Hunger???

Hello, I am new to this site, have a band and am looking into a revision to bypass, as my band has been a total failure. I have felt hungry, true hunger (not head hunger) even when my band was overfilled, so I would like to know if that will be the case with the bypass too?  Are u hungry after surgery and during all the diet stages? Are u hungry later on? I just do not want to starve! Any honest answers appreciated! Thanks!

 I didn't feel hunger til about 3-4 months.. and even now 13 months out when I feel it it's no where near "starving" like I was pre op and a small amount of food makes it go away.  Good luck with your decision.

Thanks for the reply, congrats on your awesome weight loss!

 I'm two months' out.  I am feeling hunger, but it's not the unmanageable "must eat everything in sight" hunger.  It's the... "boy... I could sure eat something right now," kind of hunger that comes when you haven't eaten.  When I eat a little protein, the hunger goes away.  I do not feel severe cravings for sugar... although gosh knows that when I go to the local convenience store, I still love the smell of iced, cardamon donuts.  

One big difference between band and RNY is that RNY bypasses the part of the stomach primarily responsible for producing ghrelin, the hormone that is primarily responsible for making dieting people feel STARVED.  Some people who've had RNY find that this is a temporary effect, since the body is capable of producing ghrelin from other locations.  However, many find permanent relief.

That is one of the reasons why RNY has such successful long-term results.  

On the other hand, the sleeve and the switch surgeries also have fairly impressive long-term results.  You should check with people who have had those surgeries to determine what their experiences with hunger has been.

One of the main reasons I chose RNY was that I wanted to bypass the lower stomach in an effort to control the production ghrelin.  My understanding of the sleeve did not make me think that it would be as effective in this regard, since it does not bypass the lower part of the stomach, but simply reduces the size of the stomach lengthwise.

I remember that right after surgery I "felt" hunger. I wanted something solid. Now, I have days that I need to remind myself to eat and days that I do feel like I need to eat, but not hunger like before. Just like my pouch is empty and I'm feeling like if I don't eat soon I'll be tired or grumpy.

Yes, you will be hungry after surgery.  Some people don't feel hunger for a few weeks or a few months, but others feel hungry just a few days post op.  You might feel hungry while on a liquid diet or pureed diet.  It will be very important to follow the diet plan even if you feel hungry so that you don't damage your pouch or cause any complications.

After the nerves in your stomach have fully healed, you will most likely get hungry, then eat a small portion of food and feel full.  You will need to make good food choices and eat reasonable portions to get the results you want.