Banded 12/18 And staving!!

This is my first time posting anywhere!!!! And I see I missed spelling starving in the title -but that is my problem, not staving. I am hoping to get some suggestions to control my hunger pangs. I don't seem to have trouble eating anything (except chicken, turkey any dry meat) it gets stuck. I now understand the stuck and yes it does pass. I have been eating between 800 and 1000 calories a day (a few higher) and I am tryiing to exercise 4 to 5 hours a week. What should I expect to lose - a pound a week or slower? any suggestions would be greatly apprecciated.

How much protein are you getting in each day? My dr. reccommends at least 60 grams. Also try cutting anything white from your diet like rice, potatoes, white bread- I find I am craving carbs myself and that keeps me starving but when I first got out of surgery and had not had any refined carbs or sugars I didnt crave them, but the MOMENT I put them back in my body, wammo- crave city. Just a few suggestions but hey 33lbs down is great! Keep up the great work!

I eat 1500-1600 calories a day and I am losing really good. I would starve on 800-1000. I exercise four to five times a week. You might want to up your cal.s a little. Are you drinking lots of water? That helps. Donna

I thought you would not get hungry at all
do you get less hungry with the band
or when you were dieting on you own
also is your password about 8 numbers
I am not sure about anything

You are about normal if you are 6 7 wks post op.

Its called BANDSTER HELL, it will resolve as you start getting your fills.

Once you start to get a bit of restriction - you 'll feel full sooner rather than later... on a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food..... Really!!

Just being patient thruought the fill process is the challenge.

Eating the FIRM protiens is a good idea too... they'll stay with you longer and just remember to EAT slowly, take TINY bites... cut up your meat as if you were a toddler and pace your bites..

It'll all work out.
Good advise from the other poster who quoted protien,, 60 grams at least per day - you don't want to lose your hair!

I assume you have NOT been banded yet.

You will feel less physical hunger with the band ( once you've proceeded to the fill stage)
BUT you will still have HEAD HUNGER... this is the craving voice that we all have inside of us... that's still a challenge even after banding.

The BAND is only a tool to HELP with the Weight Loss, you still need to eat High Quality foods, in the right portions, at the right times of day and stick to the Bandster rules for life.

When I was dieting on my own, I could always loose weight by starving 800-1000 and loose good numbers but I always felt deprived!!! And like I could eat more... I'd white knuckle it.. but I always put the weight back on and then some.

SInce banding, I loose adn keep it off... something that is very different for me...

We all loose at different rates so don't compare yourself to others.

1 - 2 lbs per week is about average.. some more, some less.

But the trend is down and with it not coming back on you should be able to maintain a healthy weight for life.

It seems to me that your current calorie intake may be a little too extreme and may be an unwise move in the long run. The band is not about extreme dieting and fast weight loss. Fast weight loss generally leads to bad things: you risk screwing up your metabolism and it is unlikely that you will be able to cover your nutritional bases on a 800-1000 calorie diet. Given that you are doing due diligence in the exercise department it seems to me that you will definitely need more fuel than your current calorie intake provides.

The Lap Band is a wonderful weight loss tool. Once you have passed through Lap Band hell - that horrible post-op period when you have had your band installed, and you find yourself starving while you are going through the whole liquid-mushie food stage, the stage when your guts are healing from the operation, and you have no restriction - you will be able to start the business of having your band filled.

When you get the right amount of fill in your band you will find that it will act as a physical barrier against overeating. You will also find that you actually lose that sensation of starving. Tweaking the amount of fill that you personally need in your band does take some time and you must be prepared to be patient about this part of the process.

What you can do in the meantime is stop starving yourself. This is not good for you emotionally or physically. In fact many bandsters have found that they lose more weight when they eat 1500 cals/day than when they eat 800.
Too few calories can cause the body to go into starvation mode.

You can, however, begin to figure out how to eat in a band friendly manner, in a way which will work for you. This means figuring out what kinds of healthy and protein rich foods you like and would want to keep in your house. Speaking for myself, I now eat a lot more eggs and I rely on those little tins of tuna. Eggs are loaded in protein and a raft of vitamins and minerals; their cholesterol content is negligable when contrasted with fast foods. They also nuke up real nice with salsa and fresh vegies.

I had my third fill today, I started this at 238 when I was banded 10-10-2007 and I am down to 212 today.
On my first fill I lost 1 pound, my second fill another 3 pounds. At this rate I hope to be down maybe 6 pounds after today.
The one thing I can say for sure is the weight is slow, but that is what you really want, this gives you time for your skin to shrink a little.
Another thing I can say for me is I am now able to lose a little weight and not gain it back. Hopefully I won't ever gain it back.
Without the band I would lose a pound every once in a while and stop dieting and gain it back along with more.
You still get hungry, the difference now is you get full quicker, I don't agree that its head hungar, my tummy really growls at me.
The band won't do it alone, its a tool, just like counting calories used to be, it simply helps you to get full quicker, its up to you to decide what type of food to eat,
I have COPD, along with COPD comes water retaining, I talked to Dr. K. this morning and she told me to try and keep my sodium around 1600 a day and protien at 60.
Good luck everyone. We can do this......

My doctor said 1-2lbs a week. Doen's sound like you are eating enough. Most recommend 1,200-1,400 calories a day.

hey hi i had my Lap Band 12/19
my FIRST FILL JAN.31 -08 I THINK MY PROBLEM IS THE HEAD HUNGER.I EAT TILL I AM FULL THAN EAT SOME MORE BUT IN MODERATION NOW . DOES ANY BODY ROTATE SHIFTS? MY BIGGEST PROBLEM IS WHEN I AM ON NIGHTS AFTER MIDNITE TILL 5 AM FEEDING TIME . HELP!!

Hello everyone 50 or over. I am struggling and need advice and/or support. I've had my thrid fill and very tight in the morning which I drink fluids to open the stoma. Once open I can eat most anything in large quantities, except meat. I can't believe I need another fill because I'm at 7.4cc this has to be head hunger. Any advice?

You really need to try and find protein of some kind in the morning. I am much like you in the morning, but have found that if Iwill eat protein in the morning and get full I am much better off for the rest of the day. Some suggestions might be eggs of some kind, cheese, yogurt, apples and peanut butter, turkey bacon, etc. Just remember it does not have to be typical breakfast food. I am buying Boars Head deli meat from Kroger and eating that in the mornings. It fills me up and I am happy till lunch.

That makes sense. I will give it try because it is not afternoon or evening that bothers me. It seems like getting full before lunch is difficult. Thanks - Jill

I was banded 12/14. I have lost 32 lbs. I seem to be able to eat just about anything but bread and some meats. Yes, they get stuck. I am also very hungry all the time. I exercise 6-7 days a week 30 min to 1 1/2 hours, walking, bicycling and weights. Adding protien helped but I am still hungry all the time.

It sounds like you need more fill. You haven't reached your sweet spot yet. Once you reach this you will no longer feel hungry all the time.