Pouch Packing - When Enough Is Enough

[NeenBand 7]

Eileen, I am asking myself the same question. I have not had a filled yet, but I am not not full on 1 cup pf food, but 1 1/2 seems to be perfect. But is that pouch packing? AM I stretching my pouch???

[ladysplenda 1]

I fix my plate on a coffee saucer.That is what I eat. You would be amazed what you can fit on a coffee saucer and I rarely finish it.I lost ten lbs last month when I started this.

[PhotoNut 7]

Mrk520 - Please stop and take a few minutes to think about what you're doing. During your band surgery, your stomach is pulled up over the band and sewn to itself as part of the procedure to secure the band in place and help prevent slipping. Most Drs instruct patients to be on liquids and then progress slowly to soft, mushie foods and then on to more solids. My Dr's guidelines were 3 weeks on liquids and 3 on mushies. These types of foods slide easily through the stomach, reducing its need to work hard at breaking down its contents before it's moved to the intestines. This also limits the possibility of stuffing the pouch and putting pressure on those stitches in your stomach lining. While we do have the sensation of being able to eat just as we did prior to banding, things have physically changed in there and it's important to allow time for the healing so your band can get seated well and to reduce the risk of slipping.

This part applies to this entire thread. If you are having trouble determining when you are no longer hungry (notice I didn't say FULL) then try eating from a one-cup container. Glad makes disposable containers in the 7/8 cup size. This is the only container I will allow myself to use for serving my meals, unless I'm out at a restaraunt. Firstly, I know I'm serviing myself a reasonable amount and secondly, when it's gone I am not tempted to continue eating. I set the empty dish aside and do something else for a while. Typically, I only cook enough for me. So there is no going back for seconds. If you are eating a small portion of the meals you cook for your family, and you know there are leftovers in the kitchen, do NOT take your dish to the kitchen. And if possible, have someone else do it and have them also put the food away before you go back in there. I know that if it's lying in front of me, I'll just keep going. I'm an addict and need strict control.

One more thing. My meals consist of meat and veggies, or cottage cheese and fruit. I always put the fruit or veggies in the Glad container first, then put the meat or cottage cheese on top. That way, I have to eat my way through the Protein to get to the carbs! :confused:

[MelodyJ 0]

Susan...good wisdom!! Thanks!! I agree!! We paid way too much money, stress, etc to go back to our old ways!! The Bible says to renew your mind daily....it's the same with this!!

God Bless,

Melody

Banded 3/20/06 -31lbs :confused:

[NJChick 3]

Mrk520, your not alone. Before I got my first fill I could eat an entire hero sandwich and a side of chips with no sweatl. When I told my doctor I had no restriction and I was eating this amount of food, he didn't so much as flinch (but I was 3 months out from surgery). He said it was still less than what I was eating before being banded and I was losing weigh...so it seemed to be no big deal for him. I believe that if you have 0 restriction and the food is sliding down, your not packing the pouch (you still have to chew or it can get stuck), this is JMHO. After I got my 2nd fill, thats when I felt the food sitting there and pouch packing started bothering me.

I believe there is a big difference when you have restriction to when you don't. Not that I'm saying over eating is good at any rate now lol.

[fabfatgrl 10]

I think that if you're losing weight... and not PBing or getting stuck... then you're doing O.K.

There is no set "right" amount of food. It will all depend on you, your Band, and the amount of fill you have.

When I was first Banded but before my first fill, I probably ate about 3/4 of what I did before Banding.

After my first fill, about 1/2.

And then depending on the fill, probably about 1/4-1/3 of what I did before Banding. When it was time for a fill, I probably could eat more... which was when I knew I needed a fill.

What did real eating with good restriction translate into??

Bfast was usually hot chocolate... made with Organic milk and Godiva hot chocolate (4 g. Fiber :confused:)

Around 10:30/11:00 a.m., I'd usually have cottage cheese and fruit.< /p>

A sample lunch would be 2 or 3 chicken nuggets and 2 or 3 french fries. That's it... adn I'd be stuffed. Or a small chilli from Wendy's... which I may or may not finish.

Possibly a mid-afternoon snack, possibly not. Could be a piece of string cheese, a cookie or two, fruit, whatever.

dinner was often bean or lentil Soup... maybe a Lean Cuisine (would feel totally stuffed!)

And dessert (yes, dessert!) would be 1/2 to 1 cup of ice cream with 1/2 a banana or some fresh berries thrown in. (Adds bulk so it doesn't just flow through the pouch.)

I was totally full and satisified eating that. BUT I wouldn't have been right after being Banded... or even after my first fill.

Fear of pouch packing is one reason to get fills done with fluoro... it allows the doc to check on your pouch and see how it's doing.... and do something about it before it becomes an issue.

[NJChick 3]

Fear of pouch packing is one reason to get fills done with fluoro... it allows the doc to check on your pouch and see how it's doing.... and do something about it before it becomes an issue.

