MY HUNGER IS BACK!!
melbogg
Posts: 135 Member
I loved the first 6 months of my sleeve when I had to actually "remember" and force myself to eat.
The last few weeks my hunger has returned. Some weeks worse than others so it may be part hormonal. I eat at least every 2 hours minimum. I actually feel hungry!! I fear it will keep increasing until I am jumbo sized again..
Anyone else experience this??
The last few weeks my hunger has returned. Some weeks worse than others so it may be part hormonal. I eat at least every 2 hours minimum. I actually feel hungry!! I fear it will keep increasing until I am jumbo sized again..
Anyone else experience this??
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Replies
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Not at the six month mark yet, but I'm experiencing the same thing. I really have to watch it now as some days my calorie intake goes up to @ 1400 calories.
I think this is all part of the process. I know others have said that anywhere from 6 to 18 months is a honeymoon period to learn how to use this tool.
Maybe we are getting past that phase and actually have to start working at this again. We knew it wasn't going to last.
As for the fear, don't let it overwhelm you. Use it to spur you to use the logging tools on here, reset your mindset. I've recently gone back to using at least one shake a day to try and regain some of that intial success.
Hang in there. You have done great so far! You can make it the rest of the way!0 -
I noticed once I started to really workout and burn like 400 cals or more during my workouts I did actually feel hungry but my WLS nut told me to up my cals also at that point. I still have to ask myself is it head hunger or am I really hungry?!?!? Sometimes it is just head hunger and I will drink a sf ff hot chocolate at 20 cals to help squash that head hunger monster. Sometimes I fall for it and eat something when I am not hungry too. I have heard after 1 year or so from sleeve surgery the hungry pains can come back. Now you just have to decide if it is actual physical hunger or head hunger is the issue. How many cals are you consuming a day? Protein grams? How much do you exercise cals burn off a day. At 6 months out you should be getting 1000 cals a day in and like 80 grams of protein according to my WLS program but I know they are all different.0
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. At 6 months out you should be getting 1000 cals a day in and like 80 grams of protein according to my WLS program but I know they are all different.
I eat around 1000-1200 cal per day and 80-90 g protein..........the more I think about this and examine myself I am realizing some of my old bad choice habits are creeping back. For instance allowing myself to sip a diet soda instead of water. We all know diet soda makes you crave high fat and sugar. Or allowing myself a treat of custard from Rita's, but finishing the small size because it goes down so easily. None of that serious restriction that you get from broccoli or baked chicken -lol I probably need to go back to basics - maybe even all liquid for a few days to jump start things.0 -
I am 13 months out and can say that I do not usually get hungry, but am always thinking about eating or craving something. It is definitely in my head, not my stomach. I have been at a standstill for several months. I started seeing a therapist to deal with this relationship I still have with food. It is frightening to think that even after surgery I am still having trouble losing the weight.0
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Operator, I've always believed there are deep underlying issues for me, so I too am talking to someone. I'm trying to do it before I start the self sabotage that I've always done in the past.
Good luck on getting back on track.0 -
dward59 - Thanks for the support. I already have been sabotaging myself but didn't look at it that way. I am learning a lot with therapy about the underlying issues, but my food addiction must be very strong. I am determined to succeed with the weight loss even if it takes me a lot longer.
Sounds as if you are handling it right.0 -
God bless us all0
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Can't say I actually have my hunger back, but I do have those times or days when I am really snacky. I know that is all in my head. I have also gone back to two meals of protein shakes per day to get the scale moving again and found that it reset my sleeve a bit. It felt more like it did when I first started eating food again. It felt like there was actually less room in it, like somehow the few days of a mostly liquid diet somehow shrank it a little.
So, my suggestion is try the shake thing for a few days again. Have some protein, like lean turkey slices you can munch when you are feeling like you need to eat between meals. Have some almost no calorie things around for the same reason, like celery or baby carrots. And look at what you are eating. Is there something there that is a food trigger for you? We all have food triggers, mine are flavored chips and ice cream. I haven't had these since before my surgery because I know they are triggers and I don't think I will be able to control them now any better than before, so why do that to myself? So look at what you might be eating that is triggering the hunger.
Good luck and stay in touch if you want to talk about it more.0 -
Can't say I actually have my hunger back, but I do have those times or days when I am really snacky. I know that is all in my head. I have also gone back to two meals of protein shakes per day to get the scale moving again and found that it reset my sleeve a bit. It felt more like it did when I first started eating food again. It felt like there was actually less room in it, like somehow the few days of a mostly liquid diet somehow shrank it a little.
