Veterans!

I'm going through a funk of sorts. I need and want to lose 15 pounds. I feel fat in my middle. Time to take action! Yadda, yadda, yadda...

So what's the problem? I'm hungry. It isn't every day, but there are more days than not when I could literally eat six chicken breasts over the course of the day. I've been trying to do the six small meals due to the hypoglycemia and am having issues with "small". I'm not snacking...these are real, go to the kitchen, make a plate and sit down to eat meals. Lo and behold, a couple of hours later, I'm hungry again. I drink water/tea to get that full feeling...I take a walk...I get online here...I do it all. But I'm still ready to eat.

Now, there are a couple of things that might be causing this. One is that I've cut my coffee down to about a quarter of what it was after getting the hypoglycemic news. I read that caffeine is bad for hypoglycemics. The last time that I tried to quit coffee, I can remember having some food issues. Coffee or caffeine surpresses the appetite. This is the ingredient that is found in all of the weight loss pills. So, has my appetite just surfaced now that it is not drowning in coffee? If so, does anyone out there know if things will even out again? I really don't want to go back to drinking as much coffee as I was. Then again, I don't want to be obese.

The other thing that might be playing into it is that I've got some personal stuff in my life that I have no control over. Not to worry, it isn't life threatening...I'm just not able to control the matter and I don't do well with that. Am I behaving this way because I am seeking control through food? I don't feel that it is a comfort thing.

I know that my pouch works, as I feel full after eating. I'm just hungry again in a couple of hours with an active appetite.

Is anyone else going through this?

This is a big topic, and yeah, I can't imagine that there is anyone on here who isn't dealing with this at some time. I mean, before surgery, this was MY LIFE! I was always hungry, some head hunger, some physical hunger. I couldn't feel any sense of satiation that lasted more than an hour or two.

I think at times like this, all a person can do is reaffirm their commitment to the rules they've established for themselves. This is the breakthrough that you've been waiting for to get those last few pounds to budge. Too often, at this exact moment, I "think" myself into changing my rules and the opportunity for real change passes...Another lost moment. You know that what you're doing works, that it is reasonable, now the question is: can you live with what you've decided?

Good luck with whatever you decide. Your own signature quote says it all, doesn't it?

Hi Kim,
The fear is constant for me. The fear of losing the battle one more time.
I also started with 15lbs to lose and mostly in my middle ... very uncomfortable,
embarrassing, scary....etc. The day I stumbled upon this website, I was
desperately looking for word from somewhere out there in the post-WLS
world that there were others who had regained weight and then found something
that was able to turn things around for them.
The 5DPT really helped me bring the frequency of hunger into check and
virtually eliminated cravings within a day or two. I used the soup recipe
suggestions through all 5 days and still turn to them to feel pampered
and satisfied. Have you tried the Pumpkin Soup? I Actually prefer it
without the sausage. Rich and delisssh! I'm back to fortifying anything I
can tolerate it in, with protein powder. Seems to be blasting some nasty
off these old bones! How long since you've tried the 5DPT regimen? If it's
been a while, it might be just the thing to put you on course again.
And finally...when I try to relax around food issues and avoid an all or
nothing mentality, events take a turn for the better.
All the best!

Thanks Mickeefynn...I've done the pouch test and don't feel that it will help with this current issue. It might.

I get full, but am hungry shortly after. I can restrict myself to liquids and protein. But I'll still have the hunger. I really think that it is the caffeine thing and I'm hoping that it passes.

Sandi, you are correct. I need to look at my own darn quote! I think that I've just made way too many changes and adjustments (with food and life) recently. I can't just say, "oh, it must be THIS". There are too many possiblilities. It would be like going to the Vegas buffet and eating it all...then trying to figure out what it was that made me sick. All of it or just the fried shrimp???

GoodMorning Kim

I am not a veteran to give you advice but I did want you to know your not alone we all face this as Sandi said some time on our path its been me before and after surgery I face each day with the attitude that I can change today...Remember the stronge person that you are read your posts from before when you gave advice to that struggling neighbor that felt this way reasure yourself that you are the Sarge...you can controll the outcome of how you deal with this good luck as you deal with this.....hugs

Hope not to have steped out of place posting here in the veterans sorry if I did.....Kim just wanted you to know I also send you support

This morning, in a friend's email, his sig file caught my fancy.
It read,
"Men cannot see their reflection in running water, but only in still water." ---Chuang-Tzu
I strive for that stillness that comes of faith and patience;
that realization that, I'm doing all I can right now; all I know
that I am capable of doing in this moment.
I need to have faith and consciously chose the same right
path again and again. I always wish there were an easier, softer way.
But there is none. So I try to be grateful for all that has brought
me to this perfect moment in my life when I am the sum of all my
living. Gratitude, patience and the big one, acceptance are key. When
reality speaks, I know I have to listen or risk the possibility of
enduring the confusion I make for myself when I try to create a more
palatable version of that reality.
So I find, that when I feel as if I'm walking through h*ll, I'd better keep
walking. Otherwise, I become entrenched in the very place I fear.
Hope this doesn't sound prescriptive, Kim. I just think I need to repeat
these things to myself as well. We are all on the same page here. Thank
goodness.
Best to you!

