I am still hungry!

I had my surgery on August 7th. I did the 2 weeks of liquid, and now I am on my second week mushy food. I eat small meals but I feel like I can eat more, I dont ever get that full feeling. I feel like I had nothing done. If I wanted to I could probably eat something normal. I tried a piece of chicken and chewed it and i was fine. I dont cheat or eat more than I should because I want to loose wieght because this is why I had the surgery. I am afraid that if I dont start to have that full feeling I might go back to my bad habits of picking on things all day long and eating too much at a meal.
I get my first fill on September 21st. I was just wondering if I will feel different after that. Will I feel full with a tiny meal???
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Dr. Giess LI, NY
Surgery date: August 7
wieght now 268
Start wieght 295
lost 27 lbs

I have problems feeling full too. I get my first fill on September 12. I spoke with the dietician and she said to add more protein. I guess protein is supposed to help you with hunger. Besides not feeling physically full, I think we are always going to have to deal with head hunger. I think I am still eating too fast. I will be fine one minute and then have that pain in my chest from fullness. I guess I need to slow down.

These questions are taken from a previous post of mine:

39. "Will I feel full with a Lap-Band®?" A post-op WLS patient is probably are not going to have the same sensation of "Full" after their operation that they experienced before their operation. In my case, before my operation, when I ate (Which means when I "Overate") I felt sort of "Stuffed" as if I had eaten a full meal, and drank with it, until my stomach was so full that it felt as if I had eaten a smaller version of a Thanksgiving dinner. I felt slightly distended or bloated, and as if I couldn't (Or shouldn't) eat another bite. I routinely ate so much food that I would feel right on the edge of uncomfortably full. That was the only way I felt "Satisfied". I believe that as a pre-op, I had never really learned my body's "Full signal", so I just kept on eating until I felt physical discomfort from over-eating, which I interpreted as "Being full". Angela says that her Grandmother taught her one way to tell if you are full: "If the food stops tasting as good as it did when you first started eating, that means you are full". I think that is a good way to tell fullness, as I know that applies to me now. I will be eating a meal, and halfway through the meal, the food stops tasting good to me, so I put it away. Patients who are post-op report many different "Full Signals", some of which I have listed here:

A hiccup or hiccups.

Sneezing.

Stuffiness in the chest.

Watering eyes.

Coughing.

Burping.

Excessive saliva.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, as there are many more "Full Signals" than I have listed. In summary, part of the "Behavior modification" that is a requirement of the post-op care for WLS patients is learning to recognize their body's "Full signal".

When a person experiences any new signal, they need to see if that signal is consistent with their being full. Then a person will know when they are full, as opposed to the full signal they used before their surgery.

40. "How does a Lap-Band® actually work?" This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band®. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band® fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band® to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band®. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band®. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band®. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band® is between 1 and 2 pounds per week.

The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows:

1. The patient's Lap-Band® constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill.

2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band®.

3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food.

4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band® and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient.

5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band® to become loose again.

6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band® is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food.

7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again.

Most Lap-Band® patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band® as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band® and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band® patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band® patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

__________________
See my before & after photographs

Starting weight was 570 pounds
Banded 09/13/2004 by Dr. Neal, in Shelton, WA

"Why are you letting a number on a scale determine your level of happiness, and would it MATTER what the number on the scale said if you were at your perfect goal SIZE?"

Thanks Wendell Edwards, that was very informative

You're very welcome!

__________________
See my before & after photographs

Starting weight was 570 pounds
Banded 09/13/2004 by Dr. Neal, in Shelton, WA

"Why are you letting a number on a scale determine your level of happiness, and would it MATTER what the number on the scale said if you were at your perfect goal SIZE?"

Wendell,
that was a great post. where could newbies (and maybe not so newbies) find this post? do you have a direct link that maybe a mod could make a stickie?

__________________
i spend most my time on Facebook and twitter.. go chat with me there! PM me your email address you use there and i'll add you. twitter address - http://twitter.com/losingjusme

in loving memory of Ambyr who is "chasing rainbows" - 19October2007.

Hi Wendell, I've read many of your posts and it seems to me you are very knowledgeable. Someone somewhere mentioned you have a list of 'advanced' band eating rules. I've used search and I've read several screens worth of your posts and I haven't gotten lucky in finding it. I'm wondering if you'd be able to post the rules again (or point me to where they reside, if there is a permanent place) I'm sure it's annoying to have to repeat yourself but I hope you'll take pity on me :) Thank you Wendell!

Hi, I never posted that post on this forum. I have it saved to my hard drive.

__________________
See my before & after photographs

Starting weight was 570 pounds
Banded 09/13/2004 by Dr. Neal, in Shelton, WA

"Why are you letting a number on a scale determine your level of happiness, and would it MATTER what the number on the scale said if you were at your perfect goal SIZE?"

"Advanced band eating rules"???

News to me.

__________________
See my before & after photographs

Starting weight was 570 pounds
Banded 09/13/2004 by Dr. Neal, in Shelton, WA

"Why are you letting a number on a scale determine your level of happiness, and would it MATTER what the number on the scale said if you were at your perfect goal SIZE?"

Well, I'm pretty sure it was attributed to you but, of course, I can't find that post. Maybe I'm hallucinating (from hunger ?!?) Thanks anyway.

I'll be honest. I was eating food after 4 days and I eat what I want now...just not that much. I'm a muncher, but I make sure it's something healthy. So far there isn't anything that I can't eat.

Please add protien whenever you can!
I take my coffee with one scoop of chocolate whey protein and skim milk.
For breakfast I eat cottage cheese and small pieces of peaches.
I have a double protein drink for lunch.(atkins advantage drink with a scoop of whey protein in it.
Protein helps you to feel full!
Honestly it does.
For preop diet every morning I had a protein drink and by dinner time I could barely eat my healthy choice meal.
PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN!

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Thank you for this information. I am 10 days out and have had no problems eating some things I shouldn't, like crackers. After reading this I realize that I can damage the healing of the band into the stomach and possibly never get the results I want and need. I am going to be following the diet instructions more carefully now and thanks again so much.

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Starting wt. 241
8/27/07 surgery wt. 122
Current wt. 213

I know what you mean. I have already eaten regular food and I only had my surgery 1 week ago. I can eat a lot and do not feel full very soon. I feel like I had nothing done too.

wow, you must have a really different thinking doctor! most doctor's require at least 1-2 weeks on liquids after surgery....

unless of course you aren't following your doctor's orders ...

__________________
i spend most my time on Facebook and twitter.. go chat with me there! PM me your email address you use there and i'll add you. twitter address - http://twitter.com/losingjusme

in loving memory of Ambyr who is "chasing rainbows" - 19October2007.