3rd fill last month and still nothing.....

I'm feeling very lost these days.  I had my 3rd fill a month ago and I have no restriction.  Well I shouldn't say no restriction but honestly at least 95% of the time I truly feel like I don't even have the band.  Very seldom do I get stuck, only with something very dry.  Other than that, I can eat anything and as much as I want.  I know that is not what I should be doing and lord knows I don't want to, but I've been under a lot of stress lately and find I am eating for comfort...still...and just feel totally out of control.  On top of that my band does not seem to be helping.  I know I'm not working it the way I could be and I try every day but I'm losing the battle and I really don't want to lose this battle again.  I guess I should get another fill, but I've already had 3 and was banded mid July 08...should I not feel something.  I have between 6 and 7 cc's in a 10 cc band.

Has anyone else gone thru this and if so, any words of wisdom sure would be appreciated.

Thank you so much...this is just really starting to get me down :(

Patients my dear, patients....You will get there, just keep going in for your fills until you hit the spot. Be careful tho. In your zest to get there you may get too much of a fill.

If you ever feel too tight for more than 2 weeks (I say 2 weeks because sometimes that is how long it takes for swelling to go down after a fill) or if you can not drink fluids or you are throwing up or in pain you must go right away for a bit of an unfill.

You will get there, just don't give up.

Hi!    Thanks for your post.  The reason why you are feeling this way is because you are breaking some of the major rules of the band.  I know what you are going through because I have been there myself, and have had to get a lot of education from my doctor in order to get back on track. 

The number one rule of all time that you MUST learn with the band, is that you never, ever rely on your band to tell you that you are full.  You must MEASURE all of your food each time you eat.  Measuring your food is what tells you that you are full, measuring your food tells you how much you are suppose to eat... not the band.  The band is not designed to tell you that you are full or stuffed.  The band is designed to allow you to eat a smaller amount of food (that you measure out) and be satisfied (not stuffed).  When you have a properly adjusted band, which you probably do have right now, you should be able to eat your measured amount of food and be satisifed for at least 2-3 hours after eating. 

So, in order, here are the rules that you should be following to get on track: 

1)  Like I said before, measure each meal.  You should be eating 8-10 ounces of food at each meal (no more than 12 ounces maximum).  Measure it out!  Do not eyeball it.  That is what will get you into trouble.  Remember that measuring your food is done by volume, not weight. 

2)  Always eat protein first (4-6 ounces of protein at each meal).  Then eat veggies or a tad bit of starches.  If it's all mixed together (like a pasta dish) then measure out the portion, and try to eat a few bites of the meat first.  Eating protein first helps in several ways.   First of all, it sticks to the bottom of your new stomach better and makes you feel full longer.  Second, it gives you vital nutrition for your muscles that you need each day.  Please make sure you eat this amount of protein with each meal, and please eat vegetables everyday. 

3)  Do not drink for at least 45 minutes after each meal.  If you are dying of thirst then take a small sip and then wait a while.  This will help you feel full longer if you do not wa**** down with water.  Get use to drinking a lot before you eat. 

4) STOP snacking!  You should be eating 3 meals a day (8-10 ounces each meal) and can have one snack.  Plan your meals.  You need to plan, plan, plan.  As my doctor says, failing to plan is planning to fail.  Weight loss must be deliberate.  The band is merely a tool, it is not going to do the work for you.  This is all stuff I've had to learn the hard way too so believe me I am only giving you advice that I have learned myself.  Weight loss can sometimes be a painful journey with all you have to go through to change your thinking. 

5)  Try to do some type of physical activity each day, even if it is just walking.  Put some type of physical activity in your schedule for the day.  Take time out for yourself and for your health and commit to it. 

If you can follow those five steps above, you will do awesome!!!!   I know that after you have been eating hog wild for a while (like I have) that eating such a small amount of food seems insane.  However, you will be surprised with how you can feel satisfied (not stuffed) on a small amount of food.  Ten ounces of food will hold you over... it really will.  Please try the above steps. 


Furthermore, I would also suggest that you first start out by doing a three day liquid and soft food diet to let your stomach recover and to shrink your stomach that you may have stretched out from overeating.  Eat soups, mashed potatoes, yogurt, refried beans and cheese (very filling!), drink protein drinks, etc. for 3 days.  Again, no more than 10 ounces at a time, in order to shrink your stomach back down and let your stomach heal if it needs to.  Broths and soups are excellent to help your stomach recover.  Go easy on yourself for 3 days (or 3-5 days if you can go longer).  Then, follow the steps above.  Please read them often as they are from my doctor who has a huge amount of experience with the lap band and success with the band. 

