6.5 Months Post-Op and EXTREMELY HUNGRY!!!

Hi everyone,

I'm 6.5 months post-op and have spent the last 2 weeks feeling EXTREMELY hungry... Every. Waking. Moment.

About 70% is "head hunger" and the rest is physical hunger. I can eat a lot more now (from a portion perspective) and can tolerate fat and sugar far more easily. It feels like a dangerous combination because all I what to do is eat crap and now I can.

I obviously don't want to undo all the progress I've made (116 lbs lost since I started the process). I still have 40 - 60 lbs to go.

For the veterans out there, is this a passing phase (I hope so)? For the newbies, beware. This surgery is a great jump start but eventually you'll be back to good old willpower to keep you on track!

I am only a few weeks out, so I can not speak from personal experience, but have read on the forum one woman had a similar experience and it was because at 6 months she was done taking her Prevacid prescription and the stomach acid returned making her feel hungry.

Yup, hunger does come back. And yes, you can eat more. The trick I use to know if it's head hunger or real hunger is to ask myself whether I could eat an apple or grapefruit (something healthy), and if the answer is yes, then I know it's real hungry, and I go ahead and eat that healthy option. If the answer is no, that I want to eat something very specific and likely bad for me, then I know it's head hunger. At that point, I get busy doing something, like going to the gym or going for a walk, or trying on the new clothes I bought to remind me how much I love my new size!  

Do keep in mind that if you've increased your activity level and are, for instance, working out a lot, you will have more hunger and will need to increase your calories. Your Centre can help you figure out what your calories should be for your body and activity level. For me, because I am usually very active, and I'm tall, they calculated my calorie intake should be around the 1600 to 1800 calories on those workout days.  I was sceptical at first, but slowly increased my calories on those days, and it's working for me (though I'm watching the scale like a hawk for any sign of regain). So far, so good. 

Good luck. Remember that a good part of this battle is knowing the difference between the head or your real needs, and, for the most part, making the right choices and having a strategy for dealing with the head stuff!

DD

 

Great advice already but I'll also add this:

Here's the one to watch:  carbs.  

What carbs are you taking in?  Past the first 6 months, our sugar response is increased 20 fold for RNYers. So that can mean that the more carbs/sugar your body has, the more your blood sugars start spiking and falling.  This results in hunger too.  

 

So if you are going to have carbs you want them with lots of fibre.   Fat is okay to add too because it will add to your digestion time like a small handful of nuts.  Never eat carbs without protein and well life-long, if you are a hungry person, dense protein and veggies will be your best friend to keep weight off.  It'll be all about choices from now on to get the weight off.  

 

dawn

 

 

 

Missed this when you first posted it my friend.

I found myself starving after a recent (unrelated) surgery. Someone on this board suggested that I may really have been craving more water, not food. I increased my water and guess what...hunger went away. it's worth a try.

You've done great so far so ....116 pounds gone forever!!!!  You can do this!!!!!  

Jane

 

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate everyone's advice and experience. GO TEAM!