Hi, I'm new here. Had my band for 5 years before removal 2 weeks ago. Lost 50lbs at first, then nothing. I'm hungry all the time.... Fullness was never achieved with the band. A couple bites of healthy food didn't give a full sensation, just pain or vomiting if I tried to eat more. It did not take me long to figure out how to 'graze' to satisfy my hunger. After a diagnosis of severe reflux, the band filler was removed and I gained back all the weight. Now I'm looking to have the sleeve but I'm terrified of making another mistake.... Will this 'tool' really help me with appetite/hunger?

Hi!

I am pretty new here, too, as I am approacing my 2 week sleeve-a-versary. I wish I could guarantee you and me that this would be the answer, but the proof for me is yet to be seen. Your Band story is very similar to mine...I was hungry most of the time and would eat the "wrong" things in order to satisfy my hunger...healthy foods just didn't stay down. So far, I am very happy to have my band out and my tummy trimmed down. Recovering nicely.

I am sure that you will receive many replies from this group as they were nothing but warm and helpful to me as I prepared for my revision. As I move through my recovery, I'll keep you posted on how things go. Wish me luck!

Cheers~

Barb

Hi, I'm new here. Hay band for 5 years before removal 2 weeks ago. Lost 50lbs at first, then nothing. I'm hungry all the time.... Fullness was never achieved with the band. A couple bites of healthy food didn't give a full sensation, just pain or vomiting if I tried to eat more. It did not take me long to figure out how to 'graze' to satisfy my hunger. After a diagnosis of severe reflux, the band filler was removed and I gained back all the weight. Now I'm looking to have the sleeve but I'm terrified of making another mistake.... Will this 'tool' really help me with appetite/hunger?

Hi, I'm new here. Had my band for 5 years before removal 2 weeks ago. Lost 50lbs at first, then nothing. I'm hungry all the time.... Fullness was never achieved with the band. A couple bites of healthy food didn't give a full sensation, just pain or vomiting if I tried to eat more. It did not take me long to figure out how to 'graze' to satisfy my hunger. After a diagnosis of severe reflux, the band filler was removed and I gained back all the weight. Now I'm looking to have the sleeve but I'm terrified of making another mistake.... Will this 'tool' really help me with appetite/hunger?

You will get varying answers but it has for me. I do feel "full" after eating 3-4 oz of food, particularly Protein. A lot of times I could go longer without eating but I eat so that I get enough calories for the day. (However I was not a revision).

Will this 'tool' really help me with appetite/hunger?

I was not a revision either; but the doctor explained that when the stomach is removed so is the hormone that makes you feel hungry...I couldn't wait as I was previously ALWAYS hungry! It's true- I am not hungry, although I do have "head hunger" - times where I want something just because that used to be the habit. Some days I do not eat enough and I am positve that that is why I keep having plateaus and I am loosing slowly. But any loss is good loss, so I just try to be happy that it is going in the right direction.

Good luck!

I am not a revision but I have lost my hunger. If I don't eat for a while I feel "empty" and maybe have a headache but that terrible "Feed me NOW" feeling I had before surgery is gone. It is the best thing about the surgery for me, as I always was hungry and I had to eat until I was stuffed. Now food is fuel most of the time. I have head hunger for sweets but I had a bite of a cupcake a couple weeks ago and it just didn't taste the same as it used to.

I've seen this question a lot, and it was something I looked at really carefully before being sleeved. The answers vary generally to the degree that you feel hungry. For some people, they experience NO hunger whatsoever (Look at Tiffykins and JuliaRH for this). For a lot of people, it's a matter of reduced hunger. For me, personally, my hunger has been reduced a LOT. I am constantly amazed at how little I eat and feel full. This morning, I went out to brunch and had an egg and part of a chicken apple sausage, and I was marveling to myself at how full I felt. I tend to really notice it when I go out to eat because then I usually get the usual giant plateful of food that I used to eat, but can only handle eating a very small portion of it (as opposed to when I eat at home, and serve myself a tiny portion on a salad plate, which I've gotten very used to). And I don't feel hungry 2 hours later or anything, it generally takes me a good 3 to 4 hours before I feel hungry again. Also, the hunger I feel is different from my old hunger. I used to feel ravenous whenever I dieted, and it took a lot of mental self-control to stay on a diet. Now, it just feels like I am eating plenty and feeling good while on much smaller portions. I'd say my case (milder hunger and good restriction) is sort of the norm for most sleevers. There are some people who say they are hungry a lot, but I'd say that's a much smaller percentage than those who have greatly reduced hunger. And there are those with no hunger at all, but again, I'd say that's also a smaller percentage. For me, I feel the perfect amount of hunger--enough to make me crave healthy foods in very small amounts. I hope that helps!

