I'm 5 days out of surgery and I follow my diet exactly as I should. Right now I have 3 more days of only liquids left. ( protein shakes, broth, crystal light etc) I've been finding that yesterday and today I am getting really hungry. I tried to drink some water, another shake and that really didn't help. What am i Doing wrong? I'm getting really down on myself - I'm 5 days out I know I've got quite a way before my first fill!

I was starving probably from about day four until about 3 weeks out. Just angry hungry. I was desperate for my first fill because I couldn't imagine having any success feeling that way all the time. Then suddenly, I wasn't so hungry anymore. I still haven't had my first fill, I don't know if my stomach healed to a better point, but now my hunger is much more manageable. I was very faithful following the post-op diet. Hopefully this will happen for you, but it's probably nothing YOU are doing wrong.

The hunger is something most of us experienced post - op it will probably get easier once u start on more solid food, but u may not experience any restriction till maybe fill 3 to 6 so u just have to rely on your own will power till u get the restriction u need. This time between surgery and getting the right amount of fill is called bandster hell, there are many many threads oon this forum about it if u do a search ..

This first 6 weeks is for healing anyways so dont be too eager to feel full up .. use this time to llearn how and what to eat and keep up your water and protein intake , the time does soon go .. good luck !

Depending on what you are supposed to do post-op and for how long determines what you should do next.

I felt like I was starving on day 3 post-op. I kept trying to do the Protein shakes but I couldn't deal with the sweetness of mine anymore. Only being able to have either sweet or salty was driving me nuts. I started on soft foods early. I made an omelet from 2 large eggs, some fat free milk, and 1 slice of cheese. I ate it VERY slowly to make sure I could eat it at all. It went down fine. So I kept eating the omelet. After I had 1/2 of it, I was able to throw it away. (Proudest moment ever!). I slowly started to eat soft, mushy foods the rest of the week. Mostly I have a 1 egg omelet and that's it for Breakfast. Tuna or chicken salad for lunch. Chicken, ground beef, ground turkey for dinner. I keep soft foods in the house and stick with those that have lots of protein.

I go for my first fill on Thursday and I'm practically eating normally now. If I find that I'm still hungry, I try to figure out if it's head hunger or real hunger. At the suggestion of someone else from here today, I started a myfitnesspal account to track my food. The thing to remember is, that site (from what I've seen so far) does not factor in that you have a band so your food level is restricted. I was shocked that according to the site that I am not eating anywhere near enough in a day. I'm not even hitting the minimum of 1200 calories. Myfitnesspal will help you track your calories and your protein.

Bonus tip: DO NOT EAT FRUITS WITH SKINS! They do not digest and could cause more harm than good.

Making healthier choices is what all this is about. Concentrate on that and every time you have to eat, make the best choice you can. You will have moments where you slip up, recognize that you slipped up and what you can do about it in the future. Also, listen to your doc. If you are comfortable with trying soft foods early, stick with stuff that is protein packed. It will help you stay fuller longer, help you heal faster, and will help you feel included. Try to keep down to the appropriate portion size too.

Best of luck to you.

The thing to remember is, that site (from what I've seen so far) does not factor in that you have a band so your food level is restricted.

*limited. You are limited on the amount of food you can consume is what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.

The thing to remember is, that site (from what I've seen so far) does not factor in that you have a band so your food level is restricted.

***CORRECTION*** You can change the calorie goal per day. After wandering around on the site for a while, I found that it can be changed. Sorry for the misinformation, just had to wander around the site for a while and investigate it more.