Question:
Does the insane hunger ever subside?

I am over 8 months post op and really struggle with keeping my caloric intake under 1500. I read where post ops kick the weight loss back in gear with cutting out the snacks and sticking with just three meals. I absolutely feel like I'm starving to death between meals. I can eat a good volume at a meal (nothing like I could pre-op) and feel pretty good for an hour or so. But then I'm hungery again and feel like I MUST eat. I have done Adkins and understand the concept of carbs/protein etc, but am at the point where an all/primarily meat or egg meal would make me gag. I did try over the last three weeks just eating turkey for breakfast, about 3-4 oz. I still felt like I could eat a barn an hour later. I did Adkins 8 months lost 50lbs before surgery...I hated that diet so much. Can anyone who follows a more balanced diet (like the govt. pyramid) tell me wether or not the hunger between meals ever subsides. I can use will power (like I have dozens of times) to temporarily stop the snacking. Will my body eventually become content with just three normal meals? Will I ever live in peace from this hunger?? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. -Kim open RNY 7/17 -97    — KimBo36 (posted on March 26, 2002)

March 26, 2002
I still do 4 meals at 7+ yrs out. Or snacks. Whatever. I alternate with protein supps. The protein supps put the fire out on my appetitie, and since my protein is covered, I am not forced to eat it. I eat normal food for meals (no milk, no sugar), but maybe pizza, maybe salad, maybe pasta, maybe eggs. Usually balanced, but sometimes just fruit & veggies. Yum. I do not WANT that unsatisfied feeling. Makes my brain spend too much energy & time thinking about the food I'm not gonna eat. So, protein is chocolate, other food is in food form. My nutrition is covered supplementally, so I eat whatever appeals and it works very well to keep me from carving. More often, I'm not all that interested in food, but I know I need some to keep blood sugar levels steady & to keep from being in the starve & stuff mode you are describing. That was a horrible way to live for me on my last diet and like you, I cannot face a life like that.
   — vitalady

March 26, 2002
What if you did six smaller meals a day (like a diabetic diet)? Don't graze, make them timed- but maybe that would help the inbetween hunger if meals weren't 6 hours apart. Or drinking more? Sometimes I mistake my body's signals for thirsty for hungry (probably cause I like eating more than drinking)- but I hear it's a common mistake. Drink a glass of water when you get that hungry feeling, and if that doesn't help then consider a snack (fruit, nuts, a pickle...) Good Luck to you!!
   — Angela B.

March 26, 2002
I know that you are a lot further out than I am, but hunger came back with a vengeance 2 months after surgery, and I was having to eat 6 times a day to curb the hunger. I felt like I was always having to look for something to eat and was annoyed. I would rather not think of food that often during the day. At 4 months I decided to try the grape extreme pure pro. After starting these protein supplements, I am back to eating only 3 times a day. I eat b'fast, protein mid-morn, lunch, protein mid-day, dinner. It really keeps hunger at bay. Sometimes I am still not hungry when it is meal time and I have to wait till later to eat. It REALLY fills me up. If you don't want to do the 6 small meals a day, why not try the protein? I also feel like I have been freed from focusing so much on eating this protein and that protein. I found this to be so much easier. 1. It curbed hunger 2. I'm getting lots of protein in 3. I count it towards my fluid intake 4. I choose what I want to eat, not have to focus so much on protein rich food. I hope you figure out what works best for you.
   — Cheri M.

March 26, 2002
Sounds like it might have something to do with your blood sugar. You might want to get that checked out. I've never eaten more than 800 calories in a day, broken up into 6 "meals", since my VBG 9 months ago. I hardly EVER feel any hunger. I have to remind myself to eat sometimes - I just don't get hungry much. (And - I've lost 141 lbs in 9 months!!!)
   — Cathy J.

March 26, 2002
I only know what works for me...and it took me three years to figure it out. (lol) I have banished the hungry horrors! I have to limit my consumption of simple carbs to do this. I no longer eat breads/sugar/pasta potatoes/rice. I do eat whole wheat bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta occassionally. But, generally, I eat poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables. I have a sweet tooth and I satisfy it by eating sugar-free jello and sugar-free puddings with a dollop of lite cool whip or a couple of sugar-free cookies. I eat three meals and I have a sugar-free snack at midafternoon. I also drink lots and lots of water. It works for me, I don't experience that gnawing hunger feeling anymore and I don't crave sweets anymore.
   — margaret N.

March 26, 2002
There are several factors that could be creating your hunger. Protein is more satisfying than carbohydrates... and creates a feeling of fullness that lasts longer. If you are eating lots of carbs as part of your meal, your hunger will return very quickly as the carbs at utilized as a quick burning fuel. If you stick to cleaner burning full protein foods they are slower to metabolize and the fullness stays with you longer. Any food that is grown from the ground or is made from such a product is a carbohydrate... so pasta, bread, rice, vegetables and fruits are all carbs. Some are lower in carbs however... so get a good nutrition guide and make note of which fruits and vegetables are low carb to blend with your protein servings. This should really help... even with snacks. Eat cubes of low fat Jarlesberg cheese, or a low fat mozzarella stick... a piece of deli turkey rolled up or a stick of that oven roasted turkey they sell by the chunk...beef or turkey jerky... keep to protein foods. A hand full of doritos will not do anything to satisfy your hunger...in fact they will increase it. Also, it is a good thing to start waterloading your pouch at this point to control hunger. About a half hour before my meals, I 'chug' a large glass of water that kind of backs up my system with water... tricking my body into a full feeling for a long period of time. There is an article called 'pouch rules for dummies' that explains all of this and it really makes sense when you are in the 8 month post op stage. Email me if you cant find it and want me to email you the text. I am almost never hungry but find myself looking into the fridge out of habit... I will grab a cheese cube instead of the more taste satisfying chip or cracker and it really does give me a fuller feeling, plus how many cheese cubes can you mindlessly eat as opposed to Cheeze Its...lol. Go protein and you will see a difference. [email protected]
   — SusanMaria