I'm 3 1/2 months out from surgery. I'm thrilled to have no appetite. It makes everything easier. I have heard that my appetite (the real one and not head hunger) could return as soon. Some folks say that it is gone for 6 months. How long did it take for any of you to have your real appetite resurface?

I started to notice mine returning around 4.5 months during certain situations like working out. Then at 6 months it came back fully. The good news is, it's not that same gnawing hunger and it takes very little food or a cup of milk to make it go away.

I still deal with more head hunger which in my opinion is much worse.

At least with real hunger its there for a reason.

There are 2 phases to gastric bypass surgery. These are the "Weight Loss" phase and the "Maintenance" phase. In the "Weight Loss" phase, weight reduction is achieved through portion control. Your weight loss will eventually level off and you naturally slide into the "Maintenance" phase. In this phase the weight loss you achieved is maintained through hunger control. I am 28 months post-op from RNY surgery. My current weight is very near my bottom weight. I use fats to effectively manage my hunger. So in general I am not hungry. After surgery the part of the stomach that processes fats and sugar is cut away. That is why if you consume fats or sugars, you may experience the pain of dumping syndrome. But after about a year, you body changes and your intestines learn to process fats and sugars. At this point you can use fats to manage hunger.

I put together a short article that explains the process. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

James,

When you say that you manage your hunger with fats, what do you mean? Do you have an amount of fat grams you try to reach?