Help I have lots of questions

[dianegoe 0]

My name is Diane and I am going to be banded on Jan 15, 08 and I have lots of questions. What does feeling restrction mean. Some people say they feel more restriction in the morning than in the afternoon. And some people say the band helps control hunger, but most of us do not eat because of physical hunger, mostly just because food is there. So does it take away appetite? And then the nutritionist said after the band I will be eating between 500-800 calories a day. So then how can you possibly not loose weight? And then she said I will only be able to eat 1-2 ounces at a time. So, will I ever be "normal" again. As in can you go out with people socially. And do you throw up a lot or have bad pain? And then how do you stop loosing weight so you don't end up looking like Star Jones? I asked the nutritionist these questions and she said well people eat all day long and stretch out their pouch. But how can you do that if you can only eat 1 ounce at a time or you are in pain and throw up? Please help :help:

[sfeiner 2]

Hi and welcome, there is a post by Wendal called "How the band works " that I think will answer most of your questions. I would assume that when people get to goal they wouldn't have to watch what they eat as carefully maintaining..maybe ice cream instead of ff yogurt once in awhile. food choices are as important as amounts. Or they could have an unfill. I have never read of too much weight lost being a problem.

[kacee 3]

What does feeling restrction mean.

It means when you first ingest your food you get an almost immediate feeling of "Hmm, I think I'm full." or "Hmm, I can feel I will be full in a few more bites."

Some people say they feel more restriction in the morning than in the afternoon.

Yes, that is true for a lot of people (me included.) I have less restriction at night.

And some people say the band helps control hunger, but most of us do not eat because of physical hunger, mostly just because food is there. So does it take away appetite?

It's kindof a biological behavioral training, like Pavlov's Dog...eventually they rang the bell and the dog immediately salivated because always before he had been give food or treats when the bell rang. Eventually you didn't need the treats and food to get him to salivate on cue...with the bell. With negative feedback you can be trained to do amazing things. The NEGATIVE is that if you do NOT follow the directions, there will be consequences...being very uncomfortable. After a while, you look at food and go....hmmmm. Is it worth it to dive in? When you go to a restaurant you start ordering smaller things because early on you realize you won't be eating all of it and it's a shame to go to waste... I found that after a while I didn't respond with a knee-jerk reaction to food anymore.

And then the nutritionist said after the band I will be eating between 500-800 calories a day. So then how can you possibly not loose weight? And then she said I will only be able to eat 1-2 ounces at a time.

I'd say that's pretty conservative. I can eat about a salad plate of food (NOT PILED!). It goes to over 1-2 ounces, but you would be surprised that things like "3 oz" of something are considered accurate and TRUE food portions....just not in THIS country! You learn to eat SLOW as well.

So, will I ever be "normal" again. As in can you go out with people socially.

You'll be normal always....but you will actually be MORE normal. Face it. We're not normal now. This is abnormal and that's why we are so messed up and in the shape we are in. You are going to be retrained to eat. You can absolutely go out with friends and eat. You just order slightly different things than you used to and have more opportunity to talk.

And do you throw up a lot or have bad pain?

Only when you don't do what you are supposed to! There is a learning curve to this. I am 8 months out and just now getting comfortable with my portion choices, and my eating speed...and then again, I still screw up sometimes and "pile my plate" or take way too big a bite....force of habit. But I am getting a LOT better.

And then how do you stop loosing weight so you don't end up looking like Star Jones? I asked the nutritionist these questions and she said well people eat all day long and stretch out their pouch. But how can you do that if you can only eat 1 ounce at a time or you are in pain and throw up?

Yeah, that doesn't make sense...I think she is saying that people start to force feed themselves...larger and larger portions and keep introducing foods all day long. Anyone who would do that is an idiot who shouldn't have bothered with it in the first place. There ARE ways to eat AROUND the band, and there are people out there who get it down to a science, unfortunately. You can keep from losing by adjusting the caloric intake of your foods.

[kimmi5207 0]

Great information Kacee. It was very useful. I am another person soon to be banded.

[losingjusme 12]

Great responses Kacee!

congrats to the soon to be banded!!

[Wheetsin 714]

Answers in blue.

