Help!Help!Help!

[skinnygirl 1]

nI have no restriction and when I eat stuff keeps getting stuck what does that mean??Help! Then I have to drink so the food will come back up! Not sure what to do I go for a fill next week and really need it

[A New Woman 1]

If you are getting stuck then you do have some form of restriction. It may not be to the level you want but it's starting. The reason you are getting stuck is either one of two things -- 1) You are eating too fast or 2) you are not taking small enough bites. It's a learning a process. I am at a very tight restriction right now but I haven't slimed, vomited or got stuck in a long time. You don't want to keep drinking Water to bring the food back up since drinking and eating is against the band rules. Take it slow and easy and you'll notice a world of difference. Chances are that if you are getting stuck your doc won't fill you.

[Humming Bird 275]

I agree, if you are getting stuck, you have restriction.

[Astrasmom 1]

nI have no restriction and when I eat stuff keeps getting stuck what does that mean??Help! Then I have to drink so the food will come back up! Not sure what to do I go for a fill next week and really need it

I agree with everyone else. That is the restriction you are feeling. And if you are getting stuck you need to chew your food better or you need to not eat that type of food for awhile because it's not agreeing with you. When you drink to bring it back up you are taking the chance of getting it even more stuck. Best thing is just to let it pass on it's own. You don't want to keep bringing it back up either because your band might slip. CHEW CHEW CHEW!!!

[Teacher07 3]

Everyone has given you great advice. SLOW DOWN and CHEW! You do have restriction or it wouldn't be getting stuck and by the sounds of it, you don't need a fill.

[Fanny Adams 7]

Often when people say "I don't have restriction", what they really mean is "I still feel hungry" but they're not actually the same thing. If you are getting stuck often, you DO have restriction - otherwise you couldn't get stuck. However, you may well still be feeling hungry all the time, and so not realise what is happening. In fact, you may already be too tight and this is causing the getting stuck and throwing up, etc.

When you have restriction, you need to take TINY bites, about the size of your pinky fingernail, and chew each one to liquid before swallowing. Too much at once or not enough chewing will get stuck and cause problems. When you get stuck and start to throw up, your stomach will swell up, making the restriction even tighter and it will get harder and harder to eat solid foods. However, because you are not eating solid foods, you will still feel hungry all the time and want to eat!

When you get stuck a lot, you tend to avoid the foods that give you trouble and stick to "slider" foods like icecream, Cookies, chips and chocolate. Slider foods do exactly that - they slide straight through the band, leaving your pouch empty and you feeling hungry again very quickly.

It can easily become a vicious cycle - you are tight or swollen from throwing up, so you eat slider foods, leaving you hungry. You are hungry, so you want to eat more but can't because you're too tight...

The way out of this loop is to give your stomach at least a day's rest to recover from any PBing. Go onto "liquids only" for at least one day. Try creamy Soups with lots of Protein to help you feel full - have as much as you like but no solids.

On the second day, eat mushies, taking care to take tiny bites and chew thoroughly. Again, don't worry about quantities - choose high Protein, low fat/low cal mushies and eat as much as you want but concentrate on taking it slowly and NOT getting stuck.

On the third day, introduce solid foods again, choosing things like tender lean meats and cooked veges. Be even more careful to cut your food into tiny pieces, eat tiny bites, chew each one at least 30 times, pause for a little while between each swallow and see how you are feeling. If you do get stuck and start to PB, go back to liquids for the rest of the day and try again tomorrow.

You should find that you are able to eat solid foods in this way without getting stuck. Solid foods, eaten the right way, will sit in your pouch and stop you feeling hungry. If you can't manage solid foods at all after several days of trying this routine, you are too tight and need some Fluid taken out.

You only need a fill when eating solid meals of protein and veges still leaves you hungry and wanting to snack between meals or eat lots more than a cup at at sitting.