Still Struggling with food

Post Date: 12/31/08 3:21 pm
Ok so I am now officially 8 days out of Lap Band surgery and nothing seems to satisfy me. I just started getting all my water in,but I still want real food. The protein shakes and yogurts/puddings aren't getting it done. I keep finding myself taking little nibbles of my kids foods(spagettios,grilled cheese,etc). I know I have come this far but I can't seem to stay satisfied. I have 6 more days until soft foods and I don't know what to do. I hope I can wait that long but I am just so weak right now. Has anyone else gone thru this? How did you get thru? Why do I feel hungry? My nutritionist is on vacation til next week and I can't talk to her til then. Please help 

Hey man,

Hang in there.  After my RNY three years ago, I went through the same thing.  Everyone told my it was head hunger.  It wasn't.  It was actual hunger and what I did was strain some cream of mushroom soup and ate that.  I never felt more full or better in my life.

 You may find better help on the band boards because there are only a couple of guys in here who have had the band.

You don't have a lot of restriction right now, and you won't until you get the first of many fills.  Plus, liquids and baby food just slide through the band, so you won't get much of a feeling of satiety until you are on full foods.

Hey, it's just 6 days.  I know that right now that seems like an eternity, but once you're on the other side, it won't seem so bad!

/Steve

Thanx everyone. I tried the Lap Band board and it was even less useful for me than the Main board. I feel more at home in the Mens forum even though there are less Banders here. Sooner or later I will figure this all out

I know exactly how you feel. I had the same problem and found it almost impossible to feel satisfied. The only thing I did was kind of plan my meals and save the most exciting one for dinner. I usually had a cream of chicken or cream of tomato soup. I also had grits for dinner and changed them up each time. Sometimes with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and some parmesan cheese. One time I even put a few tablespoons of tomato sauce with cheese. I made grits Italian. I know it's hard but I promise as soon as you eat something different it gets so much better. Hang in there.

I know exactly how you feel.  The 2 weeks of liquids following surgery were rough.  A lot of the hunger I dealt with was in my head.  I was used to eating whatever I wanted whenever I felt like it, so my kids' food looked real good, too.  (BTW, It sounds like you have small kids at home like I do.  Once you get to the soft stage, baby food is a good choice.  Stick with the fruits, though, they taste the best.)

Have you been drinking any fruit juices?  The sugar helped to give a burst of energy and combat some of the weakness.  Drink it real cold and try sipping it as very cold/iced drinks can also help create some restriction, too, in turn helping with the hunger.  I also ate a snow-cone or two during this time as well.   None of these are choices you want to put on your menu later, but my surgeon OK'd them for the liquid diet phase after surgery.  Also, have you had any broth - chicken or beef?  Another poster recommended varying your diet inasmuch as that is possible at this point, and believe me, he is right on with his advice.

Just out of curiousity, how much did your doc put in your band initially, if any?  When do you go back for a fill?  If there is not much in your band to start with, you won't notice much of a change in your appetite until you get that first adjustment.  Be sure to talk with your surgeon and nutritionist in detail about how to manage your diet until then.  This first 4 weeks or so has been called "bandster hell" by many as it can seem as if you have had no surgery at all until an adjustment.  But, believe me, once you get tightened up, you'll notice the difference.  Hang in there, its not going to be like this from now on!

I know what you mean. I'm still in bandster hell and I had my surgery on Sept 15. Due to repeated scheduling conflicts I still have'nt had any fill yet. I have managed to drop over 30 lbs since but it's been extremely hard. Alot of trial and error. My fill is schedules now for Jan 8th. Wish me luck. It has really put pressure of my goal for a  50 lbs loss by my birthday in May. I might have to rethink that goal. Do you guys think It's doable or am setting myself up to fail.

Craig G.:

Yes, your 50 lb goal is very doable.  You are over halfway there!  Just be sure to stay on track with fills/follow-ups after Jan. 8.  It might take 3 or 4 adjustments to get you to the right place.  And, as I've found out along the way, as you lose weight, fills are needed because your abdominal fat is shrinking around the band and causing it to loosen up.  You're gonna do fine!

Thanks for the encouragment. It's been very hard to do so far without any fill at all. Hopefully it will get a little easier after my first one. I have'nt visited this board in a long time. I need to stop by more often for motivation.

Thanks again....