I am so stupid tired of head hunger...

[2muchfun 8,927]

<p>I seem to have mitigated a lot of the excess over the holidays but I'm going for the 5 Day Pouch Test starting Monday. Not looking forward to it but it needs to be done. </p>

Hi do you know where I can get the 5 day pouch test from ? Thx

Go here. It's free.

http://5daypouchtest.com/

[molldoll83 22]

I totally hear you. I wish I could go back to the very early post-op days. I did not have hunger, physical or head hunger. Toughest part of the weight loss surgery journey!

[lellow 1,713]

I have had a gooood (and in good, I mean bad) Christmas break. I don't think I stopped eating for the whole month of Dec. I've gained some weight but that's not the hard part, the hard part is getting back OUT of the habit of eating even when I'm not hungry. I have been trying to get back into good eating habits since the new year and I can feel those habits gnawing at my resolve. One cookie, one handful of nuts, just itty bitty things that all add up.

I think it's one of the biggest fights we'll have, this addiction to eating. It's like being a smoker, you may not smoke anymore, but when you have a drink, or are in a social setting, you FEEL like it. And giving into the temptation of a food addiction is SO damned easy, because it's EVERYWHERE.

It sucks and I wish it was easier for us all, but it's just not, so all we can do is vent to each other.

[Jack 855]

"is anyone diabetic? i am wondering if the hunger comes from that at times. especially when the hunger is almost painful. any ideas?"

Yes, I am, was and continue to be diabetic. Long story related to morbid obesity and my journey with the Band.

I don't have 'head hunger' these past few years now, What remains of that is the 'urge to Sport Eat'.....

I've gained a sort of quiet enjoyment in a way never present before, where actually eating the Good Stuff relieves the anxiety and old bad habits along with 'head hunger'.

I've actually come to the point I can distinguish between 'hunger' and 'satiety'. This simplifies my life for sure....but as a diabetic it is especially cruicial to control that old blood glucose curve. I've returned to once daily injection of Lantus, a far less strident modifier of all those other hunger-driven behaviors I've long wrassled.....

[lisabenrubi 4]

For me, sometimes the head hunger is really cravings brought on by too much sugar free stuff. I am sadly addicted (I guess an addict has to be addicted to something!!). I am diabetic and with the band and weight loss am a great deal healthier and off almost all medication. The sugar free products make me feel normal, but they also cause me to crave very sweet things. I guess the quote if it tastes good, its bad for you is really true......Lisa

[Jack 855]

....I tend to think of this as "Head Habit" as it sometimes strikes me way too soon after eating....

One effective way I've discovered to help, is to get busy/stay busy doing SOMETHING/ANYTHING other than eating. As a lifelong serial snacker, that's an old habi just waiting to be altered by a New Good Habbit.

Another behavior that has helped me quantify and control that impulse, is to actually have solid eating TIMES, which help some part of my behavioural drives, to be redirected.

Sitting down and drinking a can of sparkling Water works wonders for me too. There was a time a couple years postOp I couldn't tolerate the bubbles. Having given up carbonated liquids for a couple decades, it was a welcome reurn of LaCroix lemon Water to serve as another joyful intake.

[mrsto 2,925]

Head hunger is what got us here in the first place. If we didn't fight with the intense desire to eat when we're not hungry, we wouldn't have needed surgery. As I've said so many times in these forums, we're never cured from this curse, but with the help of the band, we have a much better chance of fighting the fight.

[rayanne 283]

I got a bad case of this last night it was so weird I had just eaten my Soup and my stomach was fine but my head said the opposite it was like I had a good and bad angel on each of my shoulders....one telling me to eat the other telling me no need to eat....just kept drinking Water everytime the bad said eat i just drank more water...

[lisacaron 5,075]

I will be totally honest with you all, sometimes I give in to head hunger. If I am truly not hungry, one bite of that "something" that's calling my name is usually enough for me to be satisfied.

However sometimes I am truly hungry in fact so hungry that instead of eating something healthy that might take some time for me to cook, or heat or what ever I'll choose that no good something that I think I really want. That is the hunger that I have a problem with.

When you have a craving I truly believe that comes from someplace in your body outside of your mind, something akin to an imbalance. I find when I have cravings for sugar or salt it's because my electrolytes are out of balance and my body suddenly will crave foods that are high in either content. The same happens to me with vegetables, I may suddenly have a strong urge for Sweet Potatoes, or Spinach and it's usually because my potassium is too low.

