I just got my Bella Band (I named her, Bella. She is now my most imporatant friend) October 22, 07. My doctor Carlos Ferrari in Houston, Texas. My starting weight 219 although his office says it was 214. I think the assistant can't read her own handwriting. LOL

So, I am new to this and have no clue where to start looking for help:help:.

Just this week I have started feeling so much hunger at around 9:30am, I mean I am practically starving:hungry:. I was drinking some Muscle Milk, Isopure in the mornings but now it just is not feeling me up. I am a very picky eater and I don't want to eat any breads or tortillas. I also have to watch my sugar intake because I am on insulin.

Today at 11am I felt like I was going to :faint:fall over and or :whoo:beat somebody up because I was so hungry. I am miserable :thinkand nee some advice on what to eat so that I can loose weight and not be hungry. Also my stomach has been hurting so much just really sore for some reason.

I look forwarf to soem interesting conversations with you all. :clap2:

I was banded just 11 days before you and I understand about being hungry in the mornings. One thing that helps me is eating Protein. I start most mornings with one scrambled egg and then mid-morning have a small Protein Drink. Then I have a small protein drink half way between lunch and dinner. As long as I eat protein with each meal I seem fine. As far as the Proteins go I've been eating cottage cheese, tuna, finely chopped chicken and even cheddar cheese.

I also had my doctor's office enter the wrong beginning weight. I made them change it. They misread an 8 as a 0 so they had me 8 pounds less. I stressed that my husband saw my original weight when they weighed me and that my personal doctor had it on record.

When are you scheduled for your first fill? Godd luck and Ihope your stomach quits hurting. are you still having gas? If so, try some gas-X chewables.

Hi allamess - I LOVE LOVE LOVE your username, that's awesome, I know how you feel! Well frankly it sounds like you're feeling bewildered and perhaps disappointed right now. You're not alone. Don't panic! You have a new band that isn't performing the way it was designed to........ because it's not supposed to keep you full at this stage. There's no Fluid in it to provide the restriction you need to have control and feel full.

As others have wisely said, eating Protein helps some. Maybe helps a lot, or maybe just a little. You may not lose much weight right now...... if you don't you are not alone. Right now you're still healing from surgery, feeling sore, and of course you're hungry. When your blood sugar falls, you're really miserable.

I'd say right now, the best thing to do is to watch and keep a record of your blood sugars (from your glucose meter) very closely. Try to avoid simple carbs, like you've always done. Diabetics are used to that. It's the same now. Keep up the protein. Keep your doctor posted on your progress. And be patient. The best thing for you now is to heal safely (diabetics heal slower as you know ) and to keep your blood sugar under control. Don't starve yourself! When your band finally gets "filled" the pieces of this puzzle will all fall into place. The portion control will come in time. THEN you will lose weight. Until then, HEAL, manage your diabetes as best as you can, and try hard to be patient. (I know it's hard, I'm struggling too.) Keep us posted on your journey!

Thanks for the advice. You guys are loosing pounds and I am just stuck. I am going to start eating some more protein in the am's. I think I am eating too much at dinner time. I don't get my first fill until December 14th, that is a long ways from now.

I am going to check out some of the other sites for meal plans because I don't want to eat bread, pasta or torillas and it seems that is all there is out there. Do you guys have suggestions on meals...healthy ones. I have been eating fish (all kinds and tuna) and chicken everyday.

Here is an easy Soup recipe laden with Protein. I take some cooked veggies, about 1/2 cup, put them in a mini- food processor or chop, put them in a coffee mug with 1/2 cup chicken bouillon, then I add 1-2 scoops of unflavored soy protein, stir vigorously and microwave.

This has saved me many a hungry night. The soy makes it creamy. I sometimes will drop in some garlic/onion, but basically whatever my family is having for dinner I chop up 1/2 cup of that and add the rest.

I hope this helps.

YOU are not alone. I've said from the beginning, if I didn't have the scars I wouldn't even know I had the surgery! I'm so darn hungry.:hungry::cry

In the last few days I have started getting hungery in the late afternoon. At that time I drink a protein shake w/ beneprotien added and it gets me to dinner. I usually have my biggest meal at noon because I noticed that if I ate a lot at night I would not lose any weight. My nurse told me to stop weighing everyday, just once a week. I still weigh daily thought.

Thanks, I feel so hungry like now it is lunch time and I am starving. I had a creamy chicken soup at 9:30 or so. I didn't drink it all bc I got full half way but now my stomach is crying and my intestines are beating me up inside and knocking on my stomach for food! LMAO! I miss the BUFFETS!

Ah, you may think you miss the buffets...but my guess is you don't miss what they do to you, m'dear. It's a struggle where we're at right now, just like all those who have gone before us. Don't focus so much on losing weight right now; it will come. I haven't lost any for a little while now since moving to solids (actually gained a few back.) No worries though, it'll come off. Patience and persistance; we can do it!

Hi allamess, no wonder you feel miserable if you're hungry and lightheaded all the time! I 've been banded for a month and found in the early days I needed to eat more than three meals a day because I would get so full from a small amount of food. I'd have a LITTLE healthy snack between meals to stop that horrible low blood sugar feeling.

As for recipes, if you are wanting to stay away from breads etc maybe you could try some vegetarian recipes. I have found recipes with lentils and chickpeas, and tofu to be fabulous since being banded. They help with your Protein intake, and tend to be nice a moist so I haven't had any problems with them going down. If you do a google search for dahl, vegan burgers, 'neat' balls, chickpea stew you will find zillions of recipes that I've found are perfect for bandster eating because they are so nutritious, and very filling. OH, and they tend to be low fat, low calorie too .... how cool is that??

Susie