how has surgery impacted your hunger?

[Zemi 72]

one of the things with both surgical options i’m considering (bypass and sleeve) is that i’ve been told the hunger should disappear. Has this been your experience for this post surgery?

[lzucks 232]

I still get hungry, sometimes every few hours. The big difference is my ability to control cravings and make healthy choices, plus I get full by eating a fraction of what I used to. I had the sleeve in Aug 2018. I’ve lost 104 lbs and am 11 lbs from goal. 😊

[Losingit2018 1,170]

No. I was not one of the lucky ones. I never lost my appetite like many people do. Small amounts of dense Protein do fill me up. But I am hungry again an hour later.
It does still take some willpower to lose the weight even with surgery.
Hopefully you would be one of the lucky ones and lose your appetite at least long enough to change your eating habits.

Good luck.

[Briswife15 890]

I'm only 5.5 weeks post RNY, but I've had no hunger as of yet. I hear it comes back at some point. I'm enjoying it while I can!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[Healthy_life2 8,322]

7 hours ago, Zemi said:

one of the things with both surgical options i’m considering (bypass and sleeve) is that i’ve been told the hunger should disappear. Has this been your experience for this post surgery?

Hunger may be reduced with bypass or sleeve. Not disappear. Link below on bariatric 101.

https://www.obesitycoverage.com/the-complete-patients-guide-to-bariatric-surgery/

M hunger didn’t disappear. I have real and head hunger. It’s not the same as pre surgery. It’s much more manageable. I feel the sensation of full on smaller meals.

Another link for bypass vs the sleeve.

https://www.obesitycoverage.com/gastric-bypass-vs-gastric-sleeve-surgery/

[catwoman7 10,981]

most people do lose their hunger for awhile - anywhere from 3-4 months up to a year. Mine came back at five months out. There are a few outliers who either never lose it at all or they lose it permanently, but for most of us, it eventually comes back. That's why it's so important to really work the plan those first few months when you're not having to deal with hunger. It'll NEVER be easier to lose weight than it is when you're never hungry!!

[GradyCat 3,693]

There's still "head hunger" and a little regular hunger, but it's easier to control. I eat every 3- 4 hours, but in small portions.

[SusieQ2019 567]

I was sleeved on April 29th one week ago and my appetite is gone I feel no desire to eat but I still do to get my Protein and Fluid in. Yesterday I made spaghetti with ground meat and Italian sausage and I had zero craving or the urge to eat. I am on the pureed stage for one month.

[KCgirl061 1,531]

Sleever here. Hunger disappeared for 6 months and then it came back. Like at 6 months, 1 day. For several weeks I was haunted with a rebound hunger monster that I really struggled to get under control. I bought some Slimquick - which I consider mild as far as appetite suppressants go. Took that for about 6 weeks until I felt like I had the necessary self control not to graze in the afternoons and evenings. I don't take it anymore, but I keep it handy in case the stresses of everyday life get too much and the monster wants to come out again.

It's too bad, I would have happily gone the rest of my life without ever feeling hungry again.

[FLHappyGirl 171]

I lost my appetite for quite a while after surgery. I ate to get my Protein in, not because I was hungry. My restriction is still very noticeable especially when I eat dense protein but I am hungry a few hours later. The hunger is different though, I don't crave the crap I used to crave. I realize now I was a major sugar addict, not so much anymore. Now if I crave sweets I can have a sugar free or no sugar added popsicle (or two) and be good, even a flavored greek yogurt or some berries will usually satisfy the craving. I think this is partly because I refused to eat what was not on my plan (and still do for the most part). I avoid bread, pastas, rice, and sweets. I know in my head if I go back to eating these things it is a slippery slope and I'll be stuffing my face again!

The tricky part is head hunger.....I've realized I have strong tendencies to eat when I am stressed, bored or experiencing a lot of emotion (pissed off, anxious, for example.) Looking back, this was always the case.

Use your prep time to become aware of triggers and why you are eating and if you are truly hungry or just looking for food to soothe you. It will help after you go through the surgery.

Best of luck!

[Zemi 72]

20 hours ago, lzucks said:

I still get hungry, sometimes every few hours. The big difference is my ability to control cravings and make healthy choices, plus I get full by eating a fraction of what I used to. I had the sleeve in Aug 2018. I’ve lost 104 lbs and am 11 lbs from goal. 😊

congratulations on your weight loss and hard work, that’s great! and very good you can now make those healthy choices and control cravings unlike before

[FluffyChix 17,413]

It helped for a short while. But I still had a lot of head hunger. Now the hunger is back, and I'm just very relieved that during my honeymoon phase, I had the chance to learn to crave new healthy foods. It's not that I don't stray or have cravings for bad foods, but I'm very satisfied with eating healthy meals.

I have a fairly large capacity, so I choose to fill my tool with lots of leafy greens, raw and al dente veggies, limited healthy fats, limited dairy, and great dense lean Protein.

[nevermore71 63]

My hunger never went away. But my stomach capacity is way down. I'm also able to eat a low calorie option like 80 calorie Greek yogurt and be satisfied for a little while at least. You just have to learn to eat super low calorie to your limited capacity and you should be fine.

[jasmineinmymind 204]

My hunger never went away at all. I was hungry right out of the hospital. It sucks!! Im 3.5 months out now and I am finally getting my head in the game as far as deciding to really eat clean and plant based with some animal Protein thrown in. I'm not saying I ate badly before but I am trying to really clean up my diet even more. I feel like the surgery has given me an opportunity to reset my mind with the 18 days of liquids and then purees etc I was unable to rely on food like before and it forced me to find others ways of coping with uncomfortable feelings. So I can eat pretty much anything and never get sick but I am chosing not to because I feel better when Iisten to what my body really wants (healthy foods).

[Zemi 72]

thanks very much for sharing your experiences .... it helps reading this; as far as the information i was given initially that talked about the part that produces ghrelin being removed (and on the link i just read it says " Gastric sleeve surgery removes 70% of the stomach where the hunger hormone ghrelin is produced. " ) so that you stopped being hungry in the same way with the sleeve; and that similar things happened with the bypass, and doesn't talk about it returning although i know that head hunger would still be there. So reading the different experiences, and how hunger is impacted and also how it can be better managed following surgery is better preparing me as well as things to ask about with my surgeon and dietician. I also hadn't realised how important the initial time after surgery was; or that there was this honeymoon period i see people referring to .... so very thankful to have found this site and all of you!

@Healthy_life2 thanks for those links to read through .... i've been reading a few books on weight loss surgery as well; trying to be better prepared before my next appointment and to help in making a decision

Edited May 11, 2019 by Zemi