I Am So Hungry

I am 8 days post-op and feel completely back to normal. I am on full liquids right now, and start on soft foods in 5 days. But, as of today...I am sooo completely hungry. I am  scheduled to have my 1st fill in 2 weeks and wonder how I will be able to wait until then for some restriction. Did anyone else get so hungry during their 2nd week post-op?

Last week I was too sore to feel hungry and was actually happy about it. Now, I am sooo hungry.

You are definately at the toughest stage.  Those full liquids start getting really old and don't keep us very satisfied.

Do your full liquids include instant mashed potatoes or cream of wheat?  These "thicker" foods were on my list and helped a little.  I would also suggest finding as many different varieties of creamy soups as you can.  I found that I liked the V8 brand soups and Pacific Organic soups that come in resealable boxes.  I'd have a bunch on hand like cream of tomato, cream of brocolli, cream of asparagus, butternut squash, cuban bean, curry lentil, and carrot ginger.  I think by trying lots of different flavors, I could fool myself into thinking I was actually eating instead of drinking all my meals.

Hang in there.  In just a few days you'll be able to dig into some scrambled eggs or refried beans and you will think they are the best things ever!

Thanks. I did have some mashed potatoes last night. I felt a little guilty because I had 2 servings, which is 1 cup and 280 calories. I think I'll try some more soups like you say. I have been having vegetable soup after I blended it. Can't wait for some eggs! Thanks...

I can completely understand what you're going through!  I was so hungry past day 5 after my surgery!  I was on liquids, but not full liquids, & I couldn't have anything red in color!  I ate lots of cream of chicken soup, SF/FF jello & pudding, and lots of protein shakes and No Sugar Added Carnation Instant Breakfast.  By the time I got to move on to soft foods at 2.5 weeks I thought I was going to gnaw into my own arm.   

Just keep your protein intake up and stay hydrated!  :)

ADVICE WARNING: TALK TO THE DOCTOR BEFORE INCREASING / CHANGING YOUR INTAKE.

 

I noticed you said you felt guilty because you had two serving, and it was 280 calories. Was the reason you felt guilty was because you “ate more" or because of the “calories".

 

In the beginning don’t be too concerned/worry about “calories, fats, sugars, carbs, etc". Make sure you are getting your 60 to 80 grams of protein. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO WEIGHT LOSS. In the future you can worry about all those other things, but for now - WORRY ABOUT THE PROTEIN. Now don’t get me wrong - I don’t want you to eat a bag of chips, or whole cake or drink tons of ice cream shakes in order to get protein in. You need to use some common sense :) !!

 

Last year when I first had the operation I noticed if I ate 4 ounces of protein I didn’t feel full - however if I ate 6 ounces I did. I spoke to my Doctor about it. FOR ME he said that those “numbers" are somewhat guidelines. He went on to explain there are some folks who feel full on 2 ounces of protein while some need 6 or 8. He also explained that the calories intake should not be too much of a concern in the beginning. The way he explained it to me was: Prior the operation I may have been taken 3,000 calories per day. After the operation, with the amount of food I was taking in - I may have been taking in 1700 calories. While that’s 500 calories more than the recommended daily allotment - it was actually 1300 calories less then what I normally took in. So not only was I losing weight, but was also feel full. We need to worry about calories when out weight slows downs/stops or starts going up. For now think (in your best Jan Brady voice) PROTEIN .. PROTEIN .. PROTEIN !!

 

ADVICE WARNING: TALK TO THE DOCTOR BEFORE INCREASING / CHANGING YOUR INTAKE.

Yes and just know it does get better as you can ease into the other soft foods and stuff it gets better. I didn't think I had any restriction either until I ate some fish and was like heck yeah I got full off of just half! 

I just had my first fill on the 21st and up until yesterday I felt ok and was still getting full at some point even though it was more than the recommend portion but it was WAY less than what I used to eat too. I was also making really good and smart food choices. But something happened yesterday, nothing filled me up. I was very sad and even tested it/me quite a bit. Like you I feel a little guilty for testing so much but then I realized today I can't beat myself up over it. Its human to push your limits just to see what you can get by with. Today is a new day and I'm eating smartly again, I'm still eating more than the half a cup to a cup that they recommend but I'm making healthy choices and eating slowly and at the first sign of full I stop. I go back for another fill on the 8th. Hopefully I can control myself until then! I'm told on average that it takes 4-7 fills before you really feel any changes. We'll get there we just have to be patient...besides this isn't such a terrible place to be I'm still loosing more than a pound a week!