Ok Im going to break it as gently to the new folks as I can. YOU ARE GOING TO BE HUNGRY. If you are never hungry you would be skinny. Just because you get banded does not in any way shape or form take away your hunger. Even after fills you will be hungry. Your stomach is still there and when its empty you are going to be hungry. Over and over I see this post and it is just plain and simple you are going to be hungry. Please make a note of it. People wonder why old bandsters stop posting or leave the site its because everyone keeps asking the same questions over and over again. Your going to have gas, pain, hunger, shoulder pain, a runny nose, hiccups, gas may never go away. It is a diet forever forever forever. You can not eat whatever you want and lose weight just like with every single diet we all tried before the band. Who knows when you will get restriction. You may never but measure your food and know its enough. You dont need a whole plate of food to satisfy hunger. Write down every single thing you eat all day and drink drink drink.

Well said, it's about time someone said something about all this negative talk. It's hard enough getting adjusted to living with your new band. And quite often the office staff at the surgeons office can't answer your questions quickly . You have to feel comfortable enough to ask questions without feeling like someone is gonna yell at you.

And I agree , the new search engine is not as user friendly as the previous one prior to the site getting updated.

Thank you all for responding and defending my point. i have never met FTF before but I know I battled enough odd feeling and heard and still hear every doom and gloom story there is about how evil the band is and I do not need her little miss cloudy outlook bringing me more down. I do not know her or what she does in the industry but i am glad she had nothing to do with me.

All it says in her profile is that she works in Oncology. That could be anything from sweeping floors to answering phones to who knows what. I pray she is not an oncology nurse.

I told her just recently on another thread that scolding people wasn't helpful. I see it didn't take.

:::waits for the flames to begin:::

I am totally with you on this. Could not have said it better.

Fluffy, I am by no means an expert, and while I'm still relatively new to all of this, my experience is different than yours:

I find if I eat properly, I'm not hungry for several hours at a time. My doctor tells me that's how it's supposed to work. I'm not hounded by unending hunger. And that's a pleasant feeling. Oh yeah, and I'm also actually losing weight, which is supposed to be the entire point. I may be newer at this, but for now, I'm very pleased with my progress.

I'm not at all bothered by the newbies asking the same questions over and over. How would they know their questions have been asked a zillion times? This site is very hard to navigate, and searching for a specific topic is quite difficult. So it's easier to just ask the question and hope for a reasonable reply. I've done that, and I'll wager so have you.

If I find a thread that asks the same questions I've asked as a newbie, and grown tired of answering as someone on the other side from surgery, I don't reply to the post. I know there are a number of newly-educated semi-newbies who are fresh from learning the answers who are itching to answer posts like that. Its something they CAN do for someone else, and it's empowering, because it validates that they themselves are learning enough to begin giving back. In the name of support for fellow bandsters who are following in their footsteps, it's a nice feeling to be able to think, "Oh I know the answer to that!" And they hit REPLY and offer advice and support to someone on the journey behind them. That's an excellent feeling.

Because this site is relatively anonymous, it's easy to pass judgment on others, and to criticize others for whom we have little or no respect. I try to not unduly judge anyone, as I try to respect everyone for their hard-fought opinions and experiences with this topic. But I also find it unconscionable to stand in total pronouncement of others, and declare something as being THE WAY THAT IT WILL BE. Nothing about banding is so cut and dried as that, and no such be-all and end-all is so widespread as to be the same for everyone. Yes, SOME people will be hungry. But many others will NOT be hungry. As we have read here many times, everyone has a separate journey, and what works for one may not work for all.

I had the typical aches and pains I expected to have after my surgery, but they went away within a few days. I also had a few speedbumps during my recovery, but I kept at it, and I was soon feeling quite good. Now, nearly five weeks after surgery, I'm feeling better than I have in years. I've lost 46 pounds as of this morning, and I'm celebrating both my scale and non-scale victories. I have the solid support of my family, friends, and coworkers, and I have to say, I'm delighted to hear the praises from others about how good I'm looking these days. I internally giggle like a kid when someone calls me "skinny." I'm far from that, but God love 'em for saying it.

My larger point in replying to your post is to suggest that maybe you should back up a step or two, and consider how blanket-pronouncement posts like yours aren't all that effective. At best, people are going to be unduly stressed out, expecting something that may never happen. And at worst, it paints you as an opinionated extremist who others won't take seriously. Neither is a good place to be.

You have solid experience with being banded, and as I recall, you work in the industry. So maybe the best approach is to offer your comments prefaced with a "in my experience" kind of thing. YOU may be hungry all the time, but there is no reason to expect everyone else will be, too. Just my feelings on the matter.

