I am 5 weeks 1 day post op. Today and yesterday my appetite was SO HUGE! I felt so hungry, like really hungry and now I am finding that I can eat a lot more than I could in previous weeks. I know I have gone over my calorie allowance and this is what I was scared of, that my sleeve would stretch and I would start to be able to eat more than I should sooner than I should. Just being honest here. Its confessional day.

I had expected my appetite and hunger pangs would have diminished greatly after VSG but they really did not. When I was researching the surgery that was one theme I read about a lot but in articles. I regret that I did not go to forums like this where real people who had gone through the surgery were giving feed back. So I admit that I have great disappointment that my hunger did not subside the way that I had expected it would based on reading about the VSG.

Today (so far) I have eaten: a very large cup of tea, milk and sugar - a piece of toast with butter and avocado - 2 cups of blended soup - a pack of popped chips - a protein bar - a fiber one bar - 2 short bread biscuits - 2 large squares of dark chocolate - about a 1/4 cup of macaroni and cheese pie (a Barbados thing) and drinking my large drink with protein powder in it and its only 7.05 pm! This is likely 1200 + calories and I am only 5 weeks post op. So some of these things were things I had in the house before I travelled for surgery and now they are all gone since I ate them today and yesterday So yeah, I can hear folks saying well don't keep junk in the house! I pray I have the strength not to binge on bread, potato or the crackers I keep for the dogs or something...………..maybe I am getting my period...…….I really don't know why I was SO hungry these days and shocked I could fit so much in

I am having a real wake up call that future weight loss is not going to be magic. The stomach restriction is not as much as I thought it would be and if I don't watch what I eat and start exercising seriously, major weight loss is not going to happen. HELLO! This is not a walk in the park...…….you still have to work for weight loss

There is no getting through weight loss without self discipline not even with surgery...……..sigh...……...I feel discouraged today and scared that I have spent thousands of dollars for something I had a wrong expectation about. Does anyone else feel like their appetite is raging?

Edited July 4, 20188 yr by BajanSleeve

VannesaKaye, thanks girlfriend, you too! Congrats on 128 lbs lost. That is fantastic and commendable

Thank you, girl!

4 minutes ago, Hannah83 said:

good job for looking up youtube videos!!!! I do that a lot to mix things up! and (soft hug) I relate a lot to the PCOS (I have it) and hormones all over the place. I have high functioning autism and for a long time used food as my means of escape.

before that, it was borderline anorexia all related to social things and trying to 'fit-in' now I don't have the energy to fit in, I just accept my autieness and continue to dance through life.

I used to cut myself again related to the social stress and eat my issues. or not eat them.

Recently I've been struggling with chewing food up and spitting it out...it's a big fat mess. I'm so tired of the cycle. It's more than reaching a goal weight and size, it's about health.

I'm ranting now but I've been a ball of nerves on a wire with my antidepressants. I'm over the worst of it, I was crying myself cationic to sleep until I reached month 4 and that has subsided.

I want freedom from this cycle, of shame related to food. I'm done with this. I need help. I do have talk therapy that I attend by weekly but it's one thing to have the session and quite another to live with me for a 24-hour observation.

I am truly sorry to hear of your struggles. Honestly, my heart goes out to you. I did the bulimia to anorexia thing when I was 14 to 16. Rejection was at the root of a lot of it.

I'll stand in agreement with you for your FREEDOM from all the cycles. My recent changes have been a huge step from years of bondage from weight connected to self rejection and pain. I can relate to some degree of the struggle

@AshAsh1 You are a person who has lost 112 lbs which means you have experience and a lot to offer.

I felt you did not really understand me today and I did feel frustrated because of that. Not that what you have to say is not valid or great advice. I recognize you as knowledgeable and also take note for those with type 1 diabetes who have lost so much weight as you have that it is very commendable because that is an added challenge, one that does not go away like type II can. So I respect these about you. Because as I am learning this is not EASY!!! So for those who are doing it and have done it successfully, like you, it would be foolish not to take note.

On 07/05/2018 at 21:50, BajanSleeve said:

@AshAsh1 You are a person who has lost 112 lbs which means you have experience and a lot to offer.

I felt you did not really understand me today and I did feel frustrated because of that. Not that what you have to say is not valid or great advice. I recognize you as knowledgeable and also take note for those with type 1 diabetes who have lost so much weight as you have that it is very commendable because that is an added challenge, one that does not go away like type II can. So I respect these about you. Because as I am learning this is not EASY!!! So for those who are doing it and have done it successfully, like you, it would be foolish not to take note.

