*==>* some answers about still getting hungry! *<==*

Hi folks -- i asked people over in the Maintenance forum for ideas or experiences with hunger returning after surgery.  as i've said, i, personally, am not one of those "i have to set a timer to remember to eat" people, though i am satisfied with very little and stay full.  it's just that when i'm hungry, i'm hungry!  ;-)

HERE ARE THE RESPONSES I GOT (I"LL KEEP POSTING THEM)

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Contrary to popular rumor :} the part of the stomach removed is not the *only* place where ghrelin is made.  I guess I figure we all produced it at different rates, some folks were not insanely hungry all the time.  I was, so I guess I just figure, having most of my production place removed only made it so I get regular amounts, instead of the crazy amounts.

I never lost my hunger either.  Eating on a schedule so that I do not get too hungry, and making choices that keep me full for longest are my saving graces.

I had hunger ONE WEEK post-op - real hunger, that's what it was. I just felt full after very very little. 1 sip of broth, I think.
I never lost my hunger either, though it was definitely reduced (and still is, 4 years later) and I'm certainly satisfied with less...

 

I've never lost my hunger either.  Most of the time I only stay full for 1 to 2 hours unfortunately.

 

well i pretty much lost all hunger for a number of months after surgery and then it slowly returned but at much lower and much more appropriate levels. these days i do get hungry more often - doctor says the stomachs of vsg patients do empty out faster, but it is a managable hunger that doesn't make me want to stuff and stuff and it certainly takes much less to satisfy. I feel like I have more what normal hunger should be like but milder.

 

Ditto, I get hungry.  my no hunger phase only lasted a month or so.  Like others have said, at least it seems to be a normal hunger level.  I think I must have had an over production of grehlin before surgery because I would get so hungry that I could eat anything as long as it didn't eat me first (Homer Simpson here).

 

I think my lack of hunger lasted for a month.  I sometime wonder if it's because I have a 40f, not because it's bigger but because perhaps maybe less of the ghrelin production center was removed than people with smaller Sleeves.   I get jealous when people say that they have to remind themselves to eat.  Just not my story.  That said, 4 oz of meat and some veggies and I'm pretty full and good to go for a few hours.  It's always tough to differentiate between stomach and head hunger when not much time has passed between meals.  I do get hungry sooner if my last meal wasn't protein packed.

 

It is normal for hunger to return after a few months, but at a lower level (hopefully). Ghrelin is produced in other areas of the body, not just the stomach, so I don't think bougie size has anything to do with it. Even people with smaller bougies experience hunger and I wonder, if the smaller size contributes to faster gastric emptying. I'll have to ask this, when I see the bariatric internist in a couple of weeks.

 Sometimes I get hungry, if I go more than 4 hours without eating, which is why the dietitian said not to go longer than that amount of time. If it wasn't for the amount of exercise that I do, I don't think that I would eat as much. I have to fuel my workouts, both before and after. I think some of the "hunger" that I experience, is more "head hunger."

 

My hunger went away completely for the first 8 months or so, then it returned but in a much easier to deal with mode.  Now at two years out, I started to take iron and my hunger disappeared again.  I do not know if this is the cause, but there does seem to be a stro

I still get hungry, but it is a much more manageable hunger. However, if I have gone waaaay too long without food -- I'm really busy at work, and all of a sudden I stand up, whoa nellie look out -- time to sit back down and eat a handful of almonds.

I eat frequently during the day - small amounts, but I get hungry all the same ! I do get satisfied by the small amounts though -- one baby bel cheese keeps me going for a couple hours !

Glad to hear it! I too only had about 1 month of no hunger. 2 months out, I get hungry. Like others say, very little satisfies it just fine.

I know when I've gone too long and it feels like normal hunger BUT I do not get "growling tummy", nor am I feeling the need to pack away a thousand calories at once.

Before my sleeve when I went too long and got super hungry, I could pack some serious food away. Now it's like a mild hunger and just a little protein makes it stop.