Question:
I just got home from the hospital after RNY surgery... I am hungry all the time......

I am hungry all the time and I want to eat everything I see on tv! Talk about a bad time for surgery... right before the holidays with all that good food. Please tell me this is normal and will go away!!!! What do I do about all this hunger and the hunger pains?!?!?!?!    — [Anonymous] (posted on November 19, 2001)

November 19, 2001
I was (and am!) the same way! People said "oh, you won't even be hungry after surgery for weeks.. you won't crave food, you'll have to force yourself to eat.." WRONG! The minute I came out of surgery I saw a Taco Bell commercial and I almost ate the hospital room TV. It was BAD! LOL. But it has gotten a lot better. As soon as I started "solid foods" I felt so much more satisfied. During the liquid phase I just had to keep reminding myself how good I will look next summer and that makes it totally worth it. I still feel that I eat more than a lot of others, but I am 3 months post op and down 83 pounds so I can't complain. I think my body just needs more food! And the head hunger thing.. it's always been bad with me. I just try to eat something related to what I'm craving. For example, if I am craving a piece of chocolate really bad I'll have a low fat chocolate granola bar, etc. It makes me feel like I'm not depriving myself as much. Good luck!
   — Jen S.

November 19, 2001
I went thru the very same thing. I started craving food like a mad woman the very day I was let out of the hospital. I wanted to eat EVERYTHING! It was pretty bad for me for the first 2 months. I truly grieved for the loss of my old best friend. It does get easier. I promise. Just take it one day at a time. I am 5 months post op and Ive lost 95 pounds. Im so glad I choose to take it one day at a time, one meal at a time. Good Luck to You.
   — Dana D.

November 20, 2001
I found that continuously sipping liquids helped me. If I felt a little hungry I would work more on my fluids and it would fill me up and the hunger would leave. For me if I drank or ate anything with nutrisweet I would feel hungry. Once I stopped the nutrisweet and changed to splenda I was fine. With these new inner workings you just have to find what works for you. Its not the same for everyone.
   — Helen B.