Hello,

I am tentatively looking to have a sleeve put in the end of May. I have researched this for over a year now and I only have one real concern.

I have asked this of other people but cannot not seem to wrap my mind around it.

Can you give me your experience with not feeling the need to eat and not having food consume your life?

I have heard others say that this is the case and had discussions around the fact that when I wake up, I am thinking about what I am having for lunch and dinner. Others have told me that they were the same way and that the sleeve really changed that for them.

I would like any feedback that you are willing to offer on this subject as it is my number one concern and also the number one thing that I believe will make this a successful choice for me.

Thank you.

I was sleeved on 4/9/2014 so I don't know if this helps or not, I currently do not have any hunger pains nor am I ever hungry. The only time I was hunger is when I did my pre-op diet and the first 3 days I was hungry and had headaches, once I was sleeved I have not been hungry at all. I am not sure if and when this will change since its only been 2 weeks. I make myself eat dinner everyday and I drink shakes, apple juice and water during the rest of the day. I have a friend that was sleeved one month before me and she stays hungry all the time but is unable to eat, we all different so I don't really know if you were sleeved if you would be hungry or not.

My husband is 5 months out and does not complain of being hungry. He basically has to remind himself to eat. However, another family member of mine, complains of hunger. So I think it depends on the person. It is a weird concept for me. I guess I will find out tomorrow when I have my sleeve procedure.

Edited April 23, 201412 yr by darneka1

I was just like you and that was my main concern too. I could understand the physical hunger going away but what about the psychological hunger? Well, I don't know how or why this works but it does. Food is simply no longer an issue. I'm not anorexic, I want to eat and I enjoy my food but I'm happy with a lot less and I can make all the good choices without feeling the compulsive need for sugar and carbs. It's not all easy - there are days when my stomach acts up and when I vomit but these are becoming less and less frequent and it;s nothing compared to the feeling of being able to take charge of my life again. So talk it over with your surgeon and find the right procedure for you. Good luck

My surgery was 3/19 and I also have no hunger. Pre-sleeve I was hungry ALL THE TIME, never full.

I would never have believed it had I not experienced it. I do have to remind myself to eat sometimes, especially the Snacks.

I can tell when I haven't eaten enough - I start to feel a little weak.

I have read that after some people start to add carbs to their diet the hunger starts to come back. With the recommendation of my dr of only 10% carbs in my diet--i a m hopeful I won't feel hungry.

I don't think about food like I used to - bag of potato chips here, handful of candy there. Walking in the kitchen and opening the pantry "oh look, a cookie". Now i an far more focused on things I used to hate, which some I now love. Planting flowers, cleaning the garage, organizing the house and the best one---EVERY WEEK purging my closet.

I seem to keep so busy and now can't sit still I don't even have the desire to think about food.

It is wonderful

If you deal with the head hunger issue now you will have less trouble after the vsg.

I was sleeved 4/7/14 and I have major head hunger. I want a hoagie very badly. I also have physical hunger but my protein shake takes care of that. I've been nursing my 12 oz shake for a few hours now.

I am 7 months post op now & would say that I don't experience hunger the way I did before. Now it's more of just an empty feeling than a feeling of hunger.

Also I've learned to better distinguish between hunger & thirst. A lot of the times you "think" you need to eat, you are thirsty.

Finally I will be honest & say the first couple of weeks I dealt with head hunger, but it was really just me needing to work through the emotional loss of my coping mechanism- food! Sometimes if I'm experiencing a lot of stress I'll notice head hunger, but it is easy to push past.

It is really hard to explain the lack of hunger after surgery. I do get hunger pains, but very little cravings. When my stomach starts growling, a hard boiled egg does the trick and I am good for a few hours. Most of the time I see what time it is and know I have to eat something soon.

If you have ever been on phentermine its sort of the same feeling.

Thank you for the feedback. I am pretty sure that I am going to move ahead and schedule to be sleeved around mid June. Big decision obviously from a lifestyle perspective as well as being self pay. I would like any feedback from anyone on increasing my chances for success.

I have really struggled with the ability to control hunger and hope this will be the tool that will help me with that aspect.

If someone had told me that I'd never feel the overwhelming urge to eat post-op, I wouldn't have believed them. But that is exactly the case. From the 1st day post-op, I never felt that overwhelming compulsion to eat again. I don't get head hunger or obsess over certain flavors. I used to get cravings for certain flavors and I'd have to leave the house and go get it or I couldn't sleep.

It completely amazes me how little I care about what I eat now. I routinely eat the same food meal after meal. When I go out to eat with friends, I get them to pick the place, because I don't ever have a craving for any particular food.

Gastric Sleeve surgery gave me control over whatever was causing my food cravings and food obsessions.

This is great to read. Mental hunger is something I was worried about too. Hopefully on whatever I decide, my mind will not work against me!

mt_hi_liner --

I'm six months post opp. Here's my experience over time:

Preop: Constantly hungry, rarely satisfied. Could eat all day and large quantities. Would always clear my plate and look to second helpings. food always on my mind.

Post opp 1-2 months: No hunger whatsoever. Eating was a big effort. Ridiculously small amounts of food (3-4 bites of soup) would fill me to the brim. Started to serve myself food in tiny plates.

Post opp 2-4 months: Still no hunger. Capable of eating certain foods better than others, especially ground meats like hamburger, Soups, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. Biggest issue was figuring out how to get in enough Protein.

Post opp 5-6 months: No hunger as in growling stomach or hunger pangs, but experienced some food cravings. Joy of eating started to return. Discovered "slider foods" like chips and ice cream. Learned that the best way to avoid this stuff is do as ordered -- start with protein and there's really no room for this stuff. Last night I went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and ordered the appetizer meatballs (3 golf ball sized). I ate two and was completely stuffed. I mean 20 oz NY Steak with all the fixings stuffed.

It's sort of hard to describe the mental part of this. Here's a glimpse -- when I used to see TV commercials for the newest Double Bacon Mushroom Swiss Burger from XYZ chain, my mouth would literally Water. Now I look at the same commercial and just scratch my head at how people could eat that. Same guy, same head, different guts. There's another hundred examples like that.

As for success, I'd just say stick to what they say -- protein first, then veggies, then fruits, carbs last / lots of hydration in between / reasonable exercise.

You can send me a private message if you want more info on any specifics.

Thank you Joatsaint and Familyguy. I don't think I will have a problem eating Protein first then vegetables. When it comes to food, I have no favorites. I like them all equally.

I have scheduled for June 19th and am very excited (and scared). I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those decisions that I will be very happy with and wonder why I stressed about it so much.

I am also very conservative with my money so being a self pay will be an extra benefit for me to want to get my money's worth. I know this is not the major reason but tightwads like me think this way.

Thanks again for the comments and I will be checking back and updating. By the end of the summer, my plan is to be providing information to other people contemplating this surgery.

Familyguy, thanks for that post. just want I wanted to read. everyday I am getting a little more excited about the possibility of WLS.

Just an update. I am 6 days out now. The first 2 were difficult. I am absolutely shocked about how much I could care less about eating.

In 6 days I have had:

2 - 3 tbs of low fat cottage cheese

5 tb of chicken broth

1 sugar fee popsicle

2 containers of sugar free Jello

4 or 5 premier Protein drinks

Water, water and more water

6 DAYS

I need more protein and am starting to work it in.

I have never really had this sensation before. I don't know how long it will last but I plan on taking advantage and not letting my head hunger get in the way of making some serious progress.