I was banded on 3-21-12 and I'm still on the liquid diet until 3 weeks post op, then mushies then slowly to solids. All my pain is gone, 15lbs down from pre-surgery weight. Everything's great...except the hunger! At times it's just the cravings for the old junk food that got me in this mess, but sometimes it is just honest to goodness hunger! The protein shakes help a little but i feel like I'm just going to be constantly hungry for the whole 3 weeks! Any ideas on how to curb the physical hunger and satiate the emotional hunger?!

Unfortunatly this is the roughest, I went thru that too, and Im sure most everyone did too. Best I can tell you is switch between sugar free pudding when you can eat it and even v8 juice helped due to being thick. Hang im there, it gets better. good luck

Just a thought, because I really don't know, I'm on day 6. Ask your dietitian? I'm on day 6 and started having protein shakes mixed with milk yesterday, to day I had a full 8 oz shake and three hours later I had a 6 oz greek vanilla yogurt. I'm going to have my second shake in a couple of mins. I'm very hungry right now.

There's considerably different experiences for one Bandster to another during this period. For me adapting to the actual absence of 'physical hunger' the first few weeks was a blessing. I had long been unable to tell when or whether I was "hungry" so had adapted to the strategy of "eating so I won't get hungry".

Strict adherence to the 3 weeks liquids/3 weeks mushie phase taught me considerable about what I needed to learn in how to recognize what was and what wasn't 'hunger'. Probably my experience is considerably different than your journey will be.

In any case, you can do it, and you can find your way. Just make sure each day to take a step in the right direction.

Cheers on your journey.

Ugg im having problems with this too and find myself cheating sometimes:(

Don't cheat!!! i know firsthand how hard it is but it can mess up the band and make u have to get additional surgeries in the future!!!(makes it easier for band slips if u pop the stitches) I've had to watch people eating yummy pizza and chicken nuggets(my weaknesses) right in front of me. I dream of a big juicy cheeseburger and chicken wings! You just have to be strong! I don't know how to stop craving but I just remind myself that in a few weeks I can eat again and if done in moderation, we can treat ourselves to these cravings.

I was banded on 3-21-12 and I'm still on the liquid diet until 3 weeks post op, then mushies then slowly to solids. All my pain is gone, 15lbs down from pre-surgery weight. Everything's great...except the hunger! At times it's just the cravings for the old junk food that got me in this mess, but sometimes it is just honest to goodness hunger! The Protein shakes help a little but i feel like I'm just going to be constantly hungry for the whole 3 weeks! Any ideas on how to curb the physical hunger and satiate the emotional hunger?!

Amo32112..... more protein?? maybe just a little more vege perhaps to your Soups??

i was desperately hungry for three days, im 9 days out, but im not hungry anymore.

i found that the more flavour i put into my soups (not necessarily more bulk ) the more i was satisfied. i dont have a sweet tooth but crave savoury. interesting how the extra taste took care of my hunger. i dont feel im missing out anymore.

One thing my brother told me was he MISSES TASTE. I think this is the equivalent of HEAD HUNGER....its the TASTE that you are actually missing. So what he did was just add more flavor to the soups he was having.

Hope this helps you,

One thing my brother told me was he MISSES TASTE. I think this is the equivalent of HEAD HUNGER....its the TASTE that you are actually missing. So what he did was just add more flavor to the soups he was having.

Hope this helps you,

...and this was me as well.. it does work. try putting more flavour in your soups.. be daring. it works, believe me.