Excellent advice :confused: but for most of us, it cost anywhere from $300.00+ under fluoro for each fill. I know some one that paid almost $600.00. Kinda sucks but they got us by the balls.

[fabfatgrl 10]

LOL...could be me. I paid $650 for fills back in 2001 with Dr. Ponce... plus airfare and hotel.

Now I pay around $350.

[Jachut 487]

I can eat anything I want to and havent PB'd and I'm sure the amount I eat is more than a lot of bandsters, but then I only have 1.4 ml in my band too. I generally eat about a cup of food at mealtime but on that, i need Snacks too or I'm starving.

I do however run for about 40 minutes a day and do weights 3 times per week and have greatly increased my incidental activity since losing 20kg as I now have so much more energy. So despite a relatively large food intake I'm losing well.

I eat when I'm hungry till I'm no longer hungry (that doesnt mean stuffed). I think its vitally important to learn to listen to your body and trust it to tell you what and how much it needs which is why I refuse to measure and weigh food or "diet" in any sense of the word.

I was nervous doing this at first but over the months I've begun to eat like a normal person. I have good days, bad days but I'm beginning to find if I"m not hungry then no matter what the food on offer is, I dont want it.

[Miper70 0]

I look sooooo forward to the day a lean quisine dinner fills me up. To me, that would be the ultimate....no measuring, no weighing, just pop it in the microwave and that's it.

[NaturalBeauty 2]

This part applies to this entire thread. If you are having trouble determining when you are no longer hungry (notice I didn't say FULL) then try eating from a one-cup container. Glad makes disposable containers in the 7/8 cup size. This is the only container I will allow myself to use for serving my meals, unless I'm out at a restaraunt.

P'Nut-- Thanks for the info, as usual you have been very helpful to me. I have had the harest time trying to figure this out and this will make life more easier for me. I will be stopping by the store today to purchase these containers.

[Marimaru 7]

Some people have talked about waiting to feel the food move through and then eating more. I think if you've literally had 2 bites of your meal, and you wait until the food moves through, and then eat more, this is good, because you aren't going to be eating enough if you just stop at 2 bites. The other side of the coin though is that if you eat your meal (or a good amount of it) and THEN wait for the food to move through to eat more, you, at the very least, are going to cause a problem to your weight loss. I think the latter is more of what 'pouch packing' is, and while I don't know much about stretched pouches, I would think that would be a likely cause for it.

My 2 cents on the subject . I've recently been learning the "what's enough" thing lately too. Honestly, I do better about my eating when I eat out, simply because I don't want to have a problem in public. I KNOW the feeling I get when it's time to stop, and I KNOW what will happen if I don't listen. I also know that SOMETIMES I can eat a couple more bites after I get that feeling and be okay, but sometimes I can't, and it's when I'm in public that I don't test that boundry. Go figger.

[ReneBean 3]

Eileenie -

I went out and bought special dishes... I have these shallow Soup bowls that hold about a cup. When I am home, I eat out of these and don't (USUALLY) go back for 2nds. (stew, any meats in sauce). They came with smallish plates that go underneath - so I use those when I eat anything that is not bowl friendly.

Don't ASK me about when I travel... restaurants are BAD - but I try to stick to just an appetizer.

Hugs!

[ljones4521 4]

When I was banded the doctor had to put in 1.5cc to secure the band in place. He said there wasn't any fat around my stomach so the band was too loose (I think he used the smallest one). I have never had a fill. For this reason, the strategy I use is to prepare my food on a saucer. I don't allow the food to overlap into the decoration. I eat what is on the saucer. I don't ever ask myself if I am satisifed. I am trying hard to re-train myself to want just what is on that saucer. Seconds really aren't an option. Now, I am ususally satified. Sometimes I feel a little stuffed. When this happens I take a look at what I was eating (ususally beef). I serve myself much smaller portions of beef now. My main focus is not to listen to my stomach but instead have my stomach listen to me. If I should ever lose my band I don't want my stomach to start screaming more food and I continue to give it more.

Does that make any sense?

Forgot to mention, I also sort of plan my meals. Nothing too elaborate. For instance last night I decided I would have an omlette this morning. Now I have decided that for lunch I will a little chicken breast with a salad, for dinner medley of vegetables (green, yellow, red bell pepper with a little sausage).

[LapBandFan 22]

Great post! I agree 1000% with you on that, it is not a fact of "feeling full" anymore, but just satisfied. I think it was Lovely Leetha who made the statement in another post that it is not to eat until you feel full but to eat the very least amount you can get by with.

Nope you don't want to overstuff or ever feel full, that is way to close to pouch packing which over time can lead to slippage of the band or as one doctor puts it prolapse of the stomach up over the band lapping over top of the band.

Good advice on using a saucer for Portion Control and resolving to no seconds. It all depends how bad you want to keep your band as to how you follow the rules.

Good luck to all.