SashaWLS

Do you know when to call it quits? To quit a meal, that is?


It’s 12:15 pm. Sad to say, your meal is over now.

I used to work with a recovering food addict (I'll call her Wendy) whose work station was about four feet away from mine. We both went to lunch in the company break room at noon every day.

Wendy had lost over 100 pounds in a 12-step program, but food was still of paramount importance to her. At 11:45 every morning, she would announce hopefully, "It's getting close to lunch."

At 11:55, she would announce ominously, "It's getting dangerously close to lunch."

At 12:00, she would announce triumphantly, "It's time for lunch!", spring out of her chair, and head for the break room.

At 12:15, came the final, regretful announcement, "Lunch is over."

Our coworkers found this daily ritual both amusing and annoying. Only another food addict (like me) could understand what was going on in Wendy's head as she looked forward to her noon meal and then mourned its passing.

What's the take-home message from this story?

Lunch is over. It has to be over. You must put down your fork and stop eating when your planned portion is gone or the instant you get a stop message. But what if there's still food left on your plate? What about the children in Armenia (all starving, according to my mother)? What about that leftover food?

1. Get up from the table (say, "Excuse me" if it seems indicated).
2. Put the food in a storage container, and put the container in the refrigerator, or throw the food away (down the garbage disposal, where you can't get at it, is best).
3. Take your plate to the sink and rinse or wash it.

Did I say "throw the food away"? In spite of the starving Armenian children? I sure did. I'm not going to tell the World Health Organization that you threw out the extra food. You can donate money to a food charity to help feeding starving children (you'll be able to afford a few bucks for charity because you won't be spending $50 a month on soda). God will not strike you dead for this, I promise.

Remember what Rhoda Morgenstern said to Mary Tyler Moore as she tore into a chocolate bar back in 1973 (or thereabouts)?

"I don't know why I'm eating this. I should just rub it directly on my hips."

So look at that plate of leftover food and ask yourself, "Should I roll in it, or throw it away?"

Lunch is over!

How do you like your band? Tight? Tighter? Tightest?


MORE, MORE, MORE

Americans love MORE: more of anything and everything. More food, more fun, and (for some of us) more fill in our bands. But striving for maximum fill in the effort to achieve maximum weight loss can be a terrible mistake.

Fat folks become obese enough to qualify for bariatric surgery because we’ve been eating more, more, more, so it’s not surprising that bandsters long for more, more, more fill. The tighter the band, the better, right?

Wrong. Here’s why: tighter doesn’t automatically yield more weight loss. It can cause eating problems, side effects and complications that none of us want. It can compromise our quality of life. It can make us miserable when all we hope for from bariatric surgery is a better life.

You’re not impressed by all that? You’re willing to risk everything in the pursuit of skinny? Then try this on for size. A tight band doesn’t guarantee weight loss. Just the opposite: it can stall your weight loss or even make you gain weight.

Do I have your full attention now? Good. Listen up and I’ll explain why tighter isn’t always better.


THE RESTRICTION FALLACY

Traditionally, the adjustable gastric band has been considered a “restrictive” weight loss surgery. Bandsters were taught to look for signs of restriction: the proofs that their bands were working. Instead of paying attention to her own eating behavior and lifestyle, the bandster waited impatiently for the flashing signs, ringing bells and slamming doors that would stop her from overeating. The idea was that the small upper stomach pouch would “restrict” food intake and result in weight loss. Sound familiar?

That was well-intentioned thinking, but it was wrong. In the past 5 or so years, band manufacturers and bariatric surgeons have come to believe that it’s a mistake to eat and eat until you set off your band’s emergency warning system, for the reasons mentioned above. Unfortunately, the re-education process is slow going, and in the meantime, the restriction fallacy lives on. Even now, approximately every third word out of a bandster’s mouth is “restriction”. It’s a catch-all term for the feelings that limit how much a bandster eats. Post-op band life tends to become a quest for enough fills to reach the Holy Land of Restriction. Next stop: Skinnyland.

Or not.


