Question for those who hit the sweet spot: What does hunger feel like now? How does it feel to be "full" on the lap band? Can anyone describe it for me? Just wondering what I'd be looking for after I get the surgery and start having fills. Thanks!

For me it feels the same, but I'm more likely to get too full on much less food. A key is to eat slow, and make sure your eyes aren't bigger than your (newly banded) stomach. It's so uncomfortable to be too full.

For me it like being able to eat half a sandwich or one taco and feeling full. You don't feel like you need to keep going just to reach the level of full you were used to.

I can't say it feels full. What happens is I get a soft stop. That means I get a signal, even if mild, that I've had enough. This can be the feeling that food isn't going down as fast as the previous bite. Or a yawn. Or a hiccup. Or just not ravenous with this bite. Or the feeling that one more bite might feel too much and two more would definitely be too much. Here's the key. I have to listen to the soft stop. I can easily blow right through it and overeat. The band, even if optimally filled, does not stop me from overeating. Second key. I don't get that signal when I'm eating soft or mushy foods or creamy or crunchy. I never get it eating a salad. It only happens when swallowing dense p rotein. What all that means is that I can just eat and eat and eat unless I'm paying attention and willing to stop at the soft stop signal. Final key. It also doesn't work unless I s l o w d o w n.

I believe I am at green even though I haven't lost weight recently. Why am I at green? I get stuck often enough that I know going tighter would be counterproductive. Why have I not lost weight? Easy. I'm eating all the wrong foods. This week I recommitted and am working with someone else on my food plan. And I'm listening to my soft stops and actually stopping. Green is a wonderful place to be, but it's still a lot of work.

Thank you, everyone! JustWatchMe, would you say that eating less is easier with the band or just as hard as before? If that's the case, why am I even getting surgery if it's not going to impact how full I get or decrease my appetite?? My biggest fear is going through this and not feeling any different than I did before. I realize I have to be the one making right food choices, but my hope is that the band makes it *easier* to stop binge eating, reduce my portion sizes, and feel full on less food.

It definitely makes it easier, but it's not fool proof! I lost 25 lbs with the band (of 55 total to lose). I'm still on my weight loss journey. But I know that if I didn't have surgery I never would have lost those 25 lbs and I would have just kept gaining. The losses are slow going but so much better than gaining!

Oh it's easier by far! I just have to do my part. No comparison though. I am definitely not as hungry and definitely not hungry between meals. By the way, it's been a week since I recommitted and cleaned up my food plan and I lost four pounds. The key this week was to track and weigh and measure my foods. I finally bought a food scale. Big difference in keeping it real.

First of all...my problem was I could not control my appetie and eating...diets failed everytime because I had no self-control...as a last resort, my PCP recommended surgery...to do what I was incapable of doing myself....

THAT's why I had surgery...I expected a difference.

Since then, I've never felt full in the classic sense....I simply do not want to eat anymore...and have no desire to eat. My tastes have totally changed, I do not get turned on by the smells/aromas of food. The sight of it does absolutely nothing.

The only way I can explain it is like this......remember when you ate more than you should, say at Thanksgiving...so much you had to unbuckle your pants. If someone put another slice of pie in front of you, you would wave your hands and say "You got to be kidding, take it away....I cannot possibly eat one more thing...I don't ever want to look at food again!"

Well, I feel that way all the time..but not as drastic. Not a physical feeling, but purey a mental thing...subtle thoughts, feelings......my brain is telling me I'm not hungry, I don't need to eat, I am more than full, I am satisfied !

Yet! I haven't eaten anything yet. I may not have eaten all day...

I believe the presence of the band, adjusted, is sending my brain these signals.

I can go to the grocery store and wander...not seeing anything that interests me...My tastes have changed dramatically, sometimes none at all...

And this is coming from a guy who could not stop eating...all day long, like a machine!

I could devour a large pizza all by myself..then go looking for a snack an hour later.

When we go out to eat (which is often because both my wife and I work ridiculous long hours)..I try to order something nutritious, what I know I should be eating.....and after eating about a tenth, I put the fork down...I'm done, have no desire to continue....it's like a child playing with his vegetables....I bring home more than I eat.

THIS to me...is the Green Zone.....First, No hunger, no cravings...completely under control. Second, portion control...it is impossible for me to overeat, and if for some strange reason I wanted to, I would get sick.

So hunger control + portion control, = weight loss....weight loss until I reached what my body felt was a good place to be...then it leveled out and stayed.

I know from years experience, everyone experiences things differently with the band...some are hungry and crave food all the time...some for hours between meals....and some, like me, 24/7

When I am busy, occupied in some endeavor like an outing, travel, etc...I can go forever without eating....it usually takes the people around me to start complaining about stopping to eat.

But I am always diligent to get my daily Protein in, and always drinking Water.

Thank you, everyone. This actually makes me feel better. I have my surgery scheduled for Monday!! Insurance just approved me so I'm good to go.

