Help! Help! Help! I need some encouragement or support or a slap in the face....something. LOL. Bring it on! Because I can't stop. =(

My head hunger is really controlling me right now! Luckily for my sake, I can only eat about 6oz of whatever I am craving. I am almost 3 weeks out and can eat just about anything I want, if I eat very slowly and chew chew chew. I was told to stay away from beef for the first month by my doctor. I have definitely done that.

So........ I am only eating about 6oz's a meal but I am eating some breads, pastas and potatoes just like before banding. I have been recording it in fitday and it doesn't go over 1100 calories. But for some reason, it really, really feels like I am cheating or something and I feel completely out of control.

I am not gaining weight but I'm not losing either and I didn't expect to lose at this point really because I haven't had my first fill yet. However, even though I haven't lost weight in a week and a half, I have definitely lost inches in my hips and waist.

When do I get PB's over food? After I have had my first fill? It would be nice in a way that even though I crave it if I couldn't have it at all without complications or a PB.

Is my out of control feeling maybe mental because I am not eating diet foods? Has anyone else felt like this? hmmmmm.... maybe I am having a food related anxiety attack.....

Yah, carbs are my downfall, too. I am a carb freak. Sweets and soda don't interest me at all but breads, pasta, and potatoes.... Mmmm. And then there has to be cheese on top of all them carbs just to make them taste even better!

Me too. I don't get my first fill till 9-26 and I am gaining. I am fighting this band. I don't crave the Diet Cokes(and I was addicted), but I am eating too much and the wrong things. I have gained back like 3 lbs in the last week. I worry about stretching my pouch. I know now why this is "Bandster Hell".

Hang in there, Candy. I sufffered through Bandster Hell for about a month and gained back about 5 or 6 pounds before getting my first fill at 8 weeks. Keep TRYING to make good choices and don't get discouraged. We are in this for the long haul, that is why we didn't choose RNY.

I like to think of it as the stock market: There will be losses and gains, but it is still progress if the trend is in the right direction.

My best advice- Try hard to stay away from carbs. I find that the more carbs I eat, the more I crave them.

Good luck!

Maybe the thing to do when you feel yourself going out of control is to revert to a week of the post-op diet. Right now I am on week two of post-op and am eating soup (Gardenay soups) and lots of yogurt. I don't mind this diet and I figure I can go back to this whenever I find myself drifting back into my bad habits. One of my problems, apart from the carb thing, is that I am a nighttime eater. I am now trying to learn to eat much smaller amounts and during the day. This is really tough for me.

I had my 2nd fill on wednesday (banded 7-13, 1st fill 8-21), and I'm having all kinds of problems now. My first fill wasn't this traumatic.

I can only eat about 2 tablespoons of food, and burping like mad, if not sliming too. I'm hungry, but can't eat. I'm also getting the idea of 'it hurts to eat, so why eat anyway?' I'm trying to give a few days for it to settle down before going back for an unfill, but I'm afraid of doing that becuase I was eating enough to only lose 3 lbs in 2 weeks.

Any thoughts?

Until you get a fill or two you don't have any restriction (except for the swelling for a few days after surgery). All you have now is a tool that's been inserted....it hasn't been 'turned on' yet, just put in place.

Can I tell you my opinion of why you are craving? It's the @#$# CARBS!! Carbs make you crave everything! I try to keep mine under 50-60 gr./day....and I try to eat them later in the day because if I eat them in the morning I crave something all day long. Carbs are EVIL!

Also, if you are eating about 1100 cal./day and you are eating carbs(which are hi in caloresi) you aren't getting much food so you are no doubt hungry!

Have you followed the rule about not drinking for an hour or so after eating? Drinking with or right after your meal washes the food out and you're empty and hungry right away.

If you will switch to eating good Proteins (eggs, tuna, cottage cheese, thin sliced turkey, good quality Protein supps) .... eat them first, then if you have room eat a few veggies. Then you should be full. You'll also feel better, more energetic, and should cut your cravings a lot.

I know quite a few very successful losers and these are the rules they have taught me....and it's working for me, too.

Best wishes!!

Great post GayleTX I will definately try the Protein first rule. My Surgeon advised me you cannot stretch your pouch until you get a fill. If the fill is too tight is when you can stretch the pouch.

Alot of people on this site talk about Protein shakes after being banded. Do they fill you up? I was told to stay away from liquid foods as they go straight through the band and don't keep you full.

Sarah:hungry:

The Protein shakes are a life-saver IMO!! But it needs to be a good quality protein....one made specifically for bariatric patients, not athletes or weightlifters who need lots of energy or dieters trying to lose 5 pounds.

I use IDS and nectar for the most part. I make shakes in a hi-watt blender and put in ice and sometimes some LF cream cheese and fruit. I use divinci SF syrups to have some variety in the flavors.. makes me feel like I've had something illegal.

I am much stronger than I've been in a few years, I haven't lost any hair, my color is good, my labs are good. I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to regain my health and add a few years to my life (and life to my years!).