2 weeks post op and really hungry???

Hi Garfield. I am now on reflux meds and degas. Seems to be helping :)

It's probably reflux.  Are you on any meds for that?

I am day 2 post op and constantly hungry. The ferocious tummy rubbing kind. As soon as I came too from the surgery, that was the first sensation I felt and it was more uncomfortable than the gas pain. I wanted allowed to have anything until 14 hours after surgery at which point I was given ice chips. Still on day two now dinner time and I've eaten my allocation of jello and a cups worth of apple juice... still hungry so I'm a bit worried. I did intermittent fasting this year and I know my hunger pains normally come in stages but post of it's consistent. Been walking a lot, my be I should try degas?

Now i have a 375ml protein shake every morn for brekkie, a snack around 10 or 11am which can be a piece of fruit or pack of saltanas, lunch is a piece of weight management burgen bread with either tzatziki or hummus (the other day i managed 1.5 slices tho), arvo snack at the moment is a pack of rice crackers (45g), a coke zero, usually a piece of chocolate some time thru the day, dinner anything from about a 1 cup of tuna mornay, to about half a breast of chicken and small salad. Sometimes i get hungry later and have another small piece of chocolate or half an apple or something. Sometimes the snacks are more sometimes they are less. Sometimes i can be really good but other times i graze on bad food - but then i exercise harder to compensate. Im yet to find that happy medium! I remember my surgeon saying 12 months post surgery id probably be able to eat an entree size meal, and as long as it wasnt pasta, rice or potatos, i reckon i could probably eat that now.

tigerlea65 wrote:

oh also how much & what do you eat now. Sorry alot of questions I know but im kinda still a bit worried!

i was on puree for maybe 2 weeks from memory. I wasnt having shakes - brekkie was 1 mashed weet bix with skim milk, lunch was typically refried beans with melted cheese and a bit of sour cream (maybe 3-4 tablespoons) and dinner soup, scrambled eggs (1 egg, lil skim milk) etc. I dont recall snacking too much on puree, but as soon as i was onto soft normal foods i was defnatily getting my appetite back. I started exercising about 3 weeks post op and just started with light treadmill. Ive continued with that but have increased the speed, added weights and also use an exercise bike (typically i run/walk for about 25 mins, bike for 10 and then about 10 mins of weights). When its nice weather i walk/run outside. I loathe running and only manage to run about 1.5km out of the 3km route. When i first started tho i could barely make 100m lol so its getting easier!

tigerlea65 wrote:

Thanks butterfly & belinda that makes me feel a bit better. Can I ask you if you remember how much you were eating at the puree stage and were you still having shakes?
Also I was wondering what type & how much exercise you are doing. I have started walking but im still a bit disorginised atm, im trying to get a routine going & not just doing it ad hoc when i think of it.
Congratulations to both of you with how much you have lost that is fantastic!
Without this site i would be so lost lol

Lea

Hey Belinda

Thankyou so much for the info, now i really do feel better, Im having around 1/2 a sachet of uncle toby's porridge with 3/4 cup of low fat milk for breaky than TF shake for morning tea, maybe an egg for lunch than 1/2 cup of puree soup or meat casserole for dinner, sometimes i can have some yoghurt or custard throughout the day but sometimes i dont. This seems similar to what you were doing so im hoping that im on the right track.

Thankyou again much appriciated

Lea

Hey Lea,

On purees, I was still having at least 1 opti shake a day. Normally for lunch.

During puree, I was eating - Breakfast 1 weet bix with 1/2 cup milk

Lunch 1 opti shake

Afternoon tea 1/s cup custard or yoghurt

Dinner 1/2 cup beef barley & vege soup (pureed) was my fav but

generally a pureed soup

Dessert/supper 1/2 cup custard or yoghurt again

I was walking from day one, slowly increased to 20 mins by 4 weekd post op and am now at 30mins. I walk at least 3 times a week and because of where I live, I do Wii fit at least 3 times a week for about 30 mins as well. My kids are on holidays at the moment but after holidays I am hoping to start aqua aerobics.

I am basically on normal food now, just with an emphasis on protein. I have found that since I have started to exercise and now that I am able to drink more, I am not as hungry as I was. I am now drinking about 1.5L a day whereas in the beginning I was struggling with 400mL.

