Question for those in maintenance: Full v not hungry after meal

[loridee11 523]

I've been really lucky in that I haven't had a ton of hunger since surgery. Even now, I may get hungry or I may not.

However, I have also noticed I don't get "full" on 5-6 oz of food (lean meats and veggies). For the most part, I stop eating at that amount and I'm no longer hungry - but again, not full. I realized I don't really know how people who don't have weight problems do this. Before surgery, I would eat until I was stuffed most the time and I'm pretty sure "normal" eaters don't do that. But do they look for a feeling of being full, or just no longer hungry?

For those of you who are out further and in maintenance - do you eat to when you are full? Or do you stop when you are just not hungry anymore?

[catwoman7 11,278]

I don't feel the same "full" feeling I did pre-surgery. Sometimes if I eat too much I start feeling uncomfortable, so I stop (because I know if I don't, I'll probably get sick). And other times, I just don't feel like eating anymore. I guess that might be "not hungry anymore" (????)

[Arabesque 7,595]

I avoid that full feeling. By the time you get that message you’ve really already eaten past being full. I still try to eat slowly all the time just to make sure I know when I’ve had enough & I’ve only eaten the portion I prepared. On the odd occasions I’ve reached that full point, usually because I’ve rushed my eating, I feel very uncomfortable, have some pain, lots of gurgling, etc.

When I near the end of my meal, I’ll often ask myself do I really want or need that next spoonful. In other words working out why I’m eating & if I’m eating just out of habit. Don’t be afraid to put your fork down.

On the days I’m not hungry, I always try to eat the minimum amount to get my basic nutrients in. It’s why Portion Control is important to me.

[Lychee 22]

This is a really good question and thanks for the post and for the helpful replies. My Gastric Bypass Surgery is scheduled for 19th August and I have been thinking about this a lot. I know I will need a different approach to my old - eat till can't eat any more!

[Mr Alley Gator 263]

I just eat based on what i know i can handle, Unlike some I get full easy and it sucks if you over fill.

I to this day never get hungry, Can go days without eating and never get hungry, I think my doc cut out those nerves.

My view is just eat a good healthy normal portion and enjoy your life.

[ms.sss 15,817]

So I stop when I feel “full”, OR whenever I finish my portion, which ever comes first...though 95% of the time, the “full feeling” comes first.

This feeling of fullness is not the same as pre-surgery however. Instead of the the feeling of space being used up all over my my body, it is now a pressure in a small section of my chest (the more I eat, the stronger the pressure). It’s been a while, but I remember pre-surgery fullness somehow feeling more “satisfying” than this chest-pressure. Which is probably why I don’t care to stuff myself these days and just prefer to have a taste of things.

I also want to note that there are times that I actually feel “stuffed” (when I had one too many bites of something or other, or if I eat too fast). But this stuffed feeling I equate to pain and the only relief is to barf, so I try my best to avoid getting to that point in the first place...

Edited to add: Also, at almost 2 years out (1yr, 10mnths), I do actually feel hungry sometimes...but it doesn’t take much to make the hungry go away)

Edited August 7, 2020 by ms.sss

[loridee11 523]

Thanks for sharing - it's helpful to hear what others experience.

I rarely get full - I almost always measure 5-6 oz of food and stop when that is gone. I do sometimes just feel done with some of that left though, not really full, just had enough. When I do get full it's because I didn't measure. Even then, I eat slow and chew well and I've never gotten sick or had any issues. Oddly, when I do get full it's a fairly similar sensation to pre-surgery.