Always friggin hungry

 So here's the problem..........since my surgery...... I am ALWAYS FRIGGIN HUNGRY ........
When I met with the dietation she has told me to eat more - which I am doing (about every 2 - 3 hours) but within an hour of eating.......I am hungry again.......

Here are some facts.....
Getting in about 40 - 60 grams of protein a day.........
Eating every 2 - 3 hours
Feeling full within 5 - 10 minutes of eating but finishing my meals within 30 minutes....

But .....I know I am not drinking enough water......will that help me keep full/satisfied????????
Any other suggestions? 

Dietation has told me to keep protein level to 60 grams daily........
Thanks.........

how far out are you? are you sure its hunger, and not just cravings?
Sometimes people report feeling hungry when they're actually thirsty, so getting more water in might help.

You said that you feel full within 10 minutes of eating, do you keep eating whatever you've got in front of you for the rest of that 30 minutes? i'm confused by that statement.

THe calculation for protein is your weight in kilograms x .8, and that equals the amount of protein you should be taking in. (for example, i weight 194lbs. To get my weight in kg, i divide that by 2.2, then multiply that number by 0.8

194/2.2 = 88.18 x 0.8 = 70.5

so, at my weight, i should be taking in 70 g of protein a day. Increasing your protein might help you feel more satisfied.

 Hi Monica,,,,,,, when I met with the dietation, she said based on my height I should be consuming 60 grams of protein. 

Re: feeling full after 10 minutes of eating......yes I continue eating but do not "overstuff" myself for the remainder of the 30 minutes....

To be honest........I don't know if it's cravings of hunger.......to me it feels like hunger but after 40 + years of emotional eating.....I am re-learning about my body, hunger signals and "cravings"....

BTW - I am 5 weeks post-op.....

it could be hunger, i think i started feeling hunger that early, but some people say they don't feel hunger until months afterwards. Everyone heals differently  It could also be thirst as well. Drink more, when you think you're hungry. remember not to drink for 30 minutes after eating, at least. Keep that food in your pouch as long as you can.

Also, be mindful when you eat. Taste each bite, take note of the texture, the taste, the temperature. THink about where the food came from, who prepared it, the country it originated from. (i know it sounds silly, but its part of increasing your awareness of your food, and it really does help you feel more satisfied)

It  might help to do a food journal, that includes what your doing, thinking, and feeling when you get hungry. Then you might be able to get a better sense of who you're feeling, your stomach, or your feelings. Try to listen to your body, instead of listening to your head. Try distraction techniques, or put off eating for 15 - 20 minutes.

Also, its ok to feel hungry. Beck Diet solutions taught me that "hunger and cravings aren't emergencies. I can tolerate them. They're mild, compared to _____________ (fill in the blank). I'm going to eat in _____ hours, anyway." So, its ok to feel hungry. It's not going to kill you. Feel it. Get comfortable with it.

I've never heard of basing your protein needs on your height, unless its in conjunction with your weight. The calculation i gave you was given to me by my dietitian. Do your calculations and see what it tells you. You didnt say what your current weight is.

Best of luck.

Monica, recent reading I've been doing indicates that your protein needs don't vary much based on your weight and should be calculated this way: ideal weight in kg x 1.2 = # grams of protein. I believe this is also how TWH does it.

The other thing to keep in mind, is this is a MINIMUM amount of protein your body needs, you can always get more and it won't hurt (unless you have a kidney disease and have been told not to eat a protein heavy diet) and will keep you fuller longer.

I'm going by the calculations my dietitian at Humber told me.

Did you dietician say to get at least 60 g of protein, or was that a maximum?  Mine said to get at least 60; preferably 65-80 g (I'm 5'5'' and was 240 at the time of surgery, after Opti).

I had hunger by about 3 weeks out.  I eat 6 times per day, and ensure that I have protein with every meal and 2/3 snacks.  And liquids will help you to feel more full; I find that warm liquids (herbal tea) work really well for me.

I echo what Monica said about the hunger; I sort of envy the folks here who say they still don't have hunger after many months and sometimes even years out, but hunger is my reality.  I need to learn that, contrary to my old way of life, hunger does not signal the need to eat.  I need to change my relationship with food completely, make it about healthy sustenance and not about a compusive, impulsive need to remove that hungry feeling (or any other feeling that I want to get rid of!).

Good luck.  I hope you find ways to alleviate some of the hunger and cope with what's left!

When the dietitian said to eat more, did she mean portions or frequency? 

I think while it is important for us to go by what our bodies are telling us, this early out, we should measure and eat the proper amounts.  I know for me,  I still cannot tell when I am "satisfied, not full".  I imagine that takes some time.

Alexa

i'm apologized if i missed this, but did you mention what kind of food you are eating? could you write up a sample menu plan for a day? i find that when i eat dense proteins (such a chicken breast), i stay full for A LOT longer than if i'm eating more slider foods, such as cottage cheese.

up until recently if i wasn't eating or drinking i could only go about 30min before feeling hungry again.  the water does help, as soon as i start drinking - not hungry anymore.  give it a try to always be eating or drinking (of course not at the same time, follow the 30min rule.)  for me things have changed a little lately where i do not feel hungry anymore and weird as it sounds but it really sucks.  it's actually really hard to force yourself to eat and it takes all the yummy out of the food when you really just don't feel like eating.  at first i didn't like that i felt hungry but now, i wish i had that feeling again.  best of luck, try to get tha****er in, it should help.

debi.,