Slight Fear of Eating

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crepes_
crepes_ Posts: 583 Member
I'm about one month out from VSG and I'm starting to get these odd fearful feelings regarding food. I need to eat in order to get enough protein and meet my nutrition requirements, but seeing my calorie consumption go from 250 a day to 450 and yesterday 700 has really made me feel strange. Especially since it's pairing up with the slowing of the preliminary weight loss even though I know the two aren't necessarily related.

I somehow feel like I'm eating too many calories to lose weight, which I rationally know isn't true. I know I'm not overfilling my stomach, I know I am doing this to meet all of my goals, and I know that I need to do this, but... I can't shake this dreadful feeling that I'm sabotaging myself.

Is this something you've ever experienced before? Any tips for coping? I'm going to continue having my protein boosted yogurt, cheese, and fish to meet my goals, but I hope I can deal with it a little better mentally. If I'm feeling this now, it's best to start training myself on how to deal with it before it gets worse.

Replies

  • rpyle111
    rpyle111 Posts: 1,066 Member
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    The more I learned about nutrition and weight loss through the standard MFP model of CICO (calories in/calories out with appropriate macro balance), the easier it was to trust the process. Understanding the TDEE (energy expenditure) that your body needs to maintain weight, there is no way that the amount of calories we consume early in the WLS process will meet that.

    You *will* lose weight at that calorie level, it just won't be necessarily in a straight line. Stalls, small gains, etc. are part of the natural process. Trust the process and your team's plan and try not to stress about the day to day stuff.

    Rob
  • cmchandler74
    cmchandler74 Posts: 510 Member
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    I am six months out, and I know what you're talking about. It's a weird adjustment, moving back into the realm where you feel like you're eating SO MUCH when really, you're still eating probably a third or at least half of what you used to consume in a day. What I did was really take a look at my caloric intake along with my protein. I rarely have days where I'm consuming over 750 calories, and when I do, it correlates with exercise-heavy days when I'm having to "refuel" more.

    It doesn't help that I have a friend who strongly encouraged me to have this done who is almost two years out now. He constantly tells me, "I can't believe you can eat that much," and "Wow, I can only eat X." What I found was that a) he's lying - I've started watching him more and he's really consuming a ton more than he claims (and most of it junk that got him in trouble to start with), and b) What I'm eating at this stage is completely normal, within my limits, healthier and not likely to stretch my sleeve.

    MFP is great to help with this brain issue. You can't always trust your fears, but the cold, hard numbers are hard to argue with.
  • anbrdr
    anbrdr Posts: 621 Member
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    Keep in mind also, that if you are not getting enough calories in, you are not going to have enough energy to get things done (ig exercise; making it through the day without a nap). You need to make sure that you are putting enough fuel in the tank, to minimize muscle loss, as well. I struggle with eating enough as well.

    I've started mixing my morning protein shake with Fairlife reduced fat milk. it adds an additional 120 calories to something I am already going to be drinking, and the Fairlife has 13g of protein. Just that breakfast puts me at 250 cal and 38g protein.
  • crepes_
    crepes_ Posts: 583 Member
    edited August 2015
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    MFP is great to help with this brain issue. You can't always trust your fears, but the cold, hard numbers are hard to argue with.

    This is exactly what I'm going to try to do. It's an incredibly strange feeling. It's like head hunger. You know that what you feel isn't exactly based in reality, but it doesn't stop it from feeling real if you let it get to you. I'm eating less than a quarter of what I used to, but I feel like I'm at an all day eat-a-thon even though I'm following the instructions given to me by my nutritionist to the letter.

    @anbrdr Good tip! I'm currently doing breakfasts of Greek yogurt with half a scoop of protein powder. It's 245 cals and 28g protein. I'll be looking for Fairlife and giving it a shot.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    I'm 7 months out from RNY and all I can say is "trust the process." I *really* wish MFP gave us the option to *not* see calories, since the way we need to eat in the first few months is all about carbs and protein, not calories. I trust the process, I've lost almost 100lbs since my surgery, I know to ignore the calories and keep my eye on the carb and protein prize, and I still get apprehensive. It's a normal reaction.

    I've discovered the best thing I can do for the calorie apprehension is to set my calories for 1001, which is where my doctors want them and it's a number I so rarely hit, and just let them be. Scientifically, I know that even if I hit 1001, I'm still far under where I need to be to lose. My doctors wouldn't give me a number that stopped my weight loss. I eyeball that protein number all day long, I pre-log my foods so I can tweak where necessary, I make my foods work to make that number work, I ensure my carbs aren't too high, I eat only what's logged, and the rest of the numbers can go pound sand!

