Head hunger/addiction

3 weeks before surgery and with no pre-op diet required, I thought I would try to lose weight by eating more protein and less carbs. I thought this would help prepare me for after surgery. I did great Monday. Tuesday was pretty good all day till dinner time. I was driving home planning on grilled fish and veggies when I got a terrible craving for pizza. Ugh!!!!! I couldn't resist and ended up with pizza instead of fish. Now I wake up feeling like cr as p and disappointed in myself. This craving and head hunger doesn't go away after surgery from what I understand, how do people deal with this post-op. I am just so worried!!!

 I've actually found my head hunger worse after my surgery. I'm currently on week 3 of 4 of liquid diet, and I am hopeful this is largely the cause.

Before surgery I never strayed from my 2 week liquid diet, not once. I haven't strayed on my post op 2 week liquid diet this far, and I can tell you, no matter what my head says, I won't. In my mind, following my surgeons plan 2 weeks pre op and 6 weeks post op is potentially a matter of life and death. My head hunger will not overcome that.

I know I read on someone else's post (I haven't had surgery yet) but they said the hunger stops once you are on solid food.   While in the liquid phase it just doesn't sustain the hunger enough.  Hang in there cause I think it get better as soon as you start eating solid protein.  I can't wait to get there myself.  :-)

I had no pre op diet.  My only pre op diet was the day before surgery.  I was allowed a breakfast then clear liquids for the rest of the day.  I'm almost a month out now and I can tell you that head hunger gets me all the time.  I think after surgery though I'm sooo motivated to get this weight off that I THINK before I eat.   Am I really hungry or am I bored?  Does this have what I need to live on?  If the answer is I'm bored and not hungry, or I'm stressed and want to eat, and most importantly if it has nothing I nutritionally need I walk away.  

Two days ago I was craving fried chicken SOOO BAD.  So bad.  I really wanted that chicken.  I didn't have it.  Yesterday I was still craving it.  Then I watched my DVR of The Weight of the Nation from the night before and when they said how many calories and how much fat is in ONE chicken breast from KFC I don't think I will ever want a piece of fried chicken again.  

I do find it a little easier to say no to things now that I'm post op where pre op I just couldn't.  Don't beat yourself up over one mistake pre op.  Just think about what got you to the point of having the pizza.  

I also highly suggest therapy of some sort.  I've been in therapy for the past year for other reasons but when the chance for me to have this sugery happened I immediately started discussing my food addiction with my therapist.  I cannot tell you how much therapy has helped me with my eating issues.  

I was just as worried as you are that I couldn't control myself post op before I had my surgery.   It's not easy but I wouldn't change it for the world.   I can also tell you that MOST  of my cravings for things like pizza/dessert/ anything high in carbs has gotten a lot better.  The more you eat of things like that the more you crave them/the hungrier you feel.  

It is a constant struggle for some of us.  Some people seem to be able to embrace the new lifestyle and never look back.  For some, they aren't as carb sensitive as us, and it IS easier.  However, we can not use our extreme carb addiction as an excuse.  We have gotten this opportunity to lose weight with a great tool, and we have to make the most of it.

Live one day at a time and remind yourself that you are stronger than your addictions.  I am considering going to an OA group or finding a food therapist.  There is no shame in getting all of the help that we need.  The sleeve will keep us from eating half a pizza, but it will not keep us from eating a bag of chips or a box of cookies....I haven't tested it to that extreme, but I know my sleeve will let me eat enough refined carbs to bring back BAD MELANIE.  She is the one that would knock over small children and steal to get her carb fix.  

Keeping her in check is a battle
EVERY
SINGLE
DAY.

Keep this in mind when you are on your post-op diet and pretty much detoxed....don't let the monster return!! 

As they said in Overeaters Anonymous when i went to meetings years ago, in AA members have to kill the tiger but in OA you have to pet the tiger 3 times a day.  So physical and head hunger is something most of us will have to deal with everyday. 

Everyday i do the mental and psychological work to stay on track, and it is very important to refrain completely from eating the foods that pull me into addictive/compulsive/volume eating. 

Just my thoughts....but I would really try a pre-op diet, the sooner you get started on your new lifestyle the easier it will be for you after surgery.  There are pre-op diets that you can find online. Also practice not drinking at least 10 mins before eating, while eating and 30-45 mins after eating, I would say this was the most difficult for me to master.

It's definitely not my favorite part about being sleeved, but it reminds me of exactly WHY I did it!! I am only 6 weeks out so I am still working this out for myself. But seriously, once you are sleeved, you will not WANT to give into your cravings like you are now. Right now you can justify your way out, and after, I don't think you will be able to. 

And as for pizza or anything else. I am allowing myself to have these things when I absolutely can't stand it. Cause I know I can only have 3 bites or so. And I know that it will satisfy those cravings. And I really don't even think they are cravings, I would say they are more curiosity to see how they will be in my new tummy - if that makes sense?!? 

So don't worry. The best part is that you did it, you recognized that you didn't like it, and you want to change it!! I am proud of you for just posting this on here!! I am SO happy that I have the freedom to try what I want, but that I really don't want that stuff!!

My GB friend told me pre-op that she can only fit a tiny amount of food in her tummy, so why would she want to waste that on things that will not fuel her body?!? Since my surgery, I remind myself of that at every meal, and let me tell you - IT WORKS!

I hope you are encouraged. Stay strong - you can do this!! We are all here to help and say we struggle along side you!!

Take care!

There are people in my support groups who are 8 or ten years out and still have to deal with head hunger.  As you learn to listen to your sleeve, you will be able to eventually discriminate head hunger from physical hunger.  I didn't get my first physical hunger until about 3 months out.  Just recently I started having regular acid problems and had to learn to discriminate that from head hunger.

The main thing to keep in mind is that as we fight obesity, as we change our lifestyles, the biggest change we make is to ourselves.  You have to be willing to look into what truly motivates you to want to eat?  Is it loneliness, is it something that caused you to have a specific trigger, is it stress?  What are your compulsive behavoirs with food?  Once you understand these things you can work on redirecting those behaviors and controlling them.

What can be really hard about the work is that you have to stop and do the work BEFORE you eat.  You have to be honest with yourself about why you do the things you do.  You cant just label something and then think you're done.  Once you understand your feelings you have to deal with them.

Also, its OK to make bad choices.  We all do.  You have to realize that you can make a bad choice and not be a failure.  There is a common problem in dealing with weight loss called the all or nothing syndrome, where we assume we are going to fail when we make our first mistake.  You have to be aware of that and tell yourself, I screwed up once I know better next time.  Just be careful not to rationalize and give yourself excuses for making bad choices.  Own them, they are as much a part of this journey as the successes.

The thing that helps me most is my support groups.  My surgery center has a great network of both peer and psychologist led support groups.  I go every chance I get to and encourage others to do the same.  Its more help than you can imagine to be around people who are going through what you are, and others who have come out on the other side.  Many people also pursue one-on-one counseling.  

long story short, we all have some level of experience with what you are feeling.  You are not alone.  The real work that we do is in our heads, not in our kitchens or gyms.