8 months banded and I'm still learning

[hallelujah.girl 1]

Hello all, I just wanted to share some of the things that I have been going through, mostly because there might be others out there still in the learning process after having the band for awhile.

I have been really frustrated because I don't feel like I can eat anything, chicken gets suck, deli ham gets stuck no matter how moist It would get stuck. This is even after chewing the heck out of it. Soon as I swallowed I knew right away that I was going to get stuck.

This was really frustrating because I have never even reached my sweet spot yet.

I know this because every time that I went for a follow up to see if I wanted a fill, I didn't want one because I didn't feel like I could eat anything as it was. He would accept this answer and not give me a fill. He didn't ask me questions like are you taking small bites and chewing your food really good, even though at that point I would have said yes because I thought I was.

The last time I went in I told him the same thing except this time I told him that I can still chug Water with no problem, and he was like "aw ha". He said he doesn't know anybody who is at there sweet spot that could chug water. So he added a small fill and still felt like I couldn't eat anything "unless it was really soft like pudding, yogart, cottage cheese, cheese, re fried Beans ect... or I would get stuck and start slimming. This has been very frustrating for me because I could eat chips, candy, Cookies, ect with no problems at all but healthy stuff I needed to eat I couldn't...I can't even have a salad if I wanted one, and on top of all this my weight loss has been veeeerrrrry sloooow. Although I have lost over 50lbs and am very thankful to have done so.

I learned last week what small bites really meant. I have read on here forever that we must take small bites and chew chew chew. I knew this and told everyone else who was thinking about getting the band that they must do this as well. Well I really didn't know what a "small bite" meant. This is because the kind of bites I used to take were ginormous. So I am thinking a 4th of the size I normally eat as a small bite is a small bite. Now that I have realized what a SMALL bite is, I have been able to eat alot more things that I didn't think I could before.

I have to thank Ann "Spidey Mom" for my realization of what a small bite is. In one of her post that I read it said something like "teeny tiny bites" and that made me think maybe my tiny bites are still to big. (Thanks Ann!)

All this said to say if you get stuck a lot take smaller bites than you have been.

I used to take a bite of chicken that might have been a ¼” thick by a ¼ inch long and chew the heck out of it. Now I cut that ¼ of an inch piece of chicken into thirds and chew the heck out of that. I have been able to eat several things now that I couldn’t before. It takes me a lot longer to eat so even though I am not at my sweet spot I don’t eat that much because it takes me longer to eat.

I would like to hear from others if this is true, If you are at your sweet spot you can’t chug water.

Now that I am learning it eat (after 8 months of being banded) I’m trying to decide if I will want another fill or not. I will have to see what this next month brings me, I kinda enjoy still being able to chug water.

Sorry for such a long post, but I hope it may help someone else…

[John337 2]

hallelujah.girl - Good to hear from you. Don't be fustrated......It takes a while to get use to the new way of eating..... Small bites does mean small. I cut my meat no bigger than the size of a dime - nickel and chew, chew chew. Put the fork down while you chew.

Eating 4-5 oz of Protein should hold you for 5 hours. If not, time for an adjustment. You definitely should not be able to chug Water......I sip Water. If I try to chug even one gulp it hurts like hell.

I would go for the fill........

[shelystar 0]

I had the same problem, until my Dr. stated a small bite was the size of the tip of your pinky. Having this info. made eating so much easier. Good luck!

[SpideyMom 1]

Hey, HG, Soooo glad to see you on here again!!! Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad I could be of help. I still strive for the small 1/4" x 1/4" bites but sometimes I'm guilty of going up to dime size or more. It really depends on the food. I can't actually chug Water, but I can take big gulps of it and drink it quickly. I've never had to just sip it. So maybe some people are just different with the Water? I just had a fill last week, and the PA gave me a large cup of water to test how tight I was, and I forgot that I was supposed to be testing and I took two large gulps. It went down fine. Go figure.

However, what she and my doc have told me time and time again is that the longer it's been since your surgery, the harder it is to eat certain foods. For instance, I can barely eat chicken at all now. It has to either be super moist like Peruvian-restaurant rotisserie chicken (the grocery store rotisserie is too dry) or shredded chicken salad with lots of mayo for me to tolerate it. And get this -- I can't eat my dh's homemade hamburgers, but I can eat McDonald's hamburgers. (BTW, I also have no trouble with chips. I've heard that from lots of people.) It is soooo frustrating! I can eat nuts, Peanut Butter, cheese without problem, but sometimes hummus gets stuck. Huh??

