Making the ‘Food Noise’ Cease

We all have our inner food conversations, such as, “I walked around the mall for two hours. Surely it’s OK to have ice cream now.” When the internal dialogue becomes repetitive or intrusive, it can cause trouble. It’s called food noise, and it’s an ongoing conversation that might lead you to get that bag of chips from the pantry even if you just ate a satisfying meal.

That challenging chatter can have several causes. Depending on how you’re wired, known as your phenotype, these could cause your food noise:

• The hormones ghrelin, leptin and GLP-1, which, respectively, tell your brain you’re hungry, full or at a good blood-sugar level via neural pathways. If any is off balance, it might increase and then amplify the noise in your head, especially if you’ve been dieting, stressed or emotionally disjoint.
• The reason could be psychological, including depression or a reaction to restrictive eating.
• Gut fungi, the bacterial microbiome in your stomach, might activate a part of your brain that makes you yearn for sugar or other foods.

You can end that chatter, or calm it down, in several ways, each with its strong points and downsides.

Weight-loss Surgery Calms the Food Noise

Surgeons cut out or reroute around digestive organs when you get bariatric surgery, and some types of surgery eliminate the chatter for at least for two years.

There are two procedures most likely to calm the food noise. Sleeve gastrectomy is where the surgeon removes 80 percent of your stomach, leaving a smaller, banana-shaped stomach. In the process, you’ll lose the part of your innards where the hunger hormone ghrelin resides. With a roux-en-Y gastric bypass, your surgeon will change your food’s route so it goes through your distal small intestine. You’ll need to eat less afterward and will absorb less, too. In addition, your body will start making more GLP-1, so you’ll feel satiated more of the time.

Depending on which type of procedure you choose, you might drop up to 35 percent of your total body weight after the first year. Assuming your BMI is high enough to qualify you for bariatric surgery, you’ll need to make lifelong changes such as eating smaller portions, limiting your array of foods and taking daily megavitamins.

GLP-1 Meds Stop the Chatter

GLP-1 receptor agonists belong to a class of drugs designed to control blood sugar; they are now used for weight loss, too. They will level your glucose, which means you’ll have fewer spikes and crashes that can lead to food chatter. They’ll also cause food to crawl through your body at a slower pace, allowing you to feel full for a longer period of time. Both results tend to shush the obsession with finding the next meal.

These drugs work well for many dieters, resulting in a loss of up to 15 percent of total body weight the first year. For several reasons, though, half of users quit within one year, most after two, and the food chatter returns. People stop for a variety of reasons.

• Cost. GLP-1s are expensive and insurance often won’t pay for them
• Discomfort. They change how you digest food and can upset your stomach
• Safety. These drugs haven’t been around long enough for researchers to know of long-term side effects

You should work with a specialist who follows proven protocols.

No-Risk Non-Medical Approaches

If an all-natural method will tackle your food chatter, your brain will stop receiving constant “Eat!” signals. There are several options:

• Talk therapy. Certain types of therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, have been found to help reduce food noise and change thinking and eating patterns.
• Dietary changes. If gut health is the culprit, add fermented foods to your diet and avoid ultra-processed foods. Consult with a dietitian or nutritionist to make wise choices.
• Mindfulness. Eat each meal and snack thoughtfully, taking one bite at a time, chewing slowly, and relishing the flavor.
• Trigger targeting. Figure out what sets off your food chatter and avoid it. For example, don’t buy unhealthy foods you love, and don’t follow food-focused social media posters.
• Journaling. Take notes about your food-related musings to gain a clear picture of your patterns over time.

These tactics take a long-term commitment and will settle down your food chatter slowly over time, not immediately as in the surgical and pharmaceutical options.

You can make the food chatter stop, and once you do you’ll find it easier to lose weight. No way is a breeze, but any can be effective and lead to a thinner body and a more peaceful mind.

This content is not AI generated.