So, my suggestion is try the shake thing for a few days again. Have some protein, like lean turkey slices you can munch when you are feeling like you need to eat between meals. Have some almost no calorie things around for the same reason, like celery or baby carrots. And look at what you are eating. Is there something there that is a food trigger for you? We all have food triggers, mine are flavored chips and ice cream. I haven't had these since before my surgery because I know they are triggers and I don't think I will be able to control them now any better than before, so why do that to myself? So look at what you might be eating that is triggering the hunger.
Good luck and stay in touch if you want to talk about it more.
Shakes do not keep me full......I have one every morning at 5:30 and I am starving by 8 am. I do use them as "snacks" sometimes to help fulfill my protein and water requirements, but they seriously do not satisfy me.0 -
YES!! I was six months as well when it happened to me. And I started eating everything in sight and for the past three months have had a terrible time staying on track and I honestly let it go and gave in, The GOOD thing about it is, I could not eat a whole lot so in those three months I have gone up and down the same 5 pounds. That told me that my sleeve was indeed working for me, because before when I lost a lot of weight I gained 30 pounds back in that time frame. I am blessed that it was only 5 pounds. I got back on track last week and lost 4.2 pounds last week. I am still back on track and started my waking again today. You just need to get your mind set that this is what you are going to do and get back on track. I eat three meals and two snacks a day. I have also found that when I feel hungry if I drink a cup of hot tea, it really helps fill me up and take my mind off the food. You can do this. This must be kinda normal cause I have heard other people say they started getting hungry around the 6 month mark..0
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It's perfectly fine to start to want food again. In fact I would be worried if you didn't. I'm 20 days shy of being 2 years out, and I know what your going through I remember it well.
That said you should be using your brand new restrictive stomach as a tool to feed your body the nutrition it needs on your new more active lifestyle. Continue to eat at a deficit, don't eat back calories you burn. Make smart choices that are protein and fiber rich which will help you will the the hunger and make you feel full faster, add more lettuce in your salads if it doesn't fill you up with the protein you put in there. STRUCTURE! is key, you need to make an attempt to eat at the same times every day Breakfast, snack if you have to, Lunch, snack, dinner. Make sure you are getting your fluids in and vitamins as they will help stem your appetite.
I'm not an MD, or a Nutritionist but I have a PHD in kicking *kitten* and taking names when it comes to weight.0 -
YES!! I was six months as well when it happened to me. And I started eating everything in sight and for the past three months have had a terrible time staying on track and I honestly let it go and gave in, The GOOD thing about it is, I could not eat a whole lot so in those three months I have gone up and down the same 5 pounds. That told me that my sleeve was indeed working for me, because before when I lost a lot of weight I gained 30 pounds back in that time frame. I am blessed that it was only 5 pounds. I got back on track last week and lost 4.2 pounds last week. I am still back on track and started my waking again today. You just need to get your mind set that this is what you are going to do and get back on track. I eat three meals and two snacks a day. I have also found that when I feel hungry if I drink a cup of hot tea, it really helps fill me up and take my mind off the food. You can do this. This must be kinda normal cause I have heard other people say they started getting hungry around the 6 month mark..
Thanks Mandy!!! I love how you are always so positive!!! I've been playing with the same few pounds for a while too. Im so so so happy to read that im not alone. I am going to do exactly as you say and get back on track!0 -
It's perfectly fine to start to want food again. In fact I would be worried if you didn't. I'm 20 days shy of being 2 years out, and I know what your going through I remember it well.
That said you should be using your brand new restrictive stomach as a tool to feed your body the nutrition it needs on your new more active lifestyle. Continue to eat at a deficit, don't eat back calories you burn. Make smart choices that are protein and fiber rich which will help you will the the hunger and make you feel full faster, add more lettuce in your salads if it doesn't fill you up with the protein you put in there. STRUCTURE! is key, you need to make an attempt to eat at the same times every day Breakfast, snack if you have to, Lunch, snack, dinner. Make sure you are getting your fluids in and vitamins as they will help stem your appetite.
I'm not an MD, or a Nutritionist but I have a PHD in kicking *kitten* and taking names when it comes to weight.
Great advise, thank you. I love salads and missed them the first few months with the super tiny tummy. Now I will start enjoying them more often again0 -
Sleeved 12/11 and yes, that is a part of the process. Key, eat small amounts every 2-3 hours and drink your water. It's relaxed now and not all swollen and therefore you feel like eating more. It's normal, don't freak out, keep your carbs between 60-80, get your protein in and you'll be fine. Beware of passes it will bite you big time! Continue working out, that's also a key! I adjusted my goals on here to 1200 cals and the carbs to 60 (you can go to 80) and the sodium I put at 1500. It's working for me as I'm losing the last 30 lbs and had gotten stuck. Best wishes. Once you reach you goal increase the carbs to 100. This is what the dr. office told me.0
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I'm so confused. I'm pre-op but everything I read in WLS/sleeve conversations refers to a daily calorie/carb intake that most nutritionists find inadequate. Doesn't this create a problem with adaptive thermogenesis (slowed metabolism?) and nutritional deficiencies? I saw a documentary that said an anorexic woman was consuming 950 calories a day, just that of a one-year-old but I routinely hear of weight loss patients who consume less than 1,000 calories both during loss AND during maintenance. Isn't this unhealthy? How does your body continue to function through daily life and workout if you are only consuming less than 1,000 calories a day and less than 50 carb grams?
