Bandster Hell! Help!

[slynclark 0]

I'm now 2 days into soft solid food so I can pretty much eat anything chewed really well and it's really tough because I get so hungry and I know that I'm overeating!

Do you think this gets better? What will happen after the first fill that I hsve restriction?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

It might take awhile to get restriction. Some people it takes 3 fills. My suggestion is if you're hungry, eat Protein.

That is how the low carb diet works. You can eat as much Protein as you want, without counting calories, and you will lose weight.

If you're in the mushy stage, stay away from mashed potatoes. They are carbs and will cause hungry. Eat tuna and mayo, egg salad, etc. If you eat nything that you can eat that is protein, you should get through bandster hell without gaining and being hungry.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

It's normal! I'm at 3 fills and just now "feeling" it, A LITTLE! My surgeon says 4 fills or more is normal..and maintaining or a small gain is perfectly acceptable to him until we get that restriction, he wants us to heal and work on his band rules (like no snacking) etc.

[GratefulHeart 0]

I find that hard boiled egg whites (if you like them) really fill me up, BUT I also find that they can get stuck easily, so be sure to chew them up or like Oregondaisy said, make into an egg salad. But the whites are satisfying. If I REALLY have the munchies I make sugar free Jello (not pudding, the gelatin) and eat all I want. Sometimes it's just the eating that helps.

[BgB9 9]

I'm now 2 days into soft solid food so I can pretty much eat anything chewed really well and it's really tough because I get so hungry and I know that I'm overeating!

Do you think this gets better? What will happen after the first fill that I hsve restriction?

It absolutely gets better, when is different for each person. I was just like you, starving almost immediately after eating. I basically went back to the way I had been eating, just less quantity. As a result, I stopped losing weight and even gained several pounds that I lost on the post op diet. But, with advice from folks on this forum, I switched my focus to Protein. I added low fat sausage to my scrambled eggs, and made sure to have some type of meat at every meal. I increased the amount of Water I drank between meals. The hardest thing has been to change the goal at meal time. Rather than eating until full, now I eat until I'm not hungry. I notice when I do that, in about 10 minutes I'm full. I dropped the weight I had put back on.

Most say they notice nothing until the second or third fill. I'm lucky. I just had my first fill 2 days ago and it is really different now. I seem to always take too big a bite or not chew well after my first bite, then get the hang of it. I'm still not at the proverbial "sweet spot" based on the quantity I can still eat. It is so much less than before, maybe a cup at a meal now. I get full and stay full for 4 or 5 hours. I've lost 3 pounds since that fill on December 30.

So hang in there. There is absolutely light at the end of the tunnel

[JesseH 0]

I never had a problem with hunger. As someone said earlier, I eat egg salad and tuna with mayo alot during the day for lunch and have 2 over light eggs for Breakfast. I was never a big carb eater but if I eat any now I get full fast. I've lost 60 lbs. since 10-10-08 and have NOT had any fills yet. My only problem is my reflux. Maybe 3 times a year it would bother me before the surgery. Now I almost always have a sore throat and my voice is rarely normal. All this will change in time. Godd luck to all.

[bandedincali 0]

I am so glad you posted this! I was logging on to post something similar. I am 2 weeks post op, on soft foods/mushies and soooooo hungry! I am trying to eat Protein, control portion size and drink lots of Water. It´s like as soon as I hit the 2 week mark, I was starving!

I am also trying to take small bites and chew them at least 25 times- it's a lot more challenging than I thought!

I am scheduled for my first fill on 2 Feb.

So nice to see I am not alone:)

[AngieAngel 0]

Remember, when folks say it took multiple fills or only one...it may be because the doctors start us out with different increments. For instance, my doctor tried to give me 4 additional cc's for my first fill (for a total of 5cc's) and he had to take out 1cc because I couldn't swallow Water. I would consider him more 'aggressive' where other docs might take a bit longer to get you there.

[JesseH 0]

Taking small bites and chew ALOT is so important. Last week I took my son to McDonalds and I got a grilled chicken sandwich. I take off the top piece of bread and eat about 1/2 of the rest and an comfortable. Well my mind was elsewhere and I wasn't thinking and took what used to be a normal bite, chew 3 or 4 times and that was it. It was awful I felt helpless. It would go down and I couldn't bring it up. About 90 seconds later it drpped like a brick. Just pay close attention when you eat. Think about it, most of us got so heavy by just sitting down and shoveling food into our mouths. I find that keeping frozen burgers (chicken, turkey or beef) with a little mayo for taste and lubrication satisfies me. Even the beef burger, being ground goes down easy. Stay in touch and let me know how you do.

[WannaBSkinnyB 0]

It's normal! I'm at 3 fills and just now "feeling" it, A LITTLE! My surgeon says 4 fills or more is normal..and maintaining or a small gain is perfectly acceptable to him until we get that restriction, he wants us to heal and work on his band rules (like no snacking) etc.

What size band are you and how many cc's are in it?

[RestlessMonkey 7]

WannaBSkinnyB I have a 14 cc band (AP large) and 4.5 cc's in it. I have read research saying that aggressive fills can cause future problems (PBing, esophageal spasms, slippage, maladaption, etc etc) AND I've read that aggressive fills are the way to go. MY doc believes in slow steady tightening so I have 1,5 cc's each time and he won't fill sooner than 4 weeks apart. I'm not paying for fills (free first year) so he's not trying to milk it for money, either...I got for fill #4 on 2/5 (the day after my birthday!) and expect, considering how I feel now, that will be very very close to the sweet spot.

[WannaBSkinnyB 0]

WannaBSkinnyB I have a 14 cc band (AP large) and 4.5 cc's in it. I have read research saying that aggressive fills can cause future problems (PBing, esophageal spasms, slippage, maladaption, etc etc) AND I've read that aggressive fills are the way to go. MY doc believes in slow steady tightening so I have 1,5 cc's each time and he won't fill sooner than 4 weeks apart. I'm not paying for fills (free first year) so he's not trying to milk it for money, either...I got for fill #4 on 2/5 (the day after my birthday!) and expect, considering how I feel now, that will be very very close to the sweet spot.

WOW! :cursing: Your doing great for only having 4.5cc's. I have 6.2 and am just now kinda feeling restriction. I have APS (small). I also get free fills the first year. I just want to get where I am losing. I have noticed some things hurt going down. Is this normal? It hurts but still does not stop me from eating more. Go figure. :confused:

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Wanna...I know what you mean. We have chicken and dumplings for Christmas and one bite kind of just....quit going down. I wasn't stuck, I could breathe, but it hurt and it would not GO ON. LOL No slime either, just a big bite of chewed chicken hanging out in my esophagus. I tried lifting my arms...nada. So I had husband pound my back a couple times and that did the trick! LOL

IF I really "pay attention" (eating thoughtfully, chewing well, no drinking w/meals etc, as we're supposed to do) I do get full on a lot less (still more than 1 cup, but WAY less than the way I used to be) and stay full longer. Sounds like one more fill will do it for both of us, or at least get us closer!

Things also hurt a little (kind of like what we used to call "going down the wrong pipe"?) for me, like in the morning my first swallow of coffee etc. We're headed in the right direction!

[WannaBSkinnyB 0]

I sure hope so. Keep me posted on your progress. I am excited to hear how you do. I am glad I am not the only one that has that stuck hurt feeling. I just wish it would keep me from eating. LOL!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

It doesn't stop me, either, but it surely slows me down a lot! :confused: