hungry all the time...

I feel so out of place and alone.  I read how it's so hard to eat, ge****er in, and protein.  I'm 7 weeks out and am always hungRy.  I have no problem with any of that.  I can take a handful of pills no problem.  I've always been this way since my surgery.  I talked to my nutritionist And dr. and understand why I didn't feel full on the liquid and puree phase.  I understand still having the other part of my stomach still there.  They thought I was chewing food to small and not feeling the restriction.  Ever since my big mistake with testing it and eating too soon, I've followed the program faithfully.  

I've been on regular food for a couple weeks.  The slower I eat and chew, the more I can eat and less full I feel.  i don't over eat, and only let myself have small portions.  I feel so hungry soon after.  Every couple days there is a time that I can only take a couple bites and will feel full and sick and often times throw it up.  I've lost 45 pounds so far, but am so scared to fail at this.  

Any suggestions or thoughts?  

You aren't alone. I expected "full" to feel so much different after surgery.  I connected "full" with that over stuffed feeling I had gotten when gorging myself -- 

i understand that you don't feel full -- but do you actually feel hungry??  I dont mean head hunger or wanting to eat -- but actual hunger?  Because that is what I really don't feel -- actual hunger. I've come to realise that being satisfied with small portions is what "full" really is. 

Also keep in mind that your nerves are still healing. There's that too

I have been hungry since the beginning, too, but still managed to get to goal and stay here. Stick to your surgeon's plan and you will be fine. It you use this as an excuse to eat more, you will have problems.

Thank you for responding.  I thought it was head hunger at first but now I don't think so.  I feel hungry but nothing sounds good.  So I have a boiled egg or string chees,  just to tide me over.  I don't want to start snack grazing.  I guess it's just going to be a daily learning experienc.   Ty! Again..

I am almost 7 years out and still eat every 3 hours like clockwork because of my hunger. BUT if I plan a snack (not grazing) it goes away. You will figure out what works for you.

I'm 5 months post RNY, so I'm no expert.  I'm hungry about 1 hour after a 'meal'.  But it goes away with some fluids or a frozen s-f pop-cicle. The popcicles have been great for me because they take awhile to eat 4 oz of liquid.

From the research I've done- for most people, Ghrelin ('the hunger hormone') levels decrease to 36% of pre-surgery level - that is not 0.  So, for me I get hungry but it goes away after a little snack or drink.      

I'm still loosing at a good pace - but I will start a food journal if I have a stall.  Just to see what I am really eating.

Best wishes.

I was STARVING all the time for the first several weeks after surgery and was absolutely panicked that I was going to fail. 

A couple of things I found out though along the way were that 

1) those nerves took way longer to heal than I realized and it was like three months or more before I really felt the restriction so be careful to measure even if you are having to white knuckle it a little bit at first to get through those first few months without cheating on your plan. I swear it really does get easier

2) don't so much as allow yourself a sip of anything with your food or for at least 30 mins after. I know you hear everyone beating this topic to death but it makes a huge difference in how long it takes before you are hungry again

3) last but not least important think about what is going on in your head every time you are hungry. It's hard at first to tell the difference between head hunger and real hunger. There is no shame in needing a few mins to think it over to figure it out. Your head can try awfully hard to encourage you to eat when you don't need to so I found at first eating on a schedule helped that way even if I felt like I was going to die of starvation i knew at absolute worse case senario was that I could have my next whatever in just a couple of hours.

I know that all our journeys are different but I hope you stick it out. This will work. Heck think about it when was the last time you lost this much weight in seven weeks. You are doing it just keep to the high road and you will be at goal before you know it.

Angel

Our bodies have never been hungry before. There has been an endless stream of calories.

It helped me to remember that feeling hunger is not an emergency. Also drinking non caloric fluids in between meals can lower the hungry feeling. (after your 30 minute wait).

You also will find foods farther out that stick with you longer. For me it's a boiled egg. One egg lasts for hours.

Good luck,

Deb T.

So true!! I never really thought about it that way. I was never hungry pre-RNY because I did eat all the damn time.

Are you taking a PPI? Acid can mimic hunger.