HAZARD AHEAD! THE DANGERS OF SOFT CALORIE SYNDROME

Soft Calorie Syndrome is one of the least publicized dangers of a band that’s too tight. Psychologists would call it a maladaptive behavior, that is: a nonproductive behavior that prevents you from adapting to situations, or changes in yourself or your environment, in a healthy way. It can begin as an attempt to deal with or avoid an unpleasant experience but it does not solve the original problem and eventually becomes dysfunctional. You can read more about maladaptive eating behaviors by clicking here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/articles.html/_/healthy-living/is-your-eating-maladaptive-r50
A bandster experiencing Soft Calorie Syndrome is responding to the unpleasant experience of eating with a band that’s too tight by eating the soft and liquid calories that slide most easily past their gatekeeper band. Instead of eating the healthy and solid foods (like dense animal protein, veggies, fruits) that provide the most satiety (both early and prolonged), that person favors easy-to-eat food that’s often junky and high in calories (for example: potato chips, ice cream, milkshakes). Even healthy foods( like yogurt, cottage cheese and, fat-free/sugar-free pudding) can fall into the soft calorie category, and they don’t provide any better satiety than the junky stuff. The net result is that you end up consuming more calories than you need because the soft stuff doesn’t provide enough early and prolonged satiety. And the result of that is a weight loss plateau, or even weight gain.

I discovered the perils of Soft Calorie Syndrome for myself when I traveled to New York City to attend a trade show when I was about 8 months post-op. I had gotten a fill the day before I left, and by the time I got to New York I had realized that my band was too tight for me to tolerate. I couldn’t eat any solid food, so I spent the next 3 days eating soft, high-calorie, low-satiety foods like creamy soups, milkshakes, and ice cream. I was just trying to survive long enough to go home and get an unfill. My maladaptive eating behavior achieved a temporary goal (comfortable survival) while sabotaging my long term goal of losing weight. In fact, I gained weight during that trip and ended up feeling disappointed in myself. I promised myself no more fills on Fridays and no more fills the day before a business trip. I called my surgeon’s every time I suspected my band was too tight and found that even tiny unfills could make all the difference in my quality of life as well as my weight loss.

I know I’m not the only person who’s discovered the perils of Soft Calorie Syndrome. I also know that you’re not alone in believing that more fill is better and that unfills will slow or stall your weight loss. A few months ago I talked about this with a smart and successful bandster named Denise. When her surgeon reacted to her too-tight band by suggesting an unfill of .5 cc, her dazed and frightened face made him reassure her that she could start being re-filled in a month. The month ahead scared her, but she agreed to the unfill, and discovered that rather than returning her to Bandster Hell, it had restored sanity to her eating life. She said, “I was able to eat again. Solids went down easily. Bread was on my menu. Meals lasted me several hours. I didn’t snack because I was able to eat enough to keep me satisfied.”

When Denise went back to her surgeon a month later, he was delighted her hear her say that she didn’t even need a re-fill. She told him, “I can eat anything, but I’m not eating everything.”

And that, my friends, is what healthy eating is all about.

Oh, you are right on schedule!! And totally normal. A lot of us have gone through rough emotional meltdowns for the few months after surgery. IT WILL PASS. But if you think about it, it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, you've spent all these years covering up all your feelings with food or drugs, so now that you can't eat as much all those feelings are coming out and you don't know what to do with them... Or some variation of that... And, your hormones are out of whack.
I cried several times a day, nearly every day for about 2-3 months after surgery. I would be elated, and then crushed. Optimistic, then pissed off. I drove my husband insane because I needed him but kept blaming him for things. It was like having my period x10000.
I think it's great that you threw the food away, but I hope you understand that you will still lose weight if you eat it sometimes. I have a burrito or quesadilla at least once a week and I'm down nearly 50lbs since April.
Just try to be kind to yourself. Pretend it's your best friend and not you, and treat yourself as you'd treat her.
Sasha

Don't drive yourself crazy, having lower Protein for a day or two won't kill you, so just do the best you can.
I didn't like Isopure at all, so make sure you taste them before buying a whole bunch. My favorite was the GNC Lean shake in chocolate.
Good luck.

MUCINEX expectorant—take the largest dose you can, as often as it says to until your surgery. It will break up your chest congestion and will help you cough anything up you need to. Don't get the cough suppressant though.

MUCINEX expectorant—take the largest dose you can, as often as it says to until your surgery. It will break up your chest congestion and will help you cough anything up you need to. Don't get the cough suppressant though.

