Newly banded. Why isn't this working???

I was banded 2/28/11. I had to go through so much to get banded - months and months of doctors appointments and clearances and a long wait for a surgery date, not to mention the out of pocket expense for the tests and appointments my insurance would not cover.
I was determined and sure when I got banded it would work for me. Well, I am two weeks out and starving, with absolutely no restricion. I am now on mushies and was told I would probably only be able to tolerate two tablespoons of food to start. Ha!! I can eat as much as I want. I am trying very hard to stick to the plan my dietician gave me and not overeat but I have blown it a few times already. I know all about head hunger but this is not head hunger - it's real hunger from being on nothing but clear liquids for 3 weeks (2 weeks pre-surgery and one week post) and then just the mushies for a week. It really has me scared that I can eat anything with no limit to the amount. The first mushie food I ate was very soft mashed potatoes. After two tablespoons I was still so damn hungry I just kept going. I think I ate about a cup and had to make myself stop because I knew I shouldn't be eating this much, but as far as feeling restriction or full - no! I was still hungry. About an hour later I was eating mashed potatoes again and probably all together ate about three cups of them in a 3 hour span. The next day I ate two scrambled eggs for dinner and again was still very hungry so I ate about a half cup of mashed up baked beans and was still very hungry but made myself stop. I hate this feeling of hunger and am so scared that I am one of the people the band will not work for. I have communicated with others on these boards who were banded at about the same time as me and they have all lost significant amounts of weight already 10-15 lbs in two weeks - I lost about 10 lbs the first 7 days but as soon as I went on mushies gained back 3 lbs. I have put myself back on liquids as of today but I know this is no solution because I will end up ravenously hungry again - and that's one of the biggest reasons I had this surgery, to help eliminate the btwn meal hunger and limit portions - neither of which is happening. I see my surgeon next Wednesday for my first follow up appt and he told me right after surgery that I could get my first fill at the one month post surgery point, which will be March 28th. I pray this helps but I am so discouraged. Did anyone else have this issue in the beginning? So far everyone I have talked to lost their appetite for weeks and weeks after surgery and they were only able to eat very small amounts in the beginning. Help!!!

This is EXACTLY what I am going thru! I had my surgery on the 28th also! I see the dietician and surgeon next week and they will sure see some tears! I am so discouraged too. I have been on "mushies" almost a week now(a week early cuz liquids were going right thru me), so now its only cream soups, yogurt, and protein drinks as snacks (3 of them). I am especially feeling discouraged because my surgeon told me "there was a little room so I gave you a 2cc fill"..so that is different...supposed to stay empty for first 2 weeks..and since there is 2 cc in there, shouldn't I fill a LITTLE full!!?? If you figure out anything, please share and I will certainly do the same! Good luck to you!!!

I feel for you.
I knew from the beginning this would not be easy and I did not expect miracles - I just expected a tool that WOULD work if I worked it! I did everything right until I started the mushies and by then I was so darn hungry I definitely ate more than I should have - but even with eating all those mashed potatoes, when I added up the calories I consumed that day it was still less than 1,000. So while I ate a lot more than I thought I should be able to eat in one sitting, still in the world of healthy dieting, I did not over eat! And now I'm GAINING weight consuming 1000 calories a day or less. This is scary!! I don't really know what to do at this point. I guess I will have to wait until my first fill and see what happens then. I want this to work so badly but I am off to a bad start and don't have a good feeling about this. The really sad part is that my surgeon, dietician, nutritionist, therapist and primary doctor ALL wanted me to go with the VSG or GBP - all said the lap band has dismal results. And I was all set to have the VSG only to find out my insurance policy would ONLY cover the lapband!!  That  was a huge disappointment and I then spent a lot of time researching the band before making the decision to go with it. I felt that ANYTHING was better than nothing and I went into this with a positive attitude, feeling that if I did what I was supposed to do, the band would do what it was supposed to do. I spent many months pre-surgery preparing myself, changing my eating habits, learning to not drink with meals, etc etc - I lost 40 bs pre surgery so obviously I DID make the lifestyle changes necessary to make the band work. So what is going wrong??  Now I am feeling like a fool and a failure. How sad.

