*==>* 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,

Well, surgery was 15 months ago for me.  I started getting hungry about 2 months later.  Now, I get hungry about every 2-3 hours. I still haven't reached my goal and doubt that I ever will.  As long as I eat very high protein the hunger stays away longer.  The minute I start on the carbs I get hungry in half the time. You would think I would learn. 

I agree carbs are the devil ( I paraphrased)!  I can get away with carbs for a day, but if I get HAPPY and eat bready or sugary stuff 2 days in a row..the recovery is so much longer.

 The stomach produces most of the ghrelin in the body but not all. One study I read suggest that blood ghrelin levels in VSG patients are about 50% of normal at 5 years postop. Research in rats suggests VSG reduces 60 to 80% of normal.The body  is going to try to produce more in the places it can. That's what the human body does -- it tries to compensate where there are deficiences and return to equilibrium. 

Grehlin is not the only hormone that regulates hunger.  Insulin, for example, is a powerful hunger regulator.  Studies show that insulin makes you hungry.  Thinking about food and seeing food can increase insulin levels in some people and consequently hunger.  Stress also causes the body to produce coritisol whi*****reases insulin and hunger. That's one of the ways that exercise helps reduce hunger, btw, by reducing stress. 

 Eating regularly, avoiding foods that pump up insulin levels (carbs), relaxation and stress reduction,  and spending less time thinking about yummy goodness to eat can all help regulate hunger, as well. 

Thanks for posting this!  I get hungry 2-3 hours after eating, and thought that I was doing something wrong.  I'm a little over 7 weeks post surgery, and have been experiencing hunger for several of those weeks.  I make sure I get enough protein at each meal, but I guess my system is one of those that gets hungry.  The hunger is tolerable, as long as I don't wait too long to eat.  Having something to drink helps too.