I would honestly be contacting the hospital because that does not sound normal. I would guess you may be having circulation issues.
Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

Hi Donna, you were banded a few months after me and I only two weeks ago finally got up to 4.5cc... It's really possible that your body is swollen inside, and that the opening in YOUR 4.5cc band is much tighter than someone else's 4.5cc... Based on this post, and another one you made a few days ago, it really sounds like you're too tight... DEFINITELY don't get another fill, if anything I'd get .25cc taken out...

Not sure why you say only 4.5cc, that is quite a lot. You need to remember to take tiny bites, cold meats such as ham are too easy to take big bites of and then as you have found out they cause problems. Maybe you need to cancel your next appointment. It is possible that you have enough fill for now. Concentrate on working with what you have and learning to eat in a way that doesn't cause you to get stuck.

Today I am re-organizing my closet. I do this every summer, but this time the process is different. In the past, I would always take my clothes that didn't fit because they were too small to the basement closet, with the hope that I would someday be able to wear them again. Sometimes I got back into them, but it was usually only for a very short time period because I would always gain the weight back.
This time, I am clearing out the clothing that's too large, and I am NOT taking it to the basement but rather giving it away. It feels very strange to be doing this.
I'm optimistic, yet at the same time, I hope I am not making a mistake.

For me, it's when someday I will go to bed without my left side being cold... Cause my husband falls asleep on top of the covers ALL THE TIME and what's left of the blanket doesn't totally comer me!

Hi everyone, I was banded last Friday 07/27/12. I'm in the liquid phase. I don't have a proper scale at home so went to the gym to weigh myself. I knew I lost weight since the surgery, but never imagined losing 10 lbs in my first week. I am just shocked, thought I'd share it with u guys

I recently fit back into my engagement ring after 4.5yrs... It's the best!!!

I'm the interactive creative director for a big CPG corporation...

You might consider asking to have a bit of fluid removed from your band if you're that tight... You can still lose weight without being so tight you can't tolerate regular food.

Was banded April 18th and I'm down 40lbs today! No exercise or dieting, though 80% of my food intake is healthy.

You might really want to take a look at your liquid intake overall. Bandsters typically live their lives in a constant state of slight dehydration. It's really important to make sure you are getting enough liquids. Most people I know are tight in the morning and loosen up as the day goes by.

Hi! I'm nearly 4 years out and have been at goal for a long time (maybe 2 years?). It's so worth it to stick to the post-op diet. You'll be through that phase and bandster hell before you know it, and the weight will really come off! The secret to getting to goal is finding a type or types of exercise you like and sticking to it! (Just keep trying til something appeals to you.)
Congratulations on your surgery -- you have so many good things to look forward to!! Just walking around comfortably is major, but even little things like wrapping a normal towel around yourself are pretty major NSVs too!!
Be sure to take your measurements and some before pics now if you haven't yet!!
Best wishes for much success,
Catherine

So...I had my surgery Dec 2010. I lost well, then I suffered a slip in May of 2011. I lost again and have been within 15-20lbs of goal since then.
I've kept my band loose and that has allowed me to be able to eat a variety of foods. I was likely at a good restriction for maintenance.
So I recently good a fill. I'm @ 5.6 in a 10cc band. I'm in the green zone. No PBing...unless I eat something to large or don't chew chew chew.
I've lost 5.8 pounds since my last fill just over a week ago. I get in enough nutritionally so no worries there.
So what's my problem? I'm missing volume of food...simply put. I'm still adjusting to the new fill and enjoying the weight loss, but now need to work on the mental aspect.
It really is a journey.

...SO this morning I cooked.breakfast..egg, grilled.chicken n onions, mushroom, tomato..I kind.of over did...but my fruit friendly band stopped me.from over.doing it
Sent from my SGH-T989 using LapBandTalk

If the sleeve goes well, it's great. But if the sleeve goes badly, it's much, much worse than a band that's gone badly... For what it's worth I originally wanted the sleeve (badly) but after doing a lot of research, the decision came down to a numbers game...
-- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... Mortality rate for the band is 1/2000.
-- Sleeve complications are MUCH MUCH worse than band complications... 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and those who do are in agony, in and out of the hospital for up to 5-6 months at a time, and say they regret the surgery (search leak on verticalsleevetalk.com and see what that's like for them...)
-- roughly 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band on top of their cut-up stomach (i.e. carny wilson)
The sleeve seems to be a fabulous option when it works! But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is also much higher. I have a 4-year old daughter and don't feel like I have the right to gamble lightly with something that might take me out... If the band works, then I'm done with only a minimally invasive surgery and no cutting up of my organs.
People do have problems with the band, and if I were one of those people I might consider the sleeve as a revision. But a lot of people are also successful with the band, and for me, it didn't make sense not to at least try it and hope it works!!!

