I had a check up with my lap band Dr. this morning. I was thinking I might be needing a fill ( I've been a lot hungrier and have been eating aprox 300 calories more per day) and she suggested taking Fluid out of my band.

Apparently, Austraila - which has been doing lap-band surgery longer than anyone, has done a study showing that if you eat and you feel the food sitting on top of your band your esopogus is working extremely hard to push that food through the band, eventually this will weaken your esophogus and it will lose some of it's strength to contract and push food through the band. She said that they are finding that it's the feel of the food going through the band, not the filling of the pouch that makes you feel full. If you over work the esophogus it could permanently be damaged, hence, affecting the band.

She said that you should be able to feel each bite go through the band before you take another bite. My food definately sits on top of my band, sometimes anyway. I don't know what to think, I told her I didn't want an unfill but I would do it if she thought I should.

We decided to go two weeks, really think about each bite. I don't know that I can feel the food go through the band but she said I should be able too. I'm going to experiment for 2 weeks then we will make the decision.

She said the Austrailian study "rules" for eating are.

20 - bites. 1 bite per minute. You should feel each bite move through the band before taking the next.

I said I didn't know if I could feel it but she said I should be able to, if I eat a few bites and can feel the food sitting on top of the band ( which I definately can at times) then my band is too tight.

I left feeling sort of deflated. I don't know why, scared I guess of being able to eat too much. We'll see what happens the next couple of weeks.

On a brighter note: I weigh 297 pounds!!! I started this journey 1 year 4 months ago and and have seen my weight start with 3 different hundreds now - 400 - 300 and now 200. Don't know if I'll ever see Onederland but I'm gonna give it my best shot.

Uff.... not sure what to think!

If you've managed to lose 200 lbs, I don't think I'd change a thing! Way to go! I don't know if I'd worry about anyone else's rules.

wow. I found this to be amazing. I've never heard of that. I have no advice. But i do know one thing your doing great. and I do believe you will see oneunderland. Keep faith and keep believing! your gonna get there!

I am an Aussie and as far as I am aware Aussie Rules is our local football - AFL! Have never had any of my Dr's explain things this way before.

Not sure what you mean by food feeling as though it is sitting on top of the band. I think that may be how it feels if I have eaten too much or too quickly.

There are lots of studies about how the band works. The latest theory is that some kind of pressure on the vagus nerve is what makes you feel full but I think the theories are just that - just theories. None of them seem to have conclusively worked it out yet.

Maybe the reason you are hungrier is because you are eating sliders and if this is the case taking Fluid out so you can eat more satisfying foods should help.

I certainly don't time myself or eat 1 bite per minute. What I do do is try to make sure eat bite is sitting comfortably before taking the next. Sometimes I go too fast and it is uncomfortable which is a signal that I need to slow down. I still don't believe that each bite goes through the band within a minute. If it did then how come sometimes I can PB hours later? Think about it - when you get stuck you don't normally just bring back the one bite that got stuck - it is more normal to bring back a lot more too.

However thinking about each bite seems to be fairly sensible. Try it and see what happens. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't

DH had exactly this explained to him - we attend Prof. O'Brien's clinic, so they're at the forefront of band research as Prof O'Brien was one of the band pioneers, and heads research units through Monash University. So when my clinic states that low carbing is a crock, Protein shakes should not be consumed after the initial stages, 3 small meals a day is what you should aim for etc, I feel quite confident that they are not leading me astray. And yes, latest research shows that food does not sit in the pouch for hours (or shouldnt) but rather glugs and chugs through the stoma rather like Water going down a blocked drain, there's this forward and back sort of phenomenon before it finally goes through. Guidelines are about a bite a minute, small bites. This work, plus the sheer time it takes to eat at a bite per minute is what creates satiety. This also answers that perplexing question - why can you get instantly stuck on the last bite of your meal when it should be sitting on top of all the food you've just eaten? Answer, it isnt, everything you've just eaten has gone through.

Its also why you can pb more than just the stuck bite - as it chugs and glugs, it mixes up and it doesnt go down strictly in the order that its eaten. Also, you can have something sort of refusing to go down but as it churns around, stuff goes down around it and you might throw up an hour later when your body has finally had enough of trying to get it through. I've got a video showing what they think happens.

DH had exactly this explained to him - we attend Prof. O'Brien's clinic, so they're at the forefront of band research as Prof O'Brien was one of the band pioneers, and heads research units through Monash University. So when my clinic states that low carbing is a crock, Protein shakes should not be consumed after the initial stages, 3 small meals a day is what you should aim for etc, I feel quite confident that they are not leading me astray. And yes, latest research shows that food does not sit in the pouch for hours (or shouldn't) but rather glugs and chugs through the stoma rather like Water going down a blocked drain, there's this forward and back sort of phenomenon before it finally goes through. Guidelines are about a bite a minute, small bites. This work, plus the sheer time it takes to eat at a bite per minute is what creates satiety. This also answers that perplexing question - why can you get instantly stuck on the last bite of your meal when it should be sitting on top of all the food you've just eaten? Answer, it isn't, everything you've just eaten has gone through.

Its also why you can pb more than just the stuck bite - as it chugs and glugs, it mixes up and it doesn't go down strictly in the order that its eaten. Also, you can have something sort of refusing to go down but as it churns around, stuff goes down around it and you might throw up an hour later when your body has finally had enough of trying to get it through. I've got a video showing what they think happens.

You write well and I respect your opinions, but if I come in for lunch and drink a Protein shake and it holds my hunger at bay for 3-4 hours,

I feel that is sufficient for a meal. I know it runs right through, but if I feel satiated until supper, that should be OK.

I'm not looking for permission, just trying to understand the process. I apologize for hijacking someone else's post.

Its also why you can pb more than just the stuck bite - as it chugs and glugs, it mixes up and it doesnt go down strictly in the order that its eaten. Also, you can have something sort of refusing to go down but as it churns around, stuff goes down around it and you might throw up an hour later when your body has finally had enough of trying to get it through. I've got a video showing what they think happens.

Now that explanation finally makes sense. Are you able to post a link to the video?

I also believe the food moves quickly through the stoma because peristolisis takes over as soon as food enters the stomach and even though there is a pouch food can not sit in something that has a hole in if for very long especially when it is chewed well. I do sometimes feel the food going through and sometimes I dont but I do know after about 20 minutes or so I am full and dont need more.

Please let us know what happens in those 2 weeks and after you get filled again.

Cheri

Now that explanation finally makes sense. Are you able to post a link to the video?

Its on DVD unfortunately Elcee - and I'm no lawyer but I'd say copying someone's DVD and putting it on youtube is not that smart an idea, lol. It does make sense though, doesnt it?

Hey Corrigan, I definitely dont do everything my doctor says, lol. I reckon of Protein shakes work for you and you like them, then that's all that counts. I'm a big believer in considering and respecting everything your doc tells you and then finetuning it for yourself. Because we all know there's a zillion people here who drink Protein Shakes and eat a low carb diet (both things my doc and many other Australia docs dont believe are strictly necessary) who are hugely successful! I speak up more to ease the guilt of those of us who like our bread, lol.

I just had a fill two days ago, and the nurse at my surgeon's office shared the same thing - that it is bad for your esophagus to allow the pouch to get full. She didn't give me specific bite per minute rules, but did really emphasize the small, slow bites theory. I'm gonna try it - I figure it sure can't hurt and I appreciate that the surgeon's office is staying on top of the latest research.

BTW TKW - congrats on your amazing weight loss so far!!!