I am still eating weetbix for breakfast, but I now make up 1.5 of them and eat what I can. Some days I eat it all while others I only eat about 1. Some days I am eating a tub of yoghurt for morning tea, other days I go t hrough til lunch. I am eating 2 cruskits with cream cheese & ham and sometimes I have crea cheese corned beef and sandwich pickles on them instead. However, I had a chicken salad with ceasar dressing today and it was amazing! I find that I am really missing my vegies. At dinner time, I am eating whatever every one else eats, only a lot less, for example tonight I made pork stir fry and I probably ate almost 3/4 of a cup. I am also removing any bread crumbs from things I eat like schnitzel as it just takes up too much room!

There are alot of people who are only eating 2-3 bites of things and then are full, but that is not the case for me. I also find that I do not need to take 30 mins to eat my meals like I was told I would.

I think, in my opinion, you need to try and restric what you are eating to the guidelines set by your surgeon. Mine told me that 1/2 a cup was all I should eat at your stage and so even if I was hungry, I really made my self stick to it. I think that has helped me with my weight lose so far.

I am always happy to answer any questions, so feel free to PM me or ask away here!

All the best,

Belinda

oh also how much & what do you eat now. Sorry alot of questions I know but im kinda still a bit worried!

Thanks butterfly & belinda that makes me feel a bit better. Can I ask you if you remember how much you were eating at the puree stage and were you still having shakes?
Also I was wondering what type & how much exercise you are doing. I have started walking but im still a bit disorginised atm, im trying to get a routine going & not just doing it ad hoc when i think of it.
Congratulations to both of you with how much you have lost that is fantastic!
Without this site i would be so lost lol

Lea

Hi tigerlea,

I am 7.5 weeks out and I totally understand what you are saying! At your stage I was totally convinced that I was part of some placebo test! As the weeks have gone by, I have discovered that what I have associated as hunge pains, are about a third of the time, thirst, a third of the time they are head hunger (I was a boredom eater) and the last third I am actually still hungry.

Having said that, I still can fit quite a bit of food in, a lot more than I am reading of my fellow month sleevers. I sometimes worry, but I have lost 22kg so far so I know that everything is good.

I also exericse now, I try to do so at least 5 times a week, something I was sure I would never want to do, but if I dont, my weight loss falls below the 1.5kg a week mark, and I really want to lose as much as I can in these first 6 months, as I have a hell of a lot of weight to lose.

All the best for your new life,

Belinda

hi tigerlea, im over 6 months out and 40kg down. Right from the start ive always felt only slightly restricted, im pretty sure the amount i can eat is more thabn the average sleever. To compensate i exercise alot - anywhere between 3-5 times a week. Im not sure where id be if i didnt exercise, i would still be eating alot less than i did pre surgery but im not sure id be 40kg down. Im kinda happy to be able to fit in that little bit extra, as for times like today when i have friends over it means i can enjoy the food just as much as them and not be full after 2 bites. I think for me, im happy to be able to fit a lil bit more in than other sleevers. If you read below this really freaked me out at first, but 6 months later im content.

Hi
I had my surgery on 19/03/12 nearly three weeks ago now and Im now on the puree stage. I dont really feel restricted, im not pushing it, but it worries me that some people can only eat such small amounts while i seem to be able to eat more, alot more. I just had a very soft boiled egg and smashed that in around 5 mins no problem, I try and eat slower but its really hard and I think because it dosent hurt or come up or anything I kinda feel like why should i eat so slowly.
I am hungry but not sure if its real hunger or not. I sometimes wonder if I had enough tummy removed as well (although as i type that it sounds kinda dumb).
Did other people worry that they seemed to be able to eat a fair bit? I am loosing weight but thats because im sticking to the half a cup of food (even though I know I could eat more).
Am interested to hear if anyone else had the same fears.

Thanks guys - 3 weeks post op tomorrow and today my dietician moved me onto soft foods, so hoping the hunger between meals subsides with that! You're exactly right lindabinda, they put the staples in, they know whats best!! Littlemiss you give me hope it gets better!! My dietician said i really shouldnt be having the need for the in between meals so i hope it passes soon!!

I'm just over 6 weeks post-op now.. I remember that hungry feeling really well! I don't know if I was hungry, or I was thirsty, or if it was an emotional thing.. Whatever it was, I do know how freaking hard and frustrating it was/is!

Now I don't often get the "hunger - I would bbq my own foot if I could" type feeling... I'm at the stage now where I struggle to eat much food (good food) and keep it down.

All different stages of this journey. The feeling will subside... Eventually :)

Do what feels right for u butterfly......

