I'm not yet banded but I was wondering when newly banded people say they are starving and could eat anything they want, do they really mean they could eat like before the band or do they mean they could eat a lot but they have to chew and chew and chew?

I'm sure it means different things to different people, but here are a few things to consider. First, many doctors do not put saline in the band when they first do the surgery. This means the band is "unfilled". So, after the swelling goes down, many individuals with the band do experience hunger because what they eat is going down easily. Also, it is easier early on to eat foods that will be troublesome after a few adjustments.

However, I personally have never felt like I could "eat anything I wanted" after I had the band placed....thank goodness. Eating anything I wanted was the very thing that got me obese in the first place.

What a person can eat depends on the individual, the amount of Fluid in their band, and, of course, how well they chew their food.

AND just because you can eat something, doesn't mean you should. lol

I was banded 3/10 and I'm trying to stick to the diet....I'm too scared to try the wrong foods. The longer you are banded the easier it gets....at least for me.

Before I got my first fill (but after banding) I craved EVERYTHING and could probably eat everything...but I took care of my band...so I ate only protein and "good foods" such as fruits/vegetables, no rice/pasta/bread...chewed really well, etc. I lost a/b 17 lbs prior to my first fill which is great considering I don't think i had any restriction prior. Now I have restriction and am doing great and am so happy I "stuck it out" during the bandster hell preriod!