I’m sorry if we didn’t connect on the same level today and my advice didn’t resonate. I do have a lot to say and consider myself to be a work in progress. I’m a type 1 diabetic, PCOS, suffer from diabetic neuropathy, anular tear on my L4/L5, PTSD, anxiety...lots of obstacles in my way, but I’m doing it just like everyone else. I’m just lucky enough to have access to resources and learned a thing or two through trial and error. There’s no such thing as luck on this journey. It’s about will power, willingness to change, and absorption of knowledge and putting that knowledge to good use. I do wish you the best of luck. I think your commitment to the process is commendable. You had the bravery to admit you made bad choices, and I think you will learn from those as well. That said, good night.

Hi Bajan,

Given your diabetes, none of these foods seem appropriate for you or any Bariatric patient for that matter! How could you not be hungry with these high carb foods messing with your blood sugar. The diet shows so little protein, no wonder you’re famished. If you can’t handle solid meat, eat tuna, canned chicken, rotisserie chicken or hamburger.

It is so important that you change the types of food you eat. I would suggest a KETO diet to get you back on track.

I will tell you, if I was eating a puree of chicken, green peas, and pumpkin--I'd be a Starvin' Marvin all the live-long-day. Rinse and repeat.

I was starving after my RNY despite pretty strict adherance to my diet--until I was able to advance to soft food/purees. And then I still didn't feel full until I was able to progress to more dense proteins. BUT, I did not add insult to injury like I see so many on here do. I did NOT eat refried beans, nor mushy peas, nor pumpkin/sweet potato/butternut squash/lentils or any other legume. Had I done that, my insulin (which was still in the teens--way too high) would have stayed up and my BGs would still have been bouncing all over the land.

Instead, my soft diet mostly consisted of these items which helped keep my BG spikes to a very small even keel. I COULD tolerate eggs--we are all different. My pouch is called Iron Will.

1. Flaky white fish (cooked in foil or softly pan sauteed in olive oil)--think tilapia, pangasius/basa, sole, haddock, John Dory, red mullet, haddock, pollock, cod, salmon

2. Canned salmon, tuna, chicken whizzed in a small mini chopper with Greek yogurt and a tiny bit of mayo/mustard and dill relish, s/p/gran garlic

3. Poached eggs/soft scrambled eggs (scrambled eggs that are cooked past 160 but are not set-up and rubbery)

4. Egg salad with cottage cheese

5. Cottage cheese with a dollop of greek yogurt and some peanut butter powder (low carb, low fat), and Walden Farms blueberry pancake syrup (zero cal, zero carb, zero fat)

6. Chili/soups made with slow cooked ground turkey and low glycemic veggies (no potatoes/root veggies/beans or legumes)

7. Veggies: Roasted smashed cauliflower (to replace mashed potatoes), frozen broccoli steamed until mushy then mushed with a wedge of Light Laughing Cow Cheese, green beans cooked with onion and chicken bouillon, sliced avocado, seeded and peeled tomato, frozen spinach cooked until mushy and then combined with a little Light Laughing Cow Cheese or low fat cream cheese or chevre

Those were my foods for the "puree" phase until I was able to eat a normal diet at 4 weeks. My BGs were routinely in the 80s and low 90s after eating. They never spiked more than 10points after a meal from pre-prandial numbers. And my hunger was kept to a minimum. When I HAD to eat something I would drink fluids and that would help meet fluid intake and keep from snacking.

I ate every 2-3 hours, just a tiny amount until my tummy could handle more. I had 6 meals a day spread about 3 hours apart. I supplemented with only 1 protein drink per day and got off of them as soon as I could--that's what my doc wanted. I still have 3oz of protein drink in coffee each day. Now I eat 3 meals + the protein coffee a day. If absolutely necessary to make a protein goal, I will add a snack in--or if it's a random Starvin' Marvin day. I do have those--usually right before a big losing phase. But they aren't every day. They are very random. Otherwise, I have little hunger and eat by my scheduled planned meals.

Hope this helps. Your hunger is partly cuz your blood sugar and insulin is still crazy and cuz you then inject MORE insulin into your body. You're on the BG roller coaster from hell. The only way to break it is to reduce your bg/insulin response to meals and bring that into control. You can cut your insulin in half the second you decide to live that kind of life, then continue to reduce it until you're off of it. It may only take 2 weeks.

Your hunger also comes from trying to transition from being a carb/sugar burner, to being a fat burner (which normally happens as a result of us going so low in calories (and often carbs)).

