so afraid my sleeve will stretch

[Brielle 0]

I feel like I am constantly hungry. Within an hour after I eat, I feel hungry again. And it's physical signs of hunger, not even mental or emotional. My stomach turns and growls like i'm hungry. I am terrified that i'll stretch my sleeve if I continue to eat when i'm hungry, but I can't just let myself starve!

What should I do? Is it okay that i'm eating so much? I know its small portions, but still... is anyone else feeling this way?

[feedyoureye 3,086]

I feel like I am constantly hungry. Within an hour after I eat, I feel hungry again. And it's physical signs of hunger, not even mental or emotional. My stomach turns and growls like i'm hungry. I am terrified that i'll stretch my sleeve if I continue to eat when i'm hungry, but I can't just let myself starve!

What should I do? Is it okay that i'm eating so much? I know its small portions, but still... is anyone else feeling this way?

I eat 5 little meals a day most days. I just keep the calories and carbs down.

[Eureka-C 20]

How far out are you? Right after I started mushies, this was the case for me as well, now at 11 weeks out, I easily go hours without being hungry. In fact at times I want to eat, but have no hunger, everything just sounds blech. Although, i have found that the week before my TOM, I still want to eat constantly and obsess about food like I always did before surgery. Only now I can't eat too much. My worst day, I ate almost 1200 calories, whereas before surgery, I could eat 5000 or more on bad days.

As for stretching, I think that is least likely to occur with several small meals. I worry about stretching because I have the urge to eat until feeling overstuffed, just one more bite. I am working really hard not to do this.

[JamieLynn77 1]

my tummy makes weird noises all the time. and i often mistake it for hunger and then i eat and wind up feeling miserable. i have never heard anything like it. it rumbles and growls and its so loud lol. its something that i am working on, but i am with you. terrified to stretch it out, but i hate feeling hungry. so you are definitely not alone!

[Tiffykins 671]

As long as you are staying within your calorie/protein/carb guidelines then you should be fine. I'm not sure how far out you are, but if you've not gotten to solid foods yet, you'll notice a difference with dense Protein. I logged my food religiously to make sure I was hitting certain goals, and staying low on my carbs. Sometimes eating carbs can make you crave carbs, or feel hungry. If you're on liquids, or even purees, those foods don't hang with us very long.

Are you on a PPI like Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, Prevacid? Acid overproduction can cause hunger, and all kinds of funky noises, rumbling. If you aren't on a PPI, you might want to talk to your surgeon about getting on one before the reflux gets out of hand then you are miserable with full blown reflux symptoms. Of course, if you're active and burning calories, you might get hungry.

You really can not substantially stretch out your stomach. There is only so much tissue left, and while there is some stretch after the healing/swelling goes down, there isn't enough tissue to stretch it out back to what it was pre-op. Even to stretch it out now, you would have to eat large, dense portions to the point of discomfort and vomiting.

[buchannon 17]

I notice that if I don't take my Protonix in the morning or sip Water constantly between meals my stomach goes crazy. Are you on a PPI? Are you drinking water?

[glassido2458 0]

that same thing happens to me and I am four months out. When I get that feeling, I know it's not hunger (even though that's what I used to tell myself). What I do is drink something (water, crystal light, diet green tea, etc.). It helps.

[Suzan Toubassi 0]

Hi... I still have not had surgery, and I really would like to understand what kind of noise your stomach makes??? does it bother??? I am scheduled on april 19, 2011... soooo nervous!!! Is it real painful??

[Annis53 1]

I CAN SAY HONESTLY THAT I WAS FINE STRAIGHT AFTER THE OP

I COULD HAVE GONE HOME THE SAME DAY ,,,,,,

IF I HAD NOT GOT ACID REFLUX IN THR RECOVERY ROOM, I WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD TO GO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

NOT SURE WHAT YA PAIN LEVEL IS BUT I HAD AN OP UP MY BOTTOM BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND THAT WAS MORE PAINFUL :0((

I WOULD NEVER WORRY ABOUT THE PAIN CUS THEY GAVE ME MORPHINE ,,,, AND I TOLD THEM TO STOP AS I DIDN'T NEED IT

I HAVE A VERY LOW PAIN THRESHOLD AND I WAS FINE

GOOD LUCK

HOPE YOU ARE OK :0)))))

Ann xx

[ldydrgnkpr 49]

Mine does too. I'm two weeks out. My surgeon told me to take zegrid and I also take zantac. The zantac works better at reducing the "hungry feeling" He also told me maalox 1/2-1 teaspoon. But he wanted me to stay on the zegrid. Check with your surgeon.

