HELP!!

OK, so since the reason I am overweight and needed WLS was due to my inability to tell that I'm full, why would after surgery be any different? I'm 5 days post-op, and I am really unsure when I'm supposed to eat and when I'm full. I've been sticking mostly to liquids, including protein shakes, soups both broth and creamy, but I can't tell when I'm "full". Any help??

 In my experience, I didn't know what full felt like, either, because prior to my surgery, I never paid attention to feeling full. I just went rocketing right past it.

To me, "full" is the way you feel after eating Thanksgiving dinner, but before you have dessert: that feeling of not being able to eat another bite. However, right now you may not be feeling that for a couple of reasons. One, you're still recovering from surgery and your body is still getting accustomed to its new configuration. But also, you band was most likely installed empty or with very little fill, and it's not made to work optimally like that.

Trust me - when you've had a couple of fills and start to feel some restriction, you'll know what "full" feels like.

At 5 days post-op most of the swelling will have gone and with no saline in the band and while taking in only liquids, you are unlikely to feel full. (A few do, most don't!)

At this stage, just try to get in plenty of liquid and as much protein as you can. Liquids go straight through the band and so you are not going to stretch or harm anything if you have too many shakes! Concentrate on getting back to full health.

When you move on to soft and then regular foods, you may or may not feel "full". Some need to wait for the fills, others don't. But full is a different feeling to the one it was pre-band. What  we do is eat an appropriate amount, wait a while and see if we feel satisfied.

Kate

Thanks Kate. I guess I was under the misimpression that the band had some sort of restriction when it was first implanted so therefore I'd feel some sense of fullness already. I have my post op appt in a few days, so we'll see what happens after that.

A very small number of people do feel early restriction! Some lucky ones are not hungry from Day One! Unfortunately, many, possibly most, go through a period before their fills start where they are simply HUNGRY!

Kate

It is likely Dr. Soong will give you a fill 3-4 weeks out of surgery. I was one of the lucky ones that felt restriction as soon as I had the band placed. Dr. Soong filled me with 3 ccs at the time of surgery and the next day I had to have it removed in his office because I couldn't get liquids down.

Its a slow process in the beginning but you will get to the point where you know your full. You have to listen to you body and combat head hungery issues.. Your used to eating larger portions so when you eat littler amounts you will think.. I ate so little that can't be enough and you might try to snack later.. don't do that .. it is enough..

So many years of abusing food it isn't easy to listen to our bodies .. it will take some time.

 You just had surgery! Your band IS NOT WORKING YET. You should concentrated on healing, your band MUST HEAL properly in order for it to work for you YEARS OUT. You should concentrate on the post op meal plan your surgeon provided???? It should be liquids and soft foods, I ate soup with Unjury protein powder for protein, broth, soft jellos, crystal lite in my 1st week, then I progressed to mushy food and blended foods, like blended tuna, egg salad, refried beans with cheese.

You don't have saline in your band so you will not get a soft stop yet, once you start the fill process at 6 weeks post op, you will start feeling restriction, but most bandsters don't get to their sweet spot until a few months post op, your surgeon can't safely fill you to the rim. Once you get to a good restriction level you should get signals to stop eating like a hiccup, burp, sneeze or even a sigh, also you may feel very full like you ate Thanksgiving meal on about 1 or 1/2 cup of food and something to always remember FOREVER the band will NEVER stop you from eating once you get good restriction, it HELPS YOU STOP, that will be your tool for life, this will HELP you diet and stay on track for weight loss and maintenance, also once you get restriction you will have to refine your eating and eat slowly and take tiny bites of food to prevent vomiting.

your full isnt going to be like your old full....its not like when youve eaten a big meal and your stuffed.....it took me awhile to get the right fill, the right full, and everything nbetween.... once you start to eat more normally, and your eating protein and opposed to drinking it.. you wll get a sensation of ...like its stuck in your chest..you will know it when you feel it, and trust me ...you dont want to keep eating after that!!!!

Frankly you really shouldn't even be eating to that point.  If it feels like it's sticking in your chest, you probably already went too far.

My best suggestion, measure out your portions according to the guidelines from your surgeon and/or nutritionist.  And if you didn't get any guidelines, call the surgeon and demand them (or a referral to a nutritionist familiar with the lap-band lifestyle).  Plan your meals/snacks around those guidelines, and after you're done eating wait a half hour, then if you're truly hungry (i.e. physically hungry, not just "wanting more") have more.

The band does *not* make you feel full.  It helps you feel satisfied.  Kate recently reposted an article that more clearly defines the true nature of how the band works.  I suggest looking it up:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/4320963/Dr-Simpsons-article-on-restriction-Should-be-compulsory/

There's still willpower involved here.  The lap band doesn't fix that.  But it can help reduce the marathon to more like a 10K.

Good luck!

 
You are not looking for full, you are looking for not hungry.

Every couple of bites stop and think, are you still hungry?  If so eat 2 more bites.  Are you satisfied? Stop eating.  If you are full you overate.