need2lose2

Seems like we're all in the same boat. Unfortunately, most of the soft foods that are being served are not diet friendly.......

You're not kidding! I was at a sit down dinner a few weeks ago. I passed on the appetizer but i did eat Soup because i was hungry and knew it would not sit in the pouch so that i could have some of the main dish. I opted for the grilled chicken. After a few bites, i felt tight. Tried some Water (i know it was not a good idea). Then i started salivating and swallowing a lot....my classic sign that i need to vomit. I excused myself and went in search of the ladies room which, of course, was crowded! Frantically, (while swallowing loads of saliva) i ran out the door of the catering hall and thankfully found a small alleyway i could slip into. As i turned into it, it all just spurted out. Now that was a scary situation and i vowed never to eat any solid foods at a function. Last week we went to another dinner and it's exactly what i did. I ate all the mushy and soft foods (soup, mashed potatoes, sweet potato fries, veggie souffle, cake, sorbet) and didn't touch the grilled chicken or sauteed green Beans. Kind of counterintuitive for the band diet, isn't it? lol

Tell me about it! After 6 fills i have 9.5 cc in an 11 cc band. I still don't feel much restriction except for when i start eating too fast. It's even more frustrating when the 'bad foods' will go down no problem, and then an appropriate food will get stuck. Cake, cookies, cereal, granola bars, pasta, pizza etc etc will go down but sometimes grilled chicken, and fruits will get stuck and vomited up. It's crazy!!

i am starting off with what my nutritionist allows me to have each meal but then i go eat other stuff cuz i'm not full.... not sure what's going on; i have an appt in 5 weeks for another fill; i dont want to make it any earlier cuz i want to give this fill some more time and see if there are any changes. If my pouch has stretched, they will have to remove all the fluid, wait a few months and then start again. I don't know if i can handle yet another 6 months to a year of this waiting for the band to work. I'm just hoping that i get to my sweet spot soon........

I am in the same situation. I have 9.5 in an 11cc band and while i do feel restriction while i eat, i feel that it passes real quickly and i can pretty eat lots more. My last fill (to get to 9.5cc) was monday and i don't feel any different. Don't know what feeling full feels like anymore because i'm able to finish pretty large portions of food and then some. I havent lost anything in the meantime and it's getting very frustrating.

I thought that the fills had to be every 6 weeks because the PA always said "see you in 6 weeks". But then, when i had an appt with the nut, she asked why i waited so long between fills if i knew i needed more fluid! So, when i felt i needed more, i called for an appt. Obviously it couldn't be in the same week because i need to be on liquids for 2 days then graduate to soft foods and then to regular food. They would want you to give it at minimum 2 weeks to see if you get good restriction. I definately hear you when it comes to feeling full. I eat all of the foods that my nut allowed and i never feel full. It is why i went in today for another fill after being there 2 weeks ago. I now have 9.5cc and am hoping that this will be the time when i feel full after a small meal and will finally start losing weight!

It just doesn't make any sense, does it? Why would all those unhealthy foods (even though they are solid) go down but the Proteins get stuck?? I always thought the band would help me get full faster regardless of the food that goes down (i'm referring to solid foods). I honestly never dreamed it wouldn't be the case. Why are you having Fluid taken out? Sorry, i didn't get your reason. Is it because you're not able to get all your protein in? Last night i had 4oz of grilled chicken with steamed broccoli and bit a of homemade lowfat cole slaw and i felt no restriction. I was surprised because i expected to have at least some restriction....hmm, wondering if the chicken was too wet from the bites of creamy cole slaw? Anyway, i didn't feel full so i had some quinoa that i had prepared for the family as a side. Had some watermelon about an hour later. I made an appt for monday for another fill. Part of me wants to get tighter so that i stop overeating. The other part of me is so scared of being too tight that i can't eat anything.... Today for Breakfast i had an egg white omelette with cheese on toasted whole wheat bread with tomato slices on the side. I cut it into 4's so that i remember to take small bites. In the past 2 weeks since my last fill i was able to get through 2 of those parts and had to wait about 1/2 hour to eat the other 2 parts of the sandwich. This morning, i ate all 4 pieces without feeling restriction (of course i was eating very slowly and took tiny bites). For lunch i had spinach pirogies (ate 6 of them) with cottage cheese and a salad with white Beans. I felt satisfied after that but i can't say i was stuffed. I stopped eating when i emptied the plate. Just had a Protein Bar for snack. Not sure what i'm having for dinner yet......

