Cheating The Band...how Do I Stop!

May 2, 2004

ok, so im 5 months pregnant and have been banded for 10 months... i lost loads to start with, but after two fills i can still eat quite a bit, the truth is..i cheat :mad:( **so ashamed!**

i never fully learned when to stop eating as i never really felt full..just kinda blocked,

anyway, what i do is.. if im eating something im really enjoying, ill drink loads of Water every so many mouthfuls, then i feel the food going through the stoma then i feel fine and can eat again, and do the same until i cant do it no more, i can still only get a normal sized portion down, sometimes less depending on what im eating, i have trouble with bread and pastry, but most things im fine with,

i know we are told not to drink with meals but i cant help myself,

i feel ashamed telling you all this, but i just want to know if theres anyone else in my situation?, i dont want my band unfilled...i want it tighter..then maybe i wont be able to do what im doing, i desperatly want to lose weight, but ive been feeling more hungry now im pregnant, and cant stop eating,

has anyone got any tips on how to stop drinking with meals? i would really appriciate the feedback, also, how do you overcome the.."my stomachs full but i want more" feeling?, please help!..i want to get smaller, not bigger (

p.s, i dont do it everytime i eat, and can only do it so much before i cant take no more food. HELP!

Alexandra · May 2, 2004

Hi Nikki,

You know what I think? I think you are doing this because your body needs more calories and nourishment right now. Your brain may be telling you that you've eaten "enough," that you should stop and walk away, and I'll bet that under normal circumstances you'd do just that. But you're PREGNANT, and that's a whole 'nother ball of wax.

Pregnancy makes enormous demands on a body, and if you need more food to nourish that baby of yours so be it. If I were you I'd stop worrying and DEFINITELY stop calling it "cheating."

The band is designed to strictly limit caloric intake for those people who are in need of weight loss. You're PREGNANT (did I say that before?) and now is NOT the time for you to be losing weight!!

i want to get smaller, not bigger

I have news for you: You're not going to get smaller before you get bigger. Bigger is what you WANT to be now and for the next four months. You have plenty of time to lose the baby weight and all the rest of what you want to lose after the baby comes.

If it makes you feel any better, I've read that babies of mothers who restricted their calories during pregancy are more likely to be obese, perhaps because they developed greedy metabolisms in utero. So don't scrimp! Your baby needs all the nourishment you can give him (or her).

Take it easy!! :mad:

donali · May 4, 2004

Whatever else is going on, you certainly DON'T need a tighter fill.

If what Alexandra suggests is true, and your body is demanding the calories for your pregancy, then so be it. However it sounds to ME like it is your head that is in the way.

I really don't think that losing weight while you're pregnant is healthy for your baby. I know how out of control you must feel, but you need to come to terms with the fact that you are pregnant, and your weightloss journey just got put on the back burner. I'm not saying forget everything, have your band unfilled, and eat as much as possible until the baby comes!! But you HAVE to stop focusing on your weight and size, and START focusing on being healthy.

Choose healthy foods to nurture your baby! Eat sufficient quantities.

There is no reason, though, why you cannot address your habit of drinking with meals during your pregancy. If you NEED more calories to have a healthy baby, get an unfill - don't reinforce habits that will sabotage your band later.

Water load BEFORE you eat, and stay hydrated between meals so that you are not thirsty while you're eating.

Again, I think you need to wrap your head around your pregnancy, and start dealing with that... It seems to me that your focus is very conflicted, and I feel uncomfortable giving you any advice on how to make your band work better for you at this time. Once your baby is born, please let us know if you need help getting back on the "band wagon."

Be healthy. Be happy. Enjoy the journey of growing a new being to bring into the world. Do the best you can by the child you carry NOW to help it get off on the right foot from the very beginning.

GeezerSue · May 4, 2004

Loosen the band, grow the baby, TRY to be reasonable, and come back to weight loss when the important stuff is done. (PS--Will you be breastfeeding? Usually, that REALLY helps with weight loss.)