So, I think maybe it just means we're all different. I agree with you, I like being able to drink water at a pace more than just a sip. When I'm thirsty, I'm thirsty! :tongue: Here's what my doc has always asked me before getting a fill: Are you eating more than a cup of good food (meaning protein-heavy) at each meal? Are you hungry between meals (meaning at less than 4-5 hours btwn meals)? Are you snacking between meals because you can't make it to the next meal? If you answer yes to any of those, you should definitely consider a fill.

Don't be afraid of a fill just because you might not be able to eat a certain food. Look at it as a learning experience. Try new foods. Add more sauce or mayo or anything to moisten up your foods that tend to get stuck. In the long run, you'll lose more weight by getting that fill than by worrying that you won't be able to eat X, Y, or Z.

Sorry to talk your ear off! Good luck and check back to let us know how you are! :smile:

And, BTW, you are doing an AWESOME JOB!!!!! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

[hallelujah.girl 1]

Thanks John and Shelystar for the great info..you too Ann. I like the dime size analogy that is a good size to keep in mind while eating...

It does sound like I need a fill because....

I can chug Water usually 8oz at a time

I never get full or have a soft stop (burp, hiccup, sigh ect.)

On rare occasions I have been known to have a snack between meals but for the most part I don't graze and I try (usually with good success) not to eat more than a cup at each meal but this is just by pure will power alone not because I can't eat anymore.

Ann I can't believe you get stuck on Hummus that is just crazy.

BTW I'm always around I just don't always post, just enough to let everyone know I'm still here.

[bmooney364 30]

HG, I am glad that I am on here today and read your post. I have had alot of confusion about am I restricted or not? I have been working on the small bite thing for the past 2 days. I am finding, like you that I am able to eat and hold down the good dense Proteins by tiny bites, putting down the fork between bites and chewing. I thought , like you, that I was eating slowly and taking small bites, but now I am thinking I was wrong. I also can gulp Water, take large horse pills and eat sliders with no problem. I wanted to eat good healthy foods, but I was taking 2 or 3 bites and up it came. The last 2 days have been an eye opener. I am thinking that even though I don't have killer restriction , I am going to hold off on getting another fill until I have this eating thing down pat. I haven't lost any weight lately, but I know that I have been eating wrong foods and not exercising. I am trying to do better. I have, slowly, started walking every day again, measuring my food and making better choices ,so hopefully the weight will start coming off again. I will decide later about a fill. Thanks for posting today. I really thought I was the only one having this problem and now I know I am not alone. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

[rguay 0]

Thanks everyone for posting. Great information, especially for those still confused about restriction.

I do have some restriction now. Since my last fill I have come very close to getting stuck a couple of times. I do have to cut everything up small and chew well. If I do, I can still eat anything. I can chug Water, and I can eat way more than a cup if I want to, that's the part that confuses me. I count calories and try no to overeat. I do hiccup when I am full now. Funny, I have trouble with soft stuff, like yogurt, apple sauce and mashed potatoes. I probably take larger bites because I don't have to chew it up.

I have 7cc's in a 9cc band. You would think I would be getting there by now.

Everyone is so different. It really helps to hear how you guys are doing.

[SpideyMom 1]

Ya know, I think this is one of the hardest things -- figuring out how to eat again. I was thinking more about it on the way in to work today, and I think the dime size is more accurate as to what size I cut my food. Now, if my dh cuts my food (yes, he does this for me sometimes as a surprise) he cuts it really tiny. But then I put two or three pieces on my fork -- lol.

Figuring out the restriction is really hard!

And, Rebecca, I think you're right -- I probably get hummus stuck for the same reason -- I take much bigger bites of soft stuff than I do other foods.

