Will I be the one for whom the band doesn't work?

[BrooklynBandster 0]

I know a lot of people ask themselves that question before they get the band, and now here I am, asking it too. I'm scheduled to be banded in a few weeks, and I'm definitely ready...been thinking about it and researching for about a year, went through the insurance approval process (with a few setbacks), got approved, I'm ready (at least, as ready as I can be) for all the changes in the way I'll have to eat. But will it really work? Will I lose 20 pounds and then not lose any more? I have about 120 pounds to lose, and I know I'll feel so much better when I do (and even when I've lost half that), but I'm just so worried that I'll be one of the few for whom this just doesn't work.

Anyone else going through this, or been through it? Any words of inspiration and encouragement are super-appreciated!

[Hastings 3]

My personal opinion is that it is the food addiction talking.

[Skinny_Jill 36]

It will work if you are willing to work with the band. The weight came off pretty easy at first but now I have to really work it. I count calories and exercise. It does work because without the band I was never able to do it for more than a couple of weeks. I am truly amazed at the weight I've lost as I've never lost this much before and I am not suffering or hungry. I still eat the foods I enjoy but much less of them. There will be times that the weight loss slows but just keep following the rules and the weight will come off.

Be sure to take your measurements and some before pictures. When the scale isn't moving you may see that you are losing inches. I wish I would have taken my measurements. I know the inches are coming too because I have dropped a couple of sizes. It is wonderful.

[make33 2]

Every one of us wondered that before we had surgery--every one!! I could not have lost a pound to save my own life and yet here I am six months later, totally in awe of what this wonderous tool has done for me!

I was positive I was the one it would not work for--that my metabolism would not LET it work. I worked out four days a week (still do), thought I was eating somewhat healthy--and then, whalaa! My magic tool came to my aid!

This is not to say that you won't have times of hitting a hump in the road (I did once for five long long weeks!) but you will get over it.

And it's not to say you won't have hard days--but the end is SO worth the means! The portion-control you will have will absolutely astound you, m'dear!

By all means, GO FOR IT--it's the best thing you will ever do for yourself in this lifetime!

[wombat712 2]

I, too, had the same thoughts!!!! I just KNEW I was going to be the one that it wouldn't work for!

You can certainly do this. There are times when your body will stop or slow down. Just keep doing what you know you are supposed to do - Bandster Rules!

My other piece of advice: go for fills when you need to; if you can eat more than you think you should or if you get hungry between meals - make an appointment!!!! Even a tiny fill can do WONDERS! Feeling bad because you ate too much or gained a pound should NOT keep you from going to the doc! That is what the band is ALL ABOUT!!! THANK GOD FOR MY BAND!!!

HUGS to you!

Gen (wombat)

[tonya66 13]

Okay, I had the same thoughts, then I found the following and had to ask myself the questions, was I ready to make the changes, was I ready to go the distance, I decided Yes, I was ready! Read Below:

(I did not write this, I found it on a doctor's website, however the websit is no longer active, but I did copy and paste this in my blog, so I was able to go back and refer to it often)

Rules of the Road

What you need to know about living with the band

By Robin McCoy

When you begin the decision-making process to have Weight Loss Surgery (WLS), and specifically LapBand® Surgery, it is vital that you fully understand the changes you must make in your lifestyle. WLS is not a magic pill. Weight loss is something that you must work at to be successful. There are several rules and circumstances that someone who has undergone LapBand® Surgery, a “Bandster,” must follow and understand to see success and have a high quality banded life.

Drinking Before and After Meals

Not drinking during meals is, by far, one of the most important things to learn and is vital to your weight loss success. It is also one of the most challenging.

Stop drinking all liquids at least 30 minutes before your meal. This allows all that is in your pouch to drain through to the lower stomach. Therefore your pouch is empty when you eat allowing the food to fill you up properly.

