Hi guys? Just wondered if anyone out there is feeling a bit pissed off due to hunger?

I am really sick of feeling this hungry...it's been about 5-6 weeks since surgery, and the hunger has been almost unbearable at times. And, as much as I hate to admit this outloud, I am PISSED OFF about it!

However irrational this may be, I am pissed of the that surgery center that did my band did NOT tell me about the possibility of hunger. I know the band will eventually take care of this, but the LONGGGGGG process of getting to the point where you have enough restriction to get rid of hunger is MAKING ME ANGRY! :thumbup:

I am pissed off because I CAN'T FOCUS ON ANYTHING ELSE! I feel like I'm spending so much time and energy on the hunger, I feel like it's controlling me.

If anyone has found themselves feeling a bit pissed off because of the same thing (or anything really), it would help me feel like less of a freak if I knew I wasn't the only one who is feeling irrationally angry.

Thanks guys! This website is a lifesaver!

Nope, not pissed off but am disappointed that I have come across several things that would have been better if I was informed. For instance, I wasn't even told about this website until after I had the surgery! I saw a nut just a few days prior to the surgery and didn't have time to absorb the info. Wasn't told about the gas pain either.

That's just naming what I can remember off hand.

Well I say it's better to be pissed off than pissed on lol!! I know what you mean when I'm hungry watch out bitch on wheels..

i agree 100% with u. im beginning week 3 and am starving all the time because i have no restriction. thats y i got the band- was for restriction and i didnt know it takes 3 or 4 fills to get it right either and sometimes i dont know what to do! it would be nice to at least feel full---talk about bandster hell!:thumbup:

Hi guys? Just wondered if anyone out there is feeling a bit pissed off due to hunger?

but the LONGGGGGG process of getting to the point where you have enough restriction to get rid of hunger is MAKING

I've been reading for several weeks now and have noticed quite a number of posts dealing with this hunger issue and the length of time to the first fill or to restriction.

So I called my doc and asked him, 'what gives'? Why does it take so long to get restriction. I mean, c'mon...5 months in some cases!?

According to my doc, my first fill, assuming I'm doing well and back on solid foods will be when I'm feeling hungry again and when the post op swelling is gone. Possibly 2-3 weeks post op. Then a 2 week wait between fills just to make sure there's time to adjust and really decide whether it's necessary to do another one and so as not to risk the band being too tight.

I'd talk to your doc and ask him why they're waiting so long to do the first fill when you obviously don't have restriction.

.

I'm feeling ya! I'm only 11 days out and on a 4 week liquid only diet - I fear I won't be able to last. I had to go to the store today to pick up milk and smelled the fried chicken - OMG. eVEN THE fruits and veggie looked good to me. I don't think my office informed me of the hunger either, I thought I woulnd,'t be hungry at all. I go in for my first fill on Nov 4th and I'm praying that will help, but it;s almost a month away. At least I'll be on soft foods by then. Cottage cheese even sounds good to me right now! I can barely stand the sight of Jello.

Blessings!

I am wondering if everyone is drinking enough water. It helps me a lot.

I had one other thought here. I am diabetic, and have been banded now for three weeks. I have not had the hunger but I am very big on protein. I don't use any sweet drinks, or even sugared jello. The reason is because it helps me keep my blood sugar even. If I feel hungry, I check to see if my blood sugar is high or low, which is the only reason for me be be hungry. I have said all this to say this. It is hard to do liquids and not do too much sugar. When we gain weight around our middle, it means we have at least some insulin resistance. So we are producing not enough at times and too much at other times. When we don't have enough insulin, or to much, we are hungry. If you who are hungry can find a way as I did to get more protein and stay away from all sugary drinks I believe you will find the hunger diminishing as your blood sugar levels out.

Okay, my personal prespective. Remember, this is just me and my view of things. Hunger is part of every diet. Statistically, that's why diets fail because people are always hungry and say "screw the diet".

I was so hungry after the first week. I truly thought I would not survive. Then, while sitting on the couch having a minor pity party for myself, I had a personal epiphany. l am an addict. To food. No control, no “off” switch as to I’ve had enough. That’s why I was fat. (not overweight—FAT!) Hunger is a manifestation of my addiction. Just like a drug addict gets DVT’s when they are going through withdrawal and like someone trying to quit smoking goes through nicotine withdrawal, my hunger pains are the result of withdrawal from my addiction. So every time I feel hunger, I ask myself, “am I really hungry?” or is this a withdrawal symptom.

Was I pissed off, you bet I was. I was mad at myself for living with an addiction for years and doing nothing about it until now. However, I can’t live in the past and will only focus on the future. What does that entail? Doing anything I must to lose this weight and become healthy.

I understand the frustration about not being told about the hunger, but this is a diet and lifestyle change and I am having trouble understanding why people are mad that they were not told they would be hungry. Perhaps your healthcare team assumed that you would know there would be sacrifices like feeling hunger as part of this process. Or perhaps because I am a glass half full kind of woman I expected the worse and what I am experiencing is exactly that. I didn’t have this surgery to make the band do all the work—I did this surgery because I need to take charge and use it as a tool.

Here are my two cents as well. I am 12 weeks out, yep only 12 weeks and I really can eat anything I want but in much smaller amounts. I mean really this has been hard especially since I have had to go it with only one fill and that was the very end of July. The new job I am working at will not allow me to miss for a docs appointment at this time because I am still in training. So come Nov when I get my new hours I should have one day a week off and this will stop. Protein is HUGE I can not stress enough on how much of that stuff you need to keep those hungry feelings at bay. I am down 30 lbs now and only 12 weeks so no matter if I do get hungry (or not) I am very please with the turn out and if your all losing you should be happy too. No one said this whole process would be easy as it is a MAJOR lifestyle change no two ways about it. It is NOT a diet so do not think of it in that fashion maybe this will help.

