Hello,

I am not banded..yet. I have my letter from PCP and application completed. After looking at the letter from my PCP, she states in 1987 I weighed 178 (i am female and 5'11" and 45 years old). Through the years have struggled, back pain, knees, feet etc. The letter was dated last week and my weight isnow 300. I have gone through all the options, WW/Jenny/Atkins/weight doctor pills/ on and on. After all of these years of dieting, outside of the surgery nerves - my biggest concern is....hunger. I am so tired of being hungry. I am willing to work hard, I just need to know - please tell me after the band is added to your body, your hunger deminishes. I do not want to be light headed from not eating enough - no more.

I know there are almost 600 pages of posts here, I have spent many hours looking - would so appreciate hearing from you, those who have real experience. My blood sugar is near diabetic level, plantar flatiatious, and just this week spent 8 hours between ER and drive home as my low back went out to hear the nurse say "well you know the weight is not helping"....

PLEASE, share honestly how the hunger has gone for you.

Thanks so much.

After being banded 3.5 years ago my struggles with hunger were pretty much over. I will say honestly that the first few weeks after the inital surgery when you are restricted to liquids and later mushy/soft foods you will be hungry. Probably right up until the first fill. (At least that was my experience and everyone is different) I eat three meals a day and hardly (if ever) snack, my hunger is controlled mainly by the food choices I make. Eating a good meal with alot of protein does the trick for me, I am currently going 4-6 hours between meals. On days when I exercise heavily I tend to be a little more hungry than others and usually have a few extra bites of protein to avoid becoming light-headed. Hope you find this helpful! Good luck on your journey!

I am almost 12 weeks post-op and I still haven't had any hunger since the surgery. My surgeon said this is uncommon, usually people regain their hunger about 3 weeks post-op when the swelling goes down. I don't know why it's different for me, but I love it. Good luck on your journey

I am almost 12 weeks post-op and I still haven't had any hunger since the surgery. My surgeon said this is uncommon, usually people regain their hunger about 3 weeks post-op when the swelling goes down. I don't know why it's different for me, but I love it. Good luck on your journey

My hunger kicked in 3-4 weeks after surgery and I was starving! I called the dr's office and asked the nurse if I was supposed to be hungry enough to eat the legs off of the table! LOL...she said yes because the swelling had gone down. How awesome for you to not be hungry that far post-op! I bet it feels good to be winning the war with hunger!

Hello,

I am not banded..yet. I have my letter from PCP and application completed. After looking at the letter from my PCP, she states in 1987 I weighed 178 (i am female and 5'11" and 45 years old). Through the years have struggled, back pain, knees, feet etc. The letter was dated last week and my weight isnow 300. I have gone through all the options, WW/Jenny/Atkins/weight doctor pills/ on and on. After all of these years of dieting, outside of the surgery nerves - my biggest concern is....hunger. I am so tired of being hungry. I am willing to work hard, I just need to know - please tell me after the band is added to your body, your hunger deminishes. I do not want to be light headed from not eating enough - no more.

I know there are almost 600 pages of posts here, I have spent many hours looking - would so appreciate hearing from you, those who have real experience. My blood sugar is near diabetic level, plantar flatiatious, and just this week spent 8 hours between ER and drive home as my low back went out to hear the nurse say "well you know the weight is not helping"....

PLEASE, share honestly how the hunger has gone for you.

Thanks so much.

Whether or not the band provides you with satiety and reduces hunger will depend on whether the band works for you. You should discuss the possibility that it might not with your surgeon. If it does, as it does for most on LBT, then you should be able to be satisfied for several hours from small amounts of healthy foods. Some healthy foods you might not be able to eat - and you will find out through trial and error, although there seems to be certain ones that give the most trouble.

I have chronic back pain, too - I have degenerative joint disease, bulging discs, a herniated disc, scoliosis, lumbar scoliosis and mild spinal stenosis. And I've had these problems for the last 30 years. I will say that my weight loss has improved them somewhat and hopefully your back, knee and foot problems will improve, too.

Most of my weight loss (about 75 lbs) came from my own dieting, my 6 month pre-op diet, my 2 week pre-op liquid only diet and 2 week post op liquid diet and then only 15 pounds from the band. I have a 4cc band and at no fill level from zero to 3cc's did it ever curb my appetite, or hunger, or provide me with satiety. All the 3cc's did was cause pain, reflux, heartburn and problems. I now have a total unfill and that is where I am staying. I am hungry a lot, but I was hungry a lot at 3cc's. The only difference? I don't get stuck now.

I've always had a huge appetite and am a volume eater. I am not a junk or sweet eater - just give me enough food to feel satisfied. I am 5'5" and when I ate as much as I wanted when I wanted then stopped and didn't think about food until I was hungry again - I weighed 122 lbs. When I started putting on a few pounds and started dieting, I gained over 120 lbs.

So, the band hasn't worked for me like it works for others, but I hope it works for you. There are no guarantees, however. You should know that going in.

From my personal experience:

Background:

Female; 5'11; start weight @ 349

Banded on 5/19/10

Current weight: 204

1st off I'm a food addict (recovering). I'm talking about constantly thinking about binge eating and always hungry.

The band pretty much took away the physical hunger which encouraged my addiction.

It doesn't "cure" head hunger or our behaviors, but it allows us to modify them considerably.

