what is your strategy?

[Victoriana 10]

When you get the head hunger, even when it could be driven by partial body hunger, how do you keep from reaching for the wrong stuff? Do you just not buy it hand have it around the house? Or I heard one gal say that when she wants something sweet, she eats a piece of fruit first then afterwords, if she still wants it she will then have it but most of the time the head hunger passed. I need better coping mechanisms as having a family around it seems that there is always a "way" to find something inappropriate to eat. So who wants to go first? I don't seem to be doing very well about this right now. I was taken off several Rx's and Mr Dr. said I would probably gain about 10 lbs just because of the rebound from this and it of course came to pass. I am having a hard time staying motivated:paranoid :help:

[leatha_g 4]

I have to keep dangerous foods out of my house, honestly. Then, I have to refrain from finding myself in a restaurant, also. Do I manage to accomplish this all the time? Nope. But most of the time it works.

To me, it makes sense that what is 'good' and 'more healthy' for YOU would also be 'good' and 'more healthy' for your family. So don't feel as if you're depriving them by initiating a change in their eating behaviors as well.

It's tough. I have to distract myself. Drink Water when I feel hungry. It's been said, often when we THINK we're hungry, we're actually thirsty instead. So that's a place to start. Get up and go walk the mall when my head is getting the best of me. I don't have to buy, but I can shop til my heart's content. Go to the gym and walk a mile or two on the treadmill, swim, take a dance class. Work out in the yard. All these things I couldn't even do when I got banded.

[Woodys 0]

I would say that most of my excess weight is because of head hunger. I'm on the losing end now, when I get head hunger I remind myself of what satisfying it did to me and that it caused what I'm going through now.

I remind myself constantly how much I hate my state of health and my appearance because of the excess weight and just how depressed I would get from the guilt of when I ate too much of what I shouldn't have been eating and for no good reason.

There is no feeling like the feeling I have had the past four weeks while I'll have been losing.....no way does the feeling from food satsifaction for head hunger measure up.

Keep something on you at all times that will remind you of this.....look at, feel it, maybe even it will be something to read.........to remind you that there will be no other feeling in this world then the happiness when the weight starts to go away.

Also, I do suggest that you make your environment friendly to what you are doing......no unsafe food items should be within your reach....and work at surrounding yourself with positive support....negative support will sabotage you for sure.

Hope this helps,

Carol

[marys 2]

boy, this is a tough one. First, I always drink a huge glass of ccrystal lite or other beverage that I really like and try to find an activity that will keep my mind off it. Then if i can't really control it, I'll eat something but I have to take it out and sit down. This is my own bandster rule that never worked pre band but now with pbing always an option for me - i do almost 95-100% actually sit down. I put the food in front of me and proceed to eat it as slow as possible. Believe me this takes some of the fun out of it and really makes me focus on the eating and the food. I also have to keep some foods out of the house but my hubby is skinny and likes his Snacks so I try not to deprive him too much. I also found using fitday.com and writing down everything really helped. You'd be surprised how looking at your food intake and putting it in the computer makes an impact. good luck - we are all rooting for ya.

[Elisabethsew 50]

It takes 20-30 minutes before your brain knows you're full so here's a few tips I find useful in beating the urge to binge:

1. Drink 2 glasses of Water or crystal lite (16 oz) over 10 minutes (called water loading).

2. Keep fresh fruit salad in the fridge at all times so that when I am "on the prowl" there is something ready for me to eat. I don't care that it costs more for me to buy the fruit already cut-up. I'm worth it.

3. I keep 100 calorie treats on hand for when I need to crunch something.

4. I try and determine if I'm looking for food because I am bored. If so, I get my arse in gear and go outside and work in the garden or go for a drive or go to Barnes and Noble and read.

5. I have identified foods that I cannot control and have eliminated them from the house.

I'm sure others will offer their "fixes" for beating the binge monster.

[A1ikou 0]

I'm lucky because there's only me and hubby so I keep most tempting but naughty things out of the house and if he wants something he gets his own. That doesn't stop it from happening though and I have a few things I try and do.The drinking Water helps if it's not too strong a 'pull' and I try and drink a lot so I just don't want to eat. Or I find something else to do. Come here and write my journal...makes me accountable for my actions or find someone to chat with. By the time you've done that you've forgotten you were hungry. Go out, shower, walk, swim...anything you can that's a distraction. If it's exercise based it often changes your mind set anyway because you feel so good with yourself!

When my weight didn't go down for a 2nd week I planned a binge!!! Hubby was home for weekend so Monday was my day. Then Sunday I went swimming and felt good so the binge feelings went away.

Finally...if I can't make it go away at all I at least think of what I'm going to eat and don't just grab at anything handy. I get my food (good or bad) and I sit down with it. I enjoy every single mouthful....if I'm going to do it,at least enjoy it right...and chew slowly. As soon as I feel I can, I stop and consider myself back on the wagon.

Thankfully with the scale (generally) going down it's not something I'm dealing with as much and with my band I'm dealing with head hunger so much better than I ever did without it.:clap2:

[Woodys 0]

These are great ideas. Unfortunately, when fasting we do not have a lot of options for what we can eat.

Keeping active is definately a coping mechanism that works for me, one that doesn't work for me......even though others are successful with it, is the 100 calories Snacks....I would not be satisified with one, the temptation would be too huge, I'd eat the entire bag.

Good Luck

Carol:nervous

[Jachut 487]

I drink coffee instead. Most of the time I just ignore head hunger, I dont try to substitute what I'm craving with something healthier, it doesnt work for me. I want what I want.

Sometimes i give into it. That doesnt hurt occasionally. Its not like you're never allowed to eat anything nice or just for the sake of it again, everybody does that occasionally. Its what you do 90% of the time that matters, so sometimes I do treat myself.

Most of the time I get non specific head hunger where I just want to eat something, nothing specific, and most of the time that happens to me in the afternoon, which is when I like to jump on my treadmill and do my run. That always kills my appetite dead.

The other time I get the munchies is when I sit down to do some study, that I just have to ignore. Or chew gum.

[Victoriana 10]

Thank you for these ideas. I was doing so well, then I sort of brain died off. I really didn't have any fight for one reason or another. I usually have a little weight loss spur me back into life, this time, a 10 lb gain really socked me in. I like hearing about all the various coping skills, If I was good at creating them, I wouldn't have gained in the first place right?

I need to get back on the exercise wagon too to get my metabolism going again. I think I will check out some of the fresh fruit things. I have been throwing out a lot of fruit lately, a bad sign that my whole family is going by the way side too. I thought I would be into more fruit freezies by now, but we have had a ton of cold and wet rain, snuggle weather. A fruit freezie doesn't sound as good as a mocha, sad.

I have a new found understanding of turtles and of course for Vines as she deals with her health issues. Love ya Vines!

[JulieNYC 4]

I chew a sugar free gum with a STRONG flavor that I don't necessarily love -- for me, it's spearmint. Kind of turns me off food if the taste is overpowering enough. Also, I eat a fair amount of ice pops. Flavo-r-Ice makes one with Splenda that only has 2.5 cals! You could eat those all day if you wanted to, not that that is the goal....