The main reason Gastric Sleeve was so exciting after talking to surgeon was how he would be severing away the part of my stomach where ghrelin is produced...the stuff that stimulates hunger. That was pretty much not true or my ghrelin hid away during surgery. I woke up hungry,came home hungry & have stayed hungry before & after Oct.2012....I'm hungry March,2014. It hasn't stopped. I dream about hunger. While eating,I'm planning my next meal.Also,during my meal I'm obsessing about whether the food is going to make me fatter. I hate food & yet I LOVE it....yes,I love food more than I hate it.

You are not the only person I have heard this to be true. For me, my hunger level is way different. Pre-surgery, hunger was a 1,000 pound gorilla screaming in my ears to eat. It was something I could not ignore. I couldn't eat a rice cake to satiate it or drink huge amounts of Water to just satisfy putting something in my mouth. It was like I had no choice in the matter ... I had to get something to eat.

For me, post-surgery, that gorilla has been excised from my existence. I still get hungry, but it now is more of a gentle nudge and I have the power of choice whereas before, I didn't. By having that power of choice, it gives me the time and resources to make better decisions about what I do eat. Before, if a bag of Doritos was in arms reach, in it went. Now, I can take the time to fix a nutritious salad or grab a bowl of chili. Something that feeds my body instead. When I do this, I find the hunger goes away for a long time. A LOT longer than it did pre-sleeve. I believe nutritionally balanced meals help me to avoid cravings. If my body is needing potassium, I need to feed it bananas. If I give it starches, my body will continue to give my cravings until I give it what it needs.

Also, I did a lot of walking and exercise, which I also believe helped me with the whole craving thing.

The main reason Gastric Sleeve was so exciting after talking to surgeon was how he would be severing away the part of my stomach where ghrelin is produced...the stuff that stimulates hunger. That was pretty much not true or my ghrelin hid away during surgery. I woke up hungry,came home hungry & have stayed hungry before & after Oct.2012....I'm hungry March,2014. It hasn't stopped. I dream about hunger. While eating,I'm planning my next meal.Also,during my meal I'm obsessing about whether the food is going to make me fatter. I hate food & yet I LOVE it....yes,I love food more than I hate it.

I don't have a sleeve, but have researched it pretty thouroughly hoping to revise. A friend of mine is a sleeve expert and explained that ghrelin is a hormone produced in the gastric fundus and in other organs of the body. For many sleevers, it is reduced enough to completely dim their hunger. In others, not so much.

It sounds like you are experiencing head hunger. If you're thinking of a particular food (craving) that's head hunger. If you are willing to eat anything' including healthy foods, you're truly hungry.

Time to seek the help of a nutritionist to support your WLS. Best of luck to you!

Edited March 3, 201412 yr by Bandarella

Eat healthy foods,stay away from starches & drink lots of Water.1.2.3. Seriously,this has to be my approach to success. Keep it Simple.

If I were wealthy & could afford a chef,a chef who had Full Charge of all my dietary choices, their prep & serving times, it would leave time to live the other parts of my life without the focus of food constantly.

I am willing to eat healthy.In fact,those foods are much more satisfying with taste test.

Your suggestion to consult a nutritionist is prolly the most appropriate.

My surgery was done in Costa Rica & except for the one hour spent with dietician pre-op,Ive been on my own.

To 'catnapper,'...is your weight loss ticker accurate/current? It says your surgery was Oct 2012 and your weight loss is 24 pounds. (???) just an observation.

About your hunger and ghrelin, what size bougie did your doctor use? In most cases, the larger the bougie, the less weight loss/more hunger...though some with large bougies can do well. (Large meaning ~40.)

Edited March 3, 201412 yr by Dr-Patient

YES, my weight has stayed @ that amount. Well,with the exception of my losing down to 217 pounds in Dec.2013 cause I had a breast reduction in C.R.

I went to my reg.MD here in the states last week & weighed 218 pounds.

I have no idea about my bougie.

Catnapper, I just assumed you hadn't updated your stats ... you mean to say that in 17 months, with the sleeve, you have lost a grand total of 24 pounds?

Would you say you rigorously followed the guidelines? Do you still follow those guidelines or have you abandoned them? If you have abandoned them, then I think I might know why you are having such hunger issues ...

The sleeve is merely a tool. You still have to do the work. It is not going to do it for you. Eat foods that make you crave, and guess what? You are going to crave ...

Mabe you can see a nutritionist that has experience with WLS patients. Have you ever had a endoscope done to see what size your stomach is? Is it possible the sleeve wasn' t done properly?

I still get hungry, but nowhere near like it was before. Sometimes I think to myself...ok, I am starving so tonight I am going to have two meatballs instead of one or a whole chicken cutlet instead of just half. But then when I sit down to eat all of it I can't.

