I think it is great that you were able to lose that weight. Congratulations. Unfortunately, I can't help you with your question. I never give much thought to what I eat; I just eat.

LB2 is always rubbing this in our face!!!  Your recent picture on FB made me want to comment that you need to eat more and run less; but it was a somber event so not appropriate at the time.  Eat more skinny!!!

Moonlightrunner: I pretty much eat whenever I am hungry and just try to eat healthly although I endulge a lot and a large portion of my alories come from beer/wine.  Not so good.  I do weigh myself everyday to make sure I am within that 5 pound frame and if nearing the top I'll up the miles or decrease the food.  Running must be so much easier for you sans 120 pounds from before. 

My problem is the wine, but in terms of eating .....

 

Maybe a recovery drink would help quell the hunger -- a protein smoothie (with no dairy in your case) could be good post-run

 

One additional option is to invest in a good rice cooker and some good quality brown sushi rice.

I cook that, add a lean protein (I do eggs if going vegetarian or grilled pork tenderloin marinated in ponzu and a touch of rice vinegar), sauteed veggies (baby bok choy, asparagus, broccoli, etc.). The rice is wonderful with ponzu or good rice vinegar (or a mix of both). This morning I scrambled eggs into leftover rice with ponzu and rice vinegar with spring onions. The brown sushi rice is easy for me to digest and provides more long-term energy throughout the day.

That sounds wonderful...I have a rice cooker. I am going to try that. Good way to eat eggs. Thanks.

When I run high mileage (50-70's only in the peak phase before a 100-miler), I am hungry a lot. What helps me best then is a high-protein diet, whereas normally, I am more of a carbohydrate burner.

What most people don't realize is that grains and potatoes contain a lot of protein, too. They are by no means just "starches". I once calculated my protein intake from my high-carb (as I see it, not necessarily really that high carb) diet, on days when I did not have a lot of "proteins", like cheese, meat, eggs, and I found that I easily can cover 1-1.5 g of protein per kg of (normal-range) body weight, which is sufficient for any athlete.

Now many athletes eat more protein than that, and it seems to work well, too.

After bariatric surgery, the body seems to need and do better on rather high to very high protein diets, so you are right to put a lot of emphasis on protein. I found that a protein smoothie after a long run, or sometimes in the morning, helps me a lot to quench the hunger. I usually have breakfast between 4:30 and 6 in the morning, and then don't get to eat again until noon or later, so I do get very hungry later in the morning. More protein in the morning helps me to get through this long "starving phase" better than more calories from carbs.

Protein sources can also be buckwheat (e.g. soba noodles, I love them), fish, seafood, and legumes, but legumes contain lots of fiber, and that may interfere with long-distance running.

I am a "grazer", I eat when I'm hungry, and snack (when I can) throughout the day. It is hard for me to wait until a family meal is cooked, and then eat, I'd rather just have a snack first, and then less of the meal later.

I don't know much about bariatric surgery, but it seems to me that grazing is the way to go, in order to avoid "stretching" the stomach and then be able to eat large portions again (what sometimes happens to people after that surgery and weight loss).

Congratulations on the weight loss, 120 lbs is a lot!