Advice needed- don't understand my body

[emmarfrost]

Hi gals and guys,

Just wanted a snippet of advice.
Im on 'normal' foods now after my fill last week. I had 7ml put in, and I have a 10ml band (I know its a lot, but the barium was flying through until the doc got to 6.5ml, so he put in 7 to be sure)

I'm not finding that I have a restriction feeling as in me feeling full, but if I eat more than a small amount I get pain in my shoulder, which later expels itself as windy pops I eat small mouthfuls, and make sure I chew my food at least 20 times per mouthful (as advised by THG)

Is this the restriction feeling, I feel like I have eaten but I don't feel stuffed.

Argh...confused......

Im so worried its gone wrong, and I only have 3 mls left to sort it out with

xxx

 

[Red 42]

Hi Emma

I'm going for my x-ray & fill on Wednesday...does it take long to do and is the barium thick? I'm a bit squeemish with swallowing yucky stuff

Yxx

 

[easter chick]

Hi i have 14 mil band and have 3ml from op then first fill i had 7 even though i have this not sure if i get enough restriction can still eat a plate of food not as much as i did but still seems to much to me hope it improves after next fill weight seems to be sticking at mo

 

[thinkbethin]

Emma I had my 1st fill on thursday and straight away I felt a tightness in my chest if I tried to eat too much. This is what we chose the band for, to help with the portion sizes so if you can't eat as much as you would normally then I'd say your band is working.

 

[thinkbethin]

Hi Emma

I'm going for my x-ray & fill on Wednesday...does it take long to do and is the barium thick? I'm a bit squeemish with swallowing yucky stuff

Yxx

Red the barium drink I had on thursday tatsed and felt like milk with peppermint in it.Yukky but bareable

 

[easter chick]

Hi mine was like a milk shake texture does taste slightly funny but not to bad.Only took about 15 to 20 min if that hope this helps

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

Hi gals and guys,

Just wanted a snippet of advice.
Im on 'normal' foods now after my fill last week. I had 7ml put in, and I have a 10ml band (I know its a lot, but the barium was flying through until the doc got to 6.5ml, so he put in 7 to be sure)

I'm not finding that I have a restriction feeling as in me feeling full, but if I eat more than a small amount I get pain in my shoulder, which later expels itself as windy pops I eat small mouthfuls, and make sure I chew my food at least 20 times per mouthful (as advised by THG)

Is this the restriction feeling, I feel like I have eaten but I don't feel stuffed.

Argh...confused......

Im so worried its gone wrong, and I only have 3 mls left to sort it out with

xxx

wow emma 7 in a 10mil band is harsh for a 1st fill thats a XL fill. experiment with different food densities to detrmine your exact level of restriction x

 

[Mazza]

wow emma 7 in a 10mil band is harsh for a 1st fill thats a XL fill. experiment with different food densities to detrmine your exact level of restriction x

Blimey that does sound a lot! You will feel the restriction in your chest and you deffo should feel something restriction wise.

Maz x

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

Blimey that does sound a lot! You will feel the restriction in your chest and you deffo should feel something restriction wise.

Maz x

my bands just over half full and im at sweet spot, its just defining it, i have 4 mils in a 7 mil band i reakon ive naturally lost half a mil since fill but im still ok on it for now x

 

[cazbandy]

That is a big fill but we are all different...my band is 5.75mils in a 9mil band.

I am now getting really good restriction, everything fills me up quickly now

 

[Red 42]

Question for Caz and Liz,

the 'sweet spot', how do you know you're there?

is it just that you don't feel hungry, but eat because you need to take some calories in (just like the feeling straight after having the op) ?

hope that doesn't sound too daft :silly:

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

Question for Caz and Liz,

the 'sweet spot', how do you know you're there?

is it just that you don't feel hungry, but eat because you need to take some calories in (just like the feeling straight after having the op) ?

hope that doesn't sound too daft :silly:

hi red, the sweet spot comes partly from the fill level and partly from working with the fill correctly as in eating the correct food types for the restriction you have at the time, it does take time to work it out properly but once you have then the band works to its most efficent.
its a hard thing to describe but i shall try my best to, the sweet spot is when you can be satisfied from a much smaller portion of the right type of food and not eating sliders as an easy option, when not to much can be eaten but enough also to satisfy of the correct density food type, its learning to eat the solid food and knowing when to stop eating and learning & listening to your top pouch, this is the sweet spot, going past the warning signs and eating to much of the portion is abusing the sweet spot and abusing the fill level and the result will be discomfort and some times vomiting. once this is learnt correctly after you have good restriction then the sweet spot has been reached, thats the best way i can describe it, i hope it makes sense

 

[Mazza]

Thanks for that Liz and yes it does make sense! Im ready for my first fill now, didnt end up getting one before as I didnt need one. Im gradually finding that I can eat more. As far as I know the surgeon put 3mils in my 9 mil band during the op, my provider tends to do tiny fills rather than 1 large one. So I expect I will need a bit of fine tuning to get there!