Again, my 2 ¢ - I think the mushies you’re eating may need to change. Please add calculate your Protein intake, and see if they add up to between 60 and 80 grams (or whatever your Doctor told you).

 

Don’t feel bad – look at this as a “new device" that you need to learn how to use properly. Kinda like when you first used a computer (or Ipod; or something techie). In the beginning you fumbled around and said “I’ll never learn it" – but now things are 2^nd nature, and you’re a wiz (and sometimes need help).

 

I have all the confidence you’ll be successful. Just make sure you keep those modes of communication open with your Doctor, Nutritionists, and your Bariatric family ;D !!

Thanks for the 2cents worth. I am getting in at least 80 grams of protein each day via the protein drinks, plus what ever comes from the foods I am eating - refried beans, lentils, tofu, etc. I am a vegetarian so my protein sources come from non-animal foods. I only ate the mashed potatoes once and when I saw how I over ate with them, I cut them out immediately. I am an emotional eater and it is easy for me to use food for comfort. I go to a 12 step program for my food issues and know enough to immediately back off of anything that can trigger me to binge.
I am feeling a little better this evening. I am going to stick with this and give it my best shot. That's really all I can do. The truth of the matter is that the band just doesn't work for everyone - some people really DO do everything right and just don't have any success with it. Maybe I will be one of those people, maybe not - it's too early to tell yet. I'll ride it out and see what happens. Thank you for the support - you certainly are an inspiration!

Kim,

I takes some people 8 cc's to feel full, some 4, some 6 - it's all different. Give it some time, and don't give up hope.

Tears are allowed at the Doctor. BE HONEST with them, and let them know your displeasure so far. A good Doctor will talk to you and guide you.

Know I have faith in you!!

I had my banding on January 7th and have never felt restricted...I just keep eating what I am supposed to anyway----They say that I do not feel restricted because I am not overeating but I am losing...

You're lucky. Keep up the good work - what you're doing is obviously working for you. You didn't say if you feel hungry. Do you?
I've GAINED 3 lbs since going on the mushies. Yes, I ate too much mashed potatoes that night according to the amounts a banded person should be able to eat in one sitting - but even with over eating the potatoes due to being so damn hungry, I still consumed less that 1000 calories for that day's total food intake, and that is NOT over eating. So I don't know what the heck is going on. I will say that I had to have my blood pressure medication changed after surgery because the one I was on pre-surgery tends to cause kidney stones after surgery, so my Dr. changed the medication to a new one and she did say the possible side effects of the new one can be weight gain. So it is possible that may be where that 3 lbs gain came from. But even so, I feel with having eaten so little the last 2-3 weeks I should have lost way more than 7-10 lbs, and if the band is working I don't feel like I should feel so hungry. I am hungry all the time because I am eating so little, trying to "be good" and stay within the plan I was given. I'm not a baby - I'm not crying the blues here like a whiny brat, just that after all I went thru to get this surgery and my own determination to make it work, it ISN'T, and that is very very disappointing.

 

First question I ask a lot of newbies is “what do you expect RESTRICTION to feel like"?

 

Like anything else, how much one person can eat varies person to person. I know when I had the operation I could tolerate 6 ounces of food, while someone else I knew could only do 3 ounces.

 

Reading your post, I need to ask: how often are you “eating", and what are you eating? Is it Protein enriched? Protein is the key to feeling full.

