Hi all,

I am week 2 into my full liquid diet. I am feeling hungry almost every 1 or 1.5 hour. I can eat yogurt or drink a protein shake in 30-40 minutes, but sometimes still hungry. I’m averaging 72g of protein this week. I’m not sure if I’m having fathom hunger or I need to sip/eat more often.

someone please help ease my mind.

Liquids go through us pretty quickly, so it’s understandable you might still be hungry or hungry sooner. I drank water in between or had some Gatorade Zero, sugar free jello or sugar free fudgesicles. as long as you’re eating every 1.5-2 hours with five max meals per day, I think you’re just fine.

Check in with your team, though. It might be good to understand if your hunger is normal right now and if there are tips for dealing with it. Good luck!

It most likely is head hunger. Cravings, habit, in reaction to & as a comfort for stress & other emotional upsets (like your surgery), boredom, etc. make you think you are hungry - head hunger. Even excess stomach acid (stomach pangs & a rumbling tummy) can make you think you’re hungry. Unfortunately the surgery doesn’t stop that occurring - that’s something you have to work through. You’ll learn how head hunger is different from real hunger for you & how to manage it. Like for me if I crave a specific food, flavour or texture that’s head hunger. With real hunger I feel restless & as if something is wrong & there’s a legitimate reason for it (missed a meal, late eating a meal, etc.).

Distractions can help. Go for a walk as you’re able, play a game real or online, read, ring a friend, catch up on social media or this forum, craft, clean out a drawer or cupboard, sip a warm drink, etc.

You generally are advised to sip every 5 minutes +/-.

You can have water in between and have shakes/broths/yogurt for meals. and stick to an eating schedule. I was actually hungry after surgery, but It subsided once my body realized that it was not eating outside of schedule. I started getting head hunger at month 2 and it was easier to identify because it was specific.

19 hours ago, Arabesque said:

stomach acid (stomach pangs & a rumbling tummy) can make you think you’re hungry

This is what tricked me at first. My tummy would be "growling" and I'd think I was hungry bc that was a good cue before surgery. Now I know that my stomach growls after I eat.

3 hours ago, Lisa XO said:

This is what tricked me at first. My tummy would be "growling" and I'd think I was hungry bc that was a good cue before surgery. Now I know that my stomach growls after I eat.

Yep just your body doing what it’s supposed to: digest food. I even get it after drinking water. But it always happens after I’ve eaten or drunk … or if I’m resting something on my tummy like my iPad at night when reading in bed. My mine’s very noisy. It’s like I have my own poltergeist in my tummy.

My surgeon explained that the “hunger” feeling is actually your stomach being inflamed during the healing process. It triggers your brain to react like hunger hormone. It will pass :)