Frequency of meals

[Guest]

Hi all. Sorry for all the posts lately-I've been not feeling the best and find it triggers anxiety. Posting here helps.

How many times a day do you guys eat? I've seen a lot of different stories, but are you guys losing weight doing all different kinds of lifestyles?

My weight loss has slowed down and Im discouraged. I eat perfectly but my nutritionist has us at 4 TBSPS a meal, 3 X day with no Snacks. I'm starving. I'm also getting headaches and other physical responses which have been painful and discouraging. I drink about 64-80 oz of Water a day and it doesn't help much. All Vitamins are present and accounted for.

I want to incorporate healthy snacks but have also been told my "body thermostat" will never lower itself (that set point your body, in theory, wants to keep you at) unless I only eat 3X a day so my insulin and crap changes.

This is all so difficult, anecdotal and drastic that I don't even know what to eat or do anymore.

Edited September 14, 2020 by Guest

[tarotcardreader 196]

I try to eat three times a day but its not scheduled because if i feel like im going to hurl i put it off for an additional hour hoping there will be more room in the pouch for it

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, tarotcardreader said:

I try to eat three times a day but its not scheduled because if i feel like im going to hurl i put it off for an additional hour hoping there will be more room in the pouch for it

I think we may be talking about 2 different problems.

[tarotcardreader 196]

39 minutes ago, Keatsy said:

I think we may be talking about 2 different problems.

I got many problems (nausea diarreah) but i did lose 41 lb so far so three times a day seems to be working for me

[drawingdami 34]

1 hour ago, Keatsy said:

Hi all. Sorry for all the posts lately-I've been not feeling the best and find it triggers anxiety. Posting here helps.

How many times a day do you guys eat? I've seen a lot of different stories, but are you guys losing weight doing all different kinds of lifestyles?

My weight loss has slowed down and Im discouraged. I eat perfectly but my nutritionist has us at 4 TBSPS a meal, 3 X day with no Snacks. I'm starving. I'm also getting headaches and other physical responses which have been painful and discouraging. I drink about 64-80 oz of Water a day and it doesn't help much. All Vitamins are present and accounted for.

I want to incorporate healthy Snacks but have also been told my "body thermostat" will never lower itself (that set point your body, in theory, wants to keep you at) unless I only eat 3X a day so my insulin and crap changes.

This is all so difficult, anecdotal and drastic that I don't even know what to eat or do anymore.

I am very new- two weeks out as of tomorrow. I am transitioning from purees to soft foods now and I am trying to practice intuitive eating. I think if you are hungry, maybe you should eat a good snack, something high Protein. Everyone's body is SO different, and I think we have to remember that our diets are guidelines. You have to tailor it to you. Maybe your body needs to eat more often, especially if you are exercising. Maybe try a teaspoon or two of natural, no sugar added Peanut Butter as a snack in between a meal. Listen to your body--you don't have to go wild, but if she's hungry, feed it. She will hang on to every pound if she feels like she is starving.

[Pandemonium 515]

I eat 4 times a day:

Breakfast at 9am

lunch at 1pm

snack at 4pm

dinner at 7pm

This is the same schedule I followed pre-op, and it has kept me comfortable. I will infrequently indulge in an extra snack (slice of deli ham or turkey, spoonful of hummus or ricotta cheese) if I think I'll come in a little low on my Protein for the day, but that doesn't tend to happen too often.

[sillykitty 10,776]

3 hours ago, Keatsy said:

Hi all. Sorry for all the posts lately-I've been not feeling the best and find it triggers anxiety. Posting here helps.

How many times a day do you guys eat? I've seen a lot of different stories, but are you guys losing weight doing all different kinds of lifestyles?

My weight loss has slowed down and Im discouraged. I eat perfectly but my nutritionist has us at 4 TBSPS a meal, 3 X day with no Snacks. I'm starving. I'm also getting headaches and other physical responses which have been painful and discouraging. I drink about 64-80 oz of Water a day and it doesn't help much. All Vitamins are present and accounted for.

I want to incorporate healthy Snacks but have also been told my "body thermostat" will never lower itself (that set point your body, in theory, wants to keep you at) unless I only eat 3X a day so my insulin and crap changes.

This is all so difficult, anecdotal and drastic that I don't even know what to eat or do anymore.

