I have always had this problem with my band where I can eat a significant amount of food. I feel ready to stop, but not too full after I eat about 2 cups of food. My band seems to be at a good spot right now. I do end up getting food stuck frequently or have discomfort eating. I throw up about 3 times a week. If I go any tighter I won't be able to get much of anything down without throwing up.

I'm confused as to why I have not enough restriction so that I can eat so much, but a little too much restriction in that I throw up all at the same time!

What is going on? I really don't feel like my band is helping me at all and am considering having it removed. I weight more now than I did when I got the band back in 2008.

Help!

Just because you can eat more doesn't mean you should. The band isn't supposed to physically stop you from eating anything. In fact, this is exactly why most surgeons say not to eat more than a cup of food per meal, to make sure we don't over-eat and stretch our pouch.

The band's job is to make you feel satisfied on less food for longer periods of time. Not to stop you from eating. In fact if you're eating until you feel stuffed full you're eating too much.

The band is a great tool but you have to use it how it's meant to be used. Here's a great link that I think will really help you a lot.: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

Best wishes.

Hi Missy,

Wow! Thanks for the response. That was a great article. I think I should print it out and read it before meal times.

A part of me feels sad that I never knew the information that Dr. Simpson says even though I have had the band for about 4.5 years. Honestly, I'd love to read an even more scietific explanation on how the band works.

Thanks for the help!

-Hilary

Sorry you are struggling with your weight loss. Honestly, I could not eat more than a cup of food if I wanted to. But I do agree that it is really meant to keep you satiated for 4-5 hours between meals and not necessarily make you feel "full".

A couple suggestions, first, try for a week or two to log your food - everything that goes in your mouth. Then, make an appointment with your surgeon. It has probably been a while since you have been in. Perhaps you need a fill, perhaps the band may have slipped, but he/she can assess what is going on. At that same time, meet with a nutritionist that specializes in the lap band to go over your food diary and see what needs to be modified.

I've seen many banders that after years have "forgotten" some of the rules since it's been so long since they learned them. Sometimes that refresher is all they need. Are you starting your meals with 3-4 ounces of solid Protein, then 1/2 c of veggies? The protein should fill you up. If you are just eating random food, it may not have that effect.

Also, you say you can easily eat 2 cups of food but anymore restriction and you are throwing up. Perhaps when you had "more restriction" it was just too much of a fill. For example, for some people removal or addition of even .1 cc can make the difference. Whereas if you had 1/2 cc extra that may have been way too much for you. On the other hand, some people when they have more restriction state they cannot get anything down. Now if it is liquids, then yes, there is definitely cause for concern. However, some people are at proper restriction/fill and just aren't eating properly (taking bites the size of their pinky nail, waiting a minute between bites, etc.). Now that I have reached the "zone" I have to be very diligent about eating tiny bites, pausing, then next bite, pause, etc... and no liquids for at least 1/2 an hour after meals.

So, sorry for the novel.. I am just concerned that you may be giving up or considering giving up without exhausting or pursuing all the options to continue and be successful with this. It has been a HUGE learning curve for me, but soooo worthwhile.

I wish you the best!!

For me....early on I quit measuring and counting calories....I let the band dictate what my portions sizes are, and I only ate if I was hungry...which was/ is very seldom....

I don't know if I was eating 1, 2 or 3 cups, or perhaps less than 1 cup...sometimes the band tells me not to eat at all.......I don't force it!! if I counted, I'm sure it would have drove me nuts...I don't sweat the small stuff...I look at the big picture which is I eat LESS, WAY LESS than I used to within any given 24 hour period.....

It's my new life style....to eat and live as any other (non obese) person does....I have many friends who are not over weight, and I never see them measuring their food portions or counting calories....What I do see is they choose the best, healthiest foods, and the never over eat, or eat all day long....

Because of the band, I can do that also...could not control myself before, but the band is in control so I can now behave normally again....

My goal was to learn how to "Listen to My Band"....it's going to be my life for here on in, so I better learn it!

The OP speaks about getting stuck...I cannot remeber the last time I got stuck, I have learned to adhere to the band before that happens....I get a warning when to stop, or else!

Of course, for people starting out and have much weight to loose, you have to learn the rules until they become second nature....I can glance at a menu or food choices and know immediatley if they are godd or bad calorie, godd or bad nutritioin, high or low Protein.....or whether or not they are "Band Friendly"

And I won't get into Organic foods, something I am learning every day.......