Forgo all beverages during your meals. Drinking during a meal flushes the food through your band and the band is unable to function properly. Most people will have 2, 3 or even 4 glasses of liquid with meals. Servers in restaurants, trained to keep customers happy, will keep beverage glasses full throughout the meal. This is unhealthy for bandsters and sabotages their success. State firmly and clearly that you do not want a beverage. From personal experience, I know the often bewildered looks that follow the statement: “nothing to drink for me,” but diligence is the key. Like most changes required after the LapBand® procedure, not drinking with meals gets much easier with time. Having now lost over 100 pounds, I no longer have difficulty asking my server not to bring me a beverage!

Do not drink for an hour after a meal.The main reason is the same as drinking during your meal. liquids wash the food through the band defeating its purpose. Another reason not to drink after a meal is if your pouch is full the beverage might not have anywhere to go…except backwards resulting in a spit-up. Suffice it to say that food and liquids making a return visit is not satisfying.

By starting this practice immediately, at the next meal, you will be well on your way to a successful banding experience.

Smaller Bites. More Chewing. Slower Eating.

Begin to recognize and understand what a Bandster Bite is. At your next meal look at your bite size. Look at the amount of food on your fork and remember it. Now, cut that bite in half. This is the Bandster bite size after surgery. Now, cut that bite in half. This is the size of a Bandster bite after the first fill or adjustment. After each fill the bite size will get smaller until the bandster is eating toddler-sized bites. The reason for this is so the bite can be chewed completely to a liquid before swallowing.

The next point is chewing. It is very important that food is completely chewed. Before swallowing ensure the food is a liquid. As the weight loss progresses the opening from the pouch to the lower stomach will be getting smaller. Therefore the food needs to be chewed more thoroughly. If a piece of food is too big to go through the stoma, or opening, it will get "stuck". This can be very painful.

Slower eating becomes inevitable. Eating too fast encourages bigger bites. The bigger bite means the food isn’t chewed properly and it can get stuck. As a Bandster with over 18 months in, I still find myself falling into this trap. I get excited, chatting with friends and just forget to pay attention.

A Bandster’s Eating Order

Lap-Band patients have a specific order in which to eat their food. It is important that there is enough Protein in the diet to keep the bodies moving properly. Therefore, the Protein should be eaten first. WLS patients need 40-60 grams of protein every day. This can come in a variety of ways. Protein Shakes, cheese, fish, beef, chicken, soy. The challenge comes when only certain foods can be tolerated. Also, it is important that the protein is a “hard” protein (chicken, beef, and fish) if possible. It shouldn’t all come from protein shakes and cheese.< /span>

The vegetables should be eaten second, and carbohydrates/starches last (if there is room). Proteins last longer in the pouch and take longer to process through the band allowing you to feel full sooner and maintain satiety longer.

Hard Proteins are the most difficult for a Bandster to consume. The hard proteins need to be more moist, more tender and chewed more completely than any other type of food. Generally speaking, proteins are the foods that get “stuck” most often and cause spit ups. This happens because the bite isn’t small enough and/or, because the protein hasn’t been chewed sufficiently before swallowing.

For the record, beef is generally the most difficult food for Bandsters to eat. Beef is one of the most difficult foods for humans to digest. It can take several days for a piece of steak to actually work its way through the digestive track. And that’s on an un-banded person! So, if you eat a piece of steak and it isn’t chewed it up completely, it can sit in the pouch for an extended amount of time. Further, the stomach acids that help an un-banded person process beef are not present in the pouch and therefore are not there to help the body break the beef down.

Remember each and every person is different so you will have to test your own waters. Some Bandsters have no trouble with beef whatsoever; others won’t go near it. From personal experience I know that each Bandster will figure out what he or she can or cannot tolerate through trial and error. Trust me when I say that tolerances change; one day ground beef is fine and the next you realize it isn’t any longer. You must be willing and able to adapt to sudden changes in your body’s ability to process certain foods.

