Need Advice

I had Lap Band on June 27th. At first I wasn't very hungry, but now I feel like I am hungry all the time. I am trying very hard to follow the diet, but sometimes I feel like I dont even have the Lap Band. Any suggestions? I have only lost 14 pounds.

While I had the regular by pass, cause I know I could cheat with the lap, my sister in law had the lap. She had a real issue and still does with hunger. She had hers in December and it just got better simply because at first most doctors don't fill it to much. They wait and see at your follow up than do little fills...keep you coming back. Now she lost 40 pounds her first month...how, she had a mother in law that followed her around and she only did protein shakes. Of course she figured out how to snack and cheat or make herself extremely sick by trying to eat to much because her head hunger told her to eat and she felt "normal" after her mother in law left. She dropped her insurance after a few weeks of having it done cause they were self paying insurance which was costly compared to just paying the doctor. Luckly though she hasn't had any complications, just not going to the doctor when she needs too on schedule. Hence she has gone back and he did tighten it much more cause she was not loosing. It is not easy as I told her no matter what procedure you do. You have got to follow life long rules and real hunger and head hunger comes back to all of us at a point. Just remember to drink alot of water and get your dense protein in like meats. They will fill you up longer. It is amazing how much time we think about foods and what we are going to eat. You need to do something that usually distracts you from eating. Get out and get away from your kitchen. Don't keep the junk in your house cause your family doesn't need it either. Keep healthy snacks, like sugar free icees found at Walmart or sugar free koolaids or jerky when your allowed to eat it. Sugar free puddings and low fat low carb whip creams. Honestly though soft foods slids through easier so if you can do things like tunafish or soft meats your better off cause they keep you fuller longer. Remember though you have done a great thing taking control of your life and 14 pounds lost is better than gained. Let your doctors office know how hungry you are and talk to the nurses, they will help you. Don't be afraid to call maybe they will tighten it sooner. You will succeed!!

Don't worry. I had my lap band surgery on 6/24/08. As of today I've only lost a total of 18 pounds. I read all these posts about people who have lost 30/40/50 pounds by now and get discouraged sometimes too. We have to remember that they have different cir****tances than us. They may have started with a higher weight, stuck to the clear liquid diet longer than us, etc. Also, 14 pounds of weight loss in a month is nothing to sneeze at. Have you had your first fill yet? I also was feeling like I was hungry and eating a lot lately. I felt like I could eat anything I wanted and even had a hamburger (with a bun) yesterday. But, today I got my first fill so I'm expecting to go back to the way it was right after I had surgery. My friend works at a lap band company and she explained to me that after surgery you loose weight because you are on the liquid diet and because your tummy is swollen and won't let you eat much and lowers your appetite. After the swelling goes down though, you don't have any restriction. Also, once you loose a little weight the fat pad around your tummy shrinks, making the band looser. So, unless you've had a fill you basically just have a band hanging around your stomach - not really doing anything at this point. So, essentially you don't even have the lap band at this point if you haven't had a fill. I hope this helps. Good luck!!!