I had my surgery 3 weeks ago and I am hungry. I am trying to follow the recommendations for my meals but it doesnt fill me. What snacks can I work into my routine? Is it unusual to be hungry? Is it unusual to have cravings? I really want a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich.

Every surgeon/dietitian has their own plan for patients but I would think that you have the typical recommendation to consume protein first, followed by veggies and then starches/carbs. Your snacks should be the same type of thing - string cheese, greek yogurt, cottage cheese are all great snack foods that leave you feeling satisfied. The fact that you want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich seems more like a specific head hunger issue - I know how you feel..I love crackers...I want them even when I know I am not hungry...it is not easy....but make the better snack choices and remind yourself of why you decided to get a band. Good lucK!

Make yourself a Peanut Butter Protein shake. Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup 1% milk

1 c. crushed ice

1 scoop of vanilla Protein powder (I use Matrix powder)

1 pkg of Swiss Miss SF chocolate

1 TBSP Peanut Butter

3 pkgs of Splenda

Tastes just like a Reese's Cup!

EAT (don't drink) your Protein. liquids do not provide a feeling of satiety because they pass through the band so quickly.

Eat your meals as the dietician recommends. If you get hungry in less than four hours snack on SOLID protein...low fat cottage cheese (12-14 grams in a serving), a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese.

Once you get a couple of fills, you will find that you can go longer before you get hungry and eventually you should be able to go 4 or even 5 hours before you get hungry.

Lolly - have you tried PB2? It's like a powdered peanut butter, and 2 Tbsp has like 57 cal, less than 2 gms fat and 5 gms protein - I bought some and also put in my protein shakes - SO yummy! You can add it to lots of things as you are able to eat them again to make it peanut butter flavored - supposedly you can also mix it with water to make it like peanut butter (but without all the calories/fat) - haven't tried that yet.

Lolly - have you tried PB2? It's like a powdered Peanut Butter, and 2 Tbsp has like 57 cal, less than 2 gms fat and 5 gms Protein - I bought some and also put in my protein shakes - SO yummy! You can add it to lots of things as you are able to eat them again to make it peanut butter flavored - supposedly you can also mix it with Water to make it like peanut butter (but without all the calories/fat) - haven't tried that yet.

I use PB2 as well and I love it! I LOVE peanut butter, but the nutrition facts are just killer. I put PB2 in my protein shakes so I can have chocolate-peanut butter. Its kind of expensive but I think it worth it.

Also, since you're 3 weeks out, you're probably on mushies now so make sure you stick to that. Even though solid Proteins make you feel fuller longer, you'll probably be kind of hungry since mushies pass through the band. Good luck and stick with it!

If you eat Greek yogurt, be sure and bulk it up with foods that are on your soft foods' list for added satiety. If you're allowed All Bran cereal (or something similar), put some in. Also, you could add oats or soft fruits or even a bit of peanut butter (or the powder that was recommended) with your fruit (or sugar free preserves) or chocolate flavored protein. A partial scoop of protein powder helps. When I was at your stage, my hunger started coming back too, and my NP gave me a few of these suggestions, and I really found it to be helpful (I eat Greek yogurt a few times a week, so I've become pretty creative). You could use regular yogurt too, but the high protein Greek yogurt is much more filling.