I wasn't supposed to be hungry!

Everyone told me that I would have no feeling of hunger and wouldn't want to eat - but I am HUNGRY!  I fill up with just a few bites, but that hunger feeling sucks.  I am only 4 days out, so maybe that comes later.  Any input would be helpful.

As obese individuals, we often have a "broken" hunger mechanism.... we haven't experienced the hunger that thin people experience.... we responded to different things.... thirst, emotion, growling tummy all kinds of things that aren't necessarily the hunger signals that thin people respond to.

Because of this we'll continue to feel hunger when the hunger comes from something other than nerves in the stomach sending a message to the brain that it is time to eat (those nerves are cut, can't send sigtnals)

So the challenge and benefit to this knowlege is to know that when you are feeling hungry, likely it's something that you can now examine and figure out hte source, and learn to ignore it.

The first few weeks I had no appetite , I assuem do to the swelling , I do get hungry now, but I am also just starting to have that full sensation and usually it is after a few bites.

If you just had surgery this month, it is very unlikely that what you are experiencing is physical hunger because the signal from your stomach to your brain was severed during the surgery.  It may be "head hunger" -- which can be anything from cravings to eat in general (as opposed to cravings to eat something specific)... to misinterpreting other physical or emotional signals as hunger... to feeling "hungry" because of what tegh clock says or what television show is on tv (that you usually ate during) -- or it may be thirst (which sometimes gets interpreted as hunger).

How often are you eating and how much are you drinking?

Lora

Are you really physically hungry (ie, weak, tummy growling, light-headed) or do you just want to eat?

I'm 2.5 years out and hungry all the damn time.  If I don't eat every 3 hours, my tummy growls loudly (to the point that everyone in the room can hear it).  My kids get so embarrssed when we're out in public. "Mommy EAT something!!"...lol!!  But it doesn't take much food to make my hunger go away.

Laura

I find when I think I am hungry, that if I drinks something, usually some hot herb tea, I am fine.  Be sure you fluid intake is up enough. 

I was hungry from the beginning but now that I look back I think it was my hormones fluctuating and causing the hunger. 

I would get full with a couple of bites like you.  I honesty ate about every 2-3 hours in the beginning.  Now I eat every 3-4 hours and do okay most days.  Somedays I am starving and go ahead and eat.  I still am only around 800 to 1000 calories/day.  Some days more but mainly 1000 calories.


Tamara

I think it takes a while for your head to catch up to your body. I was hungry the first few weeks, but I don't think it was actual hunger, just the need to feel full. Now that our "cheeseburger freeway" has been re-routed, that old full feeling is a thing of the past.

It'll get better. You'll get used to what the new "full" feels like, and it's likely that your tastes in food will change as you experiment with old and new foods. For example, hamburgers and pizza used to be staples for me, and now the thought of them makes me sick. (I've tried, unfortunately, so I know for sure!)  But Greek yogurt and even veggies are now yummy.