My surgery date was 8/17/2020 and I feel like my experience has been so different from others (I know I shouldn’t compare but I can’t help to feel like something is wrong) I’ve been hungry ever since surgery I was under the impression I wouldn’t want to eat and was expecting to not have any interest in food. I could easily down water right after surgery. Once I started eating soft foods (2oz) I felt like I could easily eat with no issues. Now I’m aloud to eat 4oz and more then soft. I keep trying to keep it under 3.5 oz because I’m scared of stretching my stomach already but sometimes I don’t feel full at all of even 3 oz. I’ve seen a lot of people barley able to eat 1 full egg a month out. This isn’t mental hunger, I physically feel not full.. it’s when I do get a somewhat “full” sensation I feel like I’m hungry again a hour later. I don’t want to eat this often, I don’t want to feel this hungry all the time. I don’t know if I just still need to adjust or this surgery was a total waste.
Feeling like surgery has failed me only one month out...
- Thread starter Khaught83
- Start date
I felt that way too. I would be so hungry for my favorite NY pizza, but couldn’t have it. I would walk by an isle in the grocery store and would want to grab anything I saw. For me it was more psychological. However when I didn’t get enough fluids or water in my system I would have that hunger sensation too. Are you eating three small meals per day and snacks in between? I recommend that you reach out to your dietician for some suggestions.
JudyNY
Member
I understand what you are saying. I get the hunger too and wanting for foods I shouldn't eat. The latter being more emotional. I had complications after surgery and was in the hospital for three weeks. (that's another story) But I remember being very hungry (stomach hungry) waiting for the hospital meal to come. I wouldn't eat much but I was having hunger pangs, something I didn't think I would get. What I try to do is find something healthy to eat in between your meals. That's when I have some salad with low cal dressings, or fruit, or yogurt. That keeps me from eating things I shouldn't. I know you are only a month out, so perhaps the yogurt or applesauce might be best for you. Or maybe only a small portion of a protein shake instead of the whole thing.
I had feelings of "surgery remorse" but that was more because of my complications and why did I do this? It did pass and I think it will for you too, just hang in there. It will be worth it in the end!
I'm 9 months out and have been getting hungry recently. I walk alot and my friends are commenting that I am always eating! The meals are about 3 hours apart and I have a snack in between. That's about 4 "meals" and 3-4 snacks a day. I find that if I up my water intake, I eat a bit less and feel less hungry.
YMMV
YMMV
Judy,I had complications and felt that way too. Where in NY did you have your surgery. I had mine in Rochester.
JudyNY
Member
Kayleigh, mine was in Middletown NY. Wound up having 3 surgeries. I had sepsis and internal bleeding.
No honestly I’m afraid that they’ll just brush it off and say it’s mental hunger. At this point what can even be done if I’m one month and easily able to eat probably 4oz at a time? I mean there’s no way I stretched my stomach this early. Like I don’t know what could even physically be done.
T
thats the thing I haven’t even had many cravings for unhealthy food. I normally just want chicken or cheese. I just wish I wouldn’t get hungry and when I am just eat a small amount and be full for hours like everyone else. I don’t understand why it’s so easy for me to eat this early. Makes me feel like he didn’t cut my stomach as small as he could have.
Maybe I’ll try to drink more water I honestly don’t drink as much as I should.
dianeseattle
Member
Your best bet is ALWAYS to call your surgical team for evaluation and advice
And as to stomach stretching, forget it! It takes YEARS of overeating to do that. The most likely way a temporary stretch is possible is from drinking carbonated beverages.
The stomach's fabric is thick, unstretchable tissue. Holding a stomach in your hand, as I've done with deer and cows while butchering, you can get an idea how difficult it is to stretch.
The thick tissue prevents easy stretching so people can sense satiety and stop eating. Overeating makes people uncomfortable, which is why people look for a comfy spot to sit and stretch out until enough food passes into the intestinal track to relieve the bulk (Thanksgiving, football games, Barcaloungers). It's like trying to stretch a sheet of leather.
The myth of stomach-stretching is part of body dysmorphia and eating disorders. Try wrapping your brain around niblets of medical science, not worrying about rumors you've been told.
If you follow the eating plan, you'll lose weight at your body's pace. It's better to keep a food journal and weigh and measure every bite you eat. Then you'll have no reason to fear eating.
And I'll say again that I lost 35 pounds the first month, 25 the second, and 15 the 3rd, then hit a 5-month plateau. That's not unusual, but I think it's slower, the more pre-op weight you carried. I followed the post-op plan religiously and broke the plateau by training for a mountain hike at the YMCA, and then actually doing it. Then I lost 40 more pounds over 6 months.
Than
thank you .. that made me feel a lot better. Today I seem to be getting more full 
So maybe it’s my nerves just healing up. I weigh everything I eat besides one time I went out to eat with my husband I just ate really slow and knew a 6OZ sirloin shrinks to about 4OZ and ate maybe half. But this morning i had one egg and one turkey bacon slice which weighed 1.87 OZ and felt pretty satisfied. Lunch 2OZ of steak and .80 of Colby jack cheese and took a while to finish maybe an hour. I felt like I was hungry a hour and half after the steak and drank a water and felt better so I think I need to start drinking more water in between meals. But I appreciate all you’ve said it really has helped. It’s just so interesting how everyone heals so different others are barley eating a egg and I comfortably can but everyone’s body is different I suppose.
thank you .. that made me feel a lot better. Today I seem to be getting more full
So maybe it’s my nerves just healing up. I weigh everything I eat besides one time I went out to eat with my husband I just ate really slow and knew a 6OZ sirloin shrinks to about 4OZ and ate maybe half. But this morning i had one egg and one turkey bacon slice which weighed 1.87 OZ and felt pretty satisfied. Lunch 2OZ of steak and .80 of Colby jack cheese and took a while to finish maybe an hour. I felt like I was hungry a hour and half after the steak and drank a water and felt better so I think I need to start drinking more water in between meals. But I appreciate all you’ve said it really has helped. It’s just so interesting how everyone heals so different others are barley eating a egg and I comfortably can but everyone’s body is different I suppose.Very sorry to hear that. I had an adhesion that caused a stricture. I was barely able to eat without getting that stuck feeling. How long ago did you have surgery?