And, whatever your doctor suggests as well. He is the one who put the staples into ur new tummy and he knows what it will do and how it will perform.
I dont remember feeling hungry but do remember wanting something more solid..... I used to chew meat etc then spit out the fibrous bit once there was no flavour left!
I had trouble with things like chicken , fish and lamb for some reason, still sometimes seems to stick , especially if I dont concentrate on eating, such as in group situations when I eat too fast.

You will learn what suits your sleeve :)

Good luck,
Linda :)

Im little_y i have no idea why it signed me in as that name as i havent used little_y in awhile and registered with butterflyfallen... but anyways! Im guessing my surgeon knows what he is doing by having us on the mashed stage earlier. I know he isnt the only surgeon that does it from reading a few other threads on here. When i was researching meals, it seems this is quite the norm in the US also, that the liquid stage is quite minimal ie a few days. My surgeon - Dr Jorgensen, has had no leaks at all and i met a girl only as couple of months ago who had her sleeve with the same surgeon and she had no complications at all, so think its probably best i stick with his instructions :) I think alot of surgeons have fine tuned what protocol fits their clients best so will always differ. I dont think i could have lasted on the liquid stage much longer lol! I see my dieticien on Tues so im hoping to compare where other ppl are usually at hunger wise at this stage :)

Im not a doctor nor surgeon but i was on liquid for 3 weeks then pureed for 2 then mashy food from 5-6 weeks post op....im 8 weeks post op and starting to eat very normal foods....my doctor and dietican told me its very important to stay on liquids fo rthe first 3 weeks so the swelling of your stomach goes down and it lessens the risks of rupture for over filling or food getting stuck...and for me i couldnt even eat 2tsp of custards in that first 2 weeks.....just take your time with the liquid stage, im just a little worried that you eating mashy food this early may be why you are having these sensations of hunger>?? i never had any hunger pains but i do have the sensation of fullness and now i am starting to have a little reflux....but i understand that everyone is different and have diff doctors etc....i hope it all works out for you...and good luck with your weight loss

for some reason my surgeon only has his patients on liquids whil;st in hospital and then mushies once out. To be honest i feel like i can eat anything, but im not. Im not struggling at all with anything, sometimes i feel like i havent even had the op! I really dont like that tho, as i really want that real sense of being full or non hungry to come back. Im having to just eat small portions of things throughout the day and mushed chicken just was yuck to me so i jjust chew the chicken to no end before swalling in. 1 more week then im on soft foods and i cant wait. I know most ppl look forward to getting off liquids and onto mushies but because i was only on liquids for a few days i guess for me its only natural to want to get off mushies and onto softs lol! I have my 3 week check with my surgeon/dietiion on tues so im really looking forward to finding out if my experience is much the same with some of his other patients cos i just dont feel "right" or "post op" if that makes sense.

wow i cant believe you are eating chicken 2 weeks post op. i am a week post op and i feel hunger too but as soon as i drink water it goes away... i am really sick of the liquid stage, i want to try the mushies but scared its going to hurt!!

i actually get hunger pains so not sure mine is gas. As im on mushies (woulda thought mushies would help hunger!) ive started eating a bit more frequently and smaller portions like someone mentioned below. Have even taken to eating a bit of non mushed chicken but chewing it forever before i swallow and this seems to be helping too. Yesterday i felt like i was hungry all day tho! Really hopes its just the hormones for me!! Im still losing tho which is weird, have lost another couple of kg's in a few days so until that changes i guess i shouldnt be too concerned?? I dont know, its hard to say if what im eating is alot if i cant physically compare it to anyone elses portions i guess?

I'm eight days out and kinda hungry too!! soup just doesnt cut it, although i discovered yesterday that some of the empty feeling might be gas, took some degas and felt heaps better not so empty. am really hoping that it gets better when i am eating some real food.

just having lots of small things throughout the day. I love those laughing cow cheeses - 2g of protein in each. I am losing, but slower than some people. only 8kg in 5 weeks since sleeve. Sometimes drinking makes that yuck tummy cramp go away too.

synna did you eat more or avoided the hunger pains? did you still lose weight thru that time?

I wasn't hungry for the first two weeks, and it was awesome. I felt so free. But then... the hunger came back. Growly, gnawing feeling in my tummy, it feels like its contracting - the same as my hungry feeling before the op. I'm in my 6th week now, and that feeling is a bit less. I'm hoping it subsides some more.

Yep hormones will do it. I was always hungry too at first - I found this subsided though once I got through the fluid & mushy phases - phew!. Real food was more satisfying and kept me fuller for longer.