Keep your chin up and keep losing, it will be all worth it trust me on that one.

KARIBENSEA IS RIGHT, THE Protein REALLY HELPS WITH HUNGER. i GOT SOME "BOOST" AND SOME "ENSURE" HIGH Protein drinks AND THEY TASTE WONDERFUL. BUT SINCE, I HAVE SOME SOME SLIM FAST THAT HAS 20GM OF PROTEIN AND LESS THAN HALF THE CALORIES AS THE OTHER DRINKS. i WILL DRINK THESE FIRST THEM PROBABLY GO TO SLIM FAST. SOUNDS LIKE YOUR HEALTH CARE TEAM DID NO INFORM YOU AS THEY SHOUDL HAVE. I WAS TOLD I WOULD STILL HAVE HUNGER PAINS AND THAT THE PROTEIN WILL HELP.

LINDA

At the risk of sounding like a broken record here: PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN! Look, nothing sucked more than being on a liquid diet. And even when I could eat "food" I still couldnt eat fruits and veggies and a whole bunch of other stuff. So it was torture going to the supermarket. But look...follow the diet plan the surgeon's office gave you. And I cannot stress PROTEIN enough. it will never satisfy the hunger you may have for Wendy's or pizza. But it will help you satisfy your tummy and its nutritious. Protein is what fills you up. That's my two cents.

I lost 70 lbs on Atkins and kept it off. High Protein, low carb diet really is the key to not only *not* being hungry, but not 'craving'.

During my first two weeks on Atkins, I felt like an addict going through withdrawal. After the end of week 2, my husband would come home from work and ask if I'd eaten yet that day and sometimes I'd have to admit that 'no, I hadn't' because I was so busy I forgot to eat and had no cravings or hunger to remind me.

My mistake was thinking I could have just 'one bite' of my birthday cake. Yeah...just like an alcoholic can have just one shot of whiskey. :sad:

Hmmm...my doc may not require a special diet pre-op, but I'm thinking if I do a low carb for the next week or two until surgery, the two weeks after won't be so bad.

I finally got restriction about a week and a half ago. And that is almost as bad as it was being hungry - so be prepared.

I have always been a fast eater. No more. I'm learning the hard way. If I eat too much or especially too fast I pay for it. And after about 3 hours or so I get ravinously hungry because I ate very little at the last meal. So I prepare and have small things to snack available for whenever I need them.

But here's the silver lining: in 7 weeks since I was banded I'm down just shy of 50 lbs. And I am getting used to the smaller portions and making better choices. I absolutely echo the people emphasizing Protein. It is essential and helps keep the hunger at bay. I also think I'm starting to get food aversions. There are things I just don't want to (or are scared to) eat anymore.

Pissed off? Yep, I can sympathize with that emotion! I feel that I can accept almost anything if it is explained to me, and I can see the reason for it. This entire surgery escapade has been riddled with "no information given." When I look back over the last 6 weeks, it seems like 6 months.

1. I have been deathly sick...."we didn't tell you that could happen?" NO.

2. I have been so hungry that I had to leave a church service because my stomach was growling so badly....."we didn't tell you that you would be hungry?" NO NO NO

3. I am now on my 3rd fill. I have ZERO restriction...."we didn't tell you that it could take up to a year to get the proper restriction?" HELL NO!

4. Why didn't I lose any weight again?" "Because your food journal shows that you have been eating cream of chicken Soup. Why?" I hate cream of chicken soup, but I ate it everyday because that is what my information sheet said to do. When I showed them that, they couldn't imagine why that incorrect information was still in circulation.

5. When I asked how in the heck I am supposed to lose weight with zero restriction, they said "alot of our patients go on Weight Watchers." What???????? Why on earth would I have gone through all of this just to go on WW?

I asked the right questions. I seriously did. I just feel like I got sold a bill of goods on this one. The only thing that keeps me going is seeing people that have had the lap band and lost 70 pounds or more. If I can do that, I will at least feel like it hasn't been a total waste no matter how crazy the road there is.

Pissed off? Yep, I can sympathize with that emotion! I feel that I can accept almost anything if it is explained to me, and I can see the reason for it. This entire surgery escapade has been riddled with "no information given." When I look back over the last 6 weeks, it seems like 6 months.

1. I have been deathly sick...."we didn't tell you that could happen?" NO.

2. I have been so hungry that I had to leave a church service because my stomach was growling so badly....."we didn't tell you that you would be hungry?" NO NO NO

3. I am now on my 3rd fill. I have ZERO restriction...."we didn't tell you that it could take up to a year to get the proper restriction?" HELL NO!

4. Why didn't I lose any weight again?" "Because your food journal shows that you have been eating cream of chicken soup. Why?" I hate cream of chicken soup, but I ate it everyday because that is what my information sheet said to do. When I showed them that, they couldn't imagine why that incorrect information was still in circulation.

5. When I asked how in the heck I am supposed to lose weight with zero restriction, they said "alot of our patients go on Weight Watchers." What???????? Why on earth would I have gone through all of this just to go on WW?

I asked the right questions. I seriously did. I just feel like I got sold a bill of goods on this one. The only thing that keeps me going is seeing people that have had the LAP-BAND® and lost 70 pounds or more. If I can do that, I will at least feel like it hasn't been a total waste no matter how crazy the road there is.