Head Hunger

[hollyberries 2]

I have been dealing with bad eating choices in the last week or so. I believe that it is mostly a result of head hunger and not real hunger. For some reason since my last fill I haven't been able to make good nutritional choices. I seem to want what I shouldn't eat even things that I normally would not crave (i.e., chocolate). I have been also overeating but not like before surgery because I feel very full and am in pain if overeat to much.

Why am I telling you all this. Well, I Googled head hunger and dealing with it and came across this interesting read and thought if anyone out there is having the same issues that this might help. I liked some of the suggestions and I really want to nip the head hunger thing in the bud before it gets out of hand. Also, my body does not seem to tell me when I am full until I am over full. What are some of the signals that you have that I might relate to. I need to listen to my body more and identify true hunger and a true feeling of full.

Here is the blog that I found.

Hunger. That is one powerful word when you are on any weight loss journey. Whether you have had WLS or following a more conventional weight loss regimen, you deal with hunger cues. You know how it is. Your day is just bopping along and BAM you are starving. Is it really hunger?

In our society there are people who know true hunger. But for the most of us we really have no idea what true hunger is. We've been conditioned to food so readily. A good bit of this can be emotional hunger. In WLS circles we call this "head hunger". How do you deal with it?

I have always been an emotional eater. During my weight loss, better health journey, I've usually been of the mind to simply feed the hunger, no matter the cause. My first choice has always been to sit down and eat. I believe in listening to cues from my body first. So I eat. Most who have WLS will not do this. But I believe they may be wrong. My opinion only of course.

When you have a malabsorptive procedure like the RNY surgery I had, a large portion of the intestine is bypassed. Meaning you absorb far less nutrients than someone with a normal digestive system. Hence the reason for the rapid weight loss. But you can possibly be starving your body of vital nutrients. So what you may think is "head hunger" may actually be your bodies signal that something is missing. You need to be feeding it what it needs. Most don't want to give in because they are caught up in the whole calorie counting thing. That is a rant for another day.

The real thing about this is---is it hunger or just merely cravings. I received a good article in my email on how to deal with cravings. It was written by Dr Jonny Bowden. He is a board-certified nutrition specialist and a nationally known expert on weight loss and nutrition. He has a Master’s Degree in psychology and counseling and a PhD in nutrition, and has earned six national certifications in personal training and exercise. He is board certified by the American College of Nutrition.

How to Fight Cravings and Win

Think back to high school biology and you'll probably have a memory buried somewhere of a Russian researcher named Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov, you may recall, repeatedly rang a dinner bell right before feeding his dogs a big, juicy steak. Eventually, the dogs would salivate at the sound of the bell. Pavlov had trained his dogs to have a physiological response to a neutral stimulus - a bell - simply because the bell was associated with food.< /strong>

Think about that the next time you're at the movies and pass the popcorn stand.

Our brains are wired in much the same way as the brains of Pavlov's dogs. We associate all sorts of things with food - from a holiday celebration to a fight with our spouse. Food nourishes us - but it also comforts us, soothes us and even medicates us when we're feeling anxious, lonely or tired. And it helps us Celebrate when we're feeling happy. Put that together with the fact that obscene amounts of food are everywhere and you have a perfect recipe for eating disorders and mass obesity.

But just as we were conditioned to associate food - and overeating - with all sorts of things, we can undo that conditioning. It's not easy - but it's also not as hard as you might think. And it generally takes no more than 21 days.

Our overeating triggers are actually chains of events - like Christmas tree lights that go on in sequence. A stressful argument leads to feeling helpless which leads to a journey into the kitchen which leads to ten packs of ring-dings. Usually the chain of events is faster and shorter - think of feeling stress and immediately reaching for a cigarette.

So here's the trick: short circuit the chain.

On my CD audiobook

"Change Your Body Change Your Life"

I call this short-circuiting "putting a chink in the link". Break the circuit and the remaining lights don't fire up. You can accomplish the same thing with your overeating triggers.

First, isolate exactly what your five biggest triggers are. (Write them down.)

Now comes the part where you put a "chink in the link". You're going to substitute a new activity for the destructive activity (much like an addict learns to go to the gym and get "high" from running). Try any one of these simple activities next time you hit one of your triggers:

* Brush your teeth

* Eat a pickle (eating something completely different from what you're craving tricks the brain and kills the craving - try eating a hot pepper when you're craving chocolate and you'll instantly see what I mean)

* Reward yourself with a relaxing activity you normally wouldn't do - i.e. a warm bath or uninterrupted reading of glossy magazines!

* Go for a walk (the endorphins released will often balance the chemistry of a craving brain)

* Write down what you're feeling. Try "being" with that feeling for five minutes.

Most cravings (and overeating triggers) only last 15 minutes. If you can outwait - or outwit - them, you can beat them. Tell yourself "I can have this food" (thus eliminating thoughts of deprivation) but "I have to wait just 15 minutes".

You'll be amazed (and happily surprised) at how differently you'll feel a quarter hour later.

I have used these techniques myself. Even though I advocate eating when hunger strikes. It may not really be hunger after all. I'm still wanting something even after eating. I make sure what I eat is a nice fat laden Protein source like beef, shrimp, or eggs. But I'm still not satisfied. So this is where these techniques come in handy.

However you deal with your hunger---these tips will come in handy. Just never give in to the cravings for junk. When I say eat to fill that hunger, I mean food. Don't go stuffing yourself with a bag of chips, a half gallon of ice cream or the like. Get some real food.

Another tip on these lines. Drink some Water. Thirst, dehydration can actually show itself as hunger.

[TexasFire 84]

Thanx for sharing that! I know most folks here are emotional eaters, so that could be very helpful.

As far as "signs" of being satisfied before you feel over-full? First of all, it sounds like you might be eating too fast. Take a few bites, and wait several minutes. Always set your fork down completely in between bites. Don't drink ANYTHING while you are eating. Really pay attention to your band while you are eating.

All that being said, I never felt full in the pre-banding sense of the word. I always felt a fullness in my chest, not my tummy, and that was the sign to back away from the table. Also, myself and many others have experienced burping as a signal of getting full. Stop if this happens and see how you feel in five minutes. You will likely not have to continue eating, as you will realize you are satisfied.

The best thing you can do is to slow down and really pay attention to your body while you eat.

Good luck!

[shortgal 5]

I am really working on this issue lately. For years, just eating without thinking was the routine and we never listened to any signals except a full belly.

I do not want my band to be so overfilled that nothing goes down, so that I simply lose weight by starvation. I do want/need some restriction, but I hope to be able to eat healthy food like chicken, beef, eggs, fruit, cooked veggies, salad, etc.

If I am over restricted then I'll resort to soft foods that don't keep my pouch full.

I am learning to drink a bottle of Water first if I think I'm hungry and some days I can eat a reasonable portion and though I could eat more, if I stop and wait a half hour I realize I'm fairly satisfied with the portion I've had.

This is a whole new way of eating and getting used to it won't happen overnight. I expect to make some mistakes along the way.

The only time now I get the "old" full belly feeling is if I have a lot of Water to drink.

I am happy to say that when I went to a party today, I ate only Protein and salad for the meal and I had two small bites of the cake and one bite of some other dessert thing. Huge victory for me to not eat the whole piece of cake!

[Sades 4]

Thanks for this Cindy, I have copied it onto my computer as a reminder.