Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

10 weeks and I'm still struggling with appetite



Recommended Posts

How many struggle with eating after gastric bypass surgery? I've followed all the instructions (ie chewing well, waiting between bites, etc), but can't hardly stand the taste of most foods I eat. I've particularly had problems with Protein Shakes, Protein Water and protein powders. Some days I feel like I don't even want to eat. I'm concerned because I never reach the amount of protein and water recommended. Will this ever end? Good news is I've lost 48 lbs since November 23, 2022.

Sent from my SM-A205U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

yes - hunger comes back for almost all of us sometime during the first year. Mine came roaring back at five months out. I know it sounds weird, but enjoy it while it lasts. Although I was weirded out by it at first, I soon found it very liberating to never be hungry. By the end I wish it had never ended - it was so much easier to lose weight when I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food!

p.s. are you still supposed to drink Protein Shakes? The RD at my clinic said we could give them up once we were able to get all of our Protein requirements in from food.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I’m 10 days in now and have never felt hunger of course but the love of food smell has returned which is interesting as is the want to eat something tasty. I haven’t had nausea since operating day thankfully. Speak to your surgeon etc, I think sometimes forcing it (in moderation) is the way through but do that under advice.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm nearly 9 months out and still struggle with appetite. It's a good day if I get 1/2 cup of food in for the entire day. And the worst part, not eating enough is aggravating my chronic Constipation.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The temporary change to your taste buds & for some more sensitive sense of smell can make finding something you can tolerate eating difficult. I remember being excited about being able to eat vegetables again in soft food but my favourites were awful. Took me a few tries to work out which ones I could eat.

At 10 weeks I would expect you are on solid foods. I focussed on ensuring I was eating all my Protein first at each meal & only a small amount of vegetable if I was able & usually only for dinner. I very happily never had another Protein Shake once I was on purée - they were disgusting. And like @catwoman7 I didn’t have to continue with them either. I supplemented my protein intake with a high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drink.

Water can almost be too heavy too drink at first. Don’t be afraid to try other liquids & not just plain water. I’d have a large mug of green tea, a yoghurt drink & flattened sparkling water (left the bottle open - I seemed to tolerate the mineral taste better) as well as plain water. Some find warm drinks easier to drink than cold too.

Hunger & appetite do return. When is individual but between 6-12 months is pretty common. I found it a helpful time to change my relationship with food. I started to eat to a routine because I knew I needed to eat to get in the nutrients my body needed to function not because I wanted to eat or wanted to eat a particular food, taste or texture (head hunger).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am one of the lucky ones, I don't have any hunger 27 days out of 28. I find if I eat 4 or 5 small meals a day works well. That way I can get all my necessary food groups in. Pasta, bread, and potatoes are off my menu, no tolerance of them yet. It has taken me almost a year to master this as I was on really low calories for a long time due to severe restriction and nausea. I can manage to get in 1000 to 1300 calories a day this way and all my Protein requirements

Breakfast will be a protein yogurt

Mid morning a small glass of milk

lunch is usually homemade Soup, veg, lentil, mushroom, Thai style or Pho

Mid afternoon - a piece of fruit and a small piece of cheese

Evening meal - meat and salad or vegetables

On my hungry day, I don't let my calories get above 1500 by eating lower calorie foods than on other days

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • NCL04321

      Just found out 2 days ago that surgery was approved and scheduled for April 12, 2023! Woohoo! Im so excited but so much to do in a short amount of time! I managed to get all of my pre surgical tests/office visits scheduled in 1 day.  EKG✔️, Chest xray ✔️, blood tests✔️,  Nutrition visits ✔️, Psych consult✔️, PCP and surgeon visit it scheduled! Ive already bought items based on other sleevers suggestions! Baby spoons, water bottle with time markings, sippy cup, blender bottle, bowls, plate, protein drinks, food for stage 1 and 2, powder tylenol, abdominal support wrap, snack containers, bariatric bento box made of glass, and any other items that will help me during my journey! Good luck to anyone out there whose surgery is coming up!!!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BabySpoons

