SomeBigGuy

At 10 months post-op, I am losing fat stores that haven't been touched for YEARS. Since our fat holds toxins along with hormones, I can't help but wonder what's circulating in my blood. I have days where I feel tired or have headaches and know I am detoxing stuff my body has held onto forever.
High Copper levels can become dangerous if not addressed. I would want to know how high and possibly get a second opinion if your doctor has no answers. But if he's testing every few months, I'm guessing levels are elevated but not in the danger zone. And it could be as simple as dietary.
Good luck and hopefully you will get a good report soon!

Just curious, are you on a mainly vegetarian or vegan diet, because its common for copper levels to increase with a lack of meat. Foods that commonly have more copper include shellfish, beef liver, whole-grain products, nuts & seeds, avocados, chickpeas, tofu, potatoes, mushrooms. So if you eat a lot of these, this may be the cause.
I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, just some random guy on the internet, but from what I can find on the matter, it sounds like it can be caused by eating a diet mostly consisting of those things I mentioned, but also from a deficiency in other minerals like Zinc and B & C Vitamins, as well as other metals needed in a diet, which copper will take the place of in their absence. It may be worth looking into a Multivitamin that's lower in copper but has other metals in safe levels.
It can also be environmental, so check to see if there's anything you're around frequently that could expose you to copper, such as copper plumbing for your Water, copper cookware, jewelry, and IUDs. I have a similar issue with Nickel, and have to be careful which metals I handle, since its common for steel to have nickel in its alloys.

Have you had a liver function test done? Excess copper is excreted from your body in your bile by your liver. While we’re losing, it’s not uncommon to have odd liver function results (processing our fat out of our body strains it). Maybe if your liver isn’t functioning effectively or being stressed by your weight loss may mean it’s not processing the copper out of your system & it builds up. I don’t really know either. Just wondering. Worth a deeper conversation with your doctors as to why it might be happening & what can be done to help reduce your levels.

If its not diabetes/glucose related, it could be an allergy or intolerance to certain foods. If your body mistakes it for something attacking it, it will cause inflammation in various places, and can put you in a mildly sedated state while it thinks its fighting for survival.
You may want to track what you eat for a week or so, and jot down which meals made you feel more sleepy than others. Look for patterns, and check for common food intolerances online to see if there's any overlap. For some people, it could be stuff like sugar, wheat, red meat, nuts, flours, soy, gluten, food dyes/coloring, shellfish, other seafood eggs, dairy, or corn.
You may also want to look into elimination diets where you cut a category of food out of your diet for a couple weeks, to see if it goes away, and slowly add them back in (1 item per week) to see if the symptoms return. Good luck in figuring it out!

Just curious, are you on a mainly vegetarian or vegan diet, because its common for copper levels to increase with a lack of meat. Foods that commonly have more copper include shellfish, beef liver, whole-grain products, nuts & seeds, avocados, chickpeas, tofu, potatoes, mushrooms. So if you eat a lot of these, this may be the cause.
I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, just some random guy on the internet, but from what I can find on the matter, it sounds like it can be caused by eating a diet mostly consisting of those things I mentioned, but also from a deficiency in other minerals like Zinc and B & C Vitamins, as well as other metals needed in a diet, which copper will take the place of in their absence. It may be worth looking into a Multivitamin that's lower in copper but has other metals in safe levels.
It can also be environmental, so check to see if there's anything you're around frequently that could expose you to copper, such as copper plumbing for your Water, copper cookware, jewelry, and IUDs. I have a similar issue with Nickel, and have to be careful which metals I handle, since its common for steel to have nickel in its alloys.

I agree with the others stating the importance of having a therapist or coach to walk through this with you. Dieticians and nutritionists are very helpful with making a tailored diet plan for your needs, but don't always address the issues in our head, since that's not in their job description. See if you can get your insurance to cover sessions in therapy or counseling, if nothing else, just to have someone to vent to that is obligated to not judge you . If insurance pushes back, check with local therapists that offer "coaching" sessions at a lower rate. I had to do that until my insurance rolled over at the first of the year.
I'm only 10 weeks post op, but I'm dealing with constant head hunger and cravings. I'm learning now that I used the act of eating, and not the feeling of fullness, as a way to deflect stress. At least now, if I overdo it, my stomach will rebel, which is its own problem, because I don't want to put stress on the staples. My therapist is helping me practice ways to listen to my stomach, and not listen to my mouth, if that makes any sense. When those two are fighting, the stress and feelings of being a failure appear to me. I have to remind myself that despite hitting a stall and dealing with the cravings, I'm already much healthier for having decided to have surgery!

