Hunger and cravings- 18 days postop

[Getting healthy 123 0]

Hello everyone. I had gastric bypass surgery on May 19. I started on "mushy food" and I have been tolerating them we'll, but have been finding that once I eat I continue to get hungry the rest of the day. Most things I read and people I have spoke to said they do not have hunger, but that does not seem to be the case with me. My nutritionist thinks I need more Fluid but I am already drinking almost 3 liters a day. Has anyone else experienced this? I also have been craving foods the last couple of days. Am nervous that is hunger and cravings are happening this quickly I may not be successful long term. Any thoughts or advise?

So far I have lost 19 pounds since surgery and about 10 pounds pre-op. I am moving in the right direction, but I am still scared that I may have put myself through all this and I might fail!

Thanks for "listening". I appreciate any words of wisdom.

[ladykatie_ 117]

That's what happens to me as well. My doctor's nurse told me that right now I should be "grazing." So I eat constantly right now. Just a few bites here and there and drink my Water in between. The Protein shakes keep me full longer so if you have a job or anything, I would suggest keeping those handy. I really like the tuna salad kits. I eat one like all day and its 18g of protein!

I also have cravings. Not for sweets anymore, but for savory things like chips and wings. I try to curb that by eating my tuna salad and just not thinking about it too much. I also plan on doing some cooking here soon to try out some bariatric recipes I found online.

There's a lot you can eat right now, believe it or not, you just have to find what you like and what keeps you satisfied.

[JanetteH 80]

Hi GettingHealthy,

Hunger was one of the reasons I found this website. I was absolutely starving hungry for the first 2-3 weeks - and it was definitely NOT "head hunger" or cravings. My doc said it sounded like the liquids were going straight through my pouch. He also said about 1 in 10 WLS patients have this symptom and they don't know why - they understand the physical details but not how the brain reacts to the surgery. I never felt full - it was awful - I even regretted having the surgery.

The good news is that it went away slowly - and completely disappeared when I started on "soft" foods. Suddenly I had the sensation of being full which I'd never had before - I think that's what retrained my body. I'm 3 months out now and eat really well - I know my surgery will be a success and am so thankful I had it.

My suggestion is to try to distract yourself from the hunger and the cravings - find things you love to do (go for a walk, swim, read a good book, watch a movie etc) Try to stay away from sugar and fat - you won't fail if you follow your doc's guidelines. Good Luck!

[Getting healthy 123 0]

Thanks ladies. That helps!