Why am I so hungry?

I just had my surgery on 12/28. I feel pretty good with the exception of all the belching  (gross). But I am so hungry. There's not much I can eat now but all I think about is food!  I've had to make myself stay away from Pintrest because its like food porn! Someone please tell me how or what i can do to make this stop. Please. 

It's most likely head hunger or acid or thirst.  I was voracious the first week post-op, but the PPI stopped it.  I also think in my case it was thirst; it would immediately go away when I sipped.  A large part was psychological for me too, as whenever I was bored I would eat.  Now I no longer do that.  I color or crochet or read to keep my hands busy instead.  It might be good to find something for your hands to do when you are hungry.

Now that I am six months out I do have twinges of real hunger, but it's nothing like pre-op hunger.  It's far more manageable.  I am still obsessed with food to some degree, but my situation is odd as I have a severe eating disorder.  Counseling helped me a lot with head hunger, too.  You might want to keep a journal and track when hunger strikes on the left column.  On the right column record what you are doing and what your thoughts are.  Every time I did this it became really clear it was psychological/habitual eating rather than nutritive eating.

I am not an expert and I am sure someone will come along and answer you but for now, I will ask the basic question are you on a ppl?  If not you need one.  Also, at this stage you are on liquids correct?  If so spice up that chicken broth with a little garlic powder, soy sauce, and egg drops to give it some flavor.  In other words try and make what you can eat satisfy you.  

It also sounds like your dealing with head hunger.  Try to stay busy so your not thinking about food.  Drink non caloric drinks when you think you are hungry.  Think about how much weight you are going to lose by sticking to your doctors well thought out plan.   

Thank you so much. What great suggestions.  Im definitely going to try these.

Thanks

Hi Cookie, first of all congratulations on changing your life! Now to answer your question, you're not really hungry it would be nearly impossible because they took out the part of your stomach that produces ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and your body has plenty of stored calories in fat to live off of for a long time. It's one of 3 things; acid, thirst or head hunger. If your surgeon didn't write you a prescription to reduce acid such as omeprozol ask him or her/his or her office about getting something. Are you getting in enough water? At firs****er is more important than anything even protein you should be striving for 64 oz a day at least north of 40 oz a day to keep from getting dehydrated. If you're hitting water goals and have acid under control it's head hunger, which is a total b. It makes you think you need to eat when you don't, it tells you you're hungry but you have to learn to tune that out either with the help of a councilor/psychiatrist or if you're mentally strong enough by yourself. Get yourself on an eating schedule, make sure you're always sipping water but stop at least 30 minutes before and after meals. When you think you feel hungry and it's outside of your eating schedule take a sip of water and wait, distract yourself with other things. I understand how you are feeling I am only 16 days out from surgery, but I am never truly hungry I eat at pre determined times, I drink my water and take my vitamins, it gets easier. This journey is worth your life and health.

Hi Cookie,

 Sorry you are feeling this way. More than likely the hunger feeling is due to thirst. Keep a glass of something you like to drink (flavored water is great) and just sip sip sip all day long. Hopefully that will help.

Hi Kyzze,

Thanks for reaching out. I definitely will do that but im finding that its giving me heartburn. Guess i need to talk to my doc about that issue.

Tina

Hi Tina - I had issues with flavored waters and sugar-free popsicles both giving me heartburn.  It's something about the artifical sweetener in them that gets to me.  Every time!  If you'r getting heartburn then you need to get on a PPI asap.  Our tummies are so tiny they can't handle acid very well.  Excess acid can cause ulcerations and bleeding internally.  Don't wait -- call your doctor now.  

I'm guessing that your "hunger" may be excess acid (it feels exactly the same).  Until you get the PPI, tryin popping a couple TUMS when you get "hungry" and see if it goes away.  If it helps, then you have acid issues, not lack of food issues.