Wishing you a kind and successful New Year.

Dave

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Sorry I have to disagree with F2F.....i have ben banded about 8 months and I am almost never hungry....yes I have moments where I get those hubert feelings but I mostly have to remind myself to eat.....

As for the newbies repaying the same questions don't you remember being so new at this and scared and wondering what's going on...we as humans trend to think the worse in situations due to the horror stories floating around....let them ask.their questions...they have just as much as a right to ask their questions as you did...

I have found some of your posts to be a little "unkind" and I would never call you out on that do don't call out the new posters for tbeir honest questions......its not the over asked questions that herero me.away....i enjoy being sble to help others succeed...its the negative posters like you I get fed up with and keep me away.

I am sort of on the line here. The fact is that this is a support site and that new bandsters sign up each day to ask questions. Since all surgeons who perform the surgery aren't the same, it's safe to say that some of us were given more information than others; thus you'll find people asking the same things over and over. Yes it can be annoying and repetitive, but think back to when you were newly banded and the questions you had.

At the same time I do look at some of the posts and wonder just how much some people researched/were told about the band. But again, it's a support site and all of us come here for that and nothing more.

If you're tired of the mundane posts maybe stay away from this particular section of the site. Some of the other parts seem to be posts not geared towards the things you mentioned.

P.S. I'm rarely hungry and I eat what I want; it's all about moderation and calories in/out. I don't consider myself to be dieting. Eating normally and not binging on food every chance I get? Absolutely.

Dave,

I totally agree with you. Fluffy: if you don't like the newbies questions, then don't post a reply. And, even though I've only been banded since November, one thing I know is that everyone's experience is different.

Fluffy, this is not the first post you've put up indicating your dissatisfaction with the poster's content. The fact is: new people will continue to come this board and will continue to post questions that have been asked before, whether you like it or not. If we wanted to just look up an answer without chatting we could go to any informational site, not a forum. Who wants to look up old posts within lapbandTALK when we can have interaction with current people today? If it bothers you so much you should find a new forum and stop bashing the rest of us who are new in this journey.

I disagree. I'm not hungry personally, my stomach doesn't growl unless I go past meal times, or I eat something improper. I was never hungry before op either, I just ate for whatever reason, or because I liked food. YES it's very hard to resist food. That we need to learn. I think the problem with the board is everyone just giving opinions and their experiences, it's not the same for everyone and we aren't experts. I'm a month into this, I'm not sick, I haven't puked, I don't hurt at all, I'm not hungry. All the things I read that I should be. haha. People are scared they want answers. Yes, there is some stupidity, and some ridiculous questions like why can I eat 4 cups of food... but you know just ignore it or help them out. This particular "post op" forum for me, seems like newbies.. you aren't immediately post op if you had it years ago. These questions are what I expect to see here.

Everyone's experience is different.

I agree with sooooo many of the responses on here.

And by the way...while I am a "newbie", I did in fact do my research...for FIVE YEARS. I knew that there would be a period of "bandster hell". Some of us post on here to reach out to others that are maybe at the same point in the process and maybe going through some of the same things. I am hoping to meet new people...which might not work by doing a search for old posts.

I just want to say that we still need to be nice to people who are not nice to us. The best revenge is living well. I love when someone asks a question already asked because I can relate to them and maybe help them. I am not really hungry. I do eat more than I should but I am working on my issues with food. I know I need to work with my issues with alcohol, but hey I am 21 and want to have fun. I know that eventually I will lose my weight. Let's be nice, no matter how experienced we are. The world is tough on us as it is we need to support each other completely.

I would have to disagree with the hunger part...assuming your band is working properly. Oh sure, I do still get hungry about an hour before a meal but that's normal hunger. What I don't have anymore is the constant ravenous hunger that made me eat 24/7.

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Well done, Dave. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Thank you Dave!!!! Got it right in the ballpark!

I didn't expect all my hunger to disappear when I got my bNd. I expect my hunger to become manageable. That's exactly how it's been for me for the last 2 months. When I am hungry I eat, but I can eat something good for me like 2 slices of deli turkey or cheesestick and I feel satisfied. At meals I make my plate with my small portion and I eat it slowly, enjoying it and when the food is gone mealtime is over. I don't have any desire or need to overeat. I am also afraid of being sick or damaging my insides if I overeat. I am eating 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks daily. Without having a fill yet I am rigidly sticking to 1200 cals daily. I try to exercise of some type 30-45 min daily. I am losing 1-2 pounds weekly. That's what I expected from my lapband and I am very happy today. If this is as bad as it gets, I can do this for my lifetime easily.

I think "fluffytofabulous is now "misty5555555". LOL