Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Words of encouragement for the head hungry struggle...



Recommended Posts

Hey everyone,

1st of all, the surgery has changed my life! Being 204 lbs at 6’0 tall is life changing! I haven’t been this weight since college in 1992. I have a football players body so broad shoulders big build. Everyone has commented how great I look. I had my surgery on 10/6/19

Heres the problem:

For the last 6 weeks I’ve stopped losing weight. I’m stuck at 204.

my stomach isn’t happy with pure Protein. Right around Thanksgiving, I started noticing that when I ate protein of anytype my stomach would growl and seriously cramp and be upset until I could mix carbs in with the protein -then my stomach would be satisfied.

Then I started eating a lot of rice. Sushi 4-5 pieces is satisfying with salmon and yellow tail with rice under it and I’m satisfied.

Then I went into my unhealthy eating habits. I eat a lot of candy everyday....realizing I have a disease, I threw out all of the candy today. I threw out all of my trigger foods. I threw out all of the chips I was eating. All of the junk food is gone from my house.

Please understand, I have a mental disorder called an eating disorder. My stomach hasn’t stretched. I still throw up eating too much, I have a small pouch, I’m still in the honeymoon phase, and even eating lots of junk each day lots of candy each day 4 months after surgery I haven’t gained any weight but I stopped losing the last 6 weeks since New Year’s Day.

Im going back to pure protein light veggies then a little carbs. I will muscle my way roll my sleeves up and start losing the weight. I want to lose 20 lbs and have a BMI of 25 but my wife, co workers, friends, family all say stop losing weight! You look like a cancer victim.

At basically 200 lbs and big broad shouldered football looking dude with a shaved head everyone says enough, but I’m worried with my bad habits that I arrested and threw away today, that eventually I will start gaining weight.

Ps my Dr. Said that since my body type needs 2500 calories a day to maintain that I would get to my target weight quickly, which I’m close to.

I also know when I get my veggies and fruits in, my candy & chip cravings disappear.

Any advice? Is it time for therapy? FYI, Kaiser my provider has horrible non existent opportunities for therapy, the wait list is 4-8 months to get in to see one.

Maybe a weekly support group would help?

Mark -worried

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Get off the Protein in powder form since you are close, I had to also - I switched up my diet and used eggs and veggie protein to stop the growl - I only do shakes every other day now.

As for the head games - I say shake it off, you have came so far like many of us there is no way head games are going to ruin my fun - get a before picture and think back at how rough life was! No way Mr Head are you winning!

I bought a puppy to reward myself on this journey and me and him have road out the rough time and good times together! I am not into support groups, but that is just me, I spend more time looking for a date at a support group then why i was there.

But many here do support groups and if it works definitely do it!

No way head games can beat you after the hell and back you have gone thru!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hello Mark,

Eventually we could all start gaining. I know that I worry about it. I am a month further out than you and was plodding along at the same weight for a month. I decided to go back to eating plain chicken and other meats. I try to eat very little carb, ususally 40 to 50 grams a day and 60 to 80 Protein and of course 60 to 100 oz of Water. Once I did that and kept my calories close to 1100 I dropped 4 pounds over night and the scale hasn't rebounded yet despite enjoying the race day on Sunday. It did seem counter intuitive to eat more to lose but it really did work and I wish I had done it when advised to do so. Good luck!

I forgot to add that I had tried Russell Stover Sugar Free Chocolates and they are so tasty. My problem is is sets me up to crave more sweets so I decided to give it up.

Edited by Lynda486

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

THanks guys. I appreciate the perspective! I'm going to the gym now. I will do better!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Mark1107 said:

For the last 6 weeks I’ve stopped losing weight. I’m stuck at 204.

Experiencing those pesky repetitive weight loss plateau’s and the “Yo-Yo” dieting affect it seems to produce is one reason I am doing WLS this year. Unfortunately knowing that a plateau can happen after WLS is a reason why I opted out last year.

When I was on other non-surgical weigh loss plans over the past 5 years the only thing that worked for me when I got stuck at a certain weight (usually between 320 and 330) was to get a clear understanding of what I was consuming daily by using a food tracking program called MyNetDiary. There are many different food trackers available Apple as well as Android, but I felt the paid “Pro” version of MyNetDiary had the best combination of tools.

To get the scale to move in the expected direction I always reduced my net-carb intake, reduce my total calorie intake by 200 for the week and increased my physical activity. It always worked but eventually I would slide back a few months later after breaking the plateau, would stop that extra day at the gym, start overeating on those so called “healthy” Snacks and before I knew it I was back to square one.

I know what works, at least for me but I simply can’t do it consistently. I sure wish there was an easy answer but if there was, likely this forum would not exist and everyone would be fit and trim. 🤪

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, VIN_IN_AL said:

To get the scale to move in the expected direction I always reduced my net-carb intake, reduce my total calorie intake by 200 for the week and increased my physical activity.

Fully agree Only way i can get the scale to move down is above! Increase in work out, Decrease in carbs and calories, increase in Water, and throw in a few fasts! ======= down in pounds.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For me Bupropion, an antidepressant, helped with my eating disorder. Before I had my surgery I was in control of my eating habits enough so that I didn't gain weight this was due to Bupropion which was originally a drug for OCD which eating disorders have a lot in common with. Unfortunately, I was steady at 350 lbs thus the WLS.

There are drugs out their specifically targeted at weight loss patients and cigarette smokers that contain Bupropion.

