Making life changes...but it's not really clear yet

[blacktxbelle 99]

I am having the hardest time with my eating now that I can have mushies. I work nights. This would be cut and dry if that is all I had going but I work an odd schedule, 8 p - 5 a. Once I get off in the morning I get my kid ready for school and drop him off by 7:45. Sometimes I go right to bed and sleep until about 1:30. From there I might make a few calls or load clothes, etc. At 2 I go get in line to get my kid from school. Once I get home I do homework and the day just continues on through my work cycle on into the next morning. As you can see from that shpill I am up from roughly 1:30 pm to about 8:00 am the next day...that is about 18-19 hours that I am up sometimes. Now that my hunger is increasing post op I find that I am eating more ...not nearly as much pre op but I'm having trouble timing things. I find that my sleep schedule is not consistent and for the moment it just can't be so sometimes eating makes laying down uncomfortable or I might go to bed and wake up so hungry my stomach is cramping and growling. Right now the only consistent window I have for exercise is the 1.3 mile walk to my sons school in the morning and 1.3 miles back. I live in Texas so 2:00 pm is the wrong time to be trying to walk up there! With the conventional schedule I keep right now it's just a little frustrating. I am also finding that I am eating/drinking more now that I am back at work. I was home for three weeks and had very little hunger. 3 meals/ Protein Drinks (still fluctuating between full liquids and mu shies) satified me when I was home now I am hungry all the time. Oh dear.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Most of us were hungry too. You won't feel satiety till you get a few fills. So don't get down on yourself you will not always be this hungry.

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi Belle, you're juggling a lot and it's hard in the in-between time post surgery but no fills yet. During the mushies phase I had a couple of go-to things that worked well for me. Steam a head of cauliflower and use a stick blender or food processor to turn it into smush -- add in chicken stock and whatever spices you might like. For me, this was like a savory pudding. Delicious. I also like Beans a lot and those were very satisfying. Potato, etc. Good luck -- you will get through this! And in the coming months when the weather cools that is going to be such a nice walk for you. Your son can be your coach! Sending best wishes your way......

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

You need more sleep. 5-1/2 hours every day is not enough. I say this as I post to a WLS board at 3am because I woke up yet again. I've seen a few articles recently about the correlation between obesity and sleep deprivation. Also, the hunger at this stage is normal. Difficult to deal with but normal. Good luck. I hope you can find a way to get more sleep in your routine.

[blacktxbelle 99]

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. I know I need more sleep but right now it just can't be helped. I should also mention I have a primed band with 5 cc and .07 fill. I had satiety until I went back to work and started get less sleep and staying up all night. Darn it!