I'm confused on the purpose of the band

[wurly 0]

I have an engineering question -- someone posed this on another community and it make me think.

If the purpose of the band is to make a small pouch that fills up and you are no longer hungry, what's with stuff "getting stuck"? Isn't that stuff trying to make it through? If you chew everything small enough to go through the stoma, how does it fill you up quickly? If things make it through, doesn't that mean they aren't in your pouch? And you can eat and eat?

Anybody understand this?

[Jodi_620 37]

It fills you up quickly because you have a smaller stomach (pouch).

Yes, the food passes through the stoma but slowly and as you get fills the stoma is narrower so it passes through more slowly and you feel full longer eat less and lose more weight.

[NukeChik 1]

Think of it kinda as a bottleneck in traffic. All the cars can go through, it just takes a while for them all to pass.

[Lorrie Knox Malone 4]

Think of it like an hourglass, even small grains of salt move easily through the opening, just at a much slower rate then if there were no narrow opening. I often thought the same thing, till you think about it. I can even feel plain Water when I drink it, it sits in my pouch of a few seconds before completely decending through.

Edited June 19, 2008 by lorrie1

[Lori_K 0]

Think of an hourglass. Carefully chewed food passes slowly through the stoma (like fine grains of sand pass slowly through the neck of the hourglass). The food doesn't pass through quickly, so you stay full longer, and eat less. This is the purpose of the band. When something is "stuck" it's not passing through - think of a big grain of sand that blocks the neck of the hourglass. Usually when something gets stuck, a person didn't chew the food carefully enough (or perhaps the band is filled "too tightly", and it needs an adjustment, or unfill of saline from the band). Certain foods (like breads) can also swell and "get stuck". From experience, it is painful! :thumbup:

A person can also "eat around the band" - like ice cream and milkshakes - these are things that will pass more quickly through the stoma, and people with the lap-band are usually advised to avoid foods like this.

The beauty of the band is that it's adjustable! :rolleyes2:

[Guest ZenGarden]

And with the lapband, your hunger trigger is in a completely different spot than before. Post-band you will notice that the food feels differently in your new 'stomach' because the food lies up against the banded/restricted stoma opening...thus, your true/real stomach might be empty and growling, and you won't be able to eat in a hurry to feel satiated. It took me a long time to understand this concept. If I get to the point now where my REAL stomach is growling for food, I'm in Def-Com 4 hunger mode and will probably have to drink a Protein Shake to prevent the shakes.

[Sofia Bell 0]

I'm glad that question was asked! I'm 6 days post op and really wondering when I'm going to get "started". It feels like I can still eat anything. What I find myself doing (I'm in the soft food stage) is eating until I'm full, which isn't much, and then waiting until that full feeling is gone before I begin looking for a little snack or something.

I started getting real hunger pains and growling about 2 days ago. Will that go away?

I don't know when I'm getting my first fill. I'm seeing my surgeon next Thursday. I hope something changes soon.

[NukeChik 1]

What I find myself doing (I'm in the soft food stage) is eating until I'm full, which isn't much, and then waiting until that full feeling is gone before I begin looking for a little snack or something.

Sofia,

Be very careful with this type of behavior. Try really hard to only eat when you are HUNGRY...This might be what you meant, but I read it as you were eating everytime you aren't full as opposed to when you are hungry.

My stomach quit threatening to eat everyone in sight about a month and a half after surgery.

You probably can still eat anything, but please, please, please follow the guidelines set forth by your surgeon, they knows what they're talking about!

I took me about 4 months to get good restriction so try not to get too frustrated. This is a process!

[Sofia Bell 0]

Nikki

That's exactly what I meant, I am starting to eat when I'm not full as opoosed to when I'm hungry.

I don't want to fall into my old habits. Coming to this site helps me, but I really need to get more control.

What can I do to help while I wait for my fills?

[NukeChik 1]

Well IMHO you just need to eat as healthy as you possibly can. Try and remember that the first month of banding is about HEALING, not weight loss. I know its hard not to be frustrated and impatient, but it too will pass. Don't worry if you don't post huge weight loss numbers during your first couple of months, now thats not an excuse to eat everything in sight!

Focus on

• getting your docs recommended Protein amount in everyday
  
• incorporating exercise into your daily routine (when recommended)
  
• take your vitamins
  
• drink plenty of fluids
  
• start living by the lapband rules!!!
  

You'll probably feel like you are eating too much, try to focus on YOUR body and what its telling you. For instance I have learned my soft stop signal is the roof of my mouth gets tender (I know its weird, but it is what it is). If I keep going I'll start to get pretty violent hiccups. Start listening to your body and get into the habits required to be a successful bander. There are tons of exceptional banders on this site. A lot can be learned from them and what has worked for them!

[Sofia Bell 0]

Nikki

Thank you for your advice. I will try to learn the band way. I guess I should be pretty happy that I've lost 15 lbs in 1 month.

I also need to learn patience!

When were you banded? It looks like your weight is coming off!

[kiz 1]

I really haven't thought about the reason you feel full with less food with a band. From what I've seen, the top part of your stomach is banded, so that you have a small pouch where the food is collected. The food slowly goes through the stoma into the rest of the larger stomach area. So, if the larger area of the stomach is open and somewhat empty, do you still feel hungry, but without the ability to fill the larger stomach because the small pouch is full?