For me true hunger that is not satisfied is what leads me to making poor choices, and to over eating. I will start picking at things or snacking a bite here a taste there until it's time to sit and have a "meal". Then eating the meal on top of all that I may have picked at puts me over the top and weight can be gained or maintained but definitely not lost.

So I am working on making sure that I eat when I am hungry and satisfy the hunger with good food so that I'm not tempted to pick or snack on foods that are not part of my meal.

I can get so engrossed in a project at work or home I forget to eat until I am ravenous and that works against me. When I am at work I set silent alarms on my fitbit to alert me that I need to stop and eat or drink something.

[steph2012 252]

I like the quote "Shut up stomach, I'm bored, not hungry!"

The band helps with the physical part of this journey but we ourselves have to figure out the mental part (head hunger). It's been 2 years for me now & I still struggle with it, almost daily!

[B-52 7,113]

Everyone gets head hunger, but then the band is also always there, and takes over....

I've bought do-nuts out of pure habit when getting my morning coffee...one bite and it's back to reality....spit out the bite and throw the whole thing away........3 years later, I now go into coffee shops, see the do-nuts and don't give them a second thought..no urge or cravings at all....same at parties, etc...do-nuts mean nothing...

That does not mean I don't snack...I do...I'm eating a Hershey's chocolate bar right now I grabbed at the register this morning......although I don't think I'll finish it...save 1/2 for later....

Came back to edit....I just realized I have not eaten since 8am, and it's now 3:30pm....it happens, forgot to eat altogether...so I guess that hershey bar is actually my lunch! Not healthy I know, but it does happen when I'm busy with other things...

Edited January 7, 2014 by B-52

[B-52 7,113]

I like the quote "Shut up stomach, I'm bored, not hungry!"

The band helps with the physical part of this journey but we ourselves have to figure out the mental part (head hunger). It's been 2 years for me now & I still struggle with it, almost daily!

When the "Physical" part keeps saying NO...eventually the mental part just gives up asking....

[mrsto 2,925]

I like the quote "Shut up stomach, I'm bored, not hungry!"

The band helps with the physical part of this journey but we ourselves have to figure out the mental part (head hunger). It's been 2 years for me now & I still struggle with it, almost daily!

When the "Physical" part keeps saying NO...eventually the mental part just gives up asking....

If that were the case, most of us wouldn't be here.

My issue wasn't chronic hunger, it was compulsive overeating. If I stopped when my "physical" told me to stop, weight would never have been a lifelong issue.

[judych 225]

..just to add to this. Im finding that the combination of garlic, salt, lemon sliced, chilli, and vinegar are enough to make me feel satiated. its this combination that is working really well for me right now. Good luck

ive been banded now for coming up two years and i think this head hunger is the hardest hurdle to ever get over... so we have to dig our heels in and just cope with it. Ive been a smoker and as addictive as smoking is, eating is a far greater problem. I guess its because we are faced with the exposure to food in order to live. when we give up smoking we dont ever have to touch them again.

I find though that grazing, very small amounts of tasty food, help me a lot. I dont expect that i will ever get to the point where i dont love food. Our family ''just love our chaff bags''..lol... and we all recognise that. AS i get older though im seeing that i need more spices in my food. I didnt realize that as we age our taste buds start to retire.. lol.. and thats a fact. Im beginning to think mine have just about all given up. they havent though. But my need is for more savoury spicy food as the taste buds are giving up.

ive found a solution for that though... as my diet contains a lot of Soups still im using apple cider vinegar a lot. put it in my Soups, over my salads and wherever.. i even put a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of orange juice. Its leaving me more satisfied when ive finished whats on my plate. i dont need as much food to feel satiated. i think its the amount of flavour we crave that dictates how much we eat.

...reading these posts again and some more thoughts. Im just starting to realize how much of a hold sugar has had on me.. whether its direct through the craving of sweets (lollies mainly) or wine or sweet foods.... If i deal with the craving in one area it breaks through in another area. So this is an addiction just like smoking is. Its sneaky because its hidden in a lot of areas of our diet. anyone else have big issues with sugar?

[arose 16]

I have the hardest time with this at night. I'm thinking maybe it's because I'm tired and just give in to the cravings too easily. I have much more control earlier in the day, but don't beat yourself up. We all got to this situation because of excess weight whatever the reason and we have the band as a tool, but it's a day to day journey nonetheless.