New to posting, been lingering around reading for months, I know what I'm about to say has been asked 100 times before but here it is anyway.

I had surgery May 31. My starting weight was 352, after pre-op I dropped to 335. I'm now hovering around 325-329 which I guess is good but I am ALWAYS hungry and i can eat large amounts. My post op diet was a disaster, I jumped into mushy food by the end of week one beginning of week 2. Since late part of my second week I went to mushy food to soft food to pretty much anything I could eat and continued through that week and into week 3 and 4. I'm 1 month post op and I'm back into that bad routine of fighting off bad foods (Chips, candy, burgers and fried anything) and to be honest I'm failing a few times and I feel helpless!

Should I have some sort of restriction? heck the other night I was so hungry I ate a double meat cheese burger for gods sake. I've talked to a few others from my area that have had this problem but my concern is should I be able to eat that much?

Right after surgery I could barely eat a thing, did I stretch my stomach out or did the healing process take over and now I just basically have a wide open band? My doctor asked how I was doing the day before I returned to work and at the time I was still eating small amounts and soft foods and getting full fast and he said "don't worry that wont last". So is this normal? do I just need to schedule a fill ASAP? Just concerned that I should be losing weight by now and not Yo-Yo'ing already.

To make matters worse I am currently working graveyard shifts from 5:30 pm to 5:30 am (on second week in a row with one more to go:mad2:) it really kills my attempt to diet or exercise and that dang snack monster shows his ugly head 2 or 3 times a night! On top of everything else my wife and I are fighting off a bad run of buying to much to fast while i was off after the surgery so i am also super stressed out and eating to compensate......any advice is appreciated.

You definitely need a fill, you are in Bandster Hell. It's tough, but you'll get through it.

Try to focus on low carb and high protien and that will help alot with the cravings and your weight.

Plan some healthy Snacks that will allow you to munch without ruining your weight loss efforts.

For me, calorie counting is very sobering if you are eating too much. Not a long-term fix because it's too much trouble, but if you count your calories for a few days, it'll help give you pause the next time you reach for the double cheeseburger.

Call your doctor and schedule a fill ASAP. Keep us posted and good luck to you!

Let's face it, we have all been used to loosing weight quckly when we went on diets in the past and I think us newbies are expecting the same. I was banded on April 1 and have only lost 25 lbs, most of which I lost on the pre-op diet with protein shakes. I had 2 fills since then and was still able to eat just about everything (but would stop eating before I was full). Five days ago, I went in for a third fill, which my surgeon agreed to add a little bit more as she saw that I was getting frustrated at the slow weight loss. What a difference did that make! I can barely drink a 8 oz shake and it takes at least 30 minutes. I eat one egg and Iam full. I won't kid you, there is a bit of discomfort when I eat now and I realize that it make be too tight but I want to keep it that way for at least another week so that I can jumpstart the weight loss (then I will have them take a tiny amout out). Keep the faith - visit your surgeon for a fill. You will see a difference in your eating habits.

thank you both for the reply, i know someone posts this same problem every day i was just worried that i have ruined my band already. Today will be the start of high protien low carb. Started off with some great baked tilapia and veg and water. Calling tomorrow to schedule a fill hopefully early next week. Thanks again folks!

How fast did you eat the dbl. cheeseburger?? Just wondering if you've slowed down in your eating--for me that's the hardest part of this whole thing. If you eat slow and chew--like we've been told, you will find that you eat less. Are you really hungry? I find myself in the kitchen many times during the day, I want to eat because I've been in that habit but I'm not "starving". Dealing with the head hunger is difficult as well.

I agree with the other person who suggested counting calories for a few days, count your Protein as well--maybe you're not getting enough and that's making you hungry as well.

Do your best, that's all you can really ask of yourself, I've found that that's usually enough. Hang in there.

I'm in the same place. I'm about 2.5 weeks post op and tonight for the first time, I had angel hair Pasta w/sauteed mushrooms & artichoke hearts. Went down just fine. I also work 12 hour graveyard shifts (7pm-7am) and it DOES make it hard. My first fill isn't until July 14th. AGHHH! I can eat quite a bit too but I'm also afraid. Hope I haven't screwed anything up.

