Betsyjane

Thanks for the advice. I wonder...I have had lots of morning restriction so I only have a protein drink for breakfast. I wonder if I was drinking it too fast.....

Doing fine. I just wonder since I was restricted to liquids until noon or 2PM, if I might have been forcing solid lunches that backed up in the band... Who knows. Dr. says no slippage. I just know it put the fear of God in me and I'm stopping when I feel the slightest fullness, so I guess that's a good thing. Sounds like you are becoming a mature bandster! And you have your first sports injury, so you are officially an athlete. I'll be back for the Monday night La Villa fest. I'd like Mom to stay longer in KC, but at 90, her world has shrunk, and she wants to get back to her own home.

Woo hoo! Welcome back band baby! 25 pounds down and needin' a fill. You're doing great.

It was interesting talking with that cute little woman who is usually there when you get a fill....our cheerleader whose name escapes me. She said that after you get through 8-11 months with the band, you actually stop thinking about what you are going to eat. It just comes naturally to never be hungry and to be uninterested in food. She said she eats very little, and correctly, naturally now, and if she splurges, she just naturally knows that she will go to the gym to work it off. She said beginners (me) sweat over everything and then there's this change where it's just there....everything is in place. She said she seems to have "replaced food with other habits." I don't know for what percentage of people that is true, but it sounds lovely, doesn't it?

Woo hoo! 4.5!!!!!! conghrats! any words of wisdom? I contacted Spivak's for him to look at the xray. I'll let you know what he has to say. I think I'd rather talk with him about it that the 3 superstars who lost their weight on 600 calories a day and few fills. I know...that was tacky. I'm really tickled for them....and for you! Great loss!

Just FYI... I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about pouch dilation. Looks like the most common cause is a band that is too tight so the food backs up in the pouch before going through. I am going to ask for a little less fill. I think this "perfect" restriction I love may be a tad too much..... It also looks like the most common cure is to go on liquids for awhile. And it looks like dilation is a bigger problem to deal with if it goes on for a long time, causing chronic irritations or contributing to slippage over time. There are also 2 kinds..."pouch" dilation and esophageal dilation. I had the former. I'm encouraged reading about so many other people who were fixed by going on liquids. I would love to find a way to determine that it's starting and fade to liquids.....but my only symptom is that I wasn't as full and thought I might need a little fill. I think when I get back from KC, I'm going to ask for a slight unfill.

Yeah, Marni. I'm not sure I have the answers on why it stretched. Just trying to figure it out from the food changes I had made. The fill person also said I might have had too much restriction so I was eating OK, but it was backingup into the pouch for too long before it went down. Who knows. Anyway, it put the fear of God in me and I'm going to tighten up my act.

I didn't have to do a pre op diet, but I know I would have failed at it. Shoot, if I could diet successfully, I wouldn't have needed the band!

I thought I needed a fill because I was not feeling full. During the barium swallow, we saw that the pouch had increased in size.

I appreciate your comments Barbara. You've been at this longer, and I need info. The pouch didn't instantly go back. It went back because I went to liquids so it had time to return to normal size. I think I must have been using sliders for the wrong reason then. I never had a problem sliding things down my esophagus. In retrospect, I think I was using them so I didn't have to chew as much. I think I need to stay "pure" for awhile so I can get the habit ingrained better. I'm just guessing, because I didn't think I was overeating, but I did do some changes of diet so something in there might be the culprit, and sliders was a change for me. I figure even if they turn out not to have been the problem, I probably don't need calories sliding on through, so I'm going to mostly skip them. The only other change I can think of is that maybe I missed the calories of my Protein shake, so I overate at meals and didn't realize it? I'm going to weigh everything for awhile. My only other guess is that I might have had too much of a fill, and that can cause stretching, waiting for food to go down. I didn't see any difference in the placement of the band itself, but I don't have a trained eye. I'll ask Spivak to look at the x-ray. Thanks for the idea.

