I am a food addict and I feel helpless. Today I am 4 weeks post op. I have started on regular soft foods as I am really very hungry. I have dropped 25 lbs since preop but nothing for 2 weeks. During the day I am busy at work and have no time to eat , even thought I have my protein shake for breakfast and tuna with mayo for lunch but come dinner time, I eat a good two to three cups of food at once and then feel satisfied. I don't feel the port or my band. Feels just like I was pre banded. Is this normal? Sometimes I don't know how some people can loose so much wait in the first few months and restrict themselves to one cup of food without a fill. Spoke to my doctors office today and she confirmed again that no fills till 6 weeks. I really hope I feel some restriction with a fill. The only time I felt restriction was the first 3 days after surgery. I am really afraid that I am stretching my pouch or I have ripped my stitches. Also I am really trying to eat slowly and take smaller bites but the food goes thru normally, especially water I can gulp it down no problem. Did they forget to band me after they knocked me off . LOL. How did you guys deal with the hunger. Please tell me that it does get better. Restless.

I am a food addict and I feel helpless. Today I am 4 weeks post op. I have started on regular soft foods as I am really very hungry. I have dropped 25 lbs since preop but nothing for 2 weeks. During the day I am busy at work and have no time to eat ' date=' even thought I have my protein shake for breakfast and tuna with mayo for lunch but come dinner time, I eat a good two to three cups of food at once and then feel satisfied. I don't feel the port or my band. Feels just like I was pre banded. Is this normal? Sometimes I don't know how some people can loose so much wait in the first few months and restrict themselves to one cup of food without a fill. Spoke to my doctors office today and she confirmed again that no fills till 6 weeks. I really hope I feel some restriction with a fill. The only time I felt restriction was the first 3 days after surgery. I am really afraid that I am stretching my pouch or I have ripped my stitches. Also I am really trying to eat slowly and take smaller bites but the food goes thru normally, especially water I can gulp it down no problem. Did they forget to band me after they knocked me off . LOL. How did you guys deal with the hunger. Please tell me that it does get better. Restless.[/quote']

I would call your doctor. You are eating too much food for dinner. I get hungry after 4-6 hours after a meal. Remember protein is first then your other foods

Don't feel bad. I stayed hungry too. The difference for me was my doc office gave me a fill each time I went especially if I was eating too much. I love that about them. Just try to add jello, eggs, yogurt, etc to your diet. It does get better. Good luck!

You have no fills so yes your opening is wide open just like prrior to banding. I got my first fill three weeks after being banded but it really didn't do much. Took four months to get to greenzone. Some people are lucky and with just the band or very small fills they are in greenzone.

Two to three cups per sitting is way too much especially if you are wanting to loose. I remember that stage and nights were bad as I was so hungry but I ate my portion sometimes a touch more and kept myself busy or got on my treadmill and walked. This is the time to start getting into practice for when you're in greenzone, count calories, portion control ( whichever you do try sticking to it).

Does it take twenty minutes to eat your meal? At that point you need to stop because even in slim people that is the time it takes for the nerves in your stomach opening and your brain to communicate to say you're no longer hungry. When you say satisfied do you meal till you're full or till your hunger is no longer present?

Till you're near or at greenzone you're going to have to muster every bit of willpower you can to stick with your 1 cup of food per meal and no more.

Maybe have some Snacks so you don't get so hungry at dinner but make those snacks Protein snacks. Also does every meal consist manly of protein ( it will keep you fuller longer)?

Have you tried adding powdered Protein to your food? Might keep you fuller longer. For breakfast or lunch, a lot of times I have a Greek yogurt, some Special K protein Cereal, a scoop of unflavored protein, and a splash of almond milk to thin it out.

I was banded on November 6th and have been lucky to not need a full yet. I focus on protein first and drink lots of fluids. I think it would be better if you ate a few smaller meals than eating three cups in one sitting. They also make mini Protein Bars that might help.

Good luck!

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You have no fills so yes your opening is wide open just like prrior to banding. I got my first fill three weeks after being banded but it really didn't do much. Took four months to get to greenzone. Some people are lucky and with just the band or very small fills they are in greenzone.

Two to three cups per sitting is way too much especially if you are wanting to loose. I remember that stage and nights were bad as I was so hungry but I ate my portion sometimes a touch more and kept myself busy or got on my treadmill and walked. This is the time to start getting into practice for when you're in greenzone, count calories, portion control ( whichever you do try sticking to it).

Does it take twenty minutes to eat your meal? At that point you need to stop because even in slim people that is the time it takes for the nerves in your stomach opening and your brain to communicate to say you're no longer hungry. When you say satisfied do you meal till you're full or till your hunger is no longer present?

Till you're near or at greenzone you're going to have to muster every bit of willpower you can to stick with your 1 cup of food per meal and no more.

Maybe have some Snacks so you don't get so hungry at dinner but make those snacks Protein snacks. Also does every meal consist manly of protein ( it will keep you fuller longer)?

"Does it take twenty minutes to eat your meal? At that point you need to stop because even in slim people that is the time it takes for the nerves in your stomach opening and your brain to communicate to say you're no longer hungry."

Agree with everything you say, but this statement...did your Dr. tell you that? Never heard that this is why we should stop eating in 20 minutes....

I get confused by many people's belief....

If the band is ALWAYS there, why is it people believe it sends signals to the brain only sometimes? Between meals for instance.....As though we can turn it on or off?? Or it goes on break 3 times a day during breakfast, lunch and dinner....