Hang in there, we'll get there. My doc gave me a cool analogy. He said, "it's like driving a car, and now you're only in first gear". So, I figure we'll get going. These are some powerful, deep cravings that you don't just turn off overnight. Patience, Smatience. . . :tt1:

I totally agree with all that has been said. I started at 322 and now I'm down to about 220 but it's been difficult getting my head right. I have always been a compulsive eater like I was possessed or something just shoveling in the food to numb out. This was not about not knowing about calories or nutrition, this was something else. I now have good restriction so it's much easier but I found myself wanting to eat like a half gallon of ice cream which goes right thru. Obviously I have to do something to fix my thinking. I've posted this before, but I have lost my weight 3 or 4 times before to be just as miserable when I got down to a normal weight. I have recently read Women, Food & God and it talks about all of this and has been very helpful. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in your fears. Hang in there, it will get better.

I think the key is to eat slowly even when it is the wrong stuff. I know how hard shift work can be on he diet. Usually you are so exhausted and miserable you "reward" yourself with takeaway. Can you possibly get a job with better hours?

@Rocketray, i ate at a slow pace, no shoveling in, lol. I actually took around 1/2 hour or so to do it, i just never got full.

@SunD1 This is a hard spot to be in, some people dont understand that when you work nights and everyone is asleep its a different world. On bad nights your non-stop picking up the slack from the day guys and go home exhausted and lazy and grab what you can before you try to get a few hours of sleep before the world wakes you up, and on good work nights its slow....a little to slow and you have to fight off that snacking temptation with a stick! We will make it through it though thank God. We just need to have a few fills and more practice and time!

@KarenKeeline - thank you very much for your support! I do love this forum. Congrats on your success, I hope to be there soon!

@ozgirl, yes i could find a job with better hours, just not better pay. Luckily i'm in a rotationg shift and working this graveyard's isnt always a back to back to back type of situation. See i work at the now media and president induced hated company BP. We're doing what we can to fix everything but more and more keeps piling up. On top of that i work in Texas City on the Gulf of Mexico so our site is taking a little beating here but i'm sure our area will survive with lessons learned. That being said we are in hurricane season and we have a few little turnarounds going on so hours get a little crazy, but the pay sure makes up for it.

I have been winning my war on snacking, and i wait until my body tells me to eat, once my stomach starts growling a me i grab whatever i brought in, problem is without a fill i'm hungry every 1-2 hours depending on what i ate. I know i should be full longer but its not happening! Oh well a few more days and i go in for fill # 1, God i hope it gives me some sort of restriction but i'm prepared to deal if it doesnt :thumbup:

oh well thanks again guys!

not trying to scare you but give you a reality check:

It may take a LONG TIME to get to restriction.

I was banded 6 months ago, I have had 6 fills, I am at 7.75cc and I am *just* now starting to feel *some* restriction.

<sigh>

This is what I have had to do to keep from jumping over the edge into carb heaven.

I plan what I am going to eat for the day.

I portion out all my food into 1/2 cup containers.

I try to go the full 4 hours in between meals ( starving) and if I must eat before hand I eat a few bites of my next meal.

If I am going to snack, it is on protein-- like a peice of cheese or scoop of hummus.

In the end, I am getting the right amount of food for the day but I am eating 5-6x a day verses the preferred 3 meals.

It's hard....the head hunger is the worst. But I gotta keep ME under control because I didn't spend all this money to stay the way I was.

If I get a really bad craving---I go exercise. Even if it's 10pm at night.

Good Luck!

OMG, I have been reading that book and I LOVE IT!! Its like having a counselor for overeating, when im having a hard time I just sit down and read. The book is so powerful and really helps you understand that overeating is not due to hunger but other issues. I love it, its great glad to hear you read it! Good luck.

I am having surgery on July 17, super nervous im gonna eat bad and ruin everything. I start pre-op diet tmrw.

I am almost a year out, have had several fills and have lost a total of 10 lbs! and that only in the past couple of months. My dr. told me to see if I have any restriction, I could eat 1/4 cup of food every 15 minutes (protein, veggies) until satisfied. I ate for 2 hours and 15 minutes and 2 and 1/4 cups of food!!!! I was not so much satisfied but mostly tired of eating. Needless to say I was still not close to restriction. Today I think I am. Although I still eat more than 1/2 cup at a time. However if I eat protein, veggies and fruit, I will fill up more quickly and stay satisfied for 3-4 hours. I am still a work in progress after a year. Be patient and do the best you can do for today and trust (as I am) that this will work. ((((((((((((((caring))))))))))))) Dyanna