chewing gum

Someone suggested chewing gum to me since I have a bad habit of wanting something sweet after eating(bad habit carried over pre op). So I have become an avid gum chewer, kinda like a smoker has a cig I pop in some gum. Well Ive noticed that every since I started chewing it that I get hungry lots sooner. Like for instance I can eat a meal and last a good two hours without feeling any hunger but when chewing gum its like 30 min to an hour. Usually when I feel this I just drink water but I think Im going to have to kick the gum habit. Its like my pouch knows Im chewing so it clears everything out expecting a drop. Weird! I refuse to buy anymore but now Im already missing it. Do any of you chew gum now? Do you notice the same thing? Candy

My surgeon says no gum at all, but I think that's because he's had to surgically remove it from a pouch opening before. I have heard that aspertine increases hunger, which is one of the reasons I'm not allowed diet drinks. Maybe that's what's happening?

When you chew gum you increase the amount of saliva that flows into the pouch and this help flush food out of the pouch and helps digest the food. I sometimes find chewing gum to help with food that is sitting harshly in the pouch. I cannot say that I've noticed increased hunger but it makes sense but I don't chew gum that often because I chew obsessively and go through a pack in no time at all. Kathy

I haven't noticed hunger sooner after chewing gum, but I do try the same trick you are talking about. What about a sugar free Werther's candy or Lifesaver? As long as you don't eat a bunch of them, that might satisfy your sweet craving without increasing the aspertame, etc. Angie

I was an avid gum chewer preop (Dubble bubble was my gum of choice! ) and I still am an avid chewer. I chew to stifle the urge to graze, which is all the time. Nowadays, I chew Trident Splash strawberry lime and I usually pop in a piece immediately after a meal because I have a bad habit of still wanting to eat even after I've finished my meal. I have not noticed any increased hunger at all.

yes, my surgeon also said no gum because he said it was dangerous due to the fact that it could get lodged in the stoma (sp?) and then we could need some kind of emergency surgery? I dont know... seems so long since i had that lecture, but I just remember being so freaked out by his 'warning' that I have not chewed gum since before the surgery.... lol. Also, it is true that it does get your juices going that will make you hungry, and I have never found it to be an 'attractive' quality' on me... because I dont like the way my jaw/teeth look when I chew gum. Just paranoid about it, I guess. When I quit smoking I used the lozengers, and I do use mints from time to time now. Jess