Band Learning Curve

[Away2me 1]

I'm still learning how to live life with my new band. I had my first fill on Friday and I really didn't feel any restriction. I'm experiencing food getting that stuck feeling, but not so bad as to cause a PB. This can happen eve after I chew really, really well. But I'm still able to eat more than I should. I've been very good about eating my Protein first then veggies. I'm following the rules. No drinks with meals, not for at least an hour after I eat.

Is it normal to have stuck food feelings and be able to consume 2 or more cups of food at sitting?

[coltonwade 27]

It sounds like to me you could be eating too quickly and or too much.

You might need to stop yourself BEFORE your full , this is a hard thing to get use to . There is a very thin line between satisfied and full.

You need to stop yourself when your satifsified not full .

Try only eating 1 cup instead of 2 or more. are you taking 30 minutes to eat a meal ? It should take you no more or no less than 30 mintues to consume your meal .

HTH

Mindy

[Away2me 1]

The stuck feeling happens early on, not later on. Sorry for not being clear on that. I am trying to eat slowly. I put my fork down between bites. I'll watch myself a little closer though! Thanks.

[coltonwade 27]

It sounds like your eating too quickly and not chewing well enough .

I know it probably seems like your chewing enough but when you think you have chewed enough chew 20 more times ! It takes a while to get use to and there is a learning curve, It takes some getting use to and I still have issues with it after 8 months .

Mindy

[Daisalana 33]

There are times I take bigger bites, and try to chew chew chew and swallow small pieces at a time.. and occasionally I will spit up a piece of something I could have sworn I chewed well.. but when I spit it up it's a decent sized chunk. This only happens with certain foods for me, like when I'm really hungry or I really like whatever I'm eating. So in those instances, I make the tiny pieces on my plate before trusting myself to chew it well.

[niki 1]

There's so much we have to learn once we're banded. Seems like we're learning basic stuff all over again, and chewing well is one of them, just like eating with a small fork, or using a small plate, a much smaller portion, not to drink while we eat, etc.

And fighting head hunger is also a big problem. I read somewhere that our brain takes somewhat between 20 to 30 minutes to understand the message from our stomach saying that we're satisfied and we don't need any more food. - Gosh, even after these 2 yrs I've been banded, all these little tricks still ask for a big effort from my side!

niki

[Away2me 1]

Thanks everyone for the help. I've tried to slow my eating down even more. Which to be honest, is extremely difficult when I'm hungry. I still think I'll need a new fill sooner rather than later as I can consume much more than I think is ideal with the band. But the good news is I'm down 1.4 pounds since Saturday!

[Alex R. 0]

You might have something called "first bite syndrome".

Since my last fill, I find I have to wait a while after taking the first bite to make sure it really goes down. Then for some reason, the stoma seems to relax and the rest of the meal is uneventful.

Worth a try.

[Away2me 1]

That totally sounds like me. The first bite hurts and then the flood gates are open and I can enjoy my food!