Mouth Cravings after LapBand

by Angela Harmon
(Gowanda, NY, U.S. )

I just had Realize Band surgery Feb 18th and what I'm noticing is my mouth wanting to eat more than my body..lol.

It's like my gums and tongue want to feel things. I don't get it. I took my kids to the movies and just sucked on a piece of popcorn and then spit it out.

What is this and how do I stop my mouth from craving things?..lol.

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Your term "mouth cravings" describes what I often call "appetite" or "head hunger." There's a difference between wanting to eat and needing to physically eat.

Gastric band surgery works on the stomach, not the head, so it will never take away the desire to eat. Most of us would like to eat more than we should because let's face it...

...food tastes good!!

The best approach is to accept that you'll have "mouth cravings" (vs. wishing they'd just go away) and learn to manage them. I think you did a great job by just sucking on popcorn. You might equally satisfy mouth hunger by sucking on a (sugar free) hard candy when you feel like you want to eat, but know you really don't need to or physically can't fit anymore in.