I was banded June 28, 2004. I received my first fill of 1.5cc on Aug. 9. My band holds 4 cc. I am very confused about the way my band is working. Sometimes I take my very first bite of food, chew exceptionally well as always, and I feel like I have a golf ball in my chest that won't go down. It takes me forever to eat a very small amount. Because I have been restricting myself to 4 oz. to 6 oz. of food at a time and counting calories, as my dietician recommends, I am finding this past week that when I come home from work and eat dinner I am suddenly shamefully famished and would binge all at once. The food seems to slide right down into a "bottomless pit" without that "golf ball" feeling in my chest. I can eat endless amounts of food if I don't force myself to stop. I don't know if I need more restriction or what is going on. I am guessing that if I eat faster and stuff myself that maybe the band is forced open by the volume of food and therefore bypasses restriction??? I had been losing about 2 1/2 lbs. a week. I have gained back 2 to 3 lbs. this week. I am having a real hard time maintaining a strict diet. I have been doing so well for two months and never was able to find this type of willpower before. I can not seem to deny myself anymore. The willpower is disappearing quickly. I don't like feeling that constant growling in my stomach. I seem to be feeling painfully hungry every 2 to 2 1/2 hrs. now. A hard sugar free sucking candy seems to help extend my hunger by 1/2 hr. I am drowning in Water. Water doesn't seem to help fill me up when I am really hungry. It just makes me feel uncomfortable. I also don't know what a full pouch is supposed to feel like. Is it that "golf ball" feeling???

Has anyone ever experienced the same phenomenon? Does anyone know the answer to this mystery?

Gail

Leatha,

It's is not "head hunger" that we are experiencing. I can relate to CandyB. The hunger is very real and very painful. I have tried drinking Water to try to extend the hunger but it only makes me more uncomfortable. The stomach growling is so loud that it can be heard by other people around me.

I also can say for me personally that I can't remember eating a hot meal. I actually may wait 3 to 5 munutes in between bites. I chew everything to a fine mush. I do eat the hard Proteins. Not long after I drink my water 90 minutes after a meal the hunger pains come back. I don't dare not to drink, but I feel I would stay satisfied longer if it wasn't for the water.

Gail

Hello Everyone!

I have read of the confusion and advise from everyone and I wanted to say a word. I was banded 9/18/03 (eleven months this week) and I have lost 93 lbs. so I have a bit of experience. I guess I was so miserable before the surgery (326 lbs. the day of surgery) that I was mentally prepared for the restriction.

The inconvenience and the adjustment (which I don't trivialize) are a small price to pay for sitting here in an XL skirt and top. I can walk around pain free and not feel that people are gawking at me. My husband is so proud of me (and is THOROUGHLY enjoying his new slimmer wife). You'd be amazed how you can twist your body around as it slims down.

Anyway, enough of that. The point is....don't get discouraged. It is soooooooooooo worth it. It seems that some of you are not letting the band do what it was designed to do. I don't mean to sound like I never had a problem, but they dim compared to the joy and satisfaction. I have had many of the PB's. When I do, I know that I ate too fast, had too large a bite, or ate too much. It is a matter of physics. The pouch is there and it is our job to police it. It will hold what it will hold. The just right feeling takes a LONG, LONG time or at least it did for me. I did not seem to have a sensation that this feels right until about 10 months. I don't know why it took me so long but nonetheless it did. It was worth the wait.

I am going to have this band for the rest of my life. It is my friend, my tool, and my solution. We have had years and years of bad habits. Those don't change by themselves. We have to replace that crutch (food) with something else......reading, walking, biking, prayer, exercise, a new club, etc., or a combination of all the above.

I just wanted to encourage some of the new folks. I am still learning myself but just as anything else I have accomplished in life, it did not come overnight. To all those feeling bummed out about the adjustment, please give it time and don't panic. Your mind and your body need several months (and it will be different for each one of you) to adjust to eating one slice of pizza instead of the whole one you used to eat. Your body thinks you are starving it and is in survival mode.

As someone said, it is only food. There is more and you do get to eat for the rest of your life. You are stronger than anything you put in your mouth. It is a choice.

God Bless Everyone!!! :rolleyes:

Debra, what a wonderful post! And I agree with absolutely everything you said. Learning how to feel full is really just a matter of time and patience.

