Anyone Else Always Hungry? 5 Weeks Post Gastric Sleeve Surgery

[dmike321 0]

I am 5 weeks post op and becoming more discouraged every day. I thought that this surgery was really going to help me control my appetite but I am hungrier now than I have ever been. I have had great weight loss up until about 2 weeks ago but I have been stalled ever since. I lost 12 lbs. on my pre op diet, and 23 lbs. since the 10/31. As frustrating as my stall has been my appetite is the most disappointing thing. I feel like I need to eat almost every 2 hours. I try to eat high Protein foods but it doesn’t seem to help. I don't drink anything while eating or within 30 mins of eating, in fact I don't drink near the Water I should because it just makes me feel hungry. It is becoming hard to stay under 800 calories daily when I am constantly feeling like I need to eat. I am pretty sure this is not an acid issue. Tums and Zantac have had no effect. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? Thanks

[FishingNurse 1,210]

Is it your program rule to eat 800 calories a day? I eat 1500 a day, and I'm thrilled with my weight loss.

[dmike321 0]

I am pretty sure I was told to stay around 800 calories. I have support group on the 15th so I will reconfirm then. I wish I was allowed 1500 calories, I must admit I am a little jealous of you. Congrats on your weight loss.

[Lissa 2,631]

DMike, what are you eating? You should be up to either mushies or solids by now, depending on your surgeon's plan. If you are actively staying under 800 calories a day, I can see why you're hungry. However, 23 pounds since Halloween is amazing, that's only 5 weeks, so you're averaging about 4 pounds a week.

As for the hunger, you really should talk to your doc about a PPI like Prilosec. Perhaps your stomach is producing more acid than normal at this stage.

Also, you could try doing a pouch test and see if that resets the hungry vibe. I haven't done one myself, but several people here swear by them.

food...ah, the conundrum, how to get in enough Protein and still eat other foods. You should be on a multi-Vitamin daily to help with nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies can make your body feel hungry because it's wanting something you aren't giving it. I had a major salt craving last week and OD'd myself on 10 olives and 3 small pickles. Then my tummy complained for the rest of the night about all that vinegar! LOL

What kind of Protein are you eating? I am particularly happy with rotisserie chicken right now, especially the lemon pepper flavor. It's soft, so easy to chew, and it's dense, so it keeps my tummy full for a long time. I recently tried steak for the first time since surgery and that kept me full for quite a while as well.

Are you getting any carbs at all? I know that lots of folks try to avoid eating a lot of carbs, but your body probably needs some carbs to burn daily. See if adding in some carbs help with the empty feeling. A piece of toast may be enough (or too much since you're so early post-op).

I ate a lot of instant mashed taters with my early mushy foods. I don't eat them as much now, but they helped keep me feeling full back then. Of course "a lot" is a relative term. I'd have under an ounce of mashed at any one time, along with my 2 or 3 ounces of protein.

Another thing I do is to keep mini babybel cheeses on hand. I'll eat one of those if I'm hungry and it usually keeps me full until my next meal time. Most mornings, one of those is my "breakfast". I just can't face real food until after 11 am, it seems.

I wish you luck in this. It does take a little while to figure out what your sleeve will handle, but it is so worth it when you do.

Good luck in your journey!!

[ocean_ophelia 31]

What is a pouch test?

[Lissa 2,631]

Ophelia, A pouch test basically has you take yourself back through the stages of your post-op diet. If you google it, you will find the instructions. From what I read, you do a day (maybe two) of Clear liquids, then a day of full liquids, then mushies, then solid foods (perhaps one day of soft solids then one day of denser solids).

I believe that both Tiffykins and Lil Miss Diva have posted that they sometimes do a modified version of this to help jump start weight loss after/during a stall. You may be able to find the instructions here on VST.

[MikeC 4]

dmike, I am 4 weeks out and I have the same feeling. You're doing good on weight loss, I wouldn't concern yourself with that right now. Do you feel the feeling even after you eat? Like almost immediately? I do, and I think it is acid. My stomach doesn't rumble, just generally is in almost a hunger pang constantly. I hope this goes away. I do eat every 2 or 3 hours. I drink most of my Protein. Premier Protein has 30 grams in 11 ounces. It's only 160 calories. I have 2 or 3 a day. I will also eat cottage cheese and eggs. Most days I can do 2 eggs at a time. When I was trying to do cream Soups I had a stall for a week. Might have just been the 3 week stall, or it was the carbs from the soups. Either way I tightened back up and now I'm losing again. I started taking a prilosec, but doesn't seem to be helping yet. I have seen some say that it takes a week or so to kick in. We'll see.