Thank you! You're right, if i was able to follow exact advice of the doc, i wouldn't need the band. This was why i was so depressed while on the eating plan that the nutritionist gave me. If i was able to eat like that all the time, i wouldnt have needed the band! It's frustrating. I agree, i think i'm overthinking by trying to follow what i'm told and am then frustrated and unhappy and just go off the plan to eat stuff i'm not supposed to eat. Thanks for your encouragement. I'm hoping to have some success soon.

The Balance bars (omg, the mint chocolate is DIVINE) are on sale at Shoprite this week (5 for $5). I think i'm going to call for another fill appt. While i've done better with my eating, i still feel like i could eat more after having my alloted portions.... The one good thing that i have been doing is exercising. I do a toning workout dvd in the mornings and then my hubby and i walk at night. I'm hoping that at least some of the extra calories i eat will be burned off from exercise but i do lead a somewhat sedentary life the rest of the time.

Thank you pugsx3. I'm feeling much better. If i was losing weight, all this wouldn't be an issue and i'd just be doing what works for me. It's because i was gaining weight that i had to see the nutritionist to get an eating plan in order. I just don't do well with strict menus. If i did, i wouldn't need the band. kwim? I have a few Balance Protein bars and will test out each of those flavors. The store didn't have any Zone bars so i'll check another store a different time.

You know, i think both of you are right. When i'm given restrictive food choices and i don't like my choices, i tend to retreat and do the opposite. I've always been much happier when i didn't have to constantly think about or plan my foods. The way you described how you eat, cindy, is what i heard about having the band is like and it's precisely why i chose it. Thank you for setting it straight for me. pugsx3, i will do just that. I will see how the greek yogurt does and how the cottage cheese with fruit does. I'd be happier with those than a salad with beans. The nut gave me the guidelines cuz i was gaining weight and not losing at all. I'm at a weight right now that was more than i was before surgery. The nut thinks that by giving me a restrictive food list as well as menu, i should start losing weight, but it only made/makes me miserable!!! Will hopefully get out tonite to try out some protein bars and stock up on greek yogurt!

See, that's where i have problems. My nutritionist says not to eat greek yogurt or cottage cheese or ricotta for meals because those are soft Proteins and they will go through the band quickly and not keep me full. For meals, she wants me to have solid proteins. I can have the yogurt or cottage cheese for snack. That's why i struggle with lunches. Having said that, i think i'm going to check out the Protein bars. I am not hungry in the mornings at all and find myself tighter then than during the rest of the day. It would alleviate the lunch struggles cuz then i would have the eggs on toast with veggies. Do you find yourself hungry between having a Protein Bar and lunch?

What is your average day's menu?

It's why i could never be on those high protein diets. Uch. When i told my nutritionist that i cannot eat a 4 egg white omelette (with cheese) for breakfast on its own, she said it was ok to put the omelette on a piece of whole grain toast and have tomato slices as well. So in each bite, i get something other than they gummy whites, kwim? I struggle with lunch, however. I don't like deli turkey or any deli. I don't eat fish. And i like to have chicken or beef for dinners. The only things i could possibly have as Proteins are Beans on salad or veggie burgers with salad, but i don't always have them on hand and i bore very easily. Like i said, for dinner, when i have my protein (which is a cooked meat, usually), i need to stack my fork with a piece of protein and the vegetable as well as some of the carb (i try to stick with just the veggie)

It can become quite embarassing when among other people.

When i get that stuck feeling, i start having these growling noises coming from the back of my throat (or top of esphagus, i assume). Anyone ever get that?

Oh no, sorry if i wasn't clear. I am able to get the amount of Protein down, i just don't like to eat protein alone. I am struggling with that tremendously. When i eat chicken, for example, i just can't stomach eating only chicken. If i have a cooked veggie on the plate, i need to take add a bit to my bitefulls of chicken. Or add a bit of brown rice to the bite. I don't think i need an unfill; i am struggling with the decision on if i need another fill. For the most part, i can get through a meal, assuming my bites are small and chewed, with no problems. Sometimes i feel full. Other times, like tonight, i can eat more or start looking for something to eat. I'm trying to figure out if it's head hunger i'm feeling or if indeed i need another fill.

