Recognizing Hunger

I have always been baffled as to why I feel "hungry" about an hour after I eat.  I have reflux, and have taken meds for several year - but I don't get "hearburn".  I get nausea sometimes, and a feeling of post-nasal drip (which is apparently a little acid).

Now, after reading posts here, I realize that the "hunger" was really part of my reflux (or maybe even part of my digestive process).  I think that realization will be huge going forward in helping me recognize "real hunger"!

It's pretty easy to identify "cravings", but I'm still not sure what "head hunger" is (unless it's a craving) -- but I guess I'll find out.

Thanks for helping me better understand -- and especially thanks to Elina for her recent posts on hunger as well!  Very, very helpful!

I'm actually going to disagree with you on a couple of points.  Its not always so easy to discern a craving from head hunger from real hunger.  Especially in the immediate aftermath of surgery.  One of the initial challenges we all face is learning to listen to our bodies again.  I am going to put this out there and say that no matter how well you may know things now - you won't recognize a lot of them after surgery.

During the VSG, a lot of nerves will be cut.  Thats the simple answer.  Your stomach will also be a completely different shape, not only much smaller.  Both of these will combine to make it feel totally alien.  While the nerves are healing and sensation returns to your stomach, you will have to look for other physical cues that you are done eating - burping, runny nose, etc.  Everyones a little different on what their cues are.

As you start working on your head issues - head hunger being your mind mimicking physical hunger even though you are not physically hungry - you will have to face the issues for whats causing the head hunger.  Cravings are a part of this, but can also be very subtle.  Remember, a craving is a form of an anxiety attack, and you have to deal with the roots of that.

Finally as you note, there is the acid issue that also mimicks hunger.  That one is usually much easier to spot and is easily treated with a PPI.  Your acid may go away completely or may be worse after surgery.  You will just have to wait and see.  Everyone responds differently to the alteration of their stomach in that regard.  

Drat!  I thought I had at least learned to recognize that the feeling of being "hungry" about an hour after eating was related to the reflux!  Well, at least I can identify it now, so I have some reference point.

I think it's a big struggle to listen and understand what our bodies are telling us.  So for right now -- I though what I was experiencing was hunger, but l knew that logically, that could not be true, since you can't logically be hungry one hour after you eat.  So, then, I tried to determine -- if it's not hunger, what is it?  Is it reflux or "head hunger" -- or does it matter, as long I'm taking a PPI, not experiencing pain, and not eating as a response? 

Thanks for noting the other items of being "done" eating - recognizing those will be very important -- and I'm all about learning via the experience of others! 

I have to admit, the biggest fear I have about this surgery is the reflux.  I'm going into knowing that there is really no way to predict whether it will get better or worse -- since I already take 40 mg of Nexium twice a day!

I appreciate your insights.  Forewarned is forearmed (although writing that gives me a visually of someone with four arms flailing around!).

Also -- great new photos!  As a TN girl, I just want to say, "You clean up real nice!"  LOL!

I am glad that was helpful.  Head hunger is when you know you have just eaten, or you still really feel full, but your mouth wants to eat something.  You feel driven to pick something up and shove it in your mouth.  It has a great deal to do with the fact that most of us have been "eating" our emotions and now there is just not enough room for them in the stomach.  :)  Dealing with head hunger requires dealing with our emotional eating.  I really like Beck's books on eating and other books that deal with the cognitive aspect of this issue.  Ultimately, we all have to learn to cope differently with our thoughts and feelings and only eat for sustenance (in a pleasurable way, of course). 

I just had to jump in!  I completely second what Rob says about the nerves in your stomach being cut.  You're stomach is just not going to be a reliable reporter for quite a while - that's why even now, 14 months out - I weigh and measure everything, unless it isn't possible then I do my best to eyeball it.

OK, so other than the nerves in your stomach being cut and healing, the whole issue of head hunger and physical hunger and cravings isn't so different from what it was before surgery - we just didn't have the same need we have now to sort it all out.  What I discovered the first time I stopped eating compulsively for any extended period of time is that I was actually very uncomfortable and kind of *afraid* to be physically hungry.  I constantly "topped off" so I wouldn't feel hungry.  I still don't *like* feeling hungry and diminished hunger has been a great outcome of surgery.

Thanks!  I appreciate your advice!