I was hoping for some feedback...I'm undecided on whether to have the lap band or gastric bypass. I hear that with the band you still feel very hungry, is this true? I was told that with the bypass you do not feel as hungry?

My biggest fear is feeling hunger!

Can someone please advise me?

Hunger is a natural and necessary body function. Band or Bypass, you will still feel hunger.

However, the band does very much curb your hunger. It's entire purpose is to keep you satiated on less food for longer periods of time, which it does very well.

I've been banded for about 11 months and I can easily go 4-5 hours between small meals without hunger. I've even skipped meals entirely because I wasn't hungry and simply forgot to eat.

I rarely get real hungry. As long as your band is adjusted properly and you understand your band you shouldn't be hungry. I think I shared the same fear you have before surgery. It's just that now that I'm banded, I just don't care and I don't fear being hungry.

I found this quote and don't recall who said it, but it seems to fit.

"In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old b***h layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!"

Love, the quote! 2MF!

Thank you all for this info!