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My Belly Feels Full but My Mind Is Still Hungry

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    My Belly Feels Full but My Mind Is Still Hungry
    by Richard Weil, M.Ed., CDE
    Founder and Director – Transformation Weight Control

    Let’s say you started taking one of the new GLP-1 receptor agonist medications FDA-approved for weight loss such as Zepbound (tirzepatide), Wegovy (semaglutide), or Saxenda (liraglutide). You’re eating a meal, and suddenly you feel full in your belly, but your mind still wants to eat more. Your belly feels full, but your mind is still hungry.

    Understanding the Disconnect

    What you’re experiencing is very common. Technically, what you are experiencing is a disconnect between the physical sensation of fullness (satiety) and the drive to continue eating through circuitry in your brain as part of the reward pathway. Your appetite regulation has been turned on its head…

    How GLP-1s Work

    GLP-1s work by slowing down gastric emptying so food remains in your stomach longer, leaving you feeling full (satiety). They also work in the brain by interrupting signals in the reward pathway, amongst other brain mechanisms…

    Not Your Fault

    Let me tell you at this point that none of this is your fault. It’s not a character flaw, a lack of willpower, lack of self-discipline, nor a moral failing. It is neurobiology…

    The Science Behind Food Addiction

    What I’ve just described is an addiction to food. If during a brain scan (MRI; CT – computed tomography; fMRI – functional MRI; or PET scan – Positron Emission Tomography) you show a cocaine addict cocaine, or an alcohol addict alcohol, or a food addict their favorite craving foods…

    Creating New Neural Pathways

    The way you lay down new, healthier, adaptive wiring is to practice and get positively reinforced for the new behavior. By this I mean that you start practicing strategies designed to help create the new adaptive pathways…

    Practical Strategies

    • Stay mindful while eating, focusing on the sensations of fullness and the food itself.

    • Enroll in Dr. Megan Pietrucha’s 4-week webinar on mindfulness: More info here

    • Distract yourself. Get involved in a non-food-related activity like going for a walk, drinking water, or taking a bath.

    • Assess your triggers. Conduct and evaluate a behavior timeline.

    • Eat balanced meals with a good mix of protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

    • Stay hydrated. Sometimes people eat when they are thirsty.

    • Experiment with healthy, low-calorie snacks.

    • Explore the secondary gain that excess food consumption was providing.

    Key Takeaways

    • What you’re experiencing is common.

    • There are solutions.

    • This is not your fault. You did not choose to make this happen.

    • You’re not imagining it.

    • You can change it by practicing new strategies and behaviors.

    • You are not alone. Find support.

    • Don’t let anyone shame you for taking a weight loss medication.

    I hope this helps explain what you’re going through when your belly feels full but your mind is still hungry.

    Good luck!
    Rich

    © Richard Weil, M.Ed., CDE, 2025, All Rights Reserved

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