Yeah, they don't really prepare people for the potential of the hunger feelings, especially with the sleeve. One thing is for sure, the surgery didn't fail you and you are not failing at what you are doing!
Not everyone feels those levels of hunger, but it isn't uncommon at all. There are several things going on. Your brain gets into a habit with food, and I think it often still expects you to eat just like you used to eat. The surgery does a lot to reset some of our hunger related hormones, but the effect varies a lot from person to person. I hate the term "head hunger" because it implies that we all had some sort of mental health issue with food, which simply isn't always the case. However, we do have years of eating habits that are well ingrained in our system and we have genetics that want to prevent us from losing weight. Right now you have a mix of hormones and adjustments going on that may take a while to settle down.
There were times during the first few weeks that I wondered if the surgery did anything at all. I certainly knew if I ate too much, I could feel it, but from the beginning I would get hungry and I felt like I was eating more than many people who talked about one or two spoonfuls and then being full. That wasn't me. I was eating 1/2 cup and then 3/4 cup of food when others who had the surgery at the same time I did were still having trouble eating 1/4 cup. However, I'm still down 65 lbs since surgery and 75 lbs overall after 16 weeks, so it's not all about how restricted you are or how much you eat compared to others.
Here are things that helped me then and still help me now when I feel hungry and I feel like I shouldn't be hungry (like it's only be an hour since I consumed something).
- I sip water almost continuously for 30 minutes. If I am still hungry;
- I sip water and do something distracting like check out this forum and other bariatric sites, engage in a hobby, do some yard work or anything that keeps me away from food. I do that and continue to sip water for 30 minutes. If I am still hungry;
- I have a snack or a meal; I know I'm not lacking on water (which is often interpreted as hunger), and I assume that my body still needs something.
I can't say that has always cured my hunger, but if I'm hungry after all of that, I just live with it until my next meal (although I continue to sip water too). Over time, especially after I started eating real food, those weird and untimely hunger feelings went away and now I feel like my hunger pattern is pretty normal. I get hungry around the time when a snack or meal is appropriate. Do I never feel hungry at other times...of course I do, and then I follow my steps and if I have a snack, it's not a big deal. Don't stress over getting a few more calories.
As you progress and start incorporating real food, make sure you make good food choices and stay hydrated, those are the two most important parts of this journey.
Having been through some hunger ups and downs, I believe it will get better for you. Stick with the plan and make sure you are drinking a lot of water.
Oh, a side note on water. Try to drink plain water vs artificially sweetened drinks. Recent sudies in the last few years have demonstrated that artificial sweeteners cause hunger signals, sometimes intense hunger signals, in people (based on clinical research with humans). There was a very high correlation of being more hungry and actually eating more when people consumed artificially sweetened drinks. I am pretty sure, based on my own experience that it is a very real effect for many people (not all, but many). Artificial sweeteners are not great for the microbiome either, so the more you can minimize them, the better. In my opinion.
You'll get through this! It's possible you'll have some continuing hunger issues along the way, but it is still 100% possible reach your goals and then maintain them!
Best wishes!