will lap-band help with hunger pangs?

tybalt · February 25, 2006

Basically my question is in the heading, will the lap-band help with hunger pangs? I have been unable to lose any significant weight, or keep off the little I have managed to lose, because of constant hunger pangs. I am considering the surgery, but would like to know if it helps one achieve a feeling of fullness and satisfaction with little food. Thanks.

PhotoNut · February 25, 2006

What I'm experiencing with my band is exactly what you are looking for. I get the head hunger, where I think I want to eat but I'm not really hungry. But I couldn't eat between my meals even if I gave into the head hunger because of the restriction the band has around my stomach. I make sure to eat plenty of Protein, which stays in the stomach longer. And, I don't drink with meals - this washes the food through the stomach and leaves it empty faster.

For some people it takes a few fills to find just the right spot. Some never need any fills at all. Everyone is so different, you just have to work with your doctor to find what works for you.

My expectation is to be able to eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food and not be hungry for four hours. So far, the 3/4 cup of food does fill me (not the same stuffed feeling you get when youre FULL) and I'm getting hungry about every 3 to 4 waking hours. I don't allow myself to eat in the last three hours of the day before I go to bed.

So, for me, the only time I get hunger pangs is when it's time to eat.

While the band will not solve all eating problems we face, it does (with the right restriction) limit the quantities we can eat, and help us feel full longer.. which is alway a great start!

tybalt · February 25, 2006

Thanks, PhotoNut,this is exactly the kind of information I need to help me make up my mind about the operation.

PhotoNut · February 25, 2006

Jack - I can SO relate to what you said, which usually happens, cause you are one smart cookie! (thanks for being an open bag and sharing! hehe)

Dawg and I have said so many times in the past, we don't know what hunger really is. Our stomachs are never empty - how could we possibly know hunger??

To add to what I said earlier on this thread.. its not the same feeling I used to get at all when I believed I NEEDED to eat. Now, I can tell it's time to eat. There's no panic, no shakiness, no feeling of "starving". It's just time. And I, like Jack, often eat because it's time and if I don't eat then, I won't get in enough calories and Protein for the day. I'm making healthy food choices, my quantities are small and I'm having to make myself eat more to get enough in for the day! LOL What a difference!!

Alexandra · February 25, 2006

I agree with what's been said. For me, the band severed the connection between my head hunger and the physical sensation of hunger--that is, I can now tell the difference between the two! Since banding I am almost never hungry between meals, and my body sends normal hunger signals only after I haven't eaten for several hours.

It used to be that the sight, smell, or just thought of something I liked would actually create the sensation of physical hunger even if I had eaten recently. But now I can tell and respond appropriately to the cues all around us, and not eat when I'm not hungry. It's just amazing! :biggrin1: