5 years after VSG

I had my VSG 5 years ago. I lost 145 pounds of the weight taking me within 15 pounds of my goal weight. I have the hanging skin issue like most of us.  I have continued to lose weight up until this week. This week I have an insatiable appetite. I can't get full and where I use to get sick and vomit if I ate too much isnt happening.  What happened to me? Has anyone else experienced this kind of problem and what did you do to turn off the eating switch?

Maybe you're having acid problems? R U taking a ppi? Sometimes acid mimics hunger. Do you still track/weigh your food? I know sometimes I would drink water whenever I thought my stomach was grumbling too early to want food again. If it wasn't acid & it wasn't me needing water, then I figured I was truly hungry.

I'm wondering why you're eating till you feel full, or waiting for that sick/vomit feeling to cue you to stop. One thing I've heard on here is to under eat your sleeve, eating to the too full feeling is most unpleasant, so usually I only eat a few ounces of dense protein & even if I feel I can eat more. I don't.

Since you're so far out from surgery, you can probably eat much more than you did a few years back & you have to be more careful of how much you eat & not wait for the too full cues from your stomach. Mind you I'm a newbie with less than a year out, but I've noticed I can eat more than I could than when I first started., but the hunger hasn't increased. 

Thanks for your input! It just scares me. I have come so far and this insatiable hunger reminds me of before the surgery. I just don't want to be back there again. It is just all of a sudden. I was fine two days ago. 

I have experienced this. It is usually from one of the following reasons, so perhaps one of them may be the culprit for you?

1. Acid. Like the above poster mentioned, try a ppi. Huge difference. I don't have acid issues very often at all, so sometimes it takes a bit to realize what it is. Fix the acid, and the hunger is gone.

2. Sweets. If I allow myself to make poor choices it triggers terrible cravings. I can detox and it gets better.

3. Break the rules. This one means when I don't get the protein in, and instead eat too much carb. Or perhaps drinking with or right after eating.  It is scary how much I can put down when I get in this type of cycle. After 4 or 5 consecutive days, I would swear the restriction is also barely present as my portion size begins to sky rocket. Detox with back to basics and full restriction returns within a couple of days. 

4. Hormones. For a long time I tracked all food and weight daily. It became clear that my eating patterns changed depending on the time of the month. My calories always spiked, weight loss would stop, etc. during this period. Try tracking both to look for patterns. It took about 3 months to really see it. 

5. Medicine. I am a cancer patient and various drugs have been involved throughout my entire post surgical process. Some without a doubt trigger tons of hunger and eating. Steroids for me are extremely difficult to stay in weight loss mode. My goal on steroids is to work like heck to simply not gain. Check your meds and see if any recent changes may be responsible.

6. Emotional eating. This was a problem pre-surgery and can still be an issue not, albeit not as much. For me if I am cleared for exercise this really helps- especially long walks outdoors :)

Good luck, and you can turn it around. It is really great that just after a couple days your awareness is high and you are being proactive. Keep low calorie options on hand and switch your meals to the lower calorie higher fill type meals (fish with veggies/salad type option versus the same calories but less food).

Thanks so much for your input on my situation. I appreciate it so much. I'm thinking it may be hormonal. I had a hysterectomy years ago, but I remember those times I couldn't get enough to eat. There are times I crave meat. If I don't satisfy those cravings I think that is when this monster of an appetite comes out. 

Ive been sick with a ear infection and gave been laying around. I think boredom also triggers this eating.

im better today. I seem back to normal😎😬

Boredom is definitely one of my triggers too. Its hard when you are down with the flu or ear infection that prevents you from being active. Hang in there!!!

I am also 5 years out and I agree with everything Happy Teacher has to say. I've gone through periods where I can just eat more than I can others and it's always been due to one of those reasons, although I wouldn't just say "sweets". For me, if I let too many carbs in general or processed foods into my diet I feel hungrier more often AND I can eat more per sitting. Eating a clean diet of meat, fruit, veggies, and eggs without the processed foods really gets my hunger under control and tightens up my sleeve - basically the Paleo or Primal diet.