I have been wondering this for a while ...

Very often when there is a post about hunger, and it is suggested it may be head hunger they are experiencing, the reaction is defensive. They are insistent this is "real" hunger. Even in the OP they will sometimes lead with they know the difference between "real" hunger and head hunger, and they definitely have "real" hunger.

Is head hunger not "real"?

So, for me, head hunger and physical hunger are very difficult to distinguish between. They physically feel identical. I have to really analyze why I am hungry. Did I have a trigger, an email from Postmates, smelling a neighbors BBQ, hearing the ice cream truck? I have to think about what will satisfy my hunger, do I need a burger, or does lentil soup sound just as good? Only when I think about those, can I determine which type of hunger I am experiencing.

Head hunger has lead me to; fill countless carts on Grubhub, Postmates, Ubereats, and (almost always) exit before checking out; get into my car and drive to a fast food restaurant, only to (almost always) turn around and go home; endlessly flip through a room service menu; take a half eaten taco out of my hotel room trash (wrapped and in a bag!) and finish it.

Is head hunger less difficult to manage than physical hunger? Is having head hunger a sign of some sort of weakness?

On 07/06/2018 at 11:18, AshAsh1 said:

I think the reason that "head hunger" has a bad connotation is because it leads to eating bad foods due to nature of its existence. I don't care for people who say they have hunger, and excuse the fact that it could be head hunger. Head hunger is real, just as real as regular hunger. I always challenge the OP to really pay attention to when they are hungry. Is this triggered by a commercial on TV, a stressful moment, or a smell from your neighbors BBQ.

This article has a good comparison chart.

https://primesurgicare.com/head-hunger-vs-belly-hunger-difference/

Great info in that link!

I have to snack to get in all my calories. Always have even when I was only at 600 ish calories.

10 minutes ago, jess9395 said:

So the more than 1000 calories is not a only one path equals success.

I never said it was.

What I said....was that if you're eating 500 calories...and Jonesing like a maniac for junkfood....maybe you should try eating more healthy food and see if it takes the edge off.

And I'm wondering why this isn't an option?

On 07/06/2018 at 11:57, Creekimp13 said:

I never said it was.

What I said....was that if you're eating 500 calories...and Jonesing like a maniac for junkfood....maybe you should try eating more healthy food and see if it takes the edge off.

And I'm wondering why this isn't an option?

Sorry I think maybe I was actually responding to Matt... maybe it was him who said he didn’t think anyone over two months out should be consuming less than 1000 calories per day.

That suggests it’s the only path. Or was that you who said it? I can’t find it now.... but anyhow that’s what I was responding to.

I’m all for experimenting with a higher healthy calorie level to see if it stops any sort of hunger. If i had been hungry at 500 calories I would have added more!

49 minutes ago, Matt Z said:

I don't think anyone, that's more than 2 months out of surgery should be eating less than 1000 calories a day, Even at 1000 that's a deficit and not maintenance level intake. There are plenty of studies showing that continued excessively low levels of caloric intake causes issues.

Matt ... I've done a lot of researching, and haven't found anything that shows VLCD area cause for concern, under medical supervision. The small amount of research that is out there shows promising correlations with diabetes and aging.

57 minutes ago, Creekimp13 said:

SillyKitty, I want to ask a question, but I'm scared it's going to sound facetious...and I really don't mean it that way. I'm honestly trying to understand here, and I hope you get that I'm sincere.

So here goes...

You're eating 500 calories at day at about 5 months out....and you're not interested, for the most part, in eating the healthy options you keep at home beyond 500 calories......but find yourself struggling with cravings for unhealthy foods, take out, etc. Is this all correct?

Now, here's my question...and please don't take this as a criticism or in any way a negative....I just want to try to get my head around where you're coming from...

But...why don't you try to eat 1000 calories or so of healthy foods (even if you're not that interested)...and see if it doesn't help with the cravings for the naughty stuff? Wouldn't it make sense that having really good nutrition in ya would help ease the cravings? To me, that'd be the place to start. I totally get that I'm not you....but I'd like to understand why this isn't an option?

