Help Please ....... I'm Mad !!!!!!!

[patty 0]

What works for me...

I usually have a slimfast optima with a scoop of Protein powder for Breakfast.

AM snack, trail mix or granola bar

For lunch, usually, stew or chowder or chicken salad.....

Afternoon snack, 100 calorie bag of popcorn.< /p>

dinner protein....Chicken, Steak, Shrimp, anything like that.....and a veggie,

I dont eat bread, rice, potatoes, as a rule, do I have them once in a while, yes, but I try to stay away....

[Marimaru 7]

If I want to lose, I have to count calories. The band restricts my portions, but it doesn't restrict me enough that it doesn't matter what I eat.

Also, I wouldn't say the point of the band is to not feel hungry, it's just to help you not eat so much at one sitting. You have to be sure to eat things that will keep you satisfied longer. Simple carbs do not do that, but solid protien does.

Also, I've made a habit recently (well, not quite a habit, but I hope it will be) that if I am "hungry" I have to drink a glass of iced tea before I eat anything, unless it's a normal meal time. If I'm still "hungry" then I can get a little snack. I find a few things with this, a) if the tea is really cold, I have to sip on it, so it takes a while to get it down, :rolleyes2: I usually pop on my computer or something while I'm drinking my tea, and sometimes I'll get side tracked and forget I was "hungry", c) if I still want something, I can get a healthy snack and another glass of tea.

I put "hungry" in quotes, because more often than not, I'm not really hungry but bored, or whatever. Head hunger really is my worst enemy.

[trystelle 3]

If I want to lose, I have to count calories. The band restricts my portions, but it doesn't restrict me enough that it doesn't matter what I eat.

Also, I wouldn't say the point of the band is to not feel hungry, it's just to help you not eat so much at one sitting. You have to be sure to eat things that will keep you satisfied longer. Simple carbs do not do that, but solid protien does.

Also, I've made a habit recently (well, not quite a habit, but I hope it will be) that if I am "hungry" I have to drink a glass of iced tea before I eat anything, unless it's a normal meal time. If I'm still "hungry" then I can get a little snack. I find a few things with this, a) if the tea is really cold, I have to sip on it, so it takes a while to get it down, I usually pop on my computer or something while I'm drinking my tea, and sometimes I'll get side tracked and forget I was "hungry", c) if I still want something, I can get a healthy snack and another glass of tea.

I put "hungry" in quotes, because more often than not, I'm not really hungry but bored, or whatever. Head hunger really is my worst enemy.

Great idea!!

[cQQlgirl 0]

I have a 4cc band and my doc says that it will hold in excess of 5ccs. I'm at 3.4 right now and have some restriction. I just got my fill on Tuesday so I'm trying to get the 'feel' of it. My doctor will see me every two weeks as needed.

You just need more fill. When you get to this point in the fill cycle, I believe that small increments (.1cc or .2cc) can really make all the difference. I know it's frustrating.

Also realize that 'full' with the band is often times very different than the full you are used to feeling.

Good Luck, Valerie

[Cerrin 3]

I also have to think in terms of not hungry.....instead of full. Full for me is almost too much food. I want to get to the point of just not being hungry.

[Wheetsin 714]

Yeah, "full" has a lot of head connotations with it. We're obese, right? Our definition of "full" is not really full. Usually it's something like "overeaten to the point that my gut is aching, and I equate that ache to fullness." Need to get away from full.

When I was in the first few months post-op, I would take a bite, and literally after every bite I would stop and "listen" to my body, and really try to answer "Am I still hungry, or am I no longer full?" Full and no longer hungry are lightyears apart from each other. If you no longer feel true hunger, stop eating -- you can always get more later, and your band will thank you. :rolleyes2:

[Jennie1976 1]

Hi!

I have 2.6 in my 4 band. This is my sweet spot. I felt the same way as you before I found my sweet spot. I was also despairing, but, let me reassure you, be patient. Now I can only eat a few bites of something (between 3 and 10--depending on what it is) before I'm full. And I don't get hungry as often either.

Good luck to you!

[Audie 0]

Hi there, I don't have a 4.0 band but I just wanted to suggest asking your doctor for an appetite suppressant. I was feeling hungry all the time and my doctor gave me phentermine. He toyed with the dosage for a couple months to see where I wasn't getting hungry and could sleep at night. I don't know if this is an option for you but it's worth checking into. I started at 326 and am now down to 224 less than a year after banding because the phentermine was such a HUGE help. I'm now filled so tight that I couldn't eat half the things I wanted to anyway ... but it took until November to get there (was banded in May '07) so I haven't taken any phentermine since then. I think it just takes a while to find the right fill place and get some appetite suppressants in you. Don't get discouraged. Keep at it!!!!!!!