A Litttle Help Needed, Always Hungry After Gastric Sleeve Surgery

[firefighter2621 0]

Ok here goes. I had surgery on October 20th. Except for gas I had no other problems. I went back to work 6 days later working 10-12 hours a day. Everything has been going good. I am below 200 lbs now. My problem is I feel as if I am always hungry. I can barely stomach the Protein Shakes. I have got way off track and have been eating things that I know my doctor and most people here would frown on. I have had the occasional pork skins, some candy, I had a KFC bowl, and last night I ate a pork chop. I know that you are not supposed to eat those things so soon. I have been having a hard time getting in my liquids. I use to love drinking Water, not anymore. The only thing I can drink is water with a flavor added to it. I know my body is a little dehydrated. It feels like I may be dealing with some gas issues, if so could that maybe be what is having me think I am always hungry. Any advice would be helpful.

Steve

[LVikingFan 14]

First I am shocked that you can even eat that stuff only 10 days after surgery. If I ate more than a quarter a cup of anything at that point it either came right back up or I wished it would. Does your doctor have you on a acid reducer? That can really help with the hunger feelings. You really need to get back on track...fast. Eating that much could cause your sleeve to start leaking this early on. You have to work on getting in the liquids, that is the number one thing at this point. Call your doctor and be honest with him. Your sleeve is just a tool, but you have to let it work with you. Good luck.

[SuperMom 33]

If I don't get the Protein in I get those hungry feelings. Instead of the shakes you might want to try the bars. I just can't drink enough of the shakes (makes me gag) to feel full. Try to eat the Proteins FIRST!!!! If you are really eating 80 grams of protein you prob won't have room for only a couple of teaspoons of the stuff you really should stay away from. Also.....alot of carbs (chocolate, ice cream, mashed potatoes) go down EASY but that does not mean you will loose weight if you eat them.....just saying.....good luck.....you are still early in the game so don't be too hard on yourself. I was not eating a good balanced diet until maybe month 2 after surgery.

[SleevedMama 8]

I could not stomach the Protein Shakes at all after surgery. And I couldn't eat enough Protein. Went to a fitness store and bought the Isopure drinks. They have 40grams of protein and that is what is saving me. I'm one month out. They can be exspensive, but I don't buy fast food anymore or have huge grocery bills. They help curve any empty feelings I get in my stomach. It is very hard to get the protein in early on. Good luck!

[Papa Jack 86]

Ok here goes. I had surgery on October 20th. Except for gas I had no other problems. I went back to work 6 days later working 10-12 hours a day. Everything has been going good. I am below 200 lbs now. My problem is I feel as if I am always hungry. I can barely stomach the Protein shakes. I have got way off track and have been eating things that I know my doctor and most people here would frown on. I have had the occasional pork skins, some candy, I had a KFC bowl, and last night I ate a pork chop. I know that you are not supposed to eat those things so soon. I have been having a hard time getting in my liquids. I use to love drinking Water, not anymore. The only thing I can drink is Water with a flavor added to it. I know my body is a little dehydrated. It feels like I may be dealing with some gas issues, if so could that maybe be what is having me think I am always hungry. Any advice would be helpful.

Steve

You are going to kill yourself. Your stomach is not healed. If it leaks you can die. You may be dealing with head hunger. You need to get help right now. It is to soon to eat they way you do.

[NikiS 31]

Steve, I say take a deep breath, dust yourself off and try again. There are a billion Protein shakes and juices out there. You'll find something that agrees with you. Like you, in the beginning I was hungry all of the time. I think my change came on week 3. Suddenly I felt restrictions and wasn't able to take in much. Another thing for me was this, I confused thirst with hunger. If I felt "hungry" but sipped instead of ate, I was cool. It's been less than 2 weeks for you and your nerves are probably still numb so your restiction factor hasn't kicked in yet. Also, a lot of us have had things that we shouldn't have had. I read a post where someone said 3 weeks out they ate a half of a bacon cheese burger and a bowl of chili from Wendy's. Each person is different. Some people can barely tolerate Water let alone pork skins. Definitely don't kick yourself. However, you don't want to do anything to cause yourself damage to your new tummy.

All the best,

Niki

[Brandy Gilbert 1]

Steve, I say take a deep breath, dust yourself off and try again. There are a billion Protein shakes and juices out there. You'll find something that agrees with you. Like you, in the beginning I was hungry all of the time. I think my change came on week 3. Suddenly I felt restrictions and wasn't able to take in much. Another thing for me was this, I confused thirst with hunger. If I felt "hungry" but sipped instead of ate, I was cool. It's been less than 2 weeks for you and your nerves are probably still numb so your restiction factor hasn't kicked in yet. Also, a lot of us have had things that we shouldn't have had. I read a post where someone said 3 weeks out they ate a half of a bacon cheese burger and a bowl of chili from Wendy's. Each person is different. Some people can barely tolerate Water let alone pork skins. Definitely don't kick yourself. However, you don't want to do anything to cause yourself damage to your new tummy.

