frustrated by VERY slow progress

I was banded in October 2011.  I have lost 40 lbs in all.  This includes the pre op diet.  I have had a t least 5 fills and still am able to eat anyhing.  Is it possible that I am drinking too much water during meals and throughout the day?  I had an epiphany that I may be washing everything through the band and then not feeling full.  I am desperate to see some success.  Any ideas?

Any replies would be greatly appreciated!

Michele

 No drinking while your eating because you push food through pouch.My dr says no drinking 30 min before and 60 min after.
wendy

While I am usually the first one to blame the band, I must say in your instance that the band may not even be the issue.........YET!

First of all.........you don't state how much you have lost AFTER getting banding. If you have lost half of that amount since your banding, then you are right around the band average....thou at the lower end.  However since you don't have restriction, the weight lost has been solely as a result of dieting.

Second of all......5 fills is nothing. Hell it make take an ADDITIONAL 10 or 20 fills to reach restriction...........or it's possible that you might never reach it. It's a crap shoot.

Third of all..............Drinking with the band? Why? You're not suppose to drink during meals or at least 30 minutes after (the 30 minutes before I think is debatable)That's something that takes no effort at all to do.

So I have to ask.........did you do ANY research at all before getting the band??? Because it seems as though you are very uninformed about it!

Michele,

I do drink 30 min before I dont see why we cant , but I am very strict about 30 min after I eat.  I will go 30 min to 60 min depends if I get busy and just forget about getting a drink till I'm thirsty .

You really need to stop drinking while you are eating.

As far as being able to eat anything.  The band isn't in us  to restrict us from foods, its in us to help with our portion control that is it .    All the band does is help with portion control and to help stay fuller for a little bit longer that is it. Nothing more nothing else.

I hope you are not getting fills because you can still eat all kinds of foods, that would be a very dangerous game you are playing .  i know people like that and in the long run ended up losing their band because they got their band so tight . 

I can eat any kinds of foods I want also , but the band is helping me to control them foods in a reasonable portion .

I agree with you about drinking before. I also agree that 1 hr. after would be even better.

Now as far as her statement that she can eat anything she did before, either way she's indicating she doesn't have restriction. If she is referring to she can still eat the things that give most bandsters problems like rice, pasta , then she doesn't have restriction.

If she is referring to she can eat the same amount, she doesn't have restriction. I don't think she wants her band so tight that it will cause complications. I think she just wants it tight enough that it will work as advertised.

~  The band isn't in us  to restrict us from foods, its in us to help with our portion control that is it . ~

I believe that is what she wants the band to do. Help her with portion control!

~  All the band does is help with portion control and to help stay fuller for a little bit longer that is it. Nothing more nothing else.~

The band is NOT helping her with portion control or to stay fuller longer. It does NOT do this for MANY of us. She is frustrated. :-( I don't think she really understands completely about the band, but it doesn't seem to be working for her yet and she is frustrated like so many of us get when that happens. :-(

Now as far as her statement that she can eat anything she did before, either way she's indicating she doesn't have restriction. If she is referring to she can still eat the things that give most bandsters problems like rice, pasta , then she doesn't have restriction.

Maria, I dont agree that somebody wont have restriction if you can still eat rice, pasta and things like that.    Everybody I know that has no fill to their bands completely filled that has restriction can still eat them foods .  I can eat them foods in small amounts and as long as chew well.    So from what I am understand  from your statement is anybody that has a band that can still eat pasta , rice, bread  has no restriction.  Then there is alot of people on here that dont have restriction .  So all the vets on here that has lost alot of weight , that are at goal did all this without restriction because they can still eat all them foods ?   They might not eat them foods because of their choice not to eat them foods, NOT because they cant. There is a huge difference there

When I went in for my yearly check up I was at a good point with my band, could I get fill yes but my doc said that would take me to the point that I personally dont want to go .  Having a slightly to tight of  a band to restrict me from those foods like you just mentioned is not worth it. That my dear is how people the band.  

Not necessarily. I can eat them in small amounts if I chew very well. From the way her post sounded, she's not having dificulty with these any foods (or again, she could actually be referring to amount of food as opposed to types of food...........I guess it can be interpreted either way). I do feel that if bread, pasta and rice are not giving her difficulty that she doesn't have restriction. What does everyone else think??? Friendly debate here. ;-)

I truly believe that band is in us to help with portion control and not to restrict us from foods .  My doc is a very firm believer in that . In fact if you come in to him and start saying  I cant eat this or that he will take some out (very small).  He believes when you get to the point that you are restricting yourself from foods that you are to tight and then that leads to band problems.  Now that is not always the case but from what he has seen in his patients that was a good part of the problem why people had band problems ( or starting to ).

If you have read Crystal's post about the vomiting she mentioned she can eat anything, pasta, rice, bread but in smaller portions  That is how the band is suppose to work .   I would not want to live my life that I could never eat them foods again.

I think if you keep your band to the point that you cant eat foods then I think the band is slightly to tight but that is just my opinion.  That is my biggest fear is getting a tight band.  We have seen vets on here say I never knew I was tight and ended up having band problems.   That is why like I said before I haven't gotten a fill because a fill would put me at that point and Maria its just not worth it.  I would rather have some self control and a little more discipline and let the band guide me instead of  going in and having another 20,000 dollar surgery done .

This is a good discussion , I am anxious to see how others feel also :o)   Maybe this discussion in a friendly manner like you said will save somebody from going in that direction.

One more thing Maria I have been told that we are suppose to be able to eat anywhere from 4-6 oz of protein per meal and 1/2 cup of veggies .

I have seen people on here put down that they eat only a cup of food per day or they are down to eating 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup of food per meal.

I think that is just so unhealthy and I think (once again my opinion only) that you have to much fluid in your band.

We want to lose weight but in a healthy way and eating 1 cup of food per day is not healthy. I think that also leads to silent band problems and it will sneak up you really fast. It just builds and builds and boom one day you are in the ER with major problems .

I don't believe in keeping the band too tight, however I do belive that it *should* control portions as advertised. I think we all got it b/c we bought in to the advertising they did stating it would make up full sooner and keep us full longer. For some of us though...............that never really happened that way.

As far as eating certain foods. It's common for bandsters to have a problem with rice, bread, pasta. Pizza sometimes? I'm fine with the thin crust, but not the regular crust. Many RNY'ers have the same thing. That's not to say it can't be eatten, but it generally needs to be limited, or chewed very slowly/completely. When you can't eat dense protein, that is a problem. Now also with the band, there are the drastic inconsistancies that many of us have. Like eat steak and it goes down fine, then a few hrs. later yogurt has trouble going down.

Along the lines of the band inconsistancies is the morning tightness as well. Now I was well aware before I got the band that many bandstes are tighter in the morning. However in reading that I assumed that it might be tighter in the morning, but the restriction the remainder of the day would be as advertised. I was NOT prepared to sometimes be tight in the morning..........and wide open the rest of the time! :-(