Don't worry Creek, I know you're coming from a good place

Short answer: Because I'm happy with my current weight loss rate, and have a tight timeline for plastics by the end of the year, and don't want to risk throwing that off track.

Long answer: There are two big factors of how I got to my high weight, grazing and dining out/drinking. The dining out will always be a struggle because travel and wining & dining is part of the job. The grazing part comes in during the non travel part and I work from home. Eating because food is delicious, and to break the tedium became an issue. When I had WLS I resolved to only eat when I was hungry, physically hungry. I feel like eating just to get calories in is a dangerous path for me. I already have to do it somewhat to met my protein goals, and that I can justify. But eating more to stave off future head hunger, worries me.

And to clarify, days when I struggle with head hunger (and I'm home), I do allow myself to eat, healthy choices for the most part, so my calories naturally go higher. For instance on a recent head hunger day I was at 800 calories, and yesterday, a non head hunger day I was at 400 by comparison. So I do allow my cravings to be somewhat satisfied by healthy foods, and I don't totally deny my desire to eat.

4 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

And to clarify, days when I struggle with head hunger (and I'm home), I do allow myself to eat, healthy choices for the most part, so my calories naturally go higher. For instance on a recent head hunger day I was at 800 calories, and yesterday, a non head hunger day I was at 400 by comparison. So I do allow my cravings to be somewhat satisfied by healthy foods, and I don't totally deny my desire to eat.

I mean, zero offense, but I just don't know how you have a 400 calorie day. I just cant fathom it... I would be super curious to see what you eating? and I'm not making mockery of you, I just can't see less than 200 calories in a each meal. Sometimes, I even go over that, rarely, but still. Therefore 200 calories per meal, is minimum of 600. Unless I skip breakfast, which is never going to happen LOL.

And of course I'm typing this as I'm eating carrot sticks and greek yogurt veggie dip.

Edited July 6, 20188 yr by AshAsh1

Here you go, I just rearranged everything into breakfast so it would fit on one screen

6 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

Here you go, I just rearranged everything into Breakfast so it would fit on one screen

Girl, i know it works for you, but i would die. I'm still a fat girl who had WLS, LOL.

1 minute ago, AshAsh1 said:

Girl, i know it works for you, but i would die. I'm still a fat girl who had WLS, LOL.

Lol ... I get it! You don't want to see the days I'm traveling. Seriously who wants an egg white omlette when there is biscuits and gravy on the menu!

Actually yesterday I did have some physical hunger. I was in my HQ office, I got tied up and missed lunch. Was hungry and scrounged around for some healthy snacks. I got home late and was hungry again, so I had the yogurt to get my protein in.

4 hours ago, sillykitty said:

Is head hunger less difficult to manage than physical hunger?

I think it's even harder to manage.

I guess you're talking about these neon signs popping up again and again in your mind that don't tend to calm down on their own until you have eaten that certain food (had that drink, had that cigarette, had whatever).

Ok....so that's breakfast. What about the rest of the day?

1 hour ago, sillykitty said:

Here you go, I just rearranged everything into Breakfast so it would fit on one screen

Good Lord, woman! That is dedication!

18 minutes ago, Orchids&Dragons said:

Good Lord, woman! That is dedication!

Honestly, days like that are easy. I only had physical hunger, and limited amounts. So that was easily sated by smart choices.

Days like the below are the hardest, this was a bad head hunger day. I was constantly thinking about food, and had to work hard to make good choices. That Grubhub cart got filled up over and over again, and I had to will myself to close the app and eat some damn jerky.

Don’t know if this will help, I have been seeing a eating disorder specialist for a couple of months. I have to still go to a physiologist for my mental evaluation soon, but I have learned a lot. 1 of the things that have helped me a lot is the sign she had me make for my fridge.
H Am I hungry ?
A Am I angry ?
L Am I lonely ?
T am I tired ?
Think First.
The idea is to answer every question honestly and go from there.
Hope this helps .