Question:
WHY IS MY APPETITE BACK?? AT 4 MONTHS
I KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME, BEFORE SURGERY I WOULD GET A HEADACHE AND MY STOMACH WOULD GROWL, I WOULD HAVE TO EAT. IM GETTTING DISCOURAGED BECAUSE ITS STARTING UP AGAIN. AFTER SURGERY I REALLY ENJOYED THE FACT I DIDNT GET HUNGRY AND FELT I HAD CONTROL OVER MY EATING HABBITS, I HAVE BEEN SNACKING ALOT MORE AND I KNOW THAT IS IT, BUT IM STARTING BACK SOME OLD HABITS, ONLY DIFFERENCE I CANT EAT 3 DOUGHNUTS NOW I CAN EAT A WHOLE ONE. IT ALSO SEEMS I CAN EAT A WHOLE SANDWHICH NOW WITH NO PROBLEM WHEN IT WAS A HALF A SANDWHICH, IS THIS NORMAL, OR A PHASE, HOW DO I GET THAT SENSATION BACK OF ALWAYS FEELING FULL, CAN I STARVE MYSELF FOR A DAY OR SO TO SHRINK STOMACH. JUST LIQUDS FOR A DAY OR SO TO GET THAT FEELING BACK. THANKS AHEAD OF TIME ANGIE MATHEWS — ANGIE M. (posted on September 28, 2002)
September 28, 2002
Hi. I know that feeling. I'm almost 5 months post op and I get hungery too.
It scares me, but I can't say I wasn't warned about this day. This is where
self control comes in. Do you remember being told that WLS is just a tool?
Well, until now it didn't really seem like a "tool". It was too
easy. It took almost no will power. Well this is what they were talking
about. Now, it's up to you to use the tool as best you can. You'll have to
use good judgement every time you put something in your mouth. And girl, I
know that's easier said that done. I'm fighting it everyday. Before now, I
thought I was home free. If I could have kept that never hungery feeling,
I'd be even closer to goal. Make this work for you, you can do it. You have
the best tool in the world. I can also eat almost a whole sandwhich, but
that doesn't mean I shound eat a whole sandwhich. Stop when you are no
longer hungery. Not when you are totally full. And if there are and
pre-op's reading this, I encourage you to esablish a good eating system
during the first 3 or 4 months. If you train yourself from the start,
you'll save yourself all the worry when your hunger returns. Although it's
not "easy" anymore, I have no regrets. I'm still losing and that
would have never happened without WLS. Good Luck and may God bless you.
— Sarah K.
September 28, 2002
Some things i've been told when you start feeling hungry is to drink as
much water as you can within 15minutes when you feel hungry but not before
or after a meal. This I was told is called water-loading... also if you get
the munchies I always munch on some seedless
grapes,apples,kiwi,strawberries, crackers, orange tic-tacs, those kinda
things. Hope this Helps!! Post-op 3mos -43#s(last checked on 9-5-02)
— Sunny4x4chick
September 28, 2002
Angie, I am almost a year out from my revision to a transected pouch and
almost 2 yrs out from my original rny. What I wish I knew then that I know
now? At first you seem to lose weight effortlessly. Then the wt loss
slows down and you must use the tool properly if you want to continue to
lose. I wish I had taken more advantage of the honeymoon period that is in
the first 6 mos. It seems like we are so buy recovering from surgery that
some of us and losing wt so easily that we forget we must follow the rules.
You must avoid carbs, and get your protein in. You must exercise and
drink your fluids. After the honeymoon period ends then our pouch is a
real tool to DIET. Yes, I said DIET because it is a diet that we have to
follow. We have to change our eating habits. That means occasionally a
doughnut is ok but don't waste this valuable period testing the waters to
see what you can get away with. Please no flames on this ok? I have
learned finally that I have to work at this too. I have just experienced
my first real plateau and it has lasted a month. I have managed to break
it but it took work! I had to walk 5 miles a day, drink 3 protein drinks a
day = 60 g plus only eat one salad and a few crackers (my only carbs) AND
drink 64 oz of fluid a day! Wow! I am just about to break into the 100's
instead of the 200's and it is very difficult. Some people have stated
that after a plateau one morning they get up and have lost 6 or 8 lbs. I
have never had that happen since the first few months of weight loss.
Wish it would but I realize that if I want to reach my goal of 150 then I
have to put some effort into it. Good luck to you and all postops who are
discovering this new life and how to use our wonderful tool effectively.
God bless you! Don't be discouraged just realize that what I have said is
the truth through my experience. Maybe for others it is easy but for me, I
am really trying hard to get to goal. Use your tool and don't waste this
precious honeymoon period fretting and going back to old habits. Time goes
by so quickly! After about 6 mos in my experience the
"honeymoon" is over and the "window of opportunity"
continues for another year or so. I hope. Do you see the difference in
the two terms? Honeymoon = weight loss with little effort
Window of opportunity = weight loss with effort and follow our programs
(diets) by exericise, protein, and water PLUS
being consistent in our efforts EVERY DAY.
