Repost: Am I full? Do I have food stuck? Do I know my band?

This is not a cute topic but... I have been trying to figure out why I have been eating so much. 

It seems like since my banding in May 2009 I've still been able to eat a decent sized portion of food.   So for the past 3 frustrating months I have not lost any weight.   I wonder if all this time have I been mistaking me having to "hack" because of food being stuck is really my band telling me I am just full?  

My dietician says to eat what I am going to eat within 30 mins, after that I should be full.  I am not drinking with my meals but I do seem to be hacking more and have just chaulked it up to not eating slow enough.

How do I know when I am full vs. when I have something stuck, etc.

Also, has anyone ever had the feeling when you are full....you burp and you actually get more full?  

I feel like I am learning this band all over again.     I just did this amazing photo shoot and video shoot for True Results in Dallas so you'd think I'd know how to do this by now...  ughh

 Hi..before I had the RNY in '09 I had the lap band in '07.

From the beginning my band was very confusing. I would start a meal and immediately I would start to "slime" on the second swallow...would have to leave the table and deal with it in the bathroom.
Then most times I had no restriction and could eat what I considered a lot. I lost NO weight.

I had 5 fills and still no restriction but that strange slime event from time to time.
I sooooooo regretted the banding. I had the surgeon take the fluid out and began to make plans for the RNY. I had the band for 6-8 months. 
My new surgeon removed the band during the RNY surgery and I have had tremendous success since.

jude

Hey Jamie. Your post really hit the target for me interms of "knowing my band". I am a newbie as I had mine done 10/28 and just had my second fill but it is a whole new world trying to make sense of these signals my band and body are sending me. I have had a series of stressful events staringt right after my second fill and struggled with alot of swelling as a result. Took almost 2 weeks before I could get any solids into me and now I have to learn to slow down or else I get that clamped down/stuck episode. Anyone who says WLS is taking the easy way out never learned to live with a band!! I hav learned about hiccups as a sign I am full and also that I need to burp and have to stop.

Hang in there bud. You are doing great and inspire us newbies!!

Jaime, 

That is THE question. I am now 20 months out and am getting to know my band pretty well. I stopped losing like you at around 12 months out. You are most likely not done this early in the game. I have been pretty conservative on fills. I think I've had maybe 8 over the 20 months. I am 8.5cc in a 14cc band. 

My band tells me I am full. I start to get an uncomfortable feeling and stop. If I go to far, I start burping. Even farther and I get slime and throw up. I had noticed my scale going up a few pounds over the past 4 months and talked to the surgeon about it. I was afraid to get a fill since if I eat things I shouldn't I get stuck. It was through my discussion with him I came to realize that it was about how you feel hunger and how soon after a meal that signals that you need a fill; not being able to eat the bad things. I agreed to a fill and it made a difference. I now go 2 - 3 hours after a fill before I have some hunger.

Fills are tricky things. I don't want my band to punish me. I want to use it correctly and that is to not abuse it. Part of the answer is eating responsibly and making good choices. I also look closer again at what I eat. At 20 months I know how to "work the band". That is, I can pretty much eat things I shouldn't. That is the hazard of learning too well how to live with a band. This is where proper diet and life change comes into play.

Not knowing your case, it sounds like you need a fill. Add a little vigilance on eating with it and I think you might see movement. I know everyone says that you should not be a slave to the scale. I'll add that in too. You do look pretty damngood bud. Think of how much better you feel and how many different things you are doing. Things are not that bad. I have also come to know that I have to be comfortable where I am at weightwise. I am looking forward to spring and getting out and being more active again.

I hope I did not  rattle on too long. Keep on plugging away. Oh, I also think weigh****chers helps keep me honest. Have you would of joining some program like that? 

Tom

I think the concept of being "full" goes down the wrong path Jamie. Many lap band patients chase after the concept of "restriction" and want to feel full. I don't think that is what the band is designed for. The band sort of hangs up food before it drops down to your larger stomach. It does that so that your brain gets a signal that you've eaten.

if you eat to feel full, there is still food in your esophogus that hasn't reached your pouch yet (this is true of all WLS types BTW). That food has to also go into the pouch which will ever so slightly stretch it. Eating this way consistently can slowly stretch the pouch. A bigger pouch needs more food to feel full. This becomes a vicious cycle.

Instead of eating to feel full, we're supposed to measure our portions. A WLS patient's meal is supposed to be about a cup by volume. We eat that meal slowly, taking small bites and chewing thoroughly. Once we're done, we stop eating. We wait an hour to drink to let the food do it's magic in the pouch and not wash anything through the band and/or out of the pouch.

If we are not hungry before our next scheduled meal, then our band is doing it's job.

The band doesn't necessarily restrict portion sizes. If you chew up food really well, it may slide right through the band depending on what you eat. Certain foods can cause issues with the band or can cause issues once they are swallowed like soft doughy breads, muffins, pastas, etc.

You know, I have been banded since 6/07 and some of it is learning the band and some of it is learning about myself! Hang in there. You'll figure it out. You're doing great!

What a great post. I have seen some of your posts over on the lap band site as well and they have also been helpful to me.. another newbie right along with Jamie.  Helps to stop being on the hunt for the full feeling and instead listen to my body's more subtle signals to stop as well as knowing the portion size to eat. Ate just a little past my portion size today and really felt it in my esophagus... yuck I hate that feeling. A friend of mine just had emergency surgery and had to have her band completely removed due to erosion I think. I SO do not want to learn the hard way what happens when I don't follow the rules of this little band, Thanks again for the insight you offered Jamie. 

I agree. Mick has always been my source of great information and inspiration. It's good to see him posting again. I agree with him. You have to learn to live with the band and it just comes from making mistakes well as good choices. As I said earlier, I do not like some people's approach of using their band as a tool to avoid food. Too tight of a restriction may do that, but it also has health consequences. It also goes the wrong way in helping you change your life. -- Tom

Check out a website that my program uses: www.amihungry.com. There is a lot of good info there which may help you.

I've had the band over two years and I am still learning what works and when because it always changes.

Keep working at it, it's worth it!

Connie