I had a revision and with the band I was always hungry. I either had one of two extremes: too tight and everything slimed up or I could eat whatever I wanted (usually the second one). Now with the sleeve I have restriction. I can only eat a small amount and I get really really full. There are a few "slider" foods that I can eat more of like popcorn or chips, but I try to stay away from them as much as possible. I have found that I just don't obsess about food anymore. I do have a bit of hunger when it is time to eat, but once I get something in my stomach I am fine for hours. I LOVE my sleeve. I am losing weight (54 pounds in 4 1/2 months). The sleeve is a great tool!

I had the same or similar band experience. I can tell you that the sleeve has resolved all my physical hunger. THAT does not equal appetite or head hunger so let's make a clear definition between the 2. Physical hunger, I literally never have it, my stomach never growls, aches, hurts, rumbles, nothing, I forget to eat all the time.

Appetite, I still love food, it's still my favorite past time, none of that changed with surgery, but the sleeve does make cravings more manageable and I make the "best" choice on what I put in my mouth because I don't want my butt to get huge again.

As for junk food, and enjoying food, it's a quality over quantity now, but I still love food, I just see it differently now.

Also, for me, I do not eat until full or stuffed. This is something that was so stressed to me pre-VSG that you really have to learn this new behavior. Measured portions, and eating under capacity, yet being satisfied with smaller portions is a hard concept to grasp when most of us eat until we are stuffed. I've eaten until stuffed full and was miserable, it's lost all it's appeal for me. So, I do not eat until I'm full, I eat until I'm satisfied, and that's the best part of the sleeve. It's easy to stay on target with the sleeve in my corner even with smaller portions.

I'm nearly 2 years out, and have zero physical hunger. I do get moments of head hunger, or cravings. Those things are mental, and unfortunately, they operated on my stomach, not my brain so I have to be responsible and take ownership on what I put in my mouth.

Thanks everyone! All of your comments have been helpful. I am now really looking forward to the sleeve. Having more control over my hunger and appetite cravings has always been a dream for me and it sounds like many of of you had had success with this with the sleeve. Thanks again1

Hi, I'm new here. Had my band for 5 years before removal 2 weeks ago. Lost 50lbs at first, then nothing. I'm hungry all the time.... Fullness was never achieved with the band. A couple bites of healthy food didn't give a full sensation, just pain or vomiting if I tried to eat more. It did not take me long to figure out how to 'graze' to satisfy my hunger. After a diagnosis of severe reflux, the band filler was removed and I gained back all the weight. Now I'm looking to have the sleeve but I'm terrified of making another mistake.... Will this 'tool' really help me with appetite/hunger?

I am not a revision but I have lost my hunger. If I don't eat for a while I feel "empty" and maybe have a headache but that terrible "Feed me NOW" feeling I had before surgery is gone. It is the best thing about the surgery for me, as I always was hungry and I had to eat until I was stuffed. Now food is fuel most of the time. I have head hunger for sweets but I had a bite of a cupcake a couple weeks ago and it just didn't taste the same as it used to.

This is exactly how it is for me. I am 6 months post-op and I still don't feel any actual hunger! I do feel empty and that is a signal to me to eat something (protein!!) and I can stay full for a long time off a very small amount of food! I do have some head-hunger issues where I think I 'need' something! LOL

I am just over 4 weeks out from surgery so it is probably too early to say what my experience is going to be like. I haven't had any hunger at all yet and I am someone who had ravenous....I will hurt someone now if I don't get to eat soon...type of hunger. My husband used to joke about my Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde personality changes when I was hungry!

