Ok, here is my question. I am a guy with a big appetite and sometimes I know im full but I'll keep chowing down some more. I know this is the head hunger that I have to work on, but after the sleeve will my STOMACH tell me it's full? Will I feel physically satiated? My biggest problem is portion control and im just scared that after the sleeve I will still feel that intense hunger you feel when your dieting. I just wanna be full with small portions!

I too was a man given to large appetite. I too enjoyed food immensely and was worried that I would really be denying myself and living miserably without it. For me it worked out just the opposite.

After the sleeve the absolute gnawing hunger and desire I had for food is pretty much gone. It was really after 6 months before I honestly could say that I felt any real hunger, some people claim they never do and a few claim the ALWAYS do, so YMMV.

I eat very small portions and I immediately fill up and cannot eat any more or else I am miserable and in a lot of pain as my stomach rebels and keeps telling me NO MORE-NO MORE! When you're full with the sleeve the difference between FULL and TOO MUCH is the matter of a few bites, not another whole portion.

I feel satisfied after a meal, I enjoy the food in smaller portions just as much as I did before and appreciate going out to eat MORE now than I did then, for one reason is that we eat out less, another is that I am not entirely focused on the food and enjoy the conversation and people watching more than I did before.

My tastes have changed, many things are just too sweet for me to eat and I avoid them, cakes and ice cream and such just don't excite me the way they did. I always loved chocolate, especially milk chocolate. Now all I like is the bitter taste of dark chocolate. I was a moderate coffee drinker of 3 or 4 cups a day, now its maybe 3 or 4 a WEEK, just not the same as it was before. I was a salt-o-holic and loaded up nearly everything up with salt, now many things are a real turn off because they are too salty. I always enjoyed fairly spicy food, now I REALLY enjoy spicy food. Things seem to have real flavor now. Dr. Pepper was always my favorite drink and now I can actually taste some of the distinct flavoring that it has. I enjoy it a lot more.

So you ARE taking a chance of shutting out a chapter of your life that you have thoroughly enjoyed but are opening a new one, one that will probably have far healthier consequences and perhaps allow you to live longer.

IT'S WORTH IT!

Personally, this I the problem I had with food pre-surgery and the sole reason I gained the weight that I did. I asked this very question when I attended my first bariatric seminar and so far, my experience has been exactly as described. This is also why I chose the sleeve over RNY or DS - I simply needed portion control that my brain & willpower couldn't provide.

I'm just 12 weeks out today and realize that my sleeve capacity could increase as the healing process continues, but I am physically full on 2oz or less of dense Protein such as grilled chicken breast, hamburger, tuna, etc. No just regular full, but it's-Thanksgiving-and-I-just-ate-everything-on-the-table full. After a lifetime of eating massive amounts of food, it's an odd experience. I've experienced some hunger since being sleeved but I find it's mostly related to my cycle or when I've forgotten to eat for many hours.

Head hunger is a curious phenomenon and one that, in my opinion, cannot be fully understood until it is experienced. Most of the time, I stop eating when my sleeve tells me to and I am completely satisfied. Sometimes tho, the head hunger takes charge and I get frustrated that I physically can't shove any more food in. I've yet to vomit from overeating but have been uncomfortably full a few times. it's not a good feeling and serves to teach my brain when to quit.

I've read it here and say it myself often - the sleeve allows me to eat like a skinny person. I eat enough to get nutrients in and feel satisfied and that's it. My whole relationship with food has changed because of the physical restriction and now I'm in charge! Love it!

Your new tiny tummy will absolutely let you know you are full when you start back on solids after surgery. In my case, as in rootman's, I have no desire to eat at all. That has helped me tremendously with sitting around watching people pigging out and such. I may WANT to pig out with them, just cause I miss it, but I can eat a bite or four of something yummy and I am completely satisfied and feel like I have just eaten Thanksgiving dinner. I love my sleeve

Are you my Brother?

at 3+ weeks out... I am having some issues with foods on stage III, so I went back to stage II...

You know those 4 oz. apple sauces I can't eat that whole thing...

I try, I hate wasting that last bite... it just won't go down...

when I tried stage III foods it was three bites, no more or It was coming up- my stomach is inflamed a bit.

I get hungry, and I get dizzy... then there is evening hunger. WhY? every commercial on TV is about food! Olive garden and red lobster I hate!

Look at the blog "the world according to egg face" She makes Bento boxes for lunch...

they are awesome! ok everything she does is awesome! But these bentos speak to me... variety, creativity, flavors, portability... and yes- they will fill you up.

Actually you are the PERFECT candidate for a sleeve. This is what the sleeve was made for, where it shines. If you're someone that is a volume eater and needs a purely restrictive procedure, this is for you. I used to eat tons, but like Rootman, I can only eat a little bit and it's satisfying. Your tastes do really change. Plus I'm never hungry. The weirdest thing is that your thoughts don't center around food anymore. It really changes your outlook on the whole eating thing. You finally and literally eat to live instead of live to eat. I have to remind myself to eat for nourishment because I'd be perfectly happy not having anything all day. You'll be amazed if you do this. Good luck in your decision.

Look at the blog "the world according to egg face" She makes Bento boxes for lunch...

they are awesome! ok everything she does is awesome! But these bentos speak to me... variety, creativity, flavors, portability... and yes- they will fill you up.

Love this too, I am really trying to keep variety in my diet, keeping it interesting. Eggface has some great recipes. I make muffins, waffles, ice cream, and much more that can and do belong in my new eating patterns. I am very satisfied at 6 months, even though I am NOT one of the people who experience no hunger. Learn to cook if you cant already, it is a fun and rewarding hobby! (not you chef, I assume you can already cook!)

