Question:
Why am I hungry after eating a meal within 2 hours or less?

I had an open RNY on 5/30/02. I have lost 112 pounds so far. I am very excited about my weight loss. I cann not handle sugar until now. It seems over night I can eat sugar. Now with the hunger. I can eat what I am supposed to but it seems approximatley 1-2 hours after I eat I want to eat again. It's almost like those old eating habits are trying emerge again. My head hunger is tremendous right now. Any recommendations? Am I normal?    — jharriesimrn (posted on February 6, 2003)

February 6, 2003
hi jill :) as time goes by, its normal for the apetite to increase and the amount you consume will increase a bit as well. the pouch is swollen and healing so in time after it goes down, eating more becomes easier.as to when you can consume more and apetite increases depends on the individual as we are all different. i try to eat my meals spaced out evenly every 2 1/2 to 3 hours to keep my metabolism going and on an even keal, you may be expereriencing more hunger due to consuming more sugar than before, thats how those evil carbs work, they keep you craving them the more intake you have of them.dont deprive yourself of everything but you may want try upping the protein, drink more water to fill your pouch if its too soon to eat again just be careful not to drink to soon. and when you having a sweet craving, russel stovers has pretty good sf alternatives to the real thing you may like. best of luck to you! :)
   — carrie M.

February 6, 2003
2 hours seems normal to me. If I got enough food to last me way longer, I ate too much. Sure, some things stick, some don't, but I prefer the small frequent meals over the "starve & stuff method".
   — vitalady

February 6, 2003
Howdy...I know what you mean. That resurgence of hunger is always a big surprise! A couple of things to keep in mind: Are you drinking with your meals? This pushes the food quickly thru the pouch leaving you vulnerable to hunger pangs. The other thing...Carbs can make you hungry. Don't worry about eating too much though. Hunger is a normal, healthy sign of human function...Just don't let yourself get too hungry though, to where you overstuff your pouch and end up regurgitating. This was a lesson I had to learn early on, the hard way. Huggs to you on this snowy day...
   — rebeccamayhew

February 7, 2003
Hey there! I'm 2 years post op and have never had a problem with hunger up until 3 months ago or so. All of a sudden I "think" I'm hungry and so I eat and then eat again in about 2 hours and so on. Scares the crap out of me! Head hunger is horrible but I think I know what's causing mine, I've been snacking during the day and also drinking with meals. I created a monster and now I'm trying to kill it! I'm getting back on track with a SCHEDULE of what to eat and when and also when to drink etc. I'm also considering making myself a food journal so I can HONESTLY keep track of what I eat and when the cravings start etc. Just stay positive and keep your head in the game. And YES you are normal! :)
   — Stephanie D.

February 7, 2003
Hi Jill! We are surgery sisters, I had my RNY the same day you did. I've been experiencing hunger like that off and on since I was three months out. Sometimes it goes in phases, where I am *always* hunger. I can finally tell the difference between head hunger and physical hunger, and I get them both (sometimes together, sometimes not).<P>I also started having sugar more regularly starting a couple of months ago. Just in small amounts, but I am very aware now that sugar (and some carbs) really trigger head hunger AND body hunger for me.<P>We are at a stage (8 months out) where we can eat more, and should probably be eating more, but it's scary because of what we might do with our new superpowers. :P It's just another phase in the journey, learning how to handle it. I think if we work as hard at learning to recognize head vs. physical hunger, eat small meals often (if it's genuine physical hunger), watch out for sugars and carbs that kick our appetites into overdrive, and stick with the pouch rules, we'll be fine. Hang in there!!!
   — Suzy C.