A question for the vets: How to distinguish from "head hunger" and real hunger?

Been having a couple of bad days! *huff* *puff* Whew!

Yesterday, I thought adding some exercise might budge my lack of weight loss on the pre-op diet. So, in the morning I did some squats and in the evening I did some sprints on the treadmill and made sure I got my water and vits in afterwards, too. Stuck to the doctor's 1,200 calorie plan with the shakes and all that.

I woke up at 5:00 this morning RAVENOUS. The #1 reason why I chose the Sleeve over RNY or anything else. This INCREDIBLE mad hunger that I get when I work out and break a sweat. It's terrifying. I can literally eat anything. I can eat the most disgusting things when I'm hungry like this (like lima beans! Yuk!) Shakes taste delicious. When I feel this way I really really try to select nutritious foods (like sardines with the bones) over junk like Doritos. If I get hungry enough, I 'test' myself by eating something I'm not super crazy about, like chicken breast or plain eggs, to make sure I really want to eat and that it's not just head hunger. This morning, I wasn't sure, so I ate the chicken breast plain with no sauce - just a dab of homemade mayo -  to make sure I wasn't head-hungry.

After I ate the whole 3 oz., being sure to go slow, my stomach was still growling.

I told myself it was just head hunger and got ready for the rest of my day without eating anything else. I'm dressed and ready for work but now I have a problem. I'm incredibly dizzy, and my stomach is still yelling for food. I'm tempted to brew some very strong coffee and throw it back fast to make myself nauseous and stop the hunger pains. What could all of this mean?

If it's pre-op, then it probably is real hunger. You have to get past those first 3 to 5 days of no-carbs to get past that feeling. I did it by drinking 128 ounces a day of liquids. I fell in love with Crystal Light Lemonade. Drank it all the time. Don't like it now but between that and sugar free popsicles I didn't have time for anything other than protein shakes. I wasn't allowed "real" food during pre-op. Maybe you should go through the most stringent pre-op diet (four protein shakes a day and other liquids and that's all) for a week and see where you are. Just a thought.

I know all about that 3-5 day "carb flu". I went through that week before last. I was doing O****il I tried exercising harder. Looks like it may be something I'll just have to live with. I was also thinking about doing the liquid diet thing for the last week before surgery. Depends on my job, really. I can't be passing out at work.

If you're pre-op, exercise (especially on a low calorie diet) is going to make you hungry.  This is pretty much established by scientific research.

Are you close to your surgery date?  Most pre-op diets are intended to shrink the liver so the laparoscopic procedure is easier for the doctor - obese folks tend to have enlarged livers which makes maneuvering the instruments difficult.  

While losing weight is great, I wouldn't be too concerned about getting the scale to budge pre-op - just follow the recommendations and let the scale fall where it may... you'll see plenty of movement post-op.

After you're sleeved you'll have 4-12 months where hunger isn't an issue and exercise will be possible without the hunger side-effect.  Use the time wisely as hunger will return... for most it will never be as bad, as pre-surgery, but it most often does return.

Luckily the sleeve remains an effective tool if one takes in protein - which tends to act like a "cork" for many (but not all) of us.

Good luck!

Tom

Thanks Tom! I have read your story and it's an inspiration. I'm three weeks out. I figured I'd get hungry but obviously as an obese person, I'm working through the same serious eating disorder that everyone here has dealt with. I know that most of the time, it's head hunger which I am determined to defeat. I'm halfway through that cup of coffee (blech) and I will not cheat on this diet.

Good luck!  Hang in there.  It can be hard at times, and it's important to realize that... hang out here, we're all in it together!

 

Don't worry, I am doing a great job. At work today they had my favorite cookies and I didn't touch them. I just had strong black coffee and drank it until I didn't feel hungry and dizzy anymore. The surgeon says I'm supposed to give up caffeine but I might just have to skip that for the time being!

Hi,

Are you  pre-surgery?  I assume so.  Pre-surgery, I would eat 3 meals a day.  Each meal consisted of 3 to 4 ounces of dense protein plus all the low carb veggies I wanted.  My plan allowed for 1/2 cup of starch per meal, but I did not eat the starch because I know that carbs trigger cravings for me. 

If you haven't done so already,  I'd suggest cutting carbs to see if that diminished the hunger.  Then I'd suggest filling up on broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, salads, etc.  You can find some nice recipes that are quite enjoyable.   I think you will need more than just 3 ounces of meat to fill yourself at this point. But you can do it without too many calories.

best wishes,

Carol

 

Yup! I'm pre-op. I need to preface all my posts with that... forgot this time around.

I'm good at cutting carbs and cooking vegetables well. That's not an issue. It's just that the veggies have calories too, and on my surgeon's plan I don't have many calories to work with once all the protein is in. I'll have to cut somewhere else to make up for it. I also have to be aware that vegetables have carbs - and I'm so carb sensitive that a serving of cooked green beans can trigger hunger later on. Fortunately, I think once I'm sleeved, that won't be an issue. I don't plan to eat too many vegetables post-op.

For me real hunger made me feel like I was out of gas...head hunger was more emotionally or visually based. I am six weeks out today. I do have hunger once in a while. I use the same basis to judge what type it is.