Planing for VSG.. Too many questions in mind.

NOTHING surgical takes head hunger away. Some people find therapy very helpful.

I can say that removing the biggest part of the stomach definitely changed my physical hunger. Pre-op, I was hungry ALL THE TIME. Even after a big meal, something inside wanted one more bite. And then another one last bite, and then...

Since my DS, I have what I think of as 'normal' hunger. Like normal people, I get hungry, I eat a small portion, I feel full and satisfied for about 3 hours. I CAN go longer than 3 hours between eating, if I need to, but I find I eat a better, healthier 'diet' if I eat small, frequent snack-sized portions of high-protein, high-fat foods all day long.

Hi Aime-kay. I had my VSG 2 months and 6 days ago. I freaking love it! Like you, I love food. I wasn't an emotional eater. I just liked to eat a LOT of it. I don't care if it was a lot of grapes or a lot of fries. Although Lord knows I loved a french fry. This surgery did not cure my love of fries. It has helped me prioritize what I want from life. I finally said, Tomeka, you have had enough french fries to feed a large village. You know what they taste like. It is OK if you never have another. Your world won't end. So far, that logic is working for me. I want to succeed at this and I can't if I give into that trigger food.

This surgery definitely changed the amount of food I can eat. I had baby shrimp last night and after 4 I was full. Not gonna say that I didn't want to throw a tantrum because those shrimp were tasty. But, my sleeve restricts me.

Some people see a therapist while they are on this journey. I attend my support groups and come to this website to help me. While researching surgeries and surgeons, I would research these two items also. Get an entire team behind you to help you succeed. Good luck with your journey!

Hiya! Welcome to the boards :)

With the sleeve, I've experienced both. If I try to eat any more than 1/3 cup of something, I feel like I would after having a full Thanksgiving dinner before surgery! And when you feel queasy thinking about eating more after your tiny little dish of chicken and a couple of bites of veggies, that definitely puts a damper on wanting to eat more.

For the first six months after surgery, I was not physically hungry at all. I would wake up in the middle of the night with my stomach hurting because I hadn't eaten in eight hours, the thought just didn't occur to me. It's not quite that drastic now, but if I didn't have any reminders about food (like the clock hitting lunchtime, my husband getting a snack, etc.) then I probably wouldn't even care.

Temptation still comes around. Someone brings cookies to the office, and yeah, cookies are tasty and you may want one. That doesn't go away. "Head hunger" and eating when your body doesn't need it is still a big deal, and many folks get professional help in dealing with that emotional side of post-op life. Personally, if somebody brings cookies to the office I have to work very hard to stay away... but I do. It's easier than before surgery, because I've been without for so long, and because I can eat a small portion of something that's GOOD for me (like string cheese or yogurt) and then be completely full with no room for cookies? Way easier to handle.

Hi Aime-kay!  I read throgh all of these posts this morning as part of my daily therapy - I was just talking to my husband about this very subject.  The head hunger is the hardest thing to get used to.  VSG has taken away the physical feeling if being hungry all of the time and then eating until the point of being stuffed and almost in pain.  Food was for me what I would suppose alcohol is for an alcoholic.  My best friend, my worst enemy all wrapped up in one. The coolest thing post VSG, and I don't know if this happenes for everyone, is when I'm watching TV and I see a commercial for pizza, or fast food, it doesn't make me want to go out and binge on that particualar food.  Before I would have wanted to go and get that food and stuff myself with it.  Now I say, it's just pictures.  Which is HUGE in terms of head hunger messing with me. Therapy is very helpful as well as this site. Like another person who posted, I sometimes forget to eat because my appetite isn't what it used to be. But if I do eat on schedule, I feel perfectly satisfied for hours at a time.  Food is not part of every waking thought now.

I love being sleeved because it finally has given me control over my portions.  I have to be very choosy about what goes in my little stomach now.  Protein first, then veggies or fruit, and then maybe a teeny bit of carbs.  I was in fear of carbs for a very long time.  But now, if they are the last thing I eat, not much room for them.  Some days I stick to ready made protein rich foods, other times I'll find recipes online and on OH and experment.  I eat foods now, and LOVE, that I would never have tried before.  And I actually taste food and savor every bite.  As much as I thought I loved food before, I do now even moreso.  I have a healthy respect for what I ingest, simply because it's precious real estate in there.  I like to say when I've had that one-bite-too-many, "no room at the inn!"  Eating slowly has been a change too.  Something I have struggled with, but am getting better at.  When I was on stage three mushy foods, it was easiest because I still had pain, so it would take me a half an hour to eat at the most about 1/3 c of food.  I can eat a little faster now, but still have to be careful or I get foam (you can search this on OH, it's the unpleasant outcome of eating fast) or on the rare occasion, I have thrown up.  It's a lot to learn but sooooo worth it. I weigh less than I did when I got married, I have more energy, and I can even wear my kids clothes! Much to their dismay, lol.  Do your homework on which procedure is right for you and I wish you all the best - if you do choose WLS, you won't regret it! We're all here to help!