Question for those who like their band TIGHT!!

[new me by 30 0]

I was just wondering what do you eat? Or any tips for dealing with a tight band. I just had a fill that feels pretty tight, and I am having a difficult time eating. I kind of think I am still a little swollen and it will get better. Thanks!!!

[TKW 501]

Tight bands cause stuck episodes that can lead to throwing up which can lead to a slipped band. I know a lot of people like their band tight, I don't like the risk.

[TracieR 88]

My band has been pretty tight for the last couple of weeks after a fill. I've been doing a Protein Shake in the morning(click espresso Protein Powder instead of my coffee), chicken salad, chili, bean salad, or lentil Soup for lunch and some kind of fish or chicken thighs for dinner. Make sure you take tiny bites and chew, chew, chew. If you do get stuck do liquids the following day and then mushies before going back to solids. I also do a Protein Bar or shake again in the evening if I get hungry.

[Mimilou2004 13]

Is this the first time you have been this tight? If so, please listen to the previous posters and go for an unfill if you start barfing or can't tolerate real food and supplemental Protein drinks.....a slight unfill early on is preferred to the complications and torment of a slipped band. I hope you are just a little swollen. Many ppl with a band that is too tight will resort to slider food and stop losing or actually gain.

Best wishes,

Mimi

[honk 780]

When was your fill. My doctor requires 1 day full liquids and then 1 day mushies. Eating solids the day after a fill has a strong likly hood of irritating the band.

[B-52 7,113]

Few things. I like my band tight!

I have been stuck numerous times,,,,,20 times easily. But not in past month or 2 because I have learned to live with the tight band. I'm sort of a self-proclaimed authority.

You do not vomit when you get stuck. Vomiting comes from deep within your stomach. Getting stuck is above your band, when the food has nowhere to go. It will come up

not from vomiting, but more of a spit-up, with a heavy hiccup so to speak. But vomiting is a easy term so people use it.

If I ever get sick and start vomiting, I would be very scared my band will slip, and I would call the Dr ASAP to get unfilled temporarily.

To be specific, there are no foods I cannot eat. It's just that some are harder to go down than others.

To give you a example:

pizza.....If I take a normal bite of pizza, chew and swallow, I know I will get stuck! (from experience) I will have to stop and wait for it to pass through the band, and if not, the sliming will begin. I can sip

some Water and speed up the process to get unstuck.

That does not mean I can never eat pizza. I have to take very small bites, with adequate time between bites. It would take me at least 20 minutes to eat one slice. So why bother at all. I know it's not good for me in the first place so I put it on my "Never again" list. To me that's a good thing.

Now compare that to when I was not banded. I could, and did many times, sit down and eat a large pizza with toppings all by myself in a single sitting!!!

There are many other foods that fall in the same example.

Rice. cannot eat it straight by itself. I could but it would take me an hour. I have Chinese food every Friday night. I mix the rice with the food thoroughly and eat it with no problem. Not to mention

I now eat very, very small portions, as opposed to eating enough for 4 which I used to do with no problem.

Donuts....one normal bite and I'm doomed. I can nibble at it and finish in 1/2 hr., so I don't eat donuts anymore. Is it bad I don't (can't) eat jelly donuts?

My favorite fast food is Chipotle Burrito in a bowl, with chicken ,rice, black Beans, etc. No problem. I have it 2-3 times a week.

So you are not doomed to eat nothing but "Slider Foods" the rest of your life, just learning a new way of eating. Better foods, smaller portions, slower pace, and not that often during the day because I

always feel full. (it's not from being tight though)

This is Exactly what I had hoped the band was supposed to do.

I like what my band is doing for me!

As far as getting stuck, it is a learning experience. If you have never gotten burned, you would not know how to deal with fire.

[Humming Bird 275]

I like my band tight, but keep in mind there is a very fine line between "tight" and "too tight." When I reached my sweet spot it took about 2 weeks of liquids, then mushies, sliders, and so on, before I knew I was at just the right fill level for me. At first I thought I may have been too tight, but after those 2 weeks I didn't need a fill for almost a year. The weight flew off. I do have a long list of foods I can no longer tolerate, but also have a long list of NSVs, smaller size clothes and happy times.

For me, "tight" means not being able to tolerate things like bread, Pasta, dense meats ...........

For me, "too tight" means reflux at night that is not explained by eating too late or wrong food issues. Vomiting (including what some people call PBing and "spitting up"). Living on liquids only. Living on icecream and such. .........

What foods do I eat? I do eat a variety of foods. It is more of a texture thing with me I guess.

The foods that come to mind that I eat often:

Chili (green and red)

Chunky Soups (not canned)

oatmeal

yogurt smoothies

Lattes :tea:

Salads (no iceburg, cucumbers or tomotoes)

cheese and reduced fat wheat thins

crab

scallops

there are many more things I eat, but those are what comes to mind

[NJGirl32 43]

I am with B-52 -I like my band tight (most days). I also can not have pizza-that is a BIG no-no. Even when my band wasn't tight I couldn't handle it. Shrimp has been giving me problems. Most bread items are very difficult-unless they are cracker-like in consistency. I do take a teeny piece of bread at dinner (the size of a half dollar) just so I have the experience.

If I am being honest I will say the tight band does have it's potential problems. I was having trouble getting foods down and was PBing more than I would like to admit. I was really hungry and it seemed like ice cream, candy, and potatoe chips could easily go down with no problem. That's what they call "eating around the band" and it's a real danger if you are filled tight. I now keep all those items out of my house.

I have also learned what works and what doesn't and my PBing is now in check. Sometimes when food goes down I know I need to walk around a little, so I'll excuse myself to go to the restroom -notto PB , but simply to get things moving inside. This actually works. Mornings are rough but I can eat a granola bar but fruity yogurt doesn't go down comfortably. I usually can't finish a lean cusiene for dinner. Like I said you will need to keep healthy items in to munch on.

If you have a tight band and even if you don't, eat solid Proteins they really do curb the appetite! Good luck!