Question:
3 Months Post Op- Constant Hunger.. anyone else?

Today is my 3 month anniversary after open gastric bypass. Up until this point I have been a very picky eater, hardly ever feeling hungry, and eating very little. This past week I have really picked up in appetite. Constantly feeling hungry, and when I eat once the food goes through, I feel like I need to eat again. Is this mental, or is my body catching up or what. I have lost 59 lbs so far, and down 3 dress sizes, and do not want to screw this up at all. What do I do now? Help!!!    — Rosie W. (posted on March 1, 2003)

March 1, 2003
Drink a full glass of water; as quickly and as much as you can. This tricks the stomach to think its full and should turn off hunger pangs for about 20 minutes. The important thing is when you eat, to be sure to eat things that will stay in you stomach for awhile and do not drink with meals. Drinking with meals only helps to empty the stomach. Good luck!!!
   — Barbara M.

March 1, 2003
I found that when it was time for that little monthly visitor to come around, i really had a hard time with the hunger thing, then when it was over, i was back to not really wanting to eat.
   — sheri H.

March 2, 2003
I just posted about this last week. Seems like everybody goes through this at one point of another. I started eating junk food, lots of it and ate almost constantly...Im doing better now...heres what is helping me. First I got more liquids, then I made it a point NOT to eat until I felt hungry one day so I would know what REAL (and not head) hunger feels like for me. I kept track of the time so now I know that I can go for 6-7 hours without feeling major hunger. So now I make sure to eat every 5-6 hours that way I wont be starved and overstuff or eat a bunch of junk food. I went to fitday.com and keep track of every thing I put into my mouth. That was a major eye opener. Sat I attended my 1st support group meetting and will keep going. I have also started thinking before I eat. Everytime I go get something to eat betwen meals, I think about why I have it. Do I feel hungery? Am I in the middle of a stressful situation? Is something bothering me? I will force myself to wait 5 minutes. Sometimes I am hellbent on eating the food for whatever reason, but by the time I have thought so much about it, I feel guilty b/c I know Im not hungry. Most of the time I will put it back. sometimes I will have just a couple bites and thats it. Some of this stuff sounds a bit strange I know...but my brain or whatever is playing games with me trying to keep me fat... I have to fight back so I dont sabotage myself. Everones gameplanvaries a bit...experiment with lots of things to find the ones that work for you. YOU CAN DO IT!! Terri
   — cherokey55

March 2, 2003
You have to differentiate between head hunger and real hunger. If it is real hunger, I say EAT. In fact, at your stage, where you may not be getting in alot of calories yet, think about switching to 6 small mini meals rather than 3 larger meals. I found that if I ate every few hours it kept hunger away totally. Just make every mini-meal a protein based meal, or perhaps a piece of fruit. And make surethat you do not drink with or right after meals. The longer the food stays in the pouch without washing it out, the longer you will stay full. Also, eat more dense foods-like meats or apples, and less non-dense, like soup, salads. Dense foods stay with you longer. 59 in 3 months is awesome!
   — Cindy R.