Question:
Help . . . I am 4.5 months Post op and I can eat so much now . . .

It seems as though everything has changed about 2 weeks ago. I never get too full or sick anymore. I am not losing and always hungry . . . wow what has happened?. . . I need advise! :(    — Michele D. (posted on October 25, 2003)

October 25, 2003
This is the time when you start eating more; your pouch is larger, not inflamed any more and your appetite is returning. Not getting sick is a good thing. As far as being hungry all the time is concerned, are you eating a lot of bread, potatos, crackers, etc? Those carbs tend to make you want to eat more. If you are, I would suggest going on nothing but protein for about 3 or 4 days and see if you don't get back on track.
   — Patty_Butler

October 25, 2003
Ditto what Patty said, with one other thought: you may notice your eating capacity increases more than once as a post-op. Mine got noticeably bigger at about four months out, then at 7-8 months out, then at about a year out. I have a friend who is 19-20 months out, and is noticing she's having another increase. This is why it's so important to watch what we put into the pouch (protein first, avoiding junky carbs). We'll never be able to eat as much as we did pre-op (barring a surgical failure, like staple line disruption), but we can stop losing or even regain if we don't watch what we eat, 'cause the pouch alone isn't enough to keep us on track in the long run. Good luck!
   — Suzy C.

October 25, 2003
I noticed the same thing at 4 months out and again at 6-7 months out. It felt like I could eat SO much more but the reality is that a comparison to my old ways showed that it really was not much more and it was a new comfort with what I was eating as opposed to so much more food. At 9+ months out I feel like I can eat endlessly but again in comparison to the old ways it is so reasonable. Unfortunately the hunger does come back and the general concensus at my support group is that it happens around 4 months for everyone to some degree. Just continue to make good food choices and the increase in calories will be slight and good for you.
   — Carol S.

October 26, 2003
Whew! I am SO glad I'm not alone! I'm also 4.5 months out, and feel like I've been eating the house down the past week or so, with enough appetite left over to devour the garage and tool shed as well!!
   — Dragon G.

October 26, 2003
Hi Michelle. The same thing happened to me (I had my surgery June 4th of this year). I knew I had a problem when I was able to eat almost a whole bag of popcorn. I decided to start using the "Rules of the Pouch" to control my eating. I now fill my intestines with lots of water before eating and then I don't drink again until 2 hours after eating. It sure makes a difference. If you want me to send you "The Rules" send me an email and I will enclose the document for you. Good luck!
   — D. S

October 27, 2003
Yes, your pouch does stretch naturally and you do eat more as time goes by, but fortunately never to the capacity of the pre-op days. But just because you can eat alot more doesn't mean you have to. Keep the amounts small protein first, and eat frequently. You don't have to be hungry all the time. I eat a good 6 times a day sometimes, or whenever hungry. So instead of eating 2 scrambled eggs, its one, instead of a whole sandwich, its 1/2, or 1/2 a protein bar instead of a whole..the more frequently you eat with good healthy foods, the more fuel for that metabolism to burn, which is a good thing. As far as not losing, plateaus are normal. Keep following pouch rules-eating right, exercising, no drinking with or right after meals, no or low carbs/sugars- and it will pass.
   — Cindy R.

October 28, 2003
As far as the part about feeling hungry, the same thing happened to me. At about 4 months post-op I began to be hungry - no ravenous - all the time. The good news is that it lasted only (!) 4 weeks. I had to try extra hard to control myself to keep from snacking (or as my surgeon puts it "grazing"). But, it did go away and hasn't happened again since (I'm 6 months out now). Hang in there!
   — Debbie C.