 

Reading “you’ve blown it already" has me a little perplexed. What does that mean? Does it mean you can eat MORE then you’re suppose, or you’re eating foods you shouldn’t? Remembering each Doctor is different, and my ADVICE WARNING: TALK TO THE DOCTOR/NUTRITIONIST BEFORE INCREASING /CHANGE YOUR INTAKE, my Doctor told me those “numbers" were just “guidelines". Some folks feel full on 2 ounces, and others 4 and others 6. HIS philosophy was that the calories intake should not be too much of a concern in the beginning. The way he explained it to me was: Prior the operation I may have been taken 3,000 calories per day. After the operation, with the amount of food I was taking in - I may have been taking in 1700 calories. While that’s 500 calories more then the recommended daily allotment - it was actually 1300 calories less then what I normally took in. So not only was I loosing weight, but was also feel full. We need to worry about calories when out weight slows downs/stops or starts going up. His concern wa****ting those protein numbers. YOUR DOCTOR MAY DISAGREE – SO SPEAK TO THEM BEFORE DOING ANYTHING.

 

Again, everyone is different but I would suggest staying away from mash potatoes. Potatoes have NO PROTEIN value. It’s carbs, which not only diminishes from the system quickly, but it spikes your sugar level then there is a big drop then you’re hungry again. It’s a vicious cycle.  

 

Another question, how fast are you eating? The slower you eat, the fuller you’ll feel. A meal should take 30 minutes, because it takes that long for the stomach to tell the brain it’s full (not matter how much you’re eating. Also remember, this isn’t a magic pill – and you may feel hungry after you eat. You’ll need to use some self control. If you weren’t told this in the beginning I am sorry – but it’s the truth. The band can only do so much, then it’s all you.

 

Remember, the band is empty when you first get it – so there will be no “restriction". It may take some time to get to that “magic feeling", so don’t be too discouraged.

 

Please know I am here if you need me. I only hope this choice makes you happy, and gets you to your goal

 

Thanks for the response Tom. I really don't know what restriction SHOULD feel like since this is all new to me. What I expected it to feel like was a full feeling after eating a minimal amount of food. But maybe that's not it? However if I don't feel any different now than before the band, what's the point of havng the band?? I did this because I was told it would take the edge off the hunger btwn meals and HELP with portion control. I understand totally that this is not a magic wand and I never expected that - I know I have to work the tool, but I expected if I did that, the tool would work for me!! In answer to your question as to how often I eat, it's 3 meals a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Period. Except for the additional protein drinks and a couple cups of tea here and there, and of course the water. I DO know that I eat too fast - I am working hard on slowing down. Part of the reason I am eating too fast is because by the time I allow myself my meal I am so hungry it is hard to slow down. But believe me, I am working on it. I eat off a small plate now and a very small bowl and I am even using baby silverware to ensure very small bites!
The reason I ate mashed potatoes is because I am still on the mushy diet and it's one of the mushy foods on the plan the dietician gave me. Once I am back on regular foods the potatoes are off limits - they are only allowed on the mushy stage. I have been a low carb dieter for many years so I know all about carbs and what to eat and not to eat as far as that goes. I am getting my protein in right now via the protein drinks mainly - there's really not many HIGH protein foods in the mushy stage!
As I said, the day I ate the mashed potatoes was the first day I moved on to mushy food and I was so damn hungry I felt like I could eat a house. I over did it with the potatoes - probably ate 3 cups of the damn things over the course of the evening (about 3 hours). However because I'd still eaten such a miniscule amount of food that day, I still only took in less than a thousand calories for that day. So even tho on the one hand I feel like I overate, on the other hand, I didn't. Sounds crazy huh? I hope you get what am trying to say!! I wouldn't even be so upset about being hungry and all if I was seeing a weight loss, but I'm not. And the early stage is when you're supposed to lose the most, right? So If I'm not losing now, or even seeing a gain, how can I expect to see any loss when I start back on regular food? I'm not trying to be a whiny brat here - just expressing a real feeling of fear that I went thru so much to get the surgery and really believed if I did what I was instructed to do this would work, and it doesn't seem to be doing that. HOWEVER - you are right - I haven't had a fill yet. Maybe things will change then and I'll not be so hungry and I'll feel differently. In any case I appreciate your support and  taking the time to answer my post . I'll post again soon and bring you up to date with how things are going.