My Love/hate Relationship With The Lap Band...

[CurvyCat 0]

I'm another one who is frustrated with slow losing and with the band in general.

I was banded in June of 2010, and lost 47 pounds post-banding at my lowest point back in April of this year (I lost 44 in the 6 months before being banded).

Over this summer, I basically gave up on the whole thing, and gained 16 back. I've now managed to get 5 of that back off again.

See, I apparently am very good at getting myself STUCK on any and all non-liquid Protein sources. Which prompted me to get unfilled down to my original 2cc level back in early April. Not enough, though, as I still have to watch very closely any time I eat meat, tofu, or eggs, though I have better luck when I "lubricate" the works with salsa or fat free refried Beans or fat free sour cream.

Of course, the lack of fill and the slide-y nature of my meals (healthy or not), means I have no full feeling at all after eating -- no helpful restriction, just random episodes of OWCH. It's all on my willpower, which is variable, and now I live in fear of the healthy foods that pre-banding I could eat and post-banding I should eat.

I guess the fear of stuck pain and vomiting has had a positive(?) effect of keeping me from really binging on anything solid, but the whole scenario to me just stinks of yet another failure that has the added suckage of causing me pain when I do **ck up. I was more successful by far in the 6 months before getting my band than in the 14 months since getting it.

Sure, I could go in and get filled again, but I fear that would just put me back in the situation of getting stuck and vomiting several times each day, instead of only every other day or so.

I'm very discouraged, but still determined to do this, despite my band becoming more of an obstacle than a useful tool.

[Lollicatt 36]

Seems like you've done pretty well being that you've lost close to 80 since being banded...or is the ticker the lbs you lost before being banded??? I'd just say get out of the funk you seem to be in, get back on track of eating like you are supposed to with the band, and keep up the good work!! (You've done a good job so far) YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!

[CurvyCat 0]

Argh, I just typed out a response and hit something wrong and my browser refreshed. (new-to-me-laptop, grrrrr)

I lost 44# in the 6 months of my pre-approval, pre-surgery diet. I was eating lean meats, fish, egg whites, tofu, canned tuna, etc. All the things I have not been able to eat well since getting banded.

I DO eat them, I just have to make them wet or mushy, which makes them very slider-y. And so they slip right through my unfilled band and I am not full or satisfied in any way.

When I am more filled, I have even more trouble with being stuck on ANYTHING not pureed (heck, even split pea Soup will stick on me sometimes).

I was more successful in the 6 months before getting banded (44#) than I have been in the 10-14 months since (47#, current 35#).

My TOTAL has been over 90# at my lowest point, but half of that was BEFORE the band.

Despite spitting up all the time and being in pain nearly every meal, I was "on track" and compliant with the rules for the first 10-11 months after banding.

It's only been over this summer that I've been not as compliant. And I HATE it. I was never a junk food junkie, even at my biggest. I have been hooked on healthy foods since I got pregnant in 2003, I just had problems with Portion Control (even too much of the good stuff will make you gain weight).

Eating less healthy fare over this summer has made me feel horrible. Which is why I'm back on the good stuff again, but because it needs to be wet/mushy, I am far less satisfied with it than I was before getting banded.

Yeah, I can do it, but I'm really starting to wish I had just done it (again) without this not-so-helpful (for me) "tool".

If I'm going to have to rely on my own willpower to this degree, I would certainly prefer to be able to eat the healthy things I need to eat, should eat, could eat, and DID eat before getting this thing.

Thanks for your encouragement, though!

Seems like you've done pretty well being that you've lost close to 80 since being banded...or is the ticker the lbs you lost before being banded??? I'd just say get out of the funk you seem to be in, get back on track of eating like you are supposed to with the band, and keep up the good work!! (You've done a good job so far) YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!

[onikenbai 33]

Some people never find the sweet spot where they can eat properly but sensibly. I had the problem of either being able to eat anything or nothing... there was no in between. I couldn't eat chicken or tuna, or any dense Protein even if I did turn it into a slider food, and I was spitting up 7 or 8 times a day. It got to the point where I ate Soup, salad and oatmeal for almost 2 solid years and found myself (ironically) malnourished. I finally had enough and had my band completely unfilled, and I promptly lost 8lbs in 2 weeks just because I could eat normal foods again and feel full like a normal human being.

I must have gone through 20-30 fills and unfills to find the point where I could eat normal but small meals. I never found it.

[CurvyCat 0]

Yep, I think there are a few of us that just don't have a sweet spot, and are VERY sensitive to being stuck. I can literally feel my esophagus having spasms trying to unstick me after most meat/egg/tofu/fish/chicken meals.

I've been up and down with fills and anything above where I am now (at the 2cc that was in my band immediately post-op) has me stuck on everything solid, no matter how much I chew it.

It was very much a mutual agreement between me and my surgeon to unfill me to this point, because this is the level post-banding where I lost the most --- in the 6-8 weeks post-surgery.

Over the past 3 weeks, I've been heavily experimenting with more options to lubricate my meals with healthy sauces and salsas, and it's been working reasonably well. I'm just incredibly frustrated that I can't sit down to a chicken breast, grilled fish filet, or an omelet (all of which were staples for me pre-band) without being afraid it's going to send me to the bathroom to come back up. And never mind eating around other people. bleh.

I have two young daughters as well, and the LAST thing I want them to do is think that vomiting after meals is normal or OK. I feel like this thing is going to backfire on me in more ways than one.

I WILL take the remainder of the weight off, and I do think the band will help me keep it off, but I hope the price isn't too much to pay for the negative impact on my relationship with healthy food and the influence it is having on the perception my children are getting of food/weight/dieting/health.

Some people never find the sweet spot where they can eat properly but sensibly. I had the problem of either being able to eat anything or nothing... there was no in between. I couldn't eat chicken or tuna, or any dense Protein even if I did turn it into a slider food, and I was spitting up 7 or 8 times a day. It got to the point where I ate Soup, salad and oatmeal for almost 2 solid years and found myself (ironically) malnourished. I finally had enough and had my band completely unfilled, and I promptly lost 8lbs in 2 weeks just because I could eat normal foods again and feel full like a normal human being.

I must have gone through 20-30 fills and unfills to find the point where I could eat normal but small meals. I never found it.