All In Your Head?

[Snow 1]

I wonder how much of LapBand's benefits are psychosomatic. I mean, while obviously, it DOES restrict quantity of what can be eaten and it does keep you full longer, I know a lot of people (myself included) who are NOT fat because they're hungry all the time. We're fat because we eat foods we shouldn't, and we eat when we're bored. So I wonder if LapBand's effects are more largely mental than physical.

Once you have it done, I imagine that simply knowing it's there does quite a bit for keeping people more focused and on their best behavior.

I've been a regular poster on a popular diet forum for many years, and as all the newbies filter in and out, I see the same thing over and over--people saying they wish they just had some kind of magic "self control button". I know people can cheat their band and still eat crap, but it seems like perhaps the Band might be giving people that little mental boost--the physical, every-day reminder to stay on track.

After reading through this forum, I've seen so many testimonies from people who used to be morbidly obese and have now turned into regular gymgoers and athletes. That kind of transformation doesn't happen JUST because someone's no longer hungry. It's so neat to see how a whole life can be so drastically changed with the help of a little silicone band.

[reverie 49]

I agree! My surgeon and I joked at my last appointment saying he banded my brain lol. He even asked why I was banded because I've done SO well without any type of fill. The band somehow made me want to stop being lazy and doing absolutely nothing. I've gone from being entirely sedentary to someone who works out at least an hour and a half a day..and I love it!! Somehow the band was the push I needed.

I don't think it's all in your head however, but I do know your head has to be in the game to ever be successful with any type of weightloss no matter if you have the band or not. I wasn't really a boredom eater, just a volume eater, and the band has helped with that. I eat "foods I shouldn't eat" all the time and love it because in the end it's all about moderation and knowing your caloric intake. People often look at me and ask how I can eat ice cream, Cookies, cake, etc. and lose weight.

[Jodi_620 37]

I think the band helps us physically which leads to mental changes. I also think that part of the mental change comes from the fact that I did something so drastic and expensive and I just couldn't let myself fail.

Like most people I was overweight not only because I ate things I shouldn't and didn't exercise enough but because I ate too much and ate all the time. I don't do that anymore and THAT is the band not me. At proper restriction I can't graze all day and pig out at my meals anymore. The band is about no longer being hungry. But for me it is also about no longer being able to overdo it. It does take away any enjoyment or comfort in overindulging (if there every truly was any).

As a lifetime dieter I also think that the fact that I lost faster with the band played a huge role in it. Many times I had sucessfully lost some weight pre-band but besides being hungry on most diets, the loss was slow and eventually I would get frustrated and give up. With the band I lost most of my weight in the first 9 months. The smaller I got the more encouraged I was to go on.

Not eating foods I shouldn't is pretty much me not the band. I was a lot more restrictive on types of food during weight loss phase; to be sucessful you have to be. Again as a lifetime dieter, I knew which foods I needed to avoid. Now that I am at goal I still avoid the processed unhealthy stuff but I eat most anything now within reason. I have learned that the bad stuff just makes me feel bad and my body is more satisfied on the good stuff.

Excercising is me, not the band but going through the surgery gave me the kick in the butt I needed to get off the couch. As the weight went away the energy increased. And I have learned that a good workout makes me feel good.

[vickyd 24]

I don't know if it is psychosomatic but I think that for many people just the act (and cost) of getting banded helps them to make better food choices. That said, there are also many people who are not happy with their results from the band because they haven't changed the foods they are eating, try to push their quantities or choose to eat around the band with slider foods.

For me, the biggest part of my journey was getting my head in the right place (which I did by seeing a therapist before being banded). I have only had one fill so I don't have a ton of restriction but I do make healthier choices regarding food and quantities. There are certain foods that I don't think are "worth it" to eat because they will negatively impact my weight loss (especially foods that I know will trigger binges, etc).

[L12 13]

Prior to banding I was insanely, physically hungry most of the time (stomach growling, getting shaky and lightheaded if I didn't eat, etc.). After surgery and upon getting to a good fill level, I am only sometimes mildly hungry at appropriate times (around typical meal times unless I'm PMSing! ), and am now full with smaller portions of food. The band definitely had an impact on my body's hunger, which allowed me to stop eating so much and lose weight. However, I never really had a terrible diet--my food choices in general were pretty good pre-band, I wasn't an emotional eater, it was just that I was so hungry that I ate A LOT. I can tell when I need a fill, because I start to get that driving, insanely hungry feeling again, which resolves after a slight fill. I feel so much better due to the weight loss, and am physically ABLE to be an avid runner now, when before I wasn't due to fatigue and foot/ankle/knee problems. I am a real believer of the vagus nerve theory! I think the band may work psychosomatically for some, but it definitely had a physical impact on me.

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

I agree to a point.

While I have always known making the right choices will result in a weight loss.. a properly filled band serves a huge purpose.

With the band I KNOW that physically I cannot eat 4 pieces of pizza. Before the band I knew I shouldnt or didnt need to eat 4 pieces of pizza but I may have WANTED to eat them because they were so yummy... tossing aside the ramifications. So I made the choice to eat them until I was stuffed.

Fast forward to 5 months post op.... 85lbs down I couldnt even attempt it. I KNOW I would become sick so my mind tells me not to even try. I call the band my permenant reminder of a temporary feeling.

