I'm down again today

[Linda Hamsing Rosen 1]

I hope some of you can lend me a compassionate ear and maybe even some advice. I'm feeling really down in the dumps today. I was banded 2/27/08. I started at 220 and today weigh 195 (not bad). I have had two fills. I had been down to 192, however. It all started last Friday. I went to a play group with my kids and there was chips and dip and all kinds of snack foods. Then some of our friends came over that night and brought Cookies. After they left, I ate like 5 Cookies !!! The weekend was a blurr ending with the holiday of course where we had a cookout and I was able to eat steak, potato, dessert, maybe not as much as I used to but PLENTY, believe me.

I guess some of this is psychological? I feel hungry for whatever reason and I can't stand that feeling. I have been on diets my whole life and the feeling of deprivation is torture for me. I had no pbing or pain or anything like that either. The week before I had felt extremely well restricted. Why would that go away suddenly? How much of this is that I might need another fill (not due until June 17; however) and how much is psychological. If it's phychological, how come I didn't feel so restricted by the band. I mean we all have psychological issues.

I guess I'm confused and wondering if I made the right decision. Maybe I should have picked something more hard core, like the bypass. I'm worried I won't succeed with the band. I feel weak.

:frown:Thoughts?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

You need another fill. If you ate steak, potato, and dessert, you need a fill.

Now as for the Cookies, they go right through the band. The band does take a lot of willpower against the junk food. The junk food goes through the band the easiest. I found with the right fill though, I didn't want the junk food because I felt so full all the time.

[Guest Leslie2Lose]

Hey Linda. I hate that you are feeling this way. You may need another fill - sometimes it take more than a couple before you hit your sweet spot.

Hang in there! I haven't had my first fill yet, I have been delayed due to my port flipping - so I'm starving right now. I'm doing my best to follow the diet my doctor laid out. The best thing I've done to keep me occupied and on track is to start exercising. I'd gained six pounds back on solids and have already lost that in the last two weeks.

Try to remember why you did this to begin with. You probably did your research and decided LP was safer than gastric bypass. You could be miserable right now due to dumping, throwing up and being plain old miserable. On top of that you could be dealing with malabsorption.

I try to log my food and have started a daily journal. The journal helps me deal with my head hunger and cravings. I can go back now and look at where I was mentally when I break down and eat the wrong foods. Maybe that would help you.

These are just a few suggestions that have helped me deal with this new life. I've had bad days too. I'd call your doctor and check on another fill - that may be all you need to keep moving...

[Sades 4]

Linda, if it wasn't for my snacking on junk food I would be down another 10-20 lbs by now. I eat healthy food 90% of the time but it's the other 10% which has stopped me losing more weight. Even when I lose 1 or 2 lbs they go straight back on after a day or two of junk eating. That's why I've been struggling to get more off. Lucky I walk every day which has helped me maintain what I have already lost. I am getting close to my sweet spot (I hope) but I have had at least 8 fills to get there. Sounds to me you don't have restriction yet and I would suggest go for another fill and keep going until you do. The band can only work when the restriction is right. Good luck.

[Linda Hamsing Rosen 1]

Thanks for everyone's support. I just got my journal out and started it !!! I had gotten that advice from someone else too (who lost 100 percent of their excess weight). I think I can't keep sweets in my house. I had it here this weekend for my kids--because I heard that if you are overly restrictive with kids, they learn to binge on sweets. Well, we'll just have to figure out another way for them to get it (Daddy can hide it).

Can someone explain though why the junk food passes right through? That doesn't make any sense--after all it's still solid food, isn't it? Not that I'm advocating eating it, but just wondering...

[Guest Leslie2Lose]

One of the nurses in my drs office told me that the chips hit your stomach and turn to dust. I don't think they stay "solid".

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Anything crispy will go right through. It's the doughy stuff that people have trouble with. bread, tortillas, etc. I also don't understand why some people have trouble with meat. If I take little bites and chew until it's liquid in my mouth, I can eat just about anything.

[BayCityBandster 1]

linda, i was banded less than a week ago, so i have no advice, but definitely know i will struggle with the same issues and i send you hugs and support!

[Hastings 3]

Kids don't have to have candy and sweets every day. If you allow treats on occasion it will be fine, I think. In Sweden they get candy on saturday, it's a sort of social tradition. My grandkids only have a little candy on saturday and don't ask for it the rest of the week. It might be work instituting something like that. Perhaps associating it with exercise. Walking to a nearby store to choose some candy?

[ellie 0]

i feel the same way..i too will have 3rd fill on the 17th....i want it now..i feel the band is tempermental...some days its tight others its not...i was banded on march 12, my weight loss is slow, i feel as though its more me, not the band thats helping me along the way i need more restriction..so hang in there till we find our swee spot as they call it. good luck

[SkyeBlu 0]

I feel for you! It sucks that you feel so down right now.

Something that I did with my boys early on is I knew I had a big issue with food and didn't want them to as well so we made sure they were taught to make good food choices. Sweets should be a treat not an all the time thing. Get rid of all unhealthy sweets for your sake and theirs, keep healthy sweets in the house yogurt, 100 calorie packs, granola bars, fresh fruit, dried fruit etc and if they have a sweet craving they will gnosh on thoses. And, if you happen to indulge it's not a bad treat.

Also, you just need to find your sweet spot. When you get it you will know. It took 4 fills for me to hit mine and wow what a difference it made!

Good luck!

[Linda Hamsing Rosen 1]

i feel the same way..i too will have 3rd fill on the 17th....i want it now..i feel the band is tempermental...some days its tight others its not...i was banded on march 12, my weight loss is slow, i feel as though its more me, not the band thats helping me along the way i need more restriction..so hang in there till we find our swee spot as they call it. good luck

I'm glad so many of you relate. I've decided my kids don't need unhealthy sweets in the house and it should be a special occasion, not every day.

Ellie, my third fill is on the 17th too. Please check in with me on how you do. It's weird, today I feel really tight again--can't eat too much. Last week I ate like a cow. I don't get it.

[TerryB 0]

It really can change... During my period, I am soooo tight but otherwise I am fine. Also I find that if I am stressed out the band gets tighter.

[Linda Hamsing Rosen 1]

Thanks Terry,

I noticed your history: you said you had a revision from the bypass to the band? I have never heard of that--or do you still have your bypass in addition to the band? Also, how did you know you had irritation of the esophagus and needed an unfill?

[TerryB 0]

Yes, I had a bypass in 2001 and had a staple line disruption in 2003. I gained almost all my weight back and my insurance quit covering weight loss surgery between the time that I had the surgery and the staple line disrupted.

So after trying to sue and everything else I decided to go to mexico and have the lapband. Dr. Ortiz is the only surgeon that I could find that had a lot of experience with this type of surgery. That was 8/2006 and I have had no problems until recently.

I started having some problems about a month ago with the band getting tighter... I had been on one type of birth control which made my period lighter but I had to switch from it and had the first "real" period in a long time.

It took me a couple of days to realize how tight I was, until then I ate too much and threw up too many times. This irritated my esphogus and swelled it until it was way too tight. I went back to Dr. Ortiz and they did a complete unfill and put me on liquids. There was no slip (thank God) but I was on liquids for two weeks. Once irritated I should have taken myself on liquids but I had gotten complacent with the lapband rules.

Hope this info helps. I will be getting a fill in two weeks and I am happy about that. I need restriction, I like feeling full.