Let's Talk Hunger

Ok, I've been reading about the VSG, learning that the portion of the stomach they remove is the part that releases the chemical that promotes hunger. So my question to you Vets, of the VSG, do get hungery?  how much of your hunger is mental? do you fill up fast? someone any body holla at ya boy!

I'm only two + weeks post op but so far I haven't felt hunger at all. I have dealt with head hunger slightly but it is more difficult to get motivated to eat than to deal with 'cravings' for me. As for filling up fast, I'm still on soft/pureed foods, mostly meats so that I can get my protein from that, but within three small bites I'm comfortably full. Any more and I am hurting. I have some very thin sliced lunch meat that I snack on to increase my protein and one slice is more than enough. I eat it over the course of about 15 minutes and it fills me without being uncomfortable. The main thing is to chew until it is a pulp.

Congrat's! Thanks for responding

I felt hungry when i was newly postop, until about 6 wks after surgery when i was cleared to begin eating what I wanted basically.  Once i started eating dense protein, the hunger for me stopped.  I now feel an empty type feeling instead of hunger.  It's very hard to explain, but definitely nothing like before surgery.  I do have 'head hunger'..but that will happen no matter what surgery you have. 

Yes, I get hungry!!!! I'm starving right now...LOL.  A lot of it is mental though.  I mean I feel the hunger pains and when I eat, my mind tells me I need to eat ALL of my food just not the little bit my stomach allows.  U fill up fast on just a fraction of what you are used to eating and for me that is frustrating.  I am 3 months post-op and I still haven't gotten adjusted to that.  I have no choice, so I better get adjusted.  It's just something new.  I have never been told or made to not eat what I want, but this sleeve definitely puts it's foot down!  You will love the results of the sleeve, but you definitely need to get your mind prepared.

I'm only 5 weeks out, but I'm never hungry.  I have to remind myself to eat.  I keep track of my protein on an phone app (sparkspeople.com), so I force myself to get in a minumum 70grams at day.  When I sit down to eat I'm always surprised at how fast I fill up.  I'll have a greek yogurt (good protein source) and be stuffed on less than 3 oz.  I have to return to it 45 minutes later to fini****   The trick is knowing when you are full.  There's this danger of having one bite too many, then you feel like ****  I've heaved several times cause I took that one more bite.  I'm learning, believe me!  I hate to puke.  I find it remarkable that I used to go out to dinner and have a martini, app, salad, 2 glasses of wine, entree and dessert.  Now when I go out I can't finish a cup of soup, let alone a glass of wine. Now I just have a sip of my husbands wine.  But I wouldn't trade my sleeve for anything!

I definitely get hungry and have from right out of the gates.  Its REAL hunger.  The stomach removed makes *most* of the ghrelin, but not ALL of it.  Its created elsewhere also.  Some folks never get hungry, some folks do.  For me its not that panicked hunger it was preop though. 

Fill up fast - depends on what I am eating.  Dense meat?  Yes.

Puddings, yogurt, runny soups?  Oh hell no.

Carby stuff?  Chips N setch.  Double ditto the Hells to the NO.

Veggies?  Uncooked, meh fairly quickly.  Cooked down or caramelized? No.  Salad?  No.

Protein shakes?  No. 

I will be 2 years out in May.

Edit to add - what I eat will depend on how fast I get hungry again.  If I eat dense meat I stay unhungry for longer than I would eating meat and veg. 

Some folks can eat carby stuff for breakfast, but that tends to set me up for a hungry day, all day long!  BOO!

 I get hungry every 3 hours. If I eat dense protein I fill up fast, and stay full a long time. But dense protein isn't what I WANT to eat, I want to eat cheese and crackers. They don't fill me up as fast or for long. Cake and ice cream go down pretty easy too, thank goodness no one is having a birthday soon! You've gotta make the right choices.
Best wishes,
Nita

No hunger.  Just an empty feeling letting me know that its time to eat.  I do have head hunger, though.

I still do NOT get hungry! ( almost 19 months out)  It is a kinda like a  "blessing"  and a "curse".  If I don't eat on a schedule I will not eat or drink.....NOT good.   If I WERE to get hungry.....3-4 bites would satisfy it.......6-7 bites would fill me up!  HOLLA!!