ValleyGirl Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Although I have been losing consistantly since being banded, I struggle daily with whether I am doing it in a healthy way. I'm not having any problems per se, but wonder if I should get another unfill just so I can eat MORE. I eat so little most days that there is no way I am getting in all my nutrients. I feel full after a few tablespoons of food, and I'm never hungry. It's great to lose weight, but at what cost? Most days I only get in 500 cals. I feel physically fine, but mentally I'm always worried I am hurting myself. Maybe it just seems weird to eat so little cause I used to eat so much? I don't know. Thoughts? Sabrina:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverstarz76 Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Thats a hard one.. Have you found being tight things are getting stuck? I think I am tight but more because things are getting stuck and bad at times but still noto feeling the " full feeling " I can not figure out what I am doing wrong. Do I need more in my fill, am I still not chewing enough or what the prob is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyGirl Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Well, if I don't stop eating after my first few bites, things will always get stuck so that's why I'm only eating a few tablespoons at meal times. I'd LOVE to eat more, but I know the stop signs so I stop and, surprisingly, I'm usually satisfied at that point...even though I want so much to be eating more `cause it looks so good! I hate all the waste, too. Sabrina:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flaggirl Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 I had this same experience. I kept the fill, but in retrospect I wish I had upped my protien (maybe even liquid) and took 2 Centrum Chewables per day. I eventually had .8cc taken out because over time I got tighter and tighter with a lot of heartburn. I am at goal now but lost a lot of hair and some muscle mass. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyGirl Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Yeah, I have thinning bangs and I noticed the loss of muscle mass too. My skin actually looked better about ten pounds ago. Thanks for your input. Did you have much weight to lose? I'd love to hear your stats. Sabrina:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNewLife Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Sabrina, I too agree that this is a hard one. I am so confused and stay that way all the time with this band. They say if you too little you dont loose, some days I feel like I eat alot and then somedays i feel like I dont...either way my weight is not moving. I have 3.30 right now and i just knew that this one would be the one. I too dont fill like I am eating alot, however I am not loosing. My normal day of food usually is one pack of oatmeal in the morning ....one chicken fillet (tyson chicken which migh be 2 oz per strip) with about 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or a peice of fruit and then what ever we have for dinner (about a cup) or a lien cuise which I dont eat all of. When I feel like I am not eating alot, I will add a protien bar in the morning for snack or afternoon for snack....Dont get me wrong, there are days that I do and can eat more...Its crazy...I just cant seem to find what works for me... As far as your fill........I would hate for you to get an unfill and then loose your "sweet spot" if you feel you are there and it sounds like it since you are loosing consistantly.........This is truely a hard one....Good luck and You will make the right choice for YOU! Carrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyGirl Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 It's so hard `cause some days it feels like my sweet spot (when I can eat a small breakfast, lunch and dinner) but some days it feels just plain INSANE! Yesterday I was so tight, I had only coffee for breakfast, At lunch I tried to eat a slice of turkey sandwich meat and it wouldn't go down (I could tell solids were going to be a problem) so then I went and had a high-protein smoothie from Booster Juice just to get in the calories and that was it...ALL DAY! A coffee and a smoothie??? I go to bed at 7:30pm on weekends for work (up at 3am) so I didn't even bother with dinner. I just want to be healthy. I'm going to see about blood tests just to make sure everything is okay- I do feel fine, which is good. I wish I had some great piece of advice for you. Looking back at my stats, I think I was at 190 for about five weeks and then even went back up to 195 for a few days before my last fill (I was eating everything in sight- feast or famin mentality) so I have also plataued and know it won't last forever. I'm only dropping a lot right now due to this tight fill (forced behaviour modification) but I don't think it's the way to go. Including the 5 pounds I put back on, I'm down about 13 pounds this month but I know that's too much- I'm normally in the 6-8 pounds per month range. I've also been trying to move more. No major exercize, just riding my bike and taking the kids swimming a lot. You'll figure out what works for you eventually. Sending good vibes of the 180's your way! Sabrina:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roblynn Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Being too tight is not a good thing, expecially in this hot weather. If you are eating less than 1000 calories a day because you just can't eat real food, you need an unfill. When you don't get enough protein and nutrition, your body takes what it needs from your muscles...not good. Bandsters need to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with a small snack. If you have ever watched The Biggest Loser (I'm addicted) you know that those people are on 1200 calories per day. When they drop lower, they lose less weight. Our mentality is EAT LESS, LOSE MORE....it really doesn't work that way. You have to eat to turn up your metabolism. When you don't eat something for breakfast, your metabolism stays low. If you don't eat till mid afternoon, your body just can't adjust to that. YOU HAVE TO EAT IN ORDER TO LOSE! Just eat healthy. If you can't eat the chicken, meat, veggies, salad, you tend to slip back into the ice cream, chips and other bad for you foods. I know several people who have had slight unfills and started losing again because there body had the extra fuel to burn. If you are too tight and your hair is falling out, you really need and unfill to increase your protein. Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandNewDawn Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Sabrina, Just be careful that you do not stay so tight as to cause a slip or so much irritation and swelling of your esophagus that you will have to be completely unfilled and have to start over from stratch. Also, it seems from reading on other sites that once this swelling thing starts, it has a tendency to reoccur and sometimes result in removal of the lapband at some point down the line. When I had my surgery, there was a lady there getting her second lapband, first one had to be removed because she said she kept her band too tight for too long. Too tight lapband can cause a slip. Take care of your band too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiley Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 I think you need to get a little bit of an unfill. I had one on Wednesday of this week and he only took out .3cc's, but it is amazing the difference it has made. On Monday I could only eat 1/2 a cup of tuna salad and even though it was pretty slick with ff miracle whip on it, it was 4 hours later before I knew it was completely thru the band. Besides being skinny, our goal for having this surgery is to be healthy and I am afraid you are contradiction that goal by only being able to eat a couple of tablespoons. Does your fill doctor do a barium swallow, if so, please request that this be done to check the health of your band and to also see if the fluid truely is sitting in your pouch for longer than normal which would confirm you are indeed to tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyGirl Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I had my band checked under fluoro before my last fill and it was fine, but then it became too tight so I got .2 taken out and that seemed to do the trick, but now I've tightened up again. I'm able to eat three meals a day about 4 days per week but the other three is what has me wondering. I'm trying to track if the "tight" days are the days I am stressed, which I suspect is the case. I am not pb'ing, I have no acid reflux, no pain, I just get full SO fast- I start to hiccup and I know I'm done. As for the food sitting in my pouch, I can feel it pass fairly quickly as long as I stop when I start feeling the signs. If I take one extra bite, the drain is clogged so to speak and it will sit there for hours. I'm drinking plenty of fluids in the heat, taking a chewable vitamin, benefiber, and drinking my protein on the days I have problems with solids. I truly feel fine, I just worry about the caloric intake (or lack of) on my bad days. What I DON'T want happening if I get another unfill is that I end up with four days of no restriction and three with! Before my last fill (only adifference of .2cc), I was waking up starving every morning and getting hungry every two hours. Maybe .1 cc out would correct all this craziness. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your concern. Sabrina:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyGirl Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I should add that today was a "normal" day. If every day was like this, I wouldn't be asking for advice. I ate: -half cup hot cereal mixed with benefibre -Starbucks tall skinny cinnamon dolce latte -huge bottle of Sobe Life water (the new apple pear flavor is amazing) -slice of cheese, turkey meat and carrots and dip -more water -banana -caesar salad with real bacon bits Still les than 1000 cals but a pretty good day, I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNewLife Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Although I have been losing consistantly since being banded, I struggle daily with whether I am doing it in a healthy way. I'm not having any problems per se, but wonder if I should get another unfill just so I can eat MORE. I eat so little most days that there is no way I am getting in all my nutrients. I feel full after a few tablespoons of food, and I'm never hungry. It's great to lose weight, but at what cost? Most days I only get in 500 cals. I feel physically fine, but mentally I'm always worried I am hurting myself. Maybe it just seems weird to eat so little cause I used to eat so much? I don't know. Thoughts? Sabrina:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawkchick75 Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Sabrina,I too agree that this is a hard one. I am so confused and stay that way all the time with this band. They say if you too little you dont loose, some days I feel like I eat alot and then somedays i feel like I dont...either way my weight is not moving. I have 3.30 right now and i just knew that this one would be the one. I too dont fill like I am eating alot, however I am not loosing. My normal day of food usually is one pack of oatmeal in the morning ....one chicken fillet (tyson chicken which migh be 2 oz per strip) with about 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or a peice of fruit and then what ever we have for dinner (about a cup) or a lien cuise which I dont eat all of. When I feel like I am not eating alot, I will add a protien bar in the morning for snack or afternoon for snack....Dont get me wrong, there are days that I do and can eat more...Its crazy...I just cant seem to find what works for me... As far as your fill........I would hate for you to get an unfill and then loose your "sweet spot" if you feel you are there and it sounds like it since you are loosing consistantly.........This is truely a hard one....Good luck and You will make the right choice for YOU! Carrie I am at 3.1 and I eat almost exactly like you are describing on a "normal day". I am never tighter than that, but I do have my days where I feel like I can eat too much - but even then it's not even close to where I used to be. On most days I don't have that tightness at breakfast like folks talk about, but I don't stress about it I don't need to be too tight. I haven't been losing, but i'm also running now which might be building muscle. I'd really like to see my weight start dropping again, but i'm not gonna get another fill for quite a while. At my last one they didn't want to give me one so i'm not sure they would give me another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianBandster Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Sabrina....exactly what you are saying - is me! That is why I was saying I need an unfil. The way you are saying you can/cant eat - is exactly how I am. I am hoping to get an unfil soon! Keep me [posted on what you decide....but this only getting in 500-if Im lucky 800 calories a day is crapola! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyMarie Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 I am on my second fill and have experienced the same restriction as you. To me, I think that this is what everyone aims for. I get full after a few tablespoons and sometimes I want to eat more because it is so good. I worry too that I do not get enough nutrients but my body feels good. I also had a problem with my menstral cycle because of my low calorie intake. I missed a month and then the next month it was very heavy and lasted two weeks. I saw the dr and she told me that this was normal. She also told me it may take another 3 months or so for my body to adjust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNewLife Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Sabrina, Just wanted to say that your new pics is AWESOME! You are doing so well! Carrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyGirl Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Sabrina,Just wanted to say that your new pics is AWESOME! You are doing so well! Carrie Carrie, when I went to Florida in February, one of the girls on the board who is a photographer took the pic. We did family portraits on the beach! She is AWESOME but I don't know if she wants to be anonymous on here or not, so I'll leave it at that and hope that she pipes in!!! Sabrina:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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