HELP! Cant stop eating!

[tmcx28 297]

I do get REALLY hungry and the hunger pains are worse than before surgery. I'm taking Prilosec, I'm constantly drinking, so it's not acid or thirst. I keep super low calorie Snacks around for when the hunger strikes in between meals. Pepper slices, sugar free Popsicles, cucumber.. Something just to make the hunger diminish but still healthy so I don't fall in to old habits.

Those Snacks sound ok but none have Protein.

How are you doing getting in all of your Protein? If you aren't getting enough protein you will be hungry.

I'm getting around 70-80 grams of protein a day. I'm not loading up in peppers and Popsicles, there's plenty of room for my protein.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

[Babbs 14,681]

@@Beachsprite

It not being rude, just honest. It just gets my hackles up when newbies ask for answers, and then refuse to accept the answers given by veterans because it doesn't fit their liking.

We have ALL struggled with hunger at one time or another after surgery. Like I said, no magic wand, just an arsenal of ideas and tools to help combat it. You can take it, or continue to complain about it.

That's all I have to say about that.

[BobbyD 211]

This makes me a bit nervous, because the MAJOR benefit I received from the sleeve surgery was losing the sensation of hunger. It was my achilles heel. Not emotional eating, not horrible habits, just the overwhelming sensation of hunger. I will do my best to learn habits that will sustain me through when my 25 weeks are up and the gerhlin returns. I don't want to blow this opportunity, but hunger is my nemisis.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Yes, hunger comes back.

And how it affects you depends on a number of things, including whether you:

* suffer from binge eating disorder or other food-related issues that make it especially hard for you to resist food to calm / soothe / medicate your anxiety

* Have chocolate sitting in your desk drawer. (If so, WHY?! in the name of God is it there?!)

* are eating the foods you should be eating that keep hunger at bay -- Protein, high-Fiber veggies, some whole grains

* are drinking sufficient Water

* are avoiding high-starch, high-sugar slider foods

* are taking antacids that prevent excess stomach acid from mimicing hunger

* are aware of the events in your life / environment that trigger head hunger and are working to minimize those triggers and/or develop new ways of responding to those triggers besides eating

* are working with a therapist if you have eating / food / behavioral issues that could be improved by working with a therapist

* are able to practice mindfulness in life and being present for what's happening, including feeling your feelings without trying to medicate them away

* planning your daily meals and *know* what you're supposed to eat for each meal and each snack and aren't just compulsively eating things because you don't know what you're supposed to eat that day

* don't have a way to call STOP to destructive behavior (could be calling a friend, a WLS buddy, journaling about your feelings, posting to an online forum , etc. Years ago, I once actually yelled, "STOP!" at myself to startle myself out of my compulsive eating. It actually got my attention.

* put on your walking clothes / shoes and hit the sidewalk or treadmill to get yourself focused again on what your long-term goals are.

There must be so many other things others can add to this list that could help.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Oh, and about that ghrelin ...

There is no timetable about that. Or even huge medical agreement that it comes back. Or if it does, how much of it comes back. And whether it comes back for some, but not for others -- and in varying amounts. My surgeon says it doesn't ever come back at the levels at which it was once present. We shall see. I'm only 18 months post-op, and the ghrelin is still pretty much gone for me, other than for feeling physically hungry when it's mealtime.

Even if it does come back for me I'll STILL have to be responsible for how I respond to it. Some good news (for me, at least) is that after 18 months of really working hard to be consistent in how I eat and how I respond to s**t that happens in my life (as it does in everyone's life) I am confident I'm building new habits and discipline that I certainly didn't have before.

Heck, just planning my daily meals every morning gives me so much more control over my behavior than I have had in decades!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I do get REALLY hungry and the hunger pains are worse than before surgery. I'm taking Prilosec, I'm constantly drinking, so it's not acid or thirst. I keep super low calorie Snacks around for when the hunger strikes in between meals. Pepper slices, sugar free Popsicles, cucumber.. Something just to make the hunger diminish but still healthy so I don't fall in to old habits.

I'd add some Snacks with healthy fats in it to that mix. I find that helps me stave off hunger a lot easier. cheese stick, single serving packs of nuts (pistachios, almonds or cashews are my fav), even a hard boiled egg. That tiny bit of fat goes a long way towards helping me fill satisfied.

This makes me a bit nervous, because the MAJOR benefit I received from the sleeve surgery was losing the sensation of hunger. It was my achilles heel. Not emotional eating, not horrible habits, just the overwhelming sensation of hunger. I will do my best to learn habits that will sustain me through when my 25 weeks are up and the gerhlin returns. I don't want to blow this opportunity, but hunger is my nemisis.

