Eating around the band

[flower 2]

What exactly is eating around the band could someone offer advice.

[Alexandra 55]

What are you asking? When people say eating "around" the band what is usually meant is eating foods that are easy to consume in large amounts. Things like Soup, ice cream, the infamous milkshakes, junk food--high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods which will compromise one's weight loss.

You've been here long enough to know that bandsters must work with their bands, and not avoid its effects by only eating soft food. "Eating around the band" is another way of saying...not trying.

[Desi80 1]

yup exactly what Alexandra said. Basically being lazy and eating things that they aren't supposed to or that go down easy so that they can eat alot. I have that bad habit with ice cream and popcorn, though i eat less then i used too i eat more then i should becuase it goes down sooo easy.

[HarleyNana 10]

Ouch, such harsh words, like..not trying, lazy, oh my, but ohhhh so true. Ok, I'm guilty of the ice cream, Sonic drive-through is a weakness, I so enjoy that vanilla cone on the way home. Why is it nacho chips, of all things, go down so easy? It looks like those things would get stuck in a second.

[Desi80 1]

Harley Nana..it is harsh, but like you said soo true. I'm saying this as someone who has to struggle against it. It doesn't take long to learn what won't go down at all, what goes down well and follows the band rules, and what goes down easy. Of course the stuff that goes down real easy are the stuff that isn't good for us. ice cream, popcorn, nachos (the taco bell nacho bell grande goes down waaaay to easy) fried foods. etc I could easily live off of all the above because its easy. i can eat and eat and not have to THINK am i full? am i going to PB if i eat another bite? Unfortunately eating those things aren't going to make me loose weight. So I have a choice, i can be lazy and eat what goes down easy or i can put the effort into working my band. Somedays its not an easy choice.

[GeezerSue 7]

Guess what! I'm disagreeing again!

My DS surgeon said that "eating around" the band and "soft food syndrome" are often ways of blaming banded people who have a strong survival instinct for following "the instructions" millions of years of evolution have provided.

If a food--a particular food or a category of food--makes you sick (and your brain is pretty sure that PB'ing is being sick), then a working brain will do everything it can to convince you to NOT try again to eat the stuff that made you sick before. In fact, you'd have to be pretty darned...well...pretty darned not-too-smart to KEEP trying to eat stuff that makes you sick.

So, if you are properly restricted, know you are full and keep pouring in calories by switching to liquids...then maybe you are lazy or hell-bent on self-destruction or the like. But if you have moved to a Soup and ice cream diet because every time you try to eat healthy food you end up being sick, then your band needs to be loosened or you need to make sure your stomach and esophagus are okay.

Because some of what gets written off as lousy motivation may actually be a strong instinct for survival.

[the best me 6]

But if you have moved to a Soup and ice cream diet because every time you try to eat healthy food you end up being sick, then your band needs to be loosened or you need to make sure your stomach and esophagus are okay.

I agree with Geezer! For me, it does take some measure of introspection. And I have been much kinder to myself of late for eating soft foods. Last night I ate guacamole with tostitos and a fairly large bowl of chili with Beans and cornbread. yummy! That's ALL I had, and I had eaten healthily all day long. So I made room for those soft calories! Admittedly, with the erosions going on lately, I am motivated to NOT lean too hard on my band and give it easy foods, then use my head to check my intake. I sort of force myself to use the self-control my band allows me to exhibit.

On this board, the term "soft-foods syndrome" indicates some laziness, some lack of self-control, some measure of not using your band the way is was designed, not making good use of your handy-dandy band...you get the picture. It isn't a far leap from going easy on your band for a spell to getting out of hand. However, if you are doing soft foods because "real" healthy foods cause PBs and other problems, you are too tight!!!!!!

[KarenB 0]

Yup, yup, you're all right. When I've been sick with this stupid nutrcacker esophagus, I could only eat soft foods till I closed up entirely. However, that said, I've been perfectly fine & able to eat solids at other times & still persisted with the ice cream.

Interestingly, Sue, there have been times that food was hard going down, like sweet bagel chips, & I ate them anyway. Why? Because I'm addicted to sweets. That was not survival instict, that was downright stupidity. Is that called "eating despite the band" instead of around it?

