Lap Band and Metabolism

[teeniebeenie79 0]

I have a question for all you pros. How does the lap band not effect your metabolism? I went on WW a few years back and lost about 90 lbs. WOO HOO for me! However, my metabolism died and anytime I ate more than 1200 calories I gained like crazy. Exercise didnt seem to help--it only made me more hungry!

I know we've all been through all this up and down stuff. But I am wondering how the lap band effects our metabolism. Basically we are starviing ourselves, no?

And this is going to make you all roll on the floor...but doesn't the bigger part of our stomach ever get hungry? I know I should know about this but I couldnt find anything in my materials!!

Thanks in advance!

[Angie4b1g 1]

Well I'm not sure about the metabolism thing, but I can say that the bigger part of the stomach won't get hungry. The nerves that trigger the full feeling are at the top. :thumbup:

[teeniebeenie79 0]

Jack,

1) Describe in your own words, what "hunger" is: I am hungry when my stomach growls.

2) Describe in your own words, what being "full" is: I am "full" when I am no longer hungry

3) Describe what your idea of 'weight loss' is: Losing weigh through diet and exercise

4) Describe what the purpose of "eating" really is: To live. Thanks.

5) What correlation do you see between eating and metabolic rate?

What Is Metabolism and What Does It Do?

Metabolism (pronounced: muh-tah-buh-lih-zum) is a collection of chemical reactions that takes place in the body's cells to convert the fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing.

I guess I dont understand that last question of yours...

[teeniebeenie79 0]

Duh, thanks Angie! That makes sense. :thumbup:

[Marimaru 7]

Well, your stomach growling doesn't actually mean you are hungry. My stomach makes lots of noise at all different times of the day whether I'm hungry or not. Sure, there are times when your stomach growls when you ARE hungry, but it's not really the same thing. Also, being "not hungry" is different than being "full".

I also think there are some things you'll need to consider about your metabolism. You say when you went off of weight watchers if you ate more than 1200 calories you gained, well, how much more than 1200? 1400? 1500? If I stay under 1500 or 1600 I'll maintain pretty well. If I eat 2000 calories a day I'll start gaining. It's not an effect 'the band' has had on my metabolism so much as a reality I've learned. Lose weight = less than 1200 calories per day, gain weight = more than 1600 calories per day. You can ask your doctor to test your basal metabolic rate, and your resting metabolic rate, and that will give you an idea of how many calories you burn per day just existing. I haven't had those tested, just kind of found my numbers by seeing what I could eat and what would happen.

[teeniebeenie79 0]

Thanks Marimaru!

But I am curious. If you arent hungry when your stomach is growling...how do you know you are hungry?

I guess with the "full" feeling I was trying to make a point that "full" doesn't necessaily mean that you are stuffed to the gills. "Full" can simply mean I am done eating. I am not hungry anymore.

When my 10 year old daughter says she is full, she isn't by any means stuffed. She is just not hungry anymore.

I guess my concern is going to be that since I will be eating less, my metabolism will most likely slow down. Hopefully exercise can help that. But I am cautious of the game...But it will be one that I will have to play I suppose!

[tinaf 0]

I have a question for all you pros. How does the lap band not effect your metabolism? I went on WW a few years back and lost about 90 lbs. WOO HOO for me! However, my metabolism died and anytime I ate more than 1200 calories I gained like crazy. Exercise didnt seem to help--it only made me more hungry!

I know we've all been through all this up and down stuff. But I am wondering how the lap band effects our metabolism. Basically we are starviing ourselves, no?

And this is going to make you all roll on the floor...but doesn't the bigger part of our stomach ever get hungry? I know I should know about this but I couldnt find anything in my materials!!

Thanks in advance!

It's NOT funny - I have been wondering the same thing - but just couldn't figure out how to put that into words..... I totally understand that the food is supposed to SIT in the upper portion for a little while and then move slowly thru---- what I don't get is how THAT keeps your lower (or actual) stomach from growling etc.... I mean I KNOW that it is NEVER full anymore.

[mbanja 1]

Well, if growling means you are hungry then I guess most of the time my lower stomach is hungry cuz my stomach growls pretty much all the time. I personally know I am hungry, not by the growling of my stomach, but (its hard to explain) when I get an ache and empty feeling in my stomach and I am cranky and lightheaded or shaky. Actually feeling hungry was a new sensation for me after being banded so I can understand your confusion. Now, I don't know much about metabolism but I can pretty much guess mine is slow. Heck I am probably still matabolizing stuff I ate for Thanksgiving. Once you have the band you learn that you have to pay attention to your body and the feelings you have. Sometimes growling isn't a sign of hunger, sometimes it is probably gas rumbling around in there. Plus if your stomach has any memory it is probably thinking, "Hey give me something to eat, remember the good old days when you used to stuff your face?!!??" I think that is what mine is trying to tell me when it growls...........or maybe it is just gas.

[Wheetsin 714]

I have a question for all you pros. How does the lap band not effect your metabolism? I went on WW a few years back and lost about 90 lbs. WOO HOO for me! However, my metabolism died and anytime I ate more than 1200 calories I gained like crazy. Exercise didnt seem to help--it only made me more hungry!

Metabolisms don't die unless you're dead. If you're alive, and not some weird medical anamoly, your metabolism is doing its job. Your metabolims can adjust to your diet. This is why changing eating habits and doing nothing else very rarely works for complete & sustained healthy weightloss. Here's an excerpt from a previous post I made:

When you decrease your caloric intake, your metabolism also decreases. However, your metablosim doesn't decrease because your calories decreased. It decreases because your body begins to break down the lean mass (remember -- muscle tissues are easier to break down than fat)... in essence it starts to eat itself. At the same time your body also has the programming to know this shouldn't be happening, so it slows down your metabloic (and other) processes so that its lean masses are broken down slower. It doesn't want to eat itself, so it's going to slow down the metabolism.

Anyway, the body's goal in decreasing the metabolism is not to keep up with however many calories you're eating, the goal is to have to feed off itself as little as possible. Then you get into the irony of -- that fuel that was created by metabolizing your lean mass being converted to sugars by your liver, with the goal of keeping your fat stores in place. Losing weight by metabolizing lean mass is going to produce a really weak, flabby, unhealthy end product. They key is to avoid burning muscle and get the body to burn fat, so ideally you'd target between your BMR and AMR, and not a fixed number like "1,000". That's another misconception.

This is why the balance of diet AND exercise is so important and really not negiotable when you're looking for a healthy and sustainable weightloss. Did you arrive at 1200 calories as a person threshold, or was it a generic guideline you went with? You should target a calroic intake betweem your AMR and BMR. If you believe your metabolism has adjusted to a 1200 calorie diet, then it's up to you to make up the difference.

I know we've all been through all this up and down stuff. But I am wondering how the lap band effects our metabolism. Basically we are starviing ourselves, no?

Not one bit. Let me throw another question back at you to help put it in perspective. If we were starving ourselves, how would any of us manage to maintain our weight long term? If we were starving, wouldn't we eventually die of starvation/malnutrition?

And this is going to make you all roll on the floor...but doesn't the bigger part of our stomach ever get hungry? I know I should know about this but I couldnt find anything in my materials!!

The "full" sensation is triggered where the band is placed. Hence a small amount of food above the band will result in a "full" signal going to the brain. This is why restriction is key. If the food isn't there long enough to register this signal, then you're not going to be satisfied on small amounts of food. (Long story made very short).

Hope this helps. :wink2: