Habit VS Hunger

 

I read almost every post with the exception of topics related to periods and poop, then I skip them. Sorry, but that is a place that I don’t want to go.

I have been reading a lot lately about habits and obviously just by being here, about hunger. I have always heard that it takes 21 days to form or break a habit. I seems like that would be true, I have broken and formed habits. I recall how hard it was to start wearing a seatbelt. I took me weeks before it became habit to buckle up before leaving the driveway of my house and now I do it without even thinking about it. I didn’t actually write down when I started and how long it took me before it became a habit, but that timeframe sounds right.

Apparently that 21 day rule came from a book written by a plastic surgeon who said that amputees took an average of 21 days to adjust to the loss of a limb and translated that in to any major life change taking a similar amount of time. Having WLS is most definitely a major life change!  Do you think that the ‘head hunger’ that we talk about is a habit that needs to be broken? Is there a correlation between the people who are worried about being so hungry after surgery and then having that hunger go away a few weeks later?

I didn’t feel hunger immediately after my surgery but I was eating a very small amount (basically a post op diet) for about 2 months prior to that day. I didn’t have a pre-surgery liquid diet. So, my questions for you are:

Did you have a pre-surgical liquid diet?

Did you have post op ‘head hunger’?

If yes, how long was it before it went away?

Martha 

I had a 2 week pre op diet, it was rough for 3 days, by day 4 it was fine by the end I no longer needed all the food I was allowed to feel full. Post op I don't recall having any real head hunger, I did crave a couple of things and I recall wanting to chew something but I could by a couple weeks out and that went away.

I have been told it takes 2 weeks to form or break a habit so I'd say 2-3 weeks sounds about right.

I had a two week pre-op liquid diet, and I've fought head hunger for months. I don't feel physically hungry, and if it's not time to eat, I don't. For me, the head hunger seems to be triggered by either certain foods I used to eat (cookies, cakes, candy, starchy foods) or by certain people. It's much easier now to say no to stuff, but it can still be challenging. So, I guess I'm getting BETTER at my newer habits (planning ahead, making sure I eat on schedule, etc.). 

I had a pre-op diet, but it wasn't strictly liquid.  I was allowed unlimited vegetables, unlimited sugar-free foods, 4 C. nonfat milk and 4 oz. of meat per day, in addition to a mandated 40-50 gm protein drinks.  Bread, cereals, pasta, starchy veggies, fruit, and juice were forbidden.

I didn't experience "head hunger," in fact I felt no hunger at all for at least 6 months. 

No pre op diet. Three weeks on protein drinks only post op. Head hunger was the worst the first two or three months. It still rears its crabby little head, but I am pretty adept at spotting it.
Worst head hunger ever was three weeks post op when DH made two big pans of homemade cinnamon rolls. I considered chucking the whole lot out the backdoor.

One last thing about habit. How many of us were trained to clean our plates and not waste food? It took me a long time to realize it is still a waste of food if you are eating past your body's needs.

I had two week pre-op diet and didn't feel like eating much first two weeks, but the holiday food sure looked good.  This week I am battling head hunger a lot.   I still cook for my husband and it's getting to me....I cannot expect him to eat like me.  He's tall and maybe 10 lbs overweight, but he loves his chocolate, cookies and chips.  He told me not to buy anymore for him.  But I am craving the vegetables, salads, and potatoes, which my plan doesn't allow for quite awhile.  I'm just taking one day at a time....

 

I had to lose and maintain a 10lb weight loss before surgery, so not really a liquid diet but a diet all the same.  I don't really think I know what head hunger is, is that when you aren't really hungry but want to eat?  If so, sure I want to eat things sometimes when I am not hungry because I am never hungry really.  I try to purposely chose foods and places to eat that I don't really like so I will eat less.  The lady at Domino's looked at me like a grew another head when she asked my opinion of their new pan pizza, I said I rather dislike it, she said oh we value feedback, what can we do to make it better.  I said nothing, I rather like it this way, she didn't understand.  I said well my bf likes it so we get it and thats all that matters.  But really it does matter to me to break my bond with food, I try every day to avoid more and more trigger foods that I abused.  And believe me I abused food, I will never lie and say I ate carrots and celery and got to nearly 300lbs.  For me it was Ben&Jerrys and lots of Ho Ho's and Ring Dings and candy and bread and butter.  I could live on bread and butter and did for many years.  I have never liked "food", it has always been one carb or another.  Now I choose protein over carbs.  So when I get Domino's I can eat one slice of pizza and never want more and then have whatever healthy protein rich snacks I want.  When they cut me open I swore I would never go back and I never will.  My bond with food is permanantly changed and I like it that way.

Did you have a pre-surgical liquid diet?  I had to do clear liquids the day before surgery.  Prior to that I ate lean meats and green leafy veggies for 1 month.

Did you have post op ‘head hunger’?  No I had no hunger after surgery.  My hunger signal is still hard to distinguish until I think about the last time I ate.  I deal with more emotional eating (boredom is my tough one) than actual hunger.  Usually controllable as it's later at night and I'm forcing myself to go upstairs and not come back down to the kitchen. 

If yes, how long was it before it went away?

Did you have a pre-surgical liquid diet?

No, no liquid diet. I had to eat 3 proteins, 1 veggie, 1 fruit, 1 dairy and 1 carb per meal. So I'd usually have something like 3 oz of chicken, some milk, broccoli, strawberries and half a red potato or whole wheat toast. I did that for 4 months
& lost 73 lbs before surgery with that and exercise.

I had to not eat anything starting at 5 pm the day before and drink some Phillips, but that's it.

Did you have post op 'head hunger'?

Yes! I remember being in the car (we were on the road) my husband was hungry and he stopped to get a burger and fries (I was a week out). I wanted that burger so bad and I finally gave in snatched it from him and took a bite! I chewed it up and spat it out the window. I was actually really embarrassed cause I felt I had no control at that point. First and last time I ever did anything like that.

If yes, how long was it before it went away?

It actually was exactly 21 days, cause that's when I was finally allowed to eat on my plan. Up until then it was clear liquids for three days and cream of "crap" for the rest of the 3 weeks. I drank a lot of broth during that time because I couldn't stand the cream soups. And I ate SF Popsicles.

During that time head hunger went away. I felt satisfied for the most part. I think I get head hunger NOW more than before. Always when my period is right around the corner.

My pre-op diet will consist of 4 protein shakes a day, supplemented by the SF Popsicles and such - for two weeks.