I am really worried here and I am searching for your advice and experiences. I am 2 weeks post op gastric sleeve and 1 week on purée stage. I am very scared because I do feel hunger and I am able to eat 5 spoons we use for soup (europe) of minced meat cooked without any issue and not taking more than 5 minutes. I stop because I have to not because I feel some extreme discomfort and I am feeling still hungry. (i do not eat and drink at the same time). I can also drink liquids during the day with no issues. What is wrong with me?

Hi !

I felt the same around 3-4 weeks post op i panicked thinking i could eat way too much and that something was wrong.

Then i started measuring and logging into MFP my food intake and realised i was only eating 800-1000 calories a day so all in all it’s nothing to worry about.

Truth is everyone is different, the restriction is different. I can and have since around 2 weeks post op gulp water ??‍♀️ some people can’t even months down the line.

I think it’s easy to get scared in the first few weeks post op but no need to panic - we are no where near being able to eat the quantities we used to eat.

Concentrate on what you’re feeling as you eat, learn your fullness cues and it’ll reassure you ?

There is nothing wrong with you... First, when we have surgery, a lot of nerves are cut that need time to heal. These are the nerves that tell us we are full, or getting full. So you are not getting accurate feedback from your stomach right now. These cut nerves take several months to heal fully. I noticed a distinct change in my fullness cues around 3 months out.

Second--just because you CAN eat that amount doesn't mean you SHOULD (I'm so thankful the regulars here remind us all of this early post-op). You aren't getting accurate messages about your restriction right now, and different foods will cause different feelings of restriction or lack thereof. Try to stick to the small portions your dietician should have gone over with you. You have a lot of sutures holding your healing tummy together, you don't want to stress them. Take your time here, there is no rush.

Third--different foods will cause different feelings of fullness. Purees often don't cause fullness, even meat purees. When you get into soft foods you might start to feel restriction when you eat denser proteins. But again, your stomach is still healing, so it may take time to feel your restriction, and some people never feel strong restriction, or don't feel it until they are overly full. This is where it is important to measure out your portions and eat tiny bites, slowly, watching for any signs of fullness. For us post op that may feel very different than it did pre-op. For me, for the first few months, all I would get is violent sneezing, intense hiccups, runny nose, etc... It took a while before I started feeling internal pressure with fullness.

Fourth--Hunger is a b***h! Some people lose it, not everyone does. I woke up in recovery STARVING!! I was so mad. ?I felt like I'd been given a faulty surgery. LOL But it really made me learn to work with my hunger cues and to sit with the discomfort of being hungry for a while. I was very, very hungry the first few weeks because nothing feels like it has enough substance to calm that ravenous hunger. This will ease in time as you progress your diet. For now all you can do is learn to distinguish head hunger from body hunger and learn to deal with the fact that sometimes we feel hungry and that's okay.

Lastly, many people can drink water freely post op. You don't list your surgery, but this is very common with gastric bypass patients, though I have seen it with sleeve patients too. Once the internal swelling goes down, many can drink water easily. This is a blessing, since dehydration is the #1 reason bariatric patients end up in the ER post op!

6 hours ago, lily06 said:

Hi !

I felt the same around 3-4 weeks post op i panicked thinking i could eat way too much and that something was wrong.

Then i started measuring and logging into MFP my food intake and realised i was only eating 800-1000 calories a day so all in all it’s nothing to worry about.

Truth is everyone is different, the restriction is different. I can and have since around 2 weeks post op gulp Water ??‍♀️ some people can’t even months down the line.

I think it’s easy to get scared in the first few weeks post op but no need to panic - we are no where near being able to eat the quantities we used to eat.

Concentrate on what you’re feeling as you eat, learn your fullness cues and it’ll reassure you ?

Hi Lily! Thank you for your answer!

It is true I feel so easily panicked now, yesterday that was triggered of someone on FB that told me that my stomach may be not cut property and that I might still have a bigger stomach.

I am glad you experienced the same. I will start logging in everything on MFP to see indeed what is going on.

❤️

3 hours ago, ChunkCat said:

There is nothing wrong with you... First, when we have surgery, a lot of nerves are cut that need time to heal. These are the nerves that tell us we are full, or getting full. So you are not getting accurate feedback from your stomach right now. These cut nerves take several months to heal fully. I noticed a distinct change in my fullness cues around 3 months out.

Second--just because you CAN eat that amount doesn't mean you SHOULD (I'm so thankful the regulars here remind us all of this early post-op). You aren't getting accurate messages about your restriction right now, and different foods will cause different feelings of restriction or lack thereof. Try to stick to the small portions your dietician should have gone over with you. You have a lot of sutures holding your healing tummy together, you don't want to stress them. Take your time here, there is no rush.

Third--different foods will cause different feelings of fullness. Purees often don't cause fullness, even meat purees. When you get into soft foods you might start to feel restriction when you eat denser Proteins. But again, your stomach is still healing, so it may take time to feel your restriction, and some people never feel strong restriction, or don't feel it until they are overly full. This is where it is important to measure out your portions and eat tiny bites, slowly, watching for any signs of fullness. For us post op that may feel very different than it did pre-op. For me, for the first few months, all I would get is violent sneezing, intense hiccups, runny nose, etc... It took a while before I started feeling internal pressure with fullness.

