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Post-Op Hunger...  

76 members have voted

  1. 1. Since having my VSG surgery, I find that I am...



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Wanted to take a poll to see how our "Hunger" has changed AFTER surgery. Thanks for participating!! :D

Physical hunger, unless it changes after surgery, is completely gone for me. Now head hunger on the other hand.... It's a decent on going battle :(

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I don't have physical hunger ever...just head hunger or more like cravings, especially during TOM :(...but that didn't return either until 3 or 4 months post op.

It's soooo funny because I will catch myself saying I'm hungry and then I will say, um no I'm not, it's just a habit LOL.

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22 months out, physical hunger is NULL and VOID completely. I can go (and I'm talking running around town, errands, volunteering, delivering jewelry, etc etc etc, shopping LOL) about 16 hours before I realize "Oh crap, I have not eaten today." I get a bit moody, cranky, irritable around the 10-12 hour mark, but I typically don't realize it until someone else points it out.

I battled most of my head hunger with the band so I have a fairly decent grasp on that as well. I'm a "bored" eater so I have to keep my mind and hands occupied and I can completely avoid snacking.

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It depends. Some days none but other days if I don't eat for 6 or 7 hours I get hungry. Of course I fill up on very little. Nothing like before surgery. I also sometimes get head hunger but its a lot easier to manage now.

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So far head hunger. When I fight with my sister I get so annoyed I feel hungry, then I realize how stupid I am, drink a tea and I am fine.

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yeah, I'm with everyone else -- no hunger, don't care about it until I realize I haven't eaten in hours . . . or my family gets annoyed with me because I haven't fed them :lol:

Now I get thirsty quite a bit -- so I feel like I need to drink a lot, but that's normal I suspect.

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I voted "somewhat hungry," but honestly, the actual hunger sensation is rare... I still get it once in awhile, but at about 1/4 of the intensity that it was before (from what I remember anyway... I ate so constantly that I rarely got TRUE hunger back then either!). For me, "hunger" is more of a feeling that Hey, I'm empty... Would'ja mind giving me something run on??

The head hunger though, oh boy. That is another animal entirely. :unsure:

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I don't know if its actual hunger that I get, but my stomach starts to feel upset if its been 4-6 hours or so and I haven't ate anything. My stomach does not growl in hunger anymore and Ii don't feel that hunger pain I used to get that made me say "Oh, I'm so hungry!"

I actually wish real hunger would come back instead of this stomach ache because it usually persists even after I eat something, and I have to take tums.

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I occasionally feel hunger, but more often I just feel empty, like I need to eat. More often I crave food if I smell something really yummy or am in a situation that used to trigger eating.

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I occasionally feel hunger, but more often I just feel empty, like I need to eat. More often I crave food if I smell something really yummy or am in a situation that used to trigger eating.

Is physical hunger with the sleeve the same as pre-surgery (I've probably asked before, just can't remember)?

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I'm never hungry. And the thought of eating food is gross, but I need food to support my workout habit.

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No hunger here but I know that I need to eat so that I can keep my body going and don't throw it in starvation mode. Head hunger is something different but I am working on that.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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