I am 18 days out from surgery, mainly i cannot complain, i have had no nausea, i stopped my pain meds the day after surgery, and everything has been going great.

But, the last two days my appetite has returned like a lion. I am eating exactly what i am supposed to, getting good protein, and my cals for far have risen to about 900. all the vitamins, writing everything down meticulously. Tonight i made ground turkey with taco flavoring and refried beans, in itself it is not a bad meal, i pureed it, but i ate fast and alot, like a cup and a half, i felt like i was binging. on the 15th i am supposed to have a fill, is this "bandster hell?", i feel like i am starving all of the time. i am having a bit of an issue with getting enough water. will this get better? :wink2:

Yes, you are in banster hell. The first fill will help, but you may visit banster hell again even after the first fill.

I felt restriction for awhile after the first fill, but the hunger between meals returned. The second fill did the trick for me. It also depends on how agressive your doc is with the fills. If they only put in tiny amounts at a time you will require more fills to get to your sweet spot, but that may be a more pleasent journey than large amount fills. Just try to keep yourself in check during banster hell. Things do get better.

I can totally relate. I'm week 3 into my band. I all the sudden have felt I can eat everything in site. Today I ate a whole 6 inch sandwhich no problem -- oh and some sun chips on top of that!! Bad I know.. I was intending on only eating 1/4 of the sandwhich, but clearly that didn't happen.

I don't know when I'm getting my first fill. I'm going to see the doctor on the 15th, so hoepfully then. I lost 15 pounds the first week.

I hope I get out of this bandstar hell!:wink2:

Today I ate a whole 6 inch sandwhich no problem

Whoa! You are able to have bread already! I'm not allowed to have bread or Pasta until six weeks out or later. I'll barely be on solid foods by week three. I'm glad it went down ok. By the way, the sandwich and chips may sound bad because you will eat less once you're at your sweet spot, but a 6" Subway sandwich (which I'm guessing you had) is not bad if you chose a low calorie option. I lost quite of bit of weight a while before surgery by exercising and eating the low cal sub sandwiches. Don't be yourself up over this misstep. I'd stay away from the chips though. :wink2:

Give yourself some time. You will feel hungry for awhile and until you have a few fills, you will need to have restsraint. You also need to decide what type of exercise you will begin once you are mended. It really helps the weight loss and takes your mind off of eating.

But, the last two days my appetite has returned like a lion.

I don't have a problem with hunger (and I have no restriction) but then I'm 'eating' every 3 hours (6 small meals). Here's a sample of my day:

7 a.m.: EAS Protein shake blended with 1 cup milk and banana OR 1 egg scrambled with 2 Tbs mushroom and 2 Tbs cheese

10 a.m.: Protein Shake

1 p.m.: Protein shake OR 1/2 cup tuna (or diced chicken) mixed with just a bite of lite mayo and celery, served on a whole wedged tomato

4 p.m.: Protein shake

6 p.m.: 3-4 oz protein, 1/2 cup cooked low carb vegies, 1/4 cup carbs (Pasta, rice, potatoes or 1/2 dinner roll)

9 p.m.: Protein shake

By doing these mini meals, my blood sugar stays stable and doesn't drop (which will cause hunger and cravings)

I also fill up my 20 oz bottle of Water and drink one between between Breakfast and lunch, another between lunch and dinner and another between dinner and bedtime to make sure I get all my fluids in. Sometimes I'll dump a little packet of crystal lite into my bottle for the evening water, but for the most part I stick to water.

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I remember thinking that death would be a better option than dealing with the hunger that hit me about 3 weeks post-op...lol! I had no hunger whatsoever for two/two-and-a-half weeks then BAM, I wanted to chew the legs off of my table! I got scared and called my dr. The nurse told me that it's normal, and probably a good thing because it meant that all of the inflamation in my stomach had finally gone down. I lived thru it somehow (superhuman strength I think) and I am confident that so will you. Hang in there, things get better once you begin getting fills. Good luck!

I agree with you. I'm hungry more often now too. I can't eat the quantity I used to but I'm hungry a lot.

I don't think I'm eating enough however. I am still on pureed. An example of my daily intake is like this:

8:00 am EAS Protein shake with skim milk and 1 tbl Peanut Butter (added for flavor and more protein)

12:00 pm 2 small jar's baby food. 1 chicken and gravy and 1 peas

4:00 pm yogurt or pudding

8:00 pm EAS protein shake again with skim milk and PB.