If the sleeve goes well, it's great. But if the sleeve goes badly, it's much, much worse than a band that's gone badly... For what it's worth I originally wanted the sleeve (badly) but after doing a lot of research, the decision came down to a numbers game...
-- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... Mortality rate for the band is 1/2000.
-- Sleeve complications are MUCH MUCH worse than band complications... 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and those who do are in agony, in and out of the hospital for up to 5-6 months at a time, and say they regret the surgery (search leak on verticalsleevetalk.com and see what that's like for them...)
-- roughly 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band on top of their cut-up stomach (i.e. carny wilson)
The sleeve seems to be a fabulous option when it works! But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is also much higher. I have a 4-year old daughter and don't feel like I have the right to gamble lightly with something that might take me out... If the band works, then I'm done with only a minimally invasive surgery and no cutting up of my organs.
People do have problems with the band, and if I were one of those people I might consider the sleeve as a revision. But a lot of people are also successful with the band, and for me, it didn't make sense not to at least try it and hope it works!!!

If the sleeve goes well, it's great. But if the sleeve goes badly, it's much, much worse than a band that's gone badly... For what it's worth I originally wanted the sleeve (badly) but after doing a lot of research, the decision came down to a numbers game...
-- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... Mortality rate for the band is 1/2000.
-- Sleeve complications are MUCH MUCH worse than band complications... 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and those who do are in agony, in and out of the hospital for up to 5-6 months at a time, and say they regret the surgery (search leak on verticalsleevetalk.com and see what that's like for them...)
-- roughly 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band on top of their cut-up stomach (i.e. carny wilson)
The sleeve seems to be a fabulous option when it works! But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is also much higher. I have a 4-year old daughter and don't feel like I have the right to gamble lightly with something that might take me out... If the band works, then I'm done with only a minimally invasive surgery and no cutting up of my organs.
People do have problems with the band, and if I were one of those people I might consider the sleeve as a revision. But a lot of people are also successful with the band, and for me, it didn't make sense not to at least try it and hope it works!!!

If the sleeve goes well, it's great. But if the sleeve goes badly, it's much, much worse than a band that's gone badly... For what it's worth I originally wanted the sleeve (badly) but after doing a lot of research, the decision came down to a numbers game...
-- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... Mortality rate for the band is 1/2000.
-- Sleeve complications are MUCH MUCH worse than band complications... 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and those who do are in agony, in and out of the hospital for up to 5-6 months at a time, and say they regret the surgery (search leak on verticalsleevetalk.com and see what that's like for them...)
-- roughly 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band on top of their cut-up stomach (i.e. carny wilson)
The sleeve seems to be a fabulous option when it works! But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is also much higher. I have a 4-year old daughter and don't feel like I have the right to gamble lightly with something that might take me out... If the band works, then I'm done with only a minimally invasive surgery and no cutting up of my organs.
People do have problems with the band, and if I were one of those people I might consider the sleeve as a revision. But a lot of people are also successful with the band, and for me, it didn't make sense not to at least try it and hope it works!!!

If the sleeve goes well, it's great. But if the sleeve goes badly, it's much, much worse than a band that's gone badly... For what it's worth I originally wanted the sleeve (badly) but after doing a lot of research, the decision came down to a numbers game...
-- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... Mortality rate for the band is 1/2000.
-- Sleeve complications are MUCH MUCH worse than band complications... 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and those who do are in agony, in and out of the hospital for up to 5-6 months at a time, and say they regret the surgery (search leak on verticalsleevetalk.com and see what that's like for them...)
-- roughly 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band on top of their cut-up stomach (i.e. carny wilson)
The sleeve seems to be a fabulous option when it works! But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is also much higher. I have a 4-year old daughter and don't feel like I have the right to gamble lightly with something that might take me out... If the band works, then I'm done with only a minimally invasive surgery and no cutting up of my organs.
People do have problems with the band, and if I were one of those people I might consider the sleeve as a revision. But a lot of people are also successful with the band, and for me, it didn't make sense not to at least try it and hope it works!!!