Not getting good restriction, only bad restriction.

[WrenBird 11]

Sorry,

I just want to make this a little more out there:

I eat well besides the experimental Pasta I had last night (I had that to see if I could eat a lot of food and still be hungry). Shortly after I finished the Pasta, I made this thread. I 'grazed' on it, which I'm sure was the reason I could eat so much of it.

Also, the part where it 'hurts' to go down is about solid food, which I don't eat. This isn't the problem, the problem is that I'm not getting good restriction, only bad restriction.

If anyone has experienced this problem and had a solution (like if it's curable through having less fill) please let me know!

[BetsyB 9]

Okay, thanks for clearing that up. I really misinterpreted your initial post.

It sounds to me like you've got a very different problem than I first thought.

If you're really not able to eat solid food--and are hungry, iIt sounds to me as though you might be too tight, and relying on (unsatisfying) slider foods that just don't stick with you.

You really should be able to tolerate solid foods--and should aim for a level of restriction that permits you to eat those.

I know it sounds counterintuitive; I am sure in your shoes, my reaction would be, "WTH? Take Fluid OUT?! That will just make me hungrier!" But really, if you're overfilled, you can't tolerate the foods that your body needs in order for the band to work the way it's meant to work.

If you're able to eat a reasonable amount of dense lean Protein (solid) and veggies, your body is apt to give you a completely different sensation.

[WrenBird 11]

Okay, thanks for clearing that up. I really misinterpreted your initial post.

It sounds to me like you've got a very different problem than I first thought.

If you're really not able to eat solid food--and are hungry, iIt sounds to me as though you might be too tight, and relying on (unsatisfying) slider foods that just don't stick with you.

You really should be able to tolerate solid foods--and should aim for a level of restriction that permits you to eat those.

I know it sounds counterintuitive; I am sure in your shoes, my reaction would be, "WTH? Take Fluid OUT?! That will just make me hungrier!" But really, if you're overfilled, you can't tolerate the foods that your body needs in order for the band to work the way it's meant to work.

If you're able to eat a reasonable amount of dense lean Protein (solid) and veggies, your body is apt to give you a completely different sensation.

I think you're right...It just sounds so bizaare to me that having less fill will make me feel less satisfied and still hungry and having more fill does the same thing, but with varied eating habbits.

It's hard to wrap my head around but I think that might be the problem. I'm worried for the other person who's still having these issues and has had 4 fills already. I really hope I don't have that problem. Needles freak me out :wink2:

Basically my daily routine goes like this:

A piece of fruit (usually an orange without the pulp), and a 20 minutes walk

Another piece of fruit and another 20 minute walk

Soup or vegtables, and another 20 minute walk. Sometimes I just eat what my mum cooks me...I'm lucky like that, but sometimes there's nothing to eat but her cooking (which is fabulous, but sometimes full of calories).

I feel hungry after everything I eat, like it doesn't make a difference. I'm trying to restrict my eating quite a bit, but it's torturous. If I ate more it honestly wouldn't make a difference (as I determined last night), so I figure I might as well eat a lot less and suffer through it, that way I'll atleast get some weight loss.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Oh thank goodness I'm not the only one. I searched and searched and I knew other people were having the same issues as us, but no one had answered them!

Yes, it pretty much is grazing what we're doing...I ate a massive bowl of Pasta tonight and it took me about 2 hours to eat but afterwards I was still hungry...

I think all of the weightloss I've been experiencing has just been from me exercising an hour a day and eating healthy foods (besides the Pasta, of course, but that was more of an experiment to see if I'd still feel hungry).

I've been working my butt off and I'm just so worried that spending so much money on this procedure has been a waste. It could just be something simple that can be easily fixed...I hope so. Eeek.

Anyways thanks so much for letting me know. I hope all goes well tomorrow :wink2:

Cheers,

Lauren

You are definitely not alone. I have never had a feeling of satiety, fullness or lack of hunger or whatever term people want to use. When I was too tight, I would get pain and pressure with small amounts of well-chewed food. And I would stop eating. But still I felt hungry. When some fill was removed, I didn't get the pain but I never felt satisfied, full or not hungry. The hunger can vary - sometimes it's not as bad, other times it is. I am totally unfilled now and I still have some restriction - especially with cold items (like Decaf sugar free iced tea) - I will feel them sitting there until they go down when the steak went down just fine. Go figure.

Anyway, I think it is different for every person. Some would call that pressure feeling being full. It never translated to that for me, or you, obviously. My empty stomach below seemed to want food in it - it felt empty. Just like before the band when I would diet and eat small quantities.

I have a doctor appt. and will discuss all this with him. I am not about losing more weight at this point but about addressing these other issues.

[WrenBird 11]

You are definitely not alone. I have never had a feeling of satiety, fullness or lack of hunger or whatever term people want to use. When I was too tight, I would get pain and pressure with small amounts of well-chewed food. And I would stop eating. But still I felt hungry. When some fill was removed, I didn't get the pain but I never felt satisfied, full or not hungry. The hunger can vary - sometimes it's not as bad, other times it is. I am totally unfilled now and I still have some restriction - especially with cold items (like Decaf sugar free iced tea) - I will feel them sitting there until they go down when the steak went down just fine. Go figure.