The Constant Quest for Restriction; Not enough vs. too much

Restriction.No one can really describe it but everyone wants it. You have restriction when your band is adjusted to the point where you can eat 3-5 bites of well-chewed food and you are full. When this happens you have what is called good restriction.

You are too loose, or open, if you don’t feel full after just a few bites.You are able to eat more on a consistent basis than before. Maybe your weight loss has slowed or stopped. This is when it is time for a fill, or adjustment, in your band.

You are too tight when you can eat very little solid food or worse—none at all. If you are so tight that only liquids go through your band or you are spitting up too often this is too tight. If you can’t keep liquids down this is a medical issue and you must get some removed. You run the risk of becoming dehydrated. Being too tight is not a good thing!

Not only are you not getting the nutrition your body needs to function properly but it can also bring on a slippage in your band. If this happens you will require minor surgery to repair it.

Now that you know a little about what restriction is, let’s get a little deeper. There are three points to learn:

1. The first thing to understand is that every banded person feels restriction differently. So to compare yourself to others is difficult.

2. Also the amount of Fluid in the band and the stomach’s reaction, or restriction, to it is a varied as the Bandsters reading this now. Everyone’s stomach is a different size and reacts to the band differently. It is fine to compare Fluid levels but don’t get too caught up in “I have this and they have that”.

3. Finally, your level of restriction can change day to day. It can change meal to meal in some cases.

You are now asking, “How in the heck do I deal with that?” My answer is trial and error and learning about your band.

Let us go back to the beginning. Immediately after surgery you will feel restriction. The surgeon usually doesn’t put any fluid in your band during the surgery. The restriction you feel is the swelling of your stomach and it’s adjustment to the band that has suddenly been wrapped around it. You won’t get your first fill until 4-6 weeks after surgery.

You will be on Clear Liquids and they will fill you up quickly for the first few days. Then they will stop filling you up you will begin to feel hungry. About this time you will be allowed to eat mushy foods like mashed potatoes, creamy Soups, etc. You will find that you eat just a few bites and you are full. This is great! Who knew a ¼ can of Soup would be enough? This is going to be a piece of cake.

It isn’t going to last. Shortly this won’t satisfy and you will be moving on to solid food. That feeling of restriction comes back. A slice of turkey and you are stuffed!

This doesn’t last either. At about 4 weeks, sometimes earlier, you will start to feel hunger again. You feel like you are eating everything. Your weight loss has slowed or stopped. You start to freak out. “Where is my restriction?!” you cry.

This is a difficult time but one that every Bandster gets through.Just be patient and let yourself finish the healing process. Watch what you eat and know that you are not eating anywhere near what you were pre-band. The unfilled band supplies a certain amount of restriction and you won’t hurt your progress.

Your first fill will bring you back to the restriction point right after surgery. You will eat a few bites and feel full. You will start losing weight pretty quickly. You want to make sure you are eating your protein first, vegetables second and any starches last. This will ensure satiety.

This fill will usually last several weeks. Then it starts to loosen up. Your second fill is the one that usually kicks a Bandster in the butt. This is where they learn what not chewing thoroughly and taking bites that are too large can do.

And so it goes. Some Bandsters need one fill others need more. I had 4 over the course of the first year. I heard of one woman that lost 80 pounds on her first fill. This is why I stress not comparing yourself to your banded friends. It brings on frustration and we have spent enough time in our lives comparing ourselves to others. Now is the time to stop.

One of the largest environmental factors that make our band feel tighter is stress. I never truly understood what Bandsters were talking about when they said stress was tightening their band. That is until I started the process of buying a house. The stress of the pending inspection and what they might find had my band so tight I was barely eating. My band was so tight I cancelled my fill appointment.

Let me say right now that I learned from this experience and you need to make sure you are getting the right Vitamins in to ensure your health. I wasn’t in any danger but I was very tired and was bruising like crazy! Well, the inspection went well. I got my house and my band opened back up. Food started going through more smoothly and I started eating better.