I just had an Atkins bar for breakfast, along with my customary two large cups of coffee. Since I'm very tight in the morning it takes me almost the whole ride to work to eat that bar--almost 30 minutes. Then I get to work and read this...and thinking about it I realize that yes, I feel comfortably full and it's not just my pouch that feels that way. It's my stomach, for real!

Candy, this feeling will come for you too. Please don't give up!! I know there have been times when I absolutely wanted something BIG, not to just nibble on a piece of deli turkey and call it a meal. At times like that I go for lentil Soup, or chili, or some high-Protein thing like that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having meals in that vein sometimes; even once a day for a while if necessary. If it gives you the full-tummy feeling you crave then why not? There's nothing that says you have to be miserable all the time. And this process is about learning how to work WITH your band, not feeling tortured all the time.

You WILL find that your band makes it possible to feel full on less food. Given the chance, that will revolutionize the way you eat and feel about food. During that time I think it's important to not get painfully hungry. And it is VERY important that you not be running off to the bathroom several times a week. That way lies damage and problems.

Changing restriction is a challenge, absolutely. So take it slow and try not to challenge your band. I know you've heard the platitudes so I won't repeat them. I'll just add--soup is your friend at times like these.

Thanks, Alex.

I realize that so many folks are new, they feel bombarded by all the change and I want to do a little hand-holding when needed.

I agree. Soup is your friend. The "experts" will tell you that soup will go through your stoma and not make you feel full. However, a good can (or homemade even better) of Campbell's Chunky Sirloin Burger and Vegetable Soup will give you lots of bites, a big bowl full and a lot of satisfaction once in a while. Sometimes, 2 ozs. of chicken and whatever doesn't cut it. Go for the soup or chili at those times. It is not high in calorie and will give you that old sensation of eating the whole bowl full!

By the way, Alex, I have e-mailed you a couple of times regarding changing my user name to just Debra. Can we do that? Thanks.

Keep the faith, Banders. We shall overcome!!

Let me tell those who are interested that I have a therapist. We explore whether I am having "head hunger" or not. When I tell him what I eat, when, circumstances, he is sure that I am not eating out of habit, boredom, or a need to "fill myself up." I don't actually eat all that much, and I am not craving to eat huge portions. That is why I'm losing a little bit. I am not discounting the accomplishment of having lost 29 pounds. (Believe me, just the fact that I don't snore my husband out of bed anymore is a big NSV to me). But 3 or 4 lbs. in 11 weeks? I do need to exercise more, but that does not explain away my main question about the band. My main problem doesn't have to do with rate of weight loss.

The primary thing that is bothering me is that I do not believe the band is working the physical way it is supposed to, and I'm wondering if it ever will. Is it or is it not supposed to keep the food we eat in the pouch for a few hours, and keep us feeling satiated for a few hours? I don't think it is doing that at all. And how do I get to that point? A few days after a very restrictive fill (doctor had to back some saline out after he filled me to 2.5cc. I was closed off at 2.5. So I went from 1.5 to 2.0 at that fill) I could again feel the food passing right through the stoma into the large capacity part. I'm either stuck after a bite or two or I'm completely unrestricted.

I would be perfectly happy to feel satisfied with one slice of pizza. That's the ideal. My problem is being able to eat only a few bites and then having to deal with being stuck. And this problem can happen with any food, tuna salad included. The inconsistency is what is driving me nuts. I never know when I will be able to eat unrestricted (not good), or when my food will get stuck after a few bites (not good). I do include chili and other easy foods just to be able not to deal with being stuck. But I know that I can't do that all the time because the food is just passing through. The guidelines from the surgery center say to eat one cup of food per meal. That doesn't make sense if the pouch supposedly holds no more than half a cup. If properly restricted, how could I eat a whole cup?

If food is getting stuck in the stoma, then I must need more restriction is the way I've been thinking. I want to get to the point where food is staying in the pouch, not passing right through or getting stuck. I have no idea if this is do-able. It should be do-able, correct?

I can't even talk to my sister about this, anymore, and she is my main support person. She is closed to thinking it will ever work the way we were told it works. It has been six months, and I feel as though I may not be able to get it to work the way I am supposed to.

I'm happy for all who are finding success with the band. I hope I can, too.

I have those times as well when it seems like it is inconsistent but I think that is probably a permanent situation. Some days your stomach may be swollen. Hormones may be raging. The weather? Who knows????? I have days when I can eat much more and others when I eat only a little. Perhaps I don't expect as much as some others. I live with a little hunger some days because I know there is a reward for doing so. I am losing weight, I still have my hair, my skin looks good, and I can get around so much better. (My legs are crossed under my desk as I type this!!!!)

