Head Hunger vs. Tummy Hunger

Right after my surgery I didn't want food. Now not only do I actually get hungry but I hafta stop and evaluate to see if it's my head that wants to eat or my tummy. I spent one whole day freaking out and bawling. I didn't want to eat according to my tummy but man did I want food.... according to my head. My poor DH got the brunt of that day. He was relieved when the next day came and that had went away. I crave FLAVOR more so than food. Or chewing crunchy stuff more so than eating. I have cheated a little. I'm on a modified liquid diet for three weeks. That means that it can be 'solids' like milk toast or mashed potatoes (thin) or cream of wheat. I cheated and ate a slice of mushroom. I chewed it like bubblegum and after about a minute I swallowed it. I also snitched a piece of zuchinni the same day and did the same thing. I can't help but wonder if I'm shooting myself in the foot though by cheating. I crave flavor and my hubby seems to have found an answer. He cooks for himself and then takes some of what he cooks and runs it through our uper blender. This morning it was bacon. He cooked it and then threw it in the blender with some mashed potatoes and milk and a bit of garlic pepper seasoning salt. He let it blend until the bacon bits were smaller than grains of sand. BUT THE FLAVOR WAS BEAUTIFUL!!! Anyone having similar problems? Gayle Queen of Yarn Balls

I think I want the chewing part but I miss flavor too. I go back to see Dr S on Friday, then I get to go to puree'd foods. I have plans already to go to our favorite Saturday night restaurant ... for mashed potatoes and applesauce. LMAO Mr Mo and I were at Sam's on Monday, and I asked him if he wanted to get a rotisserie chicken. He said he could wait. Well, let me tell you, next week, there will be rotisserie chicken in my blender.... if I have to eat mushed up stuff, I would rather know what went into the musher. Jars of baby food look suspect!!! LOL I am going to try to go back to work part time next week, and I am busy thinking of how I am going to feed myself when I do. Hugs, Mo doin' a happier happy Mo post op dance every day

Look...all three of us had surgery on the same day. Galye I too have been craving flavor in my food. What your husband did for breakfast was smart. I did the same thing last night with scalloped potatoes and salsbury steak. I pureed them both and added salt and pepper and it was yummy....my whole 1 oz.(haha) But I cherrished every little bite. My family thought I was weird. This morning for breakfast I cooked one egg over hard and added some minced slivers of ham. I then I pureed it, added salt and pepper, and it was yummy. I had leftovers for another meal. We need to share our food secrets as we find something yummy that will satisfy our taste needs. ***Ohh one other things I have tried and was impressed with the taste. Campbells soups sell their "hearty soups". I bought a can of soup with potatoes, cheese with bacon bits...yummy!!! I just pureed it and ate my serving size. I have lots of left overs..maybe you could share with your husband?? I hope this helps. Wendy Ann

Hi guys I also had surgery the same day...and everything smells so darn good to me...I am on full liquids, farina, and puddings now and I find the s/f chocolate pudding that you cook (not instant) is so satisfying to me, I just love it...keep my lil madiooch quite content!!!!!! also Richy made me a nice big pot of beef soup with every single veggie available, and it was like drinking a ThanksGiving Dinner, so Yummmmy! I hope we can all fight these food "demons", untill were healed and ready to eat the things we once enjoyed just in smaller portions, this is what gets me through my day, just knowing I will be able to have good food again in a short time, I just have to be patient and let my body heal first. God Bless you all! Hugz Mary

One of the things I learned at Optifast (other than that I will never be able to lose all my weight at Optifast, ha) is that spicy food is a good trick for making a person feel full and that people who have a lot of cravings can use it to their advantage. My food list indicates that I have to wait for a lot of things like garlic, curries, and so on. HOWEVER, I was able to eat Joy's refried bean soup (basically puree with Spicy and Hot V8 and mix in some low or non fact cheddar of your choice as you heat it). That is not truly a liquid but it seemed to work out okay for me a couple of weeks in. It kept me from losing my mind. I think the traces you're using sound great. One of my long term tricks will be to insure that I have a lot of food with strong tastes. For any other cheating, please be so careful. About 2 weeks in, I decided I could substitue Wheatena for Cream of Wheat (which was making me nuts). It felt like I had swallowed ground glass and I vomited. I was so scared, it make me a total believer. OTOH, things you're picking like mushroom and cooked zucchini are on my list for transitioning to solid food. I also got instant garlic mashed potatoes. These didn't always sit well but it went okay if I was very slow in eating them. I looooved the taste. Gano

Boy you guys - the more I read, the more and more thankful for my surgeon I am! For one, my pouch is larger and I was put on soft food almost right away and am eating more solid foods already. I love that I can have a half a cup of something and I get to CHEW and TASTE and it's fabulous that I don't have that head hunger going on. I do hope you all are able to start on more solid foods soon. Dina