May 14, 2009

Appetite

Appetite. At least I spelled it correctly.
Feeling full. Got that one right too!
Hunger.
Panic.
Which and who and what am I trying to do?
OK, first.
Feeling full
I used to sit on the couch to eat (still do). I would balance the plate on my belly and eat until I was done, and then some.
Now, I sit on the couch and balance the plate on my stomach, which is much smaller. The pouch is off to one side, and if I put too much weight on it with the plate, I can feel it. This helped me to find my pouch. I am careful to not put too much pressure on it.
If I feel like I have to burp and can't quite do it, I am full. That's how it now feels to me. Before, I never felt full.
The goal now for me, is to measure out the food that I need, eat it, and walk away, even if I am not "full". I haven't gotten to that yet. I still have baggage between my ears that prevents that from happening.
I also get low blood sugar episodes that mess things up for me sometimes.

Hunger
I've found that hunger is not just one thing.
There is an emotional hunger that comes from between the ears, of course. This type of hunger is the toughest to control. This is probably the hunger that caused the obesity in the first place, along with other things like self control, laziness, depression, loneliness, and other things you can add on your own.
Then, there is physical hunger. This is a real hunger. It's the only hunger we should be concerned about. It is a form of pain that is a signal, telling us that we need to get something to eat. We really don't need to eat right away because we have plenty of storage energy, but it is a good idea.
I can get dizzy, or have a slight headache, which is the way my body complains because it is too lazy to tap into it's reserves. Which leads us to:
Appetite
This is an emotional need to signal that we should be storing more energy just in case. It can be masked by the brain, or blown out of proportion by that same brain.
It is all an indication of how we are doing over a time period. If we have a strong appetite, we are "OK" in this society. If it is weak, we lose weight, and are probably not "OK".
Appetite is something we don't need with bariatric surgery. Many times, we have to eat out of necessity, not need.

Panic
This is interesting.
Panic that we haven't eaten in awhile.
Panic that we don't fit in.
Panic that we ate the wrong thing and out wonderful pouch is about to let us know in the worst way.
Panic that we forgot something.
I have experienced this many times since my surgery. There are so many rules and I forget things so easily. I have been very lucky so far. The younger folks are better off than me in the memory department.
I think that's all I want to say for now.



4 comments:

Barry VanEmery said...

I don't think the memory issues from age is actually an age thing...I have been having memory problems, especially recently.

Lee said...

I would have answered sooner, ,,,but I forgot!

Larraine said...

I see that you are following my blog. I'm glad to find another bariatric blog. I'll be following yours also. I really like your "appetite" post. It's so important to realize that you are full even when, initially, you think you're not. This surgery was the best thing I have done for myself. I hope you feel the same way.

Lee said...

Welcome to the monkey house, Larraine! You aren't too far away from here.
I appreciate your comments, pro or con, or just to spark some debate.
This has been very cathartic for me to write the blog, and I'm glad that some are finally able to see it.
I'm looking forward to reading more of your blog too.