I'm not trying to be negative, I just need to understand. How does this extended deficit serve the health, and is there something you do to overcome it? How do you protect your body from malnourishment?0 -
Can't say I actually have my hunger back, but I do have those times or days when I am really snacky. I know that is all in my head. I have also gone back to two meals of protein shakes per day to get the scale moving again and found that it reset my sleeve a bit. It felt more like it did when I first started eating food again. It felt like there was actually less room in it, like somehow the few days of a mostly liquid diet somehow shrank it a little.
So, my suggestion is try the shake thing for a few days again. Have some protein, like lean turkey slices you can munch when you are feeling like you need to eat between meals. Have some almost no calorie things around for the same reason, like celery or baby carrots. And look at what you are eating. Is there something there that is a food trigger for you? We all have food triggers, mine are flavored chips and ice cream. I haven't had these since before my surgery because I know they are triggers and I don't think I will be able to control them now any better than before, so why do that to myself? So look at what you might be eating that is triggering the hunger.
Good luck and stay in touch if you want to talk about it more.
Shakes do not keep me full......I have one every morning at 5:30 and I am starving by 8 am. I do use them as "snacks" sometimes to help fulfill my protein and water requirements, but they seriously do not satisfy me.
If you have a shake at 5:30 and are hungry by 8:00, that's real hunger. It's almost 3 hours between. Sleeves like to be fed every 2-3 hours depending on where you are in the journey, so you might need to build some low cal, high protein snacks into your day. I eat breakfast at 8:30-9:30 during the work week and have a snack at about 11, then lunch at 1. By the time I get home for dinner at 5:30 I am ready to eat again. Might not be that your hunger is back, might be that you are waiting too long between meals?0 -
I'm so confused. I'm pre-op but everything I read in WLS/sleeve conversations refers to a daily calorie/carb intake that most nutritionists find inadequate. Doesn't this create a problem with adaptive thermogenesis (slowed metabolism?) and nutritional deficiencies? I saw a documentary that said an anorexic woman was consuming 950 calories a day, just that of a one-year-old but I routinely hear of weight loss patients who consume less than 1,000 calories both during loss AND during maintenance. Isn't this unhealthy? How does your body continue to function through daily life and workout if you are only consuming less than 1,000 calories a day and less than 50 carb grams?
I'm not trying to be negative, I just need to understand. How does this extended deficit serve the health, and is there something you do to overcome it? How do you protect your body from malnourishment?
Good questions!! I am 2 years out from surgery and per my nutritionist I am supposed to be getting an average of 1,000 calories per day and 70-80 grams of protein. I am losing very slowly now, but since I am 2 years out, this is nomal. Once you hit a certain point in the weight loss, you need to up the calorie intake to about 1,000. Your doctor will give you all those details.0 -
I'm so confused. I'm pre-op but everything I read in WLS/sleeve conversations refers to a daily calorie/carb intake that most nutritionists find inadequate. Doesn't this create a problem with adaptive thermogenesis (slowed metabolism?) and nutritional deficiencies? I saw a documentary that said an anorexic woman was consuming 950 calories a day, just that of a one-year-old but I routinely hear of weight loss patients who consume less than 1,000 calories both during loss AND during maintenance. Isn't this unhealthy? How does your body continue to function through daily life and workout if you are only consuming less than 1,000 calories a day and less than 50 carb grams?
I'm not trying to be negative, I just need to understand. How does this extended deficit serve the health, and is there something you do to overcome it? How do you protect your body from malnourishment?
Not having a background in nutrition or medicine, I cant say for certain. As a sleeve patient I can say my body functions fine. I take my vitamins daily (or every other day at worst). I get my required protein 99% of the time and I drink plenty of water.
Think about people who eat 3000 calories a day of McDonald's, plenty of calories, but they are still malnourished becasue its not a well balanced diet0 -
Look into the term ketosis....yes, for an average weight person, low calories and carbs can be dangerous, but according to my WLS registered dietician and MD, we can go with less calories and carbs for a period of time. Our bodies burn carbs for energy, and when we do not have those carbs, it starts to burn fat stores instead. There is a LOT of information out there, some good and some bad, but do your research and trust how your body feels.
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