almost 4 weeks post op, no fills yet... finishing up mushy foods and headed to "real" foods in the next couple of days...

for the past week or so I've been so hungry!!! My stomach growls all day and night. It's hard not to be food obsessed when you're gurgling and hungry all the time!!!! I know I've been eating too much but 1/2 c of food 3x daily isn't cutting it! I've been eating 1/2 c of food about 5 times daily... and I'm still hungry...

Here's my plan for today... similar to the past few days...

5am- Protein shake

7am- 1/2 packet of low sugar oatmeal

11am - 1/2 c cottage cheese with peaches (light syrup)

6pm - 1/2 very bland homemade turkey chili

9pm - lowfat cheesestick

But I could seriously eat twice this. The only thing that hasn't gone right through the band was refried Beans and scrambled eggs... not together... and after 2 small bites those foods had me stuck and in pain.

So... this constant hunger is from no restriction and what is known as "bandster hell"?? After a fill it should be better? Because the thought of living life feeling this hungry all of the time is exhausting! I'm thinking about food more now than before!!! :thumbup:

Please tell me it gets better!!!! Need some encouragement that I'm not going to feel this miserable forever!

YES! You are in bandster hell. And it will get better-- but unfortunately it may take several fills. Getting back to real food will help.

I don't understand the three 1/2 c servings of food a day, though. Did your doctor tell you that? My doctor thinks that's crazy. Who can live on that amount of food? My guide, according to my doc, is a small salad-sized plate, filled with lean Protein, veggies and whole grain starch. (And the plate that he uses as a demo is from Allergen, who makes the lap-band), so it seems to me that that's the intention with the band.

I'd ask your doc why 1/2 c of food (and I've heard other say this on this site), but honestly, it seems ridiculous to me. I've had good weight loss without eating such tiny amounts of food.

But it WILL get better!!

They gave me a very detailed packet listing the foods I should be eating and amounts... 1/2 c of food 3x daily on mushy foods... then it's 1c of food 3x daily once it's real foods... they also said if I'm hungry between meals I can do 6 meals a day of 1/4 c (on mushy) or 6 meals of 1/2 cup on real food but they would prefer 3 meals a day... I would tend to agree that 1 1/2 cups of food total per day isn't much! I understand the eventual goal of 3 healthy meals a day and with ideal restriction that being ok. I also have a strange schedule and wake early and work until noon or 1pm... then I sleep for 3-4 hours in the afternoon... so dealing with the spilt up sleeping schedule and fitting the right meals in isn't always easy. I'm hungry at different times than the rest of the house...

I'm barely 4 weeks in so I know I've got a way to go... and will keep up the faith until I've had my first couple of fills... I know it will get better! Damnit, it better get better!!! lol

Glad this ridiculous hunger isn't just me!

JINGLEBOOK.

The first 4 weeks are the HARDEST at least for me it was. The best thing to do is to find things to occupy your time so your not feeling so hungry all the time. Most of the time its just your brain playing mind games. If you really are hungry then maybe you should ask your doctor about what can be a great snack. Different doctors have different opinions. I used to eat alot of Jello.

HANG IN THERE!!!

i am, three weeks in and going through the same thing. i feel completely healed, my first fill isn't for six weeks and i feel no restriction whatsoever. i was doing great pre-surgery, losing 56 lbs. in about 14 weeks and have now lost 18 lbs. since surgery. the difference for me has been i was enjoying it pre-surgery now i am miserable. i have been exceeding their calorie recommendations because i really couldn't meet them and now went to "phase 4" a week early to see if it could help me to stabilize my situation. i really want to be on a program that works for me from day to day. in business we always called that "setting ourselves up for success". my perception is that they run the exact same program for bypass and lapband recipients and clearly this program is designed for bypass patients. why not let me stay at a higher calorie goal until my surgery is actually providing restriction? i undrstand that my activity level is down as i recover but frankly i would happily sacrifice losing a few lbs. right now in exchange for not being so insanely hungry all the time. i've got 48 lbs. to goal and don't feel like it is imperative that i get it done yesterday. i know it will be a lot easier after i've had a couple of fills so why struggle so much now?

My surgeon said I should be getting 60 grams of protein per day and that I may need to have snacks between meals during the healing phase (for physical hunger not head hunger). I wonder if you are not getting enough protein. I bought some unflavored protein that I could add to foods if I felt like I needed it. I really enjoy chobani greek yogurt which is high in protein and non fat.

i for one have been doing fine on getting my 60 grams of protein per day. its the calories that have been my problem.

