restriction question

Hi Everyone, For some reason, some days I am SO tight and others I am fine. I had my last fill about 3 weeks ago, I'm at 3.25cc's in my 4cc band. Today I am so tight I can only drink liquids. This morning I ate 2 bites of scrambled eggs but that's all I could eat. I had the "stuck" feeling for a few minutes. For lunch I had one bite of chicken and felt the "stuck" feeling again. I am always too tight to eat when I first get up. Usually around lunch time I can eat with no problems. I know how stress can affect our bands but I'm not stressed so that couldn't be the problem. One day last week I was the same way, couldn't get anything down. It's just strange to me how some days I'm prefectly fine then all of a sudden I'm really tight. Is it pretty normal to be tighter some days and not the others? I just wanted to get your suggestions & advice. Thanks in advance! AC

I've been really tight today as well. I think it might be because I didn't drink enough water yesterday. Several people have problems around their TOM. This has lead me to believe tha****er flucuation may cause tightness in my band.

Also, there's a full moon on Monday which changes the gravitational pull on earth and raises sea level (another water flucuation that you cannot avoid in your body).

I'm just glad my TOM is not near a full moon, or else I'd be so tight I probably couldn't drink water!

Great. It is my TOM and I'm already too tight. I'm going in on Wednesday to have some taken out. I haven't been able to eat meats and a lot of other solids for a few months. Oh well, I look out full moon!!! Melissa

AC, Restriction normally varies, for many  reasons. But there are ways to minimize the variation.  First, be sure to get the mimimum 64-100 oz a day of no-cal fluids. Add a couple more glasses if you're exercising well, or outside in hot weather.  Restriction varies with the foods we eat , too. the only thing that is well-restricted is solid foods like meats. Soft foods and liquids are never restricted, so they are not the test of a good fill. If we choose softer foods (no one can eat meat all the time), we'll have to self-restrict quantities. Lots of people are eating softer foods, and go for more fill because  the soft foods are not restricted. That makes them too tight for the GOOD band foods. If we're too tight to eat a good fiber cereal in the am, it's nearly impossible to get the daily fiber we need - and that backfires as inadequate fiber messes with the bowels, and that affects restriction. Things also need to be very moist to work well with the band. Scrambled eggs are often a problem, since they can be dry. Cook them very lightly, and add some milk and/or cottage cheese to keep them moist. Or have your egg soft boiled or poached, instead. Chicken is also a "caution" food, as it can also be very dry. Use a nice sauce to keep it moist. Crockpot cooking is ideal. Also, have a big glass of hot liquid or water right before a meal to lubrictae the mouth and throat. This helps foods not "stick." Other things that can cause wider-then-usual restriction variation are medications (if not small, they can irritate the stoma), gastric irritants (coffee, a lot of citrus, alcohol, spicy foods) ,pb's (have fluids for a meal afterwards to rest the stoma) . But the biggest thing I've found to cause this is lack of adequate fluids. I cover much of this in my Band Guide for Eating, Food choices, Nutrition, and more - if you'd like a copy, please email me. Sandy R at gioal x 3+ yrs [email protected]