Okay I should be getting my lap-band at the beginning of December. I am curious to all you lapbanders out there. Does this thing really make you not hungry all the time/feel full. I am hungry ALL the time! My fat butt just had a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, med fries, cup of fruit and a yogurt parfait!!!!!! An hour later I'm looking for my next bite!!! This can not be normal. But I've always been like that. NOTHING satisfies me EVER!!! From food, to anything else. One thing my doc has told me is you never are really hungry with this, so is this true??

Hi Amber,

I was banded in April this year and I still get hungry, but it's nothing like before for me. Since achieving restriction (three fills), I feel satisfied with quite small meals and that satisfaction lasts for three to five hours. Mornings are definitely my best time. I usually eat Breakfast about 7.30am and have a black coffee mid morning before lunch at 12. It is usually 11.30 or so before I start thinking that I am ready for lunch i.e. feeling hungry. I usually have a snack about 3.30pm because I am feeling hungry and then nothing til dinner time which could be anywhere from 6.30 til 8pm. By 8pm I am definitely feeling hungry. I drink a lot of Water throughout the day and that helps me feel satisfied as well. Good luck with your surgery and your journey.

The band doesn't make me feel full- it makes me feel satisfied. Satisfied is a much quieter voice than full, let me tell you!

Do I still feel hunger? Yes, certainly. But after a small protein-rich meal, I feel satisfied, and for a longer period of time than I would have pre-band. I don't want you to think that this surgery is going to fix all your problems. You will still get hungry, you may or may not get "full" when you eat, and you still need to control what you put in your mouth.

Maybe you should try some other type of surgery, such as DS...

I don't know about never getting hungry, I was banded three days ago and although my stomach feels full, my brain is like the plant in "Little Shop of Horrors"

screaming "FEED ME". It is going to take a lot of will power and self discipline to make this a success. I know it will get better, but right now I'm hungry.

No weight loss surgery is automatic, it takes work, but if your health and appearance is important to you, let's go for it!

This forum is one of the best places on the net for support and it really does help

What ever you do, good luck and ask for help if you need it.

I get hungry every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I solved my problem with it by eating 5 to 6 times a day and it works for me. I do not eat a lot, but it does the trick. It is learning when to stop so you are not stuffed and are satisfied. I eat mostly protein and some fruit and veggies and drink tons of water. The band is only a tool and in this journey it is probably 80% you and 20% the band. Willpower and the ability to follow the rules and say NO are important. You will find you can still eat garbage and it will be easy to eat, but it is up to you to make the right choices. Good luck in your journey.

Okay I should be getting my lap-band at the beginning of December. I am curious to all you lapbanders out there. Does this thing really make you not hungry all the time/feel full. I am hungry ALL the time! My fat butt just had a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, med fries, cup of fruit and a yogurt parfait!!!!!! An hour later I'm looking for my next bite!!! This can not be normal. But I've always been like that. NOTHING satisfies me EVER!!! From food, to anything else. One thing my doc has told me is you never are really hungry with this, so is this true??

Amber, I was the same way. I would open my eyes in the morning and my first thought was, "What am I going to eat today?" I would be thinking about the next meal before I finished eating the last one. That goes away rather quickly once you start to see the number on the scale going down. 3 years later it's very rare that I feel physical hunger. When I do, it takes very little food to satisfy it.

This depends on how bad you want the weight loss, But first the fills. It will take a few to get you where you are not hungry, some Bansters really have it tight. I like mine where I don't even think of food for 5-6 hrs. So I need a fill because it's down to 2-3 hrs....

Even then, it's up to me to eat the things that keep my calorie intake down. 800-1200 calories a day, and you will lose weight for sure.

If you think your going to scarf down Burgers on Buns, and everything else in groves, then your wrong.

Fills will make that not even possible.

You will see that you will be full on smaller amounts of food. I to am a food addict, so,,,, you will be trained by your own Body not to eat that way (PIGGING OUT) A few times of being stuck, and you will learn.

So being filled, Control, Program to follow (LIKE MYFITNESSPAL. COM ) , and a exercise program like walking. This will all help strip it off.

You follow the plan, and you will lose weight.

Shirley

I'm speaking from very limited experience, having been banded just 10 days ago. I was starving to death for the first few days, but now I seem to be full all the time.

I really don't feel like eating anything, I keep my protein up, but just do it on schedule. As far as I'm concerned, I don't see any fills coming until hunger returns or I

quit loosing weight. I'll keep my appointments, even though it means driving through 150 miles of LA traffic, (worst in the country). I'm loosing three lbs a week

and if it continues, I see no reason for fills.

I'm speaking from very limited experience, having been banded just 10 days ago. I was starving to death for the first few days, but now I seem to be full all the time.

I really don't feel like eating anything, I keep my Protein up, but just do it on schedule. As far as I'm concerned, I don't see any fills coming until hunger returns or I

quit loosing weight. I'll keep my appointments, even though it means driving through 150 miles of LA traffic, (worst in the country). I'm loosing three lbs a week

and if it continues, I see no reason for fills.

Keep up the good work!

I'm not sure what type of program your clinic has (or insurance) but I recommend - starting to make changes before the band.

My surgeons office is a Center for Excellence and they are with you from day 1. I had to meet with a psychologist, dietitian, nurse, excercise rep. All before anything else. I walked away with plans. What was the best was a food plan for losing weight.

When I walked out that day - I gave up fast food (eating out in the car!!!) and diet pop. I followed the food plan and found eating healthy - I actually ate more food. I followed it to the tea.

