Head Hunger is a Terrible Thing!

Head Hunger is a Terrible Thing!

On May 4th I went to my appointment and I had lost 15 lbs., making my official total weight loss 62 lbs. The doctor was pleased with my progress, and said I should keep doing whatever I'm doing. I also had my blood pressure checked, and both numbers had gone down to the point where I need to make an appointment to see my cardiologist to see about cutting down or stop taking my blood pressure medication altogether. It is also important for me to see the cardiologist anyway, to make sure that I'll be ready for surgery.

I had talked with a family member who had encouraged me to watch a program called “My 600 lb. Life.” It is a weekly documentary on TLC, which I don't have access to, so I ended up purchasing the first complete season on Amazon Prime. It has been quite an eye opener for me to see how individuals have handled getting Gastric Bypass Surgery, and the struggles of losing the weight. I can thankfully say that I don't have a lot of the issues that some of these folks have had before their surgeries. I'm thankful that I can still get around (even with my bad knees)! I'm also thankful that I'm not bedridden, and that I do not have to depend on someone to go to the extremes that some have had to go through.

The show has helped me to realize that the surgery isn't the complete cure, but just another tool in the toolbox of weight loss management. One of the women that had the surgery stated that even though the doctor fixed the stomach, it didn't fix her head when it came to managing her food intake. She wished that the doctor could also do surgery on her brain to stop cravings.

Another source of information that I have utilized is watching YouTube videos dealing with Gastric Sleeve patients, and the pros and cons that the individuals have had in their surgeries. One man in particular also mentioned having issues with Head Hunger. This past month has been a harder month for me to stay on track, as I too suffer from head hunger. I've told a few already that it's hard for me to walk through our break room at work during the lunch hour. I can head to someone's office, and smell pizza, fried chicken, hot dogs, etc. I find myself thinking about how great that food smells, and I start dwelling on when was the last time I had that item.

I have come to the conclusion that I need to work on focusing my thoughts elsewhere when I'm tempted. One way I have focused my thoughts is to concentrate on the blessings that God has given me, especially the friends and family that are supporting me with encouragement. I also have started working on a bucket list of things I would like to do as the weight comes off. It's a long hard process for me to want to keep losing the weight, but I realize if I want to live a longer life, without pain, I will need to keep battling my brain!

There have been a few times this month where I did cheat on my diet, and as a result I've paid the price with stomachaches, gastric issues, and I'm sure even some weight gain for a day or two. (I don't want to get to a point of weighing myself daily, as it could become depressing, so I wait for my doctor appointments to tell me how I'm doing). I can say though, that on those days that I cheated, I tried to make up for it by becoming more active physically.

There is a saying that a friend, Lisa, shared with me, that I'm going to post at work and on my refrigerator. It is: "Nothing Tastes as Good as Healthy Feels"

The last thing I want to discuss before I end is the fact that I have decided not to take the Belviq prescription. I read an article from Consumer Reports about the drug, and it was very critical of the success of keeping the weight off. It also has quite a few side effects that can create more problems down the road. It isn't approved in Europe as a result of the problems it caused. I also wasn't completely convinced that it was helping me as I still thought about food, and I couldn't justify the cost, as it isn't covered by our insurance.

On June 1st, I will be headed to my next appointment. I will try to let you know the results within a week of my visit. In the meantime, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers that I might stay focused on anything but food!!!