      Less than a week before gastric bypass surgery. I'm nervous but excited. Been lurking here for a while, reading. I'm about ready as I'm going to get. Down 20 pounds in 3 months. A ton of pre op testing done and cleared. Food/drinks, chewable vitamins, protein, meds bought. On 2-week preop diet now which includes 2 protein shakes a day along with 3 ounces lean protein and 2 1/2 C.  non starchy veggies and is totally do able for me. Clear liquid day before surgery. A full sugar Gatorade night before  and again 2 hrs before arriving at the hospital. Interesting how different everyone's diets are depending on your doctor.
      I'm optimistic all will go well. Good luck to the April surgeries happening this month and to all that are going through the process.  {{hugs}}
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • GMaJen

      195 weight when I went in for surgery
      199 weight when I got home for surgery
      193.2 weight 4 days after surgery
      If the inflammation from surgery is resolved, I've lost 1.8lbs in 4 days.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • GMaJen

      Had surgery last Thursday, so I've been home for 2 days as of 15 minutes ago.  I weighed more when I got discharged than when I went in despite only having eaten a Jello cup in 2 days, but I put that down to inflammation. This morning I weighed a little less than I went in.  I sneezed last night and my fiance saw me cry for the first time, and we've been together 16 years. I took my multivitamin first thing this morning and threw up. Kept it down after drinking 4oz protein shake. Yogurt gives me diarrhea, water hurts more than the fuller liquids, and my stomach is turning somersaults and I think I'm hungry because I'm used to interpreting it that way, but I have no desire to eat.
      My biggest problem is that I am used to being busy.  I own a business and I've been getting active on these boards, and when I'm on my laptop I forget to drink. Will I hurt myself if I drink faster?  I've been scheduling 4oz every 30 minutes with breaks before and after meals.  Is it too fast to drink 4 oz in 15 min to get caught up on what I missed?
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • New To This23

      tl:dr at bottom,
      I could use some advice. I went to see my dietician today (not a bariatric surgery dietician, I can explain why I am seeing her if you want to know). She knows I am going to have weight loss surgery as long as I hit the goal weight my insurance told me I need to be at. I have to be at the goal weight by June 24, 2023, in order for my insurance to pay for my surgery.
      I had a weigh in the doctor's office a couple of days ago and weighed 301, my scale at home said 302. However, on the same day, the scale at a friend's house said 313. 
      I knew I had this Dietician appointment two days later and I knew she would weigh me. I continued to weigh myself at home (after getting new batteries) and I was at 302 then 299 and today at home I weighed 303, right before my appointment, when I got to her office I was weighed and it said 313.
      I am concerned about what to believe since the doctor's office and my scale show similar numbers. I also bought a new scale today and it said 313. 
      The Dietician told me I needed to eat more protein, which honestly I struggle with. she said I needed 150 grams!!  I said are you kidding? that seems like a lot.  She used my weight to come up with this number. 
      Should I really be trying to eat enough protein for a 300-lb person or should I be eating protein for a goal-weight person (mine is 170)?   
      also, my clothing is loose like I lost the 20 lbs mine and the doctor's scale shows, and not 10 lbs like everyone else's scale shows. Also, I have always naturally been more muscular even when I was 120 lbs and did not eat any protein aside from what is in plants. 
      tl:dr- should I be eating enough protein to support a 300lb person or should I be eating protein for a "normal" sized person? AND should I trust the Doctors scale more so than the Dietician's scale? 
      · 1 reply
      1. GMaJen

        I had the same issue. My scale was 6 pounds heavier than my bariatric doctor's. My scale agreed with my nutritionist's scale. I asked my bariatric doctor to have her scale recalibrated and she said it was a really expensive scale, so she trusted it. So, when it comes down to it, the scale that matters isn't the one that's right, it's the one that determines if you get your surgery or not. I would ask her when it was last calibrated and see if she will calibrate it. The difference is I Iost weight so well on the lifestyle change diet that I had to stop losing weight or risk not getting the surgery.

  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×