What does it take to stretch your band out?

[BeckyinTn 0]

I am just wondering how much one has to eat to stretch out the pouch. I am so scared that I will do this or have done it!

I was banded on 9-22-08 and I will say that yesterday I ate more then I was supposed to!:tongue:

I didn't eat till I was at the point of vomiting or anything like that but I did have a heavy feeling in my chest!

I don't want to have screwed this up by my actions yesterday!

Today it will be shakes and only shakes!

[kimaly 57]

I can only tell you what I was told by my Doctor, before my 1st fill I was not to eat more then 1 cup and after my fill it's only 1/2 to 1/3 of a cup at each meal with no snacking and 3 meals a day.Hope this helps

[kiz 1]

Becky, I was worried about the same thing, because in my nutrition class, they had a plastic egg to represent our pouch, and said we shouldn't eat more than 1/2 cup of food. I don't have a fill yet, and I've pretty much stuck to the 1/2 cup servings for my meals, but a couple of times I've eaten around one cup. I asked about this at my last appointment, and they wanted me to add a high Protein snack so I'm sure not to get hungry, but they said without a fill, most of the food I'm eating is going straight through the band, and I shouldn't worry that I might stretch the pouch, within reason. I'm not saying to eat until you puke, but, I wouldn't worry too much, since you didn't get to that point. My, "within reason limit", is sticking to 1/2 cup most meals, but if I want a small salad or a few extra veggies/fruit, I'm not going to worry as long as I'm under one cup.

However, Becky, you're less than two weeks out, and your stomach isn't close to being healed yet. Not to make you feel worse, but what did you eat? I hope it was a mushy, and not something that's hard to digest. I know I couldn't even finish a small container of SF Jello in one setting at a week, due to swelling. Just be careful about the healing process. Some doctors still have their patients on liquids at your stage, so consider this your wake-up call that this was serious surgery, and not to overdo it. Measure, measure, measure, and don't go over your doctor's recommendations!!

Hey, we all fall down, so just brush yourself off, and get back in the fight!!!

[BeckyinTn 0]

My Dr has me on soft foods and I have been able to eat them for about 3 days now! What I ate yesterday was soft. I didn't eat more than 1 cup at a time it was just I grazed most of the day.

[Kalipso2 25]

i had surgery in april, first fill in may and second fill in june. i was way too filled in june but never went back for an unfill until september. so during june thru september i didn't eat a lot but since i was over filled the food sat in the upper stomach too long while moving way too slowly thru my band. this caused my upper stomach to stretch.

i got a slight unfill in september so that the food can move quicker thru my band and hopefully my stomach will go back to it's normal shape.

i don't know if it would've helped if i went for an unfill in july or even august... if that would have stopped my stoma from stretching. i'm not sure how long it takes for the stoma to get stretched but i'm almost positive that it doesn't happen after 1 or 2 times of over-eating.

[kiz 1]

My Dr has me on soft foods and I have been able to eat them for about 3 days now! What I ate yesterday was soft. I didn't eat more than 1 cup at a time it was just I grazed most of the day.

Becky, is sounds like you might be working on ending some old bad habits. I was a grazer too, so I know how tempting it is to eat a little nibble here and there, and then at the end of the day, you could kick yourself. My biggest help is drinking lots of Water, in addition to SF drinks to ward off the munchies. Luckily, you noticed right away that you were having grazing issues. If you find yourself tempted again, maybe you should journal what you're eating, to hold yourself accountable. Sometimes, just knowing that you're going to have to write those extras down is enough to stop the grazing.

[Joy1 0]

AMEN!.......To the Water, WATER, WATER.....I will think that I am hungry and go drink 16 ozs. of water and I'm OK!

Joy

[terilynn112 1]

That works for me too!

teri