Head Hunger

Hi... I had surgery two weeks ago and it went well overall...I am really struggling with wanting to eat--even though I am not hungry. Once the pain, etc. subsided, all I've thought about is eating. I am so worried. I know I can't physically eat a great deal (and I am still on liquids for another week), but I am scared of stretching out my pouch or not losing weight at all. I know the hunger is in my head. I know it. I just can't get the thoughts of eating to stop. Any ideas? Thanks... Mary

Mary, these early weeks are tough. Hang in there! You are probably going through a similar kind of withdrawal like a drug addict who is getting 'clean'. It isn't an easy process but it is so important. I hate to say it but the head hunger may be with you the rest of your life...it has been a problem for me since early post op days too. I just use as many headgames as I can to trick myself into being successful. Find some things that work for you...keeping your hands busy, self-talking with some pep-talks, keeping a journal of your struggles with head hunger, etc. There has to be something you can come up with that will work for you. Molly

Hi, Mary! I think that this is pretty normal, as you only had surgery 2 weeks ago. Your body will be losing weight faster than your mind can comprehend. Many others have mentioned this and the dreaded "I still feel obese" even after a significant amount of weight has been lost. You already have a good handle on the idea of head hunger. Knowing is half of the battle. I like to sing whenever I get a craving. It takes my mind off of eating. I have more trouble with yummy smells than the actual food. Isn't that weird? I kept reminding myself that the early weeks were intended for healing my pouch so it followed the guidelines to avoid complications. I did have a lot of foaming and sliming earlier; mostly from dense meats. It was pretty negative and made me avoid trying that food again for a few weeks. Ultimately, I was able to eat most foods with ease. I use SparkPeople.com to keep my food journal, plus as you probably know, I weigh just about everything. I love my RNY now, but in the beginning I was a little doubtful that it would work for me. You may experience a big difference in food taste and texture. Try to "baby" your new digestive system and follow the Dr's guidelines and you'll end up so happy...and in love with your RNY. Glad to have you here! Ro

Hi, Mary! I am going to tell you what I've told others...just to have them think that I am kidding...goofy idea. When there is something that I want to eat that I can't anymore, I tell myself that "it tastes like dogfood". Dry food, if it's crispy -- fried (my fav!) and moist food, if it is creamy yummy looking. How many obese people do you know who would actually eat the dog's food? Huh? OK...I did eat Milkbones when I was a child, but what did I know? LOL My DH caught me eyeing a pastry a few weeks back and whispered in my ear, "It tastes like dogfood." I cracked-up laughing. Sometimes I have to do the exact opposite...because I need to encourage myself to eat better or more. I choose a healthy food...like yams...(that's another story) and eat a bit more because my BODY needs good food. I think that there is some kind of disconnect between my mind and my body at times...it is a bit scary to me. When I was in my early twenties, I began exercising and calorie counting to excess. My clothes were falling off of me. I don't know what changed, but I did convince myself that by eating better foods, I could get healthy again. I have had memories of the days that I didn't eat a lot over the past few months. I try to eat GOOD food, as if it was medicine. Hope you stick around. Talk to you later! Ro

Hi Mary~The first few weeks-month are the hardest. I would never want to go through that again. First, you are so limited to what you can eat as it is. Then you know that you have just given up all sorts of food and your life will never be the same. At this point it is impossible for you to not lose weight. You will lose it. The problem is getting the head hunger under control for the long run. Most people tend to become healthy and adopt healthy habits and just the way you eat becomes a way of life. You get used to it. But, you have to be careful in the beginning. Just follow the rules exactly as you were told, then once you see how much weight you are losing it will give you wonderful encouragement. That feeling is way better than food. I am not sure that anything except time and the benefits of weight loss can stop the thoughts right now, but they will get better soon. Just hang in there. I know it sucks not being able to chew food. Take care ~ Terisa

Thank you for the words of wisdom! It's made me feel much better... Just trying to take things one day and (and one sip) at a time... Mary

Hi! Love to have you back on the board! It's a bit LONELY here without you! Ro

Hi, Mary! I was wondering how you are feeling now that you can actually EAT!!! I had a lot of problems with foaming and sliming. I felt more than a bit upset... tears once or twice... but over time I could handle food better. Now I love my RNY. My relationship with food has changed alot too. I don't have a lot of food cravings. How's life treating you? Ro

Hi Ro! It's going a little better. I am still having craving but eating (well, purees, but hooray for purees!) helps with it some. At work this weekend, they had a welcome back party for a coworker and I swear they had all of my absolute favorites--frosted sugar cookies (from a bakery, yum), Chik Fil A, and Pizza... I did ok. I did feel a sense of loss, I really wanted some of that food. I just tried to stay in the moment and remember what was important, and hoped the craving would pass. And it did (after I left work! ) Thank you so much for asking. How are you?

Hi, Mary....Great to hear that you battled the Food Monster and won! I felt the same way about my guys and DH ordering subs, wings, and pizza on Fridays! The soft food went down fine, but the next stage gave me a new respect for my RNY. I had a few bad bouts with sliming and foaming. In the beginning, I'd feel like I had a rock wedged inside my pouch...then the saliva would keep coming to its rescue, which would end with my fairly long stay in the bathroom. If I was lucky, the food would come up and out; no acid anymore, BTW. If it was just sliming and foaming, I'd drool until I felt better. GROSS...I know! Just trying to warn you because I was clueless. Now if my nose starts to run a little, I put down my fork for a while and eat much slower for the rest of the meal. Unfortunately, you may go through this even if you are very careful. The next day I always ate lightly...yogurt, oatmeal, soft foods... The longer you are post-op, the better food is accepted. I still can only handle about 2 oz of meat at a meal; cod still is a problem, but other fish are fine. Go Figure. My mantra about yummy-can't have foods is, "It tastes like dogfood!" This works everytime for me. I just had my 10 month appointments; both the Surgeon and Nutritionist were very happy with my loss. They were fine about my food weighing habit and the Nutritionist OK'd lowering my goal from 160 to around 150. I am also increasing my calories. I love my RNY....and know that very soon...you'll be saying it too! Great to hear that you're doing well! Keep in touch! Ro