I continue to be really worried about this surgery not working. By “not working” I mean that the restriction from my smaller stomach won’t be present enough to keep me from eating more, which will keep me from losing weight. Additionally, I know I won’t be successful at eating less if I am hungry all the time.
I guess at this point I’m having mixed results:
Hunger: Almost from the beginning I’ve had hunger. At first I had the sensation of heartburn, which read a little bit like hunger. I think that was from healing because that has subsided, but the hunger is still present. Then I thought my hunger might be “head hunger” or thirst, but these days I’m doing better telling the difference, and I’m clear when I am hungry. Some people don’t experience hunger much, if at all, after this surgery, but unfortunately I appear to be an outlier, and I am getting hungry every few hours. I’m trying to a) keep my protein input high enough, as that can stave off hunger longer; b) eat only a small amount between meals; and c) try flavorful but lower calorie foods, such as broth or sugar free jello.
Restriction: Most people at this point can eat about 1/2 cup of food at a meal. I have days where that is true. However at other times, like yesterday, I can eat up to a cup of food. I know it doesn’t sound like a like, but if I can eat that much, I will have a harder time losing weight.
As expected, my moods around success are all over the map. Two days ago I was feeling good about my prospects for success, but yesterday I was hungry almost constantly and ate a lot more than I had been eating, so I got very worried.
As some of my friends have told me many times in many situations: One Day At A Time.
