Learning to work with the band

[ElfiePoo 109]

In another month I will be 1 year postop and, like the vast majority of people I see here, will only have lost around 40-50 pounds since surgery. I expected to lose a lot more than that. I expected it to be a lot easier than it has been. I expected the band to work in a completely different way than it has actually worked. Yes, I did the research and I asked all the right questions...which led me to these expectations and being overfilled.

I was told the band would tell me when I was full, so I kept getting fills until it did. Unfortunately, by that point, it also made it almost impossible to eat most foods except sliders. Getting stuck became the norm. I finally said 'enough' and had them take out 1/3 of the fill. I stayed there for 7 weeks because it was such a relief to not get stuck on real food and then went in for a fill.

What I've come to realize in the last month since that fill is that my band is not going to tell me when I'm full *BUT* it does make me take small bites and chew thoroughly and if I forget, will remind me with a stuck episode. As a result, I eat more slowly. I portion out my meal and I never go back for seconds. It takes me about 30 minutes to finish my meal and I'm always the last one done.

I cannot go 4-5 hours to my next meal. Perhaps that has more to do with the fact that I'm a diabetic and need to eat more frequently to keep my blood sugar stable, but that's ok. My mid-meal 'pick me ups' are a low carb/low cal Protein shake all the time because I'm training my body to not expect 'food' in between meals.

I suppose I could go in and keep tweaking my band until I get to that magical sweet spot, but I'm beginning to think that sweet spot is in our head. Someone once said it's too bad we can't band our brain...but I think, in my case, that's what has finally happened. I've stopped looking for the 'expected' and have start listening to my body instead.

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[Queen Fig 0]

I am right there with you except for the diabetic part. In fact, I have only lost 35 lbs. I expected so much more. However, this is the first time I have actually KEPT weight off, so I am happy about that. I think I am finally understanding this band almost 1 year out. I was banded Nov. 17, 2009. I am also an emotional eater but am learning to control that too. Sometimes I wonder if I should have done gastric bypass instead, but as long as I can continue to lose, albeit slowly, I can learn to be patient.

I am going to get one more tiny fill so I am not tempted to eat things like pizza and bread in any form..as I can eat a bit of it now. Then I think I will be at my sweet spot...whether it's real or mental.

I wish you luck and continued success. You really are doing well...maybe just not what you expected.

[ElfiePoo 109]

You really are doing well...maybe just not what you expected.

Yes, and that was part of what I had to get my head around. I may not have lost what I 'expected' to lose, but I have lost...and kept it off. The band may not be giving me the full feeling I 'expected' to get, but it is controlling how fast I can eat...so I'm eating less as a result.

I've had a love/hate relationship with this band for the past 11 months but I think we're settling into a comfortable relationship which is a good thing because 'divorce' is not an option. :biggrin:

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[BetsyB 9]

I think it's quite true that the "sweet spot" is as much mental as physical.

Since banding, I've lost at the same consistent rate, whether I've had restriction or not. I've chosen the same foods, in the same amounts.

The difference, as I approached and reached restriction, was not that I achieved a magical point where I wasn't hungry, or was miraculously satisfied.

It was a gradual lessening of unmanageable hunger. I mean, face it, if you're eating a limited number of calories, you're apt to be hungry a good deal of the time.

For me, that is gone. GONE. I do get hungry--but eating my small, careful meals removes the hunger. And that hunger stays at bay until I again need to eat. I am now able to stick with a severely calorie-restricted regimen. Before the band, I was not.

The band doesn't tell me I'm "full." Full is a completely different experience now. Now, it means "not hungry." And that's the way it should be. The Japanese have a saying, hara hachibun, which means eight-tenths full. The idea is that one should stop eating when they reach this point, because it's enough. It's satisfying. Hara hachibun is a great concept to approach to banded eating.

I still have to be vigilant. I have to take appropriate servings of appropriate foods. I have to tell myself "no" when my mind tells me "Aw, that won't hurt!" I have to be mindful not to take that one extra bite---because there is a thin line between enough and too much, and too much hurts.

ETA: I'm glad you're achieving peace with the band; I know it's been hard for you. Your loss is NOT insignificant, and it will continue. Now that you're more comfortable with the band, I think you will find it to be a great tool.

I also have to exercise. That is a critical, critical piece of the puzzle for me.

[Desiree1972 0]

thank you for sharing your experience with us

[ElfiePoo 109]

The band doesn't tell me I'm "full." Full is a completely different experience now. Now, it means "not hungry." And that's the way it should be. The Japanese have a saying, hara hachibun, which means eight-tenths full. The idea is that one should stop eating when they reach this point, because it's enough. It's satisfying. Hara hachibun is a great concept to approach to banded eating.

I also have to exercise. That is a critical, critical piece of the puzzle for me.

Yes, that's it exactly. I was still looking for what I previously understood 'full' to mean...and I just wasn't getting there. Now, I just portion out what I know is enough (about 3-4 oz of Protein, 3/4 cup steamed vegies or a salad and maybe 1/4 cup of carbs if I still feel like it) and stop. Many times 'enough' is reached by the time I finish my vegies and I honestly can't tell you how I know it's 'enough'...just that I do.

I detest exercising but have come to the reluctant conclusion that my insulin resistance (and thus my blood sugars) are not going to resolve without 'exercising' <blech>. Watching my carbs and lowering my calories to 1200 just hasn't been enough and, to be honest, while the weight loss is nice, the biggest reason I got the band was because I didn't want to be on meds the rest of my life (if possible) and I don't want to lose my kidneys. Fortunately, the weight I've lost over the last 11 months makes it possible for me to get out and walk without pain.

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[BetsyB 9]

Just remember that exercise doesn't have to mean a punishing regimen. A nice walk outdoors can become something you enjoy and look forward to--and is something to which your blood sugar will respond remarkably.