Shawna0530
Member
I am praying for you. I’m just 4 days since surgery and have thought about a slice of buttermilk pie but have had a stretching feeling last night and know I don’t desire to feel that way regularly so that is definitely motivation for me.
WazzuCoug
Member
I can relate. You aren't getting your stomach stretched out. I have been eating 3-4oz meals since week 3, which is more than many, but I'm losing weight and doing just fine. There have been times when I wondered if they actually removed my stomach because I felt like I was eating too much. In reality, I will still only eating 800-1000 calories a day and doing just fine, but I was definitely hungry. What I've found is times, when I am feeling like I didn't get full, are days when I haven't had enough water to drink. It has almost always been the case.
Thirst can very easily be interpreted as hunger, so a key is constantly drinking water and liquid.
Here is what I do when I feel like I'm hungry:
A good goal is to keep yourself hovering between hunger and satiated, but not full. I think it can be very difficult for us, with our new stomachs, to really understand the difference between over-full, full, and satiated. Below is an intuitive eating scale that can be helpful. You want to try to stay in the 3-7 range. I'm working on this to become more aware of the feelings at each level. I track food periodically to get a better understanding of how much I have eaten and where on this scale I would put myself. My goal is to be able to manage my eating by intuition and not daily tracking, although I believe it is helpful to do periodically to keep yourself accountable or when working through a stall.
0 - Starving and beyond
1 - You are so hungry you could eat anything and everything
2 - You are consumed with hunger. Everything looks good
3 - You are hungry. The urge to eat is strong
4 - A little hungry. You can wait to eat, but you will be hungrier soon.
5 - Neutral; not hungry and not full. You can wait to eat.
6 - No longer hungry. You sense food in your stomach, but you could eat more.
7 - Hunger is definitely gone. if you stop now, you may not feel hungry for 3-4 hours.
8 - Not uncomfortable, but you have eaten enough food and you can wait a while to eat more
9 - You feel a little uncomfortable and know you could have stopped earlier.
10 - "Thanksgiving full", uncomfortable, or even painful.
You are not alone with the hunger, but you can manage it. Double-check your water consumption and if you are getting in 64oz or less, drink more.
Thirst can very easily be interpreted as hunger, so a key is constantly drinking water and liquid.
Here is what I do when I feel like I'm hungry:
- Sip water for 30 minutes before deciding to have something to drink.
- Still hungry, keep sipping water and go find something to do for 30 minutes or more...a hobby, a work project, a long casual walk...anything that takes you away from the kitchen and food.
- Still hungry, have a snack or a meal. It's perfectly normal to have a nice protein-rich snack between a meal here and there. I generally have something between breakfast and lunch and again between lunch and dinner...although, I find if I get myself involved in something, like a hobby project or whatever, I often don't have a snack and really didn't miss it, but I'm definitely more hungry when it comes to mealtime.
A good goal is to keep yourself hovering between hunger and satiated, but not full. I think it can be very difficult for us, with our new stomachs, to really understand the difference between over-full, full, and satiated. Below is an intuitive eating scale that can be helpful. You want to try to stay in the 3-7 range. I'm working on this to become more aware of the feelings at each level. I track food periodically to get a better understanding of how much I have eaten and where on this scale I would put myself. My goal is to be able to manage my eating by intuition and not daily tracking, although I believe it is helpful to do periodically to keep yourself accountable or when working through a stall.
0 - Starving and beyond
1 - You are so hungry you could eat anything and everything
2 - You are consumed with hunger. Everything looks good
3 - You are hungry. The urge to eat is strong
4 - A little hungry. You can wait to eat, but you will be hungrier soon.
5 - Neutral; not hungry and not full. You can wait to eat.
6 - No longer hungry. You sense food in your stomach, but you could eat more.
7 - Hunger is definitely gone. if you stop now, you may not feel hungry for 3-4 hours.
8 - Not uncomfortable, but you have eaten enough food and you can wait a while to eat more
9 - You feel a little uncomfortable and know you could have stopped earlier.
10 - "Thanksgiving full", uncomfortable, or even painful.
You are not alone with the hunger, but you can manage it. Double-check your water consumption and if you are getting in 64oz or less, drink more.
JudyNY
Member
My surgery was on June 25th. A few days after that the infection showed up. Did the stricture go away on it's own. That must have felt awful.
dianeseattle
Member
I love that intuitive eating scale, Ryan. Did you write that? That is a great tool for everyone to use. I'm going to print it out and put it in my kitchen!
WazzuCoug
Member
Ha, I wish I was smart enough to come up with something like that. It's a scale that all the patients who use Legacy Weight and Diabetes Institute in Portland get as part of their info packet for bariatric surgery.
canecorso81
Member
T
That is exactly how I feel!!! That is why i always am feeling like I am failing also.
canecorso81
Member
I had mine in rochester as well!! Who was your DR?