    Deep breath. Trust the process.
  • RENAEJAE
    RENAEJAE Posts: 1,136 Member
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    I'm 10 weeks out from my RYN. I felt the same way when I was able to add calories, but you'll begin to have more energy which means you can exercise more and continue to get stronger. The phases this journey takes you on is like a roller coaster! I stalled for nearly 3 weeks and now I'm dropping lbs like crazy. Just stick with your plan and you'll do great. Having patience is sometimes the toughest part! Good luck.
  • sinderstorm
    sinderstorm Posts: 225 Member
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    Trust the process. I also wish MFP would let you turn off calories. Eat the healthy foods you know your body needs, and get your protein in. Lean protein, veggies (I still struggle with these, they're still hard on my sleeve), dairy, and good carbs. I'm in a stall right now and was feeling like a failure. Then I realized that in the last 4.5 months, I've lost 63 pounds. I'm not perfect, and never claim to be, but so long as you're following the plan, it does work. Pre sleeve I was STARVING on 1200 calories a day, now I'm struggling to hit 900 (where my nutritionist wants me) most days.
  • pawoodhull
    pawoodhull Posts: 1,759 Member
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    I am 4 years out and have been told twice now that I put myself in starvation mode because I was eating too few calories. I really didn't believe this was real until my nutritionist told me. She upped my calories this last time to 1,200 per day. Like you mentally I'm thinking if I can't lose at 800 how is adding 400 to it going to make me lose? It feels backwards. But like others are saying here, we need to trust the process. I've been doing this not quite a month now. So far nothing, but I've also added exercise and weights, and it can take a couple of months before the body adjusts and the scale starts moving again. I'm trusting and waiting. You can too.
  • AlexisUPenn
    AlexisUPenn Posts: 76 Member
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    Great post! I know exactly how you feel. Just keep focusing on your protein and water intake and it will all be in your favor. I'm 8 weeks out and my body is holding on to 229... Can't wait to get out of this stall.
  • crepes_
    crepes_ Posts: 583 Member
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    I'm so glad I posted. You're all really helping in easing my anxieties about this. It's such an irrational way of thinking, because I know the process will work and yet I still doubt it! So I'm just gonna keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep doing what I'm doing until trusting the process just becomes second nature.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    I think we doubt because we've tried other methods and they've failed. We trusted those methods and we got bupkis. If you do everything the right way, this one works.
  • Wonderwomanvik
    Wonderwomanvik Posts: 2,932 Member
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    crepes_ wrote: »
    MFP is great to help with this brain issue. You can't always trust your fears, but the cold, hard numbers are hard to argue with.

    This is exactly what I'm going to try to do. It's an incredibly strange feeling. It's like head hunger. You know that what you feel isn't exactly based in reality, but it doesn't stop it from feeling real if you let it get to you. I'm eating less than a quarter of what I used to, but I feel like I'm at an all day eat-a-thon even though I'm following the instructions given to me by my nutritionist to the letter.

    @anbrdr Good tip! I'm currently doing breakfasts of Greek yogurt with half a scoop of protein powder. It's 245 cals and 28g protein. I'll be looking for Fairlife and giving it a shot.
    2Poufs wrote: »
    I think we doubt because we've tried other methods and they've failed. We trusted those methods and we got bupkis. If you do everything the right way, this one works.

  • Wonderwomanvik
    Wonderwomanvik Posts: 2,932 Member
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    I've been feeling the same way. I'm supposed to be on puréed foods but I'm not. I'm still on liquid because I'm afraid to eat. I'm about 4 weeks out of surgery and I tried puréed beans once and no other solid foods. It's scary and weird and frustrating. Hope you find a breakthrough. I'm trying to find one too.
  • loveshoe
    loveshoe Posts: 365 Member
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    I was slightly nervous about moving from liquids to pureed, to mechanically altered, and finally regular food. One recomendation is only introduce one new food per day. When I went from liquids I added refried beans first. I didn't have any adverse side effects so I then added the next pureed food. After I made the move to pureed then I added the mechanically altered foods (pureed food with some lumps). I did the same process by only adding one new food per day. If something wasn't comfortable then I didn't have that food again for several weeks. I was probably slower than most people getting to regular food but the process worked for me. Rather than making the move in 6 - 8 weeks I was probably more along the lines of 8 - 12.

    Take your time, do what is comfortable and always consult your nutritionist if you have questions about foods.