Why do I feel hungry?

I am a little over 3 monthd out and have been feeling hungry lately and it scares me. Thank God for the restriction! I drink about 70 ounces of liquid per day, eat 6 meals/snacks, protein is usually 85-100 grams per day, and I take Prilosec twice a day. I had been eating 800+ calories a day but I have upped it to 1100-1200 to sate the feeling. Could it be in my jead or am I really hungry?

I only eat 3 meals a day, 1 or 2 shakes in between. Sometimes I think I feel hunger but I tell myself it is really thirst and I drink more water until it is time to eat. Good luck.

Thanks Sarah. I have been sipping when I feel this way and then waiting to see if it goes away, and it doesn't. I think maybe the Prilosec isn't working :(

You could be hungry, but I would question whether it's real hunger at this stage. It could be in your head or it might even be acid production.

You might want to speak with your surgeon or PCP about switching to a different PPI. Prilosec didn't work well for me and I was put on Protonix. That did the trick and took all my symptoms away. I didn't have reflux, but would feel ravenously hungry about 20 or 30 minutes after I ate. It was the acid that was making me feel like I was hungry even when I wasn't. It was a really weird head trip, too, because I knew I couldn't possibly be hungry, yet I sure physically felt that I was. This might be something to consider in your case.

Only draw back is that I get reflux by evening if I forget to take the Protonix in the morning. That bothers me. Shows my system is dependent upon the drug.

I think 1100-1200 calories per day at 3 months out is a lot, too. I went back to my online food log and found that I was eating right around 650-700 calories per day at 3 1/2 months out. I'm a guy and half a foot taller than you. I would hate to see you slow your weight loss this early out by eating too many calories. What are you eating to get this many calories per day? Have you added carbs back in your diet? I know they are your nemesis (I read your member profile) and refined carbs sure stimulate my hunger levels.

Remember, too, please that I'm just sharing my experience. You might really be hungry. I don't know. I wanted to give you some things to consider other than true hunger.

Best of luck to you on figuring this out.

Thanks so much for the info. YES, I get the hungry feeling a while after I eat too. Maybe the Prilosec isn't doing what it is supposed to. I will be calling the surgeon on Monday. I have been eating nuts, another nemisis. Today I had a shake, deli ham, cheese, a protein bar and nuts. I have to cut the nuts. Thanks so much.

Okay, if I may be so pushy....

You need to eat some dense protein! Everything you listed is semi soft and will do less to fill you up than lean, dense protein. The protein bar (depending on the brand) might also be high carb along with high protein. My surgeon warns against using them (though one of his RDs said they were okay). His experience is that people who use protein bars tend to be triggered by them.

Instead of deli ham and cheese, how about 2 oz dry chicken breast and a couple of TBS of green beans with ranch dressing? Instead of nuts, how about 1-2 oz of a low carb beef jerky (jack link's is a good one)? Instead of a protein bar, how about an egg scramble with the deli ham and cheese? I think you'll find these things will fill you up better and with fewer calories!

Worth a try anyway! The less processed or pre prepared food you eat I think the better off you'll be.

Again, just my opinion.

I think you are correct. I have been lax on preparing my meals and have been eating more processed foods, guilty... When I was preparing ground turkey and chicken in my crockpot, I wasn't having this issue. Also I hardly eat any veggies, should I be?. Thanks for the wakeup call, seriously! I know what i need to be doing, just needed a kick in the rear LOL That is why I love this forum. I truly need to get back to basics.

I'm about three months out too.  I have days like that.  I talked to my nutritionist and her suggestion was upping my calories from 800 to 1200 on days that I work out, which is most days.  I have a hard time psychologically doing that so i split the difference.  Her other suggestion was to eat really dense protein and cut down on yogurt and other soft proteins.  I know with me some of it is psychological, especially this time of year with all of the food around.  Hope that helps a little.

Thanks for the info Dan. I do need to get back to the dense proteins. Actually, yogurt worked well for me, have several containers of it. I think I have just gotten burned out on some of the stuff that I had been eating for so long (chicken, tuna, etc.), but I need these things to continue losing, so maybe I will find some new ways to make it.

Eat more grilled/baked chicken thighs and legs.