Grazing/Head hunger

I find that the closer I get to the maintenance diet the more head hunger I'm battling. I also realized today that I was grazing. I'd like to hear from others about how you deal with these issues.

You had surgery just over 3 weeks ago. How are you close to a maintenance diet?

On Monday I switch to soft foods for two weeks, then on to the maintenance diet.

I see how Grim was confused ;) Most of the vets here call it maintenance once you reach your goal weight and you wish to keep it there. I find head hunger is a battle with me sometimes on a daily basis. I also find that I only wish to graze if I don't eat enough protein that I should, or I ate a slider food. It's why I try to keep my water / coffee bottle next to me at all times, and when I feel the need for something to eat I just drink. I realized that putting myself on a scheduled eating time frame really helped me from grazing.

Many vets plan their meals ahead of time so they know what they plan to eat for that day, including snacks and it's a great way to make sure you stay on track. Good luck btw and I hope this helped in some way.

Thank you Miranda. After looking over my food log I realized that I was far too low on protein today, so I think that was my issue. I wouldn't have put that together if it weren't for your reply, so thank you!

And I get the maintenance confusion now. My doctors team refers to it as maintenance because it's the diet you'll be on for the rest of your life, not as something you begin once you reach your goal weight.

Set specific meal/snack times, and don't allow yourself to eat outside of those set times.

If you think you're hungry (likely head hunger), drink water instead.

Make sure you're taking a PPI/acid reducer; acid can mimic hunger.