I hope that this information will help you. 

Best wishes to you!!!!

Sincerely, 

Renee

Here is also something else to inform and encourage you: 

 
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/ADJUSTMENTS-Life-w ith-an-Adjustable-Gastric-Band-How-Tight-Is-Too-Tight.html
 

God bless,

Renee

Thank you both so much for your posts!!!

Renee...thank you for all this info.  You are soooo right and I swear, as I was reading your post I thought...how does she know everything I'm doing..lol.  But as you have been where I am, I totally understand this.  I am going to flip to liquids today and do it as long as possible and get back on track.  I'm not going to lose this darn battle yet again.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

 :)

You know what Renee...I was just sitting here thinking about what you wrote and I realized...now this might sound really dumb...but I didn't know that it was not the bands job to tell us when we were full.  I honestly didn't know that.  I thought that when we were full, depending on how tight my band was...that would be how I know I'm full.....

Hello again!  Thank you for your replies.  I am very happy to help out.  I know that there is a lot of misinformation out there... also, so many people are not informed with the band to begin with.  A lot of doctors to not make it clear that you never rely on your band to tell you that you are full.  In fact, my doctor is great about making it clear to us, and I can't believe it still took me a while to get it through my thick skull.  haha   However, it makes perfect sense now that I am following his rules.  I am losing 3-4 pounds per week following his rules.  It is awesome!  Furthermore, when you are working the band the right way, you really do feel satisfied for a long period of time.  So please, be sure to reread my post as often as you need to make sure you remember the rules for your success.  Here are some other notes for you I'd like to add: 

1)  When you are on your liquid/soft food diet for 3-5 days - make sure you get in enough calories.  Do not focus on weight loss during those days, but just focus on your health and stomach recovery.  You will probably lose weight anyway during those days, but that should not be your focus.  Eat healing foods such as broths, soups, yogurt, sweet potatoes... things that are more healthy and natural and soft.   Eat only about 10 ounces at a time and then wait 2-3 hours before eating again.  Make sure you are eating at least 4 times a day, and if you are super hungry then add another snack.  The focus of these few days should be recovery and getting your stomach back down to normal size. 

2)  I have overeaten with the band.  In most cases this can be corrected by doing the above diet and allowing your body and stomach to heal.  However, be very careful from this time forward not to overeat with the band, as you can really cause problems for yourself (such as causing the band to slip or your stomach to rupture), so just be careful.  This is precisely one of the major reasons why it is so important to measure out your food each time you eat.  First of all, you WILL be satisfied with less food, and second, you will not hurt your stomach by eating too much. 

3)  Here is another link for you with awesome information from my doctor.  In fact, he even has some podcasts that you can play and listen to right from your computer.  This will help to keep you educated. 

http://www.southwestweightloss.com/default/about-our-program /listen-to-dr-simpson



I hope this will help you.  Best of wishes to you on your journey!  Keep us posted on how you are doing. 

God bless,

Renee

Renee....honestly, I can NOT thank you enough!!!! 

Renee:

I just checked out this link to the Dr. Simpson's podcasts.  You are absolutely right!!  This is great information on using the band as a tool and avoiding many of the complications that folks experience that can lead to band slippage, problems, etc.

These podcasts are worth posting as a separate topic as there are alot of folks out there that are not getting the education they need from their surgeon's.

Thanks for sharing this.  I have already listened to several of the podcasts and learned several things.

Barb 

Renee

I think every bandster should read that link. I got myself in trouble not listening to the advice in that link. I was tight to the point that little protein went down and stayed in a plateau for a year and a half. I was successfult the first 2 and a half years but got greedy and got tighter. Not realizing I was probably too tight and eating lousy I PBed so much I dislodged my band ( moved down) created a larger pouch which allowed me to eat more of the crap and had major reflux. Hence a revision 5 weeks ago.

So be patient and don't rush those fills. Learn to eat - Rome wasn't built in a day and neither did all the weight come on overnight. This is truly a life-long journey and we should all get there sensibly and slowly.

Good Luck