Anyway, I think it is different for every person. Some would call that pressure feeling being full. It never translated to that for me, or you, obviously. My empty stomach below seemed to want food in it - it felt empty. Just like before the band when I would diet and eat small quantities.

I have a doctor appt. and will discuss all this with him. I am not about losing more weight at this point but about addressing these other issues.

I'm so glad I'm not alone on this one.

I knew people were having problems, but I couldn't find the answers. I researched what 'good restriction' felt like and I don't feel less-hungry or satisfied when I eat. It's a bummer, but I hope it works out with less fill.

I'm still losing weight but that's because I have been exercising and eating lots of fruit and vegtables.

Cheers,

WrenBird :wink2:

[BetsyB 9]

I don't know if it's the case for you, but eating fruit alone (rather than in the context of a meal that also contains Protein and fat) spikes my blood sugar too rapidly, then when it plummets, I am ravenous.

If you're unable to eat good, dense protein, can you at least get some protein supplementation? It just doesn't sound as though you're getting enough--not just from a satiety standpoint, but from a health standpoint.

[WrenBird 11]

I don't know if it's the case for you, but eating fruit alone (rather than in the context of a meal that also contains Protein and fat) spikes my blood sugar too rapidly, then when it plummets, I am ravenous.

If you're unable to eat good, dense protein, can you at least get some protein supplementation? It just doesn't sound as though you're getting enough--not just from a satiety standpoint, but from a health standpoint.

I've only been able to hold up that diet for the past couple of days after I got my fill, before I could eat canned chicken and stuff. Foods with a lot of Water like citrus fruits just pass straight through it so it's made it easier to eat.

I am thinking of going onto Protein Shakes though. I can't really think of any other protein-type foods that will get through my band besides the shakes. Do you reckon a shake would be good enough?

I've been meaning to buy some frozen berries for a while to blend with the Optifast shakes to make them more interesting - I get those shakes for free, so I'd preffer to go onto those, but after a while they get a bit boring so I'm thinking of putting blended fruit in them.

I'm not sure how much fill I'm going to need out...From the sounds of it maybe 1cc. I'll probably be getting that done next week. Fingers crossed that solves all of the problems.

Cheers,

WrenBird :wink2:

[iwokeupfat 0]

Ok... Update. I saw my doc this morning. Told him that I've only been able to eat two tablespoons. .. yadda.. (see my previous post). He says that the band might be a bit too tight and assured me that I am ok but if I want.. he'll take a little out. He says I'm on a good schedule of losing 5-6 pounds a month as we discussed before my surgery. I opted to leave it the way it is. I'll deal with this for as long as I have to . I wanted to lose weight and gosh darn it, if I'm not in danger... this is forcing me to do it (lose the weight that I couldn't lose for years) I'm going to hang in there. I'm drinking my Protein and taking my Vitamins. As far as the 'grazing' that I spoke about... Doc says at this point don't worry about it because of the band being tight.... eat what little I can and supplement. This is temporary. Plus.. I have a support group meeting coming up on Monday. They are going to discuss 'grazing' and the calories involved.

I'm almost always hungry. I have to get over this obsession with food.

Thanks for all of the input on this subject. I appreciate reading your thoughts and posts on this. I realize that everyone is different and everyone's doc does things their own way. .. but many of us need guidance from 'the veterans' to help us make the best decision for ourselves. :wink2: When I look at your stats. .. you are all doing awesome. .. Thanks.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

I'm almost always hungry. I have to get over this obsession with food.

As long as you're hungry, you're probably going to be obsessed with food.

[WrenBird 11]

Ok... Update. I saw my doc this morning. Told him that I've only been able to eat two tablespoons. .. yadda.. (see my previous post). He says that the band might be a bit too tight and assured me that I am ok but if I want.. he'll take a little out. He says I'm on a good schedule of losing 5-6 pounds a month as we discussed before my surgery. I opted to leave it the way it is. I'll deal with this for as long as I have to . I wanted to lose weight and gosh darn it, if I'm not in danger... this is forcing me to do it (lose the weight that I couldn't lose for years) I'm going to hang in there. I'm drinking my Protein and taking my Vitamins. As far as the 'grazing' that I spoke about... Doc says at this point don't worry about it because of the band being tight.... eat what little I can and supplement. This is temporary. Plus.. I have a support group meeting coming up on Monday. They are going to discuss 'grazing' and the calories involved.

I'm almost always hungry. I have to get over this obsession with food.

Thanks for all of the input on this subject. I appreciate reading your thoughts and posts on this. I realize that everyone is different and everyone's doc does things their own way. .. but many of us need guidance from 'the veterans' to help us make the best decision for ourselves. :w00t: When I look at your stats. .. you are all doing awesome. .. Thanks.

Thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate it :thumbup:

It might be worth not getting a fill for a while and waiting for the fill to dissapear from the band and test it everyday to see if it's getting any better. I wonder how long it takes for a fill to leave the band.

I'm not sure if anyone's ever done that, but after 4 fills I can imagine it might be frustrating and you'd want to try anything.

Good luck :-)