So I'm still pre-op, and I was at a support group meeting last night at my hospital. At the end of the meeting, the leader allows all the pre-ops to ask the post-ops any questions they may have regarding the surgery. I asked a question but I didn't get a clear answer, so I'll ask my question here...

I understand that after we get sleeved our stomachs are about 85% smaller than they were pre-op... But my question is this, when you are very hungry, and you eat something (and fill up very quickly because your stomach is so small) do you feel full and satisfied, or full and still hungry?

I ask this because I have a big appetite, and while I know the sleeve is a tool to help me eat less, I'm afraid of being full AND hungry (if it's possible). And just to be clear I'm talking about real hunger, not head hunger.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks!!

I had a pretty good appetite before as well. I felt full and satisfied post op, no hunger issues at all. I believe it is just a mental thing everyone needs to work on. Sure, I looked at what I ate and said..."how can I be full already?" but I didnt dwell on it and I was good. Trust me, you dont want too overeat...it is freakin miserable. If you take one extra bite it feels like it is stuck in your throat! I am 7 months out and eat anything I want only very small amounts, of course I make better choices now but I sure am not depriving myself. Best of luck....you can do this!

First off, most of us do not experience hunger like we did before. When hey reduce the size of your stomach the remove most of the portion that produces the hormone that causes hunger(ghrelin).

We eat more on a schedule than on a "hunger" trigger. Also in the earlier phases it is also very important to portion your meals because your stomach will be nimb for the most part & it is easy to over eat.

The feeling of fullness is definately different instead of a swollen plated feeling you will feel a pressure against your esophagus. Again, portion control should keep this from happening. Our goal is to nourish our bodies, not to fill our tummies.

Hope that helps, if not, restate your question and I'll try again

P.S. ghrelin only disappears for a period of time, it will return in much smaller amounts.

I am 1 week out. When I had Breakfast today I decided on yogurt. There is NO way I can finish an entire container. So I save 1/2 of it for lunch or for tomorrow. I definately feel full and not at all hungry when I am done.

Yesterday I did not feel hungry at all and had to remind myself to get my Protein in!

Such a great feeling!!!!!

i'm pre-op, too & am here to learn about what goes on in regards to the sleeve & also help people when & if i can.

there's just been a post about someone who constantly feels hungry... http://www.verticals...lly-am-i-alone/ << there you go.

so it can happen.. that you are always hungry right after you eat. i've read several people on here that suffer from that.. not just the ones in that thread. :/

but a lot of times the hunger pangs are really acid reflux or gas.. so.. just depends on the person.

it's one of those risks you have to think about. :/

If you are hungry when your sleeve is full, either you are a physical anomaly or it's head hunger......the latter being far more likely. Many people want to deny head hunger but it's difficult, if not impossible, to tell the difference. The only way to tell the difference is using your reasoning skills....the sleeve is full so real hunger cannot exist. Again, I know there may be a very few physical anomalies out there whose synapses don't fire correctly, but for the great majority of people it's head hunger.

The good news is, after you start eating full foods again the head hunger dies down in most sleeve patients if you're eating right (protein first, low sugar, low starches).

I think as time goes on, if you are losing and building muscle, many people will get hungry sooner after eating, let's say 2 or 3 hours after eating, that's normal and that's due to an increased metabolism, which is completely and utterly normal.

When you get sleeved for the first week or two, there are those that complain about "hunger pains". I had them myself, but those were not hunger pains. Those are acid, and healing pains. Cut your finger, stub your toe, it throbs, well your stomach was cut from the bottom to the top and it's swollen inside and out and of course it throbs too, which is identical to old - real hunger pains. If you realize it's healing pains and the gurgling and the moving is just healing pains or acid or gas, you get through it quite easily.

I still think a lot of the hunger people are having is head hunger. I am eating my Protein first, as I am told and then I have some salad or vegetables sitting there and I get full and I don't get a chance to eat them, and mentally sometimes I feel a bit cheated about an hour later and as the night progresses I think about those delicious vegetables and feeling a little ripped off at times.

If I feel hungry about 2 or 3 hours after eating, I have a 1/2 cup of milk and that usually does me, or I will have one teaspoon of Peanut Butter on a Breton Original Cracker (lower carbs) and I'm done and I feel like I got a delicious snack.

I am learning to take at least one bite of my vegetable now, just in case, the protein does me in.

Half the battle to me is perception and how you look at it and how vested you are in this process, that's the way it seems to me. It takes will power, dedication and it takes a positive attitude, without it, it makes will power and dedication so much harder.

Good luck to you.