A peer-reviewed, evidence-based journal that promotes clinical development and metabolic insights in total bariatric patient care for the healthcare professional
Issue link: https://bariatrictimes.epubxp.com/i/651228
THE BIG APPETITE…PHANTOM H UNGER by Dr. Roger Gould Everyone struggles with their weight, some much more than others. T hose who are fighting the battle of obesity with the professional help of doctors and counselors are motivated a nd ready to do the hard work of learning new ways to win and ensure their health and well-being. By this time in the cycle they have tried every possible diet and dozens of programs, some of which have worked for a w hile, but all ultimately failing to bring lasting relief. Why? we ask. A big part of the answer lies in the m ystery of the appetite. A child is r ewarded for having a big appetite that fuels the high energy needs of a constantly moving object. But when the metabolism of the mature person clicks in, and a more sedentary life is required, a big appetite is a problem, not a virtue. If the habit of eating a lot is well established, it is hard to change. But that's not the essence of the problem. Yes, all habits are hard to change. But the habit of a big appetite is really hard because of the way the mind works in regard to food. Food makes you feel better when you are not feeling as good as you want. The craving for food is really a craving to feel better. If some food makes you feel better when you are only feeling a bit low or a bit anxious, then more food is necessary to make you feel better if you are feeling in a real bad mood, or just had an argument, or a disappointment, or have a vague but persistent feeling that you are just not happy. The habit of a big appetite becomes a favored method of con- trolling the intensity of your emotions. It becomes so natural that you don't recognize it as such. It is so woven into the flow of the day that all you feel is hunger, or the compulsion to eat, or the need to fill up and be full, or the obsession with what you are going to eat and when you are going to eat and whether or not you will have enough to be satisfied. The only method you have for dealing with the big appetite like this is willpower, dis- cipline, tips and reminders. Most peo- ple who have been through this strug- gle know that the intensity of the crav- ing is much too strong for these methods. That's why people need profession- al help. A big appetite has nothing to do with hunger. Hunger is what your body tells you about the need for fuel and energy. A big appetite is the cre- ation of your mind looking for the easiest and fastest way to feel bet- ter…to re-establish a sense of well- being when that has been disrupted b y the events of your day or your life. That kind of big appetite is what I call Phantom Hunger. Phantom Hunger h as a twin, Feeling Phobia. Your Phantom Hunger clicks in when you are feeling too much to handle (that's what you believe at the moment but it is not true). You are literally afraid to feel so you eat instead. Leveraging 30 years of continuous development, we've created the ShrinkYourself program to help those who are ready to do the work of sort- ing this out and learning a much bet- ter way of feeling better than the big a ppetite. This is a way of changing the struggle from willpower and perceived deprivation to understanding the s eries of choices to make once you pause long enough to ask the ques- tion: "why am I so hungry right now…what am I afraid to feel?" This does not happen with one big insight, but through a steady drip of observa- tions and experiments, step-by-step, until a new way of understanding and operating is digested. It's work, but well worth it. The ShrinkYourself program is designed to be used with a counselor a s guide, but at times, and for some, it can be a self-help program. Once you master the Phantom Hunger and t he Feeling Phobia, it's your big appetite that will shrink down to its proper size. This will help those preparing for surgery as well as those who have had surgery and can no longer tolerate the big appetite. Advertisement