2 weeks beyond surgery still hungry 2,200 calories a day what's wrong?

[Dallas Powell 23]

Hi everyone,

I'm really needing some input from you guys. I had a gastric bypass 2 weeks ago. Since the surgery I have noticed that I get full on less food but not incredibly less.

I can very easily eat 2,200 calories a day. Regarding quantity at one time I can eat 3 Lien Cuisines in a row before getting really full. After 2 I may start to have a light full feeling.

I have never felt nauseous. I am sticking with soft food but have had chicken chewed up real good, fish, beef, everything. Not a single thing made me feel sick or made me throw up.

I left a voicemail for my Nut and she left a message back that she was hoping that I made a mistake in saying 2,200 calories a day and she asked where is it all going on the voicemail. She was acting like that was impossible.

I can assure you that it isn't impossible. Because I can do it. Without any effort. She seemed very concerned about this. As did the surgeons assistant when I told her. She immediately called the Nut and told her to get ahold of me.

They say every pouch they make are all the exact same size. The Surgeon told my GF that he had difficulty in making my pouch but got it done. I have a lump and some pain still right around my left rib. They told me if I have no fever I don't need to be concerned with it even though sometimes it hurts and others it just aches a little.

My GF had the same surgery 3 weeks before me and she never could eat any where near as much as me. 3 bites of a hamburger and she is painfully full. Not me I can eat the whole thing.

My Nut said when freaking out on my voicemail that I must have meant 300, 600 or 800 calories or something like that because that is what she said she hears from most people who are 2 weeks out. Nope she heard me correctly 2,200 calories.

So Im 6'2 and I started out 2 weeks ago at 307 and a BMI of 40. Right now I'm 295. I seem to be doing fine with losing for now but I'm real concerned about this amount of food I can easily eat. And I'm wondering if I am the only person alive that has been able to do so. Or anyone else out there that had the same experience.

I have also read here that a person should be for sure under 1,000 calories a day in the initial weight loss stage and then higher when you go into the ongoing maintenance stage. By what the calorie counters say when I get to 225 I should be eating around 2,500 calories a day to maintain. Why less now? Or is that not true?

Thanks for your input!

[nnv 44]

That's definitely not normal. I would make an appointment with your surgeon asap.

[winklie 518]

First, you have a really easy going NUT and Surgeon if you can eat a Lean Cuisine at 3 weeks post. I am on pureed food and very limited at that. The amount of food you can imbibe is directly linked to the size of the pouch, if you can get that much food in you, time to consider sitting down with the Surgeon and having a discussion, something about your pouch is wrong. You could have a Fistula (which is a connection to the old stomach) and this would explain why you can get that much food in you. But aside from that, a properly constructed pouch would make it impossible to get that kind of food inside you, I mean 3 lean cuisines at a time, that's crazy. A Fistula can be repaired under a local with an endoscope, not a bad fix, if your pouch is way too big or stretched like crazy, there is but one fix, another surgery, to reduce the pouch size to the correct size.

Best of luck

[Cervidae 2,389]

It's also possible that you're actually REALLY hurting your pouch and don't even know it, because when everything is rerouted during surgery, the nerves are severed, and it takes time for them to reconnect and heal. Imagine putting your hand on the stove while it's on high but you can't feel it burning - it is definitely still burning, and you are definitely still damaging yourself. Talk to your surgeon asap! And seriously, I know it's hard because old habits die hard and it doesn't feel like there is any problem with how much you are eating but you really should measure out your food, eat EXACTLY what your NUT says, and generally just eat a lot less than you are. I would hate to find out something happened to you.

Just because you CAN does not in any way mean you SHOULD. Take care, get help soon.

[Cervidae 2,389]

Like I'm almost 9 weeks out and I can barely eat 500 calories. I've had nightmares where someone offered me a spoonful of rice or a cracker and I ate it happily, then remembered about my stomach, and my stomach would like tear apart or something. Just thinking about putting that much food into a pouch that's only able to hold 2-3 ounces is giving me so much anxiety, I can't even tell you. D: If you start feeling feverish or sick or if your abdomen starts feeling more tender than it has from your incision sites, go to the hospital!

[The Candidate 3,215]

That is definitely not normal. I'm 13 weeks out and I'm still under 1000 calories. I would be stuffed to the rafters if I even attempted a Lean Cuisine.

I'm just curious as why you tried a Lean Cuisine this early out, as I was still on liquids at this stage. Are you experiencing extreme hunger as well?

