I get hungry...is that not normal?
I hope I didn't make you feel bad. There are all different degrees of normal, from never hungry to hungry all the time and it is all normal for the person experiencing it, although if I was the person who was hungry all the time I would be talking to my surgeon to make sure things were functioning ok. When you say hungry do you mean like it's time for lunch hungry or like if you don't eat now you will take down the first cow you see hungry? Is it for a specific food item like a Big Mac or would just about anything do? When it's for something specific then it is usually head hunger, like when a bag of cookies is calling you. When you could eat a rutabaga or radish then you are probably really hungry.
When I went to see my surgeon a few month after my surgery I mentioned that I didn't get hungry and he said that if a patient tells me that they don't get hungry then that is the best he can't ask for from the surgery.
There may be a physiological reason for my lack of hunger. I was a revision and for some reason never explained to me my surgeon removed all of my stomach except my pouch. I have no remnant pouch, which means I that I don't produce as much ghrelin as I used to, which is the hormone that causes hunger.
When I went to see my surgeon a few month after my surgery I mentioned that I didn't get hungry and he said that if a patient tells me that they don't get hungry then that is the best he can't ask for from the surgery.
There may be a physiological reason for my lack of hunger. I was a revision and for some reason never explained to me my surgeon removed all of my stomach except my pouch. I have no remnant pouch, which means I that I don't produce as much ghrelin as I used to, which is the hormone that causes hunger.
WLS 10/28/2002 Revision 7/23/2010
High Weight (2002) 240 Revision Weight (2010) 220 Current Weight 115.
Hunger is normal
MOST humans get hungry
I don't, and I thik that I rarely experienced it prior to surgery and not at all after, but I'm NOT typical
The worst part about hunger is that there are many aspects to it.
As obese individuals, something didn't work properly for us between being born and being obese. Some people start life as hefty babies. But for most of us, obesity has more to it than being born large.
Some of the reasons for obesity include but are not limited to:
Food addiction
Food as Comfort
Food for boredom
Food in response to certain cues
Metabolic Issues
Medicines
Pregnancy
etc etc etc
One of the biggest issues that I believe we have is that our "hunger" mechanism is broken. When we had certain signals, our brain interpreted those signals as "hungry"
And then we ate. (and we might have eaten more based on "broken" signals of "I'm full")
People will call it "head hunger" and I've seen more than a few people getting VERY angry at that.
The thing is that no matter where it's coming from, it's a REAL feeling. The BIG DEAL for any new postop is to examine the "Hungry" and figure out if you're getting "broken" signals.... I had "hungry" postop moments after looking at my 2 oz of soup and eating half and knowing I didn't want more. But I still wanted a footlong subway. WHY?
Answering the WHY for you is a HUGE step towards getting a handle on your obesity. The doc did the physical part, now YOU need to do the mental part (and a lot of people get help, and that's to be encouraged)
Some things to look for:
Is it thirst that you've misinterpreted for hunger all these years? Drink more. A lot of people who are obese are chronically dehydrated.
Is it habit? People often follow a schedule. It's morning, so you eat a big breakfast. If you don't do what you are used to doing, you feel the emptiness. Habits are hard to break. But figure out that it is habit based, and you have a weapon to fight it off.
addiction? if you have a food addiction, you NEED help from a psychologist to help you through it. It's tough to break addiction but you can do it.
Also, another think is: hunger is NOT an emergency. If you are hungry, you need to work through why. Your stomach isn't telling you it wants to be fed. The pouch has had the nerves severed (they'll grow back) so it might be sending "hungry" but your brain doesn't get the message. Your OLD stomach is still there. It WANTS to be fed. It might be growling (this isn't HUNGER).... it will NEVER BE FED AGAIN because it's been disconnected from the system. It'll be mighty upset over the disconnect but eventually it'll settle down to a permanent sulk.
Hunger is your key to figuring out what your food issues are, and figuring them out is the key to triumphing over them. So it's one of the most important things that you can do.... use it as the key to what makes you tick, what made you obese, and unlock the freedom to NOT respond to non-thin-person hunger (thin people, you see, have hunger that works and keeps them slender by not leading them to eat at inappropriate times and quantities)
MOST humans get hungry
I don't, and I thik that I rarely experienced it prior to surgery and not at all after, but I'm NOT typical
The worst part about hunger is that there are many aspects to it.
As obese individuals, something didn't work properly for us between being born and being obese. Some people start life as hefty babies. But for most of us, obesity has more to it than being born large.
