How to deal with head hunger
Some people get hungry. Its not physically impossible. I wi**** were! (smile)
It could also be stomach acid. This can mock hunger. It might be worth trying an antacid and see if this decreases the urge to eat.
Or it could be head hunger. I certainly struggle with that as well. My solution is distraction. If I want to eat due to boredom or stress, I try to substitute another behavior - taking a walk, knitting, reading.
best wishes,
Carol
Surgery May 1, 2013. Starting Weight 385, Surgery Weight 333, Current Weight 160. At GOAL!
Weight loss Pre-op 1-20 2-17 3-15 Post-op 1-20 2-18 3-15 4-14 5-16 6-11 7-12 8-8
9-11 10-7 11-7 12-7 13-8 14-6 15-3 16-7 17-3 18-3
Not sure why it would be physically impossible? However, this early on the nerves in the stomach are still healing, so he can't trust anything that he thinks his stomach is saying. AND, on top of that, acid mimics hunger. So if he's not taking a PPI already, he should try one. And if he is taking a PPI, he might want to try a stronger one. Dehydration can also be a culprit.
VSG with Dr. Salameh - 3/13/2014
Diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder and started Vyvanse - 7/22/2016
Reconstructive Surgeries with Dr. Michaels - 6/5/2017 (LBL & brachioplasty), 8/14/2017 (UBL & mastopexy), 11/6/2017 (medial leg lift)
Age 42 Height 5'4" HW 319 (1/3/2014) SW 293 (3/13/2014) CW 149 (7/16/2017)
Next Goal 145 - normal BMI | Total Weight Lost 170
TrendWeight | Food Blog (sort of functional) | Journal (down for maintenance)
I had VSG on 9/6/16. Early on I thought hunger was a big issue for me. I agree with the comments above. I found that most of the "hunger" was healing, acid, not drinking enough, and not eating enough protein.
It is much better now as I start my 12th week out. I think making sure I always eat protein first, not skipping my anti-acid, drinking, drinking, drinking, and walking/exercise were the biggest contributors in the change.
Tell him Good Luck!!
Started this journey 6/6/16 - 246.8lbs. SW 214 - 9/6/16 VSG. CW - 158. (9/15/17) Post VSG M1- 20, M2- 8.4 M3- 6.6 M4- 8 M5- 3.6 M6-5.8 M7- 1.5 M8- 1.5 GOAL - 142.
Never waste a second chance!!
One more thing to remember is that some people produce more ghrelin than others. The ghrelin can take some time to work it's way down to a minimal production level. Though most of the ghrelin is made in the part of the stomach that is removed, VSG patients still make it. My surgeon explained it to me in this way: ghrelin production can work like bile production after a gallbladder removal - it takes a while for the body to realize there is no storage unit so it doesn't need to make as much bile.
By now I would assume his ghrelin production would have pretty much slowed to almost non existent, but you never know. Each person is different.