My point is this. The pros outweigh (no pun intended) the cons. Most importantly.....give it time.

I have three basis rules:

Drink 64 ozs. of Water DAILY!!!!!!!!!!!

Exercise 3 to 6 times a week.

Listen to my body when eating (and yes, sometimes it whispers).

I currently am at a plateau. (Eleven months this week.) I lose about 1 to 3 lbs. a month. They say it hits everyone around a year. I don't know how long it will last but after having lost 93 lbs. I guess my body needs time to adjust.

I promise it will get better if you drink the water, exercise and let the band do its job.

Chin up!!!

The primary thing that is bothering me is that I do not believe the band is working the physical way it is supposed to, and I'm wondering if it ever will. Is it or is it not supposed to keep the food we eat in the pouch for a few hours, and keep us feeling satiated for a few hours?

Candy, I think you're overthinking this. It is not worth the mental anguish you're experiencing to try to understand the behavior of the band at all times, because it cannot be done. For me, I get hungry sometimes after two hours, sometimes after six hours. It depends on what I ate and what else I am doing. What I concentrate on is not how long I feel full, but rather how little it takes to make me satisfied before I stop eating at a meal.

You say you're eating only a few bites and then feeling stuck. I submit that your "stuck" feeling is, in fact, a signal that you have had enough food for the moment. When food bunches up in the pouch and touches the bottom of the esophagus, the sensation can feel like something is stuck. But it's not, it's just that there is already as much food in there as the pouch can hold at the moment. It really does only take a few bites to fill it up, YES!

Remember, the pouch is emptying all the time that you are eating. Of course you can eat a cup of something, because there is new room being made as food is pushed through the stoma. Soft food will go through faster, but even well-chewed solid food behaves the same way. Also, the pouch is made of stomach muscle, not something rigid with a fixed capacity. It will stretch temporarily and can obviously hold more than a half-cup at a time.

Try to let go of the idea that you have to understand all that is happening at all times. Listen to your body and when you're hungry, EAT. Just eat a tiny bit and see if the hunger pangs don't go away. Why not have a snack two hours after eating? The world won't come to an end, just your hunger. Try to have high-Protein Snacks on hand, like nuts and cheese (modified fat though it is). Really, there's no reason to suffer!

The weight loss will come as you consistently take in fewer calories then you expend; that is a physical truth. So don't worry about it, just relax and go with the flow.

Very well put Alex

I eat until my hunger pains go away and it is true sometimes I am satisfied for longer periods of time then others depending on what I ate. My band is the strangest thing sometimes..there is no way to figure this band out. One day I will have total restriction and the next day none! One day I can eat something and the next day try and eat the same thing and can't. So bazarr..but like Alex said I'm just going with the flow and losing so I'm happy .I can still eat real food and lose weight with no weighing or measuring my foods...what a great feeling!

Hi, it's me again,

I THINK I FOUND THE ANSWER!!!

I called my surgeon's office this morning to get some real answers to this problem. I really do understand that many of us are so new to banding and are very confused because we are expecting our bodies to give us the feedback and the answers we deserve. The answers I got from my surgeon's assistant was that the "stuck" feeling is a very real phenomenon that has come up and they really do not have an answer for it. I was told though that "stuck" by no means means that the pouch is full. I have given this a whole lot of thought and have read everbody's posts on this subject. My theory is that the stomach is a muscle like any other muscle in the body. Sometimes when I start to exercise my muscles feel tight until I work out for a while. Other times I feel no tightness at all. In the evening when I am starved I find that I still chew as well as before but may wait less intervals between bites because I am so hungry and can eat a much larger amount of food than I have ALLOWED myself to eat during the day while at work. I'm more occupied during the day and do not have the time to eat as often and am much too busy trying to concentrate of the amount of Water I have to drink to satisfy the requirements. I do allow my self a couple of multigrain crackers or a heaping tablespoon of low fat peanut in between meals to hold me over. I believe that by dinner time the stomach muscles and esophagus are so lubricated and relaxed by working out all day that food slides down much more easily. I also believe that there is a certain amount of elasticity in the stoma to allow it to hold more food once the muscles are relaxed. As food slides down there is more room in the relaxed stoma for more food.

