Not sure what is going on

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

well, you didnt get the sleeve, you got the band, so let it work

and you do your part by adhering to eating the allotted amounts, eat good quality foods and exercise...its not magic but it does work..

[lellow 1,713]

I have to admit I read these threads and I get confused, because the band absolutely helps me with Portion Control. In that I feel it 'kick back' when I have had enough and if I don't stop, it will hurt, I might throw up and that's not a good thing.

So I think it's a miscommunication of terms here. The band is supposed to help you feel satisfied faster, and keep you satisfied for longer, but you CAN ignore that and keep eating, and if you're restricted, it MAY hurt you if you try to keep going. You really don't want it to hurt you though, because at that point you're risking damaging the band.

But I'm a slow learner. I hit that point a few times. And what great aversion therapy that was! Even now, eating my mushy scrambled eggs, I've stopped as soon as I got that first sign of the 'soft stop'.

So if it works like it's supposed to, your band will eventually get to the point where you'll feel that 'soft stop' after not much food at all, and it will keep your mind off food for hours after. That's how it worked for me. But I really did have to have those 'YOU'VE EATEN TOO MUCH' kick in the guts episodes too to understand what my band was saying.

BTW I think you need another fill.

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I have to admit I read these threads and I get confused, because the band absolutely helps me with Portion Control. In that I feel it 'kick back' when I have had enough and if I don't stop, it will hurt, I might throw up and that's not a good thing.

So I think it's a miscommunication of terms here. The band is supposed to help you feel satisfied faster, and keep you satisfied for longer, but you CAN ignore that and keep eating, and if you're restricted, it MAY hurt you if you try to keep going. You really don't want it to hurt you though, because at that point you're risking damaging the band.

But I'm a slow learner. I hit that point a few times. And what great aversion therapy that was! Even now, eating my mushy scrambled eggs, I've stopped as soon as I got that first sign of the 'soft stop'.

So if it works like it's supposed to, your band will eventually get to the point where you'll feel that 'soft spot' after not much food at all, and it will keep your mind off food for hours after. That's how it worked for me. But I really did have to have those 'YOU'VE EATEN TOO MUCH' kick in the guts episodes too to understand what my band was saying.

BTW I think you need another fill.

You're totally correct and that's the way it should be. That "soft stop" is what we need to listen to but unfortunately many don't. Even more unfortunate is the fact way too many realize early on it's quite easy to eat around the band and beyond that "soft stop". Making it even harder, foods like Protein will often trigger that soft stop early but slider foods we can eat almost unlimited without any soft stop whatsoever. For instance, if I wanted to eat a gallon of ice cream or a bag of chips, I could easily because they're slider foods.

Not listening to that satisfied soft stop is what leads people to eating too much and getting over-filled expecting the band to physically force them to stop eating. Just looking through these forums you'll find thread after thread of people binging and grazing- despite the fact they're in the Green Zone.

[mrsto 2,925]

I haven't been able to lose a chunk of weight in many years. I should be a stockholder in Weight Watchers Online, because I've cranked my credit card so many times on that site, only to last 5-6 days on the program.....IF that! I've tried any and everything (as most of us have), but could not stick to sh-t.

I'm now 6 1/2 weeks post-op, and I've dropped 19 pounds. When I eat, I focus in on how I'm feeling, and when I KNOW I'm done, I stop. The band is working for me where nothing else has......not in many years. Sure, I've pushed the envelope at bit; ate a few more bites past the soft stop signal. Luckily, I haven't experienced any stuck or sick episodes. But I had this surgery for a reason, and that reason was not to push my way through a procedure that I invested a lot of time, energy (and money) in.

Again, I understand your frustration. There have been days when I wanted to shove the food in with both hands! I want my food, and I want it when "I" want it!! You really have to look at the long term prognosis on any of these surgeries. If your drive is to eat and not exercise any control; if you're looking for a surgery to permanently put you in lockdown, then you will most likely fail with any surgery you choose. But I honestly believe that if and when you change your "mind", you will have success no matter what you choose. I really hope that you find your way with this. It ain't easy!!!

[hely88 883]

Please remember that everyone is different. I know people that haven't had fills and don't have to be as strict on chewing and are losing way faster then me and I know the opposites. Unfortunately we all have to figure out what is right.

[jrockwood 7]

Lello and hely 88, thank you for just giving advice and not telling me I just don't know what I am doing. This site is suppose to be here to motivate and help people not to frustrate them more. Lellos post is exactly what my dr and classes taught me and I needed it put like that to re learn that so thank you.

[hely88 883]

I just want to add that the majority of us did not know when we started this journey what it meant to be satisfied verses full. The only way I have learned is by measuring my food so I know when to stop. It has taken me a very long time to recognize what it feels like. I also am constantly learning what foods satisfy me better then others and what foods trigger head hunger. For me these are mostly processed foods, high sugar or foods with sugar alcohol. It is a mental challenge as well as a physical one. There is no such thing as a miracle cure or an easy fix.

[Lori123 170]

If I can eat anything without chewing really well' date=' which I eat really fast, and don't have stuck episodes but maybe once a week which lasts about 10-20 seconds then I am thinking that I do not have the restriction that I need. Do you believe this is the case that I need another fill?[/quote']

Sounds like you are not in the green zone yet. It may take a little more tweaking with small fills but you will know when you are there. You will have to train yourself to eat much slower. After 50 years of eating one way it was hard to train myself and if I don't pay attention at lunch and begin eating say with friends I can fall back in my old habits . Took six months to tweak my band and my surgeon did it slowly to help me adjust to eating differently .

[catfish87 3,471]

If I can eat anything without chewing really well, which I eat really fast, and don't have stuck episodes but maybe once a week which lasts about 10-20 seconds then I am thinking that I do not have the restriction that I need. Do you believe this is the case that I need another fill?

Thats what it meant for me. You're gonna hear restriction referred to in many diffferent ways....soft stop, don't eat any more or you'll regret it stop, etc. Some folks are better at listening to that soft spot clue. I wasn't. FOR ME, the difference was a small fill. My band does prevent me from that "fast eating" and forces me to "chew well"....NOW. At correct restriction for me. I could measure/portion control on my own for the short term (a few months). Then, the old habits returned...eating too fast, and too much. So for me, a fill did the trick. Now, I MUST slow down, chew more and eat less.....and I learned. You can too, given the correct desire AND adjustments. Best wishes

[teacher208 25]

I understand your frustration: I have an addiction to food! It's how I got fat in the first place! Sometimes I wish my band would go away, and other times I wish it would STOP me from eating.

Dr. Simpson is my doctor, and my best advice to you is weigh and measure your food. If you are eating the appropriate amounts for the band, and you're still hungry within 4-6 hours, discuss a fill with your doctor. Be careful, because a band bring too full is detrimental to your health and weight loss. I've list 70 pounds, but stalled after I started having sticks daily, which led to an unfill.

Good luck to you!

[Ladybandito 516]

Interesting thread. I think everyone is right in their own way, just saying it differently. At the right fill level, I am definitely signaled by my band that I am "full" after eating my measured amount. Not in a big huge way, but I look for it and pay attention to it.

That said, if I CHOSE to wait a few minutes and then keep eating, I most certainly could... Particularly on non-protein foods. AND, if I CHOSE to eat something more in about 2 hours (which I've done, BTW) that is no problem at all. The difference is that the band, at the right fill, can help you from feeling the need to go root in' for food like so many of us used to do. That, with the desire to work with the band, equals success.

You can do this. You'll find your way with your doctor's help. Don't expect too much too soon, remember this is a life change. It does get so much easier.