The band will never stop you from eating food. Its only job is to keep you from being hungry for 4 to 5 hours on a cup of food. You should not be eating 2 cups of food because you are going to not only stretch out your pouch but can also cause your esophagus to dilate and then you will end up with an unfill. You need to be mindful of what you are eating and how much.

Hi Missy' date='

Wow! Thanks for the response. That was a great article. I think I should print it out and read it before meal times.

A part of me feels sad that I never knew the information that Dr. Simpson says even though I have had the band for about 4.5 years. Honestly, I'd love to read an even more scietific explanation on how the band works.

Thanks for the help!

-Hilary[/quote']

Hi Hilary, do a youtube search for professor Paul O'Brien, he has detailed videos explaining exactly how the lapband works. He even shows a cut away stomach showing what happens to the food as we swallow and passes through the band.

The band will never stop you from eating food. Its only job is to keep you from being hungry for 4 to 5 hours on a cup of food. You should not be eating 2 cups of food because you are going to not only stretch out your pouch but can also cause your esophagus to dilate and then you will end up with an unfill. You need to be mindful of what you are eating and how much.

I respect your OPINION, but in my experience, the band DOES stop me from eating (too much) food...I'm living proof!

It is physically impossible for me to over eat......unless I like pain and suffering....

As a characteristic of the Green Zone is "Good Portion Control"

I respect your OPINION, but in my experience, the band DOES stop me from eating (too much) food...I'm living proof!

It is physically impossible for me to over eat......unless I like pain and suffering....

As a characteristic of the Green Zone is "Good Portion Control"

Well B-52 for you that might be true and yes I am uncomfortable when I eat too much however it is not impossible to over eat with the band. You said yourself during one holiday party you grazed constantly and you were miserable. You can over eat with the band if you want too. It might make you miserable but the only thing the band is supposed to do is signal your brain that you are full for 4 to 5 hours as it presses on the nerve. Because the food does not stay in the pouch for more then a minute before digestion occurs. It might take you all day but you can surely eat a ton of food if you wanted too.

I know I am going to get shot down here but I do not believe that 1 cup is relevant.

It used to be the recommendation when it was still believed that the food sat in your pouch for 20 min or more - therefore if you ate more than that you would be too full and get sick. However it has now been discovered that food passes through in approx 1 min.So if you are eating at the correct speed and allowing your food to pass through eating more than a cup of food is NOT going to stretch your pouch.

In Aus we are not normally told to measure in cups , the usual recommendation is to eat of a small(side plate). Approx 1/2 plate should be Protein and the other 1/2 vegies and healthy carbs.

I personally think that the calorie content is far more important than the volume. You could have a salad (leafy veg,tomatoes,cucumber etc) which on its own could fill a cup. It would be very healthy and low in calories but would not be sufficient to fill you up. You could also eat a cup of meat - that would be far higher in calories . Also compare red meat/fish. You can eat a far bigger piece of fish than you can meat for less calories.

Elcee the only reason doctors suggest a cup of food is so that people will not over eat. Even though the pouch empties in a minute if you eat fast you can fill it up to the point of it stretching. Meat is harder to pass through the band and takes longer then a minute and exactly why I do not eat meat often because it is miserable to say the least going down. Most people do not eat slow even with the band. Its just one habit that is hard to break to slow down. You can over eat and cause your pouch to dilate absolutely and that is why so many have to have their bands emptied because of the pouch and esophagus dilating from over eating.

my band and plication helps me (eat less)

(maybe not as some of the posters are saying but i feel it helps me)

and if i wanted to, i could eat way more then my precious cup.

but i make an effort to stop at my allotted amount period.

why do i stop, so i dont stretch or hurt myself.

its common sense.

For me, food does sit in my pouch much longer than 1 minute...can be as long as 15 minutes...I can gauge this by sipping Water after eating and can tell how much food is still there, and when the "Coast is Clear"

I discussed this with my Dr., and he instructed me NOT to drink anything for 30 minutes after eating to ensure all food has passed.

I guess that is why he also instructed me not to eat hours before going to bed...lying flat with food in my pouch....worse yet, being unconscious and lying flat!

I have experienced both, the hard way.....it would not have been a issue for me if food had passed in one minute.....