I also was told by my surgeon's assisant that I will never again get that full feeling I used to get when I knew it was time to push away from the table. At this moment I am throwing away my expensive dietician's menu and my food scale. If 2 oz. of Protein and 2 oz. of carbs means that I am going to still experience hunger, then forget it. I will still eat my Proteins first and healthy carbs after. The only difference is I will stop when my stomach stops growling to the point I feel satisfied. If my stomach talks to me 2 hrs. later, I will give it what it wants until it shuts up (a healthy food choice of course!). As long as I am losing and not gaining more than a few water weight pounds at the end of the month I will be happy.

When I prepared to start all of this I had purchased very small inexpensive containers to portion my food and freeze. So when I get hungry I no longer have to wait until I first prepare a meal. That used to be the time I would snack because the preparation took too long to satisfy me. (I don't always eat what the rest of the family eats or at the same time.) When rushing off to work I grab an already prepared container out of the freezer. I always keep a jar of low fat Peanut Butter and multigrain crackers with me. Until now I have avoided going out to restaurants. I have, however, been to get together's, a barbeque, and a cocktail party. I used good judgment, and because I ate very slow, I finished eating at the same time everyone else did. Everyone just thinks I am dieting. I am not really public about my surgery.

I can not thank everyone enough for trying so hard to help many of us figure out this dilemma and continuously give us your encouragement and support. I would be totally lost without this website.

By the way, did you realize that you will weigh more on the scale after drinking a ton of water than you would before you drank. I realized that it doesn't matter if I hold 16 oz. of water in my body while weighing vs. holding it in my hand. I don't worry about the extra pound because I know it will pass (literally! LOL!)

Love you all,

Gail:laugh

At this moment I am throwing away my expensive dietician's menu and my food scale. If 2 oz. of Protein and 2 oz. of carbs means that I am going to still experience hunger, then forget it. I will still eat my Proteins first and healthy carbs after. The only difference is I will stop when my stomach stops growling to the point I feel satisfied. If my stomach talks to me 2 hrs. later, I will give it what it wants until it shuts up (a healthy food choice of course!). As long as I am losing and not gaining more than a few Water weight pounds at the end of the month I will be happy.

YAY, Gail!! Sounds like a terrifically sensible approach to me. :rolleyes:

To Alexandra and to Gail: What you're saying is conflicting. Alexandra, you're saying that the "stuck" feeling comes from a full pouch where food presses on the bottom of the esophagus. Gail, you're saying that the "stuck" feeling, according to your surgeon's office, in no way indicates fullness in the pouch because sometimes the sensation happens after one or two bites. I don't know what to think! I love you all for trying to help me sort it out or for just giving me encouragement. I am an analytical person, not a faith-based person. That's why I must understand how it works. This band is a physical, scientifically conceived tool. I need to know how it scientifically and medically works. Until I understand it on those terms, I have to keep asking questions. I know I will figure it out to my satisaction. In the meantime, the band is in place, forcing me to deal with it and, hopefully, losing some weight no matter what. Thanks to all who have replied and encouraged me. What wonderful people I have pulling for me!

Ok, Candy, then what about the "stuck" feeling being a clenched esophagus? I freely admit my interpretation could be wrong, and in fact the clenching feeling is a pretty good description of it.

So that's it: The esophagus tightens up in reaction to food that it, for whatever reason, can't move along smoothly and easily. Waiting some time is the only way to get beyond it, whether several minutes or an hour or two will vary depending on the episode.

But I do think that sometimes you may indeed be full and just not realizing it. I know it is really eye-opening sometimes to realize how little of something it takes. pizza, for example. An entire piece is WAY more than I can eat most of the time.

pizza, for example. An entire piece is WAY more than I can eat most of the time.

I can only dream of this!

Pizza is my weakness, along with ice cream.

I still don't feel any restriction, but I'm patiently waiting for my first adjustment.

I haven't tried eating any pizza since my surgery, but i can't wait until the day that I cannot even eat one piece! How wonderful that must be

Pizza was my first 'sliming' experience. Even now, wide open, I will not take a bite of the dough. I'll eat the stuff off the top, but I never want that feeling agian. lol. Aversion therapy works really well with me.

I agree with both Tricia and Leatha!

I love pizza. I used to eat three or four pieces of a large pizza.

Now I only eat the topping off of one slice. But, I am full after that so what difference does it make?

All I need is to not be hungry and to get slim and the band has accomplished that for me with a little help from me. (Almost slim at least.)

Later.!