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I was banded on 12-1-08 and My gas problems lasted only a couple days (lucky I guess) my problem is not feeling hungry but thinking hungry. Mental hunger is a problem for me. Physically i feel full after having a Protein Shake which for me is very comforting.

I'm thinking that its just withdrawals from a lifetime of bad habits. My attitude has been to just stay positive and wait it out until my brain realizes that this is just how it is now.

Anybody else get the mental hunger? If so how do you deal with it.

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Hey Logan: I try and distract myself with an activity. Walking or getting up and removing myself from the food. Or get on the phone and call a life line (AKA Family).

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I definitely think that we all feel the mental hunger thing. It is very hard to be in a world where food is so emphasized and it is totally inconvienent to diet. I worked really hard on changing bad habits before the surgery. I was a complete grazer before. Now I set three meal times and 2 small Snacks, and that's it. I am on mushies and soft foods, so I feel full fast.

When I have the mental hunger thing going on I picture myself buying brand new clothes in a smaller size, or I think about how great it will be to see someone I have not seen in a while and them say wow.

Basically I just try to think positive and that takes my mind off food.< /p>

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I agree with food being extremely emphasized in society. It is a huge contradiction within our cuklture. Hurry up and go get the lates burger from BK because it's good and satisfying and you just gotta have it. But...you're a pig and a horrible person if you do.

Oh Well.

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I hear you. I went to the mall with my kids to do my walking for the day. At the end of it they wanted dinner so I bought them Chick Fil A. I wasn't hungry but OH MY GOD did I want waffle fries and a chicken sandwich. Now I know how I got so big. I'm like a drunk but with food!

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The best way I fight off the mental hunger is to remember that the scale will tell on me. I enjoy getting on the scale and seeing progress (who the hell doesn't...) but it only takes 1 good binge to screw up a weeks worth of work. Keeps me from the mental eating. Now sneaking an off limit snack here or there - that's a different story. It would be unrealistic to believe we can forever eat nothing but 100% healthy foods. Falling off the wagon happens - just learn to tuck and roll and jump right back on.

Brad

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I just had surgery on 12-03-09 and I am feeling this way also. I really did not think I was "addicted" to food. But I am. I actually miss eating. I know the first few weeks are supposed to be very hard especially while I am on liquids. But I'm feeling very sad about not being able to eat right now. Kinda embarrasing to admit, but I feel like I lost a part of me. I'm just hoping the part I am replacing it with makes things better.

Hope you are doing better, congratulations on your surgery!

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Thanks for the well wishes Smoochy. I felt embarresed to about admiting that I was addicted to eating. The way our culture looks at food is very strange. But I noticed that once I was honest to myself and admitted that I was addicted to food and eating I now had something I could work with. I have noticed over the past couple days my brain is starting to realize that this is how it is now. No more big meals or meals at 1 am because there is nothing to do , or because I just want it. The liquid diet part for me is going much smoother.

Yesterday I put on a pair of pants and they were actaly loose! I now see that what I'm doing is a positive thing and It makes the sacrifice worth while.

God Bless,

Logan

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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