Complete loss of appetite

[Lady VS 1,147]

I have days like that. I have to make myself eat.

[loridee11 519]

I read once that there is a hormone that is released that causes hunger. Dependng on band placement you can actually trigger a response that stops that hormone - I really can't recall what it is - but it sounds like that may be what you are experiencing.

While I'm a little jealous (I am hungry all the time!) - please make sure you are eating and getting your nutrients! Being malnourished is worse than being over weight!

~Lori

[lellow 1,713]

The hormone you're talking about is ghrelin and I don't think lap banding reduces the production of it. However the band does put pressure on the vagus nerve which can provide feelings of satisfaction for long periods of time, sometimes 24/7, I guess.

[B-52 7,113]

It's 5am, on my 2nd cup of coffee...along with my Vitamins...will head to the gym when they open at 6am....

reading these posts...all I can say is right now is, this minute...food is the last thing on my mind...and I have not eaten since 4pm yesterday...it's not that I can't..it's simply because I am not interested...I am not hungry...

Today is Saturday, not sure what I'm doing today so I'm not sure when I will eat...other than my "Recovery" drink after my workout, probably not till late this afternoon....will probably go out for an early dinner....

I do not try to make it a bigger thing than it is, don't try to analyze the why...it just is, and I go with it...

This is how it was taught/explained to me 4 years ago...and I simply accepted it....

People say this process takes a lot of hard work....I get it, and I applaud those who put forth the effort....

BUT...if I am not hungry and have no cravings, and my eating is limited to small portions, what is so hard about that? I'm speaking for my situation here...no one else's....all I need to do is choose good wholesome, nutritious foods, high in Protein...drink my Water and take my supplements....

I go to the gym, but just like the early days of this surgery, the hard part was in the adjusting...now it's a pleasure filled with rewards...not a chore...

Everyone chooses their own different paths to follow with this weight loss, and that is none of my business...I just take objection when people post that the way I live this new life does not and cannot exist...it is not realistic......cause I will come right back and defend myself, and say, from experience, it does....and if people should say that this lifestyle will lead to poor health, lack of muscle, weakness, lethargy...well I am here to show them that is not necessarily true...I see 4 Dr.'s on a regular basis, and everyone tells me I'm one of the healthiest - fit 62 year old men they know...

So it is what it is....and that's all there is to it...let the negative people be negative....not going let it bring me down...

[Jack 855]

Thank you B-52 for a marvelous explanation of what works for you. I am largely in agreement with your program.

Turning to previous posts,

Certainly there is large rooms for discussion of this very subject. "How we lose weight" vs "How we produce energy" as related to 'appetite' and 'hunger' could be doctoral dissertation thesis for dozens of us here.

In the 'eat/ vs 'no eat' realm, whatever the appetite trigger may be, whether ghrelins or leptins or the tiny area in the ventromedial hypothalamas that measures certain arguable bodily functions, the old school discussion of Krebs cycle and the 'glycolosis vs glyconeogenesis' mechanisms can not be ignored. A brief 12:00 lecture here https://www.khanacademy.org/science/mcat/biomolecules/carbohydrate-metabolism/v/glycolysis shows a decent rendition of one of these.

Hard science is always changing based on research, while 'behavioral science' is based on who can present the more convinced support of their own opinions....hence, I've tended toward the 'behavioral' aspect of Eating/Overeating/Sport Eating.

I did considerable research leading up to my own Band in 2004, including lengthy interviews with a coupld of the OHSU Med School Research team, who were at the time investigating such then-new discoveries as the leptin-ghrlen mechanisms. Their work was fascinating enough, but time and the rest of My Own Life has kept me away from up to date reports.

In a nutshell, evidence at that point strongly indicated there were multiple causes for each aspect of what Bandsters have encountered and report regularly here.

For myself, the Band placement itself was 'magic' in that the uncontrolable 'eatEatEAT' controller mechanism was somehow in full throttle, and that admittedly abnormal sensation was abated. Eating was no longer the center of my existence.

I learned some behavioral techniques along the way, to assist in moving me toward my goal.

I recently attended my 50th High School reunion. Although I was "30#" above my goal, I still weighed less than at HS during teh JFK era so long ago.

And I have to retune my own discipline to step away from the return of some Bad Eating Habits, which upon inspection all violate my own Eating Behavior Premises.

So whatever mechanics and physiological models of weight management, the Band remains a Tool that serves me best when I follow the lead my Symbiant tries to evoke.

Gardening and yard chores do wonders for my discipline. We've just had a large ice storm the past several days, and this AM the Silver Thaw was transforming!

Read your research materials, do your exercise, tell us all what works best for you. I may borrow your ideas to lose another pound!

