Help!! Feeling overwhelmed!!

[irisheyesrsmylng 40]

Hey all,

I have been feeling overwhelmed since my banding last week, and I just wanted to throw a couple of things out there to see if I am on point...

When I woke up from anesthesia, I was hungry, I didn't feel sick I wasnt sure if that was normal...

I am having a hard time differentiating between head hunger and real stomach hunger. I am trying to sit with the feeling but when a person has eaten to "complete fullness" it is hard.

I am bombarded with sights when I go to the store, tv ads about food everything seems amplified!!!

I have never realized how much my life revolves around food! I cant keep my mind off it. I bought a small note book to log what I eat. I am still recovering but I feel like I am "when can I eat again?"

Anybody who can offer any suggestions, I would be totally grateful!

Thanks, Irish

[BobBigBoy 0]

Your scaring me.... I'm just going to talk to the doc tomorrow.

I can imagine though how you'll notice everything food around you.

[zeniada 9]

Hey all,

I have been feeling overwhelmed since my banding last week, and I just wanted to throw a couple of things out there to see if I am on point...

When I woke up from anesthesia, I was hungry, I didn't feel sick I wasnt sure if that was normal...

I am having a hard time differentiating between head hunger and real stomach hunger. I am trying to sit with the feeling but when a person has eaten to "complete fullness" it is hard.

I am bombarded with sights when I go to the store, tv ads about food everything seems amplified!!!

I have never realized how much my life revolves around food! I cant keep my mind off it. I bought a small note book to log what I eat. I am still recovering but I feel like I am "when can I eat again?"

Anybody who can offer any suggestions, I would be totally grateful!

Thanks, Irish

It gets better...I remember when I was at where your at right now. I too felt hungry very shortly after waking up, I am 5 weeks post op and still have a hard time between real hunger and head hunger and for the first 2-3 weeks I lived watching the food Network..I would touture myself wondering when I can eat this or that...

But as I said It gets better soon you will not obsess so much about what to eat and when to eat it Hang it there it gets better.

[Tsaleen 1]

Seriously, I am one week post op and it seems like every commercial is some huge portion of something bad. My saviour right now is low sodium cream of chicken Soup.< /p>

[BobBigBoy 0]

for the first 2-3 weeks I lived watching the food Network..I would touture myself wondering when I can eat this or that...

:smile2: OMG! Why would you do that to your self!

[irisheyesrsmylng 40]

Thanks Tsaleen! It makes me feel better to know that I know that there are others know where I am!

[zeniada 9]

:smile2: OMG! Why would you do that to your self!

I was obsessed with what I couldnt eat..now that I'm on solid foods I dont care bout food network or man vs. food anymore. It's funny how our brains work really....

[Phranp 46]

When I woke up from anesthesia, I was hungry, I didn't feel sick I wasnt sure if that was normal... You are soooo lucky. When I woke up from surgery all I could think about was the stabbing gas pain in my left shoulder. You got off easy! LOL

I am having a hard time differentiating between head hunger and real stomach hunger. I am trying to sit with the feeling but when a person has eaten to "complete fullness" it is hard. All of us bandsters know how hard it is to make the changes necessary to reach our goal. Some are better at overcoming our old habits than others. I would suggest that you keep trying and pay attention to what works for you. Don't compare yourself to others and don't sabotage yourself by beating yourself up when you don't "measure up." Remember that each of us is on our own personal journey. You will lose as fast - or as slow - as you are willing or able to. It does require sacrifice and perseverance. "Bandster Hell" is just down the road for you. Read up on it on this forum so you know what it is when it happens and understand that it is a "temporary state". You will get better with the "head hunger" and "stomach hunger" the closer you get to your sweet spot. Please know that getting there can take several months and many fills. (But that is not written in stone - it depends on the person and how liberal their doc is with fills. You just might be one of the lucky ones.)

I am bombarded with sights when I go to the store, tv ads about food everything seems amplified!!! How about you fight fire with fire and start doing some reading about changing your diet, achieving better health, exercise and overcoming emotional eating. If you can be effected by the sights you see at the store and tv ads, why can't you be effected by things that will make your lapband journey successful? YOU have the power to change what you see most often. Bet there are no ads for Cookies and cakes in an exercise video. Did you know that if you travel around the outer rim of a grocery store you will find that, that's where the vegetables and grains and dairy and Proteins are? Take a look. The Cookies and sweet cereals and stuff like that are almost always together. You don't HAVE to go down that aisle at all. YOU ARE IN CONTROL - accept it. This band is a "tool" that can change your life IF you are willing to do your part.

I have never realized how much my life revolves around food! I cant keep my mind off it. I bought a small note book to log what I eat. I am still recovering but I feel like I am "when can I eat again?" Look at you! You are learning already. YAY! That feeling of "when can I eat again" will subside when you are thinking about food differently. That will take time but you can get there. While you are logging what you eat try writing what you are feeling as well. After some time has passed go back and read how you were feeling when you ate a particular food and see if you still feel that way. Make note of the changes you are seeing in yourself. Take a risk every now and again and don't give in to the urge to eat something that you KNOW won't get you to your goal. Write about how you are feeling. And, most important, when you don't give in to the urge for something unhealthy, give yourself credit for changing and recognize that YOU have the power to change yourself. You can do this! And the band can be a great tool to get you there.

And finally, three things:

1. Remember, the lapband is a "tool" not a miracle worker. You get out of it what you are willing to put in.

2. Don't beat yourself up. When you falter, start again. As you get restriction you will have fewer slips.

3. Read this forum, it is full of useful information and great people. Use this forum to your advantage. Take what you can use and leave the rest behind. (That includes my post too! LOL)

All the best to you on your journey. Keep the faith!

[BetsyB 9]

It's completely normal to be completely overwhelmed when newly postop. You eagerly anticipated surgery--then BAM! Reality set in. And there are lots and lots of changes.

Plus, you're starving--which makes everything more difficult to tolerate!

It gets easier--I promise.

I was hungry pretty quickly postop---within a day or so. My doctor starts patients on pureed Protein (in tiny amounts) on Day Three, so I was okay...but still genuinely hungry. And that persisted until I achieved restriction.

Still, I stuck with his plan--which taught me good habits, took a lot of the guesswork out of eating (which was good, because it hugely removed the Overwhelmed Factor), and gave me a leg up on losing.

Try to remember that this is a process. You're early in the game, so no one expects you to have mastered everything yet. Over time, you'll reach a comfort level with your band. But right now, you're a newbie. (It doesn't help that things like anesthesia, surgery, meds, and hormone fluctuations due to loss can wreak havoc on mood in the early days.)

It's very frustrating, but so, so normal. And it really does improve.