I hope you find some answers

You are so right PdxMan. We each have to do the work. Apparently I haven't. Not consistently anyway. I let myself get discouraged & except for a few half hearted efforts, EAT. Eat & drink (guzzle) @ meal times.Portion sizes are smaller for the most part,although finishing off a hamburger,chips & a whole can of Pepsi has occurred as of late.

I am depressed & discouraged. In the beginning I did follow protocol.Later along with falling down,getting back up,falling down,back up,etc.I lost my way.

Laziness? Gluttony? Fear? PTD? Loneliness? No Motivation? Self-Hate?

What ever the reason,I'm not losing.

Thank you MicheleH. An endoscopy wouldn't hurt. I'm gonna ask my MD on next visit (April,2014) what he thinks about it.

Very Glad to see your success!

I've been on my own.

catnapper

you lost 24 lb in over 18 months???

whats done in the past is past

the lack of grehlin for the first few months+ does usually help people not be hungry

not for everyone though

i'm sorry you were given the impression that having grehlin gone, possibly losing your desire to eat would "fix" your problem

thats not gonna happen as you found out

you must start over

i'm sorry you have been doing this on your own - without help, assistance

go back to the basics that i'm not sure you ever started with

there are important "rules" "we" sleevers are aware of and need to follow - always for the rest of our lives to remain successful

you must too!!!!

you must stop drinking 15-30 minutes before you eat

never drink with your meals

don't eat for 45-60 minutes after you eat

drink at least 64 oz of Water a day

chew each bite thorougly many many times

after one bite, put your utensil down and wait before you start to eat again

these above issues are important

also eat Protein first, dense protein like chicken will really fill you up, then have some veggies

since you've been eating all along - you must drastically change your lifestyle

you must cut your portion back to 1/3 of a cup of food a meal

maybe 2 Snacks also

I'm not a medical person - just giving advice comments that i/many/most of us have followed successfully

i can't and won't tell you how many calories to eat

but people starting over don't usually eat more than 600-800 calories i believe

it will increase within time

you can/should keep track of your calorie intake on My Fitness Plan

that way you will know how much you've eaten, and to hopefully not overeat

exercising is always wonderful too

wanting to lose weight like i know you do, you must drastically change your habits like we all did when we started the sleeve

we started out by having liquids for about a week

then full liquids

pureeds

soft foods

slowly graduating to solids

smalllll portions

ask your questions - since you are basically a newbie

we are ALL here to help and support you

you need to be strong!!!!!

easier said than done - but i call it "won't" power

i won't eat!!!!

good luck

i wish you had this info before (sounds like you didn't)

but its never, ever too late

please come back and ask your questions, daily since you haven't had any real instructions to follow

hope this didn't sound like a lecture - not my intent, just trying to help

kathy

best of luck

Edited March 3, 201412 yr by proudgrammy

Thank you Kathy, couldn't have said it any better myself.

Catnapper, it isn't too late. I know that when I follow the guidelines, I still have excellent restriction. I was sleeved back in July, 2011, well over a year prior to you, so I know that you too, can get the restriction back. Following the guidelines is going to be more difficult now, so let's not try to fool ourselves, but it can be done. Get rid of all the crap in the house and let's take a break from all sodas for the next 6 months and see where that gets us.

What do you say?

Thank you proudgrammy.

Between the slowly graduating to solids to small portions is when the boat started crashing into the rocks @ times.

For real, There is no way Eating the same portion sizes I once did before surgery is even physically possible @ one setting.

drinking before, during & after meals...guilty. Our family have Always enjoyed large glasses with meals except for coffee in the AM.

not exercising...guilty. Introvert & lazy.

eating simple carbs...guilty.

eating @ night,after dinner...guilty. Bored :-/

Excuses...guilty.

not drinking Water...guilty. Can't stand water :-(

*Large glasses of tea* @ meal times was what I meant to say.

Yes, PdxMan. I can give up sodas because I've done it before. When I started drinking them again,it was uncomfortable (too bubbly) & I drank only diet, but then a doctor on tv said that diet only make you hungier so two weeks ago,started drinking regular Pepsi.

For me, the most important part of VSG wasn't the reduction in the size of the fundus, it was the impact on ghrelin. Part of that is a mental analysis of hunger, head hunger, thirst, cravings, and an acute awareness. At 17 months out and 91 lbs lost and still losing, I supplement with foods that have a lot of Fiber or Protein. With that said, I also eat out constantly and am an avid fan of craft beers and red wine. Every time I feel something like hunger, I try to become very still and aware of what it really is. I still remember my surgeon saying to me, "So, what happens if you are hungry?" ....and I said, "I don't know?" ...he replied ..."Nothing."