Other environmental factors can be tiredness, excitement, sadness, or just the fact that it is morning. Many Bandsters find they can’t eat until after 11 AM every day.

I don’t know if this satisfies your curiosity of what restriction is or what you are to do with it. I do hope you understand that everyone is different and it is a learning process. You will learn what it feels like for you to have good restriction and when your band is talking to you.

Being “stuck” and “spitting up”

As WLS patients we have a few fun words we use. Some are nice and some are not. You will hear “PB” which means “Productive Burp”. I prefer the simple term “spit up”.

What does “stuck” mean?Stuck means that what you have eaten won’t go through the opening between your pouch and lower stomach. This is called your “stoma”. The bite is too big to go through (meaning you didn’t chew it enough), it isn’t something that moves smoothly through the band (lettuce), or you just ate too darn much. When a bite of food goes through your esophagus and hits your pouch it has one of two places to go…through the band or back. If all is well it will go through with no problem either now or later. If it can’t make it to the pouch or through the stoma it will result in a spit up.

Understand that this is something that will happen to you and to every bandster out there. Call it a side-effect or whatever you like but it will happen. The questions are what causes a spit-up, what it feels like, what to do when it happens, and how to avoid them. Remember, things can change day-to-day, heck even meal to meal. This is the nature of the beast. Frustrating? Yes. Small price to pay? I think so.

What causes a spit up is easy.The bite it too big, you took one or two too many bites, you didn’t chew properly, or it is simply a food that you can’t tolerate right now. It is up to you to determine which of the above it true. Trust me… you will learn to determine this.

What does if feel like?You will know. The best way I can find to describe the feeling is when you drink a big gulp of Water and it goes down with air. You get this pain in your chest that makes you feel like something is going to bust out. That is what it feels like when something is stuck. It can be minor or it can hurt like a son-of-a-gun. Some bandsters say their bodies tell them when they are finished eating and need to stop. Some Bandsters start to salivate which is their body’s way of washing the food through. Some, me included, get a heavy sigh or exhale; this tells us we are full. Don’t worry; you too will learn to read what your body is telling you…even if you don’t now.

What should you do when it happens? Stop eating is the first thing. It doesn’t matter if it is your first bite or your fifth. A spit up is your body’s way of telling you that you are full. This is your band in full-alert. It is telling you that you are done and to put the fork down. Many times you can stop eating and just wait it out. Until you are used to it you might get the “deer in the headlight” look. Soon you will just adjust. If it doesn’t go away then you need to deal with it.

Dealing with it means excusing yourself and heading to the bathroom. A spit up is just that. I compare it to a baby spit up. It should never be what you classify as vomiting. This is hazardous for a Bandster and should be avoided as it can cause slippage. There is a very large difference in spit ups and vomiting.

How to avoid them?Well, that comes with experience and a willingness to acknowledge when your “food police” tells you to stop. Very quickly you should learn when your band tells you to stop. I found that after my 2nd fill my band was at attention and told me when I was full. This is when I experienced my first spit ups and found foods that I could no longer tolerate.

One of the most difficult things to get your mind around is just how little you will be eating. Your band tells you that you are full but your brain engages and says, “You haven’t eaten nearly enough!” So you take that extra bite or two. Then there it is…the feeling in your chest…your eyes get big…and saliva fills your mouth.

The biggest point I want to get across to you is that, while normal, spitting up is not necessarily a good thing. You don’t want to be doing it every day and certainly not every meal. If this is happening you need to take a good look at what you are eating, how big your bites are, how much you are eating and to what level you are chewing. Be aware at the beginning and it will become more of a habit soon enough.

Surgery Is Not a Magic Pill

Surgery is not the magic pill we have all been waiting for. You will not wake up thin. You must be willing to meet the band half way. You will lose weight at a different pace than your friends. You must change your behavior for this to work. It is a tool—and nothing more. An electric mixer is easier than mixing by hand but you still have to follow the recipe for the cake to taste good.

