I have been to the initial seminar and many questions were answered there. I wanted to ask here about those who have had this surgery with regard to satiety (feeling full).

I have done many things to try and loose weight but the hardest has always been eating less.

The ONLY time I ever really felt like a normal person was when I was on Fen-Phen. I could eat half a normal meal then push away without any desire or cravings later on. It was the only program that worked for me and I would have continued if it had not been taken off the market.

In the seminar the doctor indicated that one of the "magic" parts of this procedure is that satiety is reached quickly. Can some of you who also have been on Fen Phen and now have the Lap Band compare the two? Thanks

The big difference is that with appetite suppressants, you don't WANT to overeat and with the band, you CAN'T overeat.

Saiety is a moot point with the band. Even if you have "head hunger" (meaning you aren't hungry, you just crave the taste of food), it's not physically possible to eat and eat and eat, once you have good restriction. It will, quite literally, come back up if you try. That, of course, assumes that you aren't eating around the band by consuming liquid or melt-in-your-mouth calories (ice cream, chocolate, chips, etc).

The volume eater does very well with the band because it puts the brakes on after about a cup of food. And yes, you FEEL full. My band is pretty tight and even a cup of Soup, if it is thick and hearty, will fill me up.

I was on Phen Fen and I agree, it was great...it worked...until a heart murmer was detected and we stopped it. Thankfully my murmer went away, but I, too, didn't crave foods while on it.

Carlene hit the nail right on the head - The big difference is that with appetite suppressants, you don't WANT to overeat and with the band, you CAN'T overeat. If you do notice that you can eat a lot, then you need a fill...

Remember, this is a tool and you have to WANT to use the tool - if you fill yourself with liquid calories, you aren't using the tool for it's true purpose. Eat to the point of SATISFACTION, not to the point of being FULL.

This is how I find its worked for me.....

Before, I'd get the munchies, head hungers, whatever you want to call them. Late morning, late afternoon, whenever, I always wanted carbs - biscuits, cake etc. I'd give in nine times out of ten. Then if I'd eaten a muffin mid morning, I'd figure I may as well have McDonalds for lunch, and that would be followed by more junk in the afternoon, because why stop there?

If I didnt give in, I'd make it to dinner and be starving and eat an enormous meal.

Sometimes I'd do well for a few weeks at a time.

Now, I get the munchies, head hunger etc mid morning, late afternoon. I still want carbs. I resist nine times out of ten. Because I couldnt get a McDonalds burger down anyway, I dont eat it for lunch, even if I did eat the wicked muffin mid morning. And if I've resisted all day, I may be hungry at dinner time, but a small meal fills me up. And if I didnt resit, I usually cant even eat dinner at all. My band tightens up around 5 pm and unless my stomach is empty at that point, that's the end of eating for the day for me, as long as I make sure I'm really hungry I can get a small dinner down.

Its perfect - give in to the head hunger and I automatically compensate at the next meal and dont go off on a week long binge, dont give in and I dont overeat to compensate.

I did Phen Phen and IT WAS GREAT! I never overate with it . I didnt have the desire to. I lost 100 pounds in 6 months with it. I weined myself off of it and eventually I didnt have a CHOICE . that sucked. I maintained my weight for about six years and then I had a breakup and started eating my old way again and didnt stop and gained 80 pounds in 3 years. Growing up I was a little chuncky maybe 30 pnds overweight or so but always dieted because when your 6ft. tall and I was a model your always starving yourself. Liquid diets etc. etc. really screwing up your health. Got married and pregnant 2 yrs in a row and it felt like I had the get out of jail free card from dieting!! I gained 100 in 9 months!! Thats when I did the phen phen. Im glad its not around anymore because I would have taken it instead of surgery and probably yoyoed 5 more times in my life! Im only 37 so I would have plenty of time to do it. Im so happy I did the lap so I know I can keep myself in check forever. I wish I had it done 20 years ago. Being drug induced so you dont care for food can last only so long.

"Fullness," when banded, is a physical barrier reached WAY sooner than our heads are willing to admit, at first. But after a while we get used to it, and have to learn to accept that physically FULL is now what "satisfied" feels like.