I went to get the surgicenter phone number on Spivak's site, and it's gone. interesting. I called and had no problem getting an appt for a fill at the surgicenter, and they just told me to come in anytime, so I think they're feeling the loss of fill patients. Anyway I asked around about what Speigel and Spivak were doing, and they said that Speigel has this theory now that most people should lose their weight within the first year instead of 2 years, so he's wanting to do the fills himslef and be, I guess, more aggressive.... Didn't get any spivak info..... Who knows.

I dilated my pouch and was terrified. Went on liquids for 3 days, and it's back to normal size. And I'm scared enough that I'm back to eating less. It just kind of snuck up on me...... In retrospect, 1. I had been having protein shakes and decided to only eat solid meals....and started eating a bit more to compensate, I guess. 2. I had also started eating "sliders" (a bit of gravy or applesauce, etc.) to help get the food down. Also a no no for me. I need to do my shake in the morning if I'm too restricted, and solid, difficult food that needs to be chewed until liquified, the rest of the day.

I noticed a thing on the wall that said....I don't remember the words, but in my words, it said that sliders (my word) and mushies are like liquid calories...a no no. So the other thing I've been doing is using sliders to get my food down. Maybe that did it. I'm not sure. But that was something what was a change for me so maybe that's it. I guess I'm going back to a shake in the morning, a salad at noon, and a meat a nd vege at night.... I think I must be fighting the stark reality that I need to struggle with each bite of solid dry food, no liquify it. I'm not sure. I'm just thinking out loud.

I noticed a thing on the wall that said....I don't remember the words, but in my words, it said that sliders (my word) and mushies are like liquid calories...a no no. So the other thing I've been doing is using sliders to get my food down. Maybe that did it. I'm not sure. But that was something what was a change for me so maybe that's it. I guess I'm going back to a shake in the morning, a salad at noon, and a meat a nd vege at night.... I think I must be fighting the stark reality that I need to struggle with each bite of solid dry food, no liquify it. I'm not sure. I'm just thinking out loud.

LIVE AND LEARN---A STRETCHED POUCH 5 days ago, all of a sudden I felt like I could eat anything. i even tried a few bites of bread...and no problem. Odd, since until then I had felt like I was at a perfect fill. so I hiked on over to get a fill. She put in .2cc and we watched the barium just sit there....I was totally closed! So she took out the .2cc and I looked just perfect. So I couldn't figure out why I could eat more stuff. She looked at the fluoro and told me I have stretched my pouch!!!! Oh No!!! The ultimate diaster. Everything I have heard says that a stretched pouch negates the surgery!!! I was ready to cry! She looked at me like I was nuts. I felt nuts. I couldn't figure out what I did....except that about a week ago, I said goodbye to my protein shakes because I felt like I wanted to only get my calories from solid food...period. I must have compensated for the missing shake by eating more and stretched it out, and then when I went back to eating correctly, I just never felt full. So she calmly said to go on liquids for 2-3 days so the pouch would retrun to normal size. And I did. And it did! I am totally back on track! Live and learn. Next time I think I need a fill, I'm going to go on liquids for a day and see if that takes care of it. And I'm going to work hard to nurture my little pouch better! __________________

LIVE AND LEARN---A STRETCHED POUCH 5 days ago, all of a sudden I felt like I could eat anything. i even tried a few bites of bread...and no problem. Odd, since until then I had felt like I was at a perfect fill. so I hiked on over to get a fill. She put in .2cc and we watched the barium just sit there....I was totally closed! So she took out the .2cc and I looked just perfect. So I couldn't figure out why I could eat more stuff. She looked at the fluoro and told me I have stretched my pouch!!!! Oh No!!! The ultimate diaster. Everything I have heard says that a stretched pouch negates the surgery!!! I was ready to cry! She looked at me like I was nuts. I felt nuts. I couldn't figure out what I did....except that about a week ago, I said goodbye to my protein shakes because I felt like I wanted to only get my calories from solid food...period. I must have compensated for the missing shake by eating more and stretched it out, and then when I went back to eating correctly, I just never felt full. So she calmly said to go on liquids for 2-3 days so the pouch would retrun to normal size. And I did. And it did! I am totally back on track! Live and learn. Next time I think I need a fill, I'm going to go on liquids for a day and see if that takes care of it. And I'm going to work hard to nurture my little pouch better!

