I understand totally what you are feeling. I'm 5 mos out and there are some days I think back to the initial post-surgery diet of just protein drinks with some longing. It was easy then, when that was all I could eat. Now I have to make the choices myself and sometimes I don't make the best choices. I also know first-hand that the more bad carbs/sugar I have, the hungrier I seem to be. I am supposed to keep my calorie range between 600-800 but that can be really difficult. I went up 2 lbs during vacation and they are not coming off easily. I just tell myself to follow the plan, do what I am supposed to do and trust that at some point I am going to start losing again. Also, my significant other has been a blessing as when I get down or disappointed in myself because I don't think I am where I "should" be with my weight loss, he reminds me of how far I've come and that I should be proud of the effort I have put into being healthier. I don't know if this post will help at all, but just know you aren't alone.

Great advice, jm! Focus forward, don't look back in anger, make the next good choice and trust the program.

Rob

I also have the hunger feeling, and I like JM said, I plan based on my restriction and macro nutrient goals (with modification for heavy activity).

As for regrets, the only one I have is not wrapping my head around this solution years ago. But we all come to our path in our own time.

-Phill

I don't regret my WLS sleeve surgery one bit! The only regret I have is waiting so long to have it. I didn't have any hunger the first year or so, ate cause I was told I had to and get so much protein grams in and cals in each day. I am almost 3 years post op now, surgery was June 2012. You have to be careful in thinking head hunger is real hunger. The cravings due come back so you really have to make the most of that "honeymoon" period of the fist 9 months to a year when you will loose the most weight the easiest. Remember to get 80 grams of protein a day and at least 80 oz of water a day. Don't eat and drink at the same time. Wait 30 minutes after eating to drink anything and don't eat anything till 15 minutes after you have drank as this will keep the food in your system longer and won't wash it away as fast.
Good luck!

I think actually me and Janet have a similar philosophy. I CAN eat anything, but I choose to stay away from some things. But knowing I can have 1/2 c of icecream or a chocolate truffle or bacon etc as long as I hit my macros and balanced diet guidelines makes me a lot more sane. Restriction is a trigger for me, tho many feel differently.

I eat 1000-1200ish daily as well and felt real hunger from about a week out. I find lowfat things make me hungry as does processed carbs. Sometimes working out makes me hungrier as well. When I eat a balanced diet-2 fruits, 3veg, 60g protein, 2 dairy servings and a decent amount of fat (about 1/3 of my calories) I am satisfied and generally stay within my calories. I also try to do healthier swaps if they don't make much of a difference to me. If they make a difference I go for the real deal, and cut back elsewhere- a burger for dinner? Then I have grilled fish and veg for lunch for example.

Are there days where I regret this? Yes, even If it's fleeting. I am/was a foodie, so thinking about a coursed, prix fixe menu kind of makes me wanna cry lol. But I think often of the tears I shed in dressing rooms, watching from the sidelines, in the car after a coworker made a snide comment, the tears when I finally told my husband I had enough and wanted this surgery. That's enough to say yeah, this was the right choice, even if it's not always easy. This is a choice for life for me so the weightloss is really a side effect of the real purpose of surgery- to free myself from food and to live my life fully and happily. Being in the present is the only way for me cause I can't change the past, and worrying about the future which I have little control of isn't helpful (to me). I can control the way I eat, and the way I treat myself.

Anyways, ::hugs:: Everyone's experience is different but we all are in this together!

focus on why you want to eat when it is not time to eat or why you are craving an inappropriate food. You are likely desiring to return to medicating with food. Find the stressor and deal with it. Feel your feelings instead of running to food pleasure distraction and the feelings will pass. You can have the crappiest day in the world and killing yourself with food will do nothing but make that situation worse. Any time my brain strays to food inappropriately I ask myself "What is wrong?" when I am happy I rarely think of food until mealtime.

I am two years out from my VSG. About a year out I noticed more hunger and less satiety. Of course at that time, I was starting to be more lax with my food, was eating more carbs, etc... and although I've been maintaining for the last year, I began to notice that I was always feeling hungry and was eating way more calories than I should have been. I have spent quite some time re-evaluating everything I'm doing and have realized that I stopped tracking (big no-no), wasn't getting in NEARLY enough protein, and was eating too many carbs. Lack of protein + too many carbs = hunger & bad cravings.

Since this realization, I have started logging my foods again, getting in 60-80 grams of protein daily (sometimes more), and cutting back on carbs (less than 100 grams daily). My daily calorie range is set for 1,500 - however, most days I fall between 800-1,000 calories. And guess what? I haven't been overly hungry and had too many awful cravings. That's not to say this would be the case for everyone, but it has been the case for me. The weight loss has also started again for me.

My suggestion would be to take a step back and re-evaluate what you're eating, (meaning how much protein, carbs, etc...) If you can, increase your protein. I find that if I get 60 grams of protein in a day, I still feel hungry at times. When I get closer to 80 grams, I'm not as hungry. And although all doctors and nutritionists are different as far as how many calories you should be eating, each persons body is very different. Your nutritionist may want you to be eating over 1,000 calories, but your body may need less in order to continue losing. For example, if I eat 1,500 calories a day, that is "maintenance" for me. Meaning I won't really lose weight, but I won't gain either. If I eat more than 1,500 I notice I gain. And if I stay around 1,000 or less calories, I start losing again. This is something I've played around with the last year.

At three months out, you're still fresh in your journey. Now is the time to figure out what does and doesn't work for you. As time passes, you are able to eat more, so figuring this out early on will only be beneficial. My way of thinking is this; if something isn't working the way I want it to, I need to switch something up and see if that works. I'm always tweaking my plan if need be, and I know it will be something I will have to continue tweaking.

I'm far from being an expert, but after traveling this road for the last two years, I feel like I've learned a lot (and always learning more).

And to answer your question... yes, I absolutely still hit those slumps where I feel less optimistic about my future in regards to weight loss. I still have not made goal, and don't know if I ever will. BUT I do know that I had a major surgery to remove most of a very important organ, therefore this is something I cannot take lightly. I need to stay on top of this for the rest of my life.

Best wishes to you, and feel free to reach out with any questions!