Hunger crushed and taste change

[GreatDanish916 5]

I'm a little more than two weeks post-op, and my hunger is close to non-existent. I jokingly believe they removed my entire stomach instead of 80% of it! Anyways, this may sound sacrilegious, but I'm not sure I want to go my entire life without experiencing hunger. Any of you seasoned veterans have any insight if my hunger will return whether it be a few months or a year or longer.

Also the few times I've nibbled on foods ( admittedly I probably shouldn't have because I'm not at that stage of my recovery) they taste so drastically different basically a lot more bland and less tasteful. I've read a few times how people are so hungry after gastric sleeve and I'm having the opposite effect and it's to an extreme that I would not have anticipated. My second week after surgery I lost 11 pounds.

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[mheyer1641 43]

@GreatDanish916 Glad you are doing well! I’m only 3 months out but I get stomach hungry, not head hungry.

[Starwarsandcupcakes 1,893]

Hunger for most eventually returns but it could be about a year out. Use the time where you aren’t hungry to really focus on staying on your plan to lose the most you can.

As for taste I completely get it. After my VSG there was a time the only things I could drink aside from warm liquids was grape Powerade zero. Once you’re into more soft and solid things it be a great time to experiment with spices. They’ll add tons of flavor without adding much in the way of calories. Curried salmon salad and the flavored tuna packets are great soft foods to try.

[catwoman7 10,846]

it returns for most of us sometime within the first year. Mine came roaring back at five months out. Be grateful for its disappearance - although it's kinda weird to get used to, it will never in your life be easier to lose weight than it will right now, when you're never hungry and don't give a flip about food. Things will get more challenging once it returns. I wish mine never had.

Edited September 15, 2022 by catwoman7

[kcuster83 1,502]

I am just about 6 months post-op and still have zero hunger. I just eat 3 times a day and stay within my plan allowances. My Dietician ensures me it will come back and when it does be prepared because it gets harder to stay focused. He says to take the "non hungry" time to create new habits and routines so when it comes back my brain is already trained.

I would be ok to never be hungry again. haha

As far as taste, some things changed for me but it's not too bad.

[SuziDavis 544]

I also rarely feel hungry. I think the only time I do is when I am cooking for my family and it's something I know I can't have, but it smells really good. lol And at the movie theater, I missed popcorn.

But for the most part, I am never hungry. Which is what I really wanted.

[catwoman7 10,846]

1 hour ago, kcuster83 said:

I would be ok to never be hungry again. haha

I found it very liberating once I got used to it. For once in my life, my mind wasn't constantly on food! I wish I was one of the lucky few whose hunger never comes back, but unfortunately, that's only a small minority of people.

[Queen ApisM 426]

11 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

I found it very liberating once I got used to it. For once in my life, my mind wasn't constantly on food! I wish I was one of the lucky few whose hunger never comes back, but unfortunately, that's only a small minority of people.

I also felt like this. My hunger is back now, but it is also very different than it was. I can ignore it in a way I simply could not ignore it before, and I find it is more easily satisfied than it used to be. Not just the quantify, but also mentally, if that makes sense.

[Tomo 1,135]

You are very early on. Embrace this time. Take this time to get into good habits now while you still have appetite suppression. It is called the honeymoon phase for a reason (after all WLS).

The majority will get their hunger back within the first year if not sooner. Mine began returning around the 7th or 8 th month. I am 13 months post-op. It's annoying lol. After the majority of my Protein is in for day, I eat a lot on fruits and vegetable Soup for dinner on those hungry days. That is what works for me.

[oldandtired 238]

I am 8 months post op. I get hungry.. but not the same way as before. No hunger pains, but a kind of...restlessness, lol, like a dog that can't quite find a good place to lie down. I like to eat, but this surgery has made me do what I should have done all along. Not eat as much.

[MissMerryberry 43]

I'm 2 months post-op and when I got back on solid foods, my hunger feelings came back. I don't have head hunger though, I truly know that I'm hungry. Its nice though that I can satisfy my hunger with a small amount (1/4c - 1/2c) of high Protein food now though. The hunger goes away after that. As someone said before this, hunger is something our body does and its okay. The only time I don't like the hunger is when I'm stuck somewhere, or out doing something and I don't have something to eat, because then it can get pretty strong. I just started my last food stage before normal food, its called "easy to chew food" and now I can have more options (though all my options still have to be kept cold), for taking food with me.

[Arabesque 6,449]

Losing your hunger &/or being disinterested in eating is one of the benefits of the surgery but it doesn’t happen for everyone. And it doesn’t last forever - up to a year give or take. The other benefit is learning the difference between real hunger & head hunger. Real hunger feels different. I get restless, know something is wrong, don’t crave a food, flavour or texture, there isn’t an emotional side to the hunger (e.g. hangry) & there is always a logical reason I feel hungry i.e. missed a meal for whatever reason.

Three years out, I still have times I’m not really hungry or hungry not hungry. Wish they occurred more often of course.

The change to your taste buds & sometimes sense of smell is temporary too. A few weeks to a month or so & it will start to come back. It is a good opportunity to break your desire for certain flavours or foods though - I broke a lot of my desire for sweet then.

[SleeverSk 617]

21 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

I found it very liberating once I got used to it. For once in my life, my mind wasn't constantly on food! I wish I was one of the lucky few whose hunger never comes back, but unfortunately, that's only a small minority of people.

Me too ✋

[oldandtired 238]

On 9/15/2022 at 11:32 PM, Arabesque said:

Losing your hunger &/or being disinterested in eating is one of the benefits of the surgery but it doesn’t happen for everyone. And it doesn’t last forever - up to a year give or take. The other benefit is learning the difference between real hunger & head hunger. Real hunger feels different. I get restless, know something is wrong, don’t crave a food, flavour or texture, there isn’t an emotional side to the hunger (e.g. hangry) & there is always a logical reason I feel hungry i.e. missed a meal for whatever reason.

Three years out, I still have times I’m not really hungry or hungry not hungry. Wish they occurred more often of course.

The change to your taste buds & sometimes sense of smell is temporary too. A few weeks to a month or so & it will start to come back. It is a good opportunity to break your desire for certain flavours or foods though - I broke a lot of my desire for sweet then.

100 percent on the restless feeling, I open the fridge, sigh and close it. I look in the pantry, sigh and close it. I am not depriving myself, just don't know what to do. Restless.

Also- I decide on something, fix it, sit down with it, and go "Meh..."

[Matthew1950 0]

Your hunger will come back,but not as intense.
Everyone is different. Remember this your taste for things is and will change

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