How do you tell the difference??

Because let's face it, if I was good at that I wouldn't be fat.

I'm 6 days post op and starting to crave food. Also, 1/2 cup of creamed Soup is not holding me for long.

I'm not sure what to be expecting at this point.

I don't have an answer to your question (wish I did), but rather a question of my own. Isn't Christopher Walken the actor that was on board the boat with Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood the night she drowned? Wasn't he her co-star at that time in something? Poor Natalie, there was so much more to that story than will ever be known of that I'm sure.

Hope you do well in your recovery.

Hi Dody, Yes, that was him. There was some rumor that she and Walken were having an affair as they were filming that movie together and that caused an argument that night on the boat, which sent her into the dingy to go back to shore.

I should add that I'm still on full liquids. My left shoulder has a lot of pain, and it gets worse when I have the liquids.

I wish I knew too. Because I'm on day 11 and feel a little hungry. But if I have a little too much, I start feeling it. My doctor said I shouldn't be really hungry until 3-5 weeks.

Hi Mr. Walken,

I got banded few weeks before you. Banded on 3/22/06. So I know EXACTLY what are you talking about.

You will feel more hunger as you heal. And the more you heal and your body accepts the band, the more hungry you would become...

I got the mid-band in France, and the doc. allows you to start with solid food after a week or so.

I'm facing this problem where I eat a lot now, and feel hungry almost like before the op. Doc says the real restriction would come from the fills and not the band itself... as I believe the restriction from the band alone (no fills) is equal to only 20%

Good luck and enjoy food while you can:)

I imagine you are having those dreaded gas pains you have to just walk off. I've heard they go away pretty quickly.

Thanks for clearing up the Christophen Walken story. Everytime I see your post I think...I know that guy, and then I remembered where I knew the name from. I remember it even more clearly now.

Thanks Magic, I appreciate your response because I'm sitting here thinking I'm a freak show or something with the hungries coming on.

Dody, click on the link in my sig, it will lead you to a funny skit he did.He was a regular host on Saturday Night Live.

Hiyas Leener,

I'm about two months out now and it's starting to get a little easier to discern between the head stuff and the real stuff. But it's taken some serious retraining. What I do when I have the initial thought of "I'm hungry" is focus on my stomach. Am I really hungry? Do I feel anything coming from inside my stomach that would indicate true hunger? If I think about my stomach and can say I'm not really hungry, then I try to identify where the signals are coming from. Typically, I find that if I'm bored my mind comes up with eating as somethign to do.

I also focus on my mouth.. am I thirsty? A lot of times, we mistake thirst for hunger and drinking Water will take care of the thoughts.

Since you are on liquids, I wouldn't be too worried about how often you need to eat. It's only natural that this stuff will be going right through you. Eat when you need to. Just make sure you're drinking good healthy stuff, watch your calories and focus on healing right now. I was supposed to get 600 calories a day on liquids and 800 on mushies. I don't think I ever accomplished either one, and I think I was "eating" about every two hours.

I hope this helps ya sis. *hugs*

mr. walken...tee hee...

i am doing mushies now. i can eat fish, eggs, my doc even lets me eat chicken salad, as long as the chicken i in very small parts. the nurse calls it blenderized chicken salad. since chicken does not exactly have the best attitude in the blender, i mix, mix, mix, mix.

i am having a hard time interpretting my body's new feelings. i think it may be hunger, then sometimes, i think i may be in labor, and having braxton hicks contractions, but i know i am not pregnant...hee hee...

i have twice eaten 7-8 little bites and all of the sudden felt as though i had overeaten. so i took a couple of sips of Water, hoping to help the food pass. i guess it will be a lot of trial and error( erring on the safer side i hope).

what i ate today...

water, lots of it

room temp mozzerella (2 small cubes, chew into a liquid)

yogurt

bite of a reeces(bad, bad me)

spoonful of tuna with dab of mayo(ugh!)

Protein shake

banana

5oz skim milk

i may have another shake before the evening is over. not sure...

bups, i am 24-48 hours Clear Liquids, then 4 weeks of mushies to including fish, eggs, bananas, melon, etc. the nurse said that i could pretty much eat anything as long as it was blenderized to the consistency of baby food.

Thanks Jack and Mini Me. That helps.

One other question, is it normal to feel pain in your stomach area (my pain is in the middle after you drink full liquids. My stomach (or whatever is in the middle) is NOT happy when I give it anything other than Water.

Thanks Jack.

Okay, I'll try the smaller sips and see if that decreases the discomfort.

hey bups, isnt jack the greatest?!!

It is so weird my top stomach is not hungry but my lower stomach is growling. Anyone else have this???? I am still fighting head hunger. Put on your punching gloves. It is a hard fight.

Yes he is Mini! :-)

I have to be honest, this pain in the center of my abdomen is begining to worry me. I have had gastritis for several years, and it feels like when I eat something that flares it. Only I'm not eating anything, but it's flaring 24/7.

Being on the boards I have read posts of people who had pain upon being banded and it never went away. I can't live with this pain, it's a gnawing pain that you can't really function with. I hope it goes away. :-(

You Bet! I get the grumblies all the time now. It is kind of funny if I am at home. sometimes I even get a glimmer of pride that I don't FEEL hungry even though I SOUND hungry. In public its a little embarrassing sometimes, like the library. There was a great idea to fix head hunger on another thread. La Madam said that brushing your teeth can help keep unneeded food out of your mouth. I personally loved that idea.

It's all head hunger. The only reason you get hunger pains is because your blood sugar drops at certain times - it's your body's response to your usual eating times. Neurochemicals stimulated by food intake make you feel calmer and happier after eating whether you feel physical hunger or not; that is, of course, unless you were already very full, then you get a stomachache instead.

If we weren't programmed to want to eat even when we don't feel "physical" hunger, we'd be too suceptable to famine. Not to worry, when the famine comes, we'll all be the last to go.

Arline