Learning How To Eat

First let me say I dont regret what I've done at all, but I have to be honest and say I'm sick and tired of dumping!  Ok here is what's going on.  I had my lap band on November 5th.   The weight just melted off at first.  I really had no problems eating except for meat.  I might have dumped at that point a total of 5 times.   The weightloss stalled and when I went to my check up they gave me a fill of 1cc.   I thought.....oh hell this wont be enough!   Well BOY WAS I WRONG!  I'm dumping all the time now.  I know its because I'm eating too fast or not chewing enough.  I can only put in 4 oz or less each time.  Just depends on what it is.  If it is a smooth consistancy like yogurt or cottage cheese it goes in and stays in no problem.  Anything else.....right back up once I get too much in there.   I've been trying to eat something small every few hours because I can't do a regular meal.  I'm getting enough protien because of my protien shake and eating cheese and yogurt.  I am getting the right amount of liquids a day too. The thing I'm having the problem with is how tiny my portions have to be.  When I get hungry I tend to just start munching away because of the hunger and then I pay for it.

 I know I've been used to eating a certain way for 46 years and this is a new way of eating that I have to learn.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Diane

I don't think the learning ever ends, Diane! I had my RNY in February and I still eat too fast at times and I pay for it - and then I think 'well dummie, you did it again'...but a lifetime of eating too fast is hard to change overnight - its definitely a learning process.

I think this is when you really have to stop and remember that this is all about YOU, and you need to do this for yourself because you've gone through so much to get here. Relax, take your time, and use a timer if you have to. For the first 3 months I literally had to wait 2 minutes between each bite of food or I'd dump or have stuff get stuck - neither one is pleasant, that's for sure. The one good thing is you will learn, this will pass, and you'll adjust to your new life and new way of eating.

You've been doing great - try the timing method to see if that works - maybe wait a minute or two between bites and see how it goes. The only bad thing about that is that your food tends to get cold, but it beats dumping!! LOL!

Kathy

i heard this from someone else... but can't remember who...

Cut all your food into the size of a pencil eraser... yeah that little... then chew it 20 times... see if that helps...

Some say to eat by a timer for the first couple of months.  Take a bite, chew at least 20 times and then set the timer for two minutes and do not take another bite until that timer goes off.  It seems like forever, but it does work.

The restriction is part of the process and learning how to eat all over again.

Keep your food as moist as possible.  I still do a lot of dairy in my regular diet to get in the protein.  Especially at work, I do not have time to eat as slowly as I should...so dairy is a staple because I don't have to worry about chewing it.

As an aside....it is pure restriction and eating to fast you are experiencing.  Dumping is a physicological syndrome that deals with increased sugar or fat intake based on the rerouting of intestines in RNY patients.  It can mimick low blood sugar with sweats, light headedness, weakness, severe abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and vomiting.  We have that to contend with along with the restriction from the small sized pouch.

You may also need your band readjusted with less saline for the time.  I however, am no where near knowledgeable enough on the band to really make any other suggestions as most of my research, once I decided on RNY, was on that.

And as far as the pounds "melting" off....try not to worry so much about that (I know...it's hard...and I did it too....I think most of us do)  This will be a long process...maybe not 46 years that it took to get you to this point - but you may find yourself working towards goal 2+ years down the road.  This holds true for RNY and banders alike!!

Pam

I'm sorry you are having issues keeping food down!  I'm with you on the eating too fast! My problem is I eat too fast and don't chew my food enough, so I fill up a lot quicker than if I took my time....chewed and compacted my food more!  I'm almost 4 months out and still do it!!  You've gotten a lot of good advice already, I just wanted to let you know...you are not alone in doing these things!!!  My mom always told me pre op...they operate on your stomach, not your head!  YOU have to change your head!!

Good luck to you, give it time!!

Hi Diane,   Sorry to hear you're having such a difficult time with eating. I had a Lap Band prior to converting to RNY so I'm familiar with your situation all too well. One thing that I'd like to clarify for you though is that what you're experiencing is not dumping. Lap Band patients do not suffer from dumping for several reasons; 1 is that your pyloric valve is still intact and the other being there is no intestinal bypass. Dumping occurs when concentrated foods such as sweets for example, rapidly empty from the gastric pouch and into the intestine. Lap Band patients have a fully intact stomach and pyloric valve which prevents this from ever happening. Since none of the intestine is bypassed, food is not able to reach the lower end of the small intestine undigested which is in part a cause for dumping as well.   From personal experience and a ton of research from when I was sick with my lap band, I think what you're going through is that your food is becoming lodged in the band "stoma" either from not being cut up small enough/chewed well enough, it's too dry or your band is just too tight. Regardless of the reason for it though, persistent vomiting is not safe for you. It can cause your band to slip out of place and can cause even more restriction or can cause a complete blockage and nothing will be able to make it's way through. This is what happened to me. You want to be sure your doctor is aware of the problem you're having with vomiting as he may want you to get tested to be sure your band hasn't slipped or that it's too tight.   Also, meat is very difficult because it tends to be dry. Something you want to be sure to do when eating meat is to add some sort of "lube" to it whether it be gravy, ketchup, mustard etc. The moister it is, the easier it will be to slide through the band and the less likely you'll be to vomit.   I hope this helped somewhat and I hope you're feeling better real soon!