Mandies journey

[flutterby1966]

Many of us have been where you are now, so keep positive! Definitely try myfitnesspal as mazza suggested. Like Jo said, everyone is different and it will take time to understand how the band works with your body and what's the optimum level for you. I was/am a bigger gal than Jo, so my body needed around 1100 calories a day for optimum weight loss. Shame on me but apart from Increasing my pooch walking / gardening / cleaning, I have not taken up any major fitness regime :sigh: I have really focused first and foremost on protein levels .. 60g+ per day and often achieving 100+ .. And that's where myfitnesspal really helps

 

[Bella'sBand]

THANKS Mazza Jo and Michelle, I have joined myfitnesspal and will be tracking my cals, carbs, protien etc. Site looks great and saves me writing it all down on paper. Great tip ladies Thank you! :thankyou:

 

[Mandie37]

Just back from hols and disappointed

Hi

I had my band on 6th June. Have had two fills
And am now up to 5mls. Was struggling for a while after the second fill even keeping liquids down but it seemed to settle so thought I would leave a de fill whilst I went away to Florida.


While I have been there I wasn't able to keep anything
Down at all. A few well chewed tiny mouthfuls and I was rushing off to the toilet to be sick I can honestly say
I have never eaten so little. I was managing to drink though which helped. I have now returned home and have lost 8lb whilst I was away which I know is good but I really am not surprised. What I am hoping someone can help me with is if this is normal and how the band works?? I was told I should be able to eat small portions of most foods which just isn't the case. I feel very disappointed as I did say before I had it done that I was scared i would constantly be sick and the assured me this wouldn't happen. They said it wouldn't be like that and if you were sick then it was that the band was too tight? Could it be to tight at only 5mls I really don't know. I have just tried to eat a few fork fuls of tuna and am not even able to do that without discomfort and know if I have anymore I will be sick. What's happening to me as I surely can't be having even 500 calories a day and 8lb isnt a lot considering I haven't eaten for two weeks ( please help




Mandie

 

[Tracey1404]

Mandie, sorry you are having such a tough time. I think you need to speak to your provider - I would ask them for a defill and perhaps begin to work through the liquid, purée and solid stages again. Personally, this far out of surgery I would be looking for an X-ray just to confirm all is well. My surgery was on 3 August and I had 5 ml in 14ml band (you don't say how big your band is) and I am managing fluids, shakes and soups fine, even thickish shakes. Just my thoughts and not from any real experience. Hope it gets sorted soon. Tracey xxx

 

[flutterby1966]

Some people don't need anything in their bands for ages, as just the band around the top of the stomach is sufficient to give restriction, so yes 5 mls may be too much at the moment. Was Florida hot? If it was, water retention internally can make the band feel tighter too. Totm can also play its part, as well as the effects of the flight. Lots of things to take into consideration. Only time will tell what is the right level of restriction for you as an individual. From the time your op to holiday, fitting in two fills as well seems quite a lot tbh.

On a side note, Tuna is particularly difficult to eat for many banders, if they have decent restriction. It's usually a really good test to see how much effect a fill has had.

On a positive 8lbs is a fab loss, but I would be touching base with my dietician if I were you, for their guidance, as 500 calories a day is too low X

 

[Maphillips]

I feel it is to tight you must see your doctor as this can cause lots of problems I had to have mine removed
Good luck
Mark

 

[Mandie37]

Thanks for the replies

Been today and had a 1.5ml defil. Feel better now and on liquids until tomorrow. I have a 14ml band and they said I was in the red zone because of the vomiting. Going to see how I get on between now and next week and if it's too much they will put .5 back in


Find it really strange because 5mls doesn't seem like a lot but I guess we are all different. Feel like I have given it enough time to settle after returning from the heat and flying etc.... Was having awful leg cramps and am sure it was due to not eating at all which really can't be good for you.


I'm hoping now to stick to three small meals a day. On the plus side I have lost 1stone 2lb in the last four weeks ) and 2lb short of two stone since having my band on 6th June.


Thanks for your replies and advice everyone and here's hoping things are better than the last few weeks have been.


Mandie

 

[Mandie37]

Shoulder pain 11weeks post op?

Hi

I am 11 weeks post op. had 1.5 mils out of my band due to being badly sick after everything I ate . I now have 3.5 mils in my band and am managing ok and have lost 2stone in that time.


The only thing I am struggling with is an awful toothachey pain very deep inside my left shoulder. It's driving me mad and is very painful at times.


Has anyone had this problem so far on after surgery?


Any help would be appreciated. I am going to mention it when I go on Wednesday because having .5 mils put back in just to try and get the weight moving again.


Thanks


Mandiexx

 

[Mandie37]

Cant understand why

Hi

I had my band on 6th June and have lost 2 stone since then. For two week while i was on holiday the band was too tight so i lost quite a bit during those two weeks. Dont get me wrong im happy with the two stone i have lost but feel that its now at a standstill.

I really cant understand why because i have good restriction and dont feel like i am actually eating that much to be not losing any weight over the last 3/4 weeks

Can anybody tell me where im going wrong and why this is happening.

Thanks

mandie

 

[top_kat]

Hi Mandie, great with the 2stone . . .

Just a thought . . .you say you aren't eating much, or that you don't think you are, but do you keep a food diary? And also, what are you actually eating?

It could be you're not eating enough (the body goes into a "starvation" mode so losing weight can be difficult) or it could also be that you're not eating the right things . . .