You physically will not be able to eat large quantities of food. I love food too, but can not eat more than 2oz or 1/4 c of dense Protein at a time and i am 8 1/2 weeks out. There is no way you will EVER be able to eat pre-sleeve again!

This is exactly why I chose the sleeve. This is all I needed was portion control. I ate very healty pre-sleeve, just too much of it! Now, I have the best of both worlds, I can eat what I love, just very little!

Right now, I am eating Breakfast. 2 not 12 foster farms turkey meatballs. And when I finish them, I will be good to go till lunch in 4 hours!! CRAZY!! that I can eat so little and be so satisfied, but I do and I am!!

Best of luck to you!

Kelly

Wow! So much great information and just what I needed to know. Thanks guys! Chef Neil, we might be long lost food brothers . Rootman your info was great super informitive and your pre sleeve appetites mirror those of my own. Gregin, thanks thats why I decided to go with sleeve too! My biggest issue is the portion control. Thanks everyone

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is that when you are sleeved, it eliminates most of the ghrelins produced in the lower part of the stomach. Ghrelins are the hormone that causes hunger in humans. (My cousin is a bariatric surgeon, and he gave me a ten minute lecture on ghrelins and what they do and how they are eliminated in VGS, etc.) So many of us who have a VGS don't experience hunger at all, or at least to the degree that we did pre-op.

I for one am happy to not experience the hunger sensation. It makes the whole controling dietary intake so much easier. I am three weeks post-op today, and have lost a total of 44 pounds. (20 pounds on the pre-op diet and 24 pounds post op). I am thrilled not to experience the hunger that I always felt on Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Optifast, Medifast and all the other systems/diets, etc I used in trying to loose weight.

Of course this doesn't do anything for the "head hunger" that a lot of us experience. But I found out that my pouch will tell me exactly how much I can eat, and if I eat ONE more bite, I am physically uncomfortable for close to an hour. I haven't eaten so much that I have vomited (I HATE to vomit, so I am really careful of noticing the "full" sensation immediately.) I try to eat VERY slowly and be very watchful of the sensations I am experiencing when I eat so that I don't overdo it. So far, I am thrilled to death with my sleeve and the results I am having. I know that my weight loss will start to slow down soon, but right now, I am enjoying my "honeymoon" period with my sleeve!

Thanks Kathy

Thats another thing I was curious about. You guys have me SO ready to be sleeved!

You have already received some great advice but I just had to add my two cents worth as hubby and I were talking about just this topic this past weekend. We were away for a long weekend with friends where every meal was eaten out. I used to be someone who had ravenous hunger and got quite cranky if I went too long without food. NOW I don't really experience hunger at all. I feel something like an emptiness and I know I should eat something but it is a minor sensation.

I physically can't overeat as I will promptly throw up and while I would never intentionally overeat now it DID take me awhile to learn my body's new signals that tell me that I am full. We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner one night over the weekend...a deadly place for dieters if there ever was one! :bolt: I shared appetizers and saved room to have a bite of hubby's cheesecake. That is all I ate...one bite and I was completely satisfied. My friend's husband even asked me if I didn't have a feeling of being deprived when that was all I could eat and I can honestly say that I never do! It is like I had a personality transplant on top of the sleeve....who knew that the hormone ghrelin was so powerful! :clap2: Go for it...you will LOVE this surgery!

The sleeve will address your physical desire for food, but your mind may not play along :-) At 4 months out, I still have some emotional desire for food. I will occassionally feel sorry for myself that I can't eat something I want. But that is part of the process. I can't overeat - I just can't. It hasn't killed my desire for good food - in fact, I am more interested in good quality food because I only get a few bites of whatever I eat. I am still a foodie, but with so much more control over my intake.

Stay in touch with the boards, this place is a great support tool when you are going through the process.

And the fact that you physically can not overeat was the whole reason I got the surgery in the first place! I always could lose weight, I just could never keep it off!!

I needed something that would restrict my intake. I was a relativley healthy eater, I just ate too much of it! This will not let me eat too much and this is what will keep those pounds off of me in the future!!

If I physically can not eat 5 pieces of pizza, then I won't! I may have 1, but not 5 like before! That is what I needed to keep me from putting the weight back on and I know for me, long term, this is my cure!

As far as the hunger goes though, I still am hungry! That never left. I am not one of the lucky ones! I have days where it IS better than others, but my stomach still growles all the time like before surgery!

Best of luck to you!!

Kelly

Great question... one I had too! Looking forward to sleeve in 2.5 weeks!

I am so glad I read this post, as I wondered the same thing. I guess are Bariatric surgeons really do know what they are talking about, as it sounds like this really is the best surgery for those of us who can't do portion control on our own! I too am a fairly healthy eater, I love fruits and vegetables, and at home, I broil, bake and grill everything, I rarely fry anything. I am also fine with butter spray and butter buds. I just eat wayyyyyyy tooooooo much of it. I am soooo excited, I am looking at a tenative surgery date of September. I just did my sleep study last night, and I am so happy I have sleep apnea. Well, not happy about the apnea, but there was a question about my weight in 2009 and I was afraid I wouldn't qualify, so now with the apnea, my doctor told me I would definately be approved! I go for my psych consult tonight, my GI consult on Friday and my 2nd NUT apptmt next Thursday. After all that, I will have 1more NUT apptm, my GI proceedure and my last sleep study to get fitted for my cpap/bipap. So excited!!! Good luck to all of us pre-sleevers!!