Do you use your pouch effectively? How do you use your tool for weight loss?

Good morning,

I am almost 5 years post and I was considering getting a small drop of saline in my band to help shed a few pounds quickly, but I got to thinking I am not sure if I want to deal with a very tight band right now, I want that flexibility to be able to eat when I want to. 

I am at a good point in restriction right now IF I use my band pouch effectively, meaning eating foods that give me the most restriction that are nutritious, I really don't have time to cook, and I rarely cook, we are always eating out somewhere but on my "diet" days I look for foods that give me the most restriction but are nutritious which are boil eggs, solid lean meats and oatmeal.

I stopped by McDonald's this morning to try their new fruity oatmeal and it was yummy and full of raisins, chopped apples and Cinnamon, I honestly could only eat 4 teaspoons of this I am stuffed, so I decided I don't need a fill, I just need to use my pouch more effectively, I admit the longer out I get the harder it is to go back to basics and use my tool the way it was meant, meaning no drinking with meals....so hopefully if I keep this up I will see about 5 more pounds gone of the 20 that I gained back in the next week!  Of course with at least 30 minutes of walking, that's how I lost the bulk of my weight.

I know many of us had different surgeries but we all have restriction, just wanted to know how you use your tool to lose weight......

I completely understand where you are coming from with this.  It is hard to go back to basics.  But I noticed that if I need to drop some poundage and I start counting calories and added excercize I drop pretty quickly.  I almost got a slight fill but opted not too since at times I can get really tight when I am stressed out or nervous....

Is that you Trishy from FL from the lap band board?  If so, girl you have done the thing...I barely recognized you; you look absolutely stunning....you have truly worked the heck of your band.

What works for me best is proteins first and that usually means any type of meat.  My pouch has always been larger than average (the stoma was constructed large) therefore, I must eat dense foods in order to stay full & on track. 

My pouch can handle any type of meat so this should be a no brainer for me....EAT THE MEAT ANNAMAE EAT THE MEAT :)  The REAL question for me is do I use my pouch restriction effectively...........no not always but most of the time. 

My major problem lately is wanting to drink while eating (or shortly afte) which flushes whatever I have eaten stright through my stoma and in 5 minutes I want to eat again.

4 teaspoons of oatmeal.....I WISH. I can eat a cup of thick oatmeal with no problem.

I have 20 lbs to loose (although my doctor thinks my goal is too low I don't) so I'm working on my brain and knowlege of my pouch to work my restriction to the MAX.

I guess the difference with bandsters and RNY'ers is that in the beginning you all can't eat much at all (I guess the honeymoon period?) Whereas we bandsters don't have much restriction starting out, unless we are swollen and can't eat..lol, we don't really get tight until 4-8 months post op this is why we lose weight slower in the beginning because most of us don't have tight restriction, with the band it is very dangerous to get aggressive fills so we have to wait to get small amounts each month and most of us get optimal restriction by 4-5 months post op.

Yep at 5 years post op I get full on teaspoons of food, we technically don't have a pouch since our restriction is made up of a pouch with restriction, so it can never stretch...HOWEVER -- it can't tell us what to put in it! I have been a very bad girl lately eating sweets and junk, (blame it on hormones)..hehe.....

But it seems like you are doing very well staying on track and I agree if we go back to basics it is really easy to lose weight starting with NO drinking with meals to wash food down....

You are dead on the money with the WHAT you eat.....

At 5 years come August, I still have restriction - and good thing too!  LOL - I can eat a LOT of stuff I SHOULD - like a pretty decent bowl of salad or 6oz of filet mignon.  But 2 slices of toast will send me to the bathroom with a carb hairball in my throat........

Right now, I'm forcing myself to eat lots of the stuff I can and use the volume to fill me up.  I get a 6'' veggie sub from Subway and it's too much in volume for me to finish, but it's less than 300 calories, so I am benefitting from being full but I am still eating something that is flavorful and that I actually WANT to eat.......

My biggest issue?  GRAZING...... because I will sit and eat thru 2 packs of M&Ms dumping all the way.... I'll eat, dump...wait 20 min and do that ish all over again - and YES - that is the stupidest thing in the world - I get this 'fits' and end up in that train for one good session (usually emotionally triggered) then I realize I am a complete fool, and I get back right......

BUT - I do know that my pouch ain't broke, the tool still works and I still have to make the right choice....... but if they ever come up with a 'pouch vacation' - where you can ignore the rules for a month, a week or even a day and get away with it - I'm signing up!!!! LOL 

MM# I totally AGREE, if most of us long term post ops go back to basics we can start losing weight if we FOCUS ON WHAT WE EAT....we focus on this in the beginning coz we are more diligent  in following the rules coz we want to get to our goal weight and then we become complaicent and forget how to use our tools effectively.

With ANY type of restrictive surgery it's always WHAT we eat to fully benefit from getting full quick and staying satisfied for several hours a day, for me very dense proteins and thick foods like grits and oatmeal and boiled eggs will fill my pouch up quickly and I stay full for at least 4-5 hours, but if I eat greasy foods, candy, chips, ice cream it does NOTHING for my pouch and it they will slide right through so if I eat these foods, I can eat a lot of them since I don't get restriction and feel full from junk and greasy food, also they are fattening and have no nutritional value. I can barely eat collard greens, or other leafy green veggies, I can eat them I can eat much....so if I start back to basic and use my tool wisely I will start losing again....and yes GRAZING is our beggest enemy....even with optimal restriction we can always graze..which is a the downfall with so many weight loss patients....so to stop the grazing I try to fill up on very dense foods like oatmeal or grits, or eggs.....

Hey Naomi,

I used my pouch to its max for the first 3 years.  I had so much to lose

I knew I couldn't play around.  Then I gradually started drinking with meals,

not putting protein first and pushing the "full limit."  Add that to slacking

 on the exercise and .... wham! .... weight stops coming off and the

gain begins!  I'm back on track now and the upshot is the pouch is

in order, works just fine.  I just got on track this past Tuesday and have

already lost 4 lbs .... so hey, what can I say?  Little pouchie works when

I work her.

You are right! Our tools WILL work forever if WE WORK THEM, long term post ops have difficulty sticking to the basics and following the simple rules...dense foods and NO DRINKING WITH MEALS...I think if we incorporate this back into our daily meals...weight loss will occur and we will not have to struggle to lose ....by just going back to basics!!! Good for you! You have stopped drinking with eating.

Most of the time I stick to basics.  When I have a poor eating week its because I ignored the rules.  As long as I stick to protein first and sip sip sip the rest is easy.  When I get distracted and eat other items without including protein; or, I blow off the liquids, I'm begging for trouble.