I'm I too tight or just right... Please help

[JennR 0]

So here it goes. I want to show the whole picture. so please be patient and read whole story. I had my band put in in aug 07. I have been able to eat pretty much anything until my latest fill about 8 weeks ago. After the fill I could eat approx 4-6 oz or 1-2 slices of pizza. However it seems that as the weeks go by I am becoming more restricted. No I can get down2-4 oz or 1/2 to 1 slice of pizza. I have been pbing alot lately ( I think) I get the pain, slime, it doesn't naturly come up so I sometimes will have to force it up. However, I only get 30 min for lunch and this seems to be when I have a problem. for dinner, if I take 1-1 1//2 hours I do fine. I can also get 4-6 oz down. So my question is am I just right and just eating to fast, or am I to tight? Since I've been eating like I was before the band, I don't know if how much I'm eating is what I'm supposed to be or not enough. I hope this make sense and gives a whole picture.

Thanks for the help

[Zannie 6]

First off -- I'm not a doctor, so don't take what I say as medical advice, just as my own opinion! With that said...

I can't say if you're too tight or not, but you should NOT be regularly sliming and PBing with your meals -- that is a sign of a problem. Eating too much, not chewing enough, eating the wrong types of foods, AND being too restricted can all cause those symptoms. More significant problems can also cause the same reactions.

Now, of those, which do I suspect is the problem...? Maybe a combination of a couple! If you've been taking more than an hour to eat your meals & are only have trouble when you are limited to a 1/2 hour, I'd say you're not eating right... Being banded isn't supposed to change the length of the MEAL, just the amount of FOOD! If I were to sit down for dinner and allow 1 to 1-1/2 hours to eat, I'm sure I could eat the portions you've been having, too. And personally, I can only eat 3 or 4 bites of pizza (it's the crust that gets me) before I start to feel full.

That sounds harsh to my own ears, but that's not how I mean it... I would hate for you to have problems with your band because your head & stomach are not in the same place yet! It takes a while to adjust to life with the Band -- and we all go through ups & downs as we make that adjustment! But you've been banded for quite some time & I'd have thought you'd be in a more "Banded" mindset about your meals by now, even if your restriction wasn't at the sweet spot yet. The guideline I received went something like this: 2-3oz of "whole foods" Protein as the biggest portion on your plate & eaten first, followed by a smaller portion of veggies eaten 2nd, and then an even smaller serving of starchy carbs eaten last. So maybe what you need is to take a realistic look at what you're doing at meals (I hate journaling, but that's a place to start) & compare that to the materials you received from your doc when you were banded. Consult the staff at your surgery center (mine has a nutritionist as well as the surgeons) for advice!!

And in all seriousness, too much PBing can cause a slip of your band and meals that are too big can cause pouch dilation over time -- that is not just scare tactics!

Good luck!

Edited June 8, 2008 by Zannie
typo

[Jennifer77 0]

First off, pizza? That's a strict no-no for me. And you sound like I do. lunch is hard when you only have a half hour to do it in. I am seriously considering to ask if I can be alloted at least 45 minutes. With waiting for the microwave and then the time to cook the food. I am only left with about 20 minutes to eat. I find myself PBing and sliming after lunch everyday. My restriction is fine, I just need to have the time to slowly eat and make sure my food is thoroughly chewed. I was eating pizza because it would go down pretty easy, but I found that I would get hungry again pretty quick. I changed to eating straight Protein (piece of baked chicken breast) and vegtables and the hunger difference has been night and day. I am pretty much staying away from carbs because I seem to get more hungry on them. At first it was hard, but now I am so thankful for the decision because now I see my weight going down again, and I don't snack anymore.

[Christal 0]

When I don't have time for a "real" meal I usually have Soup or something I know will go down easier. Just a suggestion.

[Zannie 6]

I agree, Christal! If I know I'm going to be eating in a pinch or at "talking" meal, I try to stick to stuff that I know will go down well -- Soup, yogurt, eggs, fish, or mayo-based chicken/tuna salad.

I've just started back to college & took an all-day (8-5)Saturday course for the summer semester. That necessitates 3 meals in class! Breakfast: Protein shake; lunch: yogurt and a cheese stick; Snack: homemade trail mix of cashews, dried papaya, dry oat Cereal, and M-n-Ms (I have an issue with raisins getting stuck). I also sip on bottled Water all day long.

[anavrin 0]

I was banded May 20th. I only just started eating "real" food last Thursday. I don't have my 1st fill until June 23rd. I was told to eat Protein first, then vegs, then carbs. I was also told to chew slowly, and to eat for 10-15 mins, then get up and throw what's left away. I'm supposed to be practicing this before I get the fill. I have been faithful to the "no bread, potatoes, pasta" rule, but have eaten perhaps a 3rd cup of rice. Trust me, I could eat more, but the guilt gets me, and I stop. I was told that the time before the fill is for healing more than losing. But I get on the scale everyday. Some people say don't, but my theory is, better to catch a lb up, than to wait and find you're 5 lbs up. I've been as low as 183, and as high as 187 since surgery. I want to get to around 115, since I'm only 4'11". But I'm old too, well, my body is, my mind's 25. Anyway, I don't know about PB'ing and sliming yet, doesn't sound too appealing, hope I never exp either.

