40 lb Gone, But Still Learning How To Eat!

[CathyBFromGa 0]

Woo Hoo!! I was banded May 4, and as of today, I'm down 40 lb. If I weigh tonight, it may only be 37 lb, but I'm takin' it!!!

I'm still having trouble swallowing though. I haven't had a fill at all yet, but scheduled for my first one tomorrow. I think my biggest problem is still taking bites and sips that are too large, then I immediately get that awful pain. I thought the food was supposed to stay in the "pouch" (I'm not even sure I have one yet, since I haven't had a fill) for a while before passing through. I feel this pain within 5-10 seconds after I swallow. It's crazy, I can eat something crunchy, like a Pretzel Thin with hummus, and it goes through fine. Some of the softer things (like Greek Yogurt.. thicker...) will cause the pain. I'm thinking it probably has more to do with the size bites/sips I'm taking than the actual food product, though. On Thursday I was getting ready to go on a little day trip, and tried to eat some Greek yogurt for Breakfast. No way. It just would not go down. So I had nothing but coffee. Later in the day, I tried eating a few chicken nuggets from Wendys (I know, poor choice, but I needed something to eat while driving) and took little tiny bites of those, and they went down fine. Took me 45 minutes to eat them. Just seems strange that the nuggets went down with no pain and the yogurt just about killed me.

I am SUPER excited about the weight loss, though! 20 lb on preop, now 20 lb since surgery.

I'm wondering, though, if "this" is what it feels like to be at the sweet spot. I'm not hungry, I'm losing weight... so is it possible that i can be at restriction without even the first fill? I guess I'll see what my surgeon says tomorrow about whether or not to give me one.

This is a crazy journey!

[adagray 1]

Wow, you are doing great!!! It does sound like you have good restriction even without a fill. It does happen occasionally that someone may never need a fill. There is one person in my support group who lost all their weight without ever needing a fill. Its rare, but it does happen. I would guess you doctor will not give you a fill (based on what you said here). But, as you lose more weight, you may lose some of the restriction you are feeling right now and need a fill later.

For now, though, I'd say you don't need one and enjoy the restriction you already have. It is quite a learning process. I've found there is a certain 'art' to eating w/the band. Greek yogurt can make me feel stuck too if I take bites that are too big or eat it too quickly. Also, most people are tighter in the morning (cause we all tend to get a little dehydrated over night). The band is very sensitive to changes in our Water retention. The longer you have your band, the more you will learn how yours works for you and it will become more automatic (the size of your bites, how much you have to chew different foods, what food combos work, what foods to avoid, how foods effect you at different times of the day, etc.).

Best of luck to you and congrats on your success so far!