I'm very curious to hear more of your experience as it develops. I hope your situation improves and best of luck!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Have you tried home cooked food vs a highly processed meal?

[PaulaWodzisz 9]

I would definitely contact the surgeon to see if something is wrong with the pouch. I am over 2 months out and I still have trouble with getting more than 800 calories. I still supplement with 1-2 Protein shakes to make sure I am getting enough Protein because I am full after a few bites of pretty much anything (other than fish and seafood).

Good luck on your journey. It is the best decision I have ever made. I had my first bite of birthday cake and could only eat a couple...but it was the best birthday cake I have ever eaten. My outlook with food and life has changed so much since having this surgery and I hope you feel that way too.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Why are you even attempting to eat one, two, or three Lean Cuisine's at two weeks? Aren't you following your surgeon and NUT's post-op program at all? Did you receive any education, discharge orders, a detailed food plan, guidance, or documentation?

At two weeks I was on full liquids and struggling to get in my fluids and 100 grams of Protein every day.

When I read your topic title I thought maybe you were eating milkshakes all day. I have never seen Lean Cuisine's allowed on any of my post-op program materials.

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

This is truly unbelievable and impossible IF you actually had the gastric bypass! I have heard talk of "lurkers" on this site. I think you may be one!!

[winklie 518]

I cannot believe that I fell for a troll. /facepalm

[Dallas Powell 23]

LOL, no I'm not a lurker. And yes I did have the bypass.

Regarding the diet after surgery all I was told was I need to eat liquids for the 2 days in the hospital only. Then pureed food for a week. Then soft foods for a couple weeks after that until changing to regular food. The Lein Cuisines I have been eating were soft. Pasta with little bits of shrimp or chicken in it.

I have been doing what they said. I'm now thinking it must be somethign having to do with how the Dr. told my GF right after the surgery that he had some difficulty making my pouch but he finally got it. I'm thinking he must have not gotten it.

Thanks for the ideas on things like the fistula etc. Sounds like I definatley have something wrong. I'm wondering if some of the food I'm eating is leaking out in my body. I do still have pain under my left rib which sometimes is a dull ache and sometimes is pretty bad but doesn't last long. I have no fever though.

[winklie 518]

You are placed in a cardiac ward (typically) after GB surgery because the first and easiest way to detect leaks is that the subject will develop tachycardia (heart rate typically > 120 bpm at rest), if not fixed very soon, as in within hours, death is the most likely outcome, as your septic. (see sepsis), if you had a whole in your stoma and were stuffing this food into your abdomen, your heart would be racing after several hours, and sadly you would not have survived two weeks. All those different foods and their associated bacteria in your abdomen! I mean if an appendix (think of how small those are) bursts, it's touch and go about survival for awhile, and that's just a couple of ounces of liquid.

[Dallas Powell 23]

Ok gotcha. Yea they put me in the cardiac ward for several hours after the surgery while waiting on a room. And my heart rate in the hospital was actually low. As I recall they were talking about 40's to low 50's.

So it sounds like I don't have a hole for sure. I continued to eat those 2K calories a day for a couple days as suggested by my surgeons assistant. I told her I think I'm well over the maximum 1,200 she said to be below. She was saying 900 is the best number for me to be at. And said to be sure she wanted me to track my calories on the my fitness pal app. I did that for a couple days and found that 2,200 is where my body wants to be. I have been starving myself for the past 2 days. Feel almost like I'm still on the 2 week starvation diet that they made me do prior to the surgery. The last 2 days I have been arounc 1,300 to 1,400 calories. And that is tracking every single thing including 1 Fiber gummmy I take a day and a tiny danactive drink to get the digestive system in order and sugar free crystal light drinks which do have a few calories.

[goblue9280 481]

Something doesn't add up. I was worried that something was wrong early on because it felt like I could eat more than others. I had no problem with 1/3 to a 1/2 a cup of food at a time, while many others struggled to keep down a tablespoon or two. Searching around, I found it is pretty common to be able to eat with no issues after surgery. However, I don't recall one person claiming to be able to eat close to 2k calories. I don't get an overwhelming full feeling on 1/2 cup of food, but I'm around 700 calories a day and don't feel hungry for most of it.

Also, it sounds like they did not give you very good directions with regards to the post-op diet. My plan is very similar to yours... full liquids up until my first post-op appt, then pureed for 1-2 weeks followed by soft foods for 2 weeks. However, I was told no Pasta, rice, bread for I believe 6 months.

If it were me, I'd be getting in to see the doctor asap to see if he made the pouch too big and also to get more info from the nutritionist on the recommended diet.