How often do You Eat

[Happy Jan]

I never feel hungry and have set reminders on my iPhone for my meal times so I didn't miss out lol
My surgeon has had me on Lanzoprazole dissolvable tablet since I had op and I will go onto tablet form when I'm on full solid foods. He told me to take them for the rest of my life!! I notice a difference if I forget to take it.

Happy Jan

[NothingUpMySleeve]

I eat once a day, but snack on Jif PB, yogurt, popsicles, frozen yogurt, and broth throughout the day. Not all of them, but a couple of them each day. I have lost 26 lbs. since my 2 week prior to surgery liquids only diet.
If I can share anything with anyone, don't be shy to ask.

[Queenbee629]

I’m so glad to see this.....I’m 3 and a half weeks out. Eating puréed foods and doing okay morning and lunch but evening I’m famished. Eating the amount I’m supposed to and still feel hungry. Have increased what I eat a little, but having reflux as well in evening. I’m still on 3 protein shakes a day and take Prevacid 30mgs in morning. Does anyone take it twice a day? Also wondering if vitamins can be causing it? Any thoughts? Thanks!!!!

[Stacey03]

You can buy those things over-the-counter.

I take Omeprazole 40 mg./day. (The brand names differ, but that's the actual drug name.)

Ann... do you still take these after all your years out? it sounds like a good idea to me so i shall ask my surgeon.

[Dutchie]

I eat once a day, but snack on Jif PB, yogurt, popsicles, frozen yogurt, and broth throughout the day. Not all of them, but a couple of them each day. I have lost 26 lbs. since my 2 week prior to surgery liquids only diet.
If I can share anything with anyone, don't be shy to ask.

I personally would not recommend this to anybody.
This has more to do with grazing than with nourishing yourself properly, in my opinion.
It certainly is not encouraged where I come from.
We are told to have three meals per day and three healthy snacks.
That keeps my bloodsugars quite level throughout the day.

[A Fairly Odd Panda]

PrettyLady - congrats on your surgery! Now onto hunger pains...

Pretty much all these nice folks have summed it up already, and the collection of their experience should be enough to signal that at this stage real hunger is an improbability. That said, what you are going through is real and a common affliction. It happened to me, too! Between protein shakes and my teenie tiny small meals, I would suffer from "hunger pains". At first, I didn't understand what was going on, so I would medicate with crackers (big no-no but they went down so easy and alleviated my symptoms) and a metric truckload of Tums while I waited to see my surgeon.

Come to find out that I had GERD, which was something totally new to me (never had it before the surgery). But that empty aching pang I thought was hunger was instead GERD. I was given the OK to swallow pills at 8 weeks out and the PPI got rid of these pangs and the "hunger".

Here's my two cents: Before you put yourself on a tablet or capsule for a PPI (Prilosec is the most common OTC) make sure you are cleared to ingest this with your surgeon first. There is always a concern about potential blockage so soon after this surgery.

As far as how often to eat - at 4 weeks post op I was eating very, very small meals three times a day and two protein shakes in between. This was difficult, but necessary. At 12 weeks post-op I eat three meals and one snack + one protein shake a day. I still do not have real hunger, but sometimes, depending on the time of the month, I get the urge to eat more often.

Good luck and you're going to do fine!