Oh, PR... I'm so glad you got that figured out. sounds like you're on track again!

Hmm. I must have presented it wrong. The way I read it is that the band provides physical portion control through a sense of fullness, and the diet and behavioral parts are the responsibility of the bandster. That the emotional part comes from the changes that happen because of the partneship of the physical band and the bandster. I didn't think I was reporting anything other than one person's perspective among many...something to think about.

Seems like they ought to know when they hit it because they will pull out the saline that's in there and then put it and the new stuff back in! That way they know if you've lost any! Then, if you are leaking, they can put in Omnipack instead of saline. It's denser so it doesn't leak.

A copy of my favorite all time post on this website:::::: HowtoTellWhenYouArePerfectlyAdjusted: You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of Protein a day? 2. Are you eating 25 grams of Fiber? 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories? a. Soup can be sign of soft calorie syndrome b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories 7 calories per gram.(It's also a stomach irritant). c. fruit juice is just sugar Water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can't just eat what's easy c. cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals? 6. Are you eating too much junk? a. chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, Cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don't avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of Calcium daily? 8. Do you always eat the protein first? 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. meat or fish (3 ounces the size of a deck of cards) b. Vegetables (½ cup the size of your fist) c. Starch (If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don't need much - Avoid: rice, potatoes, pasta) 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine. d. The body has no way to break down artificial fats). a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you're not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small Snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won't be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it's a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive compulsive thoughts (Obsess about something else) b. Perfectionism (All or none, black and white thinking) c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as good and bad e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. F. You may need your band loosened 1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables (6) Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (7) Peppermint (8) Baking soda toothpaste (9) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (Tylenol is OK) n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

The sweet spot actually differs for people. some people like alot of restriction and some just like to sense fullness. It's actually the spot where you live best as a bandster. For me, my first 2 fills didn't do it but my third fill did. I could eat breakfast at times, and at times I was too restricted for anything but a protein shake. For lunch and dinner I could eat the recommended 4-6 ounces of food. I didn't feel like snacking. Food just stopped holding an allure for me. Physically, I was forced to eat slowly or I was in trouble. when I was full, I felt a huge sense of fullness and satisfaction. It was a heaviness in my chest and throat. I was losing between 1-2 pounds a week regularly. I wasn't food-seeking.

My hero! Actually, if you want to ease into it, get an exercise ball and do pushups over it. The farther back the ball is on your body, the harder the pushup.

Nurseamy! I have been exactly where you are, and I'm down 30 pounds! Have heart. For most of us, there is no restriction until you get a fill and hit the sweet spot. Your job right now is to do everything you can to eat like a bandster....practice what you can, and forgive yourself for what you don't do. In essence, you are currently no different than before you were banded. It's a long process, a marathon and not a sprint. I had no restriction after surgery, after my first fill, or after my second fill. I learned. I studied. I practiced. I learned patience and to shed myself of self-blame. On my 3rd fill, I was actually finally living life as a bandster. Some people only need one fill to get to that restriction, but frankly, there is so much to learn, I've been grateful to have been easing into it. In the meantime, try spicing your food up with some Thai seasonings. I found that artificial sweeteners made me hungry and gave me gas. I liked hearty Soups and meaty things. I did a lot of blending or grinding ham and beef into hearty soups. I just wanted meat!!!!!

Barbara-I think you're doing well to be focusing on incorprating exercise at the moment! Lana-I need to leave for my trip in a few days, and I'm nowhere near ready. Or rather I could be ready but I'm getting a 90 year old woman ready too! I'll have to miss the next one, but I'd like to go after next week.....

It's interesting, isn't it? I truly believe 6 small meals is healthier. I also know that right now, I would never feel full that way with the band. I'm thinking maybe later that will be possible for me. And I also know I need to tackle my grazing issues, so 3 meals and no snacks resonates with me...for now. that's a good point that we have to keep adjusting as our bodies do. It's truly a long term education!