Sept 20th I had a fill, I was very tight at first, but it did losen up...So, I did great for the first several weeks, never snacking only very small portions for my meals, now, it feels like I am starving all the time?!?! But I have really good restriction when I eat (I get the tight feeling in my chest if I eat to fast or swallow when it isn't completely chewed up) I have lost over 100 pounds but I have 50 I was to lose still and it's holding on for dear life! Any suggestions on what to try? I am open for anything cause I have never been like this since having the band. When I was hungry and snacking before it was because I needed a fill, but now, I don't know if I should get another one since I "feel" like I have good restriction. but not sure what to think about the being hungry. Thanks and I hope to hear your suggestions:)

Sounds like the problem is eating too fast, or not chewing enough. This does not neccessarily imply restriction. I would talk to your doc. In the mean time try to slow down and chew well.

Make sure you are eating good solid protein - they say that if you are drinking your protein or eating things that will move thru too quickly that you will get hungry quickly afterwards...if you are still having problems being hungry then it sounds like you would need a tiny fill. I would talk to your doctor - or their nurse!

maybe get a fill, even if you feel it is Ok, you can always go back to the level you are at now, and I'd also add more protein too.

I'm only post-op 1 wk, but I wanted to say a few things my dr told me before I was discharged at the hospital. He said that lots of people believe you have to chew your food to mush. In his opinion, that defeats the band. He said to chew well, but not till you have made a slider food in your mouth cuz that will just slide right thru and won't serve its purpose. He said to eat high quality, substantial Proteins (ie: meats, hard cheeses, seafood). By doing this he told me that the food I eat will stay in the pouch longer, thus triggering the nerves and release the hormones and such that will control hunger and satiety for some hours. Makes sense to me. I know we have to do small bites (he told me cut everything into a pencil eraser size) and chew well, I just wonder if some are not chewing "into a slider food" hence they have more trouble controlling hunger?

Sorry for double post

Calico your response makes sense to me. I am one month post op and get full quickly but am starting to get hungry sooner even after one fill already. However, I am still eating oatmeal, yogurt, scrambled eggs, etc. The times that I have eaten more substantial food, like beef tips, lobster tail and turkey today, I definitely stayed full much longer. I was thinking that I had to chew everything till it basically dissolved in my mouth, but your doctor is correct, it would then just slide right through. I am going to try to be more aware of this fact. Thanks for a different insight. Good luck with your progress.

Next12bbanded,

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you right now. I'm trying to figure out what has changed with me. My loss has slowed dramatically, but I work out a lot, etc.

I e-mailed my Dr, and he said I probably need a slight fill. I'm still a bit hesitant, because I don't want to be too tight. I live a few hours away from my Doc, so I'm going to wait 2 weeks til my next scheduled appt, and decide on the fill then.

I also noticed with myself, that some of my habits have changed, which may have resulted in some of my snacking. One is the way/time I eat and drink. I used to make myself drink a lot of herbal tea or Water in the morning, then eat Breakfast an hour or so later. I'd try to space out my meals-- lately I've been more relaxed on that routine. Also, I used to try to read, walk, or keep myself busy for a bit if I wanted a snack, then if I still craved it half an hour later (ant it wasn't close enough to a meal time) I'd go ahead and have a healthy, somewhat small snack. I used to have half a peeled apple (I can't tolerate the peel w/my band), and a small triangle of laughing cow cheese. Lately I've been snacking on foods I used to consider "forbidden" most of the time-- like chips, or sometimes chocolate.

I don't know if this is the case with you or not, but for me I'm trying to really get to the root of it for myself. I hope I have the determination/motivation to keep going and stay on the right path. I have 30 more lbs to lose, which used to seem like a small amount, but lately it feels HUGE!!!

Hope we can both reach our goals soon!!! The holidays don't help But I guess we have to learn to live our life healthier-- holidays and all

If you're hungry, you don't have restriction. If you're taking small bites, chewing well (not to mush) and waiting between bites and getting stuck, you're most likely too full. Been there...done that...finally figured out where I went wrong after a year of playing with this band, trying to figure out how to make it work.

The bands primary purpose is not to physically restrict how much you can eat. Its purpose is to put pressure on the vagus nerves which run into your stomach, causing them to suppress the production of ghrelin...the hormone that makes you want to eat...which in turn supresses your appetite. Some people get enough pressure just with the band and never need fills. Other people almost max out their bands before they reach that point....and yes, there are some people who max out their bands and still don't have enough pressure on the vagus nerves to stop the production of ghrelin.

So where does that leave someone who's getting stuck (despite following the rules) but still hungry? Well, it may be that the band failed you because it is not putting enough pressure on the vagus nerves without also making it impossible for you to eat. The options at that point are to do a vertical sleeve revision...or gastric bypass. Both of which have their own issues but if the band really failed you, may be your only options for losing weight.

Before you do that, I'd recommend taking a long hard look at your hungry. If you haven't been keeping a food journal, I highly recommend it. It is what helped me to zero in on my 'hunger' and realize it wasn't head hunger but rather hunger related to blood sugar spikes/crashes.

Anyway...my .02 and just food for thought.

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I'm only post-op 1 wk, but I wanted to say a few things my dr told me before I was discharged at the hospital. He said that lots of people believe you have to chew your food to mush. In his opinion, that defeats the band. He said to chew well, but not till you have made a slider food in your mouth cuz that will just slide right thru and won't serve its purpose. He said to eat high quality, substantial Proteins (ie: meats, hard cheeses, seafood). By doing this he told me that the food I eat will stay in the pouch longer, thus triggering the nerves and release the hormones and such that will control hunger and satiety for some hours. Makes sense to me. I know we have to do small bites (he told me cut everything into a pencil eraser size) and chew well, I just wonder if some are not chewing "into a slider food" hence they have more trouble controlling hunger?

Thanks for this post. Seems as if there's a fine line between eating something substantial yet not too substantial that we get blockage. Your doctor does make sense... I found that during my pre-op diet..after the 4th day on high quality Protein shakes, i wasn't hungry much. So it seems that high quality protein and just high quality and nutrient dense foods in general will make us successful all around.