That's the point. You have to learn new habits and change your relationship with food. That's the biggest tool you have against regaining.

[NYLux12 50]

I'm so glad to see this post and all the replies. I, too have been struggling in the past week or two with this. I attributed it to being confused between real hunger and head hunger. I work in an office where everyone eats lunch whenever at their desks. Being surrounded by yummy food smells at all hours of the day is killer. I have armed myself with Water, flavored water, tums, a journal/bitch book and some healthy Protein Snacks like Epic Bars and cheese sticks. But I always go for Water first!

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm going to buy the book Eat it up.

[OKCPirate 5,323]

"Stock" replies?? Really?

Those people with "stock" replies know what they are talking about. Just because you thought sleeve surgery was going to be this magical thing where all your hunger would go away and you wouldn't actually have to use a little will power once in a while doesn't mean the answers given to you by mostly veterans aren't tried and true. They've been there. They know what works.

So you're hungry? Drink Water, make sure you're eating enough Protein, and eat on a schedule. We don't have a magic wand to make your hunger go away.

Sorry for the stock reply.

Dang it Babs, warn us if you are going to be that accurate and funny at the same time. I'm had to run to kitchen to get a paper towel before my screen frizzed from the Water I spewed when I read this.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I'm at about the same weeks out you are, I am probably 26 or 27. I have a lot of issues with head hunger at this point. I do not have physical hunger though, it is all in my head. Since I can eat more things with little to no discomfort, I just want to eat more. I wasn't going nuts or grazing but I realized head hunger was becoming an issue. So I restricted myself to get control. I log my food always but I log my food and I think about my goals. I think about summer every single time I want to eat something and I debate if it will help me meet my summer goal.

Also drinking fluids all day will keep the hunger at bay and keep you satisfied l. I drink unsweetened hot tea in various varieties and flavors all day. It helps. Right now I am doing 2 shakes and one Protein meal a day (fish ). It has really helped me. I have a few low carb high Protein Snacks.

I have a chart that estimates what my weight loss will be if I stick to my plan, it is a Keto calculator. I look at that and think about that goal when I think about giving in to head hunger.

Not having physical hunger and being satisfied on very few calories is a luxury most people do not have. I'm not going to blow it by caving to my cravings.

Think of your goals and focus on those. You can do it, you just have to decide what matters and find a way to work with yourself. Your way might not be my way, but you can do it.

[Cape Crooner 589]

I'm only 14 weeks out, but I have had bouts of hunger off and on. One thing I've noticed is that the earlier in the day I eat simple carbs, the hungrier I'll get.

Sweet potato and watermelon would lead me to being hungry all day.

What do you have for Breakfast?

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Eating sweets is triggering your brain to eat more. I bet if you cut sweet things like sweet potatoes and watermelon out, you wouldn't be as hungry all the time.

[BCs 1000 364]

Eating sweets is triggering your brain to eat more. I bet if you cut sweet things like sweet potatoes and watermelon out, you wouldn't be as hungry all the time.

This is me, but not sweets, it is bread. If I eat a piece of toast for Breakfast, I feel hungry all day.

If I eat something high Protein, low carb for breakfast , I find it significantly easier to stick to my plan.

Maybe start tracking which days you are feeling the greatest hunger and see if there are any patterns with what you ate that day.

As much as I looooove toast for breakfast, after a handful of repeat outcomes, I have realised I just can't include it in my diet, even in moderation.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

This is me, but not sweets, it is bread. If I eat a piece of toast for breakfast, I feel hungry all day.

If I eat something high Protein, low carb for breakfast , I find it significantly easier to stick to my plan.

Maybe start tracking which days you are feeling the greatest hunger and see if there are any patterns with what you ate that day.

As much as I looooove toast for breakfast, after a handful of repeat outcomes, I have realised I just can't include it in my diet, even in moderation.

See -- this is what leads to long-term WLS success: Recognizing patterns and relationships between what you're eating and what happens afterward and, based on that, building a way to eat for the phase you're in that will work for you.

Way to go, @@BCs 1000 !

[libby43 136]

I'm six months out and starting to get hungry often. I'm drinking more in between my meals to keep me full until my next meal time. I understand it's hard but this is part of retraining our bodies in a healthy way. Most often drinking always take the hunger away and I'm ok. Plan all meals and stick to it and drink in between. Remember not to drink with meals that will wash your food out of stomach fast and you will get hungry a lot faster. I wait 45 minutes after eating and stay full a lot longer. These rules apply to me more now than ever before since surgery. I just went back to my book and refresh up on everything to make sure still was doing everything right. You can do this , we just need to encourage and lift each other up. You got this !