Deb

[LadyAlana 1]

I feel like I am constantly hungry. Within an hour after I eat, I feel hungry again. And it's physical signs of hunger, not even mental or emotional. My stomach turns and growls like i'm hungry. I am terrified that i'll stretch my sleeve if I continue to eat when i'm hungry, but I can't just let myself starve!

What should I do? Is it okay that i'm eating so much? I know its small portions, but still... is anyone else feeling this way?

YES!!!! I feel your (hunger) pains 100%!!! I got sleeved last Wednesday (March 9) and starting about 4 days post-op, I felt hunger!!! I was SHOCKED!! They told me for weeks, "You'll never feel hunger again!" LIARS!!! I too have a small fear that my pouch will begin to stretch more if I eat more, but I am trying my best to find what mix of food will allow me the longest amount of satisfaction between my meals. The truth is, Protein is my friend and Protein will be your friend too.. Take a little time to analyze the protein content of the things you're eating. How many grams are there? The higher the protein content, the better your chances are for making it a couple of hours longer without being famished. Also, if you figure out what can keep you satisfied for longer than that hour, EAT IT until you're satisfied, then STEP AWAY! Take a few sips to wash out your mouth, but NO MORE! Let the food rest in your belly for a little while and I guarantee you'll be good for a couple of hours... Good luck and keep me posted on what goodies you've gotten a-hold of!

[Can'tweight 41]

As long as you are staying within your calorie/protein/carb guidelines then you should be fine. I'm not sure how far out you are, but if you've not gotten to solid foods yet, you'll notice a difference with dense Protein. I logged my food religiously to make sure I was hitting certain goals, and staying low on my carbs. Sometimes eating carbs can make you crave carbs, or feel hungry. If you're on liquids, or even purees, those foods don't hang with us very long.

Are you on a PPI like Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, Prevacid? Acid overproduction can cause hunger, and all kinds of funky noises, rumbling. If you aren't on a PPI, you might want to talk to your surgeon about getting on one before the reflux gets out of hand then you are miserable with full blown reflux symptoms. Of course, if you're active and burning calories, you might get hungry.

You really can not substantially stretch out your stomach. There is only so much tissue left, and while there is some stretch after the healing/swelling goes down, there isn't enough tissue to stretch it out back to what it was pre-op. Even to stretch it out now, you would have to eat large, dense portions to the point of discomfort and vomiting.

Tiff...what exactly are we shooting for once we're on regular foods on calories, carbs, sugar, fat, Protein, etc...? I was looking thru my materials and didn't see an exact guideline. Thanks!

[Tiffykins 671]

Tiff...what exactly are we shooting for once we're on regular foods on calories, carbs, sugar, fat, Protein, etc...? I was looking thru my materials and didn't see an exact guideline. Thanks!

Through my entire losing stage, I stayed within the 600-800 calories, 60+gr of Protein and no more then 30gr of carbs. I followed this religiously for the first 4 months then my surgeon wanted me to add more carbs in hopes to "slow down" my weight loss. I reluctantly added carbs in, but typically stayed around 50 a day. I just didn't have room for carbs. I'll add that I was fairly sedentary for the first 4 months. Due to complications, and an extensive recovery, I was unable to work out until I hit 4 months post-op so me taking that amount of calories was sufficient. Some people need more calories based on what they are burning with exercise. Also, I never had a fat guideline. I ate full fat everything, and never worried about it. To this day, I rarely eat low fat anything. The reasoning behind this is because the fat free or low fat crap has usually double the sugar, sodium, and carb counts.

Now once you get into maintenance there is no rhyme or reason for what it will take to keep your body in maintenance. I have to consume 1500-1800 calories a day to not lose weight. If I slip below 1500 calories for more than a couple of days, I drop weight. I only count protein and calories at this point. I keep white carbs in moderation, but if I want mashed potatoes, I eat them.

[ldydrgnkpr 49]

Lisa I'm glad you asked that. I didn't find any thing in all of my papers either. Good to know. Thanks Tiff.

Deb