Hunger. REAL hunger...

[electricgypsy]

Hi all, I'm a little over a week out from surgery and already feeling fantastic. So far have lost 15 pounds, haven't had to take meds for anything other than Pepcid temporarily and am sleeping like a baby. I'm still doing liquids and have moved into the soft protein stage with the cottage cheese etc. So far, every once in a while, I'll feel what I THINK are hunger pangs, but they go away pretty quickly and I realize that the grumbling is just acid indigestion. I KNOW I'm not really hungry because I'm fine going through the day with what little I'm eating---WAY different than before surgery...which is great.

Question is...when do you start to feel hunger again? Like REAL hunger?? Every once in a while when I'm eating my 2 oz of cottage cheese, ill feel like I'm not really full and could definitely eat more, but know that I'm not supposed to and stop myself. I know that's more of my "head hunger" showing up that got me in trouble over the years. When did you guys start really feeling hunger again? I'm a little worried that I still have head hunger but can control it because I know it's not the real hunger pangs kicking in...and am afraid of possible sabotage once both are there. Did that even make sense??? lol.

[RehabNurse]

For me, real physical hunger and appetite returned sometime between the 8th and 9th month post-op. While I'm not nearly as hungry and ravenous as I was prior to the sleeve, my physical hunger did eventually return.

Although it's true that the portion of the stomach that produces the hunger hormone (ghrelin) is removed during surgery, our bodies slowly adapt when the small intestine starts producing ghrelin by 1 year out.

[WannaBeALoser]

I'm confused myself. I think I've been hungry since about one week after my surgery. I have actual stomach growling. It doesn't bother me as much as it did pre-surgery. It's disappointing because my doctor and counselor both told me multiple times "you WON'T be hungry after surgery".

[MARTA350]

Good luck with your recent surgery. We will all benefit from this journey. Please keep us posted. Mine is scheduled for the 19. Just 2 more days. A bit more complicated but I trust that all will be great. Keep us posted.

[Ann2]

Are those of you who've been recently sleeved taking a serious antacid Rx medication? By that, I mean a proton pump inhibitor like Protonix / Omeprazole / Pantoprazole or something like that.

Almost every VSG patient I know has been prescribed for typically 4 months one of those antacids (it's a once a day thing) to reduce the amount of acid your sleeve is producing. It's prescribed to minimize the amount of stomach acid assaulting your poor traumatized sleeve that's trying to heal right now.

And here's the "hunger" bit: stomach acid mimics the feeling of hunger. When you reduce stomach acid, you reduce your sensations of hunger.

Anyway, that's another piece of this post-op hunger calculation. If you haven't had a prescription from your surgeon, call and ask about it.

Good luck to all!

P.S. My physical hunger sensations are present when it's been hours and hours since I ate. But they STILL aren't as powerful as they were pre-op. I'm 3+ years post-op now; lost 100 pounds and merrily maintaining every pound of that weight loss.

[Christie13]

Initially that growling is acid reflux. Also, once I was on a PPI and eating solids I did not feel hungry. Not sure when my "real" hunger kicked in. I eat when I feel hungry but I have become really in tune with my body. I do not overeat and do not eat when I am bored. I do not get hungry the way I used to, though.

[electricgypsy]

Thanks everyone. I am on Pepcid and although the grumbling seems like hunger, I do recognize that it's the acid but they sure do feel similar at times! What keeps me going is knowing that I'm not SUPPOSED to feel it by now, but I can see where it might be frustrating.. I was reading some other posts and honestly was also a little concerned about not feeling "full" in this second stage of softer food, but am seeing that I wouldn't necessarily because they are slider foods still. There is so much to learn and so much that is different from paperwork vs real life sometimes! Glad to get to learn from folks with all of the real experiences!