Thank you Niki! That is something my husband really needed to hear, rather than "you're going to kill yourself" I'm not trying to be mean but that is not a very nice thing to say, especially considering he went to the doctor yesterday and the doctor was fine with what he had eaten. Steve understands where everyone is coming from, otherwise he never would have put this post up. He definitely appreciates the advice. Dr. Mason did confirm it is probably head hunger so that is something Steve is going to work on. Thank you all for your advice and we look forward to getting to know ya'll as we continue our journey together (I'm getting sleeved next week) :-)

All the best,

Niki

[Brandy Gilbert 1]

Thank you Niki! That is something my husband really needed to hear, rather than "you're going to kill yourself" I'm not trying to be mean but that is not a very nice thing to say, especially considering he went to the doctor yesterday and the doctor was fine with what he had eaten. Steve understands where everyone is coming from, otherwise he never would have put this post up. He definitely appreciates the advice. Dr. Mason did confirm it is probably head hunger so that is something Steve is going to work on. Thank you all for your advice and we look forward to getting to know ya'll as we continue our journey together (I'm getting sleeved next week) :-)

[wondering1 103]

Hi Steve,

I don't know if this will help you but I never felt "full" or "no hunger" until about 2.5 months out. I could eat really well up until a few weeks ago. Remember this is something we all have to work on and fine tune. When my hair started falling out by the huge handfuls, I had to really work on getting my Protein way up. That's when I started to feel incredibly full. You have to find what works for you. It might not be what works for others. You just started your journey. Give yourself a break and start again. You CAN do this!!! I'm sure in a few weeks we'll be hearing about your successes

[Thomas CPA 496]

Hey, I am with you. Around day 8 I was eating well chewed solids. Still at 3 months can't drink enough Water so I get some through fruits high in Water content.

The gas is normal and you will have it for awhile, just learn to live with it.

Hang in there, we all have our off track periods, just don't let it take over. Do try to avoid fried things like pork skins, all fat no nutrients. But, if you only have a little once in blue moon don't sweat it, we are human and have the same cravings after surgery as before surgery. Mostly it is head hunger from smells than it is tummy hungry.

[Lissa 2,631]

Steve, Did your doctor mention GAS to you as a huge issue? I was having "hunger pains" that turned out to be gas pains. Once I started taking chewable tums, they went away. You ARE dealing with head hunger, undoubtedly. I still do that every day. I definitely put more on my plate than I'll ever be able to eat, but I am learning, slowly.

Please try to find something that you can drink and sip slowly. If you can get the Water in, I think you'll have less issue with being hungry. That being said, if your doc is okay with what you've been eating, and I'm very skeptical on that, then follow what he's telling you. The reason I'm skeptical is that almost every doctor has you wait until 4/5 weeks out for real solid food.

My real restriction kicked in with solid foods at 5 weeks out. I literally cannot eat one bite more than Rex (my sleeve) will let me eat. If I do, I am VERY uncomfortable for hours after the meal. With mushies, I had a bit more leeway, but the solids definitely fill me up quickly.

[Amanda131 214]

I, too, was no fan of Water after surgery. The Gatorade G2s were my saving grace. At only 40 calories for 20 oz. the nutritionist was fine with me drinking them. The grape G2 became a dietary staple for me. At about four months out I could tolerate and even liked Water again.

I also hated the Protein drinks but I like the Muscle Milk light... Might be one to try. They are available in most convenience and grocery stores. They can also be purchased one at a time so there is no waste of money if you don't like it.

Best of luck on your journey.

Amanda

[Amanda131 214]

P.S. My doc had me on solid foods at day 10 as well. Every plan is different. The most important thing you can do is listen to your body. It will tell you what works and what doesn't.

[firefighter2621 0]

^{Thanks to everyone that has responded. Yes I went to my doctor for a checkup and I explained everything to him. I think that I have been dealing with head hunger. I actually have increased my fluids intake and seem to not feel as hungry all the time. My doctor told me that I could basically eat what I wanted to as long as I made sure that I took small bites and really chewed up what was in my mouth. He said that I really dont run any risk except if I were to eat something that was to hard it "could" get stuck which in turn would make me throw up and possible cause damage. It gets better with every day that passes.}

[Sassygirl06 962]

i was a huge Water drinker prior to surgery and then after i hated to drink it because it hurt my tummy. i thankfully love it again now. it doesnt hurt going down anymore. hang in there. you will get that restriction and that full feeling down in no time. so wonderful that you both have someone to lean on in this very important time. good luck to you both!