Some of the reasons for obesity include but are not limited to:
Food addiction
Food as Comfort
Food for boredom
Food in response to certain cues
Metabolic Issues
Medicines
Pregnancy
etc etc etc
One of the biggest issues that I believe we have is that our "hunger" mechanism is broken. When we had certain signals, our brain interpreted those signals as "hungry"
And then we ate. (and we might have eaten more based on "broken" signals of "I'm full")
People will call it "head hunger" and I've seen more than a few people getting VERY angry at that.
The thing is that no matter where it's coming from, it's a REAL feeling. The BIG DEAL for any new postop is to examine the "Hungry" and figure out if you're getting "broken" signals.... I had "hungry" postop moments after looking at my 2 oz of soup and eating half and knowing I didn't want more. But I still wanted a footlong subway. WHY?
Answering the WHY for you is a HUGE step towards getting a handle on your obesity. The doc did the physical part, now YOU need to do the mental part (and a lot of people get help, and that's to be encouraged)
Some things to look for:
Is it thirst that you've misinterpreted for hunger all these years? Drink more. A lot of people who are obese are chronically dehydrated.
Is it habit? People often follow a schedule. It's morning, so you eat a big breakfast. If you don't do what you are used to doing, you feel the emptiness. Habits are hard to break. But figure out that it is habit based, and you have a weapon to fight it off.
addiction? if you have a food addiction, you NEED help from a psychologist to help you through it. It's tough to break addiction but you can do it.
Also, another think is: hunger is NOT an emergency. If you are hungry, you need to work through why. Your stomach isn't telling you it wants to be fed. The pouch has had the nerves severed (they'll grow back) so it might be sending "hungry" but your brain doesn't get the message. Your OLD stomach is still there. It WANTS to be fed. It might be growling (this isn't HUNGER).... it will NEVER BE FED AGAIN because it's been disconnected from the system. It'll be mighty upset over the disconnect but eventually it'll settle down to a permanent sulk.
Hunger is your key to figuring out what your food issues are, and figuring them out is the key to triumphing over them. So it's one of the most important things that you can do.... use it as the key to what makes you tick, what made you obese, and unlock the freedom to NOT respond to non-thin-person hunger (thin people, you see, have hunger that works and keeps them slender by not leading them to eat at inappropriate times and quantities)
~Lady Lithia~ 200 lbs lost!
March 9, 2011 - Coccygectomy!
I chased my dreams, and my dreams, they caught me!
My stomach growled for two months without fail
It's the old stomach. In the past it growled, you fed it
Now if you eat, it doesn't get fed, and it gets even madder
eating won't stop the growling. It just needs to be tamed like a wild beast.
It's the old stomach. In the past it growled, you fed it
Now if you eat, it doesn't get fed, and it gets even madder
eating won't stop the growling. It just needs to be tamed like a wild beast.
~Lady Lithia~ 200 lbs lost!
March 9, 2011 - Coccygectomy!
I chased my dreams, and my dreams, they caught me!
If it is coming from your old stomach, it will pass soon... once it figures out that it is never going to get fed again. Usually it gives up before 8 weeks out, but everyone's body is different. If it from your pouch, it just means that you got your hunger back.
Most people go through a period of time after surgery where they are not hungry. How long that lasts, though, varies from person to person. A few people never get a traditional hunger signal back, but they are definitely in the minority. (I am one of those people. I am 5 years out and still don't get hungry. I get very lightheaded and shaky, and will eventually pass out, if I don't eat every few hours because my blood sugar drops -- hypoglycemia -- but I don't get hungry.) A few people also don't get a period of not being hungry at all.
So, there really IS no normal...
Lora
Most people go through a period of time after surgery where they are not hungry. How long that lasts, though, varies from person to person. A few people never get a traditional hunger signal back, but they are definitely in the minority. (I am one of those people. I am 5 years out and still don't get hungry. I get very lightheaded and shaky, and will eventually pass out, if I don't eat every few hours because my blood sugar drops -- hypoglycemia -- but I don't get hungry.) A few people also don't get a period of not being hungry at all.
So, there really IS no normal...
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Most people get hungry. Some not until a few months post op but it's unusual for someone not to get hungry at two years post op.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I get hungry--usually if i forget to eat or if im out and have no food on me. Its perfectly normal. :)
I'm actually in the middle of breakfast now. I got up early, walked a mile, came home and discovered I was hungry. I'm having eggs w/ cheese and little bits of ham mixed in. Its fantastic and high in protein!
I'm actually in the middle of breakfast now. I got up early, walked a mile, came home and discovered I was hungry. I'm having eggs w/ cheese and little bits of ham mixed in. Its fantastic and high in protein!
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