Looking for striaght talk/advice:)

[Topaz 0]

Hello,

I love this site, and to finally find others that can relate has aleviated some stress of the unknown. I was banded 2/28/07 (301#), did not have my first fill till 6 weeks after (291#). Saw my provider in May and I had lost 7# (284) so thought I did not need another fill. Went back in June and gained 1#, had my second fill. We decied on the 2nd fill when he asked me about restriction and portions. I told him I felt a little when I had some of a hamburger, he was appaled that I was eating bread, lol. Well, I did not know I was not suppose to at that time. So 2nd fill and no bread, can tolerate some crackers, small amounts and chew a lot.

So my question is, I have stayed 284#, it has been almost a month. I have a hard time with hambuger. I can eat eggs, some soft chicken, and fish. Then some days it seems no matter what I have first even something soft I have a lot of restriction then eases up some. I do not get the full feeling. It is like either no feeling or pain from something too big trying to get through the band. Any thoughts out there, I am so fearful of failing with this. It has helped in many ways as far as a tool, I have found when in a rush, there is no eating quickly no matter how fast you chew hehe, Protein Drink maybe. It will just make you hurt. Even if I wanted to binge I can't physically so makes me stop and think.

THIS IS MY REAL QUESTION!! What does the sweet spot feel like? What can you eat and not eat? Can you get enough Protein in? Can you drink Water easily at the Sweet Spot? About how much food do you eat at a meal. Total 1/4 cup, less? And if onlhy 1/4 cup how are you getting in the protein.

Anxiously awaiting what some of you have to say:ranger:. On my doctors scale, it would appear I would need a fill and will ask for one. I just don't want to be so restricted that I can not get enough protein in without living on protein drinks!! To tempting to spill over into the milkshake area.

Thanks,

Terry RN

PS. As a nurse you would think I could figure out some of these questions on my own. But just not the same when you are asking people that have not walked in the same shoes;) So glad I found you all!

[Jachut 487]

Honestly I know I've said it before but I think that all this obsession with Protein and not eating bread achieves is a lot of confused bandsters. The medical consensus over there baffles me to be honest.

The sweet spot is different for everyone. YOUR sweet spot is that spot at which you eat a reasonable diet, can tolerate enough healthy foods to be well nourished, dont fall into reliance on soft and unhealthy foods because they're all that go down, eat till you're satisfied and continue losing weight. Simple as that.

What someone else can and cant eat is completely irrelevant to you, how many calories someone else eats is completely irrelevant and for pete's sake there is NOTHING inherently evil about bread. It is entirely possible to eat bread and lose weight.

If you choose not to, that's your business but I'm well restricted now (by my own terms) and I can STILL eat bread but sure as heck cannot eat donuts. Since I consider wholegrain bread a healthy food that I include in my diet, that's lucky I guess.

If you're losing weight, you're restricted enough and that's really as simple as it is. And I really think that a good food/bad food mentality is not helpful for long term weight maintenance. All you need to remember is lean Protein is good, you should eat LOTS of vegetables but if you eat bread, you shouldnt eat too much of it. Donuts, cakes, Cookies, chips and chocolate are very much sometimes foods, they wont kill you once in a while but are not things to eat everyday.

[TerriDoodle 6]

I'm in the same camp as Jacqui. I don't want to 'diet' ever again in my entire life, and I'm not. I do, however, try to make healthy choices considering that I'm not getting a lot of food in....the food I do get should be healthful.

I'm also in the camp that says a month-long plateau, or even 2, is not such a horrible or unexpected thing. Panic is not my friend. That being said, I do track my calories (most days) on Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate. I go to the gym 5x a week. I figure if I'm eating around 1200 calories a day and working out that's the best I can do. If that means the weight will only come off 1/2 pound a week, then so be it. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and evenutally I'll get "there". This attitude of mine prevents fear of failure and all that negative self-talk.

As far as the sweet spot goes, I'm still not experienced enough to give much advice about that. I'm struggling a little with this 3rd fill of mine and have only been banded 3 months.

Best of luck to you. To me it sounds like you're doing alright!

[Topaz 0]

Thanks for your replies so far. I guess that is my quandry - I am not losing so my thinking is I need to get another fill. But I am not satisfied with what I can eat now and my choices would be even more diminished. As far as the Protein, for me it is an issue because I have had problems with my hair falling out and it has finally started to slow down with me really pushing Proteins. And those are harder to push cuz they are harder to get down as far as meats for me.

Just thinking outloud, could I need a unfill so I can actually eat what I think is regular food. Do people out there eat like tacos? chicken and rice, pizza cuz of the bread gags me and no big loss for me there. I mean I don't mind the eating less part but the can't eat variety at all because it hurts is the part I don't like. And then I get real hungry so then faced with another Protein shake (YUCK), yogurt, cheese or the always scrambled eggs, and chocolate can go down just fine - naturally sigh:). Do you two eat regular food? I guess I really need to get down and dirty and have a talk with my doctor. I feel like I have totally secluded myself from several healthy foods. I was hoping to eat with my family but much much smaller portions, and feel full. But now it is like a diet, making stuff I can eat because I can not get down what they are eating.

Please tell me more, what others have done? Thanks for being there!!!

[HelenC 0]

I'm one of those that has real food issues...getting it down (and keeping it down), that is.

I couldn't eat a hamburger if my life depended on it...hamburger doesn't agree with me at all.

Your posts mention a lot of foods that you're wanting or trying to eat, that are NOT part of a healthy diet...rice, for example, or tacos. Rice is a lot of empty carbs, and tacos?? Fried hamburger, cheese, and whatever you put on it...are probably high in fat.

There are a lot of foods out there that are healthy for you. Perhaps you need to broaden your culinary horizons

Good luck to you

[TerriDoodle 6]

There are a lot of foods out there that are healthy for you. Perhaps you need to broaden your culinary horizons

Exactly. I always hated fish but I had to keep searching for one I liked so I could eat that -- so full of Protein and low in fat! So now I'm a tilapia freak. I eat that with a nice salad, with a oil & vinegar dressing...YUM! One think about being banded, it has taught me to appreciate the food I AM putting in my mouth and to savor every bite. Like Helen said, you're just going to have to broaden your horizons....which is probably a good thing!

[juliegeraci 7]

I always start my day with a Protein Shake. That gets me 30 grams of Protein. You can be okay if you even eat 45 grams so don't worry too much about it.

[Jachut 487]

If you find you cant eat healthy foods, then you may need an unfill. I do think there's a lot of people who are more sensitive to the band and more fill only equals less variety.

I do eat regular food, nobody would know I was banded if I hadnt told them. I just look like I have a small appetite. I can get almost anything down at 2.9ml in a 4ml band, the biggest problem I have now is with a quick bite or forgetting to chew, and some foods are truly not worth the effort, they are so hard to eat. But if you cant get meat and Proteins down, I'd be thinking about taking a tiny bit out. YOu'd do better eating MORE healthy food than less softer food. You can always do the old diet trick of filling yourself up with extra vegetables.

[Topaz 0]

Thank you all for your advice, scheduled for a talk with my doctor tomorrow morning and hoping for another fill.