Not eating anything between 11am and 6pm seems a bit drastic

Not eating anything between 11am and 6pm seems a bit drastic

agreed. one of my biggest challenges with my calorie goals has been that it really doesn't leave much room for Snacks. sugar-free Jello only fills you up for about five minutes. on my pre-surgery program regular healthy snacking was key to my success.

jingle- I'm glad the 1/2 c is only until real foods! Phew. That'll make a huge difference.

I'd ask doc if it's ok to throw in a couple more Protein shakes a day (I made mine really thick by blending up frozen strawberries, carnation instant Breakfast (SF) with vanilla greek yogurt and enough skim milk to make it blend). Very filling.

Bry, you picked up on what I picked up on.

Jingle, if you are ok between 11am and 6pm, is it because you are busy? or are you just not able to eat then? 7am to 9pm is a long day foodwise. Not being much of a foodie in the am, I just make do with a cup of coffee until 10 ish. Then I have a Protein shake I bring with me (have a BPA free bottle with a freezer stick) and then around 2pm I try to have lunch, work permitting. Then I can get to 6 or 7pm for dinner.... with maybe some edema-me or some other high protein snack around 10pm, even another shake.

Some days are hungrier than others, but those days are head hunger for me, growling stomach and all. All I have to do is think of food and my stomach growls.

If refried Beans and eggs are getting you stuck and you haven't had a fill yet, it's possible those are foods you won't be able to eat....

Hope all is better soon for you....

Hi guys... my eating schedule is not "normal", nor is my work/sleep schedule! I work early morning and am home by noon or 1... then I sleep from about 1 or 2 until 5 or 6 at night... Then sleep at night from about 11:30- 4am...

I start work at 5am and I'm lucky to get 5 minutes to eat before 11am. I drink my Protein shake on the way to work (which is a no-no, but the only time I can get that in... I have a 45 minute drive so it's grosss when I get to work and nothing I keep in the fridge at work stays mine so I can't leave milk and ice here...I have a yogurt or oatmeal at my workstation around 6 or 7am... so when 11 hits I heat up my lunch

I'm not hungry at all and often get sick if I eat too soon after I wake up. I can tolerate a Protein Shake when I wake and do. I'm currently getting in 60-70 grams of protein a day. Love the greek honey yogurt...

So eating before 6am isn't an option, and eating anything substantial before 11am doesn't happen on weekdays. Lunch at 11. I try not to eat right before I go to bed at 1pm, then need to wait about an hour after I wake up to eat which puts me at dinner around 6 or 7pm. To have a life at home I have to have this split sleep schedule, otherwise I'd be in bed at 8pm and wouldn't have more than an hour a day with my love or the kids. So fitting the food into the few hours a day I can isn't always easy.

Love the greek honey yogurt...

be careful of the honey yogurts...they contain alot of sugar and are mostly highly caloric.

almost 4 weeks post op, no fills yet... finishing up mushy foods and headed to "real" foods in the next couple of days...

for the past week or so I've been so hungry!!! My stomach growls all day and night. It's hard not to be food obsessed when you're gurgling and hungry all the time!!!! I know I've been eating too much but 1/2 c of food 3x daily isn't cutting it! I've been eating 1/2 c of food about 5 times daily... and I'm still hungry...

Here's my plan for today... similar to the past few days...

5am- Protein shake

7am- 1/2 packet of low sugar oatmeal

11am - 1/2 c cottage cheese with peaches (light syrup)

6pm - 1/2 very bland homemade turkey chili

9pm - lowfat cheesestick

But I could seriously eat twice this. The only thing that hasn't gone right through the band was refried Beans and scrambled eggs... not together... and after 2 small bites those foods had me stuck and in pain.

So... this constant hunger is from no restriction and what is known as "bandster hell"?? After a fill it should be better? Because the thought of living life feeling this hungry all of the time is exhausting! I'm thinking about food more now than before!!! :blushing:

Please tell me it gets better!!!! Need some encouragement that I'm not going to feel this miserable forever!

Jingleboob, We are almost at same surgery time.

My dr said low fat cheese sticks in between are a great source of protein and keep you more "full" ive been doing this.

~jennifer