Had rny 3/12....and hungry

I don't know what is wrong, but I'm so hungry. The jello isn't helping. But tomorrow I go on stage two, maybe I will be more full. 

Sometimes very early out, it is difficult to distinguish between physical hunger, "head hunger" (cravings), and thirst. For almost everyone (and it is possible, of course, that you are one of the very few who have a different experience), there isn't any physical hunger for a while after surgery.  For many of us, though, years of overeating and eating mindlessly have caused us to misinterpret the signs of hunger, cravings, and thirst.

Unfortunately, jello isn't going to help physical hunger because it melts from the temperature of your body so it is a liquid, and small amounts of liquid aren't going to make you feel full.  Larger amounts of liquid can help, though.  It can obviously help  if you are thirsty and misinterpreting that as hunger, but having your intestines filled with water can also give you a sense of fullness that can alleviate physical hunger.  Some people find that a warm drink (tea, soup broth, etc.) is more psychologically satisfying, though.

Certainly, as you progress to more solid foods, you will feel more of a sense of physical fullness.  I was glad that my surgeon is one of the ones who believes that people actually do better when they don't go through an extended period of liquids post-op.  I started soft foods (scrambled eggs and cream of wheat) on Day Three while I was still in the hospital (open RNY, not lap).

Hang in there.  It will get easier.

Lora

I remember being hungry in the beginning. I know some people get the 'I am never hungry' but that is not me. Still isn't. If you are able to have SF popsicles, they were a savior to me in the beginning. Something solid, sweet, and flavorful. Dietician told me each one counted as 2oz of liquid. It will change as you start having more solid food.

Congratulations on your surgery!

****rogirl is right, it may be head hunger and this is one of our biggest challenges.  Let's hope moving to the next phase will help but in the mean time really research the head vs physical hunger issue. Here is a link to a couple of articles that may help.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/?s=head+hunger

Keep us posted on how you are doing

I am eight months out and hot liquids helped and still do help me. If I really am craving a treat I will have sugar free  hot coco with a little bit of milk to make it creamier and the further out I got I would add a dollop of light whipped cream. I have it very infrequently though and usually have hot tea. the further out you get the easier it will be to manage all of this. I was so overwhelmed in the beginning but I am so glad I did thi**** the 100 pounds lost goal today! you can do this! hang in there!

I was like you also. It was probably head hunger but that doesn't mean it's easily dismiss able ( wink). I found that eating blended soups made me feel like I was actually "eating" something - and that helped. Good luck. You can do it! It gets easier over time.