I have a full band yet can eat anything!!

[alida 0]

What is "PBing" and "Head hungery"? I take meds that causes hunger and I wonder if this fact will interfer with my success with the Lap Band proceedure. And how about emotional eating? That is not a problem I have but it does exisit and could happen. I just want to be sure the proceedure is right for me. I hope it will cut down on my constant hunger pains.

Am I expecting too much from the proceedure?

[peaches9 3]

PB'ing is Productive Burping.... its when you food gets stuck in your upper pouch(new stomach) and won't go down.. so it has to come back up or you are in a lot of pain.

Head Hunger is the appetite for eating that is NOT associated with physical hunger(lack of food) you can have "head Hunger" after your pouch is full or in the evenings when we overeaters get to wandering the kitchen 'just looking for something'... get it?

The BAND will not cure head hunger;, you will need to work throu that oon your own.

You may need to PB when you don't follow the bandsters rules for eating...

!) eat slowly, tiny bites, chew each mouthful 20 - 30 times

2) speed between bites

3) No Drinking any beverage Water or otherwise WITH or AFTER a meal for at least 30 minutes.

4) No bread

[alida 0]

I have to give up bread for the rest of my life after I have the Lap Band proceedure?

How long must I stay on liquids after the proceedure?

How do I control head hunger and what am I allowed to eat at night when I am most hungery?

Alida

[bandster_1007 1]

you may not have to give up bread. each person is different in how they choose to work their band, and in what foods are tolerated. some people can eat bread, some people cannot, some people choose not to eat bread because they want to go the low carb version. my doctor's office has a philosophy that bread is a very good food to eat once you are healed and in moderation. it is a filler, and can help you consume less calories in a day. an example that he gave was a patient ate 3 hamburger patties instead of 1/2 of one hamburger with the bread. the 1/2 of one hambuger would have been about 1/3 of the calories.

so, it depends on what you can handle and how you look at it. i have not had a fill yet, but i can eat bread now. although i have chosen not to do so because it scares me and it feels too thick to swallow.

as far as this original thread's topic, my dr. office says very adamantly that we must limit our meals to 15 minutes because you can sit and eat for extended periods of time, if you eat slow enough. also, they say that if we are eating too much, then more than likely our foods are not dense enough.

i don't know, i know for me, i have not had a fill yet, but i would not be able to even eat 1 whole piece of pizza. are you really stopping at satiety or are you stopping at engorgement.

i would suggest an endoscopy and limiting and timing your meals, maybe more dense foods than pizza, and no drinks. but i'm new, and i really only know what i have read.

[Seaman 0]

Well I don't want to do it this way, but the solution seems to be to not chewing well. I'm quite concerned that as I will have in the back of my mind the thought that I can eat more if I chew well, this won't work for long.

[Alexandra 55]

Well I don't want to do it this way, but the solution seems to be to not chewing well. I'm quite concerned that as I will have in the back of my mind the thought that I can eat more if I chew well, this won't work for long.

That's a quite legitimate concern, and shows you clearly where your focus needs to be. That's headwork you have to do, not any failing of the band. I am the same way--if food is there and it will go down, I want to eat it. But when my band is doing its work, I find that I am ABLE to move away and think about something else in a way that I am not normally able to do. That's what the band does--it's OUR job to LET it.

You need to find ways to walk away when you've eaten a reasonable amount for a meal. Those ways differ from person to person and certainly are not always easy. But if a well-adjusted band doesn't make that a bit easier to do, then you may very well have an eating issue that the band can't help with.

[FDATrialGuineaPig 7]

Seaman,

At 2 years out you're discovering an unfortunate truth about the band.

We re-learn how to eat and begin to unconsciously adopt these habits to the point we start believing our band is no longer working.

At a certain point you have GOT to find a balance of making better choices AND relying on what little restriction is left after chewing your food well. It's easy in the beginning because we're used to wolfing down food and the band stops it. But once you become an instant pureeing machine, the fact is you're going to get more food down.

