Hello All, and Happy Friday!! I was banded last Tuesday the 12th. I had 1 week of thick Soups, pudding, etc....anything that you can pour. I did fine that first week, I didn't have any pain at all, and I was good with eating. I am now able to eat anything I want, but the Dr. told me to start with softer foods, egg salad etc...

Now, when I started to eat regular foods, my problem is that my brain is still not understanding that I can't eat all the foods that I want. I am having a really hard time with only putting a little bit of food on my plate. I think this is because I have been a BIG eater all my life. All of my plates have been filled to the brim with food. So now I am having problems with stopping myself from eating too much.

So, I guess I just need to know if anyone has had this problem too. That it takes a little while for your brain to follow your stomach. Because right now, I feel horrible. I feel horrible that I can't stop myself from eating too much. I feel horrible that I can't feel satisfied with 1/2 cup of food on the plate.

And this has already caused me to think that I have failed the band. That I am not working it like I should. :thumbup:

I know, it has been 10 days since the surgery, so I shouldn't be too hard on myself. But it is hard to sit here and wanting to slap myself silly because my stomach is too full and I should have stopped eating when I felt that it started to fill up....but instead I kept eating, thinking..."well, I hardly ate anything..."!!!! I feel so irritated with myself.

Okay, I will pull myself up and start again. I have lost 11 pounds so far, so I will just have to keep it fresh in my mind that I have to MEASURE!!! That seams to be the problem I have....I have to measure my food....THEN WALK AWAY from the kitchen!

Sorry for the long rant....just feeling scared and stupid for not listening to my body. But I will do everything I can to work this band! Did I tell you I lost 11 pounds!!! :w00t:

Your best bet is to get some really small plates and bowls. I ate out of 6 or 8 oz little bowls for a long time while in the adjustment phase you're in. If you've got someone in the house who can put the leftovers away instead of doing it yourself, I highly recommend having someone do it.

I know you're not supposed to drink anything for 30 minutes before and after a meal, but you may be able to take some very small sips of some warm chicken broth with your meal. I found the warmth flowing into the stomach below the pouch helped relieve that missing feeling of weight in your stomach. I think that feeling of weight after eating may be what you're missing the most on a psychological level. Eventually, you do get used to not having the weight of food in the lower stomach. Hang in there until you do.

Another thing that helped with the hunger was the addition of protien supplements to my meal plan. 20 grams of protiens twice a day between meals along with some really good Vitamins, extra Calcium and B-12 did help. I do notice a difference in my hunger levels when I stop taking them.

I was banded 8 days ago and have 2 weeks of the thick liquids and then i can go on to mushies. I know how you feel, now i feel normal I feel I can eat more than I actually can. Luckily I have a dog who is helping me out until I can adjust the portion sizes lol. Congratulations on losing 11 pounds, I have lost 5 pounds since my op.

Thank you Chuckie for your suggestion to sip on some broth...I think that might help me. And you are soooo right, I am missing that overly full and heavy feeling in my stomach. I know it will take time to change my way, and some smaller plates will help me I think.

I will look into the Protein supplement. Thank you for that!

Katiejane, congratulations to your band! I know what you mean, I feel fine now and "normal". I also have a dog, who is a professional beggar of foods...so perhaps I should let her have some....that might not be such a bad idea!

Good luck and have a wonderful weekend all!!

I use small bowls and plates- the 6 oz fiestaware fruit bowl and the salad plate. That way, I can have a "full" bowl or plate of food.

Everything you've experienced, I've experienced. It gets better and once you find the right amount of fill everything should be fine.

You'd know if you band has failed...You'd be throwing up and you'd be very very sick.

If you have too much fill you graze too much and end up eating more, and if you don't have enough you don't feel satisfied. So you may even have this problem after your first fill. Stick with it, I know exactly how you feel.

I'm on my 4th week (I think) and it got better and I got used to it more and more after I had food stuck...Getting food stuck is horrifying and once you experience that for the first time you'll never want to go through that again, so you'll pick your foods and portions a little better.

Hope this helps.

Since surgery I noticed how big my mugs were vs the coffee cups from my dish set. When I have soup I put it in the cup which is about 8 ounces. At that point of recovery I measured everything either using measuring cups or with a food scale. I would then put the food on a Salad/lunch plate. I always thought it was a crock but by putting your meal on a smaller plate it makes you "feel" like you are getting more food. I still don't have "perfect" restriction and I measure my food and when it's gone that's it. If you are'nt measuring you don't know whether you are getting to much. Even if you are earting a much smaller portion than before there is a good chance it is still to much.