Much, Much Hunger And Too Many Calories

[TexArkgirl 0]

I was sleeved in Sept 2011. I have lost about 35 pounds, but only less than 5 over the past couple of months. I am hungry all the time!!! My surgeon advised that I should be eating about 800-1000 calories daily, but I can eat way more than that. I eat and then I'm hungry again within 1-2 hours. I usually eat closer to 1200-1300 cals daily. This is not what I hear people refer to as "head hunger". It is stomach growling can't wait to shove food in my mouth hunger. For instance, I ate a Protein Bar that had 20 grams of Protein and over 200 calories. My stomach started growling as soon as I finished. I'm taking an acid reducer daily already. I have to go for a consult with a GI doc b/c it's possible I have developed ulcers after the surgery. The surgeon said it's difficult to tell the difference between ulcer symptoms and hunger pains, and both are relieved by eating! Has anybody else had this problem?? I'm tired of feeling hungry all the time and can eat so much more without restriction than I thought I would be able to. Now, granted it's less than before, but still much more than I thought. Comments/feedback please!!!

[LoserMama 37]

Definitely find out if its ulcers, would not be good if that were the case.

In the case its not ulcers, there are some great steps you can take about truly really getting good at distinguishing between hunger and desire/craving. For me, I thought I knew what hunger was, but i realyl didn't. You might know for sure, but for example,its ok for your stomach to growl, that doesn't necessarily mean you're hungry. Post op our stomachs growl a lot while they are processing the food, it doesn't mean we're hungry. I've also found that I don't feel like I have to eat urgently if its real hunger. Hungry is different -- for me I'm learning that I feel kind of hollow. You can also conduct an 'experiment' to tolerate hunger. i.e. when you feel that hunger, get going doing something else -- if it fades away, its possible it was just digestion or a craving or whatever, but the point being, you will survive it without needing to eat.

Its not fun if there is not a medical reason for feeling hungry. I am sorry you are feeling this way and feel like there may not be relief in sight. I hope the GI doc gives answers that might be more clear cut.

Any chance you are having blood sugar related issues? That can also make you feel like you have to stuff food in your mouth right now, and it feels crazy.

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Wow, It feels really bad when we are feeling hungry. I was really hungry for a long time after surgery then I started taking a PPI. That really helped alot. My stomach even stopped rumbling. Hope you just need to switch your PPI.

[Caitlyn_Cat 7]

Protein Bars can have a fair amount of sugar, which can continue the cycle of carb hunger. Might want to check that out. I've found Unjury chicken Soup powder is a good snack filler that gets the Protein in with minimal calories and really does blunt the hunger.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

It'd be unlikely that you developed an ulcer while taking a PPI, especially if you haven't traveled outside North America where you'd be more apt to become exposed to H. pylori. Not impossible, but unlikely. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I started eating >800 on a regular basis like 2-3 months post-surgery. If you are physically active, there's nothing wrong with eating 1200-1300. I avoid the excess hunger by eating frequently - I have NEVER been able to last more than 4 hours without eating something during the day - and eating low-calorie foods like fruit. E.g. loading up on grapefruit right now.

[jewelwithin 13]

A lot of good points here that I won't repeat. I just wanted to let you know that I, too, average about 1,100-1,200 calories per day. I track everything I eat on 411fit.com and the site calculates an average. I am doing vigorous cardio (boot camp) 4-5 times/week, so I am losing. Like BlackBerry, I can't go more than 3-4 hours without eating. On the rare occasion that I do it's scheduling craziness. And then I have to watch when I do eat because I'm so hungry I want to eat fast, which only serves to give me a bad belly ache. What I've learned to do during those occasions is to start by eating something that my tummy will tolerate if I eat a little quicker just to get rid of the stomach pangs -- for me it's yogurt or an unjury Protein drink/broth. Then in an hour or two I can eat something "solid" slowly the way I know I need to.

Also, because the 1,100-1,200 is an average, that means I do have the occasional day when I eat only 700-900 and those when I eat more like 1,300-1,400. I find that my hunger evens out, i.e., if I happen to have a low-cal day I tend to be hungrier the next day, and visa versa.

[Sassygirl06 962]

Are you exercising more? The reason I ask is because that could be causing the extra hunger, and the need for extra calories, as well as the lower number lost on the scale. Turning muscle into fat would be the reasoning behind not losing weight. when I dont lose on the scale i make sure to measure because that tells me that I have gained muscle weight and lost fat weight. I have gained 18 pounds of muscle since surgery and have lost 124 pounds of fat. so even though my actual number of pounds lost on the scale is 106 pounds, it makes the difference to know that I have lost more fat good luck to you!

[TexArkgirl 0]

Thanks all for the feedback. I weighed this morning and the scales are starting to go down again. I have a very inactive job where I'm chained to a desk and phone, so I think I need to actually exercise more. As far as the stomach growling, it is the really bothersome kind and not just regular digestive noises. I had them last night when I knew I shouldn't be that hungry, but I felt desperate to eat something to make my stomach feel better. I chewed on some rolaids and the pains did ease some. I think it is acid related, whether or not it's an ulcer remains to be seen. I read somewhere that one of the complications of the sleeve can be ulcers, so I may be one of the unlucky few. I have tried three different PPI meds now, but maybe I need a prescription strength. I never had acid reflux this frequently prior to surgery, so that makes me think even more it's acid related. I just hope to get to the bottom of it soon b/c I don't like feeling hungry all the time!