I was banded about 3 months ago. I could eat anythng once I started solids, even after the first fill. Then the second fill was so tight I couldn't swallow. I was slightly unfilled and have what I think is restriction. But the problem is I can't eat most healthy foods - like fresh vegetables, salads, fruit. They make me feel miserable til they come up. I CAN eat bad stuff (ice cream, chips...) and some soups. I get so exhausted and discouraged trying to eat healthy that I eat whatever I can when I'm hungry. I am not losing weight. I feel

just as out of control as ever. Is there hope?

If healthy solid foods come back up, you are still too tight.

YOU are still too tight.....if you cannot eat a small salad or some green beans or something then you are still too tight...a tight restriction is not a good restriction if that makes sense....

So I need to ask for a slight unfill? I appreciate this help. I was

beginning to think this was another dead end for me.

Chicken is always agonizing and comes up. Fish sometimes works - espcially oily fish like fresh salmon. Beef is out.

How do hard Proteins work? Like fish, chicken, boiled eggs, tuna??

Are you cutting your bites to the size of a pencil eraser? Then, chew, chew, chew til it's nearly liquid?

Often, with good restriction, things such as salads and some fruits become items we can't eat for awhile. Especially those items that are very fibrous.

Try to focus on your Protein first, then veggies - perhaps something easier to chew, like green Beans, as mentioned. And remember, with restriction, you may become full after 4-8 bites of protein. This is quite all right as long as you listen to the signals and stop. If not, you may find yourself pb'ing very often.

Good luck!

I would ask for a small unfill.......oily fish in my opinion would not be that great...I can eat a small amount of chicken as long as its not dry or overcooked......ummm I am thinking you need a small unfill...but that is just my outlook I am not a doc...how long since your fill? and since the fill have you started feeling looser at all?

chicken is always agaonizing and comes up. Fish sometimes works - espcially oily fish like fresh salmon. Beef is out.

It's very common for beef to be 'out'. Beef is simply too hard to 'chew to goo'. I can eat roast that's cooked to falling apart, but no steak at all. I've heard some bandsters say if they try beef, it's the best cut, like filet mignon, all other cuts are just too fibrous and tough.

I eat lots of chicken, fish and crabcakes, cottage cheese and chili. But if you can't eat hard Proteins, you may need to consider an unfill. The soft food syndrome only slows you down and may contribute to overfilling your pouch.

My fill was four weeks ago. It was imediately too tight so I had a slight

unfill that same day. It loosens up when I find something that goes down, then I can eat a litttle of something I usually can't.

Do you mean I shouldn't be eating oily fish?

WELL...NO I am not saying that but I think oily fish is alot more fat and calories than regular tuna fish was my point......here is an example..I had a fill on Tuesday and I was tight that day when I left the office but I was able to get water down fine....I was on liquids on Tues and Wed and Thursday I could start eating soft mushies again....I had 6 teaspoons of grits that a.m. and I was stuffed....I didnt eat again until that night when I had a small runny scrambled egg...and I was full again...NOT miserable but full..content.....it took me about 10 min to eat that egg for example.....I then had a glass of small (8 oz.) ice tea about 20 minutes later and that was good.....I was content..... Friday I had 1/2 bannana for breakfast...for lunch I had about 8 teaspoons of some broth from some homemade potatoe soup (YUMMY) and then for dinner I had about 6 bites of some angel hair spaghetti....and I was done.....content full good...now everyday I am getting a little looser...so I am TIGHT but NOT miserable tight...can you see the difference? TUES WED even THURS I probably could not have gotten the spaghetti down but everyday I am getting a little looser until by next week I will probably be able to eat a small salad again as long as I chew chew chew.......so I think you are too tight...but that is just my opinion...you may not be...but if you cant eat a "small" healthy so to speak meal then I would think you were too tight...........what did you eat today?

And Letha is soooo right.....beef is a big NO NO...I couldnt POSSIBLY EVER get down any kind of beef down from the day I was banded......even if I chew it to goo it still just wont go down....my rule of thumb is...if I think it could probably get stuck then most likely it will....that is how I judge it....Like Pizza for instance...there is NO way I could eat a slice of regular pizza EVER since my surgery but I can eat two small squares of a thin crust pizza...but I eat slow and chew chew chew...take my time..and DONT ever drink with a meal..that always makes me get stuck....

I drank some coffee in the morning. I tried some gumbo for lunch but it came up after a couple of bites. I had a brownie that went down easily. For dinner I had (tailgating) a small piece of beef (didn't go down), fruit salad (stayed down but made me feel cramped and bad), fritos and dip (went down well).

Late to night when I got home was hungry so I ate low fat ice cream bc I knew I wouldn't have trouble with it.

Yeah...my doc told me that if you find that you can eat chips and salsa or like cheetos that mush up when you eat them then you dont have the right kind of restriction......if you see my history on 4/13 you will see I had to go back and get 2 cc taken out for that very reason...I could eat a hershey candy bar JUST fine..I could eat cheese puffs GREAT no problem but if I tried to eat grits..NOPE...stuck...if I tried to eat mashed potatoes...NOPE stuck....did it make sense? NOPE..lol...but that is the way it was I called my doc and he took some out...I was still tight but a good restriction kind of tight...the way it works for me I get looser everyday a little bit until I eventually need another fill...but I am not sure if it works like that for everyone...

I am thinking that eating a low fat ice cream bar is NOT nutritional see...no Protein (which I UNDERSTAND WHY you did) but if you would have been able to eat say 1/2 small bowl of cottage cheese or something with some protein it probably would have stayed with you longer and then therefore your metabolism wouldnt be shutting down and you would probably start losing better....Please understand I am just giving my opinion based on my experience....would you like to talk on the phone sometime because I would be more than happy to private you my number if you would like to chat?

This information really helps. I'm beginning to belive I may be able to work it out. My NP says it often takes a few months to learn about how the band works. MAybe she's right after all.

It does..its a learning process...trial and error....even with fills...they dont always know how much of a fill will work for everyone...what works for one doesnt always work for another...you are doing fine.......one thing about that band is that it definitly has a mind of its own...lol..and it will do what the heck it wants...lol.....I have learned that..

I agree that you might need an additional tiny unfill. The tiniest increments sometimes make a HUGE difference. When I was first working with restriction/fills at 1. ccs I could eat anything and everything with no problem. Was filled to 1.5 and struggled for 3 weeks, basically ending up on protien drinks and soups....and lost maybe 2 lbs the entire time. Was unfilled to 1.3 and it was perfect! I was able to eat filet, ribeye, roast, all my veggies, etc again with no problem and the weight started coming off again.

Another helpful tip, many bandsters find that drinking something warm before eating helps relax the esophogus and stoma and makes it easier to get solids down issue free. I know it worked for me. I also have a "when in doubt, spit it out" rule.....anything that wont chew down completely (broccoli stems, steak fibers, pieces of ground beef, Jerky fibers, etc) will chew into tough ball, which I dont attempt to swallow. I have learned to discreetly deposit this in my napkin!