Yes, people lose weight after WLS following all kinds of different programs, or even none at all. As long as one consumes less calories than they burn, weight loss will occur (yes, there are other factors to this equation, but over the mid to long term, this holds true)

If you only are eating only 3/4 cup of food a day, are you meeting your Protein goals?

You are only 6 weeks post op, so it's way too early to judge that "weight loss has slowed down". You have lost over 5 lbs per week, that is in no way something you should think is disappointing or unsatisfactory. Just relax and realize that this is working!

[BigSue 1,389]

I'm about two weeks ahead of you. I eat three meals per day, 2-4 ounces each. No Snacks, but I often drink a Protein Shake or Protein hot chocolate between meals. I'm not hungry at all and I don't have any of those side effects of hunger that I would have had before surgery if I went a single day under 500 calories. Sometimes I kind of want to eat between meals, not because I'm hungry but because I have my mind on something I want to eat. It's a little frustrating because I would enjoy half a yogurt or a couple ounces of cottage cheese much more than a protein shake, but I don't want to get in the habit of snacking.

How many calories are you getting per day? 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) 3x/day is not much compared to most programs. I'm getting 400-500 calories per day and the nutritionist said I should be eating more (800-1000 calories/day, but that seems too high). How much do you exercise? If you are eating 300 calories per day and working out, I don't think that would be enough to reasonably sustain you.

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, BigSue said:

I'm about two weeks ahead of you. I eat three meals per day, 2-4 ounces each. No Snacks, but I often drink a Protein Shake or Protein hot chocolate between meals. I'm not hungry at all and I don't have any of those side effects of hunger that I would have had before surgery if I went a single day under 500 calories. Sometimes I kind of want to eat between meals, not because I'm hungry but because I have my mind on something I want to eat. It's a little frustrating because I would enjoy half a yogurt or a couple ounces of cottage cheese much more than a Protein shake, but I don't want to get in the habit of snacking.

How many calories are you getting per day? 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) 3x/day is not much compared to most programs. I'm getting 400-500 calories per day and the nutritionist said I should be eating more (800-1000 calories/day, but that seems too high). How much do you exercise? If you are eating 300 calories per day and working out, I don't think that would be enough to reasonably sustain you.

I eat about 400-500 calories a day, and get in all my protein and Water requirements. I'm still dabbling with the ounces vs tbsp issue. My nutritionist wants to consistently use TBSPs but I dont find it logical in situation that involve liquid or soft/blended foods.

My issue is I'm always hungry. Like actually hungry, stomach growling, headache, would eat a plant outside hungry. I feel envious of people who take 2 bites and are full. I think about food more now than I did before because Im so hungry all the time.

[Guest]

Ok, Im definitely losing the snacking battle, which is more apparent after I've read all these and realized what I'm slowly leading myself into.

Tips to get out of this without starving myself?

[WishMeSmaller 1,274]

My surgeon and nut encourage 5 small meals per day. I usually have three meals and one snack, sometimes two. I always have some sort of Protein shake/smoothie for breakfast or I will not hit my protein goals. My “meals “ are typically around 150 kcals. Some days I am just hungry and eat more. Some days I am not very hungry and I just get enough food in to hit protein goals. @drawingdami mentioned intuitive eating, which I try to follow. Our bodies are pretty good at letting us know what we need if we listen closely. There is a great book called Intuitive Eating. Might be worth a look since you are not getting what you need from your medical professionals.

[Sclipper 0]

I tried many different variations. Intermittent fasting with 2 meals a day (i was starving) , 3 meals a day (gaining weight) and then i came across this article (in Bulgarian) i liked it so much i asked the writer to let me translate his content for everyone to see.

“What should we eat to lose weight?” by Strahil Ivanov

Edited September 15, 2020 by Sclipper

[BigSue 1,389]

6 hours ago, Keatsy said:

I eat about 400-500 calories a day, and get in all my Protein and Water requirements. I'm still dabbling with the ounces vs tbsp issue. My nutritionist wants to consistently use TBSPs but I dont find it logical in situation that involve liquid or soft/blended foods.

My issue is I'm always hungry. Like actually hungry, stomach growling, headache, would eat a plant outside hungry. I feel envious of people who take 2 bites and are full. I think about food more now than I did before because Im so hungry all the time.