HI Mickey Fynn, I like the Chinese quote you provided very much and love the snowy scene--how pretty! Stillness and peace is definitely what is needed in moments of high frustration. If I know Kim at all, she'll be on and let us know that she found her answer!

And Emarie, never be afraid to post on here. It's all good.

hugs all around!

Mickeefinn...a beautiful post. Thank you so much for taking the time.

Sandi...you DO know me! Yes, I woke up with my answer after spending my night thinking long and hard about it.

I thought, why must I try to do it ALL at one time? One step in the right direction is what will work for me. The most important step is to lose the extra weight that is sitting on my frame. I need to lose the "white noise" and stay focused. Forget about the small meals, the elimination of caffeine, taking this supplement or that supplement, trying to control things that I have no control over... Just focus my energy on being rid of the pounds. This means that I will return to caffeine. I do not endorse this for others, just for myself. I will eat my three meals and if I need something in between, it will be a low sugar protein bar or shake.

I woke feeling very solid about what needed to be done. I need to shed these pounds. It will get done.

There you go, Kim! Such poised resolve!
Stay in the NOW...
We're given a new beginning every moment.
This moment sounds strong and positive.
That'll get the job done!
This forum is so wonderful, in that I know
that what I'm thinking and feeling at any given time is shared
by some other person, right here within my reach... just a
few key strokes away. Posting keeps me from stumbling
around mumbling only to myself! Thank heaven you're all here!

Hey there, Kim -

First of all, you look fabulous, and you are losing great again! I just wanted you to know that you were appreciated :) :)

Second of all, I don't know if this will relate at all to what you are going through - but my recent problems were all head hunger, and not real hunger. What you seem to be going through is REAL hunger, and looking back at my own journey, when this was an issue for me (with real hunger), it was because I had totally quit caffeine. I was STARVING at first, and this lasted almost two months! BUT - and here's the good part - - it has now been over 2 years since I have had any caffeine (I still drink quite a bit of coffee, but it's ALWAYS decaf and nothing with caffeine), but the physical hunger DID indeed go away once my body got used to no caffeine! So, maybe you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned that you had cut your caffeine so drastically??

Just a thought. Now, as you know, with ME the problem I am constantly battling is HEAD hunger, and I think I will until the day I die! LOL....

Have a beautiful day, Kim!

- Mike

Good to know Mike! THAT is what I needed to hear! I'll tackle the caffeine once I'm done tackling the pounds. I'll just tuck this little bit of knowledge into the back of my brain for now.

I just had a co-worker come in my office and ask, "Hey! Want of piece of Paula's homemade pumpkin bread?" It was very easy to say no thank you (though I did ask if there were chocolate chips in it...). My cup of green tea in hand and my brain free to focus on the task. That is what I'm talking about!

Mickeefinn...isn't it something that your quote is basically the same thing that I found in my heart last night? I think that we're connected... :-)

End of day update.

It's like a switch flipped off. The hunger switch. I had an appetite...don't get me wrong! However, I was not in a constant state of hungry. I had an awesome day of food consumption.

Life is grand and my middle isn't nearly as puffed out as it was yesterday. Yippee!

Interesting conversation here, Neighbors!

I simply want to post an article from the November 5DPT Bulletin and I look forward to your feedback:

Hunger is NOT an Emergency
by Kaye Bailey

Just this week I had a breakthrough moment when I read that naturally slender people do not treat hunger as an emergency. "Most of us who struggle with extra pounds tend to view hunger as a condition that needs to be cured - and fast," writes Judith S. Beck, PhD, author of the Beck Diet Solution. "If you fear hunger, you might routinely overeat and avoid it," she says adding, "Thin people tolerate hunger because they know hunger pangs always come and go, buying them some time."

Hunger defined: the painful sensation caused by a lack of food that initiates food-seeking behavior.

Hunger is not an emergency. Interesting, don't you think? Since publishing the 5DPT I've received tremendous feedback. Some people are amazed to not feel hungry, even on those difficult first two days. Others report "climbing the walls" hunger. I believe each of us responds differently to the 5DPT and there are certainly extremes between lack of hunger and ravenous hunger.

Here are some tricks for learning to treat hunger the way slender people do - a condition that comes and goes.

- Drink water or flavored water the curb hunger pangs.
- Ignore the hunger and acknowledge that you will survive.
- Establish a predictable and consistent eating schedule so your body becomes accustomed to when you will eat.
- Eat protein first thing in the morning and again at lunch and dinner.
- Minimize visual cues that trigger hunger pangs (avoid/ignore media advertising, place snack foods in closed cupboards, avoid the office break room, etc.)
- Take a brisk walk before giving in to hunger (this will rev your metabolism).

Finally, just as hunger is not an emergency, it is also not a failure. If you feel hunger during the 5 Day Pouch Test then take one of the steps above to ignore it. And if you are still hungry then eat something from the approved list of foods for the day. Associating hunger with feelings of failure often leads to destructive eating and inappropriate food choices. The 5DPT is a powerful tool and a great step toward building a better relationship with food and your weight loss surgery.