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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.

If you can find them, look for the Fairlife shakes. I drank those for my pre-op and post-op, and my surgeon was happy with the results. They have different varieties with 26g, 30g (most common), and 42g of protein and are generally 150-200 calories per bottle. These taste more like a Nesquick chocolate milk to me, and don't have that chemical taste that Premier Protein or Muscle Milk have. Check at Sams Club or Costco, if you have one nearby. They sell out fast, so you may want to check online each morning and place a pickup order for that afternoon before they're gone. My local one usually gets a pallet in weekly.

This is a very informative research article from the NIH website that should help put your mind at ease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3345131/ The TL/DR is you can have a safe pregnancy and can certainly have a natural delivery if there are no complications, just as you would without bariatric surgery. Most doctors suggest waiting a year or two before getting pregnant. You want to lose the weight first, and you want to be at a point where you can eat enough calories to sustain the pregnancy in a healthy way. By losing weight, you are likely to have increased fertility and a healthier pregnancy for you and the baby.

i had a bit of difficulty getting my protein shakes the first 2 weeks, i used protein powders and i had to water them down ALOT to get it down. i probably only consumed maybe the equivalent 1 cup of a pre-made protein shake the entire first 14 days post surgery. it was a issue of aversion for me...it was just so unappealing and gag-inducing. that and i was just so exhausted that there just wasn't enough awake time to drink. my water consumption wasn't that great either, probably sipped maybe less than 2 cups a day (warm/hot water cuz it felt better)...and i did this from a 1oz medicine cup all day long...soooo annoying omg. first two weeks i probably had less than 400 calories each ENTIRE WEEK. but magically (on day 13 to be exact), i accidentally found out i could could gulp down water...i was so thirsty that i forgot i was supposed to sip...and it was wonderful lol. so much more satisfying than those sad sips from the stupid medicine cup. after that i was gulping down litres of ice water. and protein shakes cuz i just would water then down alot with ice water and down them. solid food on the other hand took a little longer master...but that's another story. now i drink lots and eat lots (avg 1800 cals a day) for a bariatric patient, but not quite like a "regular" person, lol....and im 5+ years out. long story short: hang in there, it gets better by increments. keep in contact with your doc and team, and there is no need to worry of they aren't. good luck ❤️

Don't worry about calories for a while. Once you are on the last phase for maintenance etc you will monitor more. I want to say by the time you are around 6 months you should have up to 1000 calories a day, and then with maintenance it is 1100-1500 calories a day. You aren't going to be able to eat enough (if you follow their guidelines) for the next while to worry about it. I am 5.5 months PO and I am between 600-800 calories a day. I only have my 3 meals, plus a snack if I am low on protein.

i often brought the following on road trips/vacays during weight loss phase: - beef jerky - frozen grapes and blueberries (if u bringing a cooler) - chicharron/pork rinds (if your calorie goals allow it) - protein powder

Yeah, I got a pack of these freezer safe glass 4 oz baby food jars on Amazon and they've been really helpful with portioning!! At first I could only eat about half of one, so about 1/4 cup total. A bit less if it was solid protein in meat form other than fish (beef, chicken, and pork sit heavier). That was it for about two months. In this third month my portion size suddenly increased to about 1/2 cup in total now! As far as meat and veggies are concerned at least. I have always been able to eat a little more of soft things like yogurt and pudding... But my PA told me that increase at 3 months is perfectly normal, and I could expect it to increase in stages throughout the first year or two, to not panic over it, hunger is natural and mine never went away from surgery, so I've really had to cultivate a healthy relationship with it. Because those stomach nerves are still healing, I watched my portion size carefully and really paid attention to discovering new fullness cues. For me those are a runny nose, hiccups, burping, and aggressive sneezing fits! Plus this building pressure or weight in the center of my stomach. These are all normal signals for bariatric patients, but we all get our own unique combination so be on the lookout for discovering yours! I think 2-3 shakes a day paired with things like yogurt and soft cereals seems really normal. It is great you are progressing so well! The problem with forums and support groups is we get used to seeing people post with problems and then we expect to have a slew of problems ourselves! And sometimes we do. But often times we don't... The majority of bariatric patients have no complications, progress their diets easily, and worry about eating too much and if their surgeon even did their surgery. 🤣 Your metabolism has been reset, it will handle calories a bit differently now. Just stay on the conservative end with simple carbs, as they can slow weight loss sometimes. Focus on that hydration and protein, and later on when cleared for all foods, on adding complex carbs like veggies, beans, and some fruit. Protein will help with the hunger, as does healthy fat and the fiber once it is safe for you to digest. My dietician told us to think more about macros than calories. So, to make sure things had less than 10 grams of sugar per serving, more than 20 grams of protein per shake, less than 10 grams of fat per serving, and keeping our total carbohydrates for the day under 50 grams in the early months...and that was their advice for all surgeries, with varying protein goals for each different one. Baritastic app has been really helpful with the tracking!

