Question:
Does anyone else feel hungry all the time?

I am 6 days post-op and feel hungry all the time. I make myself wait a few hours or so before I eat again, but could easily do before than. I am eating clear liquids and just started eating cup of soups mixed with water, I can eat almost a whole packet. Is this normal?    — Raegan T. (posted on December 24, 2003)

December 24, 2003
I can't help but ask, are you feeling actual hunger? Or is it the head hunger we've all dealt with for so long? If its actual hunger, the only thing I can say is to drink more, but don't start solids until your doctor gives you the OK. Hang in there, it does get easier, and its all so totally worth it!
   — lorien

December 24, 2003
"I feel ya" I was hungry since day 4...I envied everyone else who for the first 6 months said "I need to force myself to eat, I'm never hungry"
   — WABBIT F.

December 24, 2003
As a tiny baby postie, you SHOULD be doing a meal every few hours. If you're eating enough food to sustain you 4-5 hours, it's too much food. As a baby. Our plan is a small meal (eaten in less than 15 minutes) every 2-3 hours.
   — vitalady

December 24, 2003
Hey, I'm two and a half weeks post-op and felt the same way. Someone else asked a similar question a week or so ago and responses were that as long as you were on a liquid diet that you may not feel full, in there words the food kind of squishes throught the pouch. It made sense to me and they said once you eat solid foods that would change. I just went to my surgeon for my post op visit and he said I could try to eat whatever I wanted just to watch quantity, chew well and eat slow. I ate about 6 triscut crackers, probably too fast, and felt very full and then uncomfortable, eventually threw up for the first time and felt much better. This is the learning experiance we have to go through and you learn quickly. Like you, eating a liquid diet I never felt full or satisfied and worried that something was not working right for me, however, just as they said start eating real food and you fill up quickly. I went to a Christmas party last night and they had all the heavy snacks that looked so good. I limited myself to 6 shrimp and felt like I could eat 20 more, but I waited about 10 minutes and here came the full feeling, glad I didn't have any more. About 2 hours later when everybody was leaving I had a few more shrimp, on the fourth one I felt very full and started having flashbacks to that nasty triscut episode. In about 5 minutes I was on the verge throwing up, but never did and in another 10 minutes was fine. In a matter of four days I have learned to respect my pouch and eat slow and wait for the fullness feeling. It will come and if you don't respect it it will come with a vengence. My only hunger now is what I think I want to eat because I know it tastes good but my stomach is not hungry, beware the of the head hunger that will fight against you.
   — chadwick

December 25, 2003
In the clear liquid stage your goal is to consume as much liquid as you can. I did not do meals during this phase. I had something to drink in front of me all the time. I am now in the full liquid stage and have three protein shake meals a day, but I keep other clear liquids in front of me all the time so that I can keep hydrated. Doing it this way I am managing 85+ ounces of fluid each day and 100+ gm of protein daily. It is not hindering my weight loss as I am down 18 1/2 pounds in two weeks (plus the 15 of fluid the hospital put on me), but I would not expect clear liquids to hinder weight loss as it is pretty much without calories. I was beginning to have hunger pangs when I went into the full liquid stage and am finding that I am not having excessive hunger issues, but am hungry at a meal time. Sandra
   — Arizona_Sun