Questions 2 weeks post op

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas! I had surgery on Dec 10 and just got off my liquid diet and moved onto blended foods for the next 2 weeks. Everything is going great as far as I can tell but do have a few questions/concerns for you all. I guess my first concern is that I still feel hunger quite a bit. It's hard to tell if it's mental or physical, but I have a bit of a hard time around food. I am married with 3 kids so I still have to be around food a lot. I'm sure it's normal for some, but I didn't know it would be this difficult still.

I also sort of feel like my pouch or opening may be too big. I was prepared to sip on water, which is what I was doing for a couple days, but I can drink quite a bit of water without feeling like I'm full. I'd say I'm pushing 120-150 ounces daily. I've been getting all my protein via shakes, with the recent addition of scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. The most I've eaten is 2 eggs with a bit of shredded cheese, but that did not really make me feel full. Maybe the new "full" is just something so different from what I'm used to that I don't recognize it.

So basically everything is going great, but I just wanted your thoughts/experiences on these things. I lost 20 lbs pre op and have lost 20 more post op, so that's awesome too!

Hello there and Merry Christmas to you too! It sounds like you are feeling well and have had some great weight loss, so congratulations on that. A lot of people don't feel full on their liquid/pureed/soft foods diets. This is because these foods usually just slide right through our more relaxed connection and straight into the intestines, this is why we are advised not to drink for 30 minutes after we eat, so we don't "wash"our food out of the stomach into the intestines. Most people start feeling the real restriction once they've hit normal foods again. Right now I would advise you measure and weigh your food to ensure you aren't over eating, then once you have been cleared for normal foods in a few weeks, try eating some dense protein like grilled chicken breast and you will probably feel full before you can finish your 4oz portion.

If not, contact your surgeon with your concerns.

Keep us updated! I'd love to hear what ends up happening.

That makes a ton of sense. Thank you for the response. Congrats on your progress!

Congratulations on your surgery, Pete.

Thank you!

The nerves in your stomach have been cut and you will not feel "full" for a very long time. You need to be measuring your food and eat only that amount. Your stomach is still healing and over eating can cause serious complications at this point. There have been people who have died from ruptured internal suture lines.

Head hunger is the hardest thing to overcome after surgery. My advice is to try to stop chasing the "full feeling". We have used that Thanksgiving Day stuffed feeling as an emotional crutch. Many of us have never allowed ourselves to feel real hunger. We feed ourselves when we are bored, stressed, celebrating, etc. even if we are not really hungry. It's O.K. to allow yourself to feel hungry. As long as you are eating a tiny bit, every 4 hours to keep your blood sugar stable, nothing bad will happen to you. Hunger is not an emergency requiring immediate action. If you feel hunger...ignore it. You can train yourself to wait until your next scheduled meal. I find that eating by the clock, and not how my stomach feels, works best. My stomach has been a liar for my entire life. I can not trust it to tell me the truth about my hunger. If I could, I would have never needed surgery.

Also, Your new stomach will make a lot of gurgling noises. Do not mistake these noises for hunger pangs...they are not. My stomach makes the most noise after I eat.

The most successful WLS patients weigh and measure their food...forever. They become strict rule followers. It's hard work but you are worth the effort.

Thank you for the detailed response. I definitely used to always chase that "full feeling". I have been measuring and measuring, so will try my best to build those good habits. I think the habits are the hardest thing to change. When I used to get a day off we would drive to one of our favorite places to eat and have get some good (bad) food. I'm going to try to replace that with finding healthy recipes and shopping for groceries then cooking that. Also meal prepping for the work week. It'll be a process to change, but I think it can be a lot of fun too, just different. Sorry for the ranting, I'm just sort of typing these thoughts out trying to figure it all out. Thank you for your insights!

Pete

I had my surgery on December 7th and I'm feeling the exact same way. I feel great, except that I don't really get that feeling that I'm full yet. I did get it one time (the first time I ate eggs). However, I haven't gotten it at all since. I am eating the portions that have been recommended, but I definitely feel like I could eat more. At this point, it's more of a game of will power.

I do agree with the other posters. When you make sure not to drink 30 minutes before or after a meal, you feel much less hungry.