That "full" feeling and another question

[julieg40 1]

Hello all.

I still feel "new" here but have a couple of questions. First off I was banded Nov 5th, 2008 and since keeping a food journal in June of 08 lost a total of 53 pounds. About half of it has come off since the banding but here are my questions.

Do any of you ever freak out thinking you are eating too much but there hasn't been any "soft stop" signals? I can eat a couple of tacos with a few bites of Beans and rice but I always stop when I think I should be full. I know the pouch is supposed to hold about 4-6 ounces of food but how do you know if you are stretching it? I have had 2 fills, 2.5CC the first time then 1 this last time. But I never feel that "full" feeling. Occassionally I will feel like it is higher up in my throat and I stop at that point but normally I just gauge what I have eaten and quit when I am done. For instance I can eat a 1/2 can of green beans and 2 small pieces of fish and I stop. Or I can eat 4 oz of canned chicken with a little bit of shredded cheese sprinkled on top and about the same of cooked cauliflower. I am just paranoid I am eating too much and don't know it.

Only once, YET, have I thrown up. That was because I didn't chew up the burger (no bread) good enough and boy that taught me a hard lesson I will not soon forget! LOL

Anyway the next question is about Water. Will drinking your water normally, as opposed to sipping it, stretch out your pouch? I read all the time it says to sip but will someone please explain exactly why? I don't have any feeling of it being more or less constricted with either warm or ice cold fluids. Maybe I am not filled enough yet to be able to differenciate between the two.

Any and/or all help, comments, suggestions are appreciate.

Thanks,

JulieG

[bearbandit 0]

I am just over 3 months post op. I was like you measuring all my food and stopping at that point regardless. It all depends on what food I eat. For example lets say I eat some salmon. Salmon is a lot more dense thus I get full on 4 oz. If you eat some steamed veggies they are less dense and you can eat more. So how much food depends on how dense it is. The feeling of full is really hard to find or understand. Remember your brain takes twenty minutes to realize your full. You are looking for that physical feeling. Hince thats why we have bands because we eat till we feel full. At that point we ate way too much. I have 5.75 cc's now and I have to be very careful on how fast I eat. or I can get stuck, which hurts. I still measure out my food volume. your only two months out so your still healing. Measure out your food and stop. Time yourself between each meal. if you start to get really hungry at around 2 hours after then you need a fill. I eat every three hours regardless. As for drinking Water, (only after about 45 mins after you eat), I drink that stuff down like there is no tomorrow. It wont extend your pouch as it will pass right on through. When you get good restriction and you just ate a very dense meal and didn't wait long enough after you ate to drink water....ouch! that really hurts. P.S. I also had my 3 month labs done. all was good but Vitamin D was low. apparently this is very common. You need D to absorb Calcium. Just a heads up. Good luck! Be diligent and dedicate yourself to exercise and good nutrition.:sneaky:

[julieg40 1]

Thank you for the reply. I too quit drinking 30 minutes before and an hour after eating. I tell you what, that was a hard habit to break. Quitting smoking and kicking my 10 Diet Dr Pepper's a day was easier than that! LOL

Like I said I just try to eat foods that are good for me but fear so much stretching out my pouch. I assume once I go for my next fill in February I will notice much more of a difference. Maybe I am just chewing my food really well and why I have had little to no issues with it.

And I drink Water like there is no tomorrow when, for the last 30 years, I hardly touched it. Now and again I will have a Crystal Light or K20 Protein drink for a change.

Again, thanks for your insight/help.

JulieG

[annjones 3]

This is why I really like this board. I just got my 1st fill yesterday. I had noticed about a week before that I was able to eat more in volume. (of course more is no where near the amount it was before being banded)

I was getting hungry between meals and was very thankful I had scheduled my fill for yesterday.

After the fill I've felt full to my neck and I feel like I have a small lump in my throat. I can drink ok and liquids are fine..guess each new experience I will learn more and more..but it sure helps to have posts of simular stuff to read from.

[Mrs. Bubba 0]

I had my 3rd fill yesterday.. been on liquids mostly, since then. I have so much gas and can belch all the time.. and my stomach hurts a little... It's more of a discomfort, but I'm a bit worried. I haven't felt restriction up to now and don't know if this is it or something else.. They had trouble doing the fill this time and did lots of pressing on my middle to get the right spot on the port.. I think maybe I just got all riled up inside and need time to get back to normal... I'm hoping that's it.... If it isn't better in a day or two you can bet I'll be calling them to find out what's going on.... Julie

[plain 12]

Hello all.