Congrats on the surgery! Expect the first month to be a roller coaster of emotions, hunger, anger, and a day or two of regret. That's a rite of passage for us, where I think everyone second guesses their decision. By week 5, I finally started getting a better handle on things and I'm still very happy with my decision. 10 weeks out and I'm in better shape than I've been in decades!
As others have said, you feel hungry because you are hungry. Your body is used to the previous amount of eating, and panics when it realizes you're not eating what you used to. Since you were a candidate for surgery, then your body has enough fat cell reserves to live off of that for a few weeks, which is why they have you focus only on Water the first two weeks, while working in more Protein to prevent you from burning muscle. However, our bodies don't understand that logic and kicks into survival mode. It only understands "food" or "no food".
The first six months is critical to the process because that's when we have the best opportunity to retrain our mind and bodies to adapt. In a sense it is traumatic to our bodies, and it will fight until it understands that this new normal is safe, because that's its job, to keep you alive!
Once you're back to solid foods, that's when recognizing head hunger becomes more important. Around that time (somewhere around weeks 4-6), you'll have worked up to eating enough calories to be sustaining metabolism, while still running enough of a deficit to burn fat. At that point, your body will try to tell you "hey, we're close to the old normal again, go ahead and eat more!". As my therapist reminds me, remember to listen specifically to your stomach, and not your mouth. Practice eating enough to where your stomach feels full, and not pressured from too much, but at the same time, study your habits to see if you're eating to stay busy, to deflect stress (I'm guilty of this), or just because your body thinks you should keep your stomach topped off.
During that period, if you feel like your stomach is craving more, double check what nutrients you are getting. If you're deficient in Vitamins or minerals, you will develop insatiable cravings, but your body can't tell you exactly what its missing. It just yells "I'm Hungry!". Check with your doctor on which supplements to add or remove, and also branch out with different styles of food as long as they fit your calories/macros. I felt like I was starving for most of last week, then I got some Korean food (sort of a bibimbap inspired kale and cabbage salad with beef) on Friday, and the cravings stopped. I'm still trying to figure out what itch that scratched, but obviously I was missing something in that!
Also, be very careful with sugar, starches, breads, rice, etc. That can send you into a craving spiral that lasts 2-3 days. Some sugar alcohols like Sorbitol and Xylitol also trigger that for me, while Monk Fruit, Stevia, and Splenda don't. Everyone is different, but pay attention to those ingredients, because that can make the hunger feel worse!

Just curious, are you on a mainly vegetarian or vegan diet, because its common for copper levels to increase with a lack of meat. Foods that commonly have more copper include shellfish, beef liver, whole-grain products, nuts & seeds, avocados, chickpeas, tofu, potatoes, mushrooms. So if you eat a lot of these, this may be the cause.
I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, just some random guy on the internet, but from what I can find on the matter, it sounds like it can be caused by eating a diet mostly consisting of those things I mentioned, but also from a deficiency in other minerals like Zinc and B & C Vitamins, as well as other metals needed in a diet, which copper will take the place of in their absence. It may be worth looking into a Multivitamin that's lower in copper but has other metals in safe levels.
It can also be environmental, so check to see if there's anything you're around frequently that could expose you to copper, such as copper plumbing for your Water, copper cookware, jewelry, and IUDs. I have a similar issue with Nickel, and have to be careful which metals I handle, since its common for steel to have nickel in its alloys.

Typically the growling noise is just fluids moving through the small intestine, and not an actual hunger cue, just as@Arabesque said. You will still feel hungry early on post-op because your body is used to a lot more calories than you're able to give it for now, but that encourages more fat burning. Your body will adjust to its new normal in several weeks though. It will calm down some, but it may be more noisy going forward because you have that direct funnel to the small intestine where fluids like to make noise.

Sorry if I'm repeating myself, I've lost track of which threads I've posted on.
My doctor said to keep it under 10g total carbohydrates per serving, and target 50-60g total max per day. Not low enough to go into Keto, unless that's your intent, but low enough for the body to prioritize burning fat first.
I know on days that I've blown past this, I'll feel more irritable a few hours later and I'll crave more bread and sugar for 2-3 days afterwards, so go lightly on it!
Personally, I've had trouble with some artificial sugars causing cravings and irritability. Not everyone will have this intolerance, but pay close attention to any sugar alcohols or substitutes in ingredients and see which ones affect you. I've had luck tolerating Monk Fruit and stevia, but Sorbitol and Xylitol hit me as hard as normal sugar.

