I am 4 days post op and with the exception of the first day, I have been starving ever since. My stomach is growling and I have bad headaches from the hunger. Also woke up at 4am for the last three days with horrific hunger pains. I drank some cranberry juice to cope with it but it is truly awful. I am not scheduled for my first fill until feb. 19th. Is it normal to feel like this! Any advice as to how I can deal with the hunger pains! Especially those that wakes from my sleep!

I am 4 days post op and with the exception of the first day' date=' I have been starving ever since. My stomach is growling and I have bad headaches from the hunger. Also woke up at 4am for the last three days with horrific hunger pains. I drank some cranberry juice to cope with it but it is truly awful. I am not scheduled for my first fill until feb. 19th. Is it normal to feel like this! Any advice as to how I can deal with the hunger pains! Especially those that wakes from my sleep![/quote']

One comment - 3 Suggestions:

Throw away All fruit juice - it's filled with sugar n empty calories and will only make you more hungry.

3 Suggestions:

1-Exercise, start waking even (if only 2 minutes around the living room/office) do this EVERY hour and and add 30 Secs each time.

2- Start a blog or journal and pour out your genuine feelings emotions and actions you are doing that are positive

3-Write a List if SPECIFIC things (goals) you Want to do ... For example for me I wanted to fit in a booth and a movie seat - be able to walk enough to go to mall - go to amusement park - fly on a plane w/out buying two seats - sleep longer than 1 hr before waking up - be able to sleep in a bed instead of reclining chair - be able to walk around without small children freaking out and pointing (not their fault)

Post the list - use the list - You are not on a diet you are breaking free from Prison (Death Row) you are a Warrior - never forget this - each decision is Life or Death. It WILL get better : ) look at my pics on this forum and others with success - it will happen for you BECAUSE You will Make it Happen. Point number one above is the KEY!!!!!

Hope in YOUR Future is Power in YOUR Present!

Lee

275 lbs Lost All diseases reversed

Drink some Special K protein water or other clear liquids. Have some sugar free jello. You are not starving! You have head hunger, and the stomach growling is just its way of getting rid of gases etc. You will survive! We all did! YOU can do it too! Take the good advice of LJCBF, he is a very wise person! God luck! Karen

I too was starving day 2 onwards post op. I was not expecting it at all! I thought I would only have head hunger not full on growls and hunger pains. I enjoyed lots of Bovril (beef extract) drinks and (strained) soups are a little thicker along with slim fast drinks. It did stop on about day 5/6 then all I had was 'head hunger' which I think is a lot harder to get over and suggest trying to keep yourself busy busy busy x

Thanks for all the wonderful advice. I only drank cranberry juice because its on the list of liquids allowed in the first week. Plus I figure putting some calories in my stomach would help with the growling. Also I feel very nauseous when my stomach is growling. My mouth starts to fill with saliva and I know I will throw up unless I put something in my stomach. I get the whole head hunger concept but these hunger pains feel like physical pain! I can't even imagine another week and a half on liquids only. I truly feel miserable! However reading posts on the LBT site helps because I know others are going through the same thing. (Misery loves company!)

well, i was there too....so i drank and drank and drank

its not hard but its necessary so we can heal our insides

SF popsicles saved me ...hang in there as it does get better

What types of liquids are your drinking (other than the cranberry) I know ALL doctors and the plans are different so I'm not saying do anything off plan. But, my doc said to drink protein shakes and eat jello etc... and not to worry the 1st few days with calorie intake. He wanted us to heal 1st so we drank shakes and broth when we wanted and then around week (which we still lost weight during) 4.... and then we concentrated on the diet..

I am 4 days post op and with the exception of the first day, I have been starving ever since. My stomach is growling and I have bad headaches from the hunger. Also woke up at 4am for the last three days with horrific hunger pains. I drank some cranberry juice to cope with it but it is truly awful. I am not scheduled for my first fill until feb. 19th. Is it normal to feel like this! Any advice as to how I can deal with the hunger pains! Especially those that wakes from my sleep!

I'm six days post-op and I drink slimfast...that helps to fill you up, and I've started to have thicker soups...that helps as well. The worst day was Friday. My sister stopped by and we ordered in chinese food. I had the soup but it was hard watching her eat dumplings and such so I grabbed an ice pop and it helped to be 'eating' something while she was doing same. Hang in there...I understand for sure...I dream of eating an egg again, or tuna or chicken salad..chopped very fine...which I've been told I can have once I go to the mushies stage.

You have received great advice here. Drink as much as you can all the time. It will keep you full. Try flavoring your water with different flavors to change things up. I use crystal light or Mio. Also you can add unflavored powder protein to you drinks. I would also start adding unflavored fiber powder to your drinks as you are not getting any fiber. When you start on mushies you may get constipated and you definitely don't want that! Hang in there it does get better. The head hunger takes several weeks if not months to deal with and to find things to distract you from wanting to feed that type hunger.

I have been drinking 2-3 protein shakes a day. I also have had chicken broth, cranberry juice and sf Popsicles.

We all were hungry. You will survive. Its only a short amount of time out of your life that you have to be hungry. Enjoy hunger because you probably havent felt that feeling in years. I agree with the sugary drinks get rid of them.

I agree with you Jacksonville! I am 2 years out and still can not stand to be hungry! Before I would eat at the first tiny little sign of feeling any bit of hunger. And after that would eat til I was stuffed.It's a whole new world for me, still battle it everyday in the head.

Try to sip your protein shakes. The goal is not to drink the whole thing in 5 minutes. If you spread it out, 2-3 oz an hour you will be constantly adding in protein which will help with the hunger. Many of your pains sound like gas. At the cost of being indelicate, have you had a bowel movement. You could also be constipated. Try Miralax or something similar to get things moving. Constipation blockage can cause serious tummy pains. Good luck and stay hydrated.

I tend to get horrable head aches and shakes if I do not drink enough Water....

Hang in there you can do it....~hugs~

Thanks for all the encouragement and support! I still hate the hunger feeling but the support here makes me feel better.

I usually drink the Protein shake in small sips over a 15-20 min period. I thought that was reasonable, but I am going to try to space out the ounces every hour. Sounds like it could work.

Also, my bowel movements are fine. 2 yesterday and 2 today already. I keep telling my husband I can't believe I am even going because I haven't eaten any food! Lol

I also have gone on small walks everyday around my neighborhood. I have a 3 yr old and a 10 month old so I take them for walks in their wagon at least twice a day.