Bandster Hell for the April Bunnies

[IAmJacksLapBand 5]

I am day 8 post-op. Today I realized the restriction is gone. I feel like I can eat or drink and will not be full. I still have 5 weeks before the first adustment.

I am doing well though. I had too much Soup at lunch and just stopped and threw it in the trash so I would not be tempted to eat more. I saw the container that I had put down and realized it was double what I had been consuming.

Any other April Bandsters already moving into this phase? If so, how are you combatting the urges?

[beachcitygirl 5]

Hey, I am 6 days post op. I am so hungry all the time. It is not just "head hunger" I can hear my stomach growling. I wish I had words of advice, but I am not handling it all that great. Just wanted you to know your not alone. Hopefully someone will post some good advice for both of us,

[JMBracker 1]

I am right along with the both of you. I am 9 days post op and i feel very hungry at times...i dont know about you guys but im supposed to be on liquids only for another 5 days!!! Thank God i got the ok from my doc yesterday to start puree's...hopefully this will help! You are not alone! i also try and make my own smoothies with fruit and sherbert it helps some of the time.

[ap44 0]

My surgery was 2 weeks ago. I started on mushies two days ago. I actually think mushies is harder than the liquids, as I can only have 1/2 cup at a time instead of a full cup of the liquids. I have hunger and my stomach growls, too. I think drinking a ton of Water has helped, and making sure you get your Protein. I like Muscle Milk Light and the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Proteins (they have an unflavored one). So, even though I'm on mushies I've been using Protein in them and it has helped a lot.

We'll all get there and just have to rely on one another. I'm a month out from my first fill as well. But, just think...if we can get through this what we what we can do with some restriction!

[marsmom 2]

I have 2 weeks until my first fill and I am starving. I hope when my first fill happens, it will be better. Keep up the good work everyone.

[mousek 4]

Teburgess, check into this site often - sometimes just talking to other people who have had the procedure can get your mind off things. Good luck and don't give up.

[IAmJacksLapBand 5]

I am right along with the both of you. I am 9 days post op and i feel very hungry at times...i dont know about you guys but im supposed to be on liquids only for another 5 days!!! Thank God i got the ok from my doc yesterday to start puree's...hopefully this will help! You are not alone! i also try and make my own smoothies with fruit and sherbert it helps some of the time.

JM,

Congrats on the initial loss since surgery. Those are impressive numbers.

I just feel like everything is going right through the band. My stomach growls alot. I am going to move to mushies a little early to try and get some of the food to stay above the band to keep me fuller longer.

My nutritionist said I would never be able to finish a large drink again. I was able to drink 32 oz of unsweetened tea tonight! It just went right through the band.

[JMBracker 1]

JM,

Congrats on the initial loss since surgery. Those are impressive numbers.

I just feel like everything is going right through the band. My stomach growls alot. I am going to move to mushies a little early to try and get some of the food to stay above the band to keep me fuller longer.

My nutritionist said I would never be able to finish a large drink again. I was able to drink 32 oz of unsweetened tea tonight! It just went right through the band.

Thanks! i've lost 17 pounds in a week and a half, but i think im starting to level off and slow down...i started my mushies this morning with a scrambled egg and it went down well and kept me full so hopefully now things will get better!

[lauragshsu 6]

I talked to my nutritionist and she said that during the full liquid (maybe y'all call it mushies, not sure) phase the two weeks post op, don't try and stick to just 3 meals, as you're not getting a whole lot of protein/hearty foods. Don't know if that helps!

[IAmJacksLapBand 5]

I bought NutriSystem before my surgery. I've had the oatmeal and some of their chewy Desserts. This morning the egg fritata was my Breakfast. All tasted excellent and are perfectly sized for bandsters with great Protein, carb, and calorie content. The egg was really filling. About a 2 oz serving and it has cured my hunger at only 120 calories/12 g Protein.

