Confession- I have no idea what hungry feels like....

[Misti M 5]

I must confess that I don't think I have felt "hungry" in years....Not even sure if I know what it is.

I have been on the pre-op diet for 14 days and my surgery is Friday. I have not felt hungry once. Don't confuse that with I have not wanted to eat food but honestly no hunger. No cheating yet either! ( I have been freaking over a stall for days in my pre-op though that if I were not preparing for a surgery would have been enough madness to make me eat some nacho cheese dorritos and bean dip!)

Sadly, the more I read and try to prepare for the days after surgery I have realized I NEVER eat because I am hungry. I am bored, stressed or it just that time of the day to eat a meal. I would often claim "I am starving (Ha and shame on me)". I don't even know what hunger feels like.

Now, indegestion - heart burn and bloated, I get those feelings.

But what does being hungry feel like and will I honestly know when I am full post surgery?

[NewStarter 17]

^{Hi Misti, I envy you not being hungry during the pre-op diet. I thought I would die of hunger, though to be honest, some of that may have been psychological. If you're like most people, I don't think you'll have any trouble "knowing when you're full" post-surgery. For the first month or so, even when all I consumed was about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of Protein Shake or a small bowl of cream Soup, I felt like I had just eaten THANKSGIVING dinner. I would say, just go with the flow for a while, and the surgery will take care of eating issues while you develop new habits. For me (and many others!) eating tends to be a bit of a negative experience for a while right after surgery, so you don't need to worry very much about eating out of boredom or stress. You'll be busy sipping your Water, making sure you take your Vitamins, and you will "re-learn" eating routines. It will be interesting to see if you develop hunger feelings after a few months. I thought I'd never be hungry again, but after a couple months, I did start feeling hungry again. It's just that I fill up very quickly now, where it used to be that I would eat a very large amount before feeling full.}

Edited November 6, 2013 by NewStarter

[clk 3,519]

Have you read "Hungry" by Allen Zadoff? He's not had surgery and isn't an advocate. But I picked up the book about a year post sleeved and it was where I finally had my "AHA!" moment. I'd been a disordered eater for so long I was in complete denial about my habits. I was SURE the sleeve was going to work because my only issues were portion size, diabetes and insulin resistance. Ha!

Don't get me wrong, my sleeve worked to get me to goal and it's working to keep me there.

But pinpointing the issues behind our obesity is critical to long term success. I define long term success as getting to goal and staying in a reasonable maintenance window - long term. Not getting to goal, regaining, dieting to lose, regaining, etc. That's a cycle I want to leave behind forever.

The good news is that your sleeve will help capacity from day one. Yes, there are foods that will slide and grazing or binges will always be something you have to watch. But you'll never sit down and consume a massive portion again (assuming you do - I definitely enjoyed overeating) so that's good.

The real issue for most people when it comes to maintenance is the head hunger you're talking about. Learning how to curb it, redirect it, ignore it - whatever you need to do. That's the hard part. It's definitely easier with a sleeve but please don't go into this thinking it will be something you can avoid confronting. Avoid it at your own risk!

As for your question, there are a number of full signals most people get.

I get a runny nose. Then I sneeze. If I eat a couple bites too many I'll have discomfort in my sleeve and possibly a full feeling at the back of my throat. Then, urp! Up comes that last bite. Yuck. But I have to deliberately ignore my signals or be distracted by socializing for this to happen.

It took me a while to learn. Again, I was a serious overeater - I loved that stuffed feeling. It made me sick, but I ate to it and didn't feel satisfied unless I did so. For me, this was a bigger challenge than it is for other sleevers. Some never have an issue!

Be careful to weigh or measure your food and pay attention to those signals. I don't care if you're supposed to eat a quarter cup of cottage cheese - if you start to feel full after less than that, STOP.

Getting over the mental aspect and also learning that it's okay not to finish my plate or to throw away food took a while.

Good luck,

~Cheri

Edited November 6, 2013 by clk