Eating Too Much

I am consistently eating too much because I can't tell when I've had enough to eat. I don't get that full feeling. So what happens I end up feeling like I'm having a heart attack because it is very painful when I eat too much; I can hardly breathe. I had the lapband. Will I ever feel full again?

Most likely not on the full feeling. I'd try measuring the food out. There are days that if I don't measure...I'll eat WAAAYY more than I should and it hurts after. You could probably do some damage if you continue eating too much. I'm only guessing because I had RNY and not lap band. If in doubt...call your surgeon. Good luck!!

Hi Francis.....you really should be weighing your food. I myself have wondered about portion control and at one time could eat up to 8oz of food...however I have trained my little pouch to be happy at 6oz. I weigh my food and quit eating period. I see you are a lapband which is different, you might want to check with your surgeon to make sure your band is still in the right place, call him/her right away.... Let us know how you do...Erin

Hi Frances, My first wls was like a lapband in that it was only restrictive, not malabsorptive. You will not get that full feeling if you are not eating dense foods that have a difficult time passing through your little opening into the rest of the stomach. For me, those types of foods didn't feel good in the little pouch and I chose not to eat them instead of learning to deal with the sensation or finding other ways to eat those foods. That is where you can really get into trouble and regain your weight! I began avoiding the healthy foods that hang around a long time and instead went for the ones that allowed me to just keep eating and eating and eating. (mashed potatoes, soups, popcorn, salads with too many toppings, etc) Be grateful for that heart-attack feeling now, it is your band functioning to help retrain your brain to smaller portions. You already know you definitely have to do a few things differently now and forever...no liquids with your meals (same as for us RNY people), eat your proteins first and after knowing how much of them you are about to eat (in other words watch your volume and don't exceed the amount your surgeon told you) and don't allow your meals to go over 20 minutes. Any longer than that and the stomach acids in your pouch (yes, there are some...a lot of people DO have just as many up there as in the lower stomach because we are all different) will begin to break down those foods just enough so that they pass through and allow you to keep eating. Will you ever feel full again? Are you wanting to go back to the kind of 'satisfying', full feelin from eating way, way too much food like most all of us did pre-op? Why would you want to? You already know by now at 8 months out that your body is surviving just fine on drastically reduced portions. You have a lifetime of learned behavior that tells you to keep eating, eating, eating for survival. That isn't easy to fight and no wls will fix it. Hang in there! Keep up your good struggle to overcome head hunger and thinking you need to feel full. You made the conscious choice to have your band put in to help you get control of your eating and now that times are tough for you, don't give up on it and let old habits win. Keep up with us here on this board, the bandster board and with a local support group if you have one. Sure your tool is different than a lot of us here but we are all fighting head hunger and relearning portion control along with you and we are all here to support each other. Molly