Hi Everyone. Firstly I want to say thankyou for all the support/stories/ideas etc on this site, It has made my journey much more informed and put my mind (which can sometimes overwork itself) to ease.

I was banded on 20th August. As of today ive had minimal pain (apart from the gas pain), just a slight bit of nausea (but havent thrown up as yet!) and just been generally tired. I started on the Clear liquids and just today added some Soup and custard to my diet.

My problem is this...Im not sure if im physically hungry or whether its all in my head still? My doctor told me to make the most of not being hungry and I dont want to eat if Im not actually hungry - but I cant tell whether or not its all in my head.

Did anyone else have this problem, and if so, are there any suggestions of things I could try to test whether im actually hungry. Thanks!

I was banded on 8-14. I think I know what you are talking about. I sometimes have gurgling in my stomach, but I'm not sure what it is. I feel like I could eat. And then sometimes I will go ahead and eat and then I don't feel so well. I think if I eat too much, I get this pain under my left breastbone and it's hard to breathe. I think that's restriction of the unfilled type. I have no fills yet and I don't go see my surgeon till 10-1. A long time. I'd be interested in others' responses.

I was banded 8-8 and saw my doc and nutritionist on 8-13 and I see them again 9-16. I did feel hunger, some of that could be lack of protein. With all those clear liquids you know. I lost 8 pounds in those 5 days.

Hope everything else is going well.

I am eating anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 cup per meal depending on what it is...

I think distinguising real hunger from "head" hunger (as they call it) is a big challenge for a bunch of us. I'm not sure how I'll do it but I plan to stop, ask myself WHY I'm hungry, drink a glass of water, wait and see if that takes care of it. This is down the road of course, right now I'm still on the preop diet and I'm starving and it isn't in my head LOL

it's a knack a bunch of us will have to try to learn.

I know that since I got the band my tummy makes a lot more noise than it used to but that is typcially gas and digestion. If you are like me, pre-op we rarely felt hunger because we were constantly putting something in our stomachs.

Here is how I guage hunger now:

If you hear gurgling in the lower part of your tummy it is digestion or gas. Move around and it will help.

If you are craving a particular food and having problems putting it out of your mind it is head hunger

If you just have an empty feeling but not craving anything in particular you are probably dehydrated. When we get that empty feeling we tend to automatically want to fill it with food. Drink as much as you can to try and rehydrate your body and the feeling should subside. (2-3 glasses of iced tea usually do the trick for me)

If you hear and feel an uncomfortable rumbling in your stomach (higher/near the ribcage and as far up as your throat) it is true hunger.

Hi!

I was banded July 2, 2008 and I think I know what you're feeling. I too get more tummy rumbling than I used to since being banded and sometimes when it rumbles, it can feel like hunger. I just wait a few minutes, see if it continues, and then go for something to drink. This is my routine when it's been less than 4 hours since my last meal. When I start getting to 4 1/2 - 5 hours since my last meal, then it's probably hunger. If I know I won't be eating yet, I still reach for the water or Crystal Light to drink. I find it amazing that this holds me until I'm ready to eat, and I haven't had any fills yet. I was just telling my DH the other day that since being banded, I haven't felt that "want to eat the wallpaper off the wall" hunger like I used to. It's nice to not feel that tremendous hunger that really controlled me in the past. Hope this helped.....good luck to you!

Thanks to everyone for their help!

When I'm really hungry, my stomach literally growls and gurgles and makes all kinds of noise. It's actually uncomfortable. Head hunger for me is just an irritable, whiney, bored, frustrated and fidgetty feeling. I'm usually in an emotional snit of some kind. Sad. angry. worried. lonely or bored. If I can combat the feelings, I can usually move past the head hunger.