[mss 1]

At work I also stick to something which I know I wont have a problem with such as yoghurt as I generally get only about 15 minutes or so to eat (I work as a contractor so have short breaks so I can get away earlier). I have to eat slowly now or I get the awful pain in my chest... the bands way of reminding me to chew chew chew. My feeling is that you are possibly eating too fast however I would definitely talk with the doctor and get their opinion.

Edited June 8, 2008 by mss

[DonHoll1 0]

Sounds like you are fine if you can eat pizza. I only eat Soup at lunch because there is not enough time for anything else. Too much chewing and waiting. Donna

[JennR 0]

Maybe I should clarify a few things. I used pizza as an example because most slices are cut the same. I don't weigh my food so the oz are a guess. I maybe eat pizza once a month. The crust kills me, I normally eat just the toppings. A typical day for me is

Breakfast: (PLEASE NOT I DO NOT DRINK WITH MEAL ABOUT 1 HR APART)

1cup 2% milk and 2 oz cheese normaly colby jack or milk and

2oz Peanut Butter.

Lunch:

1 bowl Soup or 2 pieces of sushi or 2-3 small bonless chicken pieces

Dinner:

1/2 crabcake or 3-4 beefy nachos, or 2-4 oz venison

This amount does not make me pb, it's if I eat over this amount in under an hour.

[MSnika3 0]

I don't have an answer, as I have not yet had a fill and have only been banded 4 weeks. I am glad that you posted your concerns and others have replied. I am a teacher and during the school year, I only have about a 25 minute lunch, that includes getting to and from the cafeteria with my class, and warming food after waiting in the microwave line. That usually leaves only about 10-15 minutes to eat. Guess I'd better start planning now for some quick-to-eat, filling lunches.

Thanks guys for giving me something to think about!!!!

[Christal 0]

When you have the Soup for lunch do you have problems with it? What time is your lunch? Most people are tighter in the morning and sometimes I can't eat until around 12 but usually take lunch at 11.

[JennR 0]

I normally eat Breakfast around 5am and then lunch around 11:30 and then dinner about 8. I know these times might be a little unusual but I work 12 hour days usualy and work about 45 min from home. As far as the Soup goes I don't have any problems with it, but try not to eat it to much as my doctor does not recomend it.

[gojaguars 0]

Hey everyone! My friend and I were both banded on May 8th and we also work together. We get 30 mins for lunch too. Some of the things we have been bringing for lunch that seem to work for us to have time to eat without any worries are: Ham or Turkey with a piece of provolone cheese rolled up inside it, Cream cheese with green onion chopped up in it and rolled up in the Ham or Turkey. tuna fish with diced onions, little mayo and mild banana peppers and some of the pepper juice to make it wet. Salads work well too and we splurged and had some boiled shrimp with our salad the other day. We also add a large dill pickle or cheese sticks sometimes. We are still trying to get creative, but we have been really satisfied with these lunches and making them the night before helps and we don't have to heat anything to eat. Hope the ideas help. Best wishes to all of us.

[TerriDoodle 6]

JennR - I hear you loud and clear.

I just went for a partial unfill after going thru this same delimma for 4 months! Did you happen to see the thread I started?

Let me share what happened with me and maybe that will help you make a decision. I could have written your post above back in February. I decided to 'hang in there' and see if I could just adjust my eating behaviors and food choices to accommodate my much tighter restriction. I had good days and bad days... but honestly, there were more bad than good. Because I couldn't really ever get in a 'full meal' I found myself snacking more. I could get junk food down (nachos!) but I couldn't eat an orange or a salad to save my life. I resorted to 'safe' and mushy foods 85% of the time, if not more. I started eating ice cream every night just to 'fill in the cracks' and resorted to milkshakes as my meal-on-the-run. (NOT good.) I began experiencing some symptoms of GERD and/or reflux. I began also experiencing esophageal spasms (OUCH!!!!!!). I panic'd when faced with just about any restaurant menu and wasted a LOT of money. I PB'd an average of about once/day, maybe more. I came to rely on the foods that didn't ever give me problems: chips, cheese, ice cream, cottage cheese, Soups, enchiladas, crackers, etc. This is SO not the way I enjoy eating, and I certainly didn't see this as a long-term way of life, that's for sure.

I got an unfill and feel soooooooooo much better.

Go ahead and stick with this fill for awhile if you want. Just be honest and pay attention to what foods you end up relying on. In my opinion, if you can't eat healthy foods, then you're too tight. I don't think any doctor would disagree with that.

Edited June 9, 2008 by TerriDoodle

[TamiSCool 0]

I am also a patient of Dr. Merriman. I'm having the same issues. I was banded 01/04/08 and had my 3rd fill on June 2, 2008. I'm hoping my problem is from not chewing and taking very small bites. I don't know how much longer I can take this pb and vomiting crap. Oh...and I haven't lost any weight either. bleh The only thing I've lost so far is my breakfast, lunch and dinner and $15K. double bleh