It takes a bit of trial and error fill-wise to get to this point. It will happen if you get enough restriction. I went way too long just trying to "diet" and eventually I realized, "oh yeah, I'm not supposed to be starving all the time". Then when I got to the point where I am now, at first I thought it was waaaay too tight...but no, it turns out this is what it's supposed to be like and this is where the whole chewing like crazy, eating small bites stuff that people talk about comes in.
Right after surgery is the worst part and who doesn't want to have it all just melt off right away? Super frustrating. Now that I am here I am almost never hungry and the surgeon gave me this book which is a bit different advice than others, more stuff about the whole intuitive eating thing, eating only when hungry. The gist is cavemen didn't eat 3 square meals a day or 6 small meals, they ate when they got food and there really hasn't been enough time for evolution to have drastically altered our genome whereupon this is no longer the case. Everyone has a different opinion. Regardless of what advice you follow, and only you will be able to really determine what works for you, if you get the fills right (and it takes time) not being hungry is possible.
When the band works right, you won't feel hungry very often. Maybe for the general populace who are not overweight the whole eat when you're hungry thing would work but for those of us who struggle, we know this isn't reasonable. That's where the band has helped me. Oh, don't get me wrong, I still eat stuff when I'm not hungry, but since most foods I want to eat that are yummy to me are also foods that don't work well with the band, you generally only get a bite or 2 before that's it. You'll get there!
My weight loss slowed waaaaayyyyyy down after the first 4 or 5 months, but it's still happening and I had to accept that this is the way it'll be and I am looking to reach my goal by Christmas (27 more pounds) which is quite a long time. I am the type that in the olden days could gain 10 pounds over a weekend away and eating out, (not Water weight - it's stuck there forever!!!). I just really have a slow metabolism but it's not technically bad enough to need meds (although if you eat 800-1200 calories for real and don't lose weight, I say wtf!).
HOWEVER, this was the first year EVER where I didn't gain weight over Christmas. The previous Christmas I had 3 weeks off and skipped an entire pant size when I went back in January Lap Band = BEST. INVENTION. EVER.