Well, that’s a bummer. I don’t think it’s good to go around feeling like you’re starving all the time. That’s what often causes us to yo-yo diet and gain weight in the first place. I know you don’t have a good dietitian, so she probably won’t be much help and you’ll have to find your own solution. Not that I’m qualified to give medical advice, but it seems to me that the solution is to find Snacks that are low-calorie but fill you up, like veggies and lean protein. Maybe a small salad. I’ve seen a lot of people say that they can eat a lot of junk food (like chips) without feeling full but only a few bites of chicken, so I guess the trick is choosing those healthy foods that fill you up in a few bites.

[The Greater Fool 2,039]

On 9/14/2020 at 12:36 PM, Keatsy said:

Hi all. Sorry for all the posts lately-I've been not feeling the best and find it triggers anxiety. Posting here helps.

How many times a day do you guys eat? I've seen a lot of different stories, but are you guys losing weight doing all different kinds of lifestyles?

My weight loss has slowed down and Im discouraged. I eat perfectly but my nutritionist has us at 4 TBSPS a meal, 3 X day with no Snacks. I'm starving. I'm also getting headaches and other physical responses which have been painful and discouraging. I drink about 64-80 oz of Water a day and it doesn't help much. All Vitamins are present and accounted for.

I want to incorporate healthy Snacks but have also been told my "body thermostat" will never lower itself (that set point your body, in theory, wants to keep you at) unless I only eat 3X a day so my insulin and crap changes.

This is all so difficult, anecdotal and drastic that I don't even know what to eat or do anymore.

Yes, we all have different plans as our surgeons / nutritionists have different beliefs and theories on how to use their surgery. It's OK. Following the plan is most important now.

You are about 6 weeks? Follow the plan. Don't worry about your weight. The scale is lying to you. Your body on your plan has minimal calories, so you ARE losing. With all your Water, you may be retaining fluids.

Have you asked the Doc/Nut about the headaches? What did they say? Demand answers and actions.

Interestingly, the 64oz a day of fluids thing was pulled out of someone's backside way, way back with no evidence. Studies don't support it. 80oz water MAY be causing the headaches and hunger. I know when I drink too much, I get headaches and hungry because that much water just washes everything through.

Remember, there is nothing between your mouth and your intestines, everything goes straight through. Its the big reason you are not supposed to drink when you eat, to give the food a chance to move through slower.

Don't start snacking yet (IMHO). Healthy snacks are still snacks and off plan. I did SF Popsicles as snacks. They satisfy the eating urge and count as Fluid. I still eat them when I think to grab 'em.

This *IS* difficult. You had yourself cut open and your innards re-arranged, the very definition of drastic.

Talk to your Doc/Nut about how you feel. Exactly what you are doing. If they don't give you an answer or solution, DEMAND one. It's up to you to advocate for yourself and get them to understand.

Tek

Edited September 17, 2020 by The Greater Fool

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, The Greater Fool said:

Yes, we all have different plans as our surgeons / nutritionists have different beliefs and theories on how to use their surgery. It's OK. Following the plan is most important now.

You are about 6 weeks? Follow the plan. Don't worry about your weight. The scale is lying to you. Your body on your plan has minimal calories, so you ARE losing. With all your Water, you may be retaining fluids.

Have you asked the Doc/Nut about the headaches? What did they say? Demand answers and actions.

Interestingly, the 64oz a day of fluids thing was pulled out of someone's backside way, way back with no evidence. Studies don't support it. 80oz Water MAY be causing the headaches and hunger. I know when I drink too much, I get headaches and hungry because that much Water just washes everything through.

Remember, there is nothing between your mouth and your intestines, everything goes straight through. Its the big reason you are not supposed to drink when you eat, to give the food a chance to move through slower.

Don't start snacking yet (IMHO). Healthy Snacks are still Snacks and off plan. I did SF Popsicles as snacks. They satisfy the eating urge and count as Fluid. I still eat them when I think to grab 'em.

This *IS* difficult. You had yourself cut open and your innards re-arranged, the very definition of drastic.

Talk to your Doc/Nut about how you feel. Exactly what you are doing. If they don't give you an answer or solution, DEMAND one. It's up to you to advocate for yourself and get them to understand.

Tek

I think I can hold out until they invent a 0 cal/carb/sugar donut. *Insert Homer noises here*