Hunger & No Weightloss

Please ask you dr or dietitician, you could be doing harm by the amount of food. pm if you like i am in the sutherland shire and see a fantastic dietitician.
Tigga (annette)

if the surgery was a sucess it is true you do not always get no hunger but you do get it gone with just a tiny amount of food. potion control unless it is limiting to prevent being over full should never happen. something is not right you need to go back to your surgeon and talk to them extensively about what you can eat.

applesauce

I am sadly one of those for whom the "hunger miracle" did not happen. No change from pre-op, to improvement since (im 6 months plus out), no suddenly full, nada. I have to use very strict portion control or I would surprise you what I can easily eat.

This is a sample soft diet from my dietician

Breakfast: 1 Weetbix or 1/2 cup porridge with skim milk
MT: 1/2 cup diet yoghurt/custard or 100 mls skim milk
Lunch: 2 cruskits/2 vita-weets/1 slice grain toast with tuna/low fat cheese/cottage cheese/mashed egg, philly spread, etc
AT: Soft fruit, tinned or fresh (melon, peach, etc)
Dinner: Steamed fish/chicken or tuna mornay/lean mince and gravy with soft cooked vegetables
Supper: 1/2 cup diet yoghurt/custard or 100 mls skim milk

Yesterday I ate:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup porridge
MT: 1 tub Forme Yoghurt
Lunch: 3/4 slice grain toast with 30 gms cottage cheese and 30 gms tuna
AT: 1 slice rockmelon
Dinner: Soft white fish with parsley sauce, potato and pumpkin

Plus 1.2 litres water, 3 cups tea with skim milk and my 2 multivitamins

This is all I can fit in.

I thought I was eating a bit much...whats the norm?

Oh my that is alot of food, there is no way I could eat all that in one day and I am 5 weeks post-op.

I agree with Chris think you need to go visit your dietician or surgeon.

okay, xbandit, i reckon you should see your doc now - i'd definitely struggle to eat as much as that too, and i'm over 18 months out
something to remember is that for some people, it takes time for the hunger to abate after the op - also, don't take the tummy grumbles to mean you're hungry - they're a side effect and do not correlate with hunger, but will calm down in a few weeks
a suggestion - try to stick to 6 meals a day and only drink in between.
also, i think that when you move on to solid food, it might help - perhaps you're just one of those people whose stomach empties quickly
but first and foremost - talk to your doc about your concerns
good luck and let us know how you go

xbandit that is a lot of food even for somebody fully healed say a year out from surgery. i think i would actually struggle to fit it all in. how long are you left full after one of your feeds

applesauce

I hear you...scuba and the lady helena...I am soooo hungry.

It's only 10 days post op...I eat protein first, drink plenty of water...make that cordial, the water doesn't go down as easy, plus I am on anti-acids. The anti-acids where prescribed as a matter-of-course by my surgeon, I haven't felt any reflux. Yet still i am hungry.

A typical day for me goes something like this.............

7a.m. A cup of cottage cheese and a heaped tablespoon of apple puree.
unsweetend cordial
9a.m. One wheatbix with milk
boroccca
10.30 1/2-1 cup Eggcustard and a large tablspn of strawberry puree.

Cordial

11.30. 1 cup of Chicken and lentil soup.

Chocolate milk

1pm A desertspoon each of pureed ...sweet potato, pottato, mint peas, broccolli, pumpkin, 3 desert spns fish and parsley sauce.

Chinese tea

3.00pm optifast with bannana chocolate smoothie. i don't always finish the opti.

5.30 frozen yoghurt

cordial

7p.m . pureed veges with pureed chicken and gravy.
Cordial

8.00 Icecream and pureed fruit.
cordial

I pick on cheese dipped in peanut butter or spoonfulls of cottage cheese and peanut butter throughout the day plus some boiled lollies.

