Still Hungry

I could really use some support. I will be 8 weeks out on Wednesday and I am still hungry all the time. I have yet to feel any sensation of fullness. I feel like I never had the surgery. Nothing seems to bother my stomach and I never feel full. I have only lost 7 pounds in the last 4 weeks for a total of 35 pounds. I started at 307 so I expected more. I am really disappointed with everything. I have lost more than that on Weigh****chers in 2 months. Granted I could not keep it off but this just sucks! I have been emailing the nut, and she said I was eating too much. I have about 10-12oz of solid food a day. I get in all my protein and water. I have been exercising. When I am done eating I just don't feel any fullness. Its like I am doing this without the help of surgery. Has anyone else felt like this? It's so frustrating. Sara,

Hi Sara: Have you spoken to your doctor about this.... if the surgery is done right, you should feel full after a few bites...as your new pouch is just the size of a thumb..stumps me...I can't even finish a small bowel of soup...Call your doctor and find out what is going on...and try to get together with a support group that he has done some surgery with...stumps me...but each person is different...are you eating dense protein...or just liquid food? take care and god bless.... Dennis

Hi Dennis- I told the doctor at my 4 week appointment about not feeling full and he said things would change when I started eating solid foods, especially beef. Well I got the go ahead to start real foods and it does not help. Even steak sits just fine in my pouch, no fullness. It is very frustrating. I am not supposed to see him for 2 more months so I have been emailing the nut and she isn't really helping. I don't think she believes me. I am going to this weeks support group but I feel like I am the only one this is happening to. Sara-

...SARAH...DON'T WAIT UNTIL TWO MONTHS, CALL THE DOCTOR NOW...DON'T BE SCARED...HEY IT YOUR BODY AND YOU NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON...so take a stand, and don't wait the two months...Please take care of yourself and again...don't be afraid to insist...tell the Nut, she is not doing squat... Dennis

Sara - Hi I can only reinforce what the last post said - call your MD. This sounds like it might be a bigger issue than the nut can help with. I am sorry that this happened, please keep us updated. Ann

Hi Sara, I don't know if this will help you but my surgeon's website describes the feeling of "fullness" as being different from what we experienced before. I know for me, I didn't know right away what "full" was and it took a little getting used to. Also are you making sure you are getting enough protein and water? Not getting enough of either can leave you feeling hungry... http://www.obesity-surgery-associates.com/dietingtechniques.htm Recognizing Fullness Indications of fullness may not feel the same as before surgery. Some signs that your pouch is nearly full may be a feeling of pressure or fullness in the center of your abdomen, just below your rib cage, or feelings of nausea, regurgitation or heartburn. Remember, stop eating as soon as you are full; over-eating even one ounce can make you vomit and can lead to stretching your pouch.

Sara, I'm in the same boat as you. The only way I even know I have a pouch is I get a pressure in my chest when I eat too fast. I definitely get hungry, and I don't ever seem to be full. I saw the nut 2 weeks ago and she told me that since I'm working out so much, I need more calories than I would if I wasn't exercising. I'm doing 2-3.5 hrs/day 4x/week. When I was eating 3 3oz meals/day I thought I was starving and I wasn't losing any weight. When she gave me the go ahead to eat more, I started losing again. I'm 6 weeks out and have lost 42 lbs. After week 2, I haven't had anything make me sick, and I've tried more different kinds of food than anyone on this board. Some of the foods I've had aren't the best nutritionally, but most are. I eat a lot of volume, but I try to keep my calories around 1000/day. Some days I go over, and some days I'm under, but I keep track of every drop of food I put into my mouth on fitday.com to make sure I'm not overeating. I'm seeing the nut again in 10 days so we can see where I'm at. I would love to take 2 bites of something and feel stuffed, but there are a lot of people out there who would like to be able to eat different foods without getting sick. It's a tradeoff. At my last support group I asked the surgeon why I never feel full, and he asked me if I was eating less than I was before surgery. Of course the answer was yes. He said that some people just don't get the "full" feeling and as long as I monitor my intake and eat less, the operation was a success. I just worry that I'm going to have to monitor myself for the rest of my life. Because after the honeymoon period, it's all on how much I eat and exercise. My advice to you is to call your surgeon if you feel like you need it. Also, you said how much volume you are eating, but how many calories are you getting? Your body may just be in starvation mode. It's possible you may need to eat more, or up your protein and exercise until your stall is over. Also, try to stay upbeat. You mentioned that you've lost more on weigh****chers, but at least you know that if you "use your tool", this weight won't be coming back. Since this problem seems to be unique to us, I'm available anytime you want to talk. Take care and good luck! Sheryl 292/250/1??

It looks like we are one day apart on surgeries. I know how you're feeling. However I do know when I'm full but the only way I can tell is when I get a "gurgling" in my stomach. But even though I know when I'm full, I do get hungry pretty often about every couple of hours. And when I get hungry it feels like I'm starving. I've taken to carrying around slices of cheese and crackers with me when I go somewhere. Like you, I seem to be able to tolerate many foods even salsa. But with all that said, I still only seem to be eating only about 5-6 times a day even with all that hunger. And keep in mind that you should be proud of yourself for the 35 lbs lost so far! I've lost 30. I'm sure all of us here are proud of you for that as well. It will come off, maybe just more slowly, but what I keep telling myself is that it will come off. I don't know about you, but (as my husband keeps reminding me) I'm not eating a fraction of what I used to eat not to mention the stuff that was bad for me (like McDonald's). So if this tool has helped me to stop stuffing myself, then this weight will come off. I know it's hard when someone says, "think of the future", because you want it to come off now! But what else do we have but the future?

I know you are all right and I should be proud of myself. I just expected more physical cues about when to stop eating. I guess I will just have to measure everything and be very careful about what I eat. Thanks for all the encouragement. It helps knowing I am not alone. Sara