By: Gloria Samuels, From gloriasbandedliving.com

I recently had the opportunity to talk with hundreds of doctors and nurses who care for weight loss surgery patients.  They were interested in my experiences with how my lap band works to control my hunger.  I am convinced, that controlling hunger is the difference for me between yoyo dieting and finally being able to maintain a normal weight, and feel like a normal person.

I've been hungry as long as I can remember.  I was always the kid who couldn't get enough.  Imprinted in my mind is a picture from when I was very young, probably 5 or 6.  As a treat, our family would go out to dinner during the summer to a local Chinese restaurant.  I remember how much I looked forward to those dinners.  I loved the food, the volume, and the fact that my father didn't seem to judge how much I ate when we went out to dinner.  On one particular occasion, I remember eating so much that I got sick and went to the bathroom and threw up.  When I came back to the table, I wanted to eat more. My father was disgusted with me.  I've lived with that shame all my life; I've never told that story before, until today.  So you see, as early as I can remember, something was broken with my “appetite switch.” Now when I see children who have this problem, it's really painful for me to watch.  I know 2 children who appear to have this problem.

Before lap band surgery, I struggled with constant hunger as far back as I can remember.

Thanks to my work with bandedliving.com, I now have the opportunity to learn from the people who developed and work tirelessly to continue to learn how the band works.  The message we are coming to understand is that the band primarily works by controlling hunger, helping us to feel a sense of satiety, and that it provides a “back stop” for portion control.  It's not about having a really tight band that makes it almost impossible to eat; that can be dangerous, and for many it results in poor weight loss as people are likely to resort to high calorie liquids.

This description of how the band works really resonates with me.  That's how I feel.  For me, it's nothing short of a miracle that when my band is properly adjusted, I no longer spend my days, hungry, constantly in search of food, or trying to hold on by my fingertips.  The absence of constant, nagging hunger makes it possible for me to follow the rules and pretty much maintain a normal weight.  We used to talk about willpower.  I felt like such a failure before my band.  If anyone was driven, I thought it was me.  I was successful at everything I set out to do, except lose weight and keep it off.  For me, the edge I get from my band, controlling hunger gave me the willpower I needed to finally conquer my lifelong struggle with obesity.

I was humbled that I was asked to speak with doctors and nurses about my experiences as a long-term successful lap band patient and how the band helps me with hunger at professional conferences across the country.  It was a chance to tell my story and also help the people who care for us understand the band a little better.  Here are a few of the points I tried to get across:

• I was great at dieting. I could lose weight, I just couldn't keep it off, and eventually I felt like I needed to come up for air.
• For me, a properly adjusted band helps keep my hunger at bay.  I always wanted to know what it felt like to have a normal appetite.  I think this is how a normal person feels.  There is a reason why 95% of the people with a lot of weight to lose fail at diet and exercise alone, and I believe controlling physical hunger is an important part of that equation.
• My band helps with physical hunger, not head hunger.  If a slice of turkey and some carrot sticks won't satisfy me, there is probably something else going on.
• With a properly adjusted band it's so much easier to follow all the good weight loss advice I received over the years.  I still need to do the work.  I need to follow the rules.  It's just so much easier with a properly adjusted band.  There is still no magic bullet, at least not yet. (But when it comes, please sign me up!)
• Now, approaching my 5 year bandiversary, I finally believe this is for real.  I will struggle with 10 pounds, like a normal person.
• My lap band port leak was a gift.  It was a relatively minor and rare complication that was easily fixed. (Click here to learn more about my lap band port leak.)  The experience taught me so much, and came at a time in my journey when I was probably becoming a little complacent.  Overnight I became hungry again.  I was petrified.  I was HUNGRY again. Once my port was fixed, my hunger was back under control literally overnight!
• When people ask if now that I'm maintaining my weight, will I get my band removed, my answer is clear.  No!  If I remove my band and I will be hungry and regain all the weight I've lost.

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