Hungry all the time

I had a vertical sleeve done on July 22 (almost a week ago), and I'm hungry. So hungry at night it is hard to sleep. I'm drinking my water and shakes, but I never feel full. Has anyone had this? I hope I didn't put my body through this surgery only to be hungry all the time.

Physically I did not want to eat at all, but I missed food.  This was an extension of my food mourning that I was experiencing for the 2-3 months up to my surgery.  I wondered what in the world my wife and I would do with ourselves as we loved to go out to eat.  Now we go to the bike path, swim and get naked more often (not at the bike path)!  This sure beats fine dining.  I am not sure why you feel physically hungry.....Those shakes should be filling you up.  I know that warm broth was very soothing at first.

I am 3 months out, and up until a few weeks ago, I still had hunger between meals. 

When I had "full hunger", I found that once I was on "normal" foods, and had 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day, with protein always first, I would get full and stay full for 3-4 hours.

Recently, I stopped being hungry in the morning.  Yay?!  I still get hungry between lunch and bedtime, but manage that by having a high protein afternoon snack, dinner, and evening snack.

I am on week three after my sleeve. I have experienced hunger almost from the start. I am on mushy to semi solid foods now and find that I have to eat very small bits frequently in order to stay satisfied. I also have come to realize that what I am experiencing as "hunger" is actually a feeling of physical emptiness. I am having to become accustomed to that feeling because as an overeater I NEVER allowed that to happen. I am not saying that is what is happening to you at all, but I know it is part of what I am experiencing. Good luck! Hang in there. In my short three weeks I have noticed that things and experiences change frequently. There is a lot to get used to here.

I am over 8 months out and never lost my hunger.  But, I'm not hungy all the time.  I eat and then I'm satisfied for 3-4 hours.  The water and shakes never "filled me up" either when I was early out.  I thought, where's the dang restriction everybody talks about.  It's because those liquids go right through you.  When you're hungry, drink another shake or eat a SF popsicle or some broth.  You'll find your restriction and your hunger will be abated when you go onto soft or mushie foods.  Then you'll see what we mean.  Just keep the fluids going in now...also, some have reported that a PPI helps with the hunger.  Did your doc put you on one?  If not, maybe that would help.

Deb

I was hungry most of the time until I could have regular food again - that filled me up.

Post op- I got in all my fluids and protien (shakes, isopure, water, broth) but head hunger or whatever, I felt hungry too, everyone is different.

How about 1or 2 oz. of creamy soups or milk/yogurt - something with some calories and fat in them - early out they helped me so much and took away some of that hungry feeling.

Best of luck - it does get better with every day. :)

Stomach acid mimics hunger.  If you're not on a PPI, like prilosec, or an acid inhibitor like pepcid, call your doc and see what he recommends.

Dehydration also mimics hunger, so drin****il you're floating!

Although they removed the part of the stomach that produces most of the hunger-hormone ghrelin, it takes a few weeks for it to work its way out.

And finally, unfortunately, not everyone loses their hunger.  If that's the case, you have to first figure out whether it's head hunger or real hunger, then get on an eating schedule to satisfy your real hunger - think frequent small, SMALL meals.

Thank you everyone. I was worried that maybe the Dr. take enough for restriction. Yes, my hunger does feel like an emptiness and I think that once I get up to mushy food maybe this will go away. The shakes and liquids I guess are made to go right through. An yes I'm drinking so much, I feel like my kidneys are going to float away. It is very hot here and I don't want to dehydrate.

So thank you again. I see that I'm normal...which is a good thing in this case.