I'm newly sleeved, 8 days out, and I'm already learning that head hunger is going to be a pain. Especially when pizza Hut commercials come on. This was a problem through the 2 week pre-op, but I kept my focus. I thought more of my hunger would have gone away post-op, but there's still a fair bit there. That combined with overall deprivation has stirred up some annoying cravings. Sometimes its just for yummy healthy stuff my family has for dinner (baked salmon never looked so good) and sometimes it is stuff from commercials, or something someone posts on Facebook (did I need to know that my cousin wen to Chick-Fil-A? thanks for that craving!) Given that the surgery took away most of my stomach, and I know that my fat stores, plus the oodles of Vitamins I'm taking, are plenty to sustain me, and I am also eating three meals/day of about 1/3 cup of strained Soup or yogurt, I think most of this is head hunger.

That being said, what are your strategies for dealing with it?

So far I've been reaching for my Calcium (yummy BA calcium chews that taste like candy!). Or I try to distract myself. But you guys who have been at it longer, what are your coping strategies?

Yes... the head hunger... those darn TV commercials! It seems like you never really noticed how many food/resturant commercials are on TV until you are sleeved and on the Liquid/muchie/soft stages!!!

For me, it was hardest at the 1 - 2 week post op mark... gradually started leaving and honestly by the 4 week mark it is gone... I would have to leave the house and go walking just to get my mind off of food sometimes!

Good Luck.

Some have said that the hunger hormone is still in your system for a while... it seems to get less a little later for some. Also, do you take a PPI? This helps lower the hunger symptoms. When you get to more solid protein, you will feel physically stuffed with jut a little bit of food. I know this does not address head hunger, but believe me, they all help lower that hungry feeling. Not all people lose all of their hunger.Mine went down by half or so, and is that much easier to deal with than before surgery.

The worst case of head hunger for me was when my husband was watching a food network show about fried chicken! It was excruciating!!! LOL!!! I asked hime to turn it off!!! I have considered going to counseling to deal with the emotional side of eating. It is a challenge for me to listen to the hunger, ask myself "okay what is really going on" and then deal with those emotions. Am I bored, angry, anxious? Did I fight with the hubby or have words with the teenager? (and let me tell you, the teenagers will drive me to food faster than anything!!! LOL!) I think once I figure out and deal with the head hunger this sleeve will be ultimately successful!!! Good luck on your journey!

Hi Kami,

Yes, head hunger and true physical hunger are two different beasts entirely.

My physical hunger is pretty much non existent. I probably feel rumbles in my stomach a few times per week. In that case, I simply eat. If it's still a few hours until a real meal time, I'll eat a very light snack, no more than 100 calories and avoiding carbohydrates. In fact avoiding carbohydrates will help in itself in keeping the physical hunger away as much as possible. If you do eat carbs, just make sure you're also eating Protein with it as that will help neutralize the body's response to the carbs. Anyway, I don't starve my body, if it's really truly hungry, I feed it.

Now, head hunger... that sadly for me has never really gone away. I'm just much better at "ignoring" it some times over others. Pd. time I find is incredibly difficult to do this. I usually cave for a few days, but I will white knuckle it until a day before or day of. I can usually do that, but once it hits I think it spikes even worse and it becomes pretty futile after that. Once the spike is over, which takes about 3-4 days I can usually get my critical mind to take back over.

I just look at my craving choice... what is it? Is it Sugar? Salty? Full of Carbs? If yes, then the answer is NO!!! I'm an Analyst by day, so this is pretty natural for me. I think of myself as the Terminator. My brain fires up like a computer and I'm processing the food like data, checking labels and considering the food choice. If the outcome is that the choice will end up on my belly or thighs, then I'm not going to have it.

LOL HTH. Hang in there!!!

It's come and gone for me. I simply eat saltine crackers and the taming of the small amount of PHYSICAL hunger I have seems to allow me to get past the HEAD hunger.

I alot myself 12 crackers a day, 144 calories and they soak up the extra acid and take the edge off. Some evenings I add a slice of cheese.

I haven't felt physical hunger at all since my surgery, growling willl tell me it's been to long between meals but other than that I need to eat by the clock, basically every two hours.

Head hunger or what I would more describe as cravings, I will get sometimes and I know when I will have them; when I haven't eaten enough Protein for my main meals or when I'm bored / sad / happy i.e exactly the same as before surgery. The big difference from before is that I can handle them in a sensible way now. If I crave something, I will have it...BUT in moderation! Late night in front of TV I might crave chocolate; one small piece and then I'm happy. Before surgery I would finish off a whole bar and then go onto something else and then on.. The sleeve is "forcing" me to have a natural relationship food and I love it! I

Im at goal weight since about 2-3 months and very comfortable in my maintaining at the moment

Best wishes and good luck on your journey!

I had mine done the 24 and yesterday I had to yell at my self in the kitchen that I'm not hungry..man I kept walking in and out of the kitchen all day and I was so pissed at my self but today is better...so you are not a lone..I to am losing it...

TV killed me the first couple of months. I didn't watch TV during my first few months because I got SO angry about every other commercial being food! Which is funny because the day after my surgery while I was still in the hospital, I laid there and watched a Top Chef marathon and it didn't bother me. LOL

Truthfully, I do give into my head hunger HOWEVER... before I mindlessly wander into the kitchen, I check myself. I ask myself if I'm truly working up a hungry (I typically haven't lost my "hungry".. it just feels different.. like a gas tank on empty rather than the way it used to be like a ravenous Hoover) or if it's getting close to meal time. If it is, I turn my "head hunger craving" into my meal. That's not to say I eat what I'm craving. If I'm craving something sour for example, I'll add a couple small pickle slices to my sandwich (if that's what I'm having.. I love pepperidge farms soft light wheat bread. I use one slice of bread cut in half for my sandwiches).

Now, if I'm honestly just "head hungry" and it's been a few hours since I've eaten, I'll use that opportunity to get some nutrients in. I'll have a small portion of nuts (love the 100 calorie packs of almonds!!) or something that'll benefit me. This many months out, I still have to be vigilant about trying to hit my Protein level. OR If I'm wanting something sweet, I'll mix some SF hawaiian punch like drink drop ins into my Water.

If my tummy is full and satisfied I don't get "head hunger" and I think that's important for me to remember. Satisfied tummy = no head hunger. I can go on about my business. With the control I have over my eating now, I see my "head hunger" as my body telling me something..like "hey we need a little boost here you low carb eating witch! This is what I want!" I can be sitting here working, not giving food a second thought then all of a sudden out of nowhere something pops into my head. I "check myself before I wreck myself" basically. I try to eat things that will only benefit me that I would NORMALLY eat as a sleever (cheese sticks, Peanut Butter, etc etc etc). Rarely do I give into a REAL craving and that's really only during PMS time and never more than a bite or 2. I eat Breakfast, lunch, dinner and 1 snack a day. That snack between lunch & dinner is a long stretch of time until dh gets home. My loss has been going at a decent clip and it's worked for me.

When I get head hunger, and just can't escape it's nagging, I eat meat, chicken or pork first to fill me up and retrain my brain to associate meat with head hunger. After eating protein, and I still have that nagging little voice, I will allow myself a small portion (remember I'm physically full from the protein), about 1/2 a coffee cup (a real coffee cup, not a Starbucks Grande!) of whatever I'm craving. I'm normally satisfied after that.

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