Fourth--Hunger is a b***h! Some people lose it, not everyone does. I woke up in recovery STARVING!! I was so mad. ?I felt like I'd been given a faulty surgery. LOL But it really made me learn to work with my hunger cues and to sit with the discomfort of being hungry for a while. I was very, very hungry the first few weeks because nothing feels like it has enough substance to calm that ravenous hunger. This will ease in time as you progress your diet. For now all you can do is learn to distinguish head hunger from body hunger and learn to deal with the fact that sometimes we feel hungry and that's okay.

Lastly, many people can drink Water freely post op. You don't list your surgery, but this is very common with gastric bypass patients, though I have seen it with sleeve patients too. Once the internal swelling goes down, many can drink water easily. This is a blessing, since dehydration is the #1 reason bariatric patients end up in the ER post op!

Thank you for your time and your answer 'Cat'! It helps me alot.

I had the sleeve and I have being obsessing ever since that something is wrong because my hunger (I don't which type) never went away and my restriction seems quite forgiving. Till yesterday that someone told me that maybe the surgery didn't cut a big enough piece of my stomach.. I've been crying all day.

I do follow the portions the nutritionist gave me but got scared when I compared myself to others, some of them saying the could not even tolerate soup 2 or 3 weeks post op.

It is surely a struggle, mainly mentally, and I have decided to go to therapy about it. I will keep in mind the things you said about hunger and head hunger and try not to panic when I feel them.

Thanks again for your reply❤️

Oh no never ever compare the others - i noticed the WLS surgery can be quite toxic at times online. Some almost boasting about eating so very little … well some of us need more and when i caught myself panicking about being actually hungry i thought about it after a few days and i’m glad ! I can eat a bit more so it means i can go out to eat and choose wisely, i can drink so i’m not dehydrated, i can live a normal life which in the end is why i wanted the surgery

It’s normal to want to compare but i think we should each go through the journey and listen to our own bodies which is what we should’ve been doing all these years

Good luck with everything ?

2 hours ago, lily06 said:

Oh no never ever compare the others - i noticed the WLS surgery can be quite toxic at times online. Some almost boasting about eating so very little … well some of us need more and when i caught myself panicking about being actually hungry i thought about it after a few days and i’m glad ! I can eat a bit more so it means i can go out to eat and choose wisely, i can drink so i’m not dehydrated, i can live a normal life which in the end is why i wanted the surgery

It’s normal to want to compare but i think we should each go through the journey and listen to our own bodies which is what we should’ve been doing all these years

Good luck with everything ?

Yes, I guess that is the positive side of it! I hope all was made correctly during my surgery and it is just that I have a different journey than others!

Thank you Lily!

All the best and good luck to you too!?

10 hours ago, KaterinaC said:

It is true I feel so easily panicked now, yesterday that was triggered of someone on FB that told me that my stomach may be not cut property and that I might still have a bigger stomach.

First, avoid the Facebook groups. They tend to be negative, critical & offer bad or simply wrong information. I even stumbled upon one where they told people how to purée burgers & fries. It’s why I appreciate this forum so much: supportive, great advice & suggestions, not judgemental, lots of experience.

Second, 100% agree with what @ChunkCat’s said in her post.

For. many of us, we used food as a source of comfort, a way to sooth ourselves when in emotional turmoil. After surgery, we can experience quite an emotional rollercoaster, all the changes, an overload of information which can cause doubts, then surgery itself is hard on our bodies & emotions, our hormones can be crazy too. Before surgery you would have turned to food to ease your panic, anxiety, sadness, etc. but you can’t now which only makes that hunger & your food voices louder. This is head hunger not real hunger. Of course knowing this doesn’t make it easier to manage or ignore. Many find using distraction helpful: read, craft, garden, go for a walk, check your social & this forum, sip a warm drink (green or herbal tea can be very soothing & count towards your fluids - yay!).

Also, many find therapy helpful. Did you see a therapist as part of your pre surgical process? If not ask for a referral. You don’t have to do this alone & they will support you work through these & any other issues.

All the best.

14 hours ago, Arabesque said:

First, avoid the Facebook groups. They tend to be negative, critical & offer bad or simply wrong information. I even stumbled upon one where they told people how to purée burgers & fries. It’s why I appreciate this forum so much: supportive, great advice & suggestions, not judgemental, lots of experience.

Second, 100% agree with what @ChunkCat’s said in her post.

For. many of us, we used food as a source of comfort, a way to sooth ourselves when in emotional turmoil. After surgery, we can experience quite an emotional rollercoaster, all the changes, an overload of information which can cause doubts, then surgery itself is hard on our bodies & emotions, our hormones can be crazy too. Before surgery you would have turned to food to ease your panic, anxiety, sadness, etc. but you can’t now which only makes that hunger & your food voices louder. This is head hunger not real hunger. Of course knowing this doesn’t make it easier to manage or ignore. Many find using distraction helpful: read, craft, garden, go for a walk, check your social & this forum, sip a warm drink (green or herbal tea can be very soothing & count towards your fluids - yay!).