Right now you should be asking yourself one question—“Am I ready to go the distance?”

It can be a joyful journey with the highest of highs. Moments that are so thrilling and uplifting that you don’t think you will ever come down. It is also a frightening journey as we venture into unfamiliar territory of who we are and where we are going. You are not going down this path alone. There are many Bandsters ahead of you on this path that are ready to help you along the way and take you with them to the next level.

So I ask, “Are you ready to go the distance?”

Edited April 11, 2008 by Sunshine2

[~Bridgette~ 0]

That was a great post, Sunshine2! Thanks for sharing!!

[pammie 0]

Wow that was really helpful and so kind of you to post that for everyone. I am still rather confused though. I have been banded since 8th oct 07 and still have not lost weight..well a few pounds. I have had 4 fills now and my question is this. If the object of the game is to keep food in the pouch then why do we have to chew so much. surely chewing to a liquid allows the food to go through the band and into the lower stomache? Also I have difficulty eating or drinking anything until about 4pm. No matter how small my bite or how much I chew, even a drink gets stuck. BUT if I allow it to go down, with the intense pain and slime, then my eating gets easier until I can eat fairly normally. After about 4pm I can eat pretty normally. Even though food gets stuck/slime, etc. and I (think) I have fairly good restriction, I still dont feel full. In pain maybe but NEVER full until I have eaten a large plateful of food. Should I go for a fill? I asked my Dr if the saline in the band can be displaced (go back up the tube if food is forced through) and he says no. So why then is it easier for me to eat AFTER I have had a blockage or food stuck for a while? I just dont understand. I really do think that the band is not working for me. It seems that everyone else gets this fullness feeling except me. I get pain but no fullness.

[Skinny_Jill 36]

I never really get a full feeling. I am just satisfied and no longer hungry. I will get a little burp or hiccup to signal that I should stop. I also have pain with my first few bites and then it seems to get better. It is like the first few bites are irritating to the stoma and then once it accepts that the food is coming it is ok. It is really weird.

Are you eating solid Protein? Are drinking after meals? Are you counting calories? Some people are lucky and don't have to count calories but I found that I really need to if I want to lose. Are you exercising? Are you drinking enough Water during the day?

Chewing is important because large pieces of food can't go through the stoma which means it will come back up. Some foods are more dense and even though they are chewed well they will go through slowly. That is just my take on it.

[pammie 0]

hi. I really struggle with not feeling full. I got this state because I am an overeater. I thought the band would help me to stop overeating - eating even though I am not hungry but it doesn't. I doubt that anything will help me. I read of people who say I can only manage a few mouthfuls and then have to stop or are sick/pb. Not me. I can still overeat. As soon as that initial pain has gone, I can eat for England. I wish I had gotten more radical surgery. Like had my mouth sewn up!!

[Apples2 19]

Sunshine, thanks for posting "The Rules of the Road"

[tonya66 13]

Pammie - this is where you are going to have to do maybe some tweaking of your own.

Here is what I mean, everyone, and I mean everyone, is different with the band. For me, I don't have to chew, I don't have to take "bandster bites", I eat normal bites, and I chew just like I did before band, but, I don't eat as much as I did before the band. Matter of fact, I just had my latest fill, and I now know that I can PB. I had one this morning on wheat toast. I won't be doing that again!

Another thing is, you are going to have to figure out what your body needs, you might tweak your diet. How many calories are you eating? You may be eating too little, or maybe too much? You might try the 800 - 1200 calories. Some say they don't lose if they eat less than 1000, others say that don't lose if they eat more than 1000, then others say if they even look at a carb, they gain. For me, exercise is the key! If I slack on my exercise, my matabolism shuts down and I am at no weight loss, no matter if I eat 100 calories - honest to god truth.

