Head hunger, how do you cope??

I am in the insurance approval process of getting the RNY. The more I think about it, the more scared I get about losing my "friend"...food. I can't help it, I have used it so long as a comfort. How do you post op's deal with the head hunger and wanting food for comfort? There is no way I would let this change my mind about the surgery, it just scares me, because sometimes food feels like my best friend! Sick, I know.

Heather, I'm also in the approval phase and that is one of my concerns. I can't speak for others, hungry I can ignore... but sad, bored, lonely, scared... is that what you mean? I assume those are the kind of things we are talking about when we talk about head hunger? I want to know what others are doing also... Lexia

I understand how you feel , after I desided to have surgery I felt like I was never going to be able to eat the food I Like again!! so I was eating everything in site !! and ended up gaining weight . you will be able to eat again after surgery !! am at the point right now after being on this pre diet that I cant wait to be able to eat cottage cheese , yougart anything would be better than what I been on for 2 weeks lol. Hugs and good luck Sherry

Mostly, I drink. Right now the favorite is any variety of Diet Lipton Iced Teas. And, when I am stressed and would otherwise be eating, I cuss loud and hard and try to get on the Gazelle, if I remember that part of the plan. When I can figure out what is stressing me and call it by name (several names, most of four-letters), I can break part of its power over me. At least that is the story I am sticking to. The period of recovery from surgery helped break my old habits, if I had eaten a bag of cookies, chips, donuts, Doritos then, I would have been sick for hours. So, with the old habit pretty much broken, it's easier (so far) to reach for fluids and wait until I should be hungry before I eat again. Food is our best friend and worst enemy all at once. But the surgery is acting as a tool to control it.

Well, I'm still pre-op too and I've thought about this a lot. I figured that I might as well begin addressing it now rather than wait until after surgery. So I have started eating as if I were already post-op. Protein forward meals, low sugar, low carbs, lots of water, etc. Granted it's not an exact diet plan for after surgery, but at least I've started thinking about what my eating life is going to be like afterward. (I've got the 12-month diet history timeframe to train myself, so I'm using it to my advantage.) I also have tried to stick to a strict eating schedule. Meals at specific times, snacks at specific times, even practicing the no-water-with-meals rules. If I find myself feeling "hungry" at an unscheduled time then I wait. I will consciously WAIT 30 minutes before I indulge in that hunger craving. I know I shouldn't be hungry at odd times because I'm so good about sticking to my eating schedule ... so I usually can figure out that I'm not physically hungry at those times. If I find that I can't wait the 30 minutes because the force is too overpowering... I'll try to have a glass of water or crystal light first. That often squashes the "hunger". No, I wasn't able to get to this point overnight... and I still have a ways to go. But I think it's just a matter of training yourself to think before you eat. You need to learn to evaluate the signals your body is giving you and figure out how to interrupt them. Also, it's a good idea to find some other activity to replace food. If you know you eat when you're sad, figure out something else to do instead. Take a walk, listen to music, surf the net, go to the store, give yourself a manicure ... whatever it takes to replace that "Food Friend" .. find something that you enjoy just as much. Just my .02, Pam

I was lucky in that I never had the head hunger. When I decided to have the surgery, I made up my mind that I would do anything I needed to do to make it work. The funny thing is, I wasn't hungry. The 2 week diet that the doctor had me on was full of protein and had few calories but I was not hungry. As a matter of fact, I had a hard time getting all my points in each day. After surgery, I was not hungry and had to make myself eat. After 6 months, the hunger feeling does come back but your brain should be trained enough so that you don't overeat. You learn very quickly when you ask should I take another bite, the answer is no. I think you're worrying needlessly, think about the future you and how good you will look. Good luck.

Heather, You really should think about this......for the first 6 months you won't care about food, but after that, you just might. I am one year out, and before surgery McDonald's or any drive thru was my best friend. If I had a bad day at work, or a good day, I had an excuse for going out to eat just about every day. It really was hard to get over. Once I could start eating "normally" again, those feelings came right back, and rather than just giving in and eating, I had to address them. There were a few times when I went through the drive thru, ordered what I wanted, and then threw it away. A waste of money I know, but it was a process in figuring out what I needed to do to stay healthy. I have found that healthy foods make me feel good.....what I thought junk food was doing for me but it wasn't. If I am a little stressed, it feels good to eat something nourishing and not bad. You just have to change the way you look at things. This board is a great place to voice your frustrations.....use it when you need to. Once you start to lose a lot of weight, those __________ (insert favorite food here) won't seem so important to you.

Thanks for all the great responses! I know it will be worth it, and really I am just going to have to deal with it and work through it, if I don't now, I never will. I don't want to live like this, so I will take the good with the bad and try to figure out what will work for me. I can do it!