Lapband placed on 1/21/14. Swelling must be resolved because I feel no restriction. Stuck to pre-op diet exactly so I have some cravings that are hitting me strong now. Any words of wisdom to help me through this very difficult time?

Are there any newbies experiencing the same thing? If so, how are u coping?

welcome to bandster hell. of course any red blooded human would be hungry. my only suggestion is to eat as much as you are allowed. eat all the liquids your doctor suggested. and drink a lot of fluids. hot tea or coffee. you can add Protein to hot coffee if you make a paste with the protein using Water or milk, i use the leftover coffee from morning and than add the hot coffee to it slowly. it doesnt turn the protein into yuck. take a walk, take a shower, brush your teeth. go play with your dog. i dunno. it is a very difficult part of being banded. try and stay with healthy food. good luck.

Yeah I was there just a few weeks ago. I was banded 12/16. I've had bad hunger issues as well. Drinking fluids definitely helps. More and more fluids, hot teas etc. it's brutal during this period. I've given into these cravings a bit more than I should and my weight loss has definitely slowed down.

Drink, drink and then drink some more. Be sure and get your Protein and also make sure you have a little fat in there as this helps with the hunger pangs. When do you get your first fill?

Drink, drink and then drink some more. Be sure and get your protein and also make sure you have a little fat in there as this helps with the hunger pangs. When do you get your first fill?

Not sure. 1st post op appt next week. Thanks for advice.

Good luck

I drank special k protein drinks , hot teat, tomato soup, and boost protein, and plenty of water oh yeah progressive broth keep pushing hot liquids. I'm down 18 lbs and I'm feeling great looking forward to next week for regular food, i get my first fill February 24th hang in there you can do it.

I was banded on the 21st also! I have been finding that I am hungrier than I expected, but also that I can't eat as much so that's a great thing. At first I thought I wasn't feeling any restriction at all, but I used to be able to eat an entire can of soup and now no where near that much. I do notice that when I am really careful about drinking plenty of Water it makes a huge difference too. I've sort of been at a stand still since my surgery, but I'd lost 20lbs in the weeks before. I'm trying to convince myself to look at the bigger picture, I'm down 20lbs!!! not man I haven't lost an ounce in a week. It's hard for sure. I'm worried it won't work, I'll fail and I don't want to go there.

My first fill is the 25th so my fingers are crossed.

I was banded two days after you. I'm on solids already because my doc is speedy Gonzales with everything in this process but even I'm hungry on solids... Because mostly its just cravings. My first fill is the 21st... I can't even tell you how bad I want that day to come

Abbie and Wendy,

So glad to hear that I'm not alone on the hunger issue. I think my surgeon performs the first fill at 6 weeks postoperative so I'm basically on a diet til then. But I'm down around 20 lbs since the beginning of this journey and I must be patient. It really helps to know that others are going thru some of the same things as me. First post op appt tomorrow.

I'm right there with you. I was banded on Dec 30 and the first two weeks were great! I was struggling to get in my calories and such. Then..... not so much. My scale moved down 0.2 lbs over the past two weeks.

I've had a few, "oh wow, did I really just eat that much?", moments.

I had my first fill on the 28th of Jan and it was good for about two days, but now I'm back to the same 'diet'. My next appt/possible fill is in exactly one month. It's crazy because I know I'm not eating or drinking nearly as much as I was before the pre-op phase, but I'm not making the scale move much either. (Insert attitude adjustment.) Slow and steady wins the race, of course! I'll take those 0.2 lb losses where I can get 'em!

What helps?

• Lipton cream of chicken cup of Soup
• 32 oz of Crystal Light by my side at all times
• 100 calorie Premier Protein snack shakes
• Atkins double chocolate caramel crunch bars for sweet cravings
• Aldi's apple/banana fruit puree packs
• Guacamole
• Eggland's Best hard boiled eggs (easy to make into deviled eggs for a quick 'treat')
• Aldi's light string cheese
• Sunflower kernals (well chewed, of course)

Best wishes!

Update: Had first post-op appointment today. Doc says I'm healing well and first fill will be in 4 weeks. He asked if I felt any restriction and I no -- because I've been super hungry and can eat a significant amount before feeling full. My doc and his nurse seemed surprised when I answered "no" to the restriction question. Their response was "you don't feel any restriction?" and really seemed to discount my answer/perspective (in a nice way, lol).

So, I've been thinking about the whole thing.......their perspective as clinicians and my perspective as the patient. I started with the verbiage - in particular the term restriction. So my definition of restriction is being able to eat approx 1 cup of food and feeling like I can't take another bite.......not sure exactly where I came up with that definition, but there it is. I'm guessing here - but I'd say my docs definition of restriction is that you feel full after eating less food than you did before the band.......especially prior to getting any adjustments.

So I'm gonna stop thinking about feeling restriction and focus on feeling full. I do feel full faster post lapband even without adjustment........but the term restriction doesn't really articulate that. The term restriction sends the wrong message (to me anyway). Does this resonate with anyone else at all?

Restriction for me means satisfaction with a limited amt of food. This amt can be different , depending on your fill and should be able to maintain you for 3 to 4 hours. Full for me is a very uncomfortable feeling that doesn't feel a whole lot different than being stuck. Something I avoid. I'm not sure if that's a plication thing or what.

I don't know about the rest of you post op bandsters, but I am sure my brain and my stomach are talking behind my back!!

My once lone scrambled egg was satisfying me for 5 to 6 hours. Now that egg wants company around the 3 hours mark after eating it. Hmmm, my clinic told me that once the swelling goes down I will start to get hungry.

Is it brain hungry or stomach hungry? I only try to eat something once my stomach starts to complain by growling at me.

Does anyone else get an all of a sudden instant hunger?

Maybe I will be ready for a fill soon.

Good luck everyone.

Ok all I am hungry all the time I'm going to stop taking my vitamins they are making me more hungry my first fill is the 24th i have stopped losing weight am i doing something wrong?

I had my surgery Feb 6th...a week ago today! Hungry....yes...I've been drinking all my Water...2 Protein shakes a day...I can have sf Jello, pudding, popsicles, applesauce now and cream Soups. I seem to do best sticking with the Protein Shakes and soups...when I get the sf stuff I end up really hungry....Next week I get cottage cheese and scrambled eggs!!!!