As I move towards a regular diet I cannot wait to incorporate some more of the nutrisystem menu into my daily diet. Eating 3 nutrisystem meals a day with 1-2 nutrisystem Snacks is between 800-1000 calories, exactly what the dietician said my new life would be like.

[marykb 0]

I have 2 weeks until my first fill and I am starving. I hope when my first fill happens, it will be better. Keep up the good work everyone.

I have my first fill in 10 days. I don't get hungry between meals that often, but when I do, I'm STARVING! My Dr said I can have 8 oz of a Protein powder mixed with skim milk. Otherwise, only 2 oz of food 3x per day. I'm at the point where I can eat almost anything, but I'm still sticking with mostly Protein. I've found that, for me, if I eat something low in protein, I get hungrier faster.

I'm really hoping that after a fill I won't have the days where I'm so hungry!

Mary

[hpygirl30 0]

Hello all!

I was banded on April 23rd and have had a hard time the last few weeks. At first I was so hungry but it didn't matter because physically I couldn't eat to much. They left 4cc's of Fluid in my band and that plus the swelling was to much for my body. I was in a lot of pain by end of week 1. I am now in week 3 and as of yesterday all of the Fluid is out of my band so no restriction at all. It seems to have helped me a lot. Even though I get full on about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of broth or mushies I have found I have to slow down my eating even though I thought I was eating slow. Plus, drinking a lot of Water via small sips. My DR said to keep a bottle with me at all times and just sip on it. I found the Special K Protein Water which isn't to bad and is thin enough. I think it's Fiber and Protein are helping me between the meals. I was also doing Protein shakes but even those I had a hard time with. I could drink them but then had a lot of pain afterwards.

I know we will get through this together and I have a feeling I am now going to be entering bandster hell.

[rebmommj 0]

Been rough here, too....definitely in the Bandster Hell phase now! :crying:

Had to only do 3 days Clear liquids, then 2 more days liquids not clear. I had hubby pick me up some broth type Soups from restaurants & strained out the chunky parts...and that was a real treat for me. I drink alot Crystal Light & SoBe Lifewater, 3 20 oz. bottles a day. I also LUV Jello sugar-free rice pudding Creme Brulee...put crushed almonds on the top & that's my sweet thing when I need a treat. I'm insulin dependent Diabetic so have to watch the sugars very closely. I drink 1 or 2 Protein shakes a day & 3 small meals.

Saw surgeon today (3 weeks post-op) but no fill! Kinda disappointed since my hunger came back with a venegance last Thursday! I thought I had restriction w/o any saline in my band...but apparently that feeling was just from the internal swelling. I still eat alot less than I did pre-band...but weight loss has slowed down alot. I can begin exercising now so that should help. Note: I can only do Water aerobics due to nerve damage in both feet. Not released to get back into Water until today. Looking forward to June 8th...and my 1st fill!!! NP told me to keep calories below 1200 daily (figure mine's been closer to 850-1000), no more than 35 grams Carbs, and take in minimum of 70 grams Proteins a day...and I'd be fine! Let's hope! We just gotta hang tough...and this too shall pass!!!

Saw my

[Keenkamsmom 0]

I'm right there with you all. I do ok during the day, but it seems like I get more hungry when I get home after work. I have been drinking a lot of crystal light and doing the Protein Shakes in between the mushy meals. I'm not sure when I'm going to get a fill as my 2 wk follow up has been pushed back because my surgeon is out on vacation the whole month of May and the PA student I was supposed to see had an emergency and had to reschedule.

[baptistthom 3]

So glad I found your thread I was beginning to think my band was a failure! I am two weeks post op and am starving. I am on mushies but 1/2 cup of watery oatmeal is not even touching my hunger. You can hear my stomach growling from across the room. I seem to do ok at work but the evening time is the worse. I am trying to work out later to avoid these evening munchies. I could really go for pizza but am scared of nurse in the doctor's office. She watches that scale like a hawk