I feel kind of awkward putting this out there. Whenever I go out to eat I tend to throw up my meal. I think because I get excited about the food, sometimes I get anxious about eating. Whatever happens it gets stuck. My mother is convinced when I go to the bathroom I am sticking my finger down my throat. She told me yesterday that she's had it and next time she's going to the bathroom with me..

Can anyone tell me how I can slow down my chewing? IM having a hard time mastering that..

Also, my brother told me I should split the dinner in half and wrap it up that way I am eating less

Also when it is hot I tend to eat it a little too fast

Basically IM asking how does everyone prevent themselves from throwing up

Thanks

When I was first banded I would have Breakfast on my couch watching the morning news and keep my eye on the cable box clock. Also if I ate in the car driving into work, I would take a bite and wait for the next minute to roll over on my car's clock. Same thing for lunch at work, take a bite and wait for a minute to pass on the computer. My dr's office always said you should eat at the table but that's what worked for me.

And your brother is right. If I order something other than an a la carte item, I portion off what I should be eating.

Does this only happen when you go out to eat, or is a common problem all the time?

I use an (free) app on my phone called Eat Slower, it is a timer for your bites. You can set it at any time (I set mine for 1 minute). When I go out to eat I set the app on vibrate and hold my phone on my leg (no one can see). I take a bit, chew it and wait for my phone to vibrate & then I take the next bit. It has really helped me when I'm eating out or eating with a bunch of people that don't know I'm banded.

This is what I do, hope it helps.

Mis-it happens sometimes at home but overwhelmingly out to eat

Mis-it happens sometimes at home but overwhelmingly out to eat

Ajtexas thanks for the hint IM,gonna try it! :-)

Your band could be too tight. I had that issue. If its just a chewing issue..try to wait a minute between bites. I agree with your brother!! I have a really hard time eating out. Try to put the food away that won't fit in your ziplock snack cup. If its out you will be tempted to eat more. I know I would! You are so not alone! I hope you find out what works for you!!

Ajexas gave you great advice! You gotta love smart phones, what did band people do before them?

Would it help if maybe you gave your mom some educational info on the band? So she could read about it and understand it from an unbiased source? Then possibly explain to her how her actions are stressing you out and only making the problem worse.

You also might want to explain you're not vomiting, you're PBing (productive burping), and it's very different than vomiting. You could even go so far as to explain actual vomiting is dangerous for banded people so all the more reason you'd never do that to yourself.

Good luck to you!

At true results they gave me a small lunch bag and a minute sand timer. I would be lost without my timer

What is the lunch bag for? I'm so going to get a sand timer!

Well good for you, they gave me a small nylon lunch bag that says true results on it. I bought a small blue ice to put in it. I would so be lost without my sand timer. I have tried the apps on the phone but its a pain in the tush to keep picking up my phone and resetting it. The timer is just a quck flip over when you swallow your next bite.

Good luck

I use the eat slower app! It's awesome!

My very first vomiting episode ever was eating a salad at a restaurant. I had attempted to eat 2 bites of pancakes. Bad idea. After 2 yrs of routinely vomiting (3-6x a wk), my band had finally had it and slipped a year ago. Its still got a minor slip and doesn't work like it once did.

Advice: eat slower and avoid throwing up. I learned to eat fast in Army basic training. If u didn't eat in 5 mins, u didn't eat. It took over 2 yrs and a slipped band to teach me to slow down. 1 thing u should do is not wait till ur starved, that will speed upur eating. Whatever u have to do to prevent vomiting (while its violent like vomting, its just food like pbing) u have to do. U don't want to slip ur band. I promise u its not a good idea.

Good lcuk to u

Marci