I still have an appetite and food appeals to me and I really enjoy what I eat but if I am busy, I can forget to eat. I never understood people who said they "forgot to eat" but I get it now. I think the change in my hunger is one of the major reasons why this surgery is working for me! That tiny little tummy helps too. Good luck with your decision!

Can I say that I just love you guys? :love: You are so wonderfully supportive and I love hearing from folks that have traveled the road that I am on now! I remember how I felt when I first got my Band. That honeymoon period was awesome and I used to pat my port and tell him (yes, it was male) how much I loved him. Of course, we revisionists all know that that period did not last long enough for us and that we had serious issues with our bands or we would have not put our bodies through more surgery. I am happy to report that I'll be 2 weeks out tomorrow and I am feeling stronger everyday. I have started exercising and feel much lighter...not sure how much I weigh as I don't like the scales and am afraid to get on them here at home! But I am feeling great! Working hard to follow the rules and enjoy the lack of hunger that my new little tummy gives me!! Thanks again for all your love and support! You are my inspiration!

Happy Monday!

Barb

I can confirm that I don't have hunger in the way that I used to. I still want food - the mental part of the equation does not necessarily change. However, the sleeve makes it easier to choose the right things. Sugary stuff makes me sick. Bread does not sit well. Because of those reasons alone, I will almost always choose the high Protein food that is best for me. I think that I have also been so terrified about being malnurished, that I end up choosing the protein every time - its like the sleeve gives me enough of a pause and encourages me to choose the right thing.

That said, I sometimes get the "munchies", usually around that time of the month. The plus with the sleeve is that the restriction is very consistent. EVen if I grab something "bad" I can't eat very much of it. I have had days where I eat every 2 hours because of that "munchies" feeling, but I ate string cheese, yogurt, flax crackers with hummus, etc - only 2 oz at a time. None of it was going to derail me completely, especially in low quantities.

With my band, the worst food always went down the easiest :-)

Lara

So true!

With the band, the bad stuff just slipped on through and the good stuff made me throw up! Go figure! I love hearing how the sleeve is working for you guys. I can already tell that I will want to make better choices. Today, I tried a sugar free ICE from Rita's. I had had one during the first week and I thought it had given me gas and the "poops", but I was out today and thought..."let's give it another shot...those sugar free ices sure will be good this summer" Well, did I get a rude awakening! The same thing happened and I have been in the bathroom with a rumbling tummy since the last bite! I guess we just have to learn some lessons the hard way! The good news is I now have no plans to eat an ICE sweetened with SPLENDA ever again!!!

Cheers~

Barb

I can confirm that I don't have hunger in the way that I used to. I still want food - the mental part of the equation does not necessarily change. However, the sleeve makes it easier to choose the right things. Sugary stuff makes me sick. Bread does not sit well. Because of those reasons alone, I will almost always choose the high Protein food that is best for me. I think that I have also been so terrified about being malnurished, that I end up choosing the protein every time - its like the sleeve gives me enough of a pause and encourages me to choose the right thing.

That said, I sometimes get the "munchies", usually around that time of the month. The plus with the sleeve is that the restriction is very consistent. EVen if I grab something "bad" I can't eat very much of it. I have had days where I eat every 2 hours because of that "munchies" feeling, but I ate string cheese, yogurt, flax crackers with hummus, etc - only 2 oz at a time. None of it was going to derail me completely, especially in low quantities.

With my band, the worst food always went down the easiest :-)

Lara

Hi, I'm new here. Had my band for 5 years before removal 2 weeks ago. Lost 50lbs at first, then nothing. I'm hungry all the time.... Fullness was never achieved with the band. A couple bites of healthy food didn't give a full sensation, just pain or vomiting if I tried to eat more. It did not take me long to figure out how to 'graze' to satisfy my hunger. After a diagnosis of severe reflux, the band filler was removed and I gained back all the weight. Now I'm looking to have the sleeve but I'm terrified of making another mistake.... Will this 'tool' really help me with appetite/hunger?

Hubby and are both sleeved and we do not experience true hunger ever! (I'm 7 months post-op and hubby is almost 3 months out.) I agree with Tiffy...food is still appealing and of course head-hunger. But the absence of true hunger is such a wonderful gift...love it.

I know of several sleevers who still experience true hunger, so it's not a 100% guarantee that you will lose it. GOOD LUCK!