It takes some learning but when the day comes that wow, you realize you haven't thought about food in hours--THAT'S when the beauty of the band shines through.

I too had great results with the Fen-Phen, then gained it all back. I can truly say that I am never really feeling hungry, just something seems like it would be good to eat, so it is a mind game thing. I feel thirst, but not hunger. Yes everyone is right that you can not overeat or you will have it coming back up, so just start training your mind to make the small meals count for your necessary protein and vitamin intake. If you choose to eat the wrong foods or liquids, the scales will not be your friend. It is truly amazing what quantities I can eat now and feel fine all day on that and not be constantly thinking of what to eat next.

To those who look at their watch and see that it is 5:00 pm and have forgotten to eat because they are not hungry, isn't that a bad thing? I am not banded yet, working on it and still researching. Has anyone had any malnutrition problems by choosing the wrong things to eat?

I have heard more positive things about the band than bad, but I am so scared, but yet so ready to lose weight and be healthy. My family has a history of high blood pressure and diabeties and I do not want to go there! I have high blood pressure on and off (Weird) and was on medication during my pregnancy.

Sweetrepose, you'd be amazed at how little food obese people actually need to stay nourished. These periods of "forgetting to eat" do not go on long--a few weeks here and there, perhaps. No one is going to become malnourished in such a short time as long as they are drinking enough, getting some Protein (Protein shakes are great for these times), and taking a Multivitamin.

Sooner or later, for whatever reason, we are able to eat a bit more over time. Not to worry.

I'm full but my head tells me i'm hungry it sucks day 6 is almost over soft food coming soon!!! i can't wait.

Ok, so if you overeat, do you throw up? I would be so scared to go out to eat and eat to much and throw up in the restaraunt. Has that happened to anyone?

You know what sweetrepose, it happens to everyone once id bet! Its not that big of a deal really, I learned my lesson, and now Im VERY careful when I go out. I do not push my limits and play it safe to avoid those situations. And also its not like when you get the flu and all of the sudden you puke your guts out out of nowhere, its more like a slow growing pain and you think uh oh I better get to the bathroom, and you have time to get there.

Ok, good! I was really worried about that! Sounds silly and I am sure you get used to what your limit is.

day 10 doing better yeterday was my first day out of the house in a week. wow i can't belive it goes by sofast. I do feel i need mushie food. 4 days and counting.

I know I'm probably the only one here who was young and foolish in her younger years....but remember your first (& hopefully your last) bad drunk? You know, the hugging the toilet drunk? Well, that happened to me on Vodka at age 21---I am 47 years old and even the thought of vodka makes me wince! Well, my first PB was on a bagle---I felt terrible---it reminded me of getting sick on that stupid vodka! I used to LOVE Bagels---not any more! I have found that if I get a PB or vomit on something THAT'S IT for me! No more! It ain't worth it! It's hard to slow down---my worst problem is remembering to chew extra well and eat slowwwwwly! Getting sick on a food definitely gives me an adversion to it. I guess it's like a survival technique?

I took Phen-Fen when it was the "magic bullet" for weightloss; fortunately, I didn't suffer any ill effects when it was discontinued other than regaining all the weight I'd lost. Now that I think back, being banded and taking Phen-Fen do offer similar feeling of satiety. As Jack so wonderfully states (thanks Jack for all your insightful and often humorous posts), the feeling of satiety is your goal, forget about feeling full.

With the band, I don't have the cravings I had pre-band. With the band, I can stare down a box of glazed donuts someone brings to the office; I can walk past the Breakfast cart in the lobby of my building and not yearn for bacon and cheese breakfast tacos or sausage and cheese kolaches. I can go to the cafeteria and walk past the pizza buffet. I just don't want to eat those things anymore.

I believe the positive effects of being banded are as much psychological as physiological. I know if I were to make some bad food choices I'd face the unpleasantries of PBing or vomiting, but the real beauty of the band is that I no longer "want" to eat like that. I still enjoy food, I just enjoy much smaller quantities. Life is so damn good for me after being banded I sometimes just have to take a minute to realize how fortunate I am to have managed to live long enough to finally have the surgery.