Non stop hungry/ thoughts of food all day

Kimberlykobe10
Kimberlykobe10 Posts: 2 Member
edited August 14 in Motivation and Support

I have been on tirzepitide since 2/25 and lost 40lbs. I had to get off of it cause it was $500 a month insurance won’t cover it. I am really struggling with food thoughts and non stop hungry. I started taking turmeric curcumin it’s supposed to help with craving, not good so far. Any advice?

Replies

  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,435 Member

    I'm wondering if your insurance covers talk therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy). I've had trouble with obsessive thoughts in the past (things I didn't want to focus on but couldn't stop), and seeing a psychologist was so so helpful in feeling like I could get back in control.

  • rms62003
    rms62003 Posts: 270 Member

    It's normal when you stop the meds that you start feeling hungrier - the Leptin (satiety hormone) is boosted by these medications, and now you feel a deficit.

    Some food strategies can help:

    Increased healthy fats (plant fats) and protein - these help you feel full longer

    Increased fiber - it fills your stomach, slows emptying and has no calories! (i.e., fill up on veggies)

    Cut back the bad stuff! It's easy to over eat processed and fast foods. Plus, these increase dopamine, make you want to eat more. However, if you are used to these foods, don't cut them out cold turkey - that increases cravings. Just start by cutting back small amounts at a time - downsize fast foods, one less treat a day, etc.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 38,366 Community Helper

    Tirzepitide's main mechanism of action is through targeting GLP-1 and GIP receptors in the body.

    This may be a little arcane, but one option would be to consider intentionally increasing your consumption of foods that encourage similar natural GLP-1 and GIP effects in the body.

    Very generally, these are the kinds of foods mentioned in the PP, whole foods such as lean meats, fish, eggs, yogurt, nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocados, whole grains, beans, and other vegetables. 

    There are specific foods that are better at accomplishing these specific effects, within those categories, such as the nuts/seeds/fish high in Omega-3 fats, things with soluble fiber specifically, leafy greens, probiotic foods, and more. I'm not going to try to lay out all the details here, but more information is pretty easy to find with web searches.

    The limitation is that natural GLP-1 and GIP effects from food may be milder and not as long-lasting as the stronger elements in the drug. Shifting eating in that direction may be of some help, though, especially if that can be incorporated in your regular eating patterns across all routine meals.

    As previously advised, phasing in some of this gradually is easier to accomplish, and - if much of your eating now is more processed and refined foods - can avoid negative digestive impact from things like a sudden huge increase in fiber intake. In general, food interventions should have fewer and milder negative side effects than drug interventions, but a gradual transition can help avoid those few issues that could occur.

  • auntcordelia
    auntcordelia Posts: 1 Member

    I lucked into a study, that accepted me. I get a free shot a week of Viking's VANQUISH plus a payment of $119 a week for 88 weeks. You have to be at least 30 BMI and I believe have at least one comorbidity like high cholesterol , diabetes, . I take a sinvastatin daily which helped me qualify for the high cholesterol. I was accepted this month, September 2025 through Kansas City Research Institute. They are taking 4000 people and they are doing it in 50 cities in the us. Good luck.

    ps I woke up hungry, like you, for forty years. Had uninhibited eating because all I could think about was food. I'd watch others just pick at their food and I'd wish to be like them and I never could. I hated it. You shouldn't have to live this way. I've only been on VANQUISH for less than a week and it's the first week of my life where I could STOP obsessing about food. Check around you for research studies, I want you to be in the Viking study with me.

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