I still feel "new" here but have a couple of questions. First off I was banded Nov 5th, 2008 and since keeping a food journal in June of 08 lost a total of 53 pounds. About half of it has come off since the banding but here are my questions.

Do any of you ever freak out thinking you are eating too much but there hasn't been any "soft stop" signals? I can eat a couple of tacos with a few bites of Beans and rice but I always stop when I think I should be full. I know the pouch is supposed to hold about 4-6 ounces of food but how do you know if you are stretching it? I have had 2 fills, 2.5CC the first time then 1 this last time. But I never feel that "full" feeling. Occassionally I will feel like it is higher up in my throat and I stop at that point but normally I just gauge what I have eaten and quit when I am done. For instance I can eat a 1/2 can of green Beans and 2 small pieces of fish and I stop. Or I can eat 4 oz of canned chicken with a little bit of shredded cheese sprinkled on top and about the same of cooked cauliflower. I am just paranoid I am eating too much and don't know it.

Only once, YET, have I thrown up. That was because I didn't chew up the burger (no bread) good enough and boy that taught me a hard lesson I will not soon forget! LOL

Anyway the next question is about Water. Will drinking your Water normally, as opposed to sipping it, stretch out your pouch? I read all the time it says to sip but will someone please explain exactly why? I don't have any feeling of it being more or less constricted with either warm or ice cold fluids. Maybe I am not filled enough yet to be able to differenciate between the two.

Any and/or all help, comments, suggestions are appreciate.

Thanks,

JulieG

Hi Julie. I think you are on the right track with stopping when you think you need to. A wise old lapbander once told me that as fat folk, most of our perceptions of "full" are flawed; That most of us have gotten "full" confused with "stuffed".....full simply means "not hungry".

For me, especially in the beginning, it was helpful to eat a small portion, then stop for a bit and ask myself "Am I still hungry?"......not "Am I full", but Do I still have physical hunger.

In general, I think we shouldn't rely on the band to "tell" us when we've had enough food via signals ("soft stop", or otherwise). The band's job is to help us feel less hungry with a smaller portion of food. Eventually, you'll learn what size portion is right for you. Good luck!

[Totallytater 1]

Hi. I just think you need another fill. If you can eat 2 tacos and then a few bites of anything else without feeling any soft stops, you need a fill. I have pretty good restriction and I don't think I could eat a whole taco. Seriously doubt it.

[Jachut 487]

Even years down the track I sometimes freak over this. It is really hard when you're trying to lose weight to give yourself permission not to be hungry. Its even harder to give up dieting in favour of maintenance.

I was just thinking about this now. I had a good Breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, a hot chocolate and some strawberries mid morning, a small meal of baked salmon, wholegrain Pasta salad (like 1/4 of a cup) and broccolini for lunch and I just ate some sugarpeas because they were there. I was thinking "oh boy, I've really blown it today". Why? because I'm not hungry and I feel to have a *good* day, I *should* be hungry.

Sorting this issue out from truly having overeaten is hard. If youv'e overeaten beyond your band's capacity you will know it, its very uncomfortable. If its going down then you might notice it in lack of weight loss but you wont hurt your band because its not backing up, if that makes sense.

[mom22 0]

Hi Julie - I also got banded on 11/5/08 - congrats on your great weight loss! I've lost 48 pounds - but have been stuck at this weight for almost 2 weeks. Your post could have been my post - word for word! I too have a hard time determining if I'm eating too much - I'd like to think the band will help me with this decision. I only had one fill (early Dec) - my next fill isn't until 2/17. I feel like I can eat way too much - I remember my doc saying that right after my 1st fill I should feel restriction comparable to right after my surgery - I was looking forward to it! Unfortunately, I didn't feel any different after the fill. I believe I have a total of 4cc's (my band holds 8cc's) I tried to get in earlier for a fill-but because I've been losing so well, my doc said no - I was very disappointed. I made an appt with the nutritionist and she told me I was eating too much "soft" food (ff pudding, Breakfast drinks) - I'm trying to eat more fish, chicken, etc to fill me up. It would be great to keep in contact since we have the same surgery date - lots in common! Good luck to you. KS

[LSF 264]

I had decent restriction until my first fill (4ccs), then after a week, I realized that I could eat ANYTHING and my portion sizes were getting bigger. I just got home from my 2nd fill (2 cc's) - I'm praying this one works more than the last. I liked being able to eat anything - I just want to be able to shrink my portion sizes.