The need to eat until stuffed

[sesargent 9]

Have you ever seen Finding Nemo? Remember the scene with "fish are friends, not food!" Well, right now, fish are your friends, AND food. tuna fish is great, it's filling, and has ZERO fat and ZERO carbs (get the stuff in Water, not oil). For dinner tonight - 0 carbs, 0 fat, 26 Protein, and only 120 calories! I added some lite mayo, 1 carb, 3.5 fat, 0 Protein, 35 calories. Also put 1 oz of shredded cheese on top just for taste, 1 carb, 9 fat, 6 protein, 110 calories. Healthy, protein-rich, low carb, low fat, low cal, and I was stuffed at the end. Very filling.

If you're craving bread, I've heard good things about a cauliflower crust pizza - just make the base and don't put any toppings on if you don't want, and you've got a bread-like snack that's much healthier.

For several days in a row I had homemade chicken salad. I put 4 chicken breasts in a crockpot with some low sodium chicken broth and a little barbecue sauce for taste. Next morning they were really soft. Ground them up in the food processor, add some some lite mayo, sweet relish and mustard, and it's great! One 4.5 oz serving (are you ready for this?) - 0.5 carbs, 3.1 fat, 39 (!) protein, and 196 calories. That's half your protein in one meal. And it's filling too.

Just plan ahead, I know it's a cliche but if you don't plan to succeed you're planning to fail.

One last suggestion, I've been eating Shelly's Ricotta Bake almost every day (it's amazing) - one serving is 6.8 carbs, 12.5 fat, 16.3 protein, and 206 calories.

You can do it, just remember why you got the surgery in the first place. Nothing worthwhile is easy, just tell yourself that you WILL do it.

thanks for the chicken salad recipe, sounds delicious. I will def be trying that!

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[aftermath 13]

My Nutritionist (have a hard time using the abbreviation NUT for them) has me at meal, snack, meal, snack meal. Meals/snacks limited to 30 minutes. Then 30 minute wait and back to liquids. I find that drinking liquids solves some of the hunger issues but if I am still having hunger issues I eat a food that doesn't agree with me. Like cottage cheese, two bites and I'm done thinking about food because my stomach is dealing with it. Whatever works right.

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[bdjennings1957 2]

You should increase your Protein and lower your carbs. Keep your calories under 800. You have to write down everything you put in your stomach and the Cal, carb and Protein values. You'll be surprised how quickly those carbs add up.

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[bdjennings1957 2]

Those sugar free fruit Snacks you speak of are high in carbs!

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[Wonder WomanNJ 119]

If you don't mind me saying, you sound frustrated and I can totally relate. You need a good support system, someone you can call or email or text for advise. If your surgery center doesn't have a good nutritionist you can rely on, then maybe seek out another one. A good support system, I find, is crucial to this process.

Also - while these forums are good and sometimes very informational, I find that they can sometimes be very critical and insensitive. Seek out a friend or two you connect with and maybe take it from there.

Best of luck! xoxo

[Keri1019 61]

It's very hard if you have to travel for surgery and live 120 miles from anywhere states away. I am scheduled for surgery 2/14/17. I have made calls I have been on line watching all the videos from not only my nutritionist but others. I have several issues I would love to discuss but my nutritionist is on maternity leave. For some this is close to all we have.

I am a RN I would hate to not have any understanding of anatomy and physiology.

I have seen some mean spirited comments that are more than critical whereas a nurse I had to step in and share what knowledge I had.

Some people need this site.

[Tufflaw 465]

Also - while these forums are good and sometimes very informational, I find that they can sometimes be very critical and insensitive. Seek out a friend or two you connect with and maybe take it from there.

I think part of the problem is that it's impossible to tell tone from a text post, especially from someone you've never met in person, and someone might say something intending it to be taken a certain way and the reader takes it completely differently and then a war breaks out. Some people speak very plainly and very bluntly, with no malice, that's just the way they are, and others may not be used to that. There's also a lot of the "facebook syndrome" where we might talk to someone online in a manner we'd never use in person.

[Keri1019 61]

I am sure you are partially right. It is the same with texting as a form of communication. However I have seen plain out rude.

All people on the site are at different levels of education. It is one thing to give out advice or do some teaching you do not have to be mean spirited or so critical the person is fearful of coming to the site and asking a question. I have seen some of these posts that as a nurse I just cringe. I have stepped in with kid gloves and tried to assist the person being attacked with kindness and in a teaching mode.

