Struggling

[RobynB1989 0]

I am almost 4 weeks post op, and I am struggling. I just moved back to school, and am hungry all the time, and I find myself either snacking or eating more at mealtime and i am really worried about stretching my pouch and ruining it after only having the band for a month. Can anyone give me any advice? I am not getting a fill for a little more than 2 weeks.

[MollyRN 28]

I can totally relate - I am 3 weeks now and I am hungry more than I expected to be. I pretty much am dieting right now... but I get my first fill this week. Call your doctor and see if they will do it sooner. If not, fight fight fight. It won't always be this hard - this is bandster hell right? Don't give up. Two weeks will fly by ..... you can do it.

[Meganginna 0]

Hi - I am almost three weeks post op and I have had some tough moments this last week. Tonight I picked a fight with my wonderful fiancée because I was tired and hungry and ready to feel normal again.

People can now tell I've lost weight and I'm getting compliments which is nice, however, it's hard to pretend like everything is fine when I am hungry a lot, still generally tired from recovery, and I am still having some occasional stomach pain.

Having this forum helps but it feels so hard some days, because it feels like no one understands what this is like.

Can you call your dietician at your doctors office? I have found mine to be much more helpful post op than even my physician.

[jensmallwood 0]

Do call and see if you can get a fill sooner. Maybe they'll say yes!

Otherwise, there are things you can eat which will help you feel fuller more quickly. Protein, fat and Fiber all empty the stomach more slowly and keep you fuller and more satisfied for a longer period of time. So a chicken breast with veggies cooked in some oil and maybe some brown rice would keep you fuller than some simple carbohydrates (like Pasta or something.)

Don't worry too much about stretching your pouch. Unless you are bingeing- you won't stretch it. The reason you're not feeling much fullness is that without restriction the food is falling right through into the big part of your stomach. So it can't stretch the pouch.

It is just like dieting at this stage (if you've decided that you want weight loss during the bandster hell phase. Some do and some don't.)

[steggegirl 0]

I worry about stretching mine too. I am eating about 1 cup of food at a time. Is that too much? They teach you to pay attention to your stomach . . . if you are full, you need to stop eating. Well I stay hungry, so I eat a cup and that seems to do it.

[emjay 8]

Robyn & Molly - jen is right. Concentrate on getting in your Protein. You may want to supplement with shakes if needed. I know that doesn't help "fill" you, but it can help curb the hunger. You may also want to add a little Benefiber to your Water...the added Fiber helps keep you full also. Bandster Hell is difficult until you get to the proper restriction. Right now for you is the time to concentrate on what you are eating. Whenever you are hungry, try to go for nutritional items with Protein, fiber and a low to moderate fat intake. Avoid processed carbs in "white" foods (flour, sugar, rice, Pasta, potatoes). Try for whole grain toast instead of white. More importantly, keep healthy Snacks with you in case of the munchies. Right now it may be more helpful to eat 5 small meals a day vs. 3 meals a day and a snack to avoid getting too hungry between meals.

It is the hardest part of the journey short of the liquid diet phase. And being in school can make it more difficult. So, keep healthy items on hand if you're in a dorm. You'll get through it, and when you get to the proper restriction, the weightloss should pick up. Just hang in there!

[luv2eat 11]

Oh man do I hear you on this one. I too am three weeks out and have 2 long weeks to go until my first fill AND my doctor is conservative on first fills so who knows how much it will even help! I feel so hungry all the time and I had to do 2 weeks all liquid and I dont remember being this hungry! I think for me though it is a lot of mental stuff too. There was no way i would cheat before the surgery in fear it would some how mess up my surgery but now the surgery is done and I want to EAT! I feel like a failure because I thought weight would be dropping off me by now and I still dont really want to exercise other then walking.

BUT this too shall pass and we will get through. Stay strong! Know you are not alone. The two weeks will come and go, heck I cant believe it has alrerady been 3 weeks since my surgery! Good luck! You are doing fantastic!

[Nicole74 4]

Right there with you all!! I am 2 weeks out and the past week been hungry all the time..I finally got to start mushies this past Friday. I havnt been pureing everything but just chewing really well..made some Soup, made som potroast today and just eating very little bites and chewing until its all mushed up. I find that after I eat about a full cup or a little more Im full...Iv been tempted to "test" the band because I really feel like I could eat anything or as much right now with some things..I spent $ 300 on food this weekend buying all kinds of healthy stuff that I can "mush" I thought getting this band would save me $. even though I feel like I could eat whatever im just treating like a diet...I dont have a fill until Sept 7th and I dont want to gain back the 17lbs I lost the first 2 weeks. I read that bandster hell could happen but I was hoping it wouldnt happen to me. I am just going to try to eat as healthy as I can, try to stick to the 3 meals a day with a half to a full cup of food and a Protein Shake, chew well and eat slow.I guess I still just done trust myself with food!! I am wondering how everything else got through this!!

[honk 780]

In regards to snacking you may want to consider Fat Free Greek yogurt with fruit. I add quarter scoop vanilla whey Protein and splendra and make a nice "yogurt pudding". It would give you a great protein snack. My Nut approved it just so you know.

[RobynB1989 0]

I can totally relate - I am 3 weeks now and I am hungry more than I expected to be. I pretty much am dieting right now... but I get my first fill this week. Call your doctor and see if they will do it sooner. If not, fight fight fight. It won't always be this hard - this is bandster hell right? Don't give up. Two weeks will fly by ..... you can do it.

Unfortounately, I am at school which is 4 hours from my doctor, and I am in training to be an RA for the next 2 weeks, so the date that I set for my fill was the only day that I go home because I cant miss any days of training. It kinda sucks. Hopefully I will be too busy to think about food.

Honk, I am in the solid foods phase, and my dietician told me that once i phase to solid foods, that I cant have yogurt anymore

[pixistix 1]

Wow, yogurt is a nutritional powerhouse. My nutritionist encouraged me to eat yogurt and keifer. Weird.

As far as "bandster hell," I had a terrible time with it. I slipped very quickly into bad habits and it was a terribly depressing time.

The good news is... once you have restriction, it's a whole different world. After three months and two fills, I had 7 CCs in a 10 CC band. And only then did I feel like I actually had a band!

And believe it or not, I think it was kind of a good thing that I had a few months to adjust to the new lifestyle. After surgery, I had some restriction. After the first fill, I had a little more. Now I have a lot.

For instance, I made myself half a sandwich for lunch today and couldn't finish it. It's wonderful, but boy, it takes some getting used to! I wanted that damn sandwich! But I couldn't eat it. Couldn't. Period. If I had continued I would have had a sharp pain in my chest and eventually would have gotten sick. And I was able to stop pretty easily, because I was full. To me, that's the difference between having a band and not having one. Before, I couldn't make myself stop eating just because I knew I should stop. Now I have to stop. I'm able to stop and I feel good afterwards. Because NOW I have a band. When it didn't have enough saline it yet, it wasn't fully operational. Now it is.

I would definitely echo what emjay and jensmallwood said about eating healthy, exercising to the extent you can, and hanging in there. It WILL get better.

Best of luck to you all on your journeys.

Edited August 16, 2010 by pixistix