Am I eating enough? I've started adding the peanut butter to try getting in more protein and to help the hunger and it does seem to be helping.

I go for my first fill on the 23rd.

Weight loss is ok for me so far down 11 lbs and I'm satisfied with that.

Thank you so much for you help, it is greatly appreciated. I just needed some encouragement and a sign back to the path, i can see now what i need to change. I live in a small town with no support groups and this website has been very helpful over the months, both for getting ready and now.

Thanks again. :wink2:

Just my humble opinion to do with what you may but protein drinks are full of calories and will keep you from losing weight. One a day is enough. I like mine in the mornings.

Just my humble opinion to do with what you may but Protein drinks are full of calories and will keep you from losing weight. One a day is enough. I like mine in the mornings.

A Protein Drink is about 110 calories, 25 protein and 3 carbs...less than the calories you'd get from a meal and more protein as a general rule. They won't keep you from losing weight even if you drink one as a mini-meal between your 3 main meals.

They won't, however, give you the same sense of fullness that eating food does so that is something to be aware of. Personally, I rarely have a problem with hunger and I usually drink nothing but Protein shakes for Breakfast and lunch and the 3 mini-meals in between my 'main' meals.

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A Protein drink is about 110 calories, 25 protein and 3 carbs...less than the calories you'd get from a meal and more protein as a general rule. They won't keep you from losing weight even if you drink one as a mini-meal between your 3 main meals.

They won't, however, give you the same sense of fullness that eating food does so that is something to be aware of. Personally, I rarely have a problem with hunger and I usually drink nothing but protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and the 3 mini-meals in between my 'main' meals.

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Actually, all Protein drinks are not created equal. My protein drink is 104 calories per 8 ounce serving with Water but it is 211 calories per 8 ounce serving with non-fat milk and has 22 grams of protein. So, if you are drinking it with non-fat milk three times a day and not substituting it for meals, you will NOT lose weight. I should have clarified myself by saying this before. I am saying if you are not substituting it for a meal then you should be mixing it with water and if you are drinking it with non-fat milk you should not be drinking it in between meals. You are defeating your purpose and yes, it is counter productive to do so. The band is meant for solids and that is how it works best. As I said before, this is my opinion only and what has worked for me so far. Take it for what you may.

So, if you are drinking it with non-fat milk three times a day and not substituting it for meals, you will NOT lose weight. I should have clarified myself by saying this before. .

Depends on the person...depends on how overweight they are...depends on so many factors. Someone who weighs 250 pounds or more can drink 5-6 Protein shakes a day (and nothing else) and lose weight even if each of those shakes are 220 calories because that's still a heck of a lot of calories less than they have been eating. Calories in...calories out.

I mix my morning shake with milk and a banana. My mid-morning, lunch and midafternoon shakes are mixed with Water, as is my evening shake. I eat a normal well balanced dinner.

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I would think more than one Protein shake a day would be defeating the purpose of the band. shakes, Soups, and creamy things like ice cream and pudding are "Slider Foods" and move quickly thru the band.

If I had the willpower to exist on just protein shakes and one small meal a day, I would have save $17,000 and not gotten the band....

bariactric choice has concentrated protein that is

15g-18g protein per 1oz. "shot" sugar free, low cal

I would think more than one Protein shake a day would be defeating the purpose of the band. shakes, Soups, and creamy things like ice cream and pudding are "Slider Foods" and move quickly thru the band.

If I had the willpower to exist on just protein shakes and one small meal a day, I would have save $17,000 and not gotten the band....

Before I had surgery, I existed on protein shakes through the day without any problems. They satisfied me and I was never hungry. My problem came when I sat down and actually ate real food. I couldn't stop with a normal amount of food...I'd eat a 2nd or even a 3rd helping. I could...and would...eat enough food for 3 grown people in one sitting and walk away from the table just comfortably full...not stuffed or ready to pop...just 'full'. The worst part was that within an hour or two I was looking for something to eat again.

So, for me, the band serves the purpose of stopping me long before I reach that point. Right now I still don't have restriction, so it's all will power...but as we all know, our willpower doesn't last long enough to do something about our weight permanently and I'm hoping I'll have restriction by the time mine caves.

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