Hunger? Does it go away with RNY?

[gina171 626]

Still deciding between the sleeve and RNY. At the first info session I went to, they stressed how the sleeve made hunger go away bc they removed the part of the stomach that produced gherkin. They didn't mention hunger going away with the RNY, and since the RNY diagram showed the entire stomach remaining in the body (even though it was divided) I assumed hunger must still be an issue after RNY.

Attended a different program's info session last night, and they said hunger also goes away after RNY.

Has this been true for you? Are you less physically hungry? Do you think about food less often?

I am very hungry often, so I was leaning to the sleeve to help mitigate that, but I prefer the long term success DATA of the RNY.

Please let me know how your hunger levels changed, and if your thoughts became les. "Food-obsessed"?

Thank you.

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[gina171 626]

Oops...the hunger hormone was gherelin, not gherkin. darn autocorrect!!!

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[Cervidae 2,389]

Hello! Just wanted to say I'm 9 months post op and I only feel hunger when I actually need food. If I go several hours without eating or drinking anything, I get a little nudge of hunger that I didn't really recognize at first. Hunger before surgery was less a feeling coming from actual physical need for food and more of an obsessive compulsion. Now, when I feel it, it's just "oh, I'm hungry. I should eat something." Then, after eating a normal or smaller than normal amount, the feeling goes away. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be able to operate like a "normal" person. So the answer is yes, I feel hunger, but it is in no way like hunger was before my RNY.

Also, I've been in therapy since before surgery, and it has really helped me so much in terms of how I think about food and why I want to eat, and how to separate hungry from head-hungry. I would truly recommend therapy to every person who is considering, is having, or has had surgery. It's rare that it is purely physical hunger that drove us to become this way.

Best of luck to you, hope this helped.

[Cervidae 2,389]

I should also say that I didn't even start feeling normal hunger again until a little after 6 months. Before that, there was absolutely no desire to eat food.

[UsernameTaken 283]

I am only 5 days post op to RNY, and I have no hunger at all, not even head hunger. Before surgery I had lap band and my hunger was sooo out of control it was horrible. So far so good!

[gina171 626]

This is really helpful, thanks. And Cervidae, yep, I am in therapy and will continue....I know this weight did not happen only bc I thought food was delicious, it's bigger than that for certain.

In fact last night I was having dinner with my husband, who runs marathons and considers a Sunday bike ride to be 70 miles, and I kept saying over and over, "But what does normal feel like? What's it like to move through the world WITHOUT this protective bubble? How will I know if people are really good people deep down, if I don't have this barrier that they have to be open to overlooking? Am I suddenly going to be angry at people who once judged me, but are nicer if I'm thinner?"

I am really giving a lot of thought to the head piece. I think that's going to be the most overwhelming piece for me. If my physical healing goes well, and I fervently hope it does, I still think the biggest part of this journey is going to happen between my ears.

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Edited May 18, 2016 by gina171

[Cervidae 2,389]

@@gina171 you just put words to something that has been nagging me since the very first seminar... the whole thing about not knowing what people you meet are really like without the "fat" test, and all the rest. They are very strange and uncomfortable waters, and to be honest, I still have not really decided or found any answers to these questions. I find myself wondering these things every day, just walking through the grocery store, sitting in a doctor's office waiting room, any time I interact with strangers. I look back and feel almost unbearably sad for the very heavy person I was, because I can see how I'm suddenly "acceptable" in the eyes of strangers. Some even flirt with me, an experience which I am in no way used to or prepared for. Pretty much everyone treats me so kindly now, it's almost scary compared to the way I was treated just this time last year by the general public. To be honest, it makes me frustrated and furious that this is a social reality, and one nothing I do will ever change.

Edited May 19, 2016 by Cervidae

[RouxDude 20]

I'm two days out and am hungry! But I also think it is head hunger although my stomach is growling like a lonely dog left outside too long!

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[WannabeH 114]

I'm 4 months out and not hungry. If I have a busy morning it's sometimes after 10am and I think 'I better have something to eat!' So definitely the bypass has stopped the hunger so far.

I've had also had the head hunger, and sometimes I go into auto mode and stuff some food in my mouth...only to have regrets seconds later, because I'm suddenly full with only a tiny amount of food, or the food gets stuck and takes ages to go down.

I go into auto mode less and less now because my brain is finally understanding I can't do it anymore!!! ....and that quick food fix is no longer worth it.

So the bypass has really helped me psychologically and helped regain control with mind over matter, and now I'm at the stage where I'm really beginning to see a massive change in my body, I never want to loose this feeling again.

I love the fact my 'protective bubble' has diminished, it's now been replaced with inner confidence which I find far more powerful then the extra weight I use to carry.

So this tool has been very helpful to me both mentally and physically.

Good luck gina171 with any of the choices you make

Edited May 19, 2016 by WannabeH

[LisaMergs 2,854]

2 months post op and my response is what hunger? Lol. Seriously, I've said it before- I have to set the alarm on my phone to remind myself to eat or I would go all day and it's happened! Like oh crud! I forgot to eat today and then it's a mad rush to get in as much Protein as I can before the day is done. The alarm helps me.

FYI- RNY was the absolute best decision I've made in a long time

[kjwrn 129]

I had RNY on 4/4/16, my hunger and obsession with food has decreased significantly