Why does the craving for food come back?

Someone smarter than me will give you actual fats on this...

Here's my two cents. Only my opinion...lol

Not all the ghrelin is removed. It's a human survival mechanism to feel hunger. We need food to fuel our bodies and survive. After surgery you will feel head and real hunger. It is manageable. It's not the same sensation to me as before surgery.

I’m new to this but from what I’ve read, ghrelin (hunger hormone) comes back in some people. The part of the stomach where most of it is housed is removed, but that doesn’t mean it won’t come back or even be gone to begin with. Hormones interact with the nervous system, travel in the blood stream and can be produced in different parts of the body. If I have my left pinky finger removed, it’s just gone. I don’t think hormones work like that.
Sometimes people have “Head hunger” which is more of a habit based hunger, rather than stomach based. Sometimes the churning of acids in the stomach makes people feel hungry but it’s not quite the same feeling as pre-surgery hunger.
The good news is that if hunger does come back, it takes a lot less to satisfy the feeling than it did before surgery.
Keeping up on protein at meals and snacks should help reduce or prevent the feeling of hunger in most folks.

Thank both of you for your answers, they make since!

Our bodies are very adaptive.

Peptide 5 in the colon still stimulates hunger (ILP5).

Some ghrelin remains.

I never lost my appetite. But the amount i can eat is greatly reduced. I still crave certain things, but eating nothing but protein and veg for the past year has trained my brain to eat differently than i used to. On the weekends i will still maybe order something thats a treat, but i only eat 1/4 of what i did before at most.

• if i get fajitas for example, iw il order with no rice, no beans, no sour cream. Maybe 1 tortilla. Eat one with guac and if i want more, just eat some of the meat
• If i get chinese, i will get chicken and veg, no rice. eat half and have the rest next day
• i slice thin crust pizza instead of thick or deep crust
• i beef or chicken enchilada with some refrieds
• maybe 2 chicken tenders
• junior sized burger, maybe eat 3-4 fries from my wifes order
• if you go to a restaurant that serves huge portions just share one with your significant other

but during the week im cooking at home and mostly protein and veg

• stir fried beef with riced cauliflower
• grilled chicken thighs marinated in teryaki with green beans or brussels sprouts
• Shrimp in wok with riced cauliflower
• small iron skillet hamburger steak with carrots
• shredded chicken taco on torilla with lettuce, salsa, cheese.

these are just examples that work for me.

Thank You!

The reduced Ghrelin is NOT the main cause of weight loss its more like an added benefit. It is the reduced stomach size, limiting your consumption of food and increasing your feelings of fullness.

Your stomach stretches/grows back over time although not to its original size. So overtime you get hungrier.

The benefits of reduced Ghrelin are wildly overblown and its not as much of a factor as people make it out to seem.

Of course people making shitty diet choices plays a HUGE part in the hunger coming back as well. Someone eating grilled chicken fish and broccoli is going to have a way different hunger to manage than someone eating processed garbage. And honestly a lot of people start off strong and motivated with their diets then fall into old habits over time, and this further adds to the increased hunger.

But stomach size/restriction and diet choices are far far more impactful than anything with hormones and chemicals in regards to changes related to VSG

Actually they now think that restriction is a fairly minor part of the deal as if it were solely down to this then the drive to eat would increase to compensate for losing weight and getting further from set point, leading to increased snacking and probably encouraging bad food choices.

Although there is some increase in size of pouches the biggest driver of increased hunger down the line is getting further away from set-point (or below new set point) and the body via its complex control mechanisms objecting and doing what it can to increase weight again.

That being said it seems rubbish food choices will decrease satiety and increase drive for more of the same

Dang @CreekImp I was hoping surgery would kill the evil Ghrelin Monster. So if the colon can still produce the peptide, the best I can hope for is that Ghrelin Monster deveopes enough of a limp that he's slowed down. The proverb is right: No free lunch, no quick fix, no silver bullet!" Life is what life is, BUT I DON T HAVE TO LIKE IT!

I am hoping to stop feeling like a bottomless pit. I am always hungry. I have been making healthy choices for a week and I am about 35 days aeay from surgery. 20 days until liquid diet. I hope to lose 10 lbs at least pre-op.

Although I haven't done a ton of research of the hunger hormone in the stomach or intestine I would have to beleive it plays a big part in the whole thing. We also should break bad habits and chose better food choices which is why I'm going to see a behavior therapist as well. Maybe they can help me get my mind right.

5 hours ago, TaylorMade4One said:

Although I haven't done a ton of research of the hunger hormone in the stomach or intestine I would have to beleive it plays a big part in the whole thing. We also should break bad habits and chose better food choices which is why I'm going to see a behavior therapist as well. Maybe they can help me get my mind right.

I am also going to start counseling, I was wondering what type of counsler I needed! I don't have "particular" issues but people say its emotional eating, so I am willing to try! I need this to work!!

I am also going to start counseling, I was wondering what type of counsler I needed! I don't have "particular" issues but people say its emotional eating, so I am willing to try! I need this to work!!

Yea, I don't have a particular issue either but I'd be interested to hear what a behavior therapist would say and how they could help change some eating behaviors...