Together, we can figure this all out! :thumbup::smile2:

[Dani257969 0]

I have 9cc in a 14 cc band and I feel like I got pretty good restriction from my last fill, 6 weeks ago. I have lost 22lbs since then. And I just chugged 12 oz of Water. I can eat about 1/2 -1 cup of solid food per meal. My docs actually tell banders they want you to be able to eat 1-1 1/2 cup of food at each meal. So as little as I am eating and the fact that I am losing more than 2lbs per week, I don't think they would give me a fill. I wouldn't want my band so tight that I couldn't drink a glass of water. Crackers, chips and crackers go down just fine but there isn't a whole lot I can eat anymore. No scrambled eggs, sausage or meatball consistency meats, barbecue, broccoli, apples. There are a lot of things I am afraid to try. But salads go down fine, so I eat a lot of those. Between my salads and low-cal strawberry smoothies I get at work, that is about all the fruits and veggies I get. It will be interesting to see what my doctors tell me at my next appointment.

[hallelujah.girl 1]

Wow Dani 22lbs in 6 weeks that is awesome!!! It is good to hear you can still chug Water with restriction and still lose weight, I don't know if I could get my daily Water in if I had to sip it all day long instead of chugging.

You really should try to eat even smaller bites than you have been. I wasn't able to eat eggs either then I just realized my bites were to big. i thought since eggs were soft I didn't have to chew them as much...my mistake, even though they are soft, if I don't chew them enough then they don't want to go through.

I am afraid to eat lettuce, I had some shredded lettuce on a taco and it got stuck. ouch! So I am afraid to try again, but I do miss eating salads.

Can anyone else still eat salads with their restriction?

[jldchester 0]

Thanks for the great info. I was banded in Sept.

I can eat chips, crackers, etc. no problem. At times I feel like I have restriction (maybe I'm feeling stuck) Tonight I was able to eat 2 pieces of pizza and other times I can only eat an egg and a 2 bites of hashbrowns. I have no problem drinking Water. I have a 14 cc band with 6.5 cc's in it. I have not lost any weight since Nov. I go for a fill next week. Your description of small bites will help me alot. I am going to watch that very carefully. :thumbup:

I have gotten the hiccups - I thought I ate too fast.

[SpideyMom 1]

Tammy, today was an eye-opener for me. I paid close attention to my actual quantities, and I was surprised at how much I can eat with partial restriction (not good restriction, but not too loose). First, this afternoon I was able to drink down 8-10 oz. of Water non-stop. I think that would pretty much qualify as chugging, huh?:tt1: No problems there.

Then tonight, I had 1 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup chicken (cut small with added teriyaki sauce), and 1/4 cup of green peas. That's nearly 2 cups of food. I think that Dani's doctor is right -- probably 1-1 1/2 cups of food is more accurate than the 1 cup I said a couple days ago. When I start to eat beyond this -- like up to 3 cups :eek: I know I need to get on the horn to the doc. That's where I was around Christmas. yikes!

What really freaks me out is, my God, how much did I eat before I was banded????!!!!! :eek:

[hallelujah.girl 1]

8-10 oz at a time definitely qualifies as a chug.

I would love to be able to eat rice. I got stuck back in July when I didn't even have 1/2 the restriction I have now. Now I'm afraid to eat it. Of course I may have taken to big of a bite thinking I didn't really have to chew.

A cup and a 1/2 is pretty good are you still able to lose weight eating that amount of food.< /p>

[SpideyMom 1]

8-10 oz at a time definitely qualifies as a chug.

LOL... I guess it does, huh?

I can only eat brown rice... and then only with tons of butter. I told ya... I'm the queen of sauce now. Whereas, when I was on Weight Watchers for decades, all I did was deny myself of butter and dressings and mayo, and never get anywhere. Little did I know my problem was more with the carbs than with the fats. I also have to eat the rice slowly and in small bites... just like those darn scrambled eggs. :w00t:

Where there's a will....:frown:

[willowcat 93]

Thank you so much for posting!!!! I was banded in June 09 but saw your post on the New Posts. What you posted was just what I needed to hear (read?)! "Small" is a relative word--when it comes to anything really!--but you're so right about "small bites"! What I was thinking was "small" (compared to the size bites I took before the band), is really too big for where I'm at now. I too haven't been able to eat most foods (but I can chug water). Since my last fill in mid-December, I've rarely had a meal without also sliming, pain, and pbing. Also, I've stopped losing weight. After reading your post, I had Breakfast and took "pinkie-finger-sized" bites and chew,chew, chewed those. Ah-Ha! That's what a small bite is like! My first meal (in too long) that was trouble-free! I'm not too tight--I've just not been eating right. Thank you--I feel like I've got a new lease on my band and can start moving forward again!