Naas

Honestly most people regain some semblance of hunger and cravings a few months to several months after surgery. It may not be nearly as bad as it used to be, but VSG is by no means a permanent solution to "hunger". The only tried and true permanent solution to weight loss is maintaining self control. Here's the thing about hormones, particularly hormones that play a role in the brain - we don't really understand, scientifically, how they work yet. Ghrelin is part of the puzzle, but only part. There's a lot more involved in hunger [and obesity] than just ghrelin in particular or hormones in general.

For me, hunger came back at about 6 months post op, but thanks to the sleeve I manage it better. Stress and slider foods or cr*p foods tend to make it much worse. So I avoid certain foods entirely and I work out my frustrations at the gym, rather than at the kitchen table.

Thank you for this post. It relates to my experience so also. As months post-surgery roll on, I find that the weight problem is a mental issue as much as it was a "scale" issue, and I certainly still have the potential to put food in my mounth when I'm not hungry. Post-surgery, however, such thing will hurt and feel much worse than pre-surgery mindless-eating, so that's a very good deterrent. I am not totally hunger-free however, and don't know if being a former pre-diabetic (surgery fixed that issue, no longer need meds) has something to do w/ it. I think it's a mistake to see surgery as a total and complete "magic eraser" of our weaknesses when it came to food. Also, hunger is fundamentally a good physical signal that our body needs fuel to run on- taken in its proper context it functions well, that trick is to provide good "fuel" and only adequate amout, especially with the new reworked stomach post-surgery. I'm still learning the ropes and sometimes it's touch and go b/c I do get hungry, but it's always a question: it it a real need for energy my body needs or is driven by boredom, emotions, or simply bad habits kicking up? It has to be a conscious choice. It's unfortunately not always a walk in a park for me, but so much easier than what it was pre-surgery.

"Stranger Here" by Jen Larsen - this is her account of the weight loss process she went through. Definitely not sugar-coated, and there are parts that I definitely disagree with, having gone through the experience of the weight loss surgery myself, but the book is definitely thought - provoking. If it rattles your cage a bit or makes you uncomfortable a bit, it makes you examine your own motives and that can be a good thing. One thing is for sure: weight loss surgery does not fix what makes us unhappy, that which originates from our thinking and from the way we approach life.

Wow! Congrats! There is more to come! Big 30! I always picture the weight I lose as a suticase I used to carry around and now it's no longer around. This is just the beginning, you'll see, and you need to let your body adjust b/c it went throught a dramatic shift - it has to recalibrate how it uses the nutrition it's getting and that takes a while. Don't get discouraged by any plateaus, sometimes it's just a little breather you need before the next plunge downward in your weight loss. All I can say, it's a wonderful ride, not easy, but really, really life-changing! you are doing really well!