— Mylou52
September 28, 2002
I can not offer advice, but I can say I totally agree...but I am only 9
weeks out. It's a battle everyday. I just try to make the best choices, and
I drink a lot of water. The water really helps. I really want this to work
for me. I am down more than 40lbs and want to lose 200 more...LOL! So I
have to keep at it...
— MF
September 28, 2002
Me again....I meant "busy" instead of "buy"...geez and
I tried to sound like I was intelligent....LOL! One more thing I want to
add: Yes, you can shrink your pouch again and reset your dumpometer. How?
Just like I stated before: 3 protein drinks a day, and NO carbs or very
little
carbs. And drink lots of water. I am not perfect by any means and I have
messed up many times. In fact after all that effort last week, I got up
last night in the middle of the night and ate 3 cookies and 4 oz of milk.
Yeah, I dumped big time! Sorry so long.....
— Mylou52
September 28, 2002
Have you been drinking enough water. When I was in the army, our survival
training instructor told us that dehydration is sometimes confused for
hunger pains. I have been told post-ops sweat more in the beginning so you
may be dehydrating and not be aware of it.
— Micheal B.
September 28, 2002
I don't mean to sound mean but why are you eating doughnuts to begin with?
I don't even eat bread. How much protein are you eating? The carbs will
increase your appetite - try to stay away from starchy foods. This is a
tool and you have to use it right. I am 10 months post-op and haven't had
a sandwich since my surgery. I don't really miss them either.
I try to eat at least 50g of protein a day and then eat vegetables and
fruit. I do eat crackers occasionally but not often. When you feel the
need to snack, eat a piece of jerky or a few peanuts. That is high protein
and it will help curb the cravings.
Are you drinking enough? Do you take protein supplements and are you
taking your vitamins. What about exercise?
You are going to have to make the choice to leave the bad foods alone. The
surgery will not do that for you. I have made a concious decision not to
eat sugar free cookies or stuff like that. Even though they don't have
sugar, they have tons of carbs and calories.
I would suggest that you keep a food diary and see what you are doing when
the cravings start. Also, note your emotions. And, please, stay away
from the carbs.
Good luck!
— Patty_Butler
September 28, 2002
I find that if I indulge in more carbs, then I end up getting hungrier.
Also I find that about 3 days before that time of the month, I get the
munchies really bad. Good luck to you!
— Leah H.
September 28, 2002
Everyone's appetite comes back at some point. Mine came back at around 4
to 5 months. I'm now almost 11 months post-op and I can eat anything and I
do. However, I also keep monitoring my weight and if I ever gained a pound
(which so far I haven't) I would immediately watch my calorie intake. I
agree with the other posters that eating carbs makes you want to eat more
carbs and you could put on weight. However, I don't see eating anything
you want (within moderation) as being a problem. I would never want to
give up the foods I loved before surgery and I don't. I just take a couple
of bites and it satisfies me. Obviously, it's worked since I'm at my goal
weight and I've lose 118 pounds. Good luck to you.
— Patty H.
September 29, 2002
Angie, I disagree with the posters that never eat bread, or cookies or any
carbs. What kind of life is that? In fact, my nutritionist encourages
BALANCED eating, which means heavy on the protein, light on the carbs and
fats, lots of water and smart snacks. Most of us have this surgery to be
NORMAL, and normal is not staying away from the occasional donut or
cookies. For all of us, the hunger does come back at some point-for me it
was about 6 months out. So, whenever I am hungry I eat a meal or a snack.
I follow the rules about not drinking with or right after meals, get in
lots of water and protein and some exercise, and so far at close to 8
months post-op, I am only 20-25 pounds from goal, and still losing-slowly
but it continues to go down.
Keep in mind that before this surgery, you would have eaten more than 1
sandwich, perhaps with chips or french fries and a coke? A whole sandwich
is not a bad thing if you don't load it up with mayo and stuff. Stop
beating yourself up. Just follow the rules, minimize the bad snacks (maybe
1/2 a donut instead?) and your weight loss will continue. Unfortunately
there is nothing you can do to get back that period of no hunger..wish
there was, I'd join ya!
— Cindy R.
September 30, 2002
I started feeling hunger at 1 week. For my first couple of months I drank
1 protein shake per day. Then at about 3 months out, I added a second
protein shake and experienced a major reduction in my daily hunger. Go
ahead, give it a try.
— Heather H.
September 30, 2002
Angie,
I know exactly what you're going threw, I too am at the 4 month mark and
have gotten my appetite back full force. I went from eating 1000 calories a
day to sometimes 1200 calories a day, I'm trying really hard, I now know
that this is only a tool and that I must now put forth the effort, and
that'll depend on how bad I want to be at "goal weight" I figured
if I every do fall off the band wagon and revert to my eating habits and go
over that 1400 calorie mark, I'll scold myself and do liquid shakes for 2
weethis At this time I'm 50 pounds away from my goal weight. I've lost 85
pounds in 4 months.
Wishing you much luck and success ! Hang in there.
— tannedtigress
Click Here to Return