Your hunger is ALSO coming from the types of food you are putting in your body (last night's meal) AND because you are not eating dense proteins yet. If you give it half a chance, this surgery will work for you and will help limit your food. But you are still in control of your choices of food. The surgery is only a mechanical limitation. You're smart and rationalize like nobody's beeswax. So if you want to figure out how to fu*k your new tool, you WILL succeed and either quit losing or regain to beyond starting weight. Then you'll really be fu*ked.

Edited July 6, 20188 yr by FluffyChix

My appetite is back to normal near my menstrual cycle but what I tend to do is load on leafy greens (kale salad) and hydrate the hell out of my days so when I go over my calories I KNOW I did everything else first and it was true hunger and not the head hunger everyone speaks of...

07/05/2018 12:07 PM, BajanSleeve said:

Clearly...…….I will not be successful at this. Clearly, I was not ready...………..clearly $6000k down the drain...….

2 lbs gained and its no wonder

I am so starving hungry which has always been the problem. From day one out of the surgery I was hungry. I am so disappointed that all that I read about hunger being cut back so much because 80% of your stomach being removed has not been the case

I will never be able to maintain 800 calories a day with this hunger

I can eat all the crap I listed but yet my body rejects eating whole meat. I can only eat meat if its put in a blender.....….go figure. I get all my Protein quota via the Protein powders which I put in my drink but that has not stemmed hunger

Will you keep us updated?

My best friend at your current stage was Wendy’s chili. I now make it at home and freeze it for those times when I need the protein. It kicked my hunger and left me satiated.

Hi Bajan,

I apologize. After reading one post, I respond, and then read another and respond again. I just read about your autism, struggles, and depression. If you had opened with your history, people would have been kinder and more understanding! Myself included. I haven’t walked in your shoes. We all need to remember kindness and compassion and seeking to understand.

It must be really hard to find foods that will keep you satiated given the intolerance for solid meat. Two things, tuna with light mayo or salad dressing OR Wendy’s chili (or a homemade version) were the items that saved me from starving. My NUT joked with me that she will look at the food diaries of post surgery patients and has to tell them that they can’t have chili for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

You figured out Wendy's Secret Chili,recipe? Dang you're an even smarter friend than I thought and I had already counted you pretty smart!??

I haven’t read the whole thread so sorry if this has been said but I was hungry too and it was acid. I’m in Australia and was prescribed some Nexium and if I took it in the morning- no major hunger. The nurse diagnosed this post surgery when I said I was starving. Also the type of food makes you feel more restricted.

07/05/2018 06:21 PM, BajanSleeve said:

Ash - One more thing, this particular OP has made a lot of excuses for her actions and has a rebuttal for every offered piece of advice.

have you really read what I said? Your comment makes me feel that you really have not read or processed what I said in its context. But this is OK. Lets not flog an apparently dead or misunderstood horse

I think that people do not come here to put people down. But I do believe that listening (in this forum that equates to reading) and really hearing does not always happen. People listen to form a response sometimes more than actually listening

For example - Ash is still going on about the crap I ate (crap being Protein Bars and some tiny left over mac pie and the end of bread left from my parents visit) but has completely ignored that these were items left in the house and are now gone and that I ate them from significant hunger that I was not feeling satisfied with the legitimate foods. I did not go out and buy junk and binge, I did not go to a fast food. No one has a perfect track record with no cheats. No one and if they act like it, they are lying.

I hope that this constant hunger will be reigned in somehow. I had it the day after my surgery and I even wrote about that too because it shocked me. THIS was the core purpose of my post - dealing with hunger when I was not expecting it from the VSG not so early

I am a straight shooter too so I don't mind that one bit. The older you get, the more you appreciate cutting to the chase. As we say in my country - i doan want no lotta long talk. Sometimes in these forums you can go down a rabbit hole and get distracted. I felt frustrated that people were taking my vent out of its context and my not acknowledging the core of my frustration that I am disappointed my hunger and appetite is raging so soon

I eat good healthy organic foods and follow the protocols on my list. Not hitting the 65 oz yet but i bet you a million dollars that many are not there yet close post surgery. Does this quit my hunger? NOPE.

Well no..., your list in the initial post lists—tea with milk and SUGAR, toast with avocado, two cups blended soup (don’t know what kind) a pack of popped chips, a Protein Bar, a Fiber one bar (loaded with simple carbs and sugar), 2 shortbread biscuits the dark chocolate and the Mac an cheese pie.

So let’s just be honest here. It was more than a Protein bar and the dark chocolate

Protein has calories. It has four calories per gram so 58.7 calories is about 15 grams of protein. Not the 30 it claims. Count it as 15 and you’re probably good