Does the DS affect brain chemistry?

I've often felt that the root of my obesity was in my brain, that I could almost literally feel it driving me to eat those hit fat, high sugar foods.  Well, how will the DS assist me in rerouting my obsessive food thinking or is this something that must be addressed throught therapy or some other way? I understand the hormone ghrelin plays a role in obesity but obviously just removing that part of the stomach responsible for producing ghrelin won't necessarily cause me never to be hungry again.  What are your thoughts on this? Let's discuss...

There are a lot of digestion-related hormones that I bet are affected by having the DS.

I am drawing a blank at all of the names...but CCK and NPY are coming to mind if you want to do more reading.

Kayla- You might be interested in this: http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=publications_rd_obesi ty

Obesity is extremely complex, boy I need a cheeseburger just thinking about it ( ; 

I'd say the DS definitely affects brain chemistry. Pre-op, I had a TERRIBLE time with depression,and about ten days post-op mine was GONE. (Results not typical, as they say. *grin*)

I still spend a lot of time THINKING a lot about food, but a lot less time actually EATING it. Now I plan ahead, so that I eat tasty, high-protein, high-fat meals. I really ENJOY every bite I eat now, since I don't have that all-consuming drive to eat EVERY DAMN MINUTE of the day. And sometimes---not often, mind you, but sometimes---I don't even LIKE the thought of eating.

 Like Ms Batt - there are some subtle differences for me.    I obsess about food, but in a different way.     I savor food, taste it more, and enjoy the process of shopping for, and cooking than I did.    Before, I'd shovel food in my mouth without even thinking of it.   Now, if I can't think of something appealing to me, I often will just not eat.   I'm kind of at that point right now.   I've a bad chest cold, and am really struggling with an appetite.     Don't get me wrong...I still have my moments.  I still make poor choices, I still eat until I'm overly full, I still graze when I'm not hungry, I still turn to food for the wrong reasons, but a lot of the guilt is gone now, and for some undefinable reason, it's just....different.      Also, I used to NEVER be full.   Now when I'm too full, I can't look at food, at least for a couple of hours, LOL.

I agree with Julie 100%. I think about food but in a completely different way. I can taste the food now, enjoy the food. I'm always thinking about my next meal but differently than pre-op. For me its all about quality post-op, not simply quantity. I get hungry now but again, its different.

But I think therapy does wonders too.

You WILL be hungry again.

However, chances are what's driving you isn't the chemistry of your brain, but that of your gut. You can have good hope that you will become significantly less driven (but not necessarily that it will be eliminated) by the changes the DS does.

There is a difference between being hungry and that DRIVE to eat, that feeling that makes you think you'd do bodily harm to someone getting between you and the food. It's impossible to imagine. You can only experience the difference.

According to SOME, the DS makes us grumpy *****es.  Is that what you meant?

 Sue! Love, love, love! You ornery ol' crow, you!

I'm a delicate f'ing flower, you meanie!

However, since you are already mean, you are an excellent candidate for the DS.