I keep reading how everyone who has had surgery finds that they are no longer interested in food. That has NOT happened for me. I still find myself obsessing about food and when and what I can eat next.

Am I the only one?

How far out are you?

I had surgery 6 weeks ago.

I am 4 weeks out, and i still get hungry. i am ok with it now, cause i know i would never eat if i didnt feel hungry. i too obsess over food, but it is hard not too, since i track every gram of protein, every calorie and every swallow of liquid. You are not alone!

What are you eating? What does a normal day look like? I have hunger that comes and goes - the binge eating is very much better because i simply cannot binge, but I get to points that I do fixate on certain things and that is a sign of head hunger.

Thirst feels idnetical to hunger - so i usually drink first and it helps. Eating little bits every two hours also helps. The biggest one for me to stop cravings has been to eliminate processed carbs - anything with wheat/flour...by design those substances will light up the same receptors in the brain that opiates do - bread=crack pipe lol.

The fewer carbs I eat, I no longer feel hunger. I am still deep in my losing phase and am not anywhere near approaching an elite athlete, I will address the carb issue when I am able to do more hardcore exercise.

This is something from my blog that may help. A friend from my WL support group shared it.

Eight Signs of Emotional Eating

A lot of people ask, "How do I know if I am over eating for emotional reasons?" If any of the following statements sound like they could apply to you, then it's likely you are struggling with emotional eating.

1. My hunger comes on suddenly. Physical hunger comes on slowly. Hunger from emotional eating often comes on quickly and suddenly.

2. I crave specific foods-generally not carrot sticks or steamed broccoli. Cravings for specific foods usually unhealthy foods are signs of emotional eating. Often people like the rush they get from satisfying their cravings. The rush is fulfilling emotional hunger.　

3. My hunger feels urgent- I need a particular food right away and I am willing to walk out of my way, or get in your car late at night, or raid my kids Halloween candy to get it. Physical hunger, unless you haven’t eaten for a long time, is usually pretty patient. It will wait for food. Emotional hunger demands to be satisfied immediately.

4. My hunger is often paired with an upsetting emotion- if I backtrack a few hours or a few days I’ll usually find an upsetting event and feeling that triggered the urge. Hunger thats comnnected to an upsetting emotion or situation is definately emotional hunger. Physical hunger is not typically triggered by emotions.

5. My eating habits involve unconscious eating-all of a sudden I’m eating ice cream and I find the whole contianer is gone.

6. I don’t stop eating in response to being full- I keep wanting more of the taste of the food. Physical hunger doesn’t need to be stuffed in order to be satisfied. Emotional hunger on the other hand often demands more and more food to feel satisfied.

7. My hunger isn’t located in the belly- I crave the taste of a certain food in my mouth or I can’t stop thinking of a certan food. Feeling hungry in this way is usually a sign of emotional hunger or binging. Physical hunger is happy to get what it can, while emotional hunger usually focuses on specific tastes and textures.

8. After I satisfy my hunger, I am often filled with a sense of regret or guilt.Feeding your body what it needs is not something to feel guilty about. If you feel guilty after you eat, it’s likely because part of you knows you’re not eating just to satisfy physical hunger.

When you’re eating for phyiscal reasons, you are usually mindful of what you’re doing. If you catch yourself eating, “just because”, then its likely you’re eating for emotional reasons.

are you getting enough protein? Protein tends to keep me fuller longer...But I still get hungry too. almost 6 months out and I still can't eat a lot so I eat, and then a couple hours later I'm ready to eat again.

Chimera thanks for sharing the info. I do know that I struggle with knowing if I'm thirty or hungry. So I usually drink water before I eat. Also stomach acid mimicks hunger too. I take imperative. It does help.

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'm going to focus on drinking more water. I'm supposed to drink 64 oz. a day and rarely get that much in. So maybe sipping water more frequently will make me less focused on food.

I had that problem and I was freaking out, every once in a while it still happens so I eat a little something every 3 hrs when this happens and drink water. I also went thru frenzy cravings in the first 6 wks (chocolate and starches like bread, rice etc) I think it was withdrawel because I ate of lot of that prior to the surgery. It does goes away once your used to your new tummy.

I am feeling the same way I'm hungry all the time.I had surgery on Jan 17 and I'm already on soft foods. What im feeling is not head hunger.