[bleonhardt 46]

@@erica_ozzy73 I'm starting to think a lot of it is all about self control. I can eat 4oz of a Protein filled meal and be stuffed then an hour later I catch myself wanting to eat more. I use to do that a lot before surgery I would eat and eat and eat and not feel completely full satisfied. I'm starting to get the same feeling. Not satisfied after an hour. Just make sure you get Protein in and drink lots of Water. It was a struggle today to stop thinking about food and wanting more. I think we all struggle with that esp after surgery. Foods an addiction and knowing you have a lunch or food you left over from not being able to eat it all has a lot to do with it, atleast for me. I've found that out today.

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It's almost ALL about self-control at where you and I are post-operatively! You're not meeting your protein goals, which is devastating to weight loss and feeling satiated by your food. I've not done the best job during the holidays, and I'm in a 3 week long stall right now. I know it's because I'm not keeping my carbs down and my protein up, and I'm not tracking every bite I put into my mouth. You should be losing more/more consistently than you are, maybe a re-start with Protein shakes and then advancing yourself through the different stages to reset your diet would be helpful. And you don't mention using any Protein powder...I still have to use it to get my protein grams high enough. On a normal day, I use GENEPRO unflavored in my morning coffee, so I start off with 20-30 grams of protein in a 12 ounce mug of coffee, with Monkfruit sweetener and cream. Some days I have a container of plain yogurt with a little low-carb granola mid-morning, or cottage cheese with a tablespoon of pureed fruit stirred in. lunch, I eat a cheese stick and a couple of slices of deli turkey. I have a handful of almonds or half an apple with Peanut Butter for an afternoon snack, then 3-4 ounces of my family's dinner protein and around 1/4 cup of vegetables. And I almost always have a sugar-free popsicle before dinner.

That typical day gets me about 850 cals, 95 grams protein and 50 grams of carbs, with only 21 of them being sugars. I lose when I'm eating like that...80 lbs since the end of June. You've got the tool in place, you just need to commit to using it correctly, find ways to distract yourself when you're hungry (exercise, clean house, work, garden...whatever works) and get back on track. There's literally no reason for you to NOT be successful! Go get it, you CAN do this!!

Does the genpro change the consistency of your coffee at all? I can not wait until I have a taste for coffee again lol but think that is a great idea to meet protein goals! Just can not do a consistency change as I won't enjoy it! Lol

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[bleonhardt 46]

I am not here to judge anyone however I live about 2 1/2 hours from anywhere and will also have no support system. I was planning on this site and two other sites as support. If this is how you treat someone who has a question about diet who comes in a moment of stress I better consider support from somewhere else. I would be in tears.

I am an RN and feel you guys attacked this person.

It's very hard doing this miles from anywhere. I am having trouble getting all I need from my doctors office as I am educated and need answers at a clinical level. I know they all are dreading meeting me pre op. However I have to be prepared.

I have tried products from BariatricPal and another site so I know what I like and don't.

But let's be kind we are all at different stages in the process. We are all at different knowledge levels. We all need support.

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I would love to be a part of your support system if you will have me! I was sleeved on 12/09/16 and have an awesome support system from my surgeon and bariatric nurse! In fact tomorrow I go to a post op bariatric food class and support group! Please reach out any time! Feel free to message me directly!!! =) I am still learning but would enjoy sharing our journeys!

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[Keri1019 61]

That would be nice. Sent you a pm not sure what I am doing yet. Thanks

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[sesargent 9]

OMG my daughter is eating butter popcorn. I am still liquids and just now getting hungry. That smell tho...

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[ShelterDog64 2,364]

@@bleonhardt It doesn't change it at all, at least to my palate. I use cream in my coffee, so I mix the scoop of GENEPRO with the coffee cream, then mix that into my coffee. It's really helped me and made my weight loss more successful!

[ShelterDog64 2,364]

If you don't mind me saying, you sound frustrated and I can totally relate. You need a good support system, someone you can call or email or text for advise. If your surgery center doesn't have a good nutritionist you can rely on, then maybe seek out another one. A good support system, I find, is crucial to this process.

Also - while these forums are good and sometimes very informational, I find that they can sometimes be very critical and insensitive. Seek out a friend or two you connect with and maybe take it from there.

Best of luck! xoxo

I think it's good to maybe reframe online forums as impersonal, rather than insensitive. People speak rather frankly when they don't 'know' one another.

[Keri1019 61]

@ShelterDog it doesn't matter there is no reason to be rude or critical period. To continue to make excuses for the people that attack others is plain wrong.

I have only been coming on here for about a month. I am a medical professional and I do a lot of patient teaching and at times have to be very direct. There is a clear difference when you make people afraid to ask a question I have seen it to many times. That I looked at many threads to see if someone else already asked what I wanted to know. Instead of asking and I have more knowledge than most.

There needs to be protocols.

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