I'm scared to ask this question....

[juliansmom2003 3]

When does bandster hell start? I think I may be in it at times, but not sure.... :thumbup:

I'm almost 2 weeks post op, so I'm sure it's rearing its ugly head and I don't have my next appt with the surgeon until 12/4 when I'll be able to tell him whether or not I'm satisfied on solids and if not, then he'll schedule a fill.

I know I've stopped losing weight due to my body being in starvation mode, so I am impatient that I will have to wait longer to lose more! Starting to get nervous if this will work or not. :thumbup:

Thanks for any insight into this.

[fransbeenbanded 1]

i am there with you, banded 10/13 myself. i get hungry often. but reading the other posts, it is up to our own will power to get us through to our first fill. i don't get one until 12/3 and am so discouraged. i am losing slowly. but afraid i will try to eat more than i should. will power is hard, i didn't have it before surgery and the only thing helping now is that i don't want to screw up what i have accomplished. good luck!

[Erin Marie 0]

It's different for everyone. For me, I didn't start going through bandster hell until one week after my first post-surgery appointment. At first I was really frustrated that I hadn't received my first fill but in hindsight, it was for the best. The longer you give your stomach to heal and adjust to the band the less likely complications will be. Also frustrating but equally important are tiny fills, 1 or 2ccs.

To survive your hopefully short lived stay in Bandster Hell, avoid the scale. It'll do nothing but mock your lack of weight loss and drive you toward empty calorie, slider foods. Instead, stay as closely to the healthy Protein rich meals you're currently on and don't kick yourself when you have to eat more to be satisfied. That just means you're ready for your fill :thumbup:. Hang in there! There is light at the end of the tunnel.

[Astrasmom 1]

Also as my nutritionist told me make sure that your 3 actual meals have Protein in them (fish, chicken..etc). What she did for me is instead of my shakes being 4oz she made my 3 shakes 8oz and told me to sip them really slow. Also remember to not drink for at least an hour after your meal. The longer you can leave the food in your stomach the longer it will be before you are hungry.

Biggest thing is not to listen to your head. Head hunger always wins.

[juliansmom2003 3]

I'm on pureed, so I'm not eating any meats (allergic to fish), so I've been doing these tasty Protein shakes w/ chocolate and banana, eggbeaters and yummy muscle milk light (it really is yummy! I swear LOL)!

Also, I thought we weren't supposed to have more than 6 oz of anything, so is 8 okay of my Protein shake? If so, that's awesome, because I really do enjoy it! It tastes like a chocolate covered banana :-)!

How long do you guys go between meals?

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

Guys, IF you have advanced to mushy or solid foods, try to EAT your Protein. It requires chewing (which is satisfying) and solid Protein will stay in your stomach a heck of a lot longer than a protein shake.

IF you are still on liquids (I advanced to mushy foods on day 10 and starting adding full solids 3 days later, I don't have too much helpful to offer. liquids simply do NOT stay in your stomach for more than, literally, minutes. They do not offer satiety. And that, my dears, is Bandster Hell.

[Astrasmom 1]

I'm on pureed, so I'm not eating any meats (allergic to fish), so I've been doing these tasty Protein shakes w/ chocolate and banana, eggbeaters and yummy muscle milk light (it really is yummy! I swear LOL)!

Also, I thought we weren't supposed to have more than 6 oz of anything, so is 8 okay of my Protein shake? If so, that's awesome, because I really do enjoy it! It tastes like a chocolate covered banana :-)!

How long do you guys go between meals?

You have to advance to mushy foods so that you can learn how to chew. Staying on liquids all of the time isn't healthy.

As for the 8oz don't do anything unless you ask your doctor first. That's what my doctor put me on because I am a slow sipper. Liquids don't stay in your pouch that long.

[Ryno 0]

Yeah I'm starting to get Hungrier more and more everyday since my surgery. It's hard knowing feeling that I'm hungry and knowing that I need to wait at least 2.5 - 3 hours till lunch. Makes the days seem to move slower.

On the brightside I get my first fill in two weeks on 11/18. Just got to stay strong till then.

But it does seem to be a interest romp in the battle of wills.

