I was just banded on 2/20 and feel like I am starving. I ate 1/2 cup portions until today...and then started muching down on baked cheetos. What is wrong with my band, more importantly me!!! Why did I eat 4 whole handfulls of baked cheetos? They didn't phase me a bit, I got them all down fine and had no problems. Is this normal? I have stopped eating and thats going to be it for the night because I know I c an't do this to myself..thats how I got fat in the first place. Any suggestions?

Nothing is wrong with your band and there's nothing wrong with you, it is normal to feel hungry. The day I got banded I wanted a cheese burger sooo bad. The only thing that kept me on the strait and narrow was the fear of hurting myself. I did not want to wind up back in the hospital.

I know exactly how you feel, I was on liquids for 3 weeks, 2 of them clear liquid and I was ready to chew the wall.

Hang in there Stacy, please for your own well being, try to stick to the doctors diet. But also know, your not alone in your struggles.

Try getting some Protein shakes in yah, that might help calm the beast.

Hugs !!!

I seem to remember wanting to finally chew on something too. But dont. You can hang in a little longer. Good Luck

5'.8"

March 2005....312lbs

Feb 26, 2006..225 lbs

target weight about 170lbs

Stacey-

I was banded on 2/21 and feel your pain. I have been hanging around my house all day thinking about everything I want to eat. I only had to stay on liquids for 2 days and am now on soft proteins. They aren't cutting it though. I keep thinking about a McDonalds ice cream cone....

My doctor said that if I was really hungry prior to my first fill she would but me on an appetite supressant. And i'm thinking about calling her. Good luck and your not alone. Nora

Hang in there....you an do this. In the beginning is fighting the head hunger... it talked to me all the time. I didn't chew gum but took it up after surgery. Sometimes it helps to be chewing.....

Good Luck....

I was just banded on 2/20 a

May I ask wheat kind of post op diet your Dr. gave you..I ask because I know my Dr. would of never allowed Cheetos the first week post op..I was on liquids for 3 weeks,

Cheetos are carb heaven so if you are like me the more carbs you eat the hungrier you are ...try drinking a Protein drink to help curb the hunger..protein curbs hunger.. fill up on liquids..

Not to mention eating solids too soon before you have healed can risk slippage of the band..did your Dr. not tell you that? Any food that needs to be digested can cause your sticthces and port and band to shift since digestion does make our tummy rumble & churn this is why most Dr. reccomend liquids for atleast a week it is to let the band set into place and heal before we eat solids. Drink More protein, it helps I promise :scared:

May I ask wheat kind of post op diet your Dr. gave you..I ask because I know my Dr. would of never allowed Cheetos the first week post op..I was on liquids for 3 weeks,

Yeah..well he gave me a diet and I had stuck to it to a tee...but my daughter had baked cheetos (which is sooooo not on the list of things I can eat) and I just started shoveling them in. By the time I finally stopped myself I had eaten most of her bag (grab bag size) and now I feel awful for doing it. I am going to be so much better, I gave in to a very weak moment. I have really been beating myself up over it. I just feel so hungry and I think the carb cravings have really taken over today. Do you think I have ruined anything by my 1 mistake today? Gosh I hope not, I can't go back in and get it done again....or atleast I don't want to!!!!

Dont beat yourself up too much... If at first we dont achieve try try again... You can do this!!! Start over. Good Luck.

Stacey,

I was banded on 2/2 and can so relate to what you're going through! I have fallen a couple times and chewed pretzels till they were almost nothing, but I try to refrain from doing that. However, I was on my way to do that then I read your post and, instead, I went and made myself a cold Protein drink and I'm grateful I come here because I get encouragement from this site.

Hang in there, it's a temporary deal!

Kelli

Stacey-

Hang in there. I highly doubt you slipped with one mistake- I was banded on 2/21 and I am on full liquids/cream soup now. I am climbing the walls a bit too not with physical hunger but more with head hunger.

I had a slim fast shake for breakfast but then had cream of potato soup (blended) with tomato soup for lunch and it really helped to have something that tasted more like "real" food. It also took awhile to eat and that helped. I know it's hard- hang in there.

Please try to be careful. The reason they tell you to be on liquids is to keep your stomach from having to contract to digest food. This is important to in order to build scar tissue around the band to support it.

You will eat again, right now you need to concentrate on healing.

I had exactly the same problem initially. I had some days where I thought I could eat everything including the house! After your first fill you'll immediately see the difference.

What size band do you have? Because if you have the large one, after healing for a week or two my doctor said your stomach is basically (almost) back to what it was before the surgery. It's frustrating because I know you want to see the weight fall off and anxious to start the losing journey but you will and you'll be happy you listened to your doctor's instructions by taking care of your band:gluck: .

Good luck and take care!

Wow! I'm so glad to read this becuase I had the same issue and everyone acted like I was going to hurt myself eating foods so earlier. I called my doctor and he explained that the main reason you don't want to eat solids isn't from the digestion process (which your stomach still does during liquids and mushies) but that he wanted to prevent me from filling up too much and causing me to throw-up.

He said throwing up is the worst thing to do in the first few weeks after surgery because of the stiches holding the band. He said as long as I chewed well and it went down without any problem I was ok. He said "Some people just progress on the post-op diet faster then others"

Thanks everyone. I am still on the "modified liquids" as my doc puts it. The dietician told me that I culd start on chicken or tuna on the 7th day if I was hungry for more food and the "modified liquids" weren't filling me up....so here comes chicken tomorrow...ofcoarse it has to be finley chopped chicken, but it sounds great!!! I am going to follow my diet to a tee now....no more baked cheetos for me!! Today was alot easier. I ate oatmeal and mashed potatoes and that is it....as mushy as you get!!!

Thanks for all the great advise guys....I really appreciate it!

Hey Stacey, if you like fish.. Gorton's makes unbreaded fillets (2 per box) that are so good. Very moist and flakey. The lemon pepper and garlic butter are both excellent sources of protein and so easy to eat. I eat them in a bowl so I can use the buttery sauce for dipping. Both fillets have a total of 200 calories and 34 grams of protein.