Hi,

Sue Anne here. I am considering the band surgery. My only question - does it stop your hunger? I can cut back and change my foods but I'm always hungry. If this stops the hunger - or I get filled up and feel full quicker - than I'll do it.

I lucked out and found out my insurance pays 100% today. I watched a seminar online several days ago. So this has gone by quickly!

Can you help me out with the hunger question? Than I can make an informed decision.

Thanks!!

Sue Anne

Not for most people. You will eat less food, but you will not get that feeling of being stuffed, like after Thanksgiving. You will probably not get hungry as often, but you will still get hungry. One thing that the band absolutely does not stop is head hunger. If you can resist head hunger and only eat when your body is physically hungry, and stop eating when you feel satisfied, not stuffed, then the band is a wonderful tool.

Thanks, Toddy! I can do the physical hunger thing and stop when satisfied. I appreciate your help!

Sue Anne

I agree with Toddy. You do feel full faster(not stuffed by any means) BUT it will not do anything for head hunger. Head hunger is what sabotages our dieting in a lot of cases. Tell us we're hungry when our body doesn't need food. That you have to tackle on your own.

_{Thanks for the help, Jessi! That makes sense.}

_{Sue Anne}

You use the phrase head hunger... Is that the same as eating out of tiredness to gain energy? Or eating due to stressfull situations? Btw Bewildered here and I have been investigating the proceedure for myself. But a bit apprehensive. Suggestions?? Reassurances?? Complications?? Agian bewildered and seeking advise

The band is only a tool, and like other tools if you do not learn how to use it properly it will not work for you. This is not a "magic bullet"...if it was, I'm certain every overweight or obese individual would be on a wait list for the surgery.

The band does not stop hunger...but there are ways to learn how to manage your hunger. It requires a change of lifestyle to a healthier one which includes regular exercise. Your relationship with food needs to change also; you will no longer be able to seek solace with food to cope with stress, unhappiness or boredom in your life. Head hunger needs to be recognized for what it is, and skills learned to neutralize it. Diet compliance is part compliance and also a "head game" to better understand the psychology behind the reasons you are overweight. Not impossible to accomplish, but not a walk in the park, either. That's just a part of the reality of the weight loss journey with a band.

Drinking Water and keeping yourself properly hydrated helps to trip the "hunger sensors" in your stomach/pouch. And until you are in what is commonly referred to as the "green zone" with fills in your band, you will need to rely on sheer will power and determination to remain compliant with your diet and loose weight.

I encourage you to do additional research into the band to make an informed choice to determine if it is the right decision for you. This forum has many supportive individuals with an impressive amount of knowledge to share of the topics related to the band. It's an excellent resource to learn more...

Best wishes...

I beleive it has helped my hunger tremendously. I am not so hungry and when I eat I dont feel like I am in a panic. I eat slower and easily turn the rest away. This has never happened for me. It does take 3 - 5 fills to get to that point so the beginning is difficult and requires patiences.

I dont have to think about dieting as much and the daily obsession and thoughts are gone. I use to wake up telling myself today I would eat good. Then I would be hunry and eat a Breakfast taco at 9ish and feel like I was failing so then I would eat a big lunch and by the end of the day I had totally messed up. Now I eat less and at the end of the day, if I think about my meals, I am suprised how little I ate. The first 6 weeks I logged everything I ate but now that I am in the green zone, I havent logged as much b/c my meals are where they need to be and I am not snacking.

I love my band so much. I am scared of future complications with the band. But I hope it just doesnt happen. Most complications are induced by patient non-complaince with the rules. Other surgeries dont require such dedication to rules and the fill process is not needed. However, they alter you anatomy forever. I am happy that all of my body parts function just as they did before. I just eat less, am hungry less, and I eat slower.

Hope that helps.

Excellent reply! Hope it helps Bewildered also!

Sue Anne

Thanks, Sojourner and kb!

Sue

Totally helps my hunger. I get full!

That is not to say that sometimes I don't get the munchies!

It has seriously helped me with my hunger.

Hi Sueanne, welcome to the forums. Do a search on you tube for professor paul O'Brien, he is my surgeon here in Australia and a leading pioneer of the lapband here. I also believe he is on the board of the Texas lapband association. His videos are extremely informative and he explains exactly how the lapband works. I've been banded just over two weeks but for a year I did a lot of research and reading before I made the decision the lapband was the way to go for me. The band is a tool as others have mentioned and a great one in the weightloss journey if you use it correctly. Sure for some it won't work even if they have done all the right things and sure at times it won't work if you do t use it as a tool as that's what it is. For me personally even though I'm two weeks out it has so far taken away that ravenous hunger that would be with me 24/7. Yes a lot of the times it was a head thing but since being banded I have also lost that obsessive interest in food. From my understanding of the band via research, info from my surgeon and reading the forums the green zone will take away that hunger.

I also no longer use the word diet as diets don't work. I use the term lifestyle change as that's what we need to do to make this new tool work with us.

I wish you luck and please do

Look up those videos they are very informative.

As Toddy wisely said, it doesn't make you feel stuffed full nor is it supposed to. It does make it so you're satisfied after very little food and that satisfaction lasts a lot longer.

A good example, I just had dinner a half hour ago. I had 4oz of pork chop, 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes and 1/4 cup of green Beans. I am totally satisfied and won't start to feel hunger again until after 10:00pm tonight.

Yes and No- It will stop the hunger, because you will soon learn to be "full" and no because thats on you to control. I am pregnant and was recently unfilled, and the first day i could see a huge difference, normally i don't snack and don't eat after dinner- the night of the unfill i was so hungry i got up and ate and could hear my stomach growling. I also have eaten WAY to much since being unfilled and have felt so full i was sick - A feeling i didn't miss AT ALL! You will soon find a middle, where you are "full" and feel okay... It could take awhile, but the first 2-3 months will help drasticly with that. Best of luck!

For me it has stoppped me from being hungry, for the first month a few times I would forget to eat. I start my day with larger meals and by about 3 in the afternoon I have no desire to eat so I generall drink a protein shake and am satisfied.

I have the band with plication so that might be way I feel less hungry. I am so glad I went with that and not just the band

My experience is that it has helped my "hungry" feeling TREMENDOUSLY! Before, I was constantly hungry, never satisfied, and always wanted more. Now, I rarely get that STARVING feeling. There are some times when I don't eat as I routinely would and I get hungry, but nothing like it was pre-band.

You also have to consider the fill. If you have too loose of a fill, you'll feel hungry more often. I'm at a pretty good fill right now where it controls my constant hunger, but not too tight. I can eat almost all of the foods I enjoy, just smaller portions that satisfy me.

Great question for a pre-bander!