And staying healthy means getting sufficient amounts of Protein, Vitamins, and liquid. So do try to space out your calories a little more and get in more variety... (lecture over)