Hunger pangs with a vengeance….!!!!!
Had an aspiration and experienced extreme hunger after it, here is a simple explanation why this may occur.
Each time you have a fill more fluid is added to your band. The pressure around the top of the stomach is increased as a result. As the pressure intensives within your band, this will start to impact the size of the passageway in which your food will need to pass through to enter into your stomach. With this increased pressure, you should start to notice your portions and hunger decreasing. This is all down to the nerves situated at the top of the stomach which start to tell your brain you are full once they are stimulated. That is why it is so important to keep your meals nice and textured to allow the band to function in the manor that it is designed for, and for you to get the most out of your band journey.
If anytime in your band journey you need an aspiration for one reason or another, and the pressure is reduced. More often than not, you will start to feel overwhelmingly hungry again really quickly. This is purely because the pressure on the nerves has relaxed. There maybe also an element that you can physically eat more, so you tend too.
It is important whilst your fluid is out your band that you work extra hard and keep a tight rein on your calorie intake, or you might find that the pounds start to increase as quickly as your hunger had.
Some hints and tips to take into consideration during this time are
• Check out your meals – are they textured….??? If not make a conscious effort to texture each meal up this should help with hunger and keep the portions smaller
• Try a drink see does this help
• If there is only a short while before your next meal – try and do something to take your mind off food. You will be surprised once you do hunger can disappear
• Is it really hunger your feeling – or head hunger….???? Is it more that your mind is thinking about food, not that your body needs it. Again, distracting the mind is a great way to give into food cravings
• If it really is body hunger, make sure you choose a healthy textured snack, fruit or a protein bar maybe.
Once you reintroduce your fluids back into your band and increase the pressure again, you should start to feel the desired decrease in appetite reappear. Take a big lesson from this and really start to appreciate just how fabulous a tool the gastric band really is. OK some days can feel tough living with the band – but would you really want to be dealing with this hunger again on a daily basis.
It’s about finding the correct balance with hunger. The band is not meant to eradicate hunger completely, but give you a feeling of satisfaction for 4-5 hours. A person who never feels hungry can be a worrying sign that there band maybe too tight. Seek some guidance and support from your provider to discuss.
