2muchfun

Sounds like you aren't ready to make the band work. Maybe you should get your life in order with fewer jobs and less stress before you tackle your weight loss dilemma? tmf

I was banded 11/28/11 and I've had 5 fills(14 cc band w/10.5 cc now). food gets stuck easily starting 3 fills ago and have progressively become worse so I know I'm getting restriction. My problem is that I don't seem to ever get full if I eat soft foods and chew well. Oh, if I eat and don't chew well or I swallow too big a bite it gets stuck and then I go through the pain of having my pouch massage(more like gyrate) the bolus painfully through the band. Now that's a full feeling and I can't eat anything till it passes but OMG, that can't be the full feeling that most bandsters feel? Ouch! I had this image in my mind that at some point in time I would feel full after eating a cup or two but that isn't the case. I can't eat as much as before or I don't want to, but I keep looking for that feeling of fullness to take over. I've lost 6 lbs in the last 5 weeks but that's mostly from dieting and heavy exercise. I want that full feeling after just a cup so that I'm eating less. I don't believe my band is the tool I had hoped it would be?

"I wont do that again!" Wanna bet? For me, 63 years of programming has been very hard to change. I've had the same thought 30-40 times now.

You will learn to eat slower, chew more and take smaller bites. tmf

Are you serious? When was the last time you dieted and lost 13 lbsin one week? You should be doing the Snoopy Happy Dance. Click here and cheer up. You're doing better than most: [media=] [/media] tmf

20 lbs is awesome. I don't keep track of calories and of course it's normal. I'm sure there are some on the forum who count calories to the number but 100 calories is an apple or a slice of cheese. An occasional 100 calories isn't going to make a diff. tmf

BTW-See page 24 and on in that manual from Peachtree. I hear you when it comes to being hungry. I entered bandster hell(your in bandster hell already) the 2nd week too. I think I was more hungry than before. But, for me, I wasn't able to eat nearly as much as before. Even though I had no restriction, I felt satiated quicker and it lasted longer. I was still able to lose 12 lbs the first month. Try to eat healthy foods and don't beat yourself up if you consume too much. It could be a while before you find your "Green zone". tmf

Your doctor/surgeon didn't put you on a strict diet regimen? Click on the link below for some guidance from some different doctors but I would assume you should be eating mushy and pureed foods for the next week? http://www.peachtreebariatrics.com/docs/Gastric-Band-Patient-Manual.pdf tmf

It's funny how easily 500 calories/day can creep into your life isn't it?

I agree with TXGirl..See your dietician/nutritionist. Make an appointment. It's worth the $50 to get professional advice. I did it back in March and went from a 3 month plateau to losing 22 lbs in the next two months. She was able to pinpoint right where I was making my mistakes. Prepare to be brutally honest about all the things you are eating though. tmf

You need another fill if you can eat too much food. I'm assuming you're eating band appropriate foods and not slider foods? tmf Never mind, I missed the fill on Monday? But, maybe another one? Or have them take all saline out and refill?

Most doctors refer their patients to another doctor when they close their office? Did yours? And, will he not continue to see you if you are self pay? Maybe he's just getting out from under the burden of hundreds of patients who have already paid at time of surgery and now they are consuming his practice hours at no cost? tmf

Fills work immediately for me.

You're not making sense?

Most of us go through a period where we finally get enough restriction that some foods get stuck for a few minutes before passing through the band to the lower stomach. It can happen with most any food but mostly meats and breads. The food doesn't pass through immediately and as we pile on other food behind it, the pressure on the lining on the stomach causes the stomach to secrete a lot of mucous(to help slip the food through) that resembles slime like the slime in Ghostbusters? Or, it could resemble colorless hair gel too. But we call it slime therefore the word sliming or slimming? If you are sliming you are probably in a little discomfort and maybe pain from the pressure in your chest. If you are new to the band, someday you will know slime. tmf

Aint it the truth! I can eat an entire chicken breast one nite and a few days later I'm at the sink sliming my guts out after just 3 bites. I only got stuck once with salads and that was due to me stuffing my face too quickly with far too much food. Advice, don't wait till you're starving to sit down and eat. If you gobble any food, it's gonna hurt. tmf

Muelle, I looked at your profile and you should post some before and after pictures? 5' 5" and 114? That's is so awesome. So many of us give up within 20 lbs of our goal. Was the last 30 lbs hard to lose? tmf

Ditto for me. I add a little olive oil to mine and sometimes I'll use a yogurt dressing or some italian low cal dressing. Salads are a slider food for me but they are filling. I've found that I crave salads much more now than before band. Cucumbers, radishes, red onions, spinach seem to satisfy me much more than before. We eat a salad for dinner about 5 days a week. Sometimes by itself and sometimes with shrimp or chicken or salmon. I think I love them mostly because it's a safe food. No sticking and very nutritious. tmf

I agree that you should talk to your dietician. But, I don't think he/she will recommend you avoid "real foods". Part of this journey is re-educating yourself about how to eat, what to eat and how much. Learning which foods your stomach will tolerate and accept is part of this process. Learning to eat slowly, with much smaller bites and chewing must happen with real foods like chicken, fish, vegetables etc. Now if you're talking about real foods such as tacos, pizzas, cheeseburger and fries, that's a completely different topic. Don't go there. I would follow your doctor and nutritionists guidelines up to your first fill. My doctor doesn't really care what I have the day of my fill. He doesn't want me pigging out an hour before and suggests a light lunch maybe 3-4 hours before the fill. So, don't stress over what to eat the day of and go ahead and experiment with the foods your doctor has recommended post op. Enjoy your trip. tmf

OK, I'm going to pile on with the others. See your doctor asap! You need a fill or 3. I could eat anything I wanted the first 4 months but I resisted. I lost 12 lbs the first 3 weeks but due to being able to eat all I wanted, I didn't lose anything the next 3 months(even though I had 3 fills). Then i got a fill(#4) that brought me closer to restriction. The next 2 fills finally got me to the green zone. You can't go on like you are as it's just like not having surgery. Remember, "It's still just a diet till you get restriction". And we all know how well we've done with "Diets". See your Doctor tmf

Is that why you're up at 3 am posting on this site? Can't sleep? LOL If you watched youtube, you must have noticed that no one was writhing in pain or even wincing? My first fill was a little shocking in that it was so mild and over so quickly. Sort of like a pinch from a 3 year old. tmf

Steak, fish if it's not super moist and fresh(no leftovers), sometimes eggs, pork, chicken if it's not very small chunks and very moist, bread, deli meats(cuz I eat them too fast). tmf

It's that place where your band is adjusted just right. You can only eat a finite amount of food, and feel full and satisfied most of the time. No or very little stuck episodes, not a lot of hunger and losing weight. tmf