Dear Becca

I'm so sorry you are struggling!! But there is hope. It took maybe a month before my pouch started "talking" to me. My nose would run when my pouch was full but I didn't get that full feeling for a while.

Your program is a bit more aggressive than mine. I was still on pureed food at this point and only at about 500 calories a day. I didn't hit 1000 calories until 3 months out and at 7 months out I still hover at closer to 800 on days that I don't exercise.

Just make sure you are eating slowly and don't graze. Pre-plan your protein for each meal. I find the times when I want to snack is when I watch TV or am bored in general, so I try to get up and take a walk instead.

I know how hard it is right now but it will get better!!! Here is a link to my plan incase you want to compare.

http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/highland/departments-centers/bariatrics/bariatric-diets.aspx

Hang in there sweetie!!

Diana

Hey, sweet Becca!!! Good grief, you are even textbook perfect on having a 3 week meltdown!!! I just love you, ya know?? Did you know most people hit a wall of depression 3 weeks after surgery? It happened to me with my plastics, too.

If I had a dollar for every person who said they were afraid they would be the only person the surgery didn't work for I'd be incredibly rich!!! So, once again, you are perfectly on track!

A couple practical answers. You said, "If I could "just do what I'm suppose to do" I'd have never been fat to begin with!" and you wondered just how the surgery actually helped you if you were still operating on will-power. RNY is a metabolic surgery. It not only changes the size of your stomach, it changes the way your hormones work. Normally, when you lose weight, leptin levels change to make you hungrier and your metabolism slows down. Our bodies are programmed to fight to stay fat. RNY "reboots" your system. Your body will work with you, not against you.

As obese people, we thought of ourselves as not having will-power. Because we "failed" in this area of our lives, we believed we were weak. THIS IS A LIE!!! We are incredibly strong, determined people. I now realize I have more will power than most people I know. So do you. In other areas of your life you already believe it...guess what....you now have secret super-powers over food!! It does not control your life any more. You control the food.

No, you will probably never feel "full" the way you did before surgery. Full now hurts...it will result in lots of thick saliva, a brick like feeling in the center of your chest, and throwing up. You will learn to stop before it hurts. That is a conscious choice. I make that choice every time I eat. You will probably never have the "food coma" feeling again. You cannot use food to medicate your emotions anymore.

If you feel like you can eat more solid food, back off of the protein powder and add more dense protein. There is no way your body will let you overeat dense protein. Meals should take about 20 minutes.

Hon, you are right on track. You are going to be just fine!! When you are having a weak moment, go to my profile and read my early journal entries...then look through my pics. Then document what you are thinking/feeling in your journals for the newbie you will be encouraging 3 1/2 years from now when you are the seasoned veteran...living life as a healthy, fit person.

Go get, em!!!

Lovin' you!!

JJ

Hi Becca,
First let me say I am brand new here, my first post. I am a little further along than you, had my RNY 7/1, but I know what you are feeling. Sadly, I had to "over-eat" twice to learn to understand my pouch. Both times I ate to fast and, as a result, I ate to much. I felt pain that I can only relate to as "extreme and frightening" and I pray I never do it again! For me, I have learned not to expect the normal "full" feeling I once felt. I now measure my food, eat very slowly, and wait. I will, with a bit of patience feel "content" rather than full. I hope it helps to know that you are not alone in your feelings of uncertainty.

Becca, I am a week ahead of you, with surgery. I also thought I must have had the wrong surgery. I could eat and not really feel full, this is changing in week 3. I definitely have the full sensation now. I know not to push too much. I also get a "full" feeling if I have not chewed thoroughly. This is such a mental roller coaster, and I think you are perfectly normal. It's not easy there is a lot to deal with and even though you have done your homework, it is still a personal and sometimes "alone" feeling process. Hang in there. Kim

You have expressed all my fears!!!! I can relate to everything you're saying. I'm afraid that when I start the soft foods I'm gonna not feel full. However, I used to be able to pound down an entire pizza (medium, not small) myself and I'm pretty sure info even try that now it'll kill me! Lol. Ok not funny, but true. I am trying so hard to listen for my body to tell me when to stop. And of course you're making healthy choices of foods. I am a total emotional eater and I don't even know if I know what it feels like to even be hungry bc I'd always stiff my face well before I got physically hungry. You will be ok- and remember you're not alone!!!

There is a disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome, it is a genetic disorder where a person never feels full after eating. Did you have this problem before surgery?

I tend to ramble so here we go....

