Sim8888

Hello Everyone, it’s my first ever post!
I am a week out from VSG (4/23), and the thing I am most nervous about it being crazy hungry & not being able to eat. I cognitively understand that the huge reduction in ghrelin addresses a lot of that, but that fear is something I already struggle with (scared of being hungry with no access to food - side effect of growing up extremely poor I think).
Did any of you have that same fear? And if so, how did it actually go after surgery?
Thanks!

I assume you mean you figuratively see the old you. I was just talking about a similar thing last week with my boss at work. I am currently at 245 from a high 325, and shooting for 195. In spite of being down 80lbs, I still identify as the 325 guy in a lot of ways. I guess the point is, maybe it takes a while for our self image to catch up with our changing reality...?

Oh, and if you are *literally* seeing things, drink more Water, and sit in the shade! ;-)

Hi Fishbonz, congrats on the upcoming surgery!
I am 2.5 weeks post-op, and before my sleeve, I was also kinda worried about hunger and cravings. For me, it has been zero issue. I have been able to make some easy substitutions to address the cravings.
For example, on Taco Tuesday, I threw 3oz of frozen chicken breast strips in a pan, cooked it up with a little cooking spray & taco seasoning, added some salsa in the pan to moisten it up & add more flavor. It totally hit the spot even with the wife & kids having full-on tacos.
I hope this puts your mind a little at ease! :-)

Hi Fishbonz, congrats on the upcoming surgery!
I am 2.5 weeks post-op, and before my sleeve, I was also kinda worried about hunger and cravings. For me, it has been zero issue. I have been able to make some easy substitutions to address the cravings.
For example, on Taco Tuesday, I threw 3oz of frozen chicken breast strips in a pan, cooked it up with a little cooking spray & taco seasoning, added some salsa in the pan to moisten it up & add more flavor. It totally hit the spot even with the wife & kids having full-on tacos.
I hope this puts your mind a little at ease! :-)

Hi Fishbonz, congrats on the upcoming surgery!
I am 2.5 weeks post-op, and before my sleeve, I was also kinda worried about hunger and cravings. For me, it has been zero issue. I have been able to make some easy substitutions to address the cravings.
For example, on Taco Tuesday, I threw 3oz of frozen chicken breast strips in a pan, cooked it up with a little cooking spray & taco seasoning, added some salsa in the pan to moisten it up & add more flavor. It totally hit the spot even with the wife & kids having full-on tacos.
I hope this puts your mind a little at ease! :-)

Hi Fishbonz, congrats on the upcoming surgery!
I am 2.5 weeks post-op, and before my sleeve, I was also kinda worried about hunger and cravings. For me, it has been zero issue. I have been able to make some easy substitutions to address the cravings.
For example, on Taco Tuesday, I threw 3oz of frozen chicken breast strips in a pan, cooked it up with a little cooking spray & taco seasoning, added some salsa in the pan to moisten it up & add more flavor. It totally hit the spot even with the wife & kids having full-on tacos.
I hope this puts your mind a little at ease! :-)

I’m 5 days out and have basically no hunger, any minor pangs are easily satisfied!

Bullshit, man! Keeping off 300+ pounds is an achievement. You are my hero!

I started pretty close (518 lbs) to where you are and had nearly identical fears. Same 3-month diet, sleep study, etc. I remember worrying about whether I would survive the surgery but, in the end, I knew that I had a surgeon that was excellent and resolved to follow the pre-op program to better my odds. Everything turned out fine. Actually, much better than I ever expected.
The best advice that I can give is really simple: follow the plan recommended by your doctor and focus on things day by day. Losing 300 lbs seemed impossible to me, but following my nutrition and exercise plan each day was much more manageable. As I did that, the weight came off. The hardest thing for me to wrap my head around was that I would feel so much better and so much more energetic even after I lost 30 lbs. I felt even better after losing 50 lbs, 100 lbs, etc. In short, focusing on the end goal sometimes obscures the fact that you will notice positive changes all along the way that will make it worthwhile and easier to stick with. I cannot begin to describe to you how different my life is at 210 lbs versus 518 lbs. Still blows my mind!
There is nothing special about me. If I can lose and keep off 300+ lbs, you can absolutely do it. Good luck!

Had my sleeve about five months ago:)
I had a super fast recovery. I credit this to doing a ton of walking, getting lots of exercise pre-surgically, and taking minimal pain meds in the hospital. (my opinion...if you need them, fine...but they slow you up and you might be surprised how well you feel) I had no nausea with surgery, and have never vomited since surgery.
I started feeling "back to normal" at around three weeks post surgery. My group stresses getting exercise and returning to normal levels of calories as soon as possible. At around 3 weeks out, I was eating about 1000 calories a day and felt like myself again. Great energy.
I still eat 1000-1200 calories, and will continue to do so until maintenance.....so probably for another year.
I feel terrific on 1200 calories a day. I have enough energy to exercise and keep up with my responsibilities.
Eating is different. It's weird to eat small amounts frequently (I do 6 little 200 calorie "meals" a day, generally)....but I feel really full and like I can eat most of the things I like. I don't feel deprived.
I've made a lot of changes and substitutions to create my "forever diet"...but it's food that I genuinely like and am not lying to myself about liking (big problem in previous diets)
Hunger is better now, too. Cravings are better. Food urgency is better. I feel like I have a much healthier relationship with food, and I know I have a much healthier relationship with exercise.
Life is good. I'm off all of my meds (with the exception of thyroid and vitamins)....my blood sugar is no long pre-diabetic...it's normal. My labs are terrific.
So yeah...it's been an incredibly positive experience:)

I was really hungry the first week. At my one-week checkup, the doctor removed the liquid restrictions, said I could have as much liquid as I wanted and that helped. My intake went from 65 oz per day to over 100. But I didn't really get rid of the hunger until last week, so about 6 weeks out for me, which coincided with my transition to regular foods.

A week out from surgery I wanted to eat my leg off I was so freaking hungry.
Not "head hunger".... I had desperate "I'm starving to death" hunger....because essentially that's what you do right after surgery. You eat starvation levels of calories. And while some people don't experience a lot of hunger...a lot of people do. Ghrelin production be damned.
At about three weeks out, when I started eating about 1000 calories a day, the hunger went away and I felt human again.
Have not had problems with hunger since.

I grew up pretty poor as well and completely understand that mindset. I am not quite post op yet, my surgery is on the 25th. I think from what I've learned is it is a lot of head hunger. I would keep a stocked freezer knowing that you have food accessible if you need it to put your mind at ease. Keeping Protein balls (great ideas on Pinterest ) and string cheese available might help. They have great protein Soups as well during the healing phase, and canned tuna during the soft food stage.