I'm not hungry until it's been 5 hours since my previous meal and then my stomach will start to growl or sometimes I get edgy from being hungry (don't recommend waiting that long between meals). I usually plan 3 small, protien packed meals a day in which I each in 4 hour intervals.

I've had some days where I try to eat more than my band allows because I'm still working on negative behaviors, but that's like maybe 1% of the time. The other 99% I follow my band rules and I feel awesome! I'm not hungry and my addiction isn't active.

The band saved my life and has given me the opportunity to live as the real me! I wold do it again a million times over!

I've read other posts where some people really struggle with their band. I'm not saying this has been easy, but by the grace of God, I've been successful and can't imagine it not continuing to work for me.

Good luck and God Bless!

Rebecca

After being banded 3.5 years ago my struggles with hunger were pretty much over. I will say honestly that the first few weeks after the inital surgery when you are restricted to liquids and later mushy/soft foods you will be hungry. Probably right up until the first fill. (At least that was my experience and everyone is different) I eat three meals a day and hardly (if ever) snack, my hunger is controlled mainly by the food choices I make. Eating a good meal with alot of protein does the trick for me, I am currently going 4-6 hours between meals. On days when I exercise heavily I tend to be a little more hungry than others and usually have a few extra bites of protein to avoid becoming light-headed. Hope you find this helpful! Good luck on your journey!

Thank you all for sharing. I am really hearing, the work needs to come from me. And i am willing - but, if I am willing why can't I do it without the band? Especially if the band may not work? I am at the point where I am questioning everything - WHY. My daughter had it done but, she was 23 and certainly did not have the many, many years i have struggled with my weight, in almost a year she has lost 75 lbs. She no longer takes blood pressure medicine etc. i do not want this morbid obesity to kill me and to look at me, with my height I can hide a lot of weight (Peprmentpati, I think you know what I mean). i have a loving husband willing to help me in anyway, i never thought i would get to this point. But, i can't find another way to get off the diet ride. I want to lose the weight, learn what I can eat to stay healthy for me and not gain. Atkins is more Protein if eating less sugar and more protein is it, why hasnt that worked for me? I get tired of simply being hungry and saying the heck with it. Honestly, knowing something is inside of me does bother me - but, if that is what it takes, God help me I need to do it.

I look for all stories, I know there is a chance it will not work - then what? Will I sit back and ask, what have I gotten myself into? Do you think it works for more people than not? I feel like i am more ready to move forward that not, but - also feel I need more questions answered. Time is running out for me, my job may end and insurnace is needed so I sit here at 3am, with my lower back still out, asking folks to share with me, to help me understand their stories so I can have that Ah-ha moment and KNOW I am doing the right thing.

You all take care - and thank you for sharing again.

sandyd

Thank you all for sharing. I am really hearing, the work needs to come from me. And i am willing - but, if I am willing why can't I do it without the band?

I get tired of simply being hungry and saying the heck with it.

Sandy,

You've answered your own question. You can't do it without the band because you get tired of being hungry...and that's what the band is supposed to take care of.

Cleo is right. It doesn't work for some people but they don't know what percentage are failed by the band (like Cleo) and what percentage fail the band. All you can do is go into this with the hope that you will be the one the band works for.

I've struggled for the better part of a year with my band but I did finally find that sweet spot. Some people have a shorter learning curve and are successful from the day of surgery. I wasn't one of them. I ended up being overfilled, then completely unfilled and was actually on the verge of a revision to a vertical sleeve. The only point I'm trying to make is that I never gave up and I actively worked at making this band work for me.

Now, not only do I not have hunger for about 4 hours after a meal but I've even lost the desire to eat. I eat my 3 oz of Protein and 1/2-1 cup of vegies and I'm content until my next meal. *That* is what the band does for me. It gets rid of that all consuming, constant hunger that I've lived with for most of my life which means I have a much better chance at controlling the eating.

.

Sandy,

You've answered your own question. You can't do it without the band because you get tired of being hungry...and that's what the band is supposed to take care of.

Cleo is right. It doesn't work for some people but they don't know what percentage are failed by the band (like Cleo) and what percentage fail the band. All you can do is go into this with the hope that you will be the one the band works for.

I've struggled for the better part of a year with my band but I did finally find that sweet spot. Some people have a shorter learning curve and are successful from the day of surgery. I wasn't one of them. I ended up being overfilled, then completely unfilled and was actually on the verge of a revision to a vertical sleeve. The only point I'm trying to make is that I never gave up and I actively worked at making this band work for me.

Now, not only do I not have hunger for about 4 hours after a meal but I've even lost the desire to eat. I eat my 3 oz of Protein and 1/2-1 cup of vegies and I'm content until my next meal. *That* is what the band does for me. It gets rid of that all consuming, constant hunger that I've lived with for most of my life which means I have a much better chance at controlling the eating.

.

Melody,

As the tears fall, thank you. I have answered my own question just needed to hear it from ...yes a complete stranger (wow, I have never blogged, do not have facebook etc) you are right....I can't do it without the help. I read this string to my husband, who only supports, does not tell me what to do - reminds me, I am missing a lot of the best years of my life.

Congratulations on your weight loss - as I see the numbers, I am encouraged by all of your success. Tomorrow - I will send in the letter and application to UCSF as this is where my daughter went and I would be most comfortable.

Thank you - appreciate your sharing more than you know.

Sandy

This was a great help for me. i was banded on 7/11/11. today 8/3/11 i am starving every 4 hours can't wait for my fill