I can eat ANYthing. I have no "off limit" foods. But I try to eat bulky fiberous foods like fruits to kind of help fill me up. I don't deprive myself, just use a combination of foods.

I can also tell you that it may feel like the band isn't stopping you from eating, but let me tell you, if you ever have to get a total unfill you will be shocked at how much it was helping.

The bottom line is--you need to start moving away from, "how is the band going to help me" to "how can my food choices help the band work".

It's not the easiest process, but it's important.

[Gummiebear 0]

Holy cow 6 pieces of pizza and I thought I was eating too much when I just ate the topping off of 2 pieces of pizza. I would be a little worried if I were you that you may be stretched out or slipped. I would definately go get checked, I have read that some people can slip or be stretched and have no Big symptoms. I hope everything is ok with your band and GL.

[peaches9 3]

ALIDA;

Hello there, white bread will probably get stuck once you have proper restriction in your band. While some bandsters are able to eat white bread, my nutr. advises against it as you CAN and should eat healthier complex carbohydrate choices such as Whole grain Wasa Bread/crackers, coucous, bulgar, barley, oats etc... these have carbs but also have protien and fibre.

Staying on liquids: Post surg. 1 week Clear liquids, 2 wks full liquids, then 2 weeks of muchies, then onto SOLID fills ... by this time you should be getting close to your first FILL appointment anyways at about 6 wks post op.

Head hunger? Ah that is a real dilemma for most of us... I stillhavn't mastered that.. Instead of eating chocolate I'll switch and eat prunes, or a SF FF Yogurt or pudding in the evenings...

But I have a real sweet tooth and this has always been my nemisis... I am still learning to deal with it.

Boredom, lonliness = head hunger for me... I need to keep busy in the evenings or else I scrounge around looking for something to eat( and its usually not the healthiest idea)

[bandster_1007 1]

oh, i didn't think about the white bread part. i forget because for me it is a no brainer. my doctor does not want us eating white bread, but low cal whole weat only.

[Dibaby 0]

Seaman,

At 2 years out you're discovering an unfortunate truth about the band.

We re-learn how to eat and begin to unconsciously adopt these habits to the point we start believing our band is no longer working.

At a certain point you have GOT to find a balance of making better choices AND relying on what little restriction is left after chewing your food well. It's easy in the beginning because we're used to wolfing down food and the band stops it. But once you become an instant pureeing machine, the fact is you're going to get more food down.

I can eat ANYthing. I have no "off limit" foods. But I try to eat bulky fiberous foods like fruits to kind of help fill me up. I don't deprive myself, just use a combination of foods.

I can also tell you that it may feel like the band isn't stopping you from eating, but let me tell you, if you ever have to get a total unfill you will be shocked at how much it was helping.

The bottom line is--you need to start moving away from, "how is the band going to help me" to "how can my food choices help the band work".

It's not the easiest process, but it's important.

OMG Coffeewench!! I remember you from spotlight! Sorry to derail this thread but I was excited.

Anyways listen to this girl..she' knows her stuff!

[Seaman 0]

Coffeewench, I believe you hit the nail on the head. I remember when I got my 3rd fill 18 months ago and then 3 days later headed for Taco Bell with my daughters. I was so sure it wouldn't make any difference (the first 2 fills did diddly) that I was bound and determined to prove it. I took my typical man sized bite of burrito, took a swig of coke and spewed the whole mess back onto my tray. My daughters were scared to eat in public with me for months afterward. I have taken so long to get my band filled that I had enough time to practice becoming a chewing machine. I guess I need to revert to the old bite, chew, chew, ch... nah swallow, that I used to be so good at. I'm afraid this is going to be messy at the beginning so I'll wait till I get back home. This way while I learn how much (little?) food will fit in my pouch I will only disgust my immediate family.