I was banded on July 19 and I feel great but I seem to be always hungry now and I think I'm eating too much before I get that full feeling. Has anyone out there had this experience so soon after banding, could it be possibe I need a little fill. Right now I have nothing in there at all. I lost 15 lbs but that was in the first 2 weeks and when I got on the scale this moring I gained 1 1/2 lbs. Now I'm getting nervous Janis:cry

Janis,

I'm sure you have seen where this has happened before with others. The first 6 weeks after banding is meant for healing only. Some people actually DO gain some of their weight back.

This is because it's hard to make good hard Protein choices when you aren't eating solids yet. You don't want to eat solids yet, because this is the time for the band to 'anchor' itself in place. Too much grinding and churning to digest food can be attributed to 'slippage' later down the road.

It is very common for people to gain some weight during this interim. This might be a time where you begin entering your food into www.fitday.com, just to see how the calories add up. It may be that you want to trade a high Protein shake for a cup of Soup or mashed potatoes if you really are concerned about gaining anything at this point.

Once your liquids/mushy stage is over you can begin eating hard Proteins and you will probably get a fill. This is when your weight loss phase officially begins.

Good luck in the interim! I'm with you and everyone else has been there too!

Leatha

Janis I was banded on 5-6-04, and have not had a fill yet. I thaught I was getting hungary but finally realized that its really the munchies and that I was adjusting to a new style of eating. I munch on a handful of pistacios two or three times a day and for my sweet munchies I have s.f. popcicles or small York peppermint patties (4 to 8 a day ). And I am still loosing. Not as fast as I was, but thats o.k. Also how often do you weigh? When I was weighing every day my weight would fluctuate up and down by 1 to 3 lbs. Hang in there and drink extra water that helps too. Good luck...Janie

Janis,

What you're experiencing is a very normal and expected phase. You will be hungrier as your body heals and as long as you are still limited to liquids or mushies. You don't need a fill yet, you haven't been banded long enough and your healing isn't done. But what you do need is to eat more and keep yourself from getting too hungry and possibly eating too quickly.

Go ahead and EAT if you're hungry. This time is not about dieting, not about starving, not about suffering, and not about weight loss. It's about HEALING. When you are fully healed you will get a fill, and when you get the right restriction you will be astounded at how the hunger fades. But not yet.

Be patient and be good to yourself, and know that any weight lost at the start is a bonus. Start concentrating on eating the Protein first and even without a fill you will be taking in way fewer calories than you were pre-band. You may very well continue to lose weight, but even if you gain some back you are way ahead of the game. You are banded, and someday soon you will start on your weight loss journey in earnest.

Congratulations, and relax!!

I don't know what I would do without this site and all you great people. You're right, I'm feeling so good I keep forgetting I'm still healing and also using that scale tooo much. thanks everybody - I feel better already just got a little over anxious. Janis:)