Struggling to eat - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

karenwd · 04-06-2006, 09:04 PM

I am really struggling with eating altogether. I do not want to eat. I would be happy if I did not have to. It is becoming an issue I have to really deal with every day. I just hope it gets better in time. I am about 10 weeks out.

Today I ate two bites of ham (very small bites) and two small bites of patato salad. I could not make myself eat another bite. For dinner tonight I ate three bites of a chicken salad sandwich (toasted bread). That is all I have eaten all day. Each day is beginning to go much the same. The idea of food makes me ill mentally. I do not want to eat meat, yet I know I need the protein. I went to the store tonight and bought some yogurt, hoping that may help. I still cannot eat 1/4 cup at one sitting, nor can I eat an entire egg yet.

Have you all experienced this? What did you do to get through that stage?

audean · 04-06-2006, 09:10 PM

I haven't had surgery yet --- but are you feeling OK ?? like sick or in pain -- or just not wanting or having the desire to eat ??? Take care .....

Cinerbelle · 04-06-2006, 09:16 PM

Hi Karen,

I am the same way....I am totally turned off on food. I have a VERY hard time getting food in. Today all I have had is a protein shake (didn't finish it), 1/2 of a chicken breast and 1/2 a can of protein pudding. The only reason I even ate the pudding was because my hubby knows that I have been avoiding food and he "makes" me eat. I still also have a hard time getting water it. It doesn't hurt or anything, I just don't seem to get it in. Nothing hurts and everything goes down fine...I just don't want anything. No wonder I still have the dark circles under my eyes. The funny thing is that I'm not losing any weight. I really don't care as I know there is no way to screw this up in the first 6 months or so, but it would be nice to see the scale move every now and then!

karenwd · 04-06-2006, 09:17 PM

Audean, I just do not have a desire to eat. At 10 weeks out, I still do not get hungry. Food is not appealing to me at all. I would just as soon skip eating altogether if I weren't afraid of dying of starvation at some point

MiladyB · 04-06-2006, 09:36 PM

Karen,

I had my surgery about a week after yours. I must admit that I'm feeling the same way, especially in the mornings into early afternoon. At suppertime I tend to want to eat a bit more. I pretty much am forcing myself to eat in order to get in my protein. I'm finding that I'm not really enjoying the food but I am able to tolerate it, so I eat and I eat on schedule. If I didn't stick to a schedule I probably wouldn't eat at all. I am finding that I'm having an easier time eating things like yogurt and string cheese. Meat is really hit and miss, for me. Some days it goes pretty well but others, it is a real chore to get it down. I have found that meat goes down better if I have something like spaghetti sauce or a little gravy with it.

It is important to try to eat more if you can. Your weight loss will slow if you don't get in the proteins and calories. For me, I really just kind of look at eating as a job I need to do each day, not something I enjoy. Hang, in there, its got to get better!

audean · 04-06-2006, 10:04 PM

I guess it is just so hard to imagine not wanting food ... if you you are feeling good -- after all these years of craving it so badly and not being able to control it !!

Brooke220 · 04-07-2006, 06:00 AM

For about 3 months after surgery my appetite would come and go... but it was mostly gone. I took advantage of that time though by not forcing it and not worrying about it (not too much, after I learned to accept it). But I did lose more weight during my down periods; my appetite is back in FULL FORM now so I say, "Enjoy these down times while they last. Your appetite won't be gone forever. Just focus on protein and you'll be fine."

Now that my appetite is back I'm having to count calories and watch what I eat BUT I'm so thankful for the tool that makes it possible for me to manage my hunger.

LisaBoston · 04-07-2006, 08:54 AM

Karen, I think what you are going through is normal. You and I are about the same surgery dates. I went through this 2-3 weeks ago. Now, the opposite. I have to really gauge everything that goes into my mouth and keep to my eating schedule to make sure I don't eat too much or too often. It might be the time of the month, but who knows with this surgery. One day can be different than the next!

When I went through the turned off food stage, I had to make myself eat...even if it was just a little bit. My husband forced me to eat too. But for the most part I am past that. I have to make myself eat breakfast - today its 1 cracker and 3 pieces (1oz) of cheese. Not a normal breakfast, but I need to get something in, otherwise I get grumpy.

I found that certain forms of protein hold better in the pouch - eggs, meat and vegetables, believe it or not do really well in my pouch. Light protein makes me hungrier faster. Cheese is a staple of mine. Yogurt I ate so much of, that I can't do it right now. Have you tried eggs or meat with a little green beans and a bite of potato?

I always put in a bite of carbs a minute or so before I start the protein and it seems to make a base for the protein and then I can eat. I don't even need to eat any more carbs after the first bite. Protein alone in my pouch does not make for a successful meal or a happy one! Hey, it works for me and it took a while to figure this out.

Hang in there, it gets better.

coptergirl · 04-07-2006, 09:12 AM

I actually experience hunger at this point (I say "at this point" because I know that anything can change at anytime with this process). So, I typically have an egg, cereal, or Carnation Instant Breakfast for breakfast, some Amino Acid protein for snack, lunch can vary (yesterday I had Boston Market meatloaf - yummy!), a high protein snack (Stallone pudding, a bar, cheese etc), and dinner varies. Yesterday, my protein was low because I had that meatloaf for lunch it sat pretty heavy and I wasn't hungry for a snack in the afternoon, and really forced a half of a beans/cheese Pollo Loco side order in - I only had about 45 grams yesterday, but typically average 70-75 grams...

sUzYzPLaCe · 04-07-2006, 09:42 AM

I really think what you are going through is normal. I went through it for almost 3 months having a hard time eating anything. I still don't get much food in, and I do get hungry if I go to long between eating. But now I just try and eat protein first, so if that is all I can get down I know I'm eating protein. I try and eat 6-8 times a day very small amounts. I may have to change that if I start to get an appetite but for me now it works. Try not to worry about it, make sure you get your vitamins in at least.