[dmike321 0]

Lisa, I know that I have had great weight loss the amazing thing is that I have been stalled for over a week now. As far as my diet goes ever since I was told I could advance to the mushie diet I have kinded cheated and not chopped or blended any of my food. I have had absolutely no complications with my new tummy. I see people posting that they barely get down 1 egg and I have been putting down 2 or more if I eat them alone. My typical daily diet is 2 scrambled eggs with a piece of toast for Breakfast, a greek yogurt for a snack, tuna or chicken salad for luch sometimes with whole wheat crackers, then a cheese stick or half cup of cottage cheese for another snack. All of that takes place at my work between 8 - 4 I usually have around 200 calories left for dinner where I try to have chicken, a vegetable and a potatoe.

As for my hunger being an acid problem, I don't think that is the problem. I have been using liquid zantac sine the day I was able to return home after surgery. I have also tried using tums with no change.

Hope this answers some of your questions and I will be looking forward to your feedback.

[Lissa 2,631]

Your diet actually doesn't sound bad to me. Are you tracking your food anywhere? I use My Fitness Pal to help me make sure I'm getting my Protein in daily...and I ignore all of its other advice!

I'm truly thinking that the Zantac isn't a strong enough acid reducer for you. The only other solution I can find might be the amount of carbs you are able to get in daily. I suggest that you either ease up on the carbs, or replace the bready carbs with veggie carbs like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and, since you're so newly post-op, cooked or steamed veggies. I'd avoid raw veggies for another week or 3.

I'd gag if I ate 2 eggs and a piece of toast for Breakfast. One egg with about 3/4 of a slice of toast crams my sleeve totally full. Then you have crackers at lunch AND have a potato and veg at dinner? WOW! You must have a sleeve of steel. Your doc may have left you a little bigger because you're a guy, or you had a longer stomach than most to start, which means you'll be able to eat more volume than some others.

But, if I'm figuring correctly, you're only 5 weeks out from surgery? I hadn't healed enough to eat a whole egg by then, much less add in a piece of toast. Your volume of food between 8 and 4 seems high to me as well. Remember, though, that I am a person who has never really been able to eat much before 11 am.

My typical food day at 3.5 months post op is:

8 am - Mini Babybel light (6g protein) eaten only because I can't take my meds on a totally empty stomach

8:30 am - meds, half a bottle of Water

9 to 11:30- finish that bottle of Water, have a cup or two of Decaf coffee

11:30 ish - Breakfast or lunch, usually 1 egg, most of a piece of toast or leftover something from dinner the night before: 1 rib and leftover veg; or 3 oz rotisserie chicken with either 2 oz of veggie or a V8 juice. Sometimes I sub the meal with a Protein Bar.

12 to 3- more water, usually flavored with Mio drops. If I want a snack, I'll have another babybel or a couple of bites of the rotisserie chicken

5-7 pm- dinner. I can eat 2 ribs and some veggie or about 3 oz of fish/chicken/pork. Usually I can't get much in here for veggies, maybe 3 or 4 bites of a cooked veggie or 2 bites of a raw one like broccoli or cauliflower.

9-10pm-snack, usually a SF pudding or, like tonight, I'll have a piece of sandwich meat rolled with a slice of real cheese like swiss or muenster.

Even with all that, I'm usually between 800 and 1000 calories.

I'm not sure what else to suggest, but I hope this helps somewhat.

[dmike321 0]

Lisa, I am truly envious of how little food you can have for a meal. I haven't really been tracking my carbs but I will start. I often do have veggies with meals. I don't have bread and crackers every day just occasionally to switch things up. Its funny that you said a sleeve of steele cause that is exactly how I feel. I know I have overeaten once or twice and also eaten some things I was not suppose to and I have yet to feel sick or any discomfort other than feeling over full. With that being said I do not over eat, it was me just feeling out my new tummy.

I use loseit.com to track my daily nutrition. It has a pretty nice mobile app as well. I think my docotors dietitian said that I can add her to it and she can view my I put. I will see her on the 15th and will discuss my issues with her so I can get her feedback.

[Lissa 2,631]

Good luck, Mike!! I really think the differences in our capacity are probably related to your having a somewhat bigger sleeve than I do. According to my surgeon, my stomach was huge before and he made it fairly small because he knew that I had 170 pounds to lose.

I hope your dietician can give you some ideas that will help. As for a stall, I think you'll see that moving quickly. I just hate the thought that you are hungry all the time. That is sad, IMO, especially this soon after surgery.

Others have lost their weight while feeling hungry, but that's supposed to be on of the bennies of WLS. At least we're not hungry so we can lose.

Good luck!!