This makes me feel better! My shakes are the highest in calories for sure, I drank 2 yesterday! I see the scale moving, I’m 4days out and have lost 14lbs 😮 I haven’t been this low in weight in sheesh forever! I read on this forum that our nerve endings that tell us we’re full is still numb so I don’t wanna over indulge or go down a slippery slope I can’t get back up from if that makes sense?

Yeah, that sounds 100% within the normal range of early post-op calorie consumption. I am having gastric bypass in 3 weeks, and my program suggests 3 meals and 3 protein supplements per day for the first several weeks. In the beginning, the word "meal" is used very loosely. This is basically limited to yogurt, cream soup, cream of wheat, pudding, and applesauce. The expectation is you can maybe have a few bites. All the protein is coming from those 3 shakes (20-25g per shake). Calories are pretty much irrelevant, at least for now. Your entire metabolism has been rewired. If you follow what you're told to do, you will lose weight on a wide spectrum of calorie intakes. My program suggests no more than 200 calories per protein shake serving, with a limit of 5 grams of sugar and at least 20g protein each. So, if I had the recommended 3 shakes and went with the max calories, I would consume 600 calories in those daily supplements, plus another maybe 100-200 in "meals" depending how much of the yogurt/cream of wheat/pudding I manage to swallow. My shakes actually only have 90 calories each (23g protein), so during my pre-op liquid diet, I won't feel at all guilty if I drink 4 or 5 of them, or even 6 if needed. Post-op, I doubt that will be possible, but even then, I wouldn't see an issue with having that many if I could physically manage it. All of which is a longwinded way of saying you're doing fine! Congratulations!

My plan doesn’t talk about calories in the beginning the booklet they gave us was 60-80g of protein and 64oz of water min. Then they gave us examples of what foods to eat. My dietician told me stricked liquids for 3days and then starting to today modified but if I got sick or threw up back to clear liquids. I feel good but I feel like I shouldn’t lol! I should be struggling? Obviously I’m not eating what I used to. And my calories are way lower than before this program.

I was consuming something other than water every 2-3 hours as per my dietician's instructions.... I didn't really think about calories, I focused on my protein goals, water goals, and "eating" frequently. I still eat every 2-3 hours, so about 5-6 times a day. It sounds like you are progressing nicely!! Lucky you! I was on strict liquids for 2 weeks post op. Sounds like you get more things. I suggest broth or tea when that head hunger kicks in. Or a sugar free popsicle. I'd check with the guidelines your dietician gave you, often they want hydration focused on the most for the first few weeks, with protein goals a close second. Calories usually come in (if they come in at all) once you are on soft foods. But every practice is different!

Hi all, I had my surgery 1/24, the first two days I consumed 250-300 calories with only broths and Water. I could hardly choke down a sip or 2 of Protein Shakes. Today I was able to incorporate yogurt and modified liquids. My “stage 2” stats are 64oz of water 72g of Protein, 16g carbs and 11g of fat with 502 calories. I had two “meals” bfast was a 2oz of hot cereal with FF fairlife milk and protien powder, then had protien shake, lunch was zero sugar chiobani yogurt, then had another protein shake. I really want some soup but that’s a head hunger thing. is this too much?

Lovely suggestions!! I'm an autoimmune patient and I incorporate these every day. I'd also suggest for the fatigue and mental fuzziness due to the liquid diet, add ELECTROLYTES. You can buy all sorts of sugar free ones. Often during the liquid diet our body is trying to shift into fat burning mode/ketosis. This can feel very unpleasant and we go through carb withdrawal. We are also low in calories. So electrolyte supplements once a day help give us the things the low calorie, sugar free diet is lacking and it often eases the fatigue and headache some... Good luck with your surgery!! ❤️ I have found mine has really helped my systemic inflammation and fatigue!

Hi all, I had my surgery 1/24, the first two days I consumed 250-300 calories with only broths and water. I could hardly choke down a sip or 2 of protein shakes. Today I was able to incorporate yogurt and modified liquids. My “stage 2” stats are 64oz of water 72g of protein, 16g carbs and 11g of fat with 502 calories. is this too much?

