Get Thee Behind Me, Ghrelin!

Friday 11-4-11
Why it's not all in my head...some of it is in my stomach.

Until late August, I had never heard the word "Ghrelin".  Sounded a little like Gremlin and reminded me of that little station wagon from the 1970's.  My first exposure to ghrelin was at in informational seminar given by my weight loss surgeon.  I learned that there is a part of the stomach that releases a "hunger hormone" and that hormone is called ghrelin.

Since the seminar, and especially since we decided to go ahead and get the weight-loss surgery process in motion, I've been doing research on my own on a number of the topics of recent interest to me, and reading about ghrelin has proven to be especially enlightening.  In one article I read that in studies, laboratory mice exposed to chronic, prolonged stress experienced increased levels of ghrelin and consistently chose higher calorie, higher fat foods. 

So, if I can put this together...stress in my head can trigger a hunger hormone released by my stomach?  This explains a lot.  It is not an excuse, I realize.  But it does seem to make sense if my history is any indication. 

I am not an uninformed woman, yet my surprise at some of the things I am learning, well, surprises me.  I've always known that we human beings are "fearfully and wonderfully made", God's intricate and complex design of interconnected physical, psychological and emotional systems.  It is impossible to impair one part without the others being affected. 

My journey toward healthier living needs to prepare me for surgery as well as for life after surgery.  Even if the part of my stomach that releases the hunger hormone is removed surgically, eventually my appetite will return in some form or other.  By the time I start to really feel hungry again, my goal is to crave different kinds of foods and, more importantly, to have the tools I need to deal with the stressors in my life that have contributed to my getting to this point. 

Right now I'm still in the phase of having to allow myself to feel some hunger pangs and discomfort, either ignoring or disagreeing with both head and stomach when they want to eat something that is not healthy.  That's OK.  I know this phase, while difficult,won't last forever.