finding satiety versus feeling full

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

tiffikins mentioned that a key to success is to not think about feeling full, but learn to stop eating before that sensation. That makes a ton of sense to me, but it worries me.

I have lived with no Fluid in my band for years, really could eat pretty much anything, but since having it removed - my hunger, ravenous hunger, has returned with a vengence. I am so hungry it is driving me absolutely crazy. In my current state of mind (and physical hunger) I am worried about myself being able to learn to stop before feeling a sense of being full.

One thing this experience has confirmed for me is that "overeating" isn't just because I am a stress eater etc - about 7-10 days after the band was out I felt like someone had turned on the "I am starving" switch. Seriously, I feel like I could eat a second dinner about 1 hour after dinner. I am trying really hard to keep it in check, but I am hungry 24/7. There REALLY is a physical component to this, in spite of what many people believe. It has made it very clear to me why I need a weight loss surgery, I just hope that i can learn to be comfortable with life with less food. I guess I should be - others have done it - but right now, it is kind of hard to imagine

[Rev Me Up! 75]

It is hard to explain, but you have instant bio-feedback on the sleeve. When you eat to a point where you are full, you will quickly become very uncomfortable. The difference between "really full" and "holy crap, I'm going to barf" is one bite. Seriously. All you have to do is experience it once or twice to know that when you feel full, you put the fork down or else you are in for a world of hurt.

The good news is that the discomfort passes quickly becuase your tummy is small and it doesn't take long for food to pass through.

There seem to be a few different "full" signals people describe. Some people hiccup, some people sneeze, some people get a runny nose. I just feel full and a little uncomfortable. When I get that feeling I stop eating. Even if I have a bite of food in my mouth that I am chewing, I will discreetly spit it out - the "one more bite" thing is no joke :-)

It is completely different from the band.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I am glad to get the reassurance that it is totally different then the band. I wasn't hungry at first with the band, but after a few months, I was hungry alot of the time. Of course, some of that is just the desire to eat, but I also know it was physical hunger.

[Sammi25 18]

i also experience the DONT U DARE SWALLOW ONE MORE BITE syndrome and often discretely spit out food in my mouth. i get terrible burps and heart burn if i over eat so i know right before i get to that point

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

I experience the same thing - the "Danger, danger - don't eat another bite" feeling when I get full. I have to be very careful if I get distracted when I am eating - and don't stay conscious of every bite I am putting in my mouth. And my nose runs when I get full, in addition to a full sensation from my stomach.

Back to your feeling of being hungry all the time - could it be the amount of acid in your stomach is different now the band is gone (I'm not a band person - I don't know). I do know that many sleevers feel hungry right after they have been sleeved due to too much stomach acid in their sleeve. When that happened to me, I would take a GASX dissolving strip and drink a cup of warm broth - made the feeling go away every time.

[Becca 108]

I had a revision and the band and the sleeve are completely different. With the band, I was either so tight I would slime everything up or so lose I could just eat whatever I wanted. With the sleeve, I have restriction ALL the time. I also have the "you better not eat one more bite" issue with my sleeve. If I don't stop right when the fullness starts, I will get really sick. I start sweating and I feel like I have to lie down. I do everything I can to avoid overeating. At restaurants I won't order an entire meal. I either share or order a la carte. The times I have ordered an entire meal are the times I have gotten sick because I overate, just because the food was on my plate. I really feel having the ghrelin reduced from the surgery plays a big role in the success of the sleeve. I just don't obsess about food anymore. I do get hungry and want certain foods, but once I have a bite or two, I am content. I never had that with the band ever.

[lml32937 65]

Although I am only 1 week from my revisioin- I have to admit that it is difficult changing the mentality of will it get stuck to will it be too much?? The diet post op has not been bad because I have been through the "process" before BUT because you can only eat 2-3 tsp at a time and go HOUR and HOURS before ever "feeling" hungry or the alarm going off to remind you that you have to eat has been the most difficult for me..

All in all- i'm SOOOOOOOOO glad i'ts over and onward to a healthier life with NO foreign body in my body!!

[Lissa 2,631]

I don't know anything about having a band, but I do know the "Don't Eat One More Bite" feeling well! I've been lucky in that I haven't actually slimed or vomited, but I've come close a couple of times. The hardest thing for me was actually learning to quit eating before I hit the full signal, mostly because I had never felt full before unless I seriously ate a lot of food at one time!

The Nut gave me a scale at my pre-op appt and I'm learning to use it to measure out my food. I try to have enough Protein to make that meal's allotment of Protein grams, then add in a veggie if I have room. This last week has been tough for me to get in the protein grams, so I'm changing some things up to make that easier.