Ok I'm a newbie and not yet sleeved my surgery is 8/32 and I need to lose 70 pounds or so.

I am forever reading this forum and I have seen many posts about hunger. Some people are not hungry post surgery and some are very hungry post surgery. I'm talking about immediately following surgery and/or months down the road. Why are some people hungry? I'm hoping I won't be hungry after being sleeved because that is a big problem for me now.

Does the bougie size make a difference on the level of hunger people experience? What determines bougie size? I have watched videos about the bougie so I understand what it's used for. Is bougie size determined by stomach size? How much you weigh preop? Or???

Dr Garcia used a 32 French on me. I have no idea how he decided. I have no physical hunger at all. None. If I feel a hunger like sensation, I take an antacid and it's gone within minutes.

I don't think your weight has anything to do with bougie size, nor does bougie size have anything to do with hunger. Also keep in mind, there is real hunger, head hunger, and then there is acid discomfort that feels like hunger post surgery. After surgery it's very difficult to tell the difference. Also, what you eat can help keep you feeling full. Protein stays with me longer than carbs. Also, not drinking after meals helps as well.

I'm not the expert on this, but there seems to be a lot of threads on it lately.

From the other posts I've read and the pictures and stuff people have posted I have gathered this:

- Bougie size is determined by the physician

- It does not seem to be determined whether it affects hunger level (at least not the posts I've read), but looking at the pictures the difference in sizes is tiny, they are very close in size

- Some people are probably hungry because of head hunger, emotions (boredom, etc), and acid reflux. I haven't had actual hunger since pre-op so I can't comment on it with my own experience, but I can tell you that head hunger keeps trying to break into my thoughts, so if I do end up feeling hungry before a few months out, that's probably what it would be. Eventually the other parts of your stomach can start to produce ghrelin, so it's not a permanent fix to hunger, you will eventually gain some hunger back.

- If you are taller your stomach may be longer to begin with and could hold a little more food, but the amount your sleeve ends up holding a few months post-op varies from person to person and can be anywhere from 1/4 cup to about 1 cup (and maybe a little more for some people) - not enough that you will be able to completely go off the deep end without stretching it or eating tons of sliders

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the info

I am 5 weeks out. I am hungry ALL the time. But even so, you get fill up very fast, so don't worry about it.

Dr. Davidson did a 32 on me. I felt NO hunger for about 8 months, now I have a 'new hunger' it is more of an empty feeling. I think this is common. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the size. I wanted a 32 and was glad when I found out that is what he did. I am hoping for this 'empty' feeeling forever! It's been 26 months now and still great restriction. I was told in the beginning by the dietitian that he wants his patients to never eat more than 1 cup of food. It has to be soft for me to be able to eat that much, even now.

Dr Garcia used a 32 French on me. I have no idea how he decided. I have no physical hunger at all. None. If I feel a hunger like sensation, I take an antacid and it's gone within minutes.

hi im wanting a size 32 f .dont know y lol i like the number i think.how was you after your surgery with getting water and things down ?and the gas pain