The fridge one day, None the next!

Hi guys!

I have a question about adjustments..bear in mind, I want my band loose, I am ok with a slow weight loss. Anything is better than the 8,000 calories I was eating before my Lap Band  -- and my boyfriend doesn't know I'm banded (WLS is really taboo here, even more so than in the US)

On Tuesday I was flying back home (to Amsterdam) and I couldn't eat anything. Even water felt stuck! Wednesday was similar, I got a few pieces of chicken in and that was it. After the chicken, I wouldn't even attempt a protein shake because it felt so thick.

But magical Thursday happened, and I ate an entire 1000 calories of frozen pizza and a nutrigrain bar. I stopped myself there, but I could have eaten more. (I did run a few miles this day)

Then Friday... Yogurt, Banana, Piece of toasted bread with cream cheese, 2-egg cheese omlet, hamburger patty...and I once again had to stop myself.

Should I be looking into fills? Or should I just leave it alone since I still have these very tight days?
I've been really stuck twice.. i don't want such restriction that I'm stuck constantly (my mom, dad, and brother all get stuck at almost every meal) That would cause me great social anxiety. I don't need that.

I have about 1.4CC in a 4CC Lap Band (I started with this fill). Is this process just fickle?

 It is very fickle.  You may have been restricted because of the flying?  I am not sure.  I know I just got back from Orlando, Florida and I was tight while I was down there.  I wasn't before I left and am not since I returned.  However, the first meal I ate there I got stuck.  The meals following that, after liquids for 24 hours, also seemed very slow to go down and tight.  I would ask your doctor what he thinks.  A small fill might not hurt for your ordinary days. If you travel again I would get a small unfill if flying.  The band is quite fickle though!  I love it dearly but somedays I can't figure out why I can eat what I can and then others I can't eat my protein.

Theoretically, flying should have no effect as it is liquid not air in the band. But Allergan do say that there may be minute air bubbles which do no harm but which may cause the band to feel tighter at altitude, or looser if deep sea diving!

However, even the most seasoned traveller finds flying stressful. All those deadlines, hassles of going through security, even if you don't get flight nerves. For me, stress is the most certain way of getting a tighter band!

If the tight days have clear cause and most of the time you can eat a lot, then perhaps a tiny fill? I find as little as 0.1 cc in my 4 cc band makes all the difference. My own level has been 1.8 for years now but my last adjustments were tiny. I certainly would never want enough to be socially embarrassed! Getting regularly stuck is something I would never want!

Kate

I've read that being dehydrated can make you seem tighter and people tend not to drink as much flying.  Who wants to have to use the bathroom on the plane?  When your family gets stuck, do they go on fluids for 24 hours?  They are either too tight or need to work on their band eating skills.  In 2 years I've only been stuck 4x's.  It's not good to get stuck frequently.

As far as the 1000 cals of frozen pizza, ( I'm sure you have seen this a million times before... but just because you can doesn't mean you should) 

My question to you is, if you eat 3 oz of dense protein and a 1/4-1/2 c of a non starchy veggie, how long does that keep you from getting really hungry?  That is a good way to determine if you need a fill.

Hi Hopeful!
Yes traveling can cause stress leading to being too "tight", causing us to get stuck! Careful not to get dehydrated , which is also easy on long flights.


I posted a little while ago, about Emotional Eating. Sometimes it isn't that we need a "Fill", just that we need the "head adjustment".  Becareful of using your BAND to stop you through ( slimming, foamies, productive burp, getting stuck, vomiting). We are supose to eat to being "satisfied", which is very foreign to us WLS patients.

Concerned about your food choicI hope you don't mind me commenting on your food choices. But, I am not seeing you eat much dense protien. Too many carbs, bad carbs, which will just set you up to crave more bad carbs. Aim for whole foods, aim for quality protien.

Good luck,
prek3

i find i get stuck when i am not mindful of how small my food is. also if i talk during dinner i can get stuck and in stressful situations i get stuck. i can not eat if i get angry or stressed but then again for my friends its different. i can also over eat because the upper pouch is still a muscle that can stretch so i have to be careful to measure my food. it seems like you have  still room for fill and remember you can always have a fill removed if it becomes too tight.