The Rightful Entitlement to Food

Some of us get hungry physically. Some of us don’t. Most of us get head hunger (although some not yet).

 

I personally am somewhere in the middle of do and don’t. I don’t get stomach growling or pains but can feel when my pouch is empty (and, freakishly, its degree of emptiness) and know when it’s time to eat.

 

Still, whether we feel or perceive hunger, it’s sometimes hard to tell if what we are experiencing is head or physical hunger cues. They are sometimes identical.

 

To help, I came up with a concept for myself that I apply whenever I THINK I need to eat. I call it “rightful entitlement to food."

 

It’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. I ask myself three questions.

 

1. When was the last time I ate?
2. What was the last thing I ate?
3. If I choose to eat right this second, what do I have access to?

 

The answer to #1 is particularly important. If it’s been more than 4 hours, I automatically have the rightful entitlement to food. If the answer to #2 is something carby, the same applies but I have to eat protein. But #3 is the ultimate determinant in my mind. If I’m in the car and the closest available food is, say, Burger King or somewhere that doesn’t have great choices, the entitlement often gets trumped by my desire to eat healthfully. This is where I see WLS giving me power. I don’t HAVE to eat the first thing that comes along. Hunger is not an emergency (short of being diabetic or hypoglycemic) and I can probably survive until I get home.

 

Anyway, just a bit of convoluted information from my head. I thought of this because it is quite common for non-ops to ask each other, and us, “you hungry?" I never knew the absolute most honest answer to that question. If we’re going on straight fact, the answer is almost always “no." But we all know there is so much more to hunger than the physical. Also, this helps me, in the absence of overwhelming hunger signals, to determine if I really do need to eat or if something else is influencing me to eat.

 

I’m not going to lie. Doesn’t always work. I have a willful brain. And sometimes whatever I want to nosh is worth it to me to override my rules (yes, I DID just admit that. To me, some foods in some situations are worth the pain, the dump, the risk of a gain. That’s just me. Your mileage may vary). But it’s another way of thinking of “hunger."

I love your posts!!! I have several that I have printed and have available to read every so often - or some that I keep in my car for "when the urge strikes and I need a friendly Nik reminder" (like the one "Hunger is NOT an emergency").

Thanks for all you do!!!

Can really relate to the post.  When my carbs cravings are in control, and my blood sugar is in control - I can be very mindful about my food. 
For me the difference between the head hunger and the real hunger is that when I am really hungry I will eat food even if it does not taste the way I want it (not spicy enough, bland, just a bit off... ) and I will eat food - any food. But with head hunger - I "crave" things... that are not the best option for me.

So when Ii think I am hungry earlier that I think I should be, and I know I had enough to drink.... I will try to see if I am willing to eat anything... i.e. hard boiled egg, some meat , etc... and not some really good yummy food that I cooked, or is available.  There are many times that my body decided that it is not really hungry when the foods options are limited.  (and not some nice and yummy protein bar, etc.)

I actually do the same thing, although I had not really thought of it in terms of three discreet steps.  Most of the time, it works.  Occasionally it does not (the #3 part is usually the point of failure because even if fast food is the closet available food, there still are healthier choices... and although I am pretty good about it, I don't always select them (although my pouch does not like fast food ground beef, so I cannot remember the last fast food burger I had)).

Lora

It's funny you should mention fast food ground beef. That is the ONLY type my pouch likes. And only a few bites.

I've never thought of it this way but I do ask myself questions when it comes to wanting/needing to eat and real hunger.  My true hunger signal is similiar to yours.  It's that empty feeling that lets me know I haven't eaten in a while and it's time to eat.

I do well eating the required meals and some snacks usually but when very busy I sometimes just don't stop to eat and boy can I tell when I finally stop and realize I haven't eaten anything in hours.

It started off as a way for me to answer the "are you hungry" question without being all weird. In non-op translation, rightful entitlement to food = hungry. So when asked am I hungry if I meet those thresholds I simply say "yes."

It's one of those weird and obsessive things I have to do to fit into my strange new reality.

I've spent the last nearly 11 months never really feeling hungry or full.  For some reason those things are coming back to me.  Yesterday was a crazy day, airports and rental car and unfamiliar city and my schedule was thrown off to pieces.  I had my morning protein coffee and that was it.  I did stop at the grocery store on the way to the airport and picked up some protein bars.  I hadn't eaten anything solid all day so I ate the protein bar on the plane.  At the next airport between flights I was really hungry so I looked around at the places to eat.  Mostly sandwiches and a pizza place and a Mexican place that sounded good.  I decided to try the grilled chicken nachos.  I ate most of the grilled chicken, some guacamole and a little cheese.  None of the chips.  I wrapped it up to take on the plane to have for dinner that night.
Well, if anyone read my post from early this morning, things did not work out that way and I didn't get to eat the rest of it.  By the time we got to the hotel everything was closed so I just had another protein bar.
This morning I woke up famished.  It's been a long time since I have been that hungry.  We went to a restaurant near the hotel and I ordered something called the California omelet.  It had Swiss cheese, avocado and other vegetables, along with some seasoned potatoes.  I ate half the omelet and a few bites of the potatoes and felt full so I wrapped up the rest of the omelet for later and left the potatoes behind.
I guess the point I am trying to make is now that I am starting to experience hunger again I have to be careful not to use that as an excuse to eat inappropriately.  I like the questions you ask yourself.  I think I will use them as a guide in the future if I find myself in that kind of situation again.

Like your idea - it's funny you mention the closest food.  I was at Starbucks yesterday afternoon for an iced coffee, and almost ordered a scone.  I don't know why, I haven't had one in months.  I didnt' want it, yet I almost said "...and a blueberry scone".  I just saw it there and had a lapse back into my old mindset and it was scary!  I am glad I don't eat anymore just because its there, or I am where the food is, you know?

I get weak when I don't eat.  I can't eat more than 2oz of anything at one time, except greek yogurt, I do about 3 oz of that.  I get that feeling every 2 to 3 hours!  I just have to eat or else I get shaky, even forgetful.  It's awful!

I go through a lot of these things too.

I don't get hungry though. At all. I've recently discovered "boredom eating"

But for me, I sometimes get funky in the head, or I feel like my tank is getting low, heading to "empty"....and so I think to myself "When/what did I last eat?" and usually if I get to teh point of wondering (unless I'm bored), I need to eat something... then I pop a snack.

I still struggle with eating right. I try to never be anywhere without access to snacks and beverages