My name is Diane and I am going to be banded on Jan 15, 08 and I have lots of questions. What does feeling restrction mean. Some people say they feel more restriction in the morning than in the afternoon. And some people say the band helps control hunger, but most of us do not eat because of physical hunger, mostly just because food is there. So does it take away appetite? Feeling restriction means that you are getting full on a very small amount of food, that you can feel the pressure of the food sitting above the band, that you find you cannot pass certain foods, etc. + a host of other things people begin to experience when they reach restriction. Restriction itself is the state of having the band physically tightened around the organ walls enough that it is being partially closed off. Some people (me included) lose their appetite, some do not. Most everyone finds that, once they reach their ideal restriction, very small portions fill them up for long periods of time.

And then the nutritionist said after the band I will be eating between 500-800 calories a day. So then how can you possibly not loose weight? 500 - 800 is a little low. Most people generically target 1000 - 1200, but really an ideal intake is different for everyone. As long as your range is falling between your BMR and AMR, you should see weightloss. There are periods where you will not, even if you follow the rules.

And then she said I will only be able to eat 1-2 ounces at a time. That's not very much. I think most people find that 4 - 6 oz, or about a cup, is where they fall but this is completely different for each person. There's no way I could eat even a half a cup (unless it's hot soup) during the day, but might be able to wing more than a cup at dinner if I'm hungry.

So, will I ever be "normal" again. As in can you go out with people socially. Well, I don't think many of us here would consider ourselves ABNORMAL. I think I'm normal (as far as eating, social life, etc.) goes.

And do you throw up a lot or have bad pain? When you do something stupid like don't follow the rules, aren't paying attention, or maybe are just having one of those days, it's possible that what you've swallowed will not pass through the stoma. When this happend, usually the food has to come back up. It's not the same as what you're associating with throwing up - there's no stomach acid involved, no partially digested food, etc. It's just whatever got stuck, and maybe what you've swallowed since. Actually when I "PB" qas we tend to call it for some stupid reason, it's usually just really thick saliva, no food. For me, the time leading up to the PB - when my body is trying to clear whatever is stuck, is fairly painful. It's a long time of a noticeable pressure, followed by a relatively short time of some sharp cramping/spasms. The PBs themselves are not that bad, mostly because they mean the pain stops.

And then how do you stop loosing weight so you don't end up looking like Star Jones? I don't really know about Star Jones, but I'm going to guess she had bypass or something like that, because bandsters don't lose weight uncontrollably. If you find you're losing too much weight, an unfill could help, but most likely you'd find that your metabloism would adjust to your daily caloric intake and you would reach equilibrium (maintenance).

I asked the nutritionist these questions and she said well people eat all day long and stretch out their pouch. Here's a nutritionist who doesn't know what they're talking about. Nutritionists are not band experts, they are nutrition experts (and in some cases, that doesn't even seem to apply). You could eat all day and NEVER stretch your pouch, as long as you weren't eating more than what it could contain without needing to stretch. Does that make sense? Most stretching occurs when you eat more than the pouch can contain, causing it to have to stretch. Overeating, basically. (per my surgeon's info)

But how can you do that if you can only eat 1 ounce at a time or you are in pain and throw up? Please help Like I said earlier, I don't know too many people who only eat 1 ounce at a time. Most of us eat until we're no longer hungry. By "us" I mean people who have lived with their bands a while, learned them, and developed their own sense of what they should be doing. If it's an ounce, it's an an ounce. If it's 5 ounces, it's 5 ounces. Being in pain and throwing up isn't something that happens all the time for no reason at all, and it isn't how we lose our weight. It's something that happens when, for whatever reason, something we've ingested cannot pass through the stoma, OR if we've piled too much in too quickly and filled beyond capacity faster than we can empty. I would GUESS that many cases of stretching the pouch (keep in mind we're still talking low rates) happen when it's SLIGHTLY overfilled over longer periods of time.

[dianegoe 0]

Thank you so much for your help. So, if I eat slowly, take small bites and chew well before I swallow I should be OK? I don't eat all day long now. Usually 3 x a day, but lunch or dinner is probably too much food. So I am sure this will help with Portion Control. I need to loose about 70#, but I'd be happy if it were only 50. I am scared to do this, but I see no other way to loose that much weight. I can't do it by myself. This site has been so helpful and you are all so great and I am so happy to have found this site. Thanks for all your thoughtful answers to my many questions. Diane