Why am I hungry? Hunger after Gastric Sleeve or Bypass
You may have heard that after bariatric surgery, you wouldn’t be hungry. What if that isn’t the case? If you’ve ever thought “Why am I hungry after a Gastric Sleeve? or Bypass?” this blog and video is cued up just for you!
Don’t forget to grab this freebie while you’re here! My ‘Am I really hungry?’ flowchart asks you questions that can help you identify if you need to eat, or not. It includes important bariatric eating habits that will better control your hunger after a Gastric Sleeve or Bypass!
Hunger after Gastric Sleeve or Bypass surgery, don’t fear it, get to know it and work with it.
If I could tell you one thing about hunger after Gastric Sleeve or Bypass, it’s this: don’t be afraid.
Hunger is a natural body cue and something you can manage just like keeping yourself warm by packing layers. We aren’t trying to eradicate hunger with bariatric surgery or with anti-obesity medications. ALthough, both of those treatment options for obesity allow you better manage hunger and body weight.
In this video, I am dishing it all and hope you find encouragement that it’s okay to feel hungry, and what to do about it!
Ready for more?? My Food Fundamentals Course is ready for you!! Learn everything you need about food and hunger after Gastric Sleeve, Bypass or DS.
Hunger is a natural body cue
Hunger is your body telling you something and it’s more than normal to feel hunger after Gastric Sleeve or bypass. Don’t fear it. Honor it. Learn from it.
If you feel hungry when you feel like you shouldn’t be, ask yourself why you think you’re hungry, but also go ahead and eat a protein snack.
Don’t withhold food from yourself because you think you shouldn’t be hungry. That’s like not putting on a jacket because you shouldn’t be cold.
You can always learn from your hunger. Find it interesting! Try different approaches to food and eating and see how it increases or decreases hunger. Below are six common reasons I see patients having hunger outside their meal times.
Reasons why you could be hungry after Gastric Sleeve or Bypass
1- Hydration
Our brain will mistake hunger and thirst very easily. If you’re hungry after Gastric Sleeve or Bypass and it’s not time to eat your next meal, consider of much fluid you’ve had.
2- Drinking with meals or too soon after
The fluid rule after surgery is not a short-term one, it’s long-term because of the anatomical changes in your digestive system. Drinking with your meal or too soon after will move the food through faster and hunger returns sooner.
You can drink until your first bite, but after that put the fluids away. Set a time for 30-60 minutes and return to drinking water so you stay hydrated.
3- Eating too fast
If we’re honest, we all struggle with eating too fast! We do most things in life too fast and consuming food is no different.
This can be a very hard habit to build but SO worthwhile! Try the timer inside the Bariatstic app to help you pace your bites. Eating too fast will tell your brain you’re full prematurely, but you’ll experience hunger soon after the meal since you didn’t really fill up.
4- Too soft of protein textures
While cottage cheese and deli meat are wonderful sources of protein, the softer texture will make a difference in hunger levels. If you find yourself getting hungry in the afternoon, consider if the protein in your lunch is too soft.
If you find yourself gravitating towards soft foods because they go down more easily, focus on small bites and eating slowly to better tolerate more dense proteins and have better hunger control.
Another freebie for you! If textures are hard for you – this handout is for you:
5- More carbohydrates than protein
I won’t go down the rabbit hole of carbohydrate intake (we talk about it a lot inside my Premier Access membership) the point here is that carbohydrate-rich foods increase hunger.
If carbohydrate foods are increasing in your meals, get back to protein first meals and let us know how it changes your hunger!
6- High-intensity exercise
While there are a myriad of other reasons why hunger may increase after Gastric Sleeve or Bypass, the final one I’m covering here is high-intensity exercise.
When exercise is more intense and increases heart rate, it’s great for heart health but it burns energy from glycogen which is quick energy and is from carbohydrates. Since you are burning from a carbohydrate store, your hunger will increase for carbohydrates to replenish that.
Compare this to lower heart rate exercises that burn more fat for energy, it keeps hunger more controlled. For more on this topic, I have a course inside Premier Access on Exercise and the Bariatric Diet!
I had an epiphany when I lost over 100# previously. Hunger isn’t the same in everyone. That was a biggie. Unfortunately I gained the weight back but I had bypass a could of years ago and lost all of it plus 30#. I felt actually normal after surgery with my hunger. I thought this is what a “normal” person feels like. I would get hungry but it was at normal times and a normal degree. Then hunger came back around 18 mos after surgery. I am eating plenty, hitting my goals, and drinking 10 glasses a day. Eating protein and produce. I don’t eat junk, sugar, etc. But especially at night I want a snack but eating meat is not at all appetizing at that time. What else can I eat that will be solid enough not to want more to eat? I’ve been eating yogurt, nuts, cheese but that isn’t keeping the hunger at bay.
@Rebecca you’re doing a great job paying attention to all these parts of yourself! Especially that you can identify the difference at different times is telling that you are paying attention. That’s a huge win in itself! From here I would say it’s a lot of trial and error to see if you notice what works best for you. You could try a protein bar or part of a Quest protein cookie at that time to see if it can satisfy your physical hunger and seem more appetizing. They have more carbohydrates but if it controls the hunger more it could be an option.