Hunger

I will be getting the sleeve in June, I have finished all the pre requirements. I have to wait because I am a teacher. My main question is after the sleeve are you still hungry all the time as I am pre surgery?

Hi Cathy, congratulations on your upcoming surgery.

Part of what they remove is the hunger hormone, so at the very least it should lessen and of course it will take much less food to feel satisfied.

For me though, my hunger hasn't returned (yet) and I'm over a year post-op.  It can be challenging, I jus****ch the clock to space my meals throughout the day.  It's hard to "make" yourself eat if you're not actually hungry.  At least it is for me.  I'm doing my best though.

Thank you, as it is pre surgery I am hungry all the time.

My surgery was 9/2014 and I've never felt hungry yet/since. I've battled with some mental "hunger" where I think I should be eating. But true, actual, in my gut hunger has not happened at all for me. I'm hopeful this continues for me. 

You will not be hungry like you are now. The hormone ghrelin is produced in the part of the stomach that is removed. For many people the lack of ghrelin production continues for years. For others hunger returns to some degree. I am 4 years post VSG and have very limited hunger - even when I haven't eaten for hours and hours. This is so different from before when I could eat a large meal and be honestly hungry two hours later. (It was embarrassing sometimes because some people judged me negatively because of my hunger. I will tell you though that my hunger was not in my head. I was really hungry!) I have not had that type of hunger in 4 years. Hunger is never an emergency now. 

Now this isn't to say that I don't still have issues with food, because I do, but they are emotional and have nothing to do with being hungry! 

I'm a teacher, too. I had my surgery a few days before winter break started. I was up and about within a week and was on a plane off for a weekend of dog shows 10 days after my surgery. If your district has ski week or a week long spring break, you might consider having your surgery then. Just an idea, if waiting is not ideal for you. 

I'm 11 months post-op today. I've had some return of true hunger, which is easily ignored or distracted by a cup of black coffee or other hot beverage until it's mealtime. The cravings for junk carbs, both sweet and salty, are still there, but greatly diminished, not only by the surgery itself but by my commitment to eating healthy foods.

I understand your worry. If I still felt as hungry now as I did pre-op, there would have been no point to the surgery. But the sleeve does reduce hunger and cravings. You still have to work at losing the weight with good food choices, exercise, and mental training, but it's much, much easier to do.

Your students and colleagues are in for a big surprise when you come back in the fall! 

Good luck!

psychoticparrot

Thanks, I feel a little less apprehension.

I have had my sleeve for six months.  I've had twinges of hunger, but it's nothing like pre-surgery.  I have horrifying head hunger, even now, but with counseling it's been manageable.

As a side tangent, it's a bit of a misnomer to call ghrelin "the hunger hormone," because while it does modulate that, it is far more complex.  Ghrelin actually also helps activate the reward pathway in the brain and regulates a lot of neural processes, so it's good to have some.  I think studies show that we have a 50-70% reduction in ghrelin levels post-op (I don't remember the exact numbers).  The majority of the Ghrelin producing cells are removed with the VSG, but the ones in the pancreas still remain, so we are not out of it completely.

I rarely feel true hunger. I get it occasionally, but not often. I think that is pretty amazing for 3 years post-op. Most of my hunger is head hunger which is far worse than any physical hunger.

Hi Cathy,

Congratulations on completing your pre-op requirements.  I hope you have wonderful success with your weight loss, as I have. 

Hunger is different after surgery, but it varies for different people.  For me, I had little hunger for maybe 6 months post op, and then it came back but it isn't as intense, even now.

Did you try a low carb diet?  For many of us, carbs cause cravings that can be overwhelming.  I found I had to keep my carbs under 25 grams per day or I'd start craving food and it would throw me off plan.  This means the only carb I ate were from dairy and low carb veggies.  I'd suggest trying a low carb diet and see if it helps the "hunger" you are feeling now.  It may be more cravings than hunger.

Also acid can cause a sensation that feels like hunger.  So many people take a PPI post surgery to reduce the acid and control that feeling.

Things really change after surgery.  I like to say that the surgery doesn't make the weight loss easy, but it makes it possible.  After surgery I lost 225 pounds and got to a normal BMI, and I've been maintaining for about 1.5 years now.  But I'm the same person who got to 385 pounds - while trying very hard to manage my obesity!  The weight loss surgery makes it possible.

best of luck,

Carol