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How to get over being head hungry

Someone tell me this will pass.. i am 4 days pos op and i know im not hungry, though i am still getting used to new feelings.... but my head is telling me to eat ... is this normal? is this even a real thing? i feel like i am constantly hungry and i desperately need it to stop!!!!!

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Yes it's head hunger. More of a mental thing than anything else. Like most things mental, once you relearn new eating habits you will learn how to manage it better.

Very normal. In my early days post-op, every single food commercial made me "hungry" even though I knew actually attempting to eat any of those things would be horrible. It definitely takes some time for your brain to catch on that you can't eat the way you used to. For me it was really a good 3-4 months before I really accepted it.

I'm only 6 weeks out from surgery but I have the same head - hunger. Oddly, eating sugar free Jello (only 10 calories) seem to help. I'm told it disappears in a few months.

. I'm told it disappears in a few months.

I only wish. I'm two years out and I fight head hunger almost every day. The first 6-8 months were actually the easiest.

It basically comes down to breaking old habits and building new ones. Finding something to distract you when the head hunger strikes. Developing coping strategies that don't involve food. I drink Water when I want to snack. I clean. I go for a hike. I take a pottery class. I groom the horses. I play with my dog. You just gotta find what works for you. The surgery was the easy part. Our heads are tougher to fix.

Just being able to recognize that it is head hunger and not real hunger is a good thing. I experienced head hunger more in the beginning but now, six months later, I still get it from time to time. It really is annoying but I agree it helps to turn your attention to some activity that does not involve food.

It will get much easier once your body starts to wean itself off the foods you were eating and you get used to eating differently.

Head hunger will always likely be an issue but not like the first week. For me it comes and goes occasionally, especially if I'm doing something that triggers me to want to eat like watching tv, playing video games or working on the computer. I have to be careful about triggers and avoid them. Otherwise head hunger galore.

  • Author

Thank you. .. I am struggling with wanting to eat but knowing 1. I can't and 2. I'm not actually hungry. .. day 5 post op and I am looking forward to it getting easier. .

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