Then through the night I get up and eat more cottage cheese and peanut butter. Thats what i am going to do right now...I am soo hungry.

so in all I agree with everyone else...try.....

water - you may be thristy instead of hungry
antacids - could be acid, grumbly tummy
proteiin - it keeps you fuller for longer

Before you go eating something try some ant acid. some people find that it is a form of reflux that makes them think they are hungry and taking an ant acid makes the hunger all but go away. If this doesnt work then up your protien this should help keep you fuller longer.


applesauce

Hi Scuba, yep I get hungry...from day 2 post op...and its not head hungry, it's stomach growling, get something into me now, physical hunger. There is a post-op thread where there is more info...we're not on our own! Take care,

hi there
perhaps you just need to look at what you're eating - are you having enough protein in your meals? i find that if i don't, that's when i get more hungry.
also. we're talking real stomach hunger for this - "head hunger", where you want to eat, but aren't really physically hungry is another matter entirely. i'm pretty sure there's a thread around with more info on this topic - maybe under post-op - try a search.
One more thing - apparently a lot of people cvan easily mistake thirst for hunger, so make sure you're drinking your water.
best of luck.

Prior to my op, my doctor said that because he would remove a significant part of my stomach, much of the hormones which regulate hunger would be removed as well. Consequently, I would seldom be hungry for about the first two years post-op, until my body adapted. Well, the not hungry thing lasted about two months. Now I still get as hungry as ever. It takes far less to satisfy me and I have reduced from 190 lbs to 150 pounds but am surprised at how hungry I get considering what my doctor said about the hormone production being reduced. What are some of the other experiences with hunger reduction or increase?

Hi guys, thanks for your responses. Sounds like we are all very similar to each other through our stages. You both sound like you are doing really well, keep up the good work.

Cheers Bx

hi all

i've had what i would call a stall, two 2 times since my surgery on the 15 of dec. both times i noticed that i hadn't moved my bowels in days. both times the day after i had a good movement i begin to loss again. so now i'm taking Docusate ( stool softener) to keep thing moving.

HI Blossom
I was sleeved same day as you and I haven't lost in the last week or so, reading the responses to your post has answered many of my questions. I struggle to eat in the mornings, still have nausea up to about noon. My meals tend to be

Breakfast
Up and Go (though had baked beans today)

Morning tea
Cup of soup or
Soy hot chocolate (lite)

Lunch
Baked beans or
Tuna or
noodles
Dinner

Poached egg & tiny bit of salad (still struggle with raw vegies) or
mashed vegies or
baked beans

Other
Vegie juice
Water & lemon (water tastes terrible since op)/ low fat icypoles (to replenish fluids, have to watch the sugar content in these)
Lite smoothie (can only manage a small amount)
Gatorade/vitamin drinks etc, these I can drink slowwly however I try to limit these.

Amounts are quite small, struggle with some consistencies, really struggle to get even one litre of fluid in. I sit at my desk at work with half a cup of black tea, a glass of water, cup of soup and maybe up & go or sustagen drink (my energy levels are still not good.

ON THE GOOD SIDE
Like you clothes are fitting better, wearing things I haven't worn for a few years (I saved a lot of my clothes)

Sounds like we are both doing well. I might start a diary also which will include what I eat each day. I have an appoint with the dietitian in 3 weeks so this will help.
Great that you are doing the exercise, I can't wait to get back to it.
Hope my experiences help you as your's have helped me.

Hi Guys

Thanks for all your responses. I am sorry I haven’t had a chance to get on and respond before now…and I am sorry about my long winded post earlier – I just wanted to get it all out.

Just having a browse through everyones posts now and it sounds like you are all doing well – fantastic!

My weight is starting to move again – yippee. The exercise I am sure is helping as I find the days that I don’t do much nothing really much happens but on the days I walk twice it seems to come off the next day.

I think I am a bit worried as my Dr said that the majority of weight comes off in the first 3 months so if that’s the case I was hoping to get off at least 2.5kgs per week off as I have 50kg in total to lose but obviously its going to take a bit longer than that…

I am retaining a lot of fluid though and I had to take a fluid tablet yesterday as I couldn’t even get my rings on and I felt terrible so that’s helped quite a lot as well – I was 1.5kg down overnight, its amazing how much fluid you can hold hey when your not drinking much. I don’t want to make this a regular thing though so I am going to try and not take one again unless it all builds up. It makes me too lethargic the day after, unless its just the heat and not sleeping well.

