:frown::frown:

Please don't flame me, I'm looking for support to help get things under control!

I'm totally confused about how this has gone for me. I'm about three weeks out from surgery and so far I can eat basically any food I want and much larger amounts than I thought would be possible. I have never once experienced any nausea or vomiting over the past few weeks. In fact, I was sitting in the hospital recovering from anesthesia thinking, "Hmm I'm starving." What the heck?!

The amount I've been able to eat has been cut but I'm shocked to find that I can still eat like a cup and a half or more of food at a time. I thought when I got the band I'd only be able to eat like 2-4 ounces at first. I don't have a fill scheduled for another month and am really anxious because the weight isn't coming off anymore. Is this what they call bandster hell?

I feel like I'm really screwing up. I mean the whole reason I got the surgery is because I couldn't make myself push the plate away, and now I'm having to do just that? Please, someone tell me it gets better!!! Am I doing something wrong??? Argh!!!

I was banded 2 1/2 months ago. After about 2 weeks, I didn't have much restriction either. My weight loss stopped for 3 weeks. It seemed like i was eating 1/2-3/4c every hour or hour and a half. I ate a lot of sf jello, ff sf pudding, soup and popsickes. Drinking all the water/tea/crystal helped me feel fuller. But I was used to having food in my mouth all the time. For me, it was head hunger.Food is a big head game for me. I had to get out of the house and walk b/c all I thought about was the food I wasn't eating. As I progressed to mushies I stayed fuller longer.The 6 weeks after surgery is to let the stomach heal. Try not to worry about the calories at this stage. I know it's frustrating. Once you are on solids, you will stay full even longer. and when you get your fills things get even better. This was bandster hell for me too. You'll make it and it will be worth it. Barb:thumbup:

Hey Sberry I don't believe you are doing anything wrong ...

I to felt able to eat anything I liked from the day I had surgery..... but have stuck to the plan, I know I eat more than the talked about 1/2 cup but I know it is a lot less than before surgery and I have been steadily loosing weight and that is the main aim to keep the scales/inches going down (but it doesn't matter by how much).....

Measure yourself when you weigh in and you may be pleasently surprised at the inches you loose but the scale may not show as much and then the next time the scales move and your inches are slow...

it's all a mystery but it works for me ...

I decided in the beginning I would not sabbotage myself with self doubt so I only weigh and measure myself at doctors appointments and this seems to keep me on track.....

Best of luck you are doing great

Dewberry

PS I had my third fill yesterday 8 weeks post op and I believe I have hit my sweet spot I don't feel interested in food at all today just a small amount and I am done .... I didn't think I would get there either but I have so don't rush it, it will happen at the pace your body decides it want's to move at

Good luck:welldoneclap:

My understanding is that the only restriction you get initially is caused by the swelling of your stomach where the band has been attached, as this goes down you will probably be able to eat anything and everything, I know I could!

This is the post op healing phase, your body needs good nutrition to help it heal and smaller quantities or slower eating so you do not get anything backing up and putting strain on the stitching holding the band in place.

Make the most of this as when you start having fills that will all change. Maybe after the first or maybe after the second you should start to feel a change in your hunger at different times of the day and bread will probably become enemy No1!! As will anything else you pop in your mouth and swallow absent mindedly without chewing properly.

Restriction is gradually increased with each fill and as it does you need to learn at each step of the way what you can and can't eat. Restriction also usually falls off a couple of weeks after a fill at first until the fat pad surrounding your stomach, and therefore under the band, has gone. Then restriction should last longer.

Don't panic, don't rush. It will all start to happen soon. For now make the most of knowing you are on the first step of the journey.

Thanks you guys for the encouragement, I feel a bit better about it now. I was starting to think I was the only one who could eat anything they tried! :tongue2:

It's very normal. I was also banded a little over 2 weeks ago and I'm hungry a lot now. The first week I was in too much pain but now I'm hungry more often. I am trying to stick to the pureed portion of my plan which is for another week and 1/2 and then on to the mushies stage. Please Please be careful with your diet. I researched why they put us on this gradual diet increasing back to solid foods and it is for our insides to heal properly. They say it takes 4 weeks for your stomach to heal and if you try to eat foods your not supposed to you could hurt the band/it could slip. :tongue2:

I've been adding Peanut Butter to my Protein shakes and it's been better. I have some days where I am hungrier than others but I'm dealing with it. I don't go back to my doctor till the 23rd for a fill. I knew it would be hard and I so desperately want to eat! But I'm not because I'm more afraid of screwing up my band before it heals.

Yes that is something I have been concerned about too. It was easier for me to be on liquids because once I got the ok to go to mushies I felt like I was eating real food again and it has tempted me so much to eat like normal. I never thought that would be a struggle for me so I was not prepared for it! :tongue2:

SBerrys, they call it "bandster hell" for a reason .... you've had the surgery, gone through your recovery BUT you're not doing the way you expected you would be. The truth is very simple. You have the band which provides some restriction but not enough to give you that full feeling for 4 hours on a cup or less of food. It sucks. And, on top of that, I'm amazed at how some doctors seem to just cut their patients loose during this period without a whole lot of guidance about what to really expect or how to deal with it.

Once you start getting fills and get closer and closer to your sweet spot, it will be different, better, easier. What I was told to do during this period was to eat at least 20 grams of Protein at a meal. Make a meal of 3 oz of lean protein, a vegetable (raw or cooked), and a single serving of a whole grain carb. If I got hungry in less than four hours (which is happening now, right?), I was to eat solid protein only (no Protein shakes...a boiled egg, a little deli turkey, an ounce of low fat cheese. Most of these things are about 70 calories give or take. It worked (and it still works, since I have to go about 7 hours between lunch and dinner so I eat that bit of protein to hold me over so I don't eat the first thing I put my hands on when I walk into my house).

Let me know if I can offer any other suggestions!

Yes you are right! I will have to start bringing some lean deli meat and cheese to work to tide me over between lunch and dinner. I bet that will help. Right now I'm starving since I didnt get a chance to have Breakfast.

My doctor gave what I though was really good guidance but only for people who aren't able to eat whatever they want like I am! They didn't really emphasise that I may *feel* like I'd be able to eat anything at this phase and that I'd have to use restraint. I was thinking oh this won't be a challenge for me because I wont be able to stomach that! ha! I had a big ol piece of salmon for dinner last night. :tongue2:

Thanks so much for the support I really appreciate it!

That little snack at 5:00 (I get off work at 5:30) makes all the difference in the world. If I don't eat it, I walk in the door feeling like the Cookie Monster .... "FEED ME". With that snack, I'm fine. Who knew about 70 calories could make such a difference?!?

Anyway, give it a try and see how it works for you. Let me know how you're doing!

I am more than five months out and have no fill at all. I can eat anything I want and at times, like right now during the feeding frenzy season, I eat too much. I cannot, though, even with no fill at all, eat anywhere near what I used to. I do get hungry. I eat on a schedule and I don't pay attention to calories, I try and make my protein. I also don't eat bread, pasta or rice. All were taken away before surgery. You also have to remember that you may not feel "full" like you used to. I don't get that feeling. I just have to limit what I eat and then my side hurts. That band is not hanging loosely on your stomach so when you hit solids, you are going to be limited.