I'm currently 7 weeks post op today and I'm feeling better. I can eat again, but that's like all I want to do. Is anyone else having hunger issues? I have been struggling to get my protein in every day. Some days I don't want to even eat hardly because I don't know if my stomach will agree. BUT im so hungry all the time. Like before surgery...and it's so disheartening.

Have you reached out to your team? What did they think? Are you still allowed to supplement with protein shakes?

At 7 weeks post op I wasn’t hungry at all. But some people regain their hunger signals sooner/later. Also some people experience what they think is hunger and it’s either thirst or reflux.

I can tell you that I’m 6+ yrs out and I’m hungrier if I don’t get enough protein but focus on carbs. It’s almost like I have to start my days properly (fluids then protein) or I’m hungry all day long. This does not happen If I front load my meals with a protein.

I hope you find a solution!

When I had my sleeve my hunger was gone for a while but I remember that there was another member on here back then who experienced it early like you. She got a few tips from others about dealing with the hunger which I can’t remember them all but the one that does stick out was warm liquids. Soups and tea or coffee. Stuff like that. She said it filled her up for a while. I agree with the protein first too though. I have a protein shake for breakfast and it fills me up till lunch. Maybe try some of the clear protein drinks or mix plain protein powder in your food if you don’t like the shakes. Also it could be reflux as mentioned above. Are you on meds for that?

I believe one hungry person was @lizonaplane . They worked with their team and I believe metforman was one of the solutions. After the second year my doctor suggested Wegovy, but I would like to see more studies. Two people I work with got stomach paralysis from it… Liz do you have any ideas?

I am struggling with hunger and only 1 week post op the shakes don’t help at all. I have no clue what’s going on. I also have started to get dizzy when I stand up. I get minimum of 64 oz of water. I also drink the sugar free Gatorade. Any thoughts on why my hunger hasn’t diminished at all?

I am not sure about the hunger if you have teied the above suggestions such as warm tea and broth and that doesn’t help. I would talk to your team about the dizziness though and then you can mention the hunger too.

Maybe check with your care team regarding your liquids too? I'm wondering if you're flushing the protein shakes out too quickly if you're drinking that much water. I know all programs are different, but for the first week my team told me to aim for at least 32oz clear fluid (including water but also any sugar free clear liquids like broth, jello or gatorade), and at least one shake per day, slowly increasing it as I felt able. By the end of the second week they were 'hoping' for around 48oz clear liquids and two shakes per day, but they were happy I was averaging 1.5.

Are you drinking your fluids slowly? Part of they reason they ask is because we're dealing with a smaller stomach all of a sudden, and getting us to train ourselves to eat slower and more mindfully, etc blah blah -- but part of it is also to slowly re-train our bodies / nerves / etc to recognize what our 'new full' feels like, the sensations as our stomach fills up, etc. I have to admit I had a lot of trouble with that -- still do -- because I still have barely gotten those sensations back. (I have the opposite problem -- I can't feel when I'm hungry or when I'm full yet, so I have to rely solely on portion sizes at the moment)

I guess the third thing to maybe bring up with your care team: how is your body digesting the protein shakes? Some people are suddenly lactose intolerant, or suddenly can't process certain sweeteners the same way, etc. If you find that it's moving through you really quickly (urine or loose stool), it may be that your body is just dumping it out. It might be worthwhile to try a different protein powder/shake brand, or one with a different protein base. I know whey is supposed to be one of the best, but whey is a dairy product and maybe you'd have better luck with collagen, pea protein, etc.

Good luck! I hope it gets easier for you soon!