hi, everyone sorry i have not writen in here in a while, i have had a few problems in my life, nothing to do with the band though, just problems at home.

well the reason why i thought i would write to you all today is, for one i wanted to see how everyone has been doing, and two, i am now on my full liquid diet, and i have one more week of it and then i go to mushy foods, i must say to eveyone this is real hard to not want to cheat, but i have not, and i am proud of myself for that.

the question i have is, when i do eat, i never really feel full, so in my mind, i try to eat what i think is right, not what my stomach tells me to, because i never seem full. and i asked the doctors office about it and she said that right now, i will probably never fill full, so how did the rest of you deal with this, i have been having a problem, i think that i am doing something wrong when i eat when i dont know how much to eat, and it bothers me. i dont eat alot, i have a instant packet of cream of wheat in the morning, a bowl or creamy Soup for lunch, and the same for dinner, with drinking Water all day or juice, so i dont think that is to much, but it still scares me, i do want to lose as much weight as i can.

i have lost three more pounds have not changed my scale yet, but still, sometimes its hard to think that you can actually lose the weight you need to since you have had it for some time, it scares me that i will never lose all my weight.

thank you for all of you who listen to me.

Brighteyes Please don't worry. You sound like your really trying hard to do everything right and that will pay off in your weight loss. I'm sure its been hard so far and I think it will get better after your first fill( at least thats what I've been told since I don't have my band just yet. Hang in there and you will lose the weight. Good luck and I hope everything at home gets better for you too!

If you have to eat eat bulky soft fiber like oatmeal. Something like that but hey you kind of have to work towards the rite place as restriction goes. You still have to make some sacrifices. Good luck..

I know how you feel. I too am sometimes thinking that I'm eating too much since I have not had my first fill yet. I am on regular foods now (four weeks post-op) but nothing carbonated to drink and no bulky foods. I do my utmost to eat the foods that I need - no fatty and sugary meals and I still drink two Protein drinks daily. I am looking forward to getting my first fill.

It sounds as if you are doing just fine. Don't be hard on yourself. We're going to succeed!!!

Hi Brighteyes, I have the same feelings with the full liquids and solids too. I am hungry alot but the key is to eat healthy foods. That way, even if you eat too much, it is still ok. I too wonder about feeling full, but I have to say that I had an egg this morning, over easy and it is doing the trick. Try cottage cheese (i know, eww) but it is filling. Also, in the health section of the grocery store are these soups in a cup that you add boiling water. They are called fantastic big soup and there is a flavor called jumpin black bean and it is totally awesome. It is good for 2-3 meals cause it is like 24oz and is packed with protein and fiber. Also, their split pea is good too. Pastina is a treat on mushy week and yogurt drinks too. Also, try a spoonful of peanut butter, eaten very slowly. That fills you up too. You are doing very well. Before you know it you will have a fill. Good luck

Brighteyes,

My doctor has explained it as saying that right now (before the first fill), the band is basically just lying around the top part of the stomach and the goal is for everything to heal... it it not 'tightened' around the stomach yet to give you any real restriction to speak of (some people have real restriction from the start.. they are luckY). So basically, the liquids you are eating quickly go from the small pouch to the remaining larger stomach and that's why you aren't feeling full. As long as you are eating (drinking) low calorie foods and trying to be conscientious and following through with the suggested amount, you will lose weight... Trust me, I had the same exact fear that you did for the same reason. As long as you are buring off more than you are putting in, you'll do great. Once you get to the mushies, I can almost guarantee you will feel SOME restriction. I personally can still eat quite a bit, but I have a little restriction and am unable to eat the portions I was used to pre-band. I don't think our bands really start turning into "tools" until after the first fill when we can really feel them assisting us in portion control by telling us "STOP!" And for some people it takes two, three or four fills.

Brighteyes,

Your in the worse part of the whole process right now. Your banded but still hungry and can't figure out why you did this if it isn't going to work.

Well it does work.

You will work with the Dr by keeping track of how your eating and how you feel before during and after. He/she will then fill the band maybe several times over the next few months until you get it to the "Sweetspot". Just be mindfull of what you are eating and you will see weight lose regardless of the fact you feel full.

We all went thru this...just hang in there you'll go great