To Eat or Not to Eat? That is the Question
By Armetta C. Landrum
Many of us deal with “head hunger,” you know, that small voice in the back of our heads that tells use eating a dozen or so cookies would really hit the spot or that double bacon cheeseburger would really do the trick right now. The problem is you finished lunch two hours ago, it’s wanting food versus needing food.
We dealt with head hunger before weight loss surgery and chances are many of us are dealing with it post-surgery. Coping with head hunger is a fact of life.
Per Obesityhelp.com, Head hunger or emotional hunger is the desire to eat for any other reason than physical hunger. When we experience head hunger, it is generally for a trigger food or a comfort food rather than a healthy choice. Cues for eating from head hunger may include boredom, habit, stimulation (see food, smell food), and emotions like celebrating with food or finding comfort in food from stress, sadness or loneliness.
Physical hunger is the body's need for fuel and nutrients that usually results in eating a healthy food choice. Signs of physical hunger include the stomach feeling empty and growling and may include the physical cues of weakness, fatigue and irritability.
How to Handle Head Hunger
When you’re experiencing head hunger, you may find that you’re craving specific foods. Our emotional cravings for food often attract us to sugary, salty, or fatty foods, which is a helpful sign that you might be dealing with head hunger. When this happens, try to see if you can distract yourself from your hunger until the craving passes.
Instead of running to the fridge or rifling through your secret stash, consider the following:
Going for a walk
Playing a game
Calling a friend
Reading
Drinking water
Finally, eating small meals more often throughout the day can keep our sugar levels more constant and make us feel less hungry. Rather than eating three big meals, try five smaller meals – a tried-and-true way to manage hunger.
The good news, our surgery has given us a physical tool for our weight loss journey, but we need to supplement it with mental tools. Yes, I believed my head hunger would magically disappear with the majority of my stomach. It didn’t. The voice still comes and goes, usually reaching top volume on stressful days. It lies to me, insisting that I want food I could not possibly digest at this point in my journey.
