okay so I quit smoking years ago and now I have the sleeve, I've never been much of a drinker and I HATE working out. What do people do after a rough week at work or when your hubby is being an idiot? I'm at a total loss and it's triggering a lot of head hunger.

I am right there with you! In fact, I had to read your post carefully because at fist I thought it was mine from a few months ago. Ha!

I quit smoking 1/2013 and had a sleeve 1/2014. It is really hard. The first time I truly was emotional (not sure the right word or feeling to use here), I thought I was going to have a full blown panic attack. For all the reason you put in your message. You do not have a crutch any more.

There are still days that are extremely hard and I have not found my “thing” yet. I am sure I will and I know you will too. It is just a matter of trial and error. Do you like music? When I get stress at work and the head hunger kicks in, I have a mix that I listen too. It is totally cheese music, but I love it! That takes the edge off. Also, I don’t know if this is something you will be able to tolerate, but gum is a great “got to get something in my mouth now...chew chew chew” thing. I always have peppermint gum on me (as a bonus, the peppermint can ease stomach upset).

I hope I have been of some help. I hope you find your “thing” soon!

Ideally going for a walk or doing something physically exerting is probably healthiest, but finding the motivation when my spirits are low is tough. I have 2 things I do to lift my spirits or distract from head hunger. First a long hot bubble bath or second I paint my nails. LOL the second one is also good because you cant eat with wet nails. By the time my nails are dry either the craving is gone or it is actually time to eat. Wishing you the best as you figure out what works for you.

I recently got into yoga. It is such a stress reliever. I look up "30 minute yoga workouts" on YouTube. If I'm really stressed, I do a slow relaxing routine then just lay there with soothing music to clear my mind. It works everytime! Try it, see what you think. Good luck!

Yoga or meditation are my go-to stress busters. Either one is an excellent way to destress, take a step back and clear your head.

A nice hot bubble bath can help too. I can't wait until I can take one again. I have some lovely aromatherapy bath salts specifically for stress relief (not sure if they work or if it's just the relaxation from the hot Water, but it never fails to make me feel better.

Exercise -- this is the best for me. a) its great for you you burn off the irritating energy!

It's scary when we have all these new (and old) emotions raise their ugly heads and we can no longer bury them in food. It makes me sad sometimes. But I push through it through music, exercise, that silly Candy Crush game and when I'm feeling really sad, I just sleep it off. I've invested in twice monthly deep tissue massages, and they've been helping immensely. Music is my #1 go-to, though.

One of the wonderful byproducts of this process is discovering new things about yourself. Or re-discovering things that have been latent for far too long. Perhaps there are hobbies and passions that you can engage in like gardening, crafts, DIY, painting or drawing, dancing, sewing, knitting, yoga, tai chi, fishing (my passion), even cleaning!

Explore. Discover. Heal.

Be well…

I usually pick up the phone and call a friend. Before long we are laughing and everything seems better. Lately, I've also been diving into books that I've been wanting to read. If I have a good book going, I can get lost in it and all the rest of the world goes away. Currently, those are my best 2 distractions. Good luck!