I feel your pain! From what I have read everyone is different when it comes to feeling the first true hunger pains. To me, it really does not matter if its "real" or not - it FEELS real!

I had my RNY surgery in September. When I feel hunger pains i drink a glass of water - then if i still feel hungry I'll eat a bite of protein - maybe a slice of low-fat cheese, a teaspoon of peanut butter, something that is good for me and in my daily menu. The other thing I may do is crunch on a sugar-free popsicle - that way I feel like I am "chewing" something. That usually does the trick for me.

The "head" games are definitely the hardest part of this journey and everyday we need to work through our issues in order to succeed. But we will succeed!!

Good luck and keep on fighting!

I was hungry within a couple of weeks after my sleeve, but I had been on liquids only for a month already, and almost another after my surgery. That was the hardest part of it for me. I still remember how heavenly my first soft scrambled egg tasted.

Like Read4ever, if I'm hungry outside of meal or snack time, I grab a glass of water first. If I'm still hungry after that, a string cheese or a handful of nuts are my go-to's. For soft foods, a bite or two of refried beans or yogurt are a good protein snack.

Congrats on doing so well so far.

So very difficult to distinguish the difference between head hunger and real hunger. I think we've all had our issues with this problem. Since you're just a few weeks post-op chances are it's head hunger. The question is: how do you handle it? Distraction-distraction-distraction! It helps to find a new hobby that will occupy your mind and your hands. Something other than music. Eating a bite of protein sometimes helps...but in truth, it doesn't satisfy the mind games. It's something we all continue to work on no matter what stage of the process we're in. After the first 6 month to a year I found that I had some days when I felt famished and other days when I had no hunger at all. Journaling your feeling sometimes helps along with journalling your food. Carbs often trigger head hunger....so keep a close watch on your carb intake. I discovered that when I ate oatmeal for breakfast (one of my all-time favorite comfort foods) it triggered a day of hungry hunter feelings. I didn't want to give up my oatmeal so I switched to eating it in the evening. It seems to work for me...most times. You are a work in progress. There are so many good answers, good info, good ideas here on this board. Just keep coming back and checking in.

Congratulations on shedding the 40+ pounds! My doctor made my pouch on the small side on purpose so I cannot say that I felt real hunger for a some time. Are you making sure to eat 5-6 times a day at regular intervals? Are you getting 60-90 grams of protein down? Are you drinking 64 ounces of water in between meals? All of these help to keep real hunger at bay when you only have a pouch. If you think it is real hunger, eat a couple of bites of something protein related. Eat with presence sitting down at the table. Taste your food. Be aware of your thoughts. Chances are you will feel full after 2-3 bites. When you eat mindfully you can be aware if your mind was craving something, or if you truly were hungry.

I thought I was hungry, that what I was feeling at four weeks PO was hunger. But it wasn't. It was my head and a habit of hunger. A habit. A mental habit/expectation that impacted my actions.

If you have had the RNY GBS procedure it is highly unlikely that you are experiencing real physical hunger. If you pay attention to your head and what it's telling you and exactly what you are physically feeling when it tells you to eat, you, too, may discover a mental habit. It takes a while to break that, but it is very helpful if you can do it.

I may or may not be the norm, but I haven't actually felt physical emptiness kind of hunger since having the surgery. I have however felt head hunger, emotional hunger and social hunger. Wanting to eat for the pastime of it, to avoid emotions or for the fun of it.

I also do not feel thirst as I did previously, and so I have to be careful to get in adequate fluids every day.

Now, if what you are feeling really is hunger, it's occurring due to the body's production of an enzyme called ghrelin. You can probably assuage it by first drinking water (8 ounces if you can manage it, followed by some protein--a slice of cheese, a couple of deli slices of your favorite meat, or by a glass of skim milk.

You may be able to manage your hunger by eating five or six small, high-protein meals at intervals throughout the day. :)

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. I've been pushing the water as much as I can, and the best I've been able to do so far is 48 oz in a day. Constant sipping has been a tough habit to establish, but I can see improvement in other bodily functions (I'll spare you the details), so am looking forward to going for the full 64 oz. SOON.

I was told by the nuritionist to only eat three small meals, and add one snack if I absolutely had to. That didn't feel quite right to me, so sometimes I'd have a mid-morning snack of something small as well as a mid-afternoon snack of something small, usually a half serving of yogurt or a bite of chicken. How else would I be able to get all my protein and water in otherwise? I am keeping a food journal via MyFitnessPal and it has been very enlightening to say the least.

I also was able, with my doctor and nutritionist's blessings, to reintroduce Wheat Thins back into my diet. OMG!!! They taste like heaven! I have to be very careful with those because they go great with soups, tuna or chicken salad, and hummus, all of which I really enjoy. Unfortunately, it's also a great way to add a lot of carbs to my diet, so maybe if I cut back on those it'll also cut back on what apparently is the ILLUSION of hunger and not the real deal.

Dealing with this new normal is hard! It's also an awesome adventure that I'm so happy to be embarking on.

Glad things are going well Diva. I am starting with MyFitnessPal today. I am glad to hear you are using it and looking forward to being able to track all day. Have a great day. Isn't this all so fun?

AKgirl, it actually is!