I agree with the others stating the importance of having a therapist or coach to walk through this with you. Dieticians and nutritionists are very helpful with making a tailored diet plan for your needs, but don't always address the issues in our head, since that's not in their job description. See if you can get your insurance to cover sessions in therapy or counseling, if nothing else, just to have someone to vent to that is obligated to not judge you . If insurance pushes back, check with local therapists that offer "coaching" sessions at a lower rate. I had to do that until my insurance rolled over at the first of the year.
I'm only 10 weeks post op, but I'm dealing with constant head hunger and cravings. I'm learning now that I used the act of eating, and not the feeling of fullness, as a way to deflect stress. At least now, if I overdo it, my stomach will rebel, which is its own problem, because I don't want to put stress on the staples. My therapist is helping me practice ways to listen to my stomach, and not listen to my mouth, if that makes any sense. When those two are fighting, the stress and feelings of being a failure appear to me. I have to remind myself that despite hitting a stall and dealing with the cravings, I'm already much healthier for having decided to have surgery!

Hi, 👋🏽 I’m 7 days into my two week liquid diet. I’ve searched high and low for recommendations. Here’s what I’ve done so far…
I found shrimp 🍤 broth, added low sodium Old Bay. It’s ALMOST like having shrimp!
Skinny syrups in high Protein Slim Fast
flavored water packets in Water and vanilla shakes
sugar free Jello and popsicles
Sugar free hard candies, like werthers
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
if I think of any more or find a miracle way of getting through this I’ll definitely share!

Thank You!

If its not diabetes/glucose related, it could be an allergy or intolerance to certain foods. If your body mistakes it for something attacking it, it will cause inflammation in various places, and can put you in a mildly sedated state while it thinks its fighting for survival.
You may want to track what you eat for a week or so, and jot down which meals made you feel more sleepy than others. Look for patterns, and check for common food intolerances online to see if there's any overlap. For some people, it could be stuff like sugar, wheat, red meat, nuts, flours, soy, gluten, food dyes/coloring, shellfish, other seafood eggs, dairy, or corn.
You may also want to look into elimination diets where you cut a category of food out of your diet for a couple weeks, to see if it goes away, and slowly add them back in (1 item per week) to see if the symptoms return. Good luck in figuring it out!

I somewhat have issues with my Iron, so I think maybe that could be part of it and they're just going hand in hand. But right now it seems like my iron is just fine. I'm starting to think maybe my home Water could possibly be playing a factor in this too. I really appreciate your input on this!

Thanks….. No sams or costco, here on east coast where I am, but will look on line.

Thank you so much for responding. Congratulations to you as well. I feel so much better and less alone after your response. I have just soreness now…until I lay down and see stars. It’s so nice to not be the only one 🖤

Thank you for this insightful information. This has helped a lot. Others are saying "you're not hungry, it's just digestive noises" and denying my reality. It's not just noise...I'm hungry. You've explained why. Thank you SO much for that and for the advice going forward!

I always tell people that the two weeks before surgery were much more difficult for me than anything that came after the surgery. It is a terrible period and you really do have to power through it.
As far as the Constipation, take Fiber capsules (preferably psyllium husk) with a probiotic. Its also a good habit to get into post-surgery, as soon as you can handle it. It will keep you regular and help with digestion.
Try a different brand of shakes and see it works better for you. I always preferred the Premier Protein shakes over the Equate ones.
Drink an insane amount of liquid during this time. Always be chugging some kind of liquid, just to try to keep your stomach relatively full. Eat sugar free popsicles by the box.

Congrats on the surgery!
I was sleeping in the recliner for 3 weeks, and was 5 weeks out before I was comfortable lying completely flat. I'm at 10 weeks now, but I'm still using some pillows to prop myself up in the bed, I guess I got used to being propped up, but I am able to sleep flat without discomfort.

I am still pre-surgery so I can't give any advice just yet, but I wanted to wish you good luck and to say congratulations!
You got this! ❤️

Just try and stay calm today and you will be on your way to wishing you did this a whole lot sooner. BTW, I'm a Lanky too.

Congratulations! If you're nervous, be sure to ask for something to calm your nerves. They can give you something.

You have got this! One of the best steps/tool towards your weight loss goals! I am now 5.5 months Post Op, and I wish I would have done it sooner! I won't lie, the first few days are uncomfortable, but it will go away pretty quick!

So my surgery date is tomorrow! I don't know how i feel, excited and nervous at the same time , I'm having the gastric bypass, any advice welcome 😊