I am really hoping I lose a significant amount of weight by doing this. I'm 33 and feel like I'm 53 I can't get up and down from the floor easily, I can't run or walk quickly, my knees and hips hurt, I lose my breath easily... food is just not worth it. But my appetite, it's just horrendous. Out of control.

I want to be healthy for my family. I want to feel good again. I want to fit into rollercoaster and airplane seats without a problem. I want to have the energy to travel and explore. I want to be strong and do outdoorsy things like hike and maybe rock climb. I want to go skiing with my boy. I want to be able to run and jump and play.

I couldn't care less about my physical appearance. If I could be healthy and feel good I'd love being fat It doesn't work that way though.

Anyway, thank you again, everyone, for sharing your experiences. I'm going to enjoy my Christmas and then prepare myself for a new beginning with weight loss surgery.

First of all...my problem was I could not control my appetie and eating...diets failed everytime because I had no self-control...as a last resort, my PCP recommended surgery...to do what I was incapable of doing myself....

THAT's why I had surgery...I expected a difference.

Since then, I've never felt full in the classic sense....I simply do not want to eat anymore...and have no desire to eat. My tastes have totally changed, I do not get turned on by the smells/aromas of food. The sight of it does absolutely nothing.

The only way I can explain it is like this......remember when you ate more than you should, say at Thanksgiving...so much you had to unbuckle your pants. If someone put another slice of pie in front of you, you would wave your hands and say "You got to be kidding, take it away....I cannot possibly eat one more thing...I don't ever want to look at food again!"

Well, I feel that way all the time..but not as drastic. Not a physical feeling, but purey a mental thing...subtle thoughts, feelings......my brain is telling me I'm not hungry, I don't need to eat, I am more than full, I am satisfied !

Yet! I haven't eaten anything yet. I may not have eaten all day...

I believe the presence of the band, adjusted, is sending my brain these signals.

I can go to the grocery store and wander...not seeing anything that interests me...My tastes have changed dramatically, sometimes none at all...

And this is coming from a guy who could not stop eating...all day long, like a machine!

I could devour a large pizza all by myself..then go looking for a snack an hour later.

When we go out to eat (which is often because both my wife and I work ridiculous long hours)..I try to order something nutritious, what I know I should be eating.....and after eating about a tenth, I put the fork down...I'm done, have no desire to continue....it's like a child playing with his vegetables....I bring home more than I eat.

THIS to me...is the Green Zone.....First, No hunger, no cravings...completely under control. Second, portion control...it is impossible for me to overeat, and if for some strange reason I wanted to, I would get sick.

So hunger control + portion control, = weight loss....weight loss until I reached what my body felt was a good place to be...then it leveled out and stayed.

I know from years experience, everyone experiences things differently with the band...some are hungry and crave food all the time...some for hours between meals....and some, like me, 24/7

When I am busy, occupied in some endeavor like an outing, travel, etc...I can go forever without eating....it usually takes the people around me to start complaining about stopping to eat.

But I am always diligent to get my daily Protein in, and always drinking Water.

I love this...hit the nail on the head.

I think that I'm at my green level right now but I'm not sure I have that point where at the beginning of eating my band feels too tight like nothing wants to go through and then after I eat a few bites things start to go through but I still know when I hit my hunger point which is a lot less than what I used to eat does this sound familiar to anyone

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@@JustWatchMe I get it now It's really hard to explain the soft stop to anyone who hasn't had surgery but I definitely know what you're talking about. It happens all the time now and if I eat beyond the soft stop I get too full and it hurts.

I'm able to eat between 1/3-1/2 of the amount of food I used to eat. I think I might need another 1/2 cc or 1 cc to be completely green but so far, so good!

Update from me. Since I first replied to this post in December I have lost ten pounds. I cleaned up my food (eliminated all the crap, the sliders and fried foods) and track faithfully and honestly. I'm also working with an OA sponsor. My band feels like it's working better, but in reality, I'm working my program better! I'm optimistic that I can get to goal.

Thank you, everyone! JustWatchMe, would you say that eating less is easier with the band or just as hard as before? If that's the case, why am I even getting surgery if it's not going to impact how full I get or decrease my appetite?? My biggest fear is going through this and not feeling any different than I did before. I realize I have to be the one making right food choices, but my hope is that the band makes it *easier* to stop binge eating, reduce my portion sizes, and feel full on less food.

I had my surgery in 2013 and it didn't work at all like I thought it would. Every person has a different experience, but I wish I would have had more people tell me theirs before I had my surgery. If you want to chat more about it, I'm definitely game.

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I feel it is easier with the band. I make smarter choivea but i can still eat some of the things i like. If someone is battling a sincere food addiction then the band may not work for them. The band helps me witj controlling my intake and i like to exercise because i feel like it makes a difference.

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@@Thias38 I think it's a good tool for volume eaters. My diet was always healthy and balanced, I just ate too much of ALL food groups.

@@JustWatchMe That's great news! Keep it up!!