Hunger

In the last week or so, six months after surgery, I'm starting to feel hunger. Genuinely hungry a lot, and I hate it. I'm still taking a ppi daily, getting lots of protein and drinking plenty of water. Is this normal at this stage?

My weight loss is slowing too, and I'm afraid as I eat more calories a day, that it will stall and I need to lose 20 more pounds or so to hit my goal. I'm eating more like 900 calories a day now rather than 600...

Just worried about this. Also I notice that I have an interest in good again. After surgery I would never want anything, just ate for health. Now, I notice food, and smell it, and think about it much more....

I get hungry too and probably have since earlier than 6 months. I have a spreadsheet of all my calories and weights daily since about that time so I was able to look back (weird I know):

• Month 7: 1020 average calories
• Month 8: 1130 average calories
• Month 9: 1250 average calories
• Subsequent months (maintenance): 1350 average calories

You can see the weight loss that went with these calories in my signature.

To combat the hunger I find that 5-6 small meals a day work best for me (I call them breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks). The calories tend to be higher for dinner but not by a lot. All the other meals are 100-200 calories.

The six month hunger is almost always due to eating more white carbs. Flour, sugar, rice, potatoes, bread, cereals and fruit will do that to you. Cut out any of those carbs and your hunger will vanish.

I had the same experience at around 5 months. It just means it's time for you to confront hunger, head hunger, and diet fatigue and just find ways to distract yourself and stick to your plan.

It is absolutely possible for physical hunger to return after surgery. Though the main source of ghrelin is removed along with our stomachs, the hormone is made in other places in your body.

As you increase your calories, your weight loss will slow. Most people seem to stay between 600 - 800 calories to keep losing, so if you want to ensure that you keep losing you may want to drop your calories back a bit.

It's frustrating. I don't eat carbs much at all. I haven't had bread, pastries, rice, potatoes, rice, or white carbs at all. I don't touch them. I eat protein and almost no vegetables still, and track. But anyway it's weird how I feel hunger after having none for all these months. And fighting eating them. Oh well, I'm not complaining, but wish that hadn't changed....