Head Hunger or Real Hunger???

All right you experts you...
I don't post often but alway read yours because you guys have been my examples for this whole journey.  I have a question that I'm sure has been asked many times...
"Am I as hungry lately as I think I am???"

My Lord, all I want to do is eat.  I'm 2lbs from goal and have been here a while.  I've really been living in maintenance mode for a month or so and I'm not concerned that I'm not there yet.  It's not a race for me because I know this is life-long.  Anywhoo...I'm HUNGRY.  I feel like I'm eating way more than I should (not more, just more often) and I'm constantly drinking coffee to curb the hunger.  What's up with this?  One thought is that my insurance won't cover my Previcid anymore and I switched to the Prilosec OTC (same dose)...could that be the difference?  Or is my body just telling me I need to eat more?

One thing to mention-the scale is NOT going up.  I'm just concerned I may be fallling back into old habits and the scale will react eventually. 

Any thoughts or suggestions???

yes it could very well be the change from prevacid to prilosec some of them work better for us than others do....

maybe you can get your pcp to write you a prescription for another one to try?

 I thought I was over needing ppi.  I stopped taking it and started getting a hunger sensation.  I completely forgot that it might be related until drinking coffee made it clear that I had acid churning up.  So you might want to adjust the ppi--or I know some people who need 2!

Secondly, I've come to accept that sometimes this is going to be tough and I may be hungry (like before surgery) and that's okay.  Having a plan and taking healthy foods helps.

I'm not a sleeve vet at all, but I would suggest you cut you coffee/caffeine intake. The ONLY time I feel hungry during the day is after I'd had my morning coffee. Otherwise, I don't feel anything. Since that might be easier/quicker than messing around with your PPI doses, I thought I'd mention trying that first.

PS 2 lbs from goal?? Congrats!

I think you are wise to be concerned, just because the scale hasn't started going up, doesn't mean it will not in the long run.  I would start by checking the acid blocker just as you said.  It could just not be the right medicine or the right dose.  Once you have eliminated medicine as a possible problem, I would look at dehydration and carb intake.  Quite often I am really thirsty, but it presents as hunger symptoms.  This one is easy to check out, just drink a large cup of tea, I like vanilla chai with splenda and low-fat soy milk, every time you feel hungry when you know you shouldn't be yet.  This works for me 80% of the time.  I have learned that hunger and thirst feel very much the same to me, strange how I never knew this before surgery.  If that is still not the case, I would look at your carb consumption.  I am triggered to experience hunger and cravings every time I eat more carbs.  It is not a feeling of hunger per se, more like a "need" to eat.  It takes me about three days to get it out of my system when I let it in.   You might also want to try eating dense protein first at every meal for a while and see if the hunger goes away.  Sometimes we just have to play detective until we figure this out.   Good luck.

Thanks for all of your comments.  I'll be sure to try all of these and see if they help.  It's funny, for quite some time I rarely had real hunger, but lately it is like the savage beast is back that I had pre-surgery.  I feel like a crack-addict rumaging the pantry for my "quick fix."  It's kinda scary.  I have been drinking more coffee which may be counterproductive and I have been eating more carbs (not terrible ones, but eat-rite pizzas, butternut squash, etc).  I'll adjust each individually and see how it affects me.  I haven't been logging my food lately and no****ching as closely as I should.  Again, the scale isn't going up, but not down either-old habits scare me to death.

Thanks for the advice.

I have been really hungry lately and for me it is most likely ALL head hunger!  I haven't taken a PPI since I was 6 weeks out and haven't had any problems, but during the last 3 weeks I have been "starving" while drinking my protein shake for breakfast wondering what I am going to eat for lunch and hoping that I could eat "lunch" when I get to work.  Thankfully, I usually get engrossed in what I am doing and forget that I was starving and then am okay eating lunch at 12 and having a salad with chicken, protein drink or an egg. Nothing as exciting as what I had thought about in the morning.

About 2 months ago all sugar, candy, fried foods, soda, etc was banned at work.  Normally I am good with this because I don't usually eat those things but I have been really craving chocolate around 3pm.  I walk around the building like I used to trying to find the coveted chocolate at someone's desk , but there isn't any.  I get busy with something and I forget about it after I contemplate why my mental health has to suffer since I can't have a darn piece of chocolate!

Anyway, this all started for me because my daughter had a birthday party and I indulged in carbs and sugar...It's certainly time for me to detox.  All of the M&M's are gone, no more snack candy bars laying around.  ADDICTION sucks!