Hi all, Relatively new here and enjoying reading about everyone's experiences. My surgery is on 5th February. I have Multiple Sclerosis. I have been on a liquid diet for 6 days now (4 protein shakes a day, so around 800 calories total). The first 72 hours were, quite frankly, absolutely horrendous - I was headachy, very cranky and slept a lot (thankfully I was off work for a few days). Yesterday was my first day back at work and, boy, was it tough. I have a reminder on my phone to have water every 30 minutes and kept up with that really well and, while I did get hungry, it was the tiredness that really hit me. I was literally nodding off in a meeting at one point. My MS means I am generally fatigued all the time and so I have some little tips and tricks to help with that in general which might be useful for others. These have been hard to break through the fatigue and tiredness completely, but that may be due to my MS *and* the lack of nutrients and so may work for people without an auto-immune condition. Some things I do: Try to go for a walk every hour. Even if it's just a 5 minute stroll around the office, it gets me away from my desk. When I worked in retail and was on my feet all the time, I would take 5 minutes each hour to just sit. I would often go into the lavatory and sit in a stall. I live in the UK so was able to negotiate reasonable working changes to take my MS into account, and my managers were very supportive of me taking breaks. I realise this won't be the case for everyone, but if you can, I really recommend it. Fresh air. If you can get outside for your walk, do it. Even a couple of minutes of fresh air will help awaken your body and will help energise you. Also get as much fresh air as you can outside of work. I find that I am far more tired if I spend all my time inside than if I step out for a bit. Even at home. Do the easy tasks first. If you have a long task list - get the easy stuff out of the way. This will be an easy win and will give you a confidence and energy boost to tackle the more challenging items. We want to regulate and manage our energy and get the best pay off for minimal effort exerted. Smell peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, etc. I always carry a small vial of eucalyptus essential oil with me and when I find myself getting particularly sleepy at work, just have a quick smell and it awakens my senses. Plus it smells lovely! Any essential oil that wakes you up and is "vibrant" will work. Talk. Tell your colleagues and manager that you're experiencing some fatigue at the moment and that it is affecting your energy levels at work. You'll be surprised how supportive people will be and how much people want to help. I hope this helps. Sending you all lots of good, positive energy. 🙏

Congratulations on your loss. Whoo hoo! Might be worth checking your calorie intake & what your body actually needs to maintain your current weight & activity level. What portion size are you actually eating? I eat pretty much what is considered an appropriate serving size in maintenance e.g. 3-4ozs protein & a cup of vegetables. Took me to about 18 +/- months to be able to physically be able to eat that. I had been snacking a lot in between to try to stop my continued weight loss until I got to that portion size. I actually still do have to snack just not as frequently. Might be worth a conversation with your dietician to see if there’s something you’re missing & what you could add to your every day eating to help. Also, a growling tummy is more often than not your digestive system doing what it’s supposed to - digest food. Mine is noisiest during & after I eat for up to a couple of hours. Remember you can’t be really be hungry as you’ve just/recently eaten. Your cup of tea is a great idea when this happens. PS - I snacked on combinations of cheese, multigrain crackers & hummus, protein bar, fruit, peanut paste, nuts, yogurt, chia pudding, etc. about 5x a day. Yes I felt I was eating all day long. Now I snack 3 x a day on basically the same things & also occasionally beef jerky & baked fava beans/chick peas.

Also, as long as you aren't using oils and sauces or dips on them, you can always eat more vegetables with your meals. The fiber will fill you up nicely without adding a lot of extra calories. Speaking only for myself and my own psychology, I would avoid adding regular snack times or anything that looks like snack food, even "healthier" versions of snack foods. Personally I fear I would find it triggering, and it would be too easy to go from healthy snacks to not so healthy ones, "just this once" which of course turns into more than once so easily...

I would agree that it's possible you just need to allow yourself more calories considering your rapid weight loss. Congratulations on your success!

I would allow yourself more calories. I'd hate to see you lose all that hard earned muscle by not consuming enough calories to maintain them. Maybe add a couple more high protein snacks which are more satiating. Carbs will stimulate your hunger. No fat reserves and muscle mass dying to be fed. I'd love to have that problem. LOL Congrats on your success!!!

So I am almost 13 months post OP (mini gastric bypass). Posting in gastric bypass forums as mini gastric didn't seem much active. I have lost close to 162 lbs and now at 166 lbs. Achieved close to 100 % loss for my excess weight. I also have very good muscle build now due to strength training and all bones show up. But one thing is, my hunger is back. I am trying to keep meals small, like I was taking couple of months back. I eat slowly, even stop at times and then continue. No dumping syndrome or diarrhea, infant I get constipated at times. Use bathroom like once in 1 or 1.5 days. So I think I am not eating too much, as I am always scared to stretch my pouch. But unlike earlier, nowadays within 1 or 2 hours I start to feel hungry. Generally, I substitute that with a fruit, tea (milk one and green tea), make protein shake (whey and casein in night), raw tofu or low-fat cottage cheese. Earlier I could eat small meal and remain hungry for hours. But not anymore. The flipside I feel is constantly feeding every 2 hours, even with healthy options might raise insulin level that further impacts hunger hormone? I keep hydrated all the time, still but stomach growls every 2 hours. I think since I no longer have any fat reserves, and I have lot of muscle mass now which requires calories. Maybe thats the reason? What do you think? Thanks