My clinics plan is getting you ready - doing what you will need to do post-op before surgery is even discussed. In order to lose the needed weight - it took commitment from me. I took it very seriously and worked hard to lose my weight. When all the documentation was in place - I went to the surgeons office & found I lost 20 pounds. Today post op day 5 - I have dropped a total of 30 pounds. I am on liquids for 7 days, full liquids another 7 days, pureed another 7 days, soft foods another 14 days, then food. I don't feel hungry at all.

My drive comes from this:

1. I am fortunate my insurance will pay - I won't mess that up

2. Food is no longer my friend or support. Food is what got me where I was - 280 pounds. Today after the small changes - I am down to 249. Nobody can take that away from me.

3. I no longer put importance on fast food - diet pop - and eating unhealthy.

I thank God for the opportunity to have the lap band and I will not take it for granted. I attend 3 support groups & have tapped in to 2 online support groups (this one & one through my hospital).

What I did was to let go of my past behaviors. Therapy helped alot & I am forever grateful for going through that mandated process. For anyone 'thinking' about lapband - look for a "Center of Excellence" Program - I can't stress enough - that is the best they have to offer & you really come out on top in comparison to others not.

After over 2 years with the band, I have forgotten what it feels like to have the old "full" feeling. I have not eaten a full plate of food in 26 months. I am now able to know when to stop eating without really giving it any thought. I do get hungry when it's time to eat. I eat more than 3 times a day, but very tiny amounts. I think it was very helpful in the beginning, and as I got restriction with fills, to listen to my soft signs. My doc. told me that many bandsters have one hiccup or a sigh when they are getting full. For me, if I wait for the hiccup it's too late and I have taken a couple bites too much. I have several soft signs. One that happens the most is a runny nose or sneeze. It's a learning process, but I now know how to stop eating just before my signal. If I take one or 2 bites too much I have a sneezing fit and have to blow my nose. There are several threads here at LBT where people talk about their soft signs. In my case, during the first few weeks of good restriction, if I ate past the soft sign the food would be in my esophagus. I'm very sensitive to this and it would cause the food to come back up. A couple episodes of throwing up cured me of eating that last bite that would put me over my full line.

After over 2 years with the band, I have forgotten what it feels like to have the old "full" feeling. I have not eaten a full plate of food in 26 months. I am now able to know when to stop eating without really giving it any thought. I do get hungry when it's time to eat. I eat more than 3 times a day, but very tiny amounts. I think it was very helpful in the beginning, and as I got restriction with fills, to listen to my soft signs. My doc. told me that many bandsters have one hiccup or a sigh when they are getting full. For me, if I wait for the hiccup it's too late and I have taken a couple bites too much. I have several soft signs. One that happens the most is a runny nose or sneeze. It's a learning process, but I now know how to stop eating just before my signal. If I take one or 2 bites too much I have a sneezing fit and have to blow my nose. There are several threads here at LBT where people talk about their soft signs. In my case, during the first few weeks of good restriction, if I ate past the soft sign the food would be in my esophagus. I'm very sensitive to this and it would cause the food to come back up. A couple episodes of throwing up cured me of eating that last bite that would put me over my full line.

I am hardly ever physically hungry. I eat only at meal times and don't require a snack. I still love to taste food though and that hasn't changed so I have to remind myself not to eat mindlessly because I AM NOT HUNGRY! Have lost 64 since May and feel great!

Amber0075: it sounds like you eat too fast and you eat for reasons other than just fuel. You don't NEED that much food, you choose to eat it. Which is why we're all here. The band will NOT stop your hunger immediately. While it could, it rarely works that way. You could require no fills, one fill, or thirty fills. Who knows. Do the work you can before hand to ensure success.

I suggest you use your employer's EAP (employee assistance program) to set up sessions with a therapist and talk with them about WHY you eat.

To better assist the therapist keep a very detailed food an activity journal marking down what you eat and drink, how much, when you eat it (time of day), how you feel before eating it, how you feel after eating it. How you feel 3 hours after eating.

Start working out as well, even just walking, and get up to 10,000 steps a day. I suggest the FitBit $99 and it will monitor your activity, level of activity, steps, sleep, etc. and the website is free and will allow you to track your food. You may notice that you eat when you're not hungry, you eat when you're bored or with others and that you aren't moving as much as you thought.

Doing all of this now will help you immensely when you get the surgery. You'll be leaps and bounds beyond most people.

Your first post sounds like what I used to be like. I'd have a big Breakfast, and still be picking at other stuff almost before breakfast was over. And an hour and a half later I'd be planning lunch, which would usually be followed by another lunch (usually the same as the first lunch, just an hour or so later)... Snacks here there and everywhere, and huge dinners usually followed by dessert and then more picking at dinner leftovers late at night! I was just constantly hungry.

I've only been banded 5 weeks, but I can say that the hunger feelings are MUCH different. I am NOWHERE near as hungry as I was preband, and the hunger that I do have is sated early in a meal and doesn't return for quite some time. I'm probably eating a quarter if not less of the volume of food that I was eating preband.

Dear Amber, What you are describing sounds like head hunger where you really want food but you are not physically hungry. We all have that and have to deal with it. If you are truly physically hungry you will eat anything like an apple. Head hunger means you want fries and even though the apple is right in front of you you will drive somewhere to get the fries.

That being said, yes, I am hungry much less but I still want to eat when I am not physically hungry and sometimes I give in and do it...but my band is nice and snug and only lets me eat a tiny amount of food and then I feel full and I am over it.

An hour after dinner I might want to eat pizza and back in the day could probably eaten a whole one...but now if I give in to the pizza head hunger I can barely eat a whole slice...

Good LUck!