That is actually the name of a Jimmy Buffett song about tattoos and other life choices... but if you think about it.... lap band patients can identify!

[HeatherinCA 10]

I think it's a bit of both, but yes, I agree a lot of it is mental. Learning how to make the right decisions. BUT, not being hungry all the time, helps me make better decisions, because if I'm not hungry, I'm less likely to grab a snack.. I think a lot of people don't understand how the band works, and what it's purpose is.. then they expect it to do more. To be honest, if I was told exactly how it worked, I'm not sure I would have gotten it. I agree with the saying "it banded my mind" because it did! Now everything that goes into my mouth is a conscious decision.

[Snow 1]

Just to clarify, my observation wasn't negative. I'm still super excited to get banded and really looking forward to it. I was just noticing how, for a lot of people, it seems the band really caused more of a mental change than a physical one. The weight loss almost seems to be a secondary side effect. Of course, it's different for everyone.

heather--I like the way you phrased it. The Band makes everything you eat become a conscious decision.

[Dave_NW 92]

Just to clarify, my observation wasn't negative. I'm still super excited to get banded and really looking forward to it. I was just noticing how, for a lot of people, it seems the band really caused more of a mental change than a physical one. The weight loss almost seems to be a secondary side effect. Of course, it's different for everyone.

heather--I like the way you phrased it. The Band makes everything you eat become a conscious decision.

I agree with you and with Heather. (She makes SO much sense of all this, doesn't she?) For me, banding was a physical thing that resulted in a permanent change in how I approached my day to day life. Pre-band I was driven by my nonstop hunger, and I was absolutely TERRIFIED of letting myself get hungry. I had such negative side effects of hunger (severe shakes, inability to focus, couldn't sleep, gnawing at the pit of my stomach), and it didn't just happen gradually, it was immediate, ferocious, and debilitating. So I ate a LOT of food as often as I even THOUGHT I was going to get hungry. When I'd leave for work in the morning, I'd aready have made plans for supper. It was insane.

Enter the band. And suddenly I just don't GET hungry anymore. Letting go of that problem has allowed me to completely change the way I eat, how often, and what I'm eating. I can work within the expectations of what and how bandsters eat, and I'm fine with it. The natural side effect of the weight that fell off after getting banded has changed a lot of the rest of how i live these days, and I couldn't be happier.

So I don't know how much of it is psychosomatic, as much as it's a response to the physical and emotional changes that happen after getting banded. But I can tell you this: I'm delighted to be here, and I'm never going back.

Dave

[Jachut 487]

I think youre largely right. I certainly am not/was not hungry all the time. I ate because I wanted to, I fancied something, I had nothing better to do, and I can now recognise also that a big gutload of something sugary and carby is a good stress release for me, I feel it hit my bloodstream like a drug. The band never made that go away and also the foods that provide that feeling were also still edible in large quantities for me. But the Portion Control was a BIG deal for me, its been the hardest thing since being unfilled - not avoiding the wrong foods becuase I always had to do that since I could always eat them, not avoiding the inappropriate between meals eating because I always had to work on that, simply the larger meal size. I have to stop before I feel "full" and satisfied or I will gain weight, because I think that mechanism is simply inherently absent in my body, I will eat a large meal if I let myself every time.

However, due to the mental push the band gave me and the phyisical portion control, I lost the weight. I have been at a BMI of under 23 for over 3 years now and I just no longer think of myself as a fat person, so quite simply, i dont behave like one. I know that eating right and exercising every day is just like cleaning your teeth - something you just do to look after yourself but as an added bonus, if you let yourself, if you approach it right, it brings you feelings of happiness and accomplishment too, so I do it. And I stay thin as a result. It is all in you head, certainly, but some of us need a bit of a push to realise that. And I firmly believe that my commitment to healthy living and exercise and feeling of purpose and competence that gives me, has gotten me through cancer treatment so positively and so well. I have something so precious that I am absolutely and utterly determined to hold onto and that has kept me going through some pretty rough times.

[Toast4U 6]

Having just been banded on 05/03/11, I don't have the perspective of being a successful bander (yet!), but I can relate to all the experiences and habits of an overeater. I have been a successful dieter my entire adult life but after maintaining my weight for several years, the old habits start creeping back and so do the pounds! I have been through this cycle approximately four times in my adult life and I'm tired of it! I'm so excited to read the above responses from the experienced and successful banders because their experiences are exactly what I expect from my band and from myself. I am hopeful that the band will keep me from being hungry while losing weight. In the past, I have either been thin and hungry or overweight and satiated (or stuffed). I'm only 5'1" tall so I can only consume approximately 1500 calories/day or I gain weight. Moderation is key for me! I also know that when I'm hungry, I'm more prone to make poor choices and overeat (we can all relate to spending too much money or buying food we don't need at the grocery store if we're hungry when we're shopping). I'm also completely aware that I have to conquer "head hunger" but I know from experience that the battle is easier when I'm satiated. I look forward to being satiated with moderate portions! I also know from experience that I'm more inclined to make healthy food choices when I see results from all the hard work and willpower. I'm so excited to have my band and looking forward to being an experienced and successful bander!