Exercise and Nutrition Q & A - The Floor is Open

I am opening the floor for questions about exercise and nutrition. This is a bit of a test for me to find out what I don't know so I can continue my education, so feel free to ask me anything related to exercise,nutrition, cooking, or WLS. I will do my best to answer the question or at least point you in the right direction. I do get the periodic question here or via PM but I feel that some of you may not be comfortable with that and obviously in an open forum like this the answers may be useful to everyone. And By the Way, everyone should feel free to ask me questions, I am very happy to help and I am of the thinking that there are no stupid questions. So...the floor is open!

Ok here's one. When I first talked to my surgeon, one of the most important outcomes that I wanted from a sleeve procedure is to not feel hungry.  He assured me that this would fix it.  Well...not so much (at least so far).

I was sleeved on Sept. 16 and I am hungry all the time.  This isn't head hunger. My stomach growls LOUDLY. I can satiate it by drinking protein or my creamed soup but it doesn't last long.  It wears off quickly.  I'm averaging 90 grams of protein a day and 60 ounces of liquids.  I start pureed foods on Monday, Oct. 7, so I'm hoping real food will help, but do you have any ideas/comments/suggestions?  From what I've read this goes away eventually, but dang. I didn't think it would be like this.  I thought I would have to make myself eat/drink, I thought this tool would help me manage my hunger.  Grrrrr (yes, that was my tummy). lol

I hope you are on a PPI. Classic signs of acid. I've had to try a couple different meds and only one has worked. 

A couple of things here.

You are early enough out that a couple of things could be happening. Mostly likely you need an acid reducer. The one that works best for me is Prevacid. I have tried many and that one lasts the longest for me. For quick releif Zantac works well too. For over the counter acid reducers I always take double the recommended dose which is what the prescription dosage is.

Next Ghrellin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry: Many obese people have residual ghrellin in your system that can take up to 2 months to get rid of. Ghrellin is also not just made by your stomach, it was just mostly made by your stomach. As time progresses other organs will begin to produce Ghrellin. The good news is you've got time before that happens. If you are feeling hungry and it is for sure not acid (because you have taken a PPI) and for sure not head hunger and for sure not thirst, then it is mostly likely due to residual ghrellin. 

My hunger did not subside until about 3 oe 4 weeks post op and then returned at about 7 months post-op. Enjoy that time. Now when I say returned, it is far less intense than it was before.

You will not really know for sure what your hunger level is until you get to full foods anyway. Right now you are still healing and lots of things are going on with your stomach. Those raw nerve endings are sending all kinds of erroneous signals, which is why you are getting gurgling and hunger and stuff you can't explain.

I have a prescription (pepcid).  I take it twice a day. 

I was put on Pepcid first, too. It didn't work too well. (BTW, Pepcid is not a PPI, but an H2 blocker. H2 blockers work on reducing already existing acid, while a PPI prevents the production of acid.)  Then they put me on a PPI and that worked okay, but not great. So, my doc prescribed Protonix, and boy oh boy did that do the trick. It can sometimes take a while to find the right medicine.

Protonix ROCKS!   It was the 4th and final med that my doctor gave me and the only one that has worked.  Thank goodness!

Pepcid works a bit differently than a PPI. You will want prevacid or prilosec. Those actually shut down the mechanism that creates the stomach acid the protiase pump.

Ok. so I went out at lunch at got OTC Lasoprazole (generic prilosec I think).  Are you saying I should take two twice a day or one twice a day like my pepcid?

Whatever the package says for an adult, take double and that is the prescription dosage. If that does not work, then try prevacid, they are similar drugs but different formulas. One works for me the other does not. There is now a generic for prevacid too.

You can try just one for sure or whatever the package says. If that works, great, if not try upping the dosage and if it still doesn't work try another product.