Scared

[Mbain 29]

I am having my three month post-op on Wednesday, and matter of fact I just hung up with the automated reminder for such appointment! And I am scared. I know we are all different, I know I should not compare, I know that some weight loss is better than none, but I feel I am not doing what I am supposed to. First off, I cannot get all the Protein in every day, I am barely getting all my Water in! Second, I have been eating chips (not the whole bag) and snickers! I am not a chocolate person, but recently I am craving them little things like crazy (and I was told I wasn't supposed to have cravings after surgery). Third, I have not been able to keep on going to the gym as I was suggested by the doctor (this was a problem before of why I couldn't lose a lot of weight on my own). I am not feeling the hunger I was feeling a couple weeks back, which is great, but I found myself eating right/not eating right. I don't graze or stuff my face, I just feel I am failing. Guess I am having one of those days. Since surgery, I believe I have lost 39 lbs which is great, but we always want more. I will try and return to the gym this week. Seems like I have been losing about 2 lbs per week on average (if I am not in a stall). I need to stop reading and comparing myself to other's success stories and just be happy for them! Guess I just wanted to complain today! LOL. Have a great day everyone!

[GibbsGirl 483]

Get back to what you know to do and just keep on trucking. There are chips with Protein you might try. I'm stalled right now and am embracing the heck out of it. I stalled lost 2 pounds and gained 2 pounds and lost 2 pounds. LOL You might deconstruct the snickers and see if your craving the peanuts or something else.

[Mbain 29]

I found that eating meat (or anything else for that matter), no matter what kind hurts my sleeve, it feels heavy. Recently, scrambled eggs feel heavy, so I will be taking to my doctor, but eating chips does has never hurt! I did not know there were chips with Protein in them. Thanks for letting me know, I will look them up!

[JamieLogical 8,697]

You should be open and honest with the surgeon about the struggles you've been having when you have your appointment. If you are experiencing problems with meat and other high-protein foods, then you need to get to the bottom of why, because you are going to need to be eating those things for the rest of your life. Not meeting Protein goals is a serious issue.

[Mbain 29]

@@JamieLogical

I will definitely ask. I have noticed for the past 2 weeks to eat everything it hurts. My stomach feels heavy and I have pain sometimes well after the half hour, and i definitely feel real full that I don't even want to drink my Water. I have no problem sticking to the diet and love meat, shrimp, chicken and all that, but lately no matter what I eat, it hurts. I will ask the doc about the Protein goals too. I really try everyday. For the past week it has been better, but not where I want it.

[judy1234 27]

I found that eating meat (or anything else for that matter), no matter what kind hurts my sleeve, it feels heavy. Recently, scrambled eggs feel heavy, so I will be taking to my doctor, but eating chips does has never hurt! I did not know there were chips with Protein in them. Thanks for letting me know, I will look them up!

Mbain, you can get the chips at Vitamin Shop. The flavor isn't great but they have a very satisfying crunch. 120 cals and 15g of Protein in a small bag.

[Mbain 29]

@@judy1234

Thank you! I am not sure what about chips is appealing, flavor or texture, but I will give these a try! That's a lot of Protein in one baggie!

[DaisyAmy 561]

I was craving the salty crunch of chips, too. I tried the Protein chips and they're ok what I found recently, though are roasted edamame and chick peas. They sell them at the grocery store.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I recall the stage you are at...I called it the doldrums. food didn't taste right, meat felt so heavy, I didn't feel like myself. I was losing weight but due to my size, I had lost 50# before it was really noticable. For me, it took about 12 weeks post op before I began to feel human.

This may not be accurate, but I am sensing some"all or nothing" thought patterns. I have a long history of doing that. That hamster wheelgoes something like this : I must be perfect, but I keep failing at perfection so chuck it and have a snickers bar....

Okay, I don't know what you were advised but I could not meet Protein goals without a shake. Some programs discourage that, but it can really help. Water is really hard but I found herbal tea and other Water substitutes. During the first few months post op, water made my stomach hurt and tasted like metal so I had to find alternatives.

I don't know what liar told you that you would never crave junk food post sleeve! The way to reduce junk food cravings is to not eat it. I know that seems so..stupid..but it is the absolute truth. Remove the crap from your home, this is the time to break old patterns and build new ones. It isn't easy because they don't give us brain surgery with our sleeve and those old ways hang on....

So, try some creative things - I made these little "crackers" by pan frying a bit of cheddar cheese. Protein drinks come in many sweet flavors, can that fill some of that craving?

I am 4 years post op and as I was writing this I went down memory lane about how badly I craved chips, crackers, Cookies -junk food - and making these substitutes helped. Now, I don't have that same drive to eat that stuff, or substitutes, so in time it really does get easier.

I admire you for such an honest post and want to tell you that you have lost alot of weight, you have done well and you can get on track!.

[number1rudegal 6]

I found that eating meat (or anything else for that matter), no matter what kind hurts my sleeve, it feels heavy. Recently, scrambled eggs feel heavy, so I will be taking to my doctor, but eating chips does has never hurt! I did not know there were chips with Protein in them. Thanks for letting me know, I will look them up!

I understand where you are coming from things I shouldn't eat go down so good but healthy foods most of the times make me feel really bad

[Mbain 29]

@@CowgirlJane

Thanks for your words, and I am not off track after all! I have lost about 39% of my excess weight as of today. My surgeon said they like to see 50 to 75% weight off by one year, and so I plan to keep going. I never craved chocolate before, I had no trigger foods, only than maybe chips. I just had a very sedentary life and eating too much of the not so good stuff. I think this is just a phase that will go away soon. I am finding that things need to be re-adjusted as we go, but I will keep doing my best. Congratulations on four years out. It takes a lot of courage for anyone that wants to lose weight to do it; however they achieve it.

[Mbain 29]

@@number1rudegal

Yes! That is the truth! I love meat and all, but it just hurts My doctor did say that I should try milk of magnesia because of its coating properties, and that if the pain does not stop in a week to call them. I am really hoping is not anything serious, only because I cannot have down time; I am graduating in May!

[songsmith 334]

Does it feel heavy because you're full? Newly sleeved, so wondering if that could be it. Remember the more carbs you eat, the more cravings you'll have. It's a vicious circle.

Is there an activity you have fun with? Walking? A class? Swimming? It's winter, but gardening (the heavy stuff) is also great exercise.

[2goldengirl 2,076]

@@number1rudegal

Yes! That is the truth! I love meat and all, but it just hurts My doctor did say that I should try milk of magnesia because of its coating properties, and that if the pain does not stop in a week to call them. I am really hoping is not anything serious, only because I cannot have down time; I am graduating in May!

Oh my dear, that explains at least part of it. You're in the final sprint to graduation which is stressful to the max. No wonder your body and brain are going all wonky on you. Hang in there. Do what you can to manage the stress and anxiety without the chips and Snickers. Go for a walk. Get a massage. Meditate. Take a hot bath. Take care of yourself. Drink your Protein if you have to. You can do this!

[Mistie 201]

Try kale chips. You can buy them, but they are gross. Just buy some kale, mix a few tablespoons of olive oil and some salt. Parchment paper on a cookie sheet and a thin layer of the kale. Bake until they start to crisp. I had never eaten kale until after surgery - and I love this! It's a great chip replacement, as long as I get it crunchy (soggy is gross hah). Good luck!