My nutritionist just recommended me eating up to 1400 calories a day. We had our appointment today and she’s happy with all my results plus understands I’m going through perimenopause and my GERD issues. She knows I eat carbs but I limit it and that’s good along with good fats and oils. I may just be gaining more muscle and my body is probably running on fumes as you said. I feel good overall and I will up my calories but I need to stop snacking too. It’s healthy snacks but as a GERD patient we can’t allow our stomachs to stay full that’ll trigger reflux.

I’m going jump in on this discussion if you all don’t mind. I had gastric sleeve in January 2019 (5’2” 210lbs). Within 6 months, my weight was 130lbs and i didnt like how i looked (cheeks sinking in), so i started increasing my calorie intake. Its January 2024 and im currently 175, trying to get back down to 150. Ive done it all…. gym 3x a week, personal trainer, nutritionist, dietician, logging my foods, staying within the 1500 calorie range, etc. Still no change. I got tired of the assumptions and guessing game (you should eat this, limit your fat, carbs, calories, do cardio, lift weights) and did my own research. I found out about a few scientifically proven tests that give 99.9% accurate results in regards to how many calories my body NEEDS just to function, how much lean mass and fat mass i have, etc. Low and behold, my body needs at least 1600 calories to function. Being active throughout the day, gym 3x a week, my body NEEDS roughly 2400 calories just to maintain my current weight. In order to lose weight, i have to consume 500 calories less, so thats 1900 calories. At 1500 calories a day over the past 3 years, my body was running on fumes, holding onto everything i ate, and going into hypoglycemia because it didnt have any fuel storage to pull from.

Hello, I am new and want to introduce myself. I’m Gina and I am 13 days post op. I had the SIPS procedure and hiatal hernia repair. I had Gastric Sleeve in 2019. Reached a plateau, switched from Kaiser to United Health Care - Sutter Health (N. Ca). Five years ago my pre surgery weight was 286. My pre-op weight on January 10 is was 230. When I was still under Kaiser, I contacted my bariatric team about having revision surgery and they advised me to just stick to a thousand calorie diet and that I was not eligible for revision surgery. My family and I had to switch healthcare providers and I joined the weight management in nutrition program at Sutter Health, and I was immediately referred to a Bariatric surgeon who recommended a revision! I was pleasantly surprised, because I was not even going to ask because of my experience with Kaiser. So here I am 13 days post surgery and looking forward to reading about your experiences. 🙂👍🏼

OMG I'm so excited for you I teared up when I read your post!! I know how hard it has been and you've been so upbeat about it! I wonder if you were gaining muscle or maybe burning a bit too many calories with the exercise and now that you've slowed down on that your body feels it can let go of some of the weight?? My best friend loses more weight in the winter for some reason. Doesn't matter what she does, it seems to consistently come off better in the winter. Our bodies can be so mysterious sometimes... Whatever the reason is, I'm so happy the scale moved a bit towards your goal!! And I'm really glad you stayed consistent all summer, they say that's the best way to break a stall, even though it is so hard to keep the faith. I bet your body composition has changed a lot over the last 8 months even if the scale wasn't moving for a chunk of that time. Your experience is so encouraging because it shows that sometimes the scale can move months after you've thought it was done for good! You aren't the first person I've seen have a stall that has lasted for months instead of weeks...

I've read that caloric intake for a bypass patient at that month mark is not unusual. However, if you are more active than the normal bariatric patient, it is possible you are burning so many calories that your body is experiencing more of a caloric deficit than your dietician has estimated for you. Some dieticians are VERY good at individualizing their care to each patient's intake, activity, and dietary needs. Others stick to the book and will give everyone the same plan regardless of how many calories they are burning. That can be a detriment to you if you are burning more. If you are walking several miles a day, or intensely working out, you may need more protein than your current calories are allowing for. It might be worth messaging your dietician to ask if they took this into account. Stalls definitely happen, I had one last 6 weeks pretty early out after surgery, and I'm losing a little slower than I like, though they say it is right on target so I'm making my peace with that. It is good to stick to the plan you are given by your team, just make sure that plan is taking into account the whole picture of YOU, not just what patients average in general. Many bariatric patients are quite sedentary and averages account for that, not for active patients.