 

[lotsabeefy]

Its called a stall and with any extreme weightloss your body from time to time will go into starvation mode and try to hold onto everything you eat. Dont worry it has to let it go eventually, this will happen more than once. Hope this helps xxx

 

[dinkydink]

The same happened to me! I went up and down a few pounds, but for 2 months I was more or less the same after losing 2 stone initially! I did lose inches though.. I'm just out the other side of the stall now hopefully as I've lost 6 pounds this week. Up your protein, lower your carbs and drink lots of water

 

[Mandie37]

Thankyou

I am trying to eat healthy. I admit that i do have a sneaky bar of chocolate now and again as i have a sweet tooth but it is only a small one. The majority of the time i am eating salad with tuna, ham or chicken. Had a roast dinner last night and couldnt eat it all but made sure i ate the veg. I find that if i munch on a piece of cheese it fills me up when my band starts being noisy lol.

I find it hard to be honest to know what to eat particularly without bread which i just cant tolerate anymore.

I find it a struggle knowing what to have half the time and as i dont particularly feel hungry i tend to miss meals which makes me wonder if i need to make sure i eat three small meals a day.

Mandie

 

[Mandie37]

ooo just realised lotsabeefy that you had yours done with Mr Agwunobi the same as me . How nice is he

 

[top_kat]

Mandie, with your provider do they have a dietician that you can see or who will help guide you with regards to what you're having and what can help? It maybe worth giving them a call to see what they suggest.

With my provider they have given really concise help and guidelines about what to be eating and in the quantities at different stages post op, but always with the thought of protein first, veggies second and carbs last, but they do give me quite specific guidelines on what to eat in order to work with the band but to gain the loss.

It is hard, I lost 10lbs last week on my first week post op, but because this week I have been on clear fluids only and havent even been able to tolerate soup or milk etc, I did my mid week weigh in this week and have only lost 1/2lb, and I think some of that is because Im just not getting enough on board.

Try doing a food diary, I am using myfitness pal currently to keep an eye on what I am doing and ongoing ~ it gives you a good idea.

One thing my provider did say if I had a sweet tooth (I dont for me its savoury) is, that if you just need a quick chocolate fix to eat it after you've eaten a meal, therefore you're feeling pretty full up, but one or two chunks of chocolate can take away the need for the sweetness, but cos you're already feeling full from eating, you don't need to eat a whole bar

 

[Mandie37]

Thanks top cat.

I am just installing my fitness pal on my phone as we speak. Lots of people on here seem to say its good so will give it a try

I am due in to see the dietician on thursday so will mention it to her then and take a food diary with me and see what she suggests.

Im loving the fact that im not majorly hungry all the time and that small amounts satisfy me when i do have something

Im just hoping its a blip but its quite disheartening when i think how much i used to eat :wave_cry:and it has stalled.

Thanks so much tho for your help. Will definitely up my water as i really dont drink any if im being honest. I tend to stick to coffee and nas cordials.

Mandie xx

 

[dinkydink]

Myfitnesspal is my world!!!!

 

[flutterby1966]

MFP ruled my life for over a year too and it's great. Try not to avoid filling it in when you have a bad day. I see people stop logging because think they have had a bad day. They then carry on missing logging because they feel so guilty, and then continue eating badly. Honesty is key, then you can understand the triggers that cause you to go off track, as well as understand what food/strategy works best for you, and what you could do better. I have only stopped logging over the past couple of weeks as I want to rely a little more on my band and new habits learned to keep me on track ... But I miss MFP already

 

[Mandie37]

Dont think its working for me

Hi all

I havent posted on here for a while. i am really really despondent about this whole thing if im being honest.

i had my band on 6th june and my first fill aprrox 5 weeks later.

I am now at 5.2ml. i would say i have good restriction as to be honest alot of the things i eat make me very uncomfortable and am pb'ing most of the time. i am eating really really slowly and chewing until there i shardly anything left. i feel as if i hardy eat very much at all. Sound strange but i can go a whole 3 days or so where nothing seems to go down and then maybe one day when i can eat pretty well.

I havent budged on the scales now for approx 6/7 weeks and cant understand how that can be i started off at 99 kilos and am now at 87!! this doesnt seem to be very much considering how long i have had the band now.

I was wondering if anyone has experienced this or am i doing something wrong? I mean dont get me wrong the weight i have lost is fab and i feel loads better about myself but would have thought i would have lost alot more considering how little i eat compared to what i used to.

Please help


Mandie

 

[top_kat]

Hi Mandie,

in the first instance, go straight back to your provider and reach out to them for their help, assistance and advice, it really is what they are there for afterwards and they may be able to work with you to get to the bottom of what is going on.

Normally if you're not able to keep things down, it would suggest the band is too tight, and if you're not able to keep food down, the body will hold onto whatever energy it can from the food and this can stall the weight loss.

There was a recent thread on here from someone who had also gone through a 6-7 week stall and has found her increase in water has helped kick it into action.

When you say you don't feel that you're eating that much . . .what are you eating? What does your food consist of? If you find that because you're having problems eating that you've then gone to "slider" or easier foods, these are often higher in calories etc and again can affect the way things are.

Do you keep a food diary of exactly what you are eating? It can really help . . .also, are you working with the guidelines your provider gave you?

In the first instance tho, I would go straight back to them . . .the fact that you're not able to really get food down isn't right and by maybe having a slight defill to reduce the amount of restriction could actually help you to begin eating the foods that will help and aid you on your weight loss moving forward