As you and Caz said we are all different, band size wise and fill requirement wise. I just dont want to get in the position where I have too much restriction and cant manage anything (as some on here have recently) so I am happy to have lots of little fills.

Maz x

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

Thanks for that Liz and yes it does make sense! Im ready for my first fill now, didnt end up getting one before as I didnt need one. Im gradually finding that I can eat more. As far as I know the surgeon put 3mils in my 9 mil band during the op, my provider tends to do tiny fills rather than 1 large one. So I expect I will need a bit of fine tuning to get there!

As you and Caz said we are all different, band size wise and fill requirement wise. I just dont want to get in the position where I have too much restriction and cant manage anything (as some on here have recently) so I am happy to have lots of little fills.

Maz x

hi maz i agree i think building up to the sweet spot slowly is a better way as it gives the patient time to ajust to the real meaning of restriction and it allows time to ajust to learning to be able to cope. by the time the sweet spot is reached fully then the individual can cope properly with the aspects learnt from the previous fills rather than just throwing someone in at the deep and and causing them lots of problems and not been given time to learn how the band works regarding restriction levels, time is part of the key to success and we all ajust accordingly and that comes with each persons personal experience over time xxx

 

[AA1234]

I was given 6ml in a 10ml band for the same reason the barium was just going down too easy.

I also don't feel much restriction and was told not to expect any after the first fill. This is why I have another fill booked for 9th July.

I agree that you should build the fills up slowly, but you need to at least have some restriction and for some of us that means having a larger fill to begin with.

 

[cazbandy]

I can describe the restriction I have now which means, if I eat chicken for example, I can only manage a very, very small chicken thigh (as the meat is less dense than breast), with maybe half a small potato and some salad.

We had a BBQ on Sunday and I managed a third of a Aberdeen Angus burger, 1 chipolata sausage and some salad.

I can only manage 25g of cereal in one sitting.

Fish is the one thing I can cope with well still, so can eat a bit more of this.

I can now only manage 1/4 of a banana, or a few berries at a time.

Things I can no longer cope with or dare to have include:-

Cake
Bread (any kind)
Rice
Noodles
Pasta
Red meat
Cheddar cheese (uncooked)

I intake roughly betwwen 800 calories to about 1500 depending on what I have eaten. But most days its around the 1000 mark.

I am currently keeping a food journal to keep an eye on things.

 

[Red 42]

Liz - thankyou for taking the time to explain...It's still early days and I'm worried I'm going to mess things up ... my first fill is tomorrow.

Caz - hope you don't mind me asking but do you weigh and measure your food before eating or do you put food on to your plate and just know when to stop?

the reason I ask is that I still think I'm getting the portion sizes wrong...I eat off a tea plate or a small bowl but am constantly asking my OH 'does that look too much?' I've always had a problem with portion size...that's why I became fat but still eat until I feel slightly uncomfortable (which is wrong I know)

many thanks.... from a slightly confused bander!

 

[cazbandy]

I will weigh certain things like cheese, as I don't want to eat too much but normally I go by eye.

With each fill you have to relearn what you can and cannot eat, so there are no hard and fast rules AND everyone is different.

But I use this as a general rule.

PROTEIN : cup your hand, that is the size and no bigger that any kind of protein should be.
CARBS: The same
Veggies: Can fill the rest of the plate.

Start with the proteins, then the veggies, if you have room, without pain, have some carbs.

Eat of a side plate but never let the food overlap the edges.

put knife and fork down between mouthfuls and allow food to go through band before having another mouthful. If you feel the tightness of restriction. STOP straight away and allow that feeling to pass.

Allow 20 mins for each meal, weather that be a snack or main meal.

Chew well but don't over pulp the food as it then in effect becomes a slider food and won't keep you satisfied.

Restriction is a personal thing, you will know when you have it. Its like a tight feeling in the chest. It should not be painful, just a tiny bit uncomfortable. Like when you used to eat too much and feel, no more. The feeling is the same, just happens a lot quicker on a lot less food.

Try not to worry, this is one massive learning curve for us all, we will all find our own paths and the journey that is right for us.

Try to let the stress and guilt surrounding food go.

You will never be able to overeat in that way again, and the laws of physics dictate that if you consume less, do more, weight will go. Sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly but it will go.

I have learnt to be realistic with the band. I saw from a meet of 65 patients of my surgeon that the average length of time it took people to loose what they wanted or needed to loose is 2-3 years.

You are doing brilliantly, and you will succeed.

 

[Red 42]

Caz, thank you so much...brilliant! after reading that, I think the fullness I'm feeling is my restriction working...I feel so relieved.

I've just started walking again (did a few easy ones whilst recovering) but have walked for an hour each time over the last couple of days, and once I'm past the weekend and 6 weeks post op will start swimming.

cheers

 

[Mazza]

Hi Red

I have followed Caz's advice re eating the protein first since I first started on normal food, its an excellent tip and very rarely to I get beyond eating the protein and veg!

Maz x