Edited February 10, 2014 by Jack

[gerio 37]

B-52 Thank you for your posts, I have had my band since 2007 and have started gaining weight (my own fault). I am also 62 and very healthy, I ride my indoor bike and have a road bike with a plan on doing a century this year.

What I appreciate is the reminder that I also had no appetite when my band was at the right tightness. I have an appointment today for another fill. Reading your post gave me motivation and hope to lose the remainder of my weight. Weight does affect my bike riding.

Wish me luck and again thanks for your post. Having no appetite helps in the ability to make good and healthy food choices. When I am always hungary it is far more difficult.

THANKS!!!

[bulawookie 116]

Explain to me why having no appetite is a problem? I am very curious. Almost all of us have to fight hunger every day which makes it harder to make good nutritious choices. If I had no hunger at all I would be happy and then I would eat only the most nutritious foods possible. No hunger means constant weight loss so I really do not understand why you are complaining about something that is the worst for the rest of us. Please explain.

[Jim1967 3,569]

I don't think I would use the word complaining in regards to this thread but call it what you may. Lellow was simply stating her experience with loss of appetite and is basically asking if any of us have had the same issue. It is quite understandable you may see it as complaining but really it is a matter of questioning how or why is she experiencing a loss of appetite.

I to have no appetite (and I am not complaining) and it baffles me as to why I have no appetite. I was a serious junk food addict and would go on binges for days. My binging was so bad that when my appetite disappeared I felt emptiness and I don't mean the hungry kind of emptiness. Not missing food per say but I felt like something was literally missing in my life. I guess the easiest way to explain it would be to come home from work every day and discover my dog is gone. I was not an emotional eater but yet I had an emotional attachment to food.

My Wife is also banded. She doesn't understand how I do not get hungry. She is still working on getting properly adjusted and there have been times where she will get hungry and then frustrated because I do not get that way.

One Saturday morning a year or so ago we had Breakfast out at a favorite diner. Later, We were driving along she mentioned she was hungry. My quick reaction to that was "really? Already?" and I said it out loud just like that. Well, she gave me a reality check. We had Breakfast 5.5hours earlier. She was not happy with my reaction but in my defense it was purely reactionary. I was not hungry but yet I was not aware of how much time had passed.

Believe it or not sometimes remembering to eat is a chore and not eating is not good for you and can actually slow down your weight loss because you could end up putting your body in survival mode and hang on to its fat stores.

Also, banded husband and wife team has its benefits but it can also have its pitfalls at times.

-Jim

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

I don't think I would use the word complaining in regards to this thread but call it what you may. Lellow was simply stating her experience with loss of appetite and is basically asking if any of us have had the same issue. It is quite understandable you may see it as complaining but really it is a matter of questioning how or why is she experiencing a loss of appetite.

I to have no appetite (and I am not complaining) and it baffles me as to why I have no appetite. I was a serious junk food addict and would go on binges for days. My binging was so bad that when my appetite disappeared I felt emptiness and I don't mean the hungry kind of emptiness. Not missing food per say but I felt like something was literally missing in my life. I guess the easiest way to explain it would be to come home from work every day and discover my dog is gone. I was not an emotional eater but yet I had an emotional attachment to food.

My Wife is also banded. She doesn't understand how I do not get hungry. She is still working on getting properly adjusted and there have been times where she will get hungry and then frustrated because I do not get that way.

One Saturday morning a year or so ago we had breakfast out at a favorite diner. Later, We were driving along she mentioned she was hungry. My quick reaction to that was "really? Already?" and I said it out loud just like that. Well, she gave me a reality check. We had breakfast 5.5hours earlier. She was not happy with my reaction but in my defense it was purely reactionary. I was not hungry but yet I was not aware of how much time had passed.

Believe it or not sometimes remembering to eat is a chore and not eating is not good for you and can actually slow down your weight loss because you could end up putting your body in survival mode and hang on to its fat stores.

Also, banded husband and wife team has its benefits but it can also have its pitfalls at times.

-Jim

I used to think losing my appetite would be a blessing. But it's a part of the pleasure of life. I lost my appetite for much of the month of July from stress. I was too busy to care then, but I wouldn't want to live without a desire for food. A dimmed desire is great. Absence of desire not so much.

[Heccat2 154]

Lellow

I haven't had a fill in a while, but all of a sudden I don't get hungry. My stomach growls, but I really don't care for food. This has been happening for a month now, and I have lost 12 pounds. I am forcing myself to eat. However, I only need a bite or two of something and I feel super full. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I am only saying that sometimes we do need to force ourselves to eat because we cannot afford to get dehydrated or malnourished. I can't explain what's happening, but if this is the Green Zone, thank you Jesus!