But the band is adjustable....some tighter than others, more or less restriction, so I can understand other people's first hand experiences.....

Grazing on the other hand, is when I eat one small thing, one bite one swallow...10-15 minutes apart...I can, and have, done this for 8 straight hours.........this is also known as "Eating Around the Band" or just "Cheating" (more info Newbies need to know) Always staying one step ahead of the band.....

Nothing to do with classic meals and portions...The band may tell me how much to eat at any one sitting, but it does not tell me how often, how many sittings.......

However, being in the Green also has another characteristic...and that is "Hunger" control, or in my case, a "lack of interest" in eating at all....I didn't say "Full" as some people experience, just a "No Reason To Eat" feeling......it was explained to me that this is the band telling my brain I am full, BUT I don't feel full....but if my brain thinks I'm full, then I have no interest in eating....complicated, but it's the only way I can explain it from my own feelings and experience....I also can feel this way 24/7, as opposed to a few hours between meals....

Something no one here talks about, and that is due to eating way less than I used to, over time, my regular stomach also shrinks.....so, if I was to eat around the band - graze all day...I will feel terrible by introducing more food in my stomach than it is used to, and I will get a "Good Old Fashioned Tummy Ache"

Super-bowl Sunday is coming up....we are having a big get together....TONS of food and drink....no meals, main courses, just a lot of Snacks of all kinds, all day, and plenty to drink........

I am already planning my strategy for the day....suffice to say I will enjoy myself along with all my skinny friends....not eating any more than they do....just "Normal"

Though others may disagree...I've found that I physically cannot eat more than that 1 cup. I know this because when my husband brings me a plate for a meal, like he did when I recently was initially recovering from foot surgery, the smaller plate was overloaded with the healthy menu items I asked for.

He has no idea what a proper portion looks like, though I have attempted to explain this to him repeatedly. His response to me is to just eat what I want. By the time I approach the 1 cup amount, I am already receiving the subtle signals that I am full, and I listen to those signals.

No matter the philosophy one subscribes to, we still need to accept responsibility for every bit of food we allow ourselves to have. I know that I would feel miserable if I went beyond the amount I'm allowed to have. You have to be self aware to catch those initial subtle signals from your brain telling you that you've eaten enough. By eating at a slower pace, you should be able to identify those signals, and heed them.

IMHO...other's mileage may vary...

Hi Missy,

Wow! Thanks for the response. That was a great article. I think I should print it out and read it before meal times.

A part of me feels sad that I never knew the information that Dr. Simpson says even though I have had the band for about 4.5 years. Honestly, I'd love to read an even more scietific explanation on how the band works.

Thanks for the help!

-Hilary

Hilary,

Sounds like your bariatric surgeon & staff haven't been doing their job, which unfortunately happens quite often.

I wrote a book about how the band works and how to get the most out of it, but I can't figure out how ti distill everything you need to know into something that would fit in a forum post. So right now I'll just mention 3 things.

1. If you are having eating problems (stuck episodes, regurgitation, etc.) a few times a week, your band may be too tight and/or you may need to work on your eating skills (take tiny bites, chew very well, eat slowly, don't drink while you eat, etc.) and on making yourself stop eating when you've had about 1 cup of food. You may want to go on eating at that point, but if you do, you'll risk another eating problem, and those things tend to snowball, and you'll end up with an esophagus and stomach that are so irritated that eventually you could have problems even drinking liquids.

2. The consistency of the food you eat counts for a lot. While it may be easy to eat 2 cups of something like oatmeal, yogurt, mashed potatoes, or thin crunchy stuff like chips and crackers, you'll get the most and the most long-lasting satiety (the sense of having eaten enough food) by eating mostly solid food like animal Protein, non-starchy veggies, and fruits. When eating food like that, you may find that only 1 cup feels like enough.

3. After eating like every meal was Thanksgiving dinner for several decades, it took me a long time to learn how to recognize satiety and how to make myself stop eating. It's important to pay very close attention to how you feel as you eat now. If you wait until you get a Thanksgiving-stuffed feeling, you've overeaten. Everybody's different, but some "soft" stop eating signals include: hiccups, burping (or the urge to burp), sneezing, a fullness at the back of the throat, an urge to clear your throat, pressure (but not pain) in the chest, and right shoulder pain. You may not notice those signals every time you eat, but over time you'll be able to notice and heed them better.

Jean