Why am I sabotaging myself?

[ElfiePoo 109]

I think people should not be looking for the fills to stop all your eating patterns. . I think people concentrate too much on the amount of fill they have, some of it has to be self-discipline and forcing yourself to change your eating habits.

Very good advice, Cheri. I'm not a grazer but can sit down and eat enough for 3 people at one meal. I did a lot of research pre-band and had expectations that the band would keep me from this type of overeating. I spent the better part of a year 'waiting' for that 'sweet spot' everyone talked about. Even when I was so overfilled I was getting stuck on just about everything, I could still eat as much as I did before band.

It was only after I had my fill removed that I realized what true hunger was (and what I dealt with constantly prior to the band) and that I had hit my 'sweet spot' (suppression of true hunger) but had bypassed it while believe the sweet spot was 'physical' restriction. It may work that way for some people, but that is not the primary purpose of the band.

My surgeon said that it was originally believed the band worked by physically restricting the volume eaten, but they now understand that its primary purpose is to put pressure on the vagus nerves which control the hunger hormone, ghrelin. So instead of looking for physical restriction as the sweet spot, we should be looking for no hunger. The problem is that most of us can't differentiate between true hunger and bad habits or mental cravings and sometimes it takes something drastic (like a complete unfill) for us to be reminded of what it used to be like.

The band will take away the true hunger...but it won't change our bad habits. That takes good old fashioned self-control and willpower.

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[LargeMediumSmall 3]

Oh do I know all about this one. I've been banded for over a year. I've lost 80 pounds. You can see me on www realresultswls.com under testimonials. I'm the last one on the page. Samantha. This was one of the first things my doctor told me about eating and exercise. I said, I exercise a lot but I can't get my hunger under control. He said it wasn't all my fault and that I was working against nature. If we want to lose weight we have to burn more calories than we take in so we exercise. When we exercise we produce the hormone Ghrelin which tells us to eat. Then we fight against that natural response and try to eat less thus producing an unproductive and difficult weight loss process.

If you exercise that much you WILL be hungrier but you should still be eating three meals a day. But your portion size & length of satiety should remain the same if your band is properly adjusted. If you are ABLE to eat larger portions and are not feeling that full upper stomache satisfaction you may need some extra Fluid. Also realize that as the body shrinks in size over time so do the arrangements of the internal organs and your band may also need to be adjusted for that. Many times I have gone for months with my band perfect then all of a sudden I need it filled a little. On occasion due to unexplained body processes I've actually had it unfilled. It's a strange little device but I love it. If you are losing weight rapidly because of your fabulous exercise routines (I'm jealous) then you might need more frequent adjustments.

Don't get discouraged, what you are going through is normal. The lap band can be kinda high maintenance at times but it works. You just have to devlop a relationship with it and go through some experiences over time before you get the hang of it.

The point is...the lap band, when properly adjusted, should keep you feeling full much longer on far less food no matter how much you exercise. That's the point of the band after all. Make it work for you. It can take several adjustments to get it right but it's worth it. Just keep playing with it, keep in contact with your doctor's office and their support staff and you'll do great.

Samantha

Banded August 2009 265 pounds Size 24

Today Dec. 2010 185 pounds Size 12