Also, many find therapy helpful. Did you see a therapist as part of your pre surgical process? If not ask for a referral. You don’t have to do this alone & they will support you work through these & any other issues.

All the best.

Thank you for your kind words and info Arabesque!

I used food as an instant mood stabilizer and it used to give me great joy, even temporarily. As you said that has stopped now in a very radical way. I haven't seen a therapist pre op about my food issues but now I feel that I really need it. Started searching today but the one I was referred to is completely full and doesn't accept new patients at the moment. I'll keep searching for a therapist and I am sure I will find the right for me. I also have a call planned with my surgeon where I can ask him about all these worries that are bothering me.

I will surely stop taking seriously opinions and comments on FB groups, I learned my lesson now. They got me panicking.

All the best to you too!

On 5/12/2024 at 2:31 AM, KaterinaC said:

I am really worried here and I am searching for your advice and experiences. I am 2 weeks post op gastric sleeve and 1 week on purée stage. I am very scared because I do feel hunger and I am able to eat 5 spoons we use for Soup (europe) of minced meat cooked without any issue and not taking more than 5 minutes. I stop because I have to not because I feel some extreme discomfort and I am feeling still hungry. (i do not eat and drink at the same time). I can also drink liquids during the day with no issues. What is wrong with me?

This is happening to me too!!! I had my surgery may 17th and I almost convinced myself that they took out the gastric band and didn't do the sleeve. Liquids and protein drinks went down with ease the first week...started getting hungry. Went to puree, that helped curb the hunger. Contacted my surgeon, he advised that everyone is different. If you can tolerate puree, then try soft foods. After that try a little more regular food. That sure cured the hunger issue, and I am only 22 days out of surgery. I use the Baritastic app install of myfitnesspal. This one tracks your protein, calories, carbs and water intake. I am currently eating around 700 to 800 calories per day and I am satisfied. They told me to sip sip sip my water, hell I can gulp gulp gulp. I really watch how much food I am stuffing into that little stomach at one time. It is still trying to heal.

On a side note: Baritastic does Not reduce the amount of your calorie intake when you exercise-this keeps you to the 1200 cal range. My Fitness Pal subtracts your exercise from you calories telling you can eat more. We are not suppose to eat more...

On 5/12/2024 at 6:29 AM, ChunkCat said:

She does list her surgery as gastric sleeve. I was able to drink as much water as I wanted. I've never had a problem with drinking.

Lastly, many people can drink Water freely post op. You don't list your surgery, but this is very common with gastric bypass patients, though I have seen it with sleeve patients too. Once the internal swelling goes down, many can drink water easily. This is a blessing, since dehydration is the #1 reason bariatric patients end up in the ER post op! 

he does list her surgery as gastric sleeve. I was able to drink as much water as I wanted. I've never had a problem with drinking.

If you feel hungry grab a tsp of peanut butter. It helps and you get some protein. Dietitian just told me that yesterday I am 4 weeks post op

I woke up in the recovery room STARVING . I am 18 days out and feel ZERO restriction. I even advanced diet stages faster so that maybe I’ll feel full but nothing. I am very concerned.

On 11/24/2024 at 11:30 AM, Aaron2000 said:

I woke up in the recovery room STARVING . I am 18 days out and feel ZERO restriction. I even advanced diet stages faster so that maybe I’ll feel full but nothing. I am very concerned.

You’re not going to feel the restriction until you are much further along in your healing (takes around 6-8 weeks) & eating solid foods. A lot of nerves are cut or damaged during the surgery so messages simply aren’t getting through or are distorted if they do. The staged return to eating is to protect your recovery and to ensure you don’t damage your healing digestive system (think of all those sutures and staples holding your tummy together- I believe it’s around 12inches of sutures+staples with a sleeve. You should only progress your stages if your surgeon advises you to. It’s also one of the reasons why we’re advised to eat slowly and are given portion sizes we should stick to.

Also remember that liquids go through the tummy much more quickly than solid food so you don’t really get full in the same way as you know sipping your shakes slowly. Purées go through a little more quickly but nothing like solid foods.

On 11/23/2024 at 5:30 PM, Aaron2000 said:

I woke up in the recovery room STARVING . I am 18 days out and feel ZERO restriction. I even advanced diet stages faster so that maybe I’ll feel full but nothing. I am very concerned.

I am 1 week 9 days out. When I first came home, I felt so hungry several times. I was thinking, this is my life now. I'm always going to have a growly stomach. But then I read somewhere that our stomach still needs to learn our new signals for hunger. Also, we have head hunger. Our brain has to learn the new signals as well. So, I am keeping the prescribed diet until my body can learn to communicate. In addition, some of those hunger signals could be thirst signals. So, making sure I drink enough water does help.