Has anyone found they don’t sleep as well? I was great the first week and now I find I just wake up all night long. Like I have energy burning through me or something…bizarre feeling.

If I get some time this weekend I think I’ll start a diary, might be the best way to get all my mixed emotions out on paper. I am finding it all a bit tough at the moment – I’ve lost my comfort in food, don’t want to even eat anymore but now I have nothing to fill that void and feeling empty.

Anyways better get back to work.

Cheers
Bx

Hi Blossom

I 'lost' 9kgs at the two week post op check in. The nutritionist said it was unlikely to be weightloss (or fat loss), more likely that I was dehydrated.

She advised me to drink more (yeah, yeah, yeah, still trying with the non-alcoholic stuff) and also said that my 'weight loss' would plateau.

So, this could be a factor for you, because 8.5kgs in 5 days is pretty dramatic ... might be best to average the weight loss over time.

The target weight loss, according to the nutritionist and Dr, is 500g a week.

I have had plent of stalls but on average and still ahead of that target.

Take care

GL
Pre surgery: 101kgs
Surgery date: 7 June 08
Current weight (6 Jan 09): 74kgs

Blossom,

re eating and drinking at the same time...

I used to be very guilty of doing it (I could easily go through three pint glasses of water with a meal). Since my sleeve though I just think of it like this: I can eat, or I can drink. If I drink, then I'm not going to be able to eat a whole meal, and hence not getting all the nutrients I need from it.

The most I'll do is have a small sip or two, just to keep my mouth moist.

Kaili.

Hi Blossom
Thanks for the long update.
What you say makes sense - but there's one thing that you do need to work on, and that's drinking with your meals.
My doc told me it's this way - if you drink with your meal, it turns the food into a mush in your stomach, making it easier to digest, which means that your stomach empties earlier than it would without the fluid.
That means you get hungry earlier than you would if you didn't have a drink, and you will eat more.
And it sounds as though that's exactly what's happening to you.
So if I were you, I'd concentrate all my energy on doing without that drink with your meal.
Believe me, I know how hard that is. Like you, I've always had drinks with food, and it was a very difficult habit to break. It's okay to have a sip or two - but that's all.
Best of luck.
Chris

Jeff / Kaili / Applesauce & Chris

Thank you all so much for all your responses, tips and advice.
Jeff – thanks for your points. I will check my body fat content tomorrow when I weigh in and see if that has moved.

Kaili – thanks for you kind words. I must be in a stall then as well at the moment. My trainer has all my measurements from when I first started with him, I go back next week so I’ll get him to do them again and then I can see where I’ve changed. I know my clothes are fitting better and some are even too big so something is happening but just not on the scales.

I have always been like that though, I always lose more in cms than in kgs but I thought that maybe the operation would change that but maybe that’s the way it will be for me and I need to learn to be more patient.

I guess that is the same for me as well, I get hungry but yes get full much easier and if I eat protein its only a very small amount as I get full really quick as opposed to getting more crackers and cheese in… I think I will aim for protein in future.

I went and took a look at that thread – thank you!

Applesauce, thanks for your words of wisdom as I know you yourself have done so well so its reassuring to hear from you. I guess I just want it to all happen at once hey but its been there for a while so will take a while to move 

I will try and do the no drinking thing before and after as I still drink with my meals, I struggle with this because I am used to doing it but its just habit I know so I need to break it.
Your point on crackers makes sense and it is exactly the feeling I get, about 20 minutes later I am empty again so I am probably better to have half a boiled egg or other protein so might try that instead - more protein than the crackers. I have been using low fat phily cheese or cheese on crackers so I’ll try and have it without so many crackers.

I also wonder though if its really head hunger, although I try and talk myself through it to determine what it is, it still could be as I am just getting used to all of this and really had to deal with not being able to comfort eat.

I’ve always gotten hungry around 4-5pm so maybe it is just what my body is used to doing.
Chris, thanks for your responses and I am glad you think you would be hungry as well – good to hear that I am not doing anything wrong.

