Hungry and Eating Too Much post VSG
I also went through a depression stage post surgery but it passed. To be honest, I do work with a therapist and take medication so I was in touch with my doctor and therapist about my depression. If yours persists, I'd seek professional help :-)
As for hunger and overeating--that has been one of the disappointing revelations post surgery. I was under the illusion (or delusion) that I'd never be hungry again and it would be impossible to overeat. Not true. I've realized I have to monitor what I eat carefully and track it in a food journal. This has been a hard pill to swallow--I had visions of just eating whatever I wanted in very small portions and magically losing weight. Not so!
It does get better but it's just as much work to lose weight as it was post surgery. You have to be intentional.
Your stomach isn't fully healed yet, so you're really taking risks by overeating. Also, when your stomach is healing you can't trust anything you think it's telling you. So work on ignoring it right now.
Also, the depression isn't "for no reason." You're changing your lifestyle and relationship with food and possibly experience some amount of hormone dumping - those are all really great reasons. I highly recommend that you find a therapist and talk about these things with a therapist. The surgery only changes your stomach, not your brain.
I recommend that you swap the softer proteins you're eating for denser ones, like chicken and steak. It's good that you measure things but you should probably switch to weight vs. volume, and I assume you're logging as well?
It's great that your liquids are high. You might consider trying a stronger PPI as hunger at this point can often be due to early post-op overproduction of acid.
VSG with Dr. Salameh - 3/13/2014
Diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder and started Vyvanse - 7/22/2016
Reconstructive Surgeries with Dr. Michaels - 6/5/2017 (LBL & brachioplasty), 8/14/2017 (UBL & mastopexy), 11/6/2017 (medial leg lift)
Age 42 Height 5'4" HW 319 (1/3/2014) SW 293 (3/13/2014) CW 149 (7/16/2017)
Next Goal 145 - normal BMI | Total Weight Lost 170
TrendWeight | Food Blog (sort of functional) | Journal (down for maintenance)
Hello,
I'm just over a month out from my VSG surgery and am already having trouble eating too many calories and being hungry all the time. I've been eating things like shredded chicken, fish, cooked veggies, PB, greek yogurt, etc. but I have a REALLY hard time keeping my calories below 1200 for the day. I always measure my food in a 1/2 cup size. I end up eating 4-5 times a day because I'm starving (not head hunger...I've been really keeping cognizant of that). My weight has been dropping slowly (lose some, stay the same, stay the same, stay the same, lose some, ...).
I've also been SUPER depressed for no reason...it's been hard to go to work. I have no energy or desire to do anything.
Anyone else have issues like this? Please tell me it gets better...because if I stay this hungry all the time I'm definitely gaining my weight back.
I would eat only dense protein, meat, chicken, pork, cheese and eggs.
No yogurt, which has lots of milk sugar and can trigger hunger, and veggies which can be high carb.
i would try the all meat diet, eating every two hrs if necessary. You won't gain on it and it might just start your loss.
1200 is maintenance calories for us. Most of us won't lose unless we eat 700-800 cals a day only.
I think you can drop the cals down and address the hunger by going all dense protein.
on 6/28/18 11:15 am, edited 6/28/18 9:36 am - WI
You've gotten good advice. I would just like to add that your stomach is going to make a lot of noise, probably for the rest of your life. That growling, noisy, stomach does not equal hunger. Before surgery our stomachs growled to be fed. After surgery your stomach will growl for no apparent reason. My stomach is noisiest about an hour after I eat. I know it's not hunger if I have just eaten.
Measure your food and then STOP EATING! Feeling hungry is NOT AN EMERGENCY!!!!!! It's OK to be hungry. Nothing bad will happen if you make yourself wait until the next SCHEDULED meal time. Eat 4 very small meals a day, spaced evenly throughout the day. Eat by the clock and don't trust anything your lying liar of a stomach tells you. We don't have a great track record when trusting what our stomach tells us. If we did, we would not need surgery. If you eat until you feel full, you've eaten too much.
Stop chasing the "full feeling". It will never be the same as before surgery. Many of us use "full" as an emotional security blanket. We've used food for comfort for a long time. We all have gone through a depression after surgery. I know I did. I lost my best buddy....food. It does get better.
Many of us have never allowed ourselves to feel actual hunger. We fed ourselves at the first inclination that we might want food. We struggle with impulse control issues and give in to the "I want" instead of examining the "do I really need" this. This is the time you need to focus on new habits that will carry you all the way through maintenance.
YOU CAN DO THIS!
HW 270 SW 236 GW 160 CW 145 (15 pounds below goal!)
VBG Aug. 7, 1986, Revised to RNY Nov. 18, 2010
Great advice from everyone.
Are you taking your PPI medication correctly?
- Take PPIs on an empty stomach, then eat something 30-45 mins later.
- Take PPIs first thing in the morning unless told otherwise by your doctor.
- If you are instructed to take a PPI twice a day, take the second dose before dinner, not at bedtime.
