Worry about post op hunger? Surgery in 2 days!
on 10/17/15 9:02 pm
I got surgery on 10/7 and have not had hunger problem at all. Everybody is different but if you drink your fluids steadily throughout the day you probably won't feel any hunger, besides, the pain will make you forget your hunger..bazinga only kidding lol! I was off the pain meds in 3 days and even that pain was not at all bad. Broths will really help you. Either you can make your own or buy the stuff in carton or can. They are pretty much the only savory thing you can have and it takes the edge off of any head hunger. I survived on Propel and broth and it was easier than you think, time flies the 1st week. Just stay away from the cooking shows and others that are eating, even TV Commercials for food. Good luck! Billy
on 10/18/15 4:43 am
You might not be hungry at all for some time. I think with the swelling (internal) after surgery you may not feel hungry and may struggle just to get your liquids in. Everything seems to feel odd for a while digestion wise. I would always need to burp while eating at first and when one was waiting to come up nothing else would go down. I did not have head hunger for at least 3 months. I hope this is easier for you than you imagine it will be.
Head hunger was a ***** for me in the beginning. The first month you will be working on getting your fluids and healing. Also you will work on increasing your endurance. Here are some things I did to occupy my mind.
1) I would strongly recommend you measure all of the areas on your body as suggested here and/or myfitnesspal. You will be amazed how things change here even if they don't on the scale for a month.
2) Have a couple of go to activities, walking, lifting weights, cleaning your your closet as you get smaller.
3) I shopped and bought nothing....a lot. So when the time came I new what my options were. It was funny how I started at 306 and found stuff I loved at 250 but now at 186, my vision/taste has completely changed. We have a huge mall near by so even thought I was "shopping" hitting all of the stores turned into a walk.
4) I did a lot of little home projects that just seemed overwhelming at my high weight.
5) I tracked every thing that went in my mouth on myfitnesspal (and still dp). Get to know the program.
6) I spent (and still do) a lot of time on here getting suggestions and learning. There are many ways to skin a cat.
Good luck!
on 10/18/15 7:22 am
I have the house of unfinished everything! I gained my weight very fast and was never overweight in my life before that. My brain never quite caught up and I thought I could do things still but I couldn't. I didn't even feel like I was that fat. I didn't see what others did when I looked in the mirror...at least not till I was in a video on my local TV channel, in that interview I looked huge and that was when my brain finally realized I was obese. I didn't even recognize myself. Needless to say, after that I got depressed and wouldn't go out anymore, especially food shopping and restaurants, I was ashamed and embarrassed. I stopped going out at all, didn't talk to friends,and lost touch. I still cringe when I see that video, but now I feel like I have done something about it, and already I am feeling happier and getting out more often...so this surgery was for my head as much as it was for my body. Glad I did it. I love the myfitnesspal, just started using it. I have a list of the many things I need to do around my house that should take me 1 year at least, so I will be busy. Thanks for the post.
on 10/18/15 7:38 am
During the first few weeks post-op, your stomach will be too busy wondering what happened to it for you to experience hunger. You will probably get very tired of the liquids because of the taste, but real hunger won't set it for a long time, if ever. If you do experience what you perceive as hunger, you'll probably need to get a prescription to control stomach acid production, which, I'm told (I never experienced it myself) can mimic hunger.
The hardest thing for me during the first few months was adjusting to the small portion size. Even though I wasn't hungry and a few bites filled me up, I kept wanting to finish what was on my plate. But even that "head game" went away as the small portion size became the new "normal" for me. I now look wonderingly at people with heaped-up plates -- how can they possibly eat all that?
Once you've fully recovered from the surgery (anywhere from 4-8 weeks), if you find yourself eating with your head instead of with your sleeve, you may need counseling and/or a support group. Your surgeon's team may have group support meetings that you can attend. Overeaters Anonymous works for me and many other people. Buy and read as many books on bariatric surgery and post-op nutrition that you can. Information can help you overcome the tricks your mind may want to play on you.
psychoticparrot
"Live for what today has to offer, not for what yesterday has taken away."
