I was banded June 2013. I have around 5cc's in my 10cc band. I lost weight in the first 5 months by pure willpower and strict discipline. In December my mom was really sick and I had to care for her for two months. I got really tight (from stress) and got a couple of unfills because I kept getting stuck. I haven't been able to lose any weight since then. I've gone back for two fills but I can still eat like a truck driver and I'm always hungry. I don't believe I ever reached the green zone because even when I was tight, I was always hungry and could eat as I did preband. I admit, I've never gotten the hang of eating teeny tiny bites and that's probably why I was always getting stuck.

My question is, if I'm in the green zone, shouldn't I get full with one cup of food and be satisfied for 4 hrs? Or is this mostly a willpower thing? I was doing so well but I got burnt out and stopped recording my calories. One bad day turned into one bad week and now I'm just frustrated. It seems everyone else can't eat large quantities like I can. Even when I was tight and food got stuck a lot, I couldn't control my eating. Am I missing something here? Is this band all about willpower and recording calories? Help!

Make that banded June 2012!

If you're in the Green Zone, you should be satisfied with a cup or less of food for at least 4 hours. But, not full, in fact if you're eating until you're full you're likely eating too much.

Also, you mentioned eating big portions. You have to realize the band isn't supposed to physically stop you from eating anything. This is why it's so important to stick to band sized portions.

I personally have very little willpower. However, I want to be successful with my band more than anything. Thankfully, because I am in the Green Zone and my hunger is more than adequately controlled, I am able to stick to the band rules relatively easily. For me, because I'm satisfied on very little food and rarely hungry it's very easy to stay within my daily calories and a cup of food per meal.

Have a look at this link, I really think it will help you better understand it: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

Best Wishes.

How much food and how long it keeps you satisfied is actually debatable.

I have never used a cup measure for my food so i have no idea how much i eat.It could be a cup, it could be more, it could be less. Somedays that will keep me satisfied for 3 - 4 hours, somedays it will be less. A lot of it depends on what you eat. Some foods satisfy you for longer than others.

I don't think I ever hit the green zone or it least not in the way I expected it to be from hearing other people talk about it. But what did happen is that I ate smaller portions, i didn't feel the urge to keep snacking( although 4 years out that urge is raising it's ugly head with a vengeance), I lost all the weight I needed to and I didn't feel deprived or as though i was on a diet.

I see similar stories like yours every day it seems? It's my personal belief that many people in your shoes believe they're hungry but they're actually caving to head hunger/cravings. It's like Jean McMillan said last week:

"NO WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY OF ANY DESCRIPTION WILL KILL THE EATING DEMONS IN YOUR HEAD"

You have to ask yourself as you open the fridge or pantry, am I really hungry or do I just want to chew on something tasty?

"When a craving doesn't come from hunger, eating will never satisfy it" ...Dr. Michelle May

I am 4-1/2 months out. I have not reached the green zone yet. I am however, eating a lot smaller portions than I did before my surgery. I struggle every day with the dreaded "head Hunger". I am learning to sit and listen to my body. When I reach for something to eat, I have to be really still and feel my body. Am I really hungry or is it that old head hunger rearing it's ugly head. Every day is a struggle and a lesson.

It's not a will power thing for me....

Today: Had my usual morning smoothie....was very busy at work, saw patients right thru lunch...did not bother me at all....no hunger...and I did not have a thing to eat all day....

The drive home from work, stopped at Starbuck's for coffee, but did not even think of a snack....

For dinner, still was not hungry, and not really interested in eating.....but I knew I should eat... I had a piece of roasted chicken, leg and thigh, along with a little potato salad and some veggies...barley made it through the chicken, and just tasted the sides..and the band sets my portion sizes anyway...(I never measure) but I'm satisfied....

I will have another smoothie later just to be sure I get my Protein....

Today was one of those days I did not eat too much...it happens, but bottom line is I was not hungry all day, and still not....and when I did eat, my portion sizes were set by the band....

That is what being in the green zone is like for me....have to remind myself to eat, and if I am busy, I can easily forget and not even think about it....

As far as head hunger, that goes away by itself after a while I guess...have no other explanation other than it does not bother me like it used to.

Sure, I'll crave ice cream for example, so I will have some if I want it....I look at that as normal....everyone goes through that, and who doesn't like ice cream? ...including people who have never been overweight a day in their life...difference is I will not eat enough for 10 people like I used to...just a normal helping....

You have to liten hard for it. I can graze my way through 2000 or more calories in a day easily, yet if I eat proper Protein based meals, find it hard to reach 1200. I am never really hungry unless its mealtime.

But I suffer terrible boredom eating and sugar cravings. For that there is no answer but willpower. I've had fills I didn't relky need trying to knock that on the head and it never works.

The need for willpower can be eliminated through proper training. All cravings come from a real need but we aren't always good at recognizing what the need is.

When you're hungry real hunger goes away with relatively small amounts of food if eaten slowly. We may still want to eat and many of us have developed empty plate syndrome where we feel compelled to clean our plate regardless of how full we feel but that isn't real hunger and it can be fought by applying new (sometimes silly seeming) behaviors into our routines. Using smaller plates, setting down utensils, using smaller utensils, these strategies help us reprogram ourselves and if we stick with them for 28 days straight they have a shot at becoming habits.

Often when people try to find willpower what they need to do is look for a strategy that will allow them consistency. It's slow but the results are much more likely to stick.