I am just wondering if people with the band actually feel full after having very little to eat? And what do you do if you do not?

Same question I have

I have had 3 fills with a total of 4.5cc in a 10cc band everybody is different but im finally starting to feel some restriction i could only eat a half of cup of food today instead of my usual 1 cup...so i would say yes..not in the green zone yet but seems like im heading that way!

Thank you. And the green zone is comfort zone or?

Very good to hear. Keep us updated! Good luck

The green zone is when u get full off a small amount of food and you are not hungry for 4 to 5 hours later!

No, you will probably never feel "full" the way you did pre-op, and that's a wonderful thing.

In the bad old days, I ate to the point of Thanksgiving dinner full at every single meal. I could out-eat my husband, who's 9" taller and does manual labor for a living.

My early days as a bandster were a challenge because I had to give up that old definition of full and learn what my new definition would be. It also involved a lot of willpower because I knew that if I overate, I could cause my band to slip. So I weighed and measured my planned portions of food and stuck to that. I often felt that I could go on eating long after the small portion was gone, but I was too afraid of complications to do that, so I would tell myself I could have more food if i was still physically hungry (empty, growling tummy) in an hour.

As I got more Fluid added to my band I discovered that the small portion of food was actually enough. I had to learn new "stop" signals to tell me when to stop eating - it might be a sigh, a cough, a burp, a hiccup, a runny nose, whatever. If I didn't notice or ignored those signals, I would end up in pain because eating too much caused a PB (productive burp), sliming (excess saliva), or getting food stuck. Eventually (maybe a year?) I didn't have to think much about all of that any more because I was in the habit of putting a small amount of food on a small plate, and would stop eating because suddenly I just didn't want any more.

The band works by providing early and prolonged satiety. Satiety is the sense of having eaten enough food - no more, no less. To be satiated is not the same as being "full".

I have the head hunger issue sometimes so I drink water and wait. I also do this when I eat. I eat the recommended lapband portion ½ cup to a cup and wait. I don’t feel full like I thought feeling full was but I am in the green zone. I also get other signs that I have had enough a shoulder pain or hiccups means I over ate. My doctors have been very candid about overeating leading to issues with the band. It is something you must pay attention and do not overeat even if you head is saying something different. I am surprise how long I can go and a little amount of food. For me it took time and fills to change my thinking on what full feels like. The head issues i am still working on

My signals of feeling full are different than what they were pre-band, but I definitely know when I'm full. I really have been lucky and have had no issues with hunger either. I have the opposite problem where I have to schedule my meals or else I go too long without eating.

1st full coming on Oct 3 ....... Not sure what to expect

i feel (full) after about 3 to 4 oz of food. i am thinking that it has alot to do with my plication.

but i do stop after about 1 cup of food. the band will help you eat less but its up to us to eat good

things that are good for us and not junk, high fat foods.

I agree, there is not a stuff feeling, i just eat 1 cup with mostly protein and wait my 30 mins and wait and am not hungry for 4+hours, I recently started feeling hungry last week and snack between lunch and dinner which is about 6hour apart. So now i am not having the longevity with the non hunger.

my dr. told me when I get my first fill, I will be lucky if I can eat 1/2 cup of food. So everyone is different. I was banded Aug 6th, and i have been able to go a long time between meals. I will be getting my first fill on the 19th.

My first fill is also Oct 3rd along with my first nutrition class..I've only been eating 4oz at a time and still feel hungry I hope the fill changes that

For the first 5 months following surgery, and until my 3rd fill, I didn't feel any restriction whatsoever. I ate just as much as I did preband. After my 3rd fill, I at a toddler size meal and would feel like I was going to vomit if I ate another bite. After almost 3 yrs of fills/unfills/tweaking (and a slip), I still can only eat a toddlers portions, a bigger toddler. I notice myself eating a little bit more (especially at night) than I did 1 yr ago. I've still got about 16 lbs to goal, and they are the hardest 16 lbs ever. If I just cut out the crap I put into my mouth and go back to eating the way I did 2 yrs ago, I would probably lose it in a couple months.

But yes, a little bit of food satisfies you after you've gotten enuf Fluid in your band for restriciton. Like someone else said, it's different than the "full" feeling you have now. It's more of a pain and knowing if you take one more bite, it'll make you ill.

Good luck!

Marci

Thanks to everyone!! The information is amazing and really comforting. I feel like I can do it now!! Thank you