[butafly 0]

I'm right there with you, I was banded 10/23 and was supposed to be on full liquids for 2 weeks but started the mushies on day 10, as I was starving and the liquids just seemed to be sliding down like nothing. Since I have started the mushies a little Protein and a little either mushy veggies or fruit, it is helping me.

I see the dr. on Friday for my post-op, nervouse to tell him I started the mushies early but almost fell better that I can tell him now that I feel fine eating food, but have little to no restriction.

Hope I don't have to wait too long for my first fill.:drool:

[Gaylancsu 28]

I'm on week 4 and the scale FINALLY started sliding back down.. a little. As you move through mushies and into thicker foods the better they stay in the pouch. I haven't even bothered with a shake in 2 weeks because i am finding ways to get my Protein in thicker foods ... the thicker the foods the longer I can stay full and that has been the challenge. Good ways to sneak Protein into foods that I have found:

Make cream of wheat or grits with skim milk instead of Water

GREEK YOGURT.. it's thicker and has WAY more protein and NO fat than regular yogurt (I make a tasty Breakfast blend of greek yogurt and cottage cheese with vanilla extract and stevia or splenda and sometimes I use that to fill a low carb/fat crepe)

I love hummus, so I have been making it at home with as little fat as possible and just eating it (you can add greek yogurt here too to smooth it out)

I was able to puree chicken when i went into mushy and did fine... add chicken broth to thin it out.

I also tried adding some mild salsa in the puree for a mexican flare and ate it with purreed rfefried Beans and a dallop of plain greek yogurt (tastes like sour cream)

I bought one of those Ninja food processor/blender things and it has been awesome. way better than my mini kitchen aid food processor to really puree things down.

I swear one of the best meals I had was one of my first mushy days where I pureed canned chicken with my mom's homemade broth, thinned down some mashed potatoes and pureed some string beans... tasted like Sunday dinner and gave me some of the variety I was craving

It takes a little creativity, but since I loved to cook before that's been fun for me to try and re-create "banded meals" ;o)

[Ryno 0]

I'm on week 4 and the scale

I bought one of those Ninja food processor/blender things and it has been awesome. way better than my mini kitchen aid food processor to really puree things down.

I just bought the Ninja myself. I haven't used it for anyhting yet, but I think tonight I am going to try to make some chicken salad with it... I need to look up the ingredients and see what I need to buy from the store I got the chicken already just need to get the rest.

I really need to start using it since I just got it last week.

[isaviolinist 11]

I kind of felt like you - sometimes I thought I was in "bandster-hell" but sometimes I wasn't sure. I got my fourth fill last week - however I have had strep throat since 3 days after the fill and so I haven't eaten any solid food really yet so I'm not sure if I have restriction.

I kind of feel like bandster hell is different for everyone. For a lot of people they gain weight. For some its just hunger. For some its frustration with being able to eat larger portions. And sometimes its a combination of a lot of things. I never really gained weight (except for the few weeks when my grandfather died - I gained back 5 pounds. But it wasn't because of bandster hell, it was because I was eating my feelings pretty much...and I was having a lot of feelings...), but sometimes I just felt frustrated that I could eat more than I should've been eating. I'm also still not entirely clear what bandster hell is/was supposed to feel like, but I think I've just concluded that it really is different for each person.

[JoJo1 0]

I am diabetic so I have to stay away from carbs. I found ways to do this during liquids. I got carb free Protein powders, I bought carb free Protein Drinks, etc. I think it is the key to the hunger issue. If you are overweight, and we all are, you have some degree of insulin resistance. If you eat carbs, it is much worse because your pancreas is struggling anyway and it will spit out more insulin that you need at times. This creates hunger. Try staying away from carbs, you will be much more satisfied.....

[MyBandJourney2009 0]

Hey Juliansmom,,, I was banded on Oct. 21st as well! I don't know what the bander hell is,,, if anything,,, it was the 2 weeks with liquids only before surgery,,, or on day 3 or 4 after surgery when you feel better and want to eat anything you can get your hands on but know you can't. So, I'm not sure what the hell part is,,, I hope that the wanting food that I'm feeling is my only hell during this, lol

[JoJo1 0]

"Bandster Hell" is the name given to the time after surgery and before a perfect fill level, (the sweet spot) where you are very hungry and want to eat your house.