I am 12 years out. I did not have the problem you are talking about, but my sister in law did. She can't eat as much as she use to but could eat more then I could even after 10 years out.

She continued to loose the weight and has lost over 200 pounds since her surgery 4 years ago.

I still can't eat a lot in one sitting, even though I think I would like to.

I would suggest trying to eat food for breakfast instead of the shake, then have the shake for a snack about 2 to 3 hours after you eat.

Hi Becca,
I'm so glad that you made this post. I will be having my surgery on the 26th. This is just what I have been afraid would happen to me too. I won't be on solid food for 3 months though. My doctor say the pouch needs time to heal. I appreciate what you are going through and hope the very best for you.

I'm 5.5 months post op and still only eat about a half cup of whatever. It's not exact, but thats what I stay with. I don't want to feel that 'full' feeling,,,,i've been there with the runny nose, etc and I dont care for the feeling so i just stay on the smaller side.

Hi Becca --- You have tons of advice here so I will just add my experience. I have found that I don't really get the "full" feeling until I am stuffed - at least before the surgery that is how I felt. So now I just try and measure, eat the protein first and if I feel "satisfied", I stop. I have overate twice since the surgery and it's a icky feeling. My advice to you is to keep measuring your food and eat only that amount. See how you feel in a few weeks. I think you will find yourself get clues from your pouch that it has had enough. Stay strong - you will get through this hurdle. :)

I am the same way Becca, my doc smiled when i accused him of not doing anything! His response was "you're not supposed to feel uncomfortable when satisfied...you're just supposed to feel... SATISFIED! ". So yeah...head hunger. I've tolerated all foods...including ones i wish I didn't, but the little clues of "that's enough" are subtle, I need to work on recognising them. A few weeks ago i had a week of throwing up everything I ate, my surgeon scoped me to look for strictures...i almost wanted him to find one...turned out I just had a gi bug...but I was relieved when he showed me pics of my tiny pouch...like most things in life we read more about the struggles than success so people tend to post more of what they can't do. 1000 cals a day is still waaaaay below our metabolic needs...so you will lose. Fill up with protein and veggies and fuel your body for exercise... one thing my doc encourages me to try is lose the protein shake...it's slider food now and doesn't fill you up...whole food lean protein does. Save the protein drinks for a post workout quick refuel if you must.

Hey Becca,,,, I think what you are feeling is totally normal... I remember asking my doc why I didn't get the little things like a runny nose, or burp, or full feeling... And I also remember asking where my pouch was because I couldn't tell....

At six months out, I still don't get any little feelings that I am full, but I just know... Like Shelley I try to use a small plate when I eat, and I have a visual in my head of what the portion size should be... My nut has plastic food that she will put on a plate and say this is all that you should eat at a meal... That is burned into my brain, and I know I should never eat more than that... And honestly, I usually can't eat more than that...

In the beginning, I thought I was the one person this surgery wasn't going to work for... And it was right about weeks 4 to 6 that things started falling into place... And by month 3 I no longer had to think about things, they were beginning routine....

I promise you things get better and easier... Don't give in to that head hunger... The mind is a powerful thing...

Good luck... Call or text me anytime even if you just want to yell, scream, cry, laugh, or just talk... I am always here for you....

Hi Becca,

I had trouble accessing the site over the weekend due to computer troubles and totally missed this post. Hugs!!

I think you're so early out that your body and your head are not yet in sync. That will come with time. I sometimes feel full. More often, though, I portion out my food according to the instructions in my program and when I'm done, I'm done.

You'll be just fine. Hang in there!!

Another thought to follow up on loserT's post...I used to always eat til I was full. I needed to feel full. Many times, if I'm honest, I felt overfull. I think learning to feel satisfied is a big key to success. You don't have to feel full. Take care!!

These posts are great! I have the same fear that after surgery I will still be hungry all the time. Great advice. Hang in there Becca! It will get better!

Hi Becca -
With our surgeries a day apart, I can relate. I was disapointed that after surgery and when I was able to be off liquid diet- onto pureed and soft food I didn't "feel full". It really started to worry me but I keep measuring and following the program. It's starting to change though because I can "hear" my body cues better and I'm getting familiar with my pouch. The feeling is more like That's enough- and eating slow with small bites and portioning is helping it all sync and I'm satisfied not necessarily "full" there's a difference I'm learning.
I'm reading a book titled Eat it up by Connie Statpleton and it is fantastic. Hang in there Becca, welcome to your feelings!