I for one, know my hunger is satisfied 24/7....but I eat because I know I need to eat, and 3 meals is a lifetime habit everyone has been taught, tradition from somewhere.........some people take very small snacks 5-6 times a day and do just as well....total daily calories count is what matters....

I was taught the 20 minute rule means, if we eat very slow, take our time between bites and swallows, chew very well, etc, etc, letting the food pass through the band adequately, we could eat for 5 hours straight! Graze all day...( I know, I've done it and sometimes still do) Graze all day, but NO meals....total calories still the same....(if i counted them).

So we need to learn to stop at 20 minutes....otherwise....

i know (for me) the band does not make not be hungry... it could for some but not me...if i am hungry, i eat. i do not deprive myself.. i eat alot of Protein (first in whatever i eat) and i drink alot...and i do stop at 20 minutes...and i do stop at 1 cup....its just something i was instructed to do.....and like b52 said, if i ate wee bites, i could eat all day long....def problem there...aka overeating too many calories.

i dont really care what skinny people do or dont do, i only care what my dr advised me to do..and what he suggested i do has shown to work...as i go on through my highway to health, i learn something new every day.

find your want power. want to lose weight/get healthy bad enough to actually do something about it...dont wait for a fill to help you lose weight. change your mental thinking now. i dont have any fills and i am losing.

B52 have you never heard of dieticians telling people with weight problems to slow down their eating? The reason this advice has been given out for years is because when you slow your eating down then you actually can listen to your body and read the signals that we are satiated, we don't need anymore food, why do you think we all got fat? It's because we either wolf down our meals in a matter of minutes and in that time we overshoot the satiety signal. By the time that hits , which takes that twenty minutes, we have over eaten, or we just ignore the fact that we are not hungry and keep eating because its an like an addiction we have with food.

Yes the band is placed around the top of the stomach where these nerve endings are and as we get fills the band gets tighter and if filled correctly those nerve endings are constantly telling your brain you are not hungry. Now I personally am at a good level of restriction and there are days that I don't feel any hunger, then there are some days that I do get hungry at meal times, don't ask me why but that's how my body is. I don't have my band that tight that I struggle to eat my solid foods and have to rely on Protein drinks, shakes, supplements etc to get my daily nutrition in. I eat my nutrition. I can't do those shakes and supplements, they personally make me nauseous. If I wanted to I could graze all day long also and believe me i have done that but that doesn't work with me because I can certainly pack in the calories grazing all day long.

I've watched normal weight people eat and they don't wolf their food down, they take their time and once their hunger has gone they stop eating. At home I used to gobble my food down so quickly BUT whenever I used to go out to restaurants with friends because of the chatting whilst eating I'd slow down and 9 times out of 10 I couldn't finish my meal because I was no longer hungry and I stopped. Unfortunanley I didn't follow that practice at home as I'm one of those people that is an emotional eater and every emotion under the sun turned me too food along with my bout of severe depression.

The band now takes away my obsession with food, there are days I don't even think about food because with the help of the band and nearly ten months being banded I've been slowly able to mentally retrain my relationship with food.

Also men and women are different because of hormones and food cravings etc and yes even with the band we still get those cravings. Unless you have those fluctuations with hormones you will never understand what it's like.

And yes my leading pioneer lapband surgeon here in Australia did tell me about why we need to take twenty minutes and no more to eat our meals. At twenty minutes it's enough time for the brain and stomach nerves to communicate and to say you've had enough stop eating. As you said the band does that for some of us all day long and for some of us most of the time. We are all different and we don't all have the same result.

Never heard that before...knew about the dieting technique, but never that the band takes 20 minutes to communicate with the brain.....

I guess I'm the weird one....my band is always telling my brain I'm not hungry....or not interested in food is more accurate....I can completely forget to eat if I'm not careful....

Learn something new from other people's experiences everyday...that's why I come here...

Please understand I am not being mean spirited. You need to measure your food. My doctor says to weigh 3 oz of Protein and eat low fat/ cal veggies until full. When your allotted protein is gone no seconds. Just because you can eat more doesn't mean you should.

This is a diet for now. Also, don't expect restriction at your first fill. Took me about six fills.

Thanks guys. You all are like family. It feels so nice to vent my frustration and know that I will be understood. Thanks again. Spoke to my doctors office today and they said that don't get caught up regarding your weight it is just about healing the first six weeks. Eat small portions thru out the day but chew a lot. Thanks again.

Feel for you..... I'm going through the same thing. I've followed everything exactly as I'm supposed to until yesterday and today. 1 cup just isn't doing it. But..... Tomorrows a new day so I'm going to get back on track. I was banded on 2-14 and am down 32 lbs including pre op but have stayed the same for a week now. I'm sure it will be better ice we get our fills.

OMG... I could have written this post!! I was just banded on 3/6/13 and the food just goes down so easily. I'm starving and still haven't gotten to foods yet. I never feel full. I won't see my doctor again until April and he said that I may get a fill at that time. I hope that I do because if I can just keep eating and not feel full, how will I ever lose weight?? It would so easy to cheat because I don't feel any different than I did before surgery.

I have been the same way. Other than my Red Zone week, I have been able to eat anything and certainly well over a cup (though I wasn't told to keep to one cup- I was told that I should be satisfied with 8-12 oz). I am 4 months out and had my last fill 6 days ago. I feel like I have turned a corner in the past couple of days. I am finding that, although I can fit more food in my stomach, I don't want to. If I am busy doing other things, I can forget about food. I hope this means I am getting into the Green Zone. Getting back to work tomorrow will be the test. Every day I find myself watching the clock, counting down to my next meal or snack.