What your experiencing about not being able to eat before 4:00 is not uncommon at all. For me, I've never experienced that at all, I eat Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I do notice I am tighter in the mornings, but not so tight I can't eat at all.

Another thing is you might be experiencing what they call "the first bite syndrome" where no matter what, your going to have pain with the first few bites, then it gets better. ONe thing you might try before you eat is sipping on some warm tea, I heard that helped with this problem.

Another thing to remember the full feeling you felt Before being banding is no longer the same full feeling you will feel now. When I say I'm full, what I really mean is I'm satisfied. I eat for 20 minutes and stop, sometimes I feel like I could eat more, but if I wait for about 30 minutes, I no longer feel that way. Then I begin drinking my Water. We no longer eat until we're full, be we eat until we are no longer hungry. This is a hard habit to change, I understand, and its something I work on everyday!

Another thing that I have learned is, I can eat as much as I want with the band, yes, I could, but I don't. I quit testing the band and started using it as a tool it was meant to be. I've ready where others say one too many bites and they PB, well, that doesn't happen to me at all. One too many bites, and I just get a fuller feeling, sometimes I get a pain in my left shoulder if I overeat, but never PB. This is where Isay the band is different, there really is No set of rules that everyone must follow.

I just wanted to post the Rules of the Road as guidlines for everyone. Again, not everyone will experience everything or some maybe none at all. I personally thought something was wrong with me becaue I never PB'd and I can eat steak, chicken, etc, I just can no longer eat my usual 16 oz ribeye,

I hope I made a little sense in my rabling on, feel free to PM me with any questions.

PS - regarding your fill, you might get just a little and see what the difference does. Getting to the propper fill requires a lot of patience, I just had my 10th one. I totally understand patience now. If the fill is too tight, then you can always have a little taken out, there is no law against that at all.

Also, make sure you are getting plenty of Protein in, good solid Protein is the key to losing too, well, again, it is for me, maybe not everyone.

Edited April 11, 2008 by Sunshine2

[pammie 0]

Tonya, Thank you so very much for your lovely reply. That all makes so much sense, so why oh why can I not do this. I suppose I dont have any dietry support. My doctor just gave me a book and said that as long as I eat less I will loose weight. I spend forever on here reading all the advice which is so very conflicting mostly and with everyone's different experiences to add to the mix, makes me go cross eyed. I read your original post and it felt 'right' though very different to my experience. The description you gave is the experience that I wanted and was expecting, but did not get. I am still confused about the food and the 'getting stuck' bit. WHERE does it get stuck and why isnt food not being able to go through the band a good thing. Sorry for being dim but these things really do confuse me. If I understood properly then maybe I could work with this band instead of against it

[BrooklynBandster 0]

Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful and wise words. Keep 'em coming! I have all the information and know what's ahead of me...I think this is something I'm just going to have to go through and experience for myself. Scary but so exciting.

[coolcrystal 1]

Wow, I've never had any problems with my band at all. Never been in pain, had problems eating or anything. When I have good restriction I do have to chew well and I swallow in sections... but when I don't have much restriction like right now, I just take normal bites and chew it up like I use to.

I don't know if the band like mentally whipped me into shape or what. I eat COMPLETELY different now though. My whole lifestyle has changed. I want to exercise all the time. I want to eat healthy. I don't crave breads, pizzas, burgers, and all that. I do miss that occasional Breakfast sandwhich from McDonalds, but not enough to go buy one. I do occassionally have half a chocolate shake from Chic-Fil-A, but it's usually right before I go work out and its nice not to deny myself this yummy goodness at least once a week. And it's never prevented me to lose weight.

I wrote several threads before banding about being scared and how would I survive without my bread.. lol... if I saw those posts now I'd probably laugh. I was more scared to change my ways than anything. But now, man, I feel SO much healthier, energetic and happy than ever before. It's so fricking amazing. Best of luck!!