Contrave is the one I heard about for weightloss patients.

The Bupropion and keeping my distance from trigger foods has always helped me.

Not that it is perfect, I had to move in with my mom and she lived with every trigger food imaginable. During that time I gained a lot of weight. But as soon as I left her house, the bupropion helped me at least not gain anymore. Then it was hard work of dieting that helped me get down 40 lbs.

Good Luck on your weightloss journey and I also think 204 sounds great for a six foot guy.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Therapy is probably good for you at this point. But definitely consult with your nutritionist to get back onto a healthier diet again.

I don't eat many things that are just carbs. I try to stick to meat Proteins, but I satisfy my carb needs with beans/lentils/nuts. They help satisfy me while providing more Protein.

Rice is usually a big no-no. As is any bread, especially with yeast. They fill your stomach up with less nutritious foods. My nutritionist allows me to eat 6-8 whole wheat crackers with meals when I want a "bread" source. I also eat very small tortilla wraps (meat/cheese inside). Once in a while I will take pretzels or tortilla chips and dip them in hummus or a bean dip. But my diet is mostly keto-ish.... high protein, low fat, very low carbs. The high fat isn't good in Keto, but the fat you do eat should be healthy fats (not bacon bacon fat or the like sadly). Try to break the junk food habit! I restrain myself from eating junk most of the time. But I do allow myself the OCCASIONAL small treat. But for me, my biggest food enemy is "Cola". Pepsi/Coke are my addiction. And I do NOT drink diet. Nasty. I know I cannot ever drink it again or I will slip into all my bad habits before I know it. So... I found a flavored drink substitute that I am allowed to have: Vitamin Water Zero or Gatorade Zero. If I need something flavored to drink, I stick to those or unsweetened mint tea or something similar.

Anyhow, consult your nutritionist, schedule an appointment with a therapist, and start tracking your food again and work out! And support groups are great too, if you find one that works for you. I don't like the group setting, that is why I am here on this website. But I also have a co-worker that had the surgery 4 years ago... I get a lot of support from her too. And I am advising another co-worker who is considering having surgery. Both are therapeutic for me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone. Some interesting observations...

when I was 298 I started taking Bupropion and Metformin. It was easy to drop 25-30lbs before surgery.

After surgery I stayed on both drugs and today I skipped the metformin and my nightly hunger pains and over eating at night went away! Maybe the Metformin was spiking my blood sugar needlessly? I hope to report back tomorrow night that I’m back to losing weight!

I only took Metformin and bupropion for weight loss not for diabetes or anything.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Lizette1122

      Anyone had the TORe procedure? How did it go? How much weight did you loose? 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • LadyVeteran1

      Sleeve surgery is on April 14th.  I am counting the days!!  Can't wait!
      · 3 replies
      1. Brookie2shoes

        Me too girl!! Are you in the full liquid diet right now? It’s sooooo hard!

      2. LadyVeteran1

        Not yet. I was told I only have to do 24 hours of a liquid diet. But I have my pre-op tomorrow so I’m going to confirm if I need to do longer.

      3. buildabetteranna

        Your so close now! It's gonna be great :) Wishing you a speedy recovery and looking forward to seeing how it goes!

    • buildabetteranna

      Down 33 lbs and slightly stalled, but I'm gonna reevaluate and push through. I started back to work last week after 2 years of being disabled due to mental health as well as my weight. It's a great job and I'm just so happy to have this opportunity at a second chance at life. Hope everyone is having their best journey ❤️ Together, we got this!
      · 2 replies
      1. DaisyChainOz

        Great work Anna! Keep it up 😁

      2. buildabetteranna

        Thank you ❤️

    • Bashbee91

      Hey guys new to the process looking forward to this new life. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Bugg

      Hi everyone! I’m brand new here. I just went through all my pre-op requirements per my insurance company and now everything has been submitted and I’m just waiting for final approval and my surgery date. I’ve been doing research, watching YouTube videos, TikTok’s, ect.. trying to prepare my mind and what to expect so I’ll be ready for the surgery. I was so sure and so set and so ready and excited. However, now that I’ve done everything & it’s almost here, I am sooooooo scared! I know why I want it bc I’ve tried everything and I just don’t feel like I can lose weight by myself. I’m tired of being overweight my entire life. I’m miserable, but I keep psyching myself out afraid of GERD bc I know how that can be and I don’t want to have to get a bypass after already gaining the courage to even get VSG. I’m scared of complications like I’mgoing to regret doing it and be depressed that I didn’t just be more disciplined and try again to lose the weight on my own even sitting here typing this knowing in my mind i just can’t and don’t possess the discipline. I’m also afraid I won’t be able to handle the restrictions of the sleeve. What do I eat? I don’t know how to eat healthy really and don’t enjoy healthy food. I don’t know how to do this! I feel so defeated!Someone tell me they felt anything similar to this or am I not ready? I thought I was. I am so tired of being sick and tired and so tired of myself and so tired of being stuck and stuck in this body and somebody different on the outside from what I feel inside. I just want to ball up and cry.
      · 1 reply
      1. stevieoriole

        Am feeling this right now. My surgery date is 4/1. Sign the consent tomorrow. I feel like I overloaded myself with too much info, too many opinions. Got to the point where I was wondering if I should do this. Then I thought of my reasons for taking this step and that settled my nerves. Still get moments of doubt but am striving forward. Am just going to follow my book from the surgeon. Joined this because I was told by my dietician that I should do this for support

  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×