This is becoming a biggie for me!! :tongue: I just want to eat, no rhyme or reason, I guess I just miss it! I could use lots of tips on how others deal with head hunger.

Thank you so much! :tt1:

Brandy

I have no answer for you, but fill your pain. Just had a Hershey's kiss for no reason, and I had eaten really well today.

Seriously, all you do is just move on. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you just get used to it after a while...

I'm so glad you asked this! I am having the exact same problem. I'm hoping that once I can eat solid food again it will help but I just don't know. It is especially hard because I am a stay at home mom with 3 kids and they snack. I have a hard time because I'm so use to snacking with them. I MISS MY FOOD! I would love to know how other people deal with it.

this is something all of us go through I think. I was really commited at first and lost 100 pounds within the first year. then I had to have an unfill and it has since been a big struggle. I regained 20 punds and am stuck there. everyday I start out saying "today I'm gonna get back on track" and sometimes it works for a day or two. but then temptation gets the best of me and I backslide. it really is like an addiction. but how do we overcome an addiction that we can't give up totally? we have to eat, its not like smoking or drinking where we can totally give it up.

so the only advice I can give is when tempted, think about what you've gone through to get to this point. we've had surgery to help us lose weight. most of us view this as a last resort. is that cookie ect. worth risking failure?

something else that works for me is to put a "fat" pic of myself on the fridge. seeing myself like that is a BIG deterrent to going into the fridge for a snack.

the best advice though is to find something else to occupy your mind. when you find yourself being tempted, go for a walk or find something to do to get your mind off of your enemy.

This is an up-hill battle (this is for sure). I have been going thru the same issues. Everyday I wake up saying today is the day & fail by 3:00 p.m. I have now decided to go on liquids for 1 week to get rid of the cravings. I will then start adding protien + vegies. This has always helped to detoxify. I use cambridge. **BEST WISHES**

I, too had the same problem during the first two weeks post op and every now and then it still creeps up on me. "Out of sight, out of mind" really does work. I would eat dinner and immediately try to think of something else to eat. I realized that if I truly wanted to make this a lifestyle change that I needed to stop this behavior. So I made myself realize that I was actually full from dinner and preoccupied myself with something else. After a while I totally forgot about the idea of wanting something else to eat. I feel more in control of things which is such a liberating feeling. Before surgery, I always felt trapped and controlled by the cravings.

I battle it, like I'm the good cop and head hunger is a pusher trying to get me to take its drugs (unhealthy foods). I was once a total food junkie, with the band too. I battle daily, and every new day when i wake up and succeeded yesterday, i feel great, regardless of how much weight i lost. I definitely have my 11 pm weak moments where i am just totally burnt out, but i just cant go back to that wild uncontrolled compulsive eating. I never knew when i was hungry, i never felt anything because i'd stuff it all down with food. When people say ban is a tool for weight loss, i agree, but i also see it as a gentle teacher, encouraging me through moderation in the ways of healthy eating. I can cheat it, but in the end, that is as stupid as hitting myself with a baseball bat, i am the one who suffers.

I count calories. That helps me not eat junk that I don't need, and helps me evaluate whether I'm really hungry. If I am, I have a yogurt or something.

Also, if I'm not hungry, I make myself find something to do. I like to sketch, so even if I'm not feeling "inspired" I'll pick up one of my reference books and at least sketch something from that. Or go take a bath and read a book with a glass of iced tea. That's another thing. If I KNOW it's head hunger, I'll grab a glass of iced tea and drink that before I even consider getting food. Usually by the time I've finished it and get another one, I'm not really thinking about Snacks anymore. Most of this is at home stuff. For at work, I just don't bring crap to the office so it's not there.

Thanks for the ideas! It is so nice to know that I am not struggling with this alone!

Brandy

I have a horrible sweet tooth and my brain is ALWAYS telling me I need something sweet,especially around that time of the month.I simply can't keep anything sweet in the house.I buy fruit bars/oatmeal pies..snacks that I do not like for the kids.I eat popcorn alot when I am craving a snack.......I did have a box of chocolate covered almonds earlier:mad:(my kids are selling them)

My excuse...is't there tons of protein in Almonds:wink2: It a constant battle in my brain!!!!

I have been writing down what I eat and when. Then when the head hunger hits, I read the times and say to myself there is no way you are hungry, its only been 2 hours, etc. I repeat it. If it is still there, I get up and walk around. And then if its still there, I cut up a grapefruit into sections, like if you buy it in the supermarket in a jar, and slowly eat the sections. I find that by that point, I don't even eat all of it.

Seriously, all you do is just move on. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you just get used to it after a while...

really... i still have head hunger issues after 16 months. i wish i could get used to it.

Head hunger I hate it so much! In the daytime I am fine, but when it is dark out- lock down the kitchen! To be completely honest I have not tried finding constructive things to do at night I either sit at the computer or in front of the TV and think about how hungry I am. Before I go to bed I am starving, so I must have something to tide me over until morning, or I won't be able to sleep. Yep my brain enables me to eat. :cursing:I am going to keep checking in on this post to see if someone has a good answer to how they cured their stupid head hunger. I would be forever grateful.:thumbdown:

I am in the optifast stage 12 days before surgery and i am really struggling. I am so hungry, i can not get to sleep at night due to hungry pains and the head hunger certainly doesnt help. my sugeon had told me to try the optifast for 3 weeks before surgery but when i spoke to the dietian last week she thought 2 weeks should be enough so i ate normally again until it was 2 weeks before the op. I wanted to know how others got on and if they managed to to stick to just the optifast. I cheated last night and ate toast, i am starting to wonder if i should have the op at all, if i cant stick to the diet now!! please help, im feeling very desperate. By the way,my weight is about 115kg and the reason the surgeon suggested an extra week on optifast is because I know that i have a slightly fatty liver due to an x-ray i had done a few months ago. Also does anyone have trouble cutting out the alcohol in their diet?

Well, when you finally get to optimum restriction it gets kindof funny. It's like a war between the head and the gut. I still get "wild eyed" sometimes when I think of food. Looking at the menu of a seafood restaurant practically gave me the vapors...I wanted EVERYTHING, but when push comes to shove and I order, I realize I better just pick one thing because it's a GIVEN that I will be getting about half of that down. That's when I wish you could get "sampler" plates with one little dollop of everything.... I also find I don't really like leftovers much, so gettig a big meal and having to take 3/4 of it home doesn't thrill me...it NEVER tastes or looks as good after it's sat in the fridge for a day.