And thank you for the tips. I am only drinking water, pineapple juice or diet cordial at moment I don’t drink any caffeinated drinks. I am trying to build up to 2lt a day. I spoke to my Dr and he said to just try and get to 1lt at first and then when I can do that get to the 2lt but I am only just now getting to 1lt so another few days I’ll move onto trying 2lt – I can take quite large mouthfuls as well but its so hard to get it in isn’t it. I used to drink 2-3lt a day before….

Yes I am still taking Somac but noticed I am getting a bit of something but not full on reflux. Its just pains around my ribs etc and then a bit of gas and gurgling. I put a few pieces of fresh cut up lemon in my container so it I think it could be the lemon in my water as wasn’t happening before, might be too much acid ??

I know I just have to remind myself of that – the Dr said the same thing, it will never fully take all the hunger away for everyone but will limit what you eat so have to keep telling myself that…and I definitely have a decline in hunger levels, no where near what it was before.

Thanks again for all your responses, advice and help, I really do appreciate it. I don’t get a lot of time to get on the site of late so it is great to know that I can get all the help I need from here.

All in all if I were on the outside looking in I know that I am doing pretty well. I feel so much healthier and have so much more energy. I no longer feel like sleeping all day and its great… (The only downfall is that I am not sleeping well at night, a lot of tossing and turning but hoping that could just be the heat) so I just have to stop being so harsh on myself and just let it be…

My New Years Resolution this year is to “learn to be patient” and “just let things happen”…

Have a great day everyone, enjoy the sunshine if you are in Sydney and on holidays!

Cheers
Bx

Hi Blossom
I pretty much agree with what everyone else has said.
But for the record, I'd be hungry at the same time of day if I'd had what you'd had during the day, too.
And like you, I stalled for several weeks and didn't lose any weight at all - but then I lost a chunk of several kilos in a couple of weeks when it started to move again.
I asked my doc about it when I saw him, and he told me not to worry about it, that it's normal, and to not worry about the numbers, that the size would still be decreasing. And he was right. That's where measurements come in handy!
A couple of ideas, though:
* Sometimes thirst is mistaken for hunger. So when you get hungry, and you don't think you should be, try a drink instead. Remember that caffeinated drinks don't count in your fluid intake, and you're supposed to have 2L a day, according to my doc.
* Sometimes you can feel like you're hungry if you have reflux. Are you taking your anti-reflux meds?
* Don't forget that having this op doesn't mean you'll never feel hungry again. Some people feel a huge decline in their hunger levels, but others don't seem to notice that.
* Try to have more protein. An egg for breakfast will keep you fuller for longer than weetbix, for example. I was told that you should have protein at every meal, and I notice that when I feel most hungry is when I've been skimping on the protein.
But all in all, I don't think you're doing badly at all. Okay, the numbers aren't going down for the moment, but look at how little you're eating - eventually they'll move!
Best wishes
Chris

You are on the lighter side of those losing so had a pretty good loss for your size to start with. A stall now sounds reasonable. You can try avoiding drinking for half an hour either side of your food and see if that makes a difference to your hunger. Personally I do not get hungry, but it seems others do. You do not seem to be eating huge amounts or be hunting for lots of food. Looking for an afternoon snack would not be abnormal. crackers are like chips they disove down to nothing pretty fast, so if anything was going to leave you hungry soon after it would be them. Possibly add some protien to the top of them even if it is say some pate, or a lower fat option. it fhte fat content concerns you to much. Protien will keep you fuller far longer.

applesauce

Blossom,

Some people 'stall' for a few weeks every now and again (I'm one of them) but the weight continues to come off. Just wait and see. (I lost for the first three weeks post op and then stalled for three weeks.)

I also agree with El Jefe about building muscle. Especially if you haven't been exercising regularly prior to surgery.

Also, did you take any measurements/photos prior to surgery? If not, I strongly suggest you take some now. It's another good way to see if you're losing cm's, even if the scales aren't budging!

I also feel hunger quite regularly (breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner). It just takes a LOT less to fill me up. I also find drinking when hungry helps as it also fills you up.

You may want to check out the thread called (something like): What did you eat today? It hasn't been updated for a while, but quite a few people posted on it.

Good luck,

Kaili.