Now that I have this nutcracker (it sounds so stuped even when I type it, but it could lead to more serious esoph. conditions) I'm taking my eating habits more seriously, knowing that so many people have lost their bands & I could be one of them.

[Alexandra 55]

My DS surgeon said that "eating around" the band and "soft food syndrome" are often ways of blaming banded people who have a strong survival instinct for following "the instructions" millions of years of evolution have provided...

So, if you are properly restricted, know you are full and keep pouring in calories by switching to liquids...then maybe you are lazy or hell-bent on self-destruction or the like. But if you have moved to a Soup and ice cream diet because every time you try to eat healthy food you end up being sick, then your band needs to be loosened or you need to make sure your stomach and esophagus are okay.

I agree 1000% with you, Sue. My earlier post could have been qualified by saying "if all is well, then..."

But Flower's question seemed to simply be one of definition. When we say someone is "eating around the band," to me that definitely does impart some measure of intention--that is, eating so as to intentionally defeat the purpose of the band, which is of course to make us eat less. If someone is resorting to soft foods with a different intention--for example, because ANY amount of hard Proteins cause pain or difficulty--the same phrase wouldn't be used.

[Desi80 1]

let me clarify the difference between being two tight and "eating around the band" as sometimes its hard to tell the difference. I will use myself as an example.

I had my first and only fill in oct. Went back a couple weeks ago and had lost 18lbs. Other then the occasional PB and vomit for eating something I either A) shouldn't have (bagel) or didn't chew/take small bite. All was well. We decided to ride out this fill and did not do another fill. Then I started doing stuff like "hey instead of eating a few bites of chicken, i can eat a whole bowl of cottage cheese. Instead of a salad, i'll have these refried Beans. It wasn't about being too tight, i just was greedy and wanted to eat more.

This past week or so i began to think i needed an unfill, i was PBing, and just had a general loss of appettite. I did a liquid diet and allowed my stoma to rest, and i'm back to being able to eat.

So lets review.

To tight...PBing frequently , unable to keep solids down when bites are small and well chewed. Go on liquids for a day or two and problem does not resolve itself your still too tight.

eating around the band... eating soft foods because you can, you enjoy eating that big bowl of ice cream instead of slowly chewing up that salad. Eating that can of refried Beans (or pintos and cheese from taco bell) cause its "quicker" then baking some skinless chicken....ya'll get the point.

[Bandster Brad 1]

Karen, please forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I am curious about what you mean by the term "nutcracker esophagus" <spelling?>

Here's why:

Often I find that I am so tight that virtually anything I eat is NOT going to go down. Then, if I PB, ten minutes later, anything is fine.

The rest of the time, everything goes down fine.

Problem is, I have no way of telling if it's going to be a "good" eating experience, or a "bad" eating experience.

Due to a more than ample experience set of what happens when I don't chew, I chew everything really well. I also try to drink something warm (like soup) ahead of time.

Sometimes its three bites then PB, and other's, its "Smooth sailing."

Does this have anything to do with a "Nutcracker esophagus"?

Inquiring minds....

Brad

[GeezerSue 7]

"Nutcracker Esophagus"

http://www.csmc.edu/5938.html

[GeezerSue 7]

interesting link Geezer....is the therapy the same for bandsters, or does unremitting symptoms lead inevitably to unbanding?

I'd think it would depend on the physician and the patient. There are a lot of banded people who are willing to tolerate some reflux--and treat it--in order to keep the band doing its thing. I'm on the other end of that process...to me, it isn't as wise to treat a problem I'm causing as it is to just stop causing the problem. But that's me.

[Dody 0]

"Nutcracker Esophagus"

http://www.csmc.edu/5938.html

How are you Sue? You are the one that had the DS revision aren't you? You have esophageal problems something like I'm having treated right now. I hope to clear it up and get the band. I have an erosion right now in the esophagus, but hoping to get it cleared up with Nexium. I too am wondering what in the heck is a "nutcracker esophagus". I hope you are doing well.

[Mothernature 0]

Hi All-

I was the person to post the phrase "eating around the band". It was one of the reasons my family doctor was using to explain his reasons for not wanting me have the lap band. He said that to "eat around the band" all you have to do is to eat more often, therefore, meaning the band really isn't the deterent for overeating people think it is. Thanks!