Thanks so much for the great advice. For some odd reason, Proteins do not make me full. That's why i had so many problems with most of the diets i went on. That's why i'm frustrated. I need to have the carbs with the proteins to help me get them down, as well as be satiated both physically and mentally. You guys have lost so much weight. It's been 7 months since my surgery and i've only gained! I wish i could say i've lost 20-30-50 lbs in the last 7 months. Have all of you experienced the pb'ing, sliming, and vomiting? I have experienced all 3....can i confide in you about something? Last week my husband and i went to a sit down dinner. I had half of the appetizer which was a mashed potato and meat filling wrapped in pastry, and a bowl of Soup because i wanted to leave room for the Protein (main course). I had the grilled chicken with a side of green Beans. Great, right? Well, i took 2 very small bites and chewed carefully..........and i got stuck!! Getting stuck in public is terrifying and i was trying real hard to ignore it while socializing at the table. I finally got up saying i was going to the restroom and when i got there, there was a line of people and i was dying to wretch it all up. I quickly went outside the building and around the bend.....as i got there i gagged and pb'd and then i vomited it all up! Boy did that feel good afterwards. I'll never forget that feeling. UGH

Sometimes i am actually hungry at dinnertime, when i end up eating too fast and getting stuck and needing to vomit. Other times i just eat dinner cuz well, it's time for dinner. I'm still conditioned to eating at certain times whether i'm hungry or not. But then, if i didn't eat dinner, i'd be looking for food a few hours later.......Ugh, it's all so confusing and frustrating! I sometimes wonder i even got the band in the first place....the foods that i'm supposed to stay away from go down easily with no issues, and the foods i'm supposed to be eating get stuck!! Can someone explain that logic? LOL

Thank you guys. I'm feeling better knowing that i'm not the only one having issues and setbacks. The protein bars sound like they would really help after having a meal where i feel deprived (like grilled chicken over a salad). I do have fruit. I do have other healthier snacks that my nutritionist did not tell me i could have.... Maybe i'm concentrating on her menu and allowances too much? I cancelled my fill appt for monday because while i feel i can eat greater quantities during the afternoons, when it comes to dinnertime, i do feel restriction after a few bites. I'm a bit hesitant to be any tighter when i can't get around how the band is supposed to work for me. My worst fear is being too tight. It scares me that i'm already at 8.5cc in an 11cc band so i'm going to give it another week and see how the restriction feels (it's been 2 wks since my last fill).

That's amazing! Good for you! Will check out the Cliff bars. I have stayed away from protein shakes because #1 the nutritionist said i need to get the protein from solids, and #2 i got sooo sick of them from pre and postop times, that i can't even stomach thinking about them. lol

oh yeah, forgot to mention that i do exercise so at least that part is going well. I do toning dvds in the mornings and then walk for 45 at night.

Thanks! I know i have to take it more seriously. The eating that is. As far as Protein, most of what i like are soft ones like greek yogurt, cheeses, milk, hummus, Peanut Butter, etc. The solid Proteins that i eat are chicken, chopped meat, Beans, eggs, and i can tolerate tofu (although i've never prepared it). The nut is allowing me to have my egg white omelette on a piece of toast cuz it just grosses me out to eat it alone. That's usually my Breakfast. For lunch she recommends salads (with chicken or beans) but that has never ever filled me up unless i had a sandwich to go along with it. I am still hungry after that and end up going for a bowl of high Fiber high protein Cereal. The reason why i feel like giving up is because i feel so deprived and whenever i feel deprived, i go for the foods i'm not supposed to be eating (and somehow those go down perfectly, and in great quantities). I'm wondering if i should even get a fill at my appt this monday. I mean i can get through the egg on toast with sliced tomatoes pretty well. It's dinner that is always my problem.......in those first few bites, either i'm not chewing well or i'm eating too fast cuz i'm not concentrating and then i get stuck.... what do all of you eat for your meals? lapbandaddy, i'm with you there. Protein was really never the star of my plates. I always ate protein but not in such great quantities and certainly not by itself. What Protein Bars have you found to be good?

I was banded Sept 19, 2011. While i lost some weight postop, i gained it all back when i started eating. I am currently at 8.5cc in an 11cc band. After 7-1/2 months i've not lost much (really, it's insignificant). I've tried so hard to follow protocol and the menu my nutritionist gave me but it's very hard. I was never much of a protein eater and when i eat a meal with no carbs, i feel very depressed and i find myself looking for food. I know planning my meals is the key but it's hard enough to cook and plan meals for the family, so often times i'm not getting my alotted protein and am looking for the carbs. I'm also having a problem finding that balance between being hungry and eating too much that it causes me to vomit. This usually happens during dinner. (not every though) What's even more frustrating and confusing is that i feel restriction when eating solid protein....healthy foods, but when it comes to certain carbs (ones not allowed to have), well, let's just say i can get through an entire bag of cheddar flavored rice cake minis with no problems whatsoever. Sometimes i'm ready to give up.

Good luck to you!!