No desire to eat

To me, eating is now a pain in the butt.  I'd rather have a protein shake or a protein shot and go on about my business.  I just do not have the desire to actually eat anything.  I know I need to eat, and I am forcing myself to eat at least once a day, but I have absolutely no desire for "real food". 

Anyone else experience this? If so, how long did it last and what did you do?

I know now even 4 months out I have very little desire to eat any food. I have to basically just force myself to eat anything. So yeah, I understand completely. I hope the desire to eat comes back so I don't just die of anorexia. I do try my damndest to get in enough protein/food/liquids, etc but I just find that I don't want any of it.

Bama, my appetite came back pretty quickly. I've got a different emotional relationship with food now than I did pre-op, but I'm still pretty keen on eating 3 solids per day. I'm actually having to look around for the most effective way to treat hunger at night already. A half cup of GrapeNuts along with a half cup of 1% seems to do the trick pretty good.

But I have a buddy who's 8 months ahead of me, which puts him at almost 16 months out, who tells me he still has no hunger and no motivation to eat. So he's a lot further out than you are and still having the same problems you're describing. The good news is that he has lost 285 lbs in those 16 months and looks great. The bad news is that he's having some pretty serious vitamin deficiency problems. My suggestion would be to work hard at developing the same self discipline to eat that you used to work on to not eat. It appears to me that a large part of the battle is developing healthy habits during the honeymoon.

Man I'm the same way. I hate to eat. I feel like it's the biggest pain in the ass.  I would rather pull my teeth out with rusted plyers than to eat.  But I force myself to so I don't die.  Before surgery I wolf down what ever I ate. Now it just takes to much time to eat.

I realize that you are far enough post-op so that your problem is not with one of the stages of post-op eating.  Anyway, I suggest you go to www.bariatriceating.com and go to the Help section.  It gives info on various stages of post op eating as well as food plans and recipes.  You can use the site without having to sign on to it or feeling obligated to buying any of the products sold there.

After about 5-6 months my hunger came back.  You know it really wasn't hunger that came back, it was that not full feeling.  So often if you were like me, it was the not full feeling that drove me nuts and cause the weight gain.  Bama where you're at right now is so important, to make sure you're getting the right foods in, even if you don't feel like eating.  Before you know it your 6 month labs will be here.  If you haven't eaten the right things and taken the right vitimins it will show up.  Trying to work from behind (catching up) on vitamin deficiencies is nearly impossible (not to mention the possible loss of muscle mass).  So you force yourself to eat that really boring stuff.  You're also creating the right habits for when the hunger does comes back.  Guys here talk about the "honeymoon time", well your in it.  For me looking back, it was things like tuna salad or Wendy's Chili for breakfast (or Not Dave pureeing his chicken salad).  I know how boring that stuff got after a few months.  But your retraining yourself and those habit will soon become second nature.  If people laugh at what we're eating or not eating...well they need to get a life concerning their health.  Just my thoughts.  Brian

PS...Reread your post Bama.  Could you have a stricture?  10% of RNY patients get them.  You should be eating more by now.  May want to check with your doctor. 

Bama,

I totally agree with JFish - this is the time to develop the disciplines with eating that will carry you the rest of your long life. Learn to eat to live. Count your essentials: proteins, liquids, vitamins, minerals, etc., and make sure you are getting what you need daily. This will serve you well in the long run.

And like Brian said, if you are physically unable to eat all you need, talk with your Doc.

Keep it up, brother.

Joe

What the other guys said, Bama as my appetite came back at 6 months. During this time, I identified which foods I could tolerate, which ones still tasted good and which foods were nutrionally good for my body. Foods which I used to love, like burgers, didn't taste so great, others like shrimp, made me puke. Before WLS, I used to dislike cottage cheese but after WLS, I loved it.  

Now it all tastes good and the only time I puke is when I woof down food and don't chew, chew, chew. Anywho, sounds to me you're in your honeymoon phase so just stick with the protein first rule and make sure what you do eat now is heathy stuff. You're not getting in many calories so you've got to make em' count.  

Boner

Well, I certainly seem to be in the minority here.  My appetite has really ramped up over the past month or so, and I'm just over 4 months out.  I'll "feel" like I haven't eaten in days, which will make me eat too quickly and feel horrible afterwards (sigh).  I also still have a huge problem with junk food cravings, which I usually can get over but not always.