Question:
WHY AM I HUNGRY ALL THE TIME

IT HAS BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE SURGERY. BUT IM HUNGRY ALL THE TIME I COULD HAVE A PROK CHOP AND 1/2 BAKED PATATOE AND WITH IN A HOUR IM STARVING. IM GETTING REALLY DISCOURGED I HAVE ANOTHER 50 TO GO DOES ANYONE HAVE A ANSWER FOR ME    — SHARON W. (posted on September 19, 2003)

September 18, 2003
I was and am still having this same problem. I am 18 months out. I was getting hungry it seemed like every 2 hours. At a support group meeting I asked the difference between head hunger and real hunger I was given the advice to drink an 8 oz. glass of water wait 20 minutes if you were the hunger was still there then you need to eat or if it wasn't then it was head hunger. I also start my day out with protein like cottage cheese, egg whites, or some other protein and that seems to keep me longer. But I now have to get rid of the 7 lbs I gained from grazing. Good Luck.
   — Chris9672

September 18, 2003
Sharon- Let's assume that you had a roux-en-y and that your pouch is about 1 oz. Let's also assume that you have enjoyed average weight loss every month. We could also assume that I have four wheels and I'm a trolley, but that could be assuming a little too much. But, here goes . . . you may be experiencing hunger because you are eating too many carbs-- after all, when you explained that you are hungry after eating 1/2 of a baked potato, that was kind of a red flag that you might be overindulging in carbs. As you know, eating carbs will often lead to cravings for more carbs. You could also be misreading your body's signals regarding what you perceive as hunger-- is it frustration? is it a desire for some sort of reward? is it boredom with your food choices? In other words, it is possible that you are experiencing some stomach hunger which your mind is amplifying (the whole stomach hunger vs. head hunger issue). Before you continue to get discouraged (and risk undoing all the good work you've done to this point), try keeping a food diary and charting your protein intake (if it's been low, try boosting it to at least 80 grams a day), calculating your carb intake (try to keep it below 20 for a few days to jumpstart your system) and noting when you get hungry the most. Lastly, in the past questions like yours have been asked and generated great advice-- consider looking for them in the library of this site. Good luck!
   — SteveColarossi

September 18, 2003
Hi Sharon, I also had my surgery at Dartmouth. I am now 10 months post op and I have the same problem. I can eat a nice meal, and feel satisfied, but them 2 hours later I'm ready to EAT !! (its been this way for a while now) I limit my carbs- eat high protein foods, I EASILY eat 6-8 oz of solids. I guess for me, alot of this is now about willpower. Wishing you well :)
   — WABBIT F.

September 18, 2003
I have this same problem from time to time. I'm almost 1 year post op and have lost 161 pounds. I've averaged a little over 3 pounds a week since my suregery. I have noticed that I have days where I just can't seem to get enough food - usually after days of heavy exercise or activiy. I think that my body is telling me that it needs extra fuel for repairs and muscle building. When I have days like this I try to eat a lot of smaller protein meals to make sure that I'm getting the right kind of fuel. But I have also found that if I start the day by eating some type of carb that I will be hungry more often during the day. Carbs make me hungry!! Good luck with finding what works for your body!
   — Etta M.

September 20, 2003
I get that way sometime. I notice when I eat too many carbs and not enough protein. exspecially the next day. ALso when you get hungry like that try drink a full glass of water. Sometimes you are thirsty not hungry and your body is giving you mixed signals. Ytry that and wait 30 minutes. If you are still hungry then eat something small. I thought it was a stupid but it really worked.
   — spring A.

September 20, 2003
I am 13 months post op and like you I am hungry a lot. Sometimes I'm truly hungry and sometimes it's head hunger. I do agree with all these replys..eating carbs sets me up for wanting more and not being satisfied. The less carbs I eat the better off I am and I'm learning that some carbs affect me less then others. For example if I have a bowl of Kash cereal which would consist of half a cup of dry Kashi and some skim milk in an hour I am hungry. If I have a slice of whole wheat toast with no sugar added smuckers peanutbutter I'm satisfied a lot longer. Being so far post I find sometimes I feel like I'm suffering low blood sugar. So I started doing some searches regarding the Glycemic index of foods. I thought maybe if I eat more frequently but kept to low Glycemic foods I'd feel better. So I came across the Great South Beach Diet. I've decided to adopt this way of eating into my life as a guideline on how to eat. I read the book and it sounds so healthy. It's high in protien, what carbs you do have are low carb and whole grains, the fats are the heatlhy fats like olive oil for example instead of some of the other types. It's now a low fat or a low carb diet but it is in my opoinion low fat..it's not like Atkins they do encourage lean choices and even though it's not classified as a high protien diet it sort of is. It's so very close to how I eat anyway with just a few healthful adaptations. I'm hoping the two weeks of phase 1 which includes no carbs and no dairy products will bring me very close to my goal weight. I need to loose about 15 more pounds. Then I'll use phase 3 to maintain I hope. Carrie
   — Carrie D.