Needs some suggestions please

[Mikee57 699]

Okay today I am 8 weeks out from being banded (3/16/14), I have had one fill of 2 cc's and am trying really hard to stay on track with what I am eating. But I am having some concerns about am I eating too much at one time...because I am not feeling full. I eat Protein first and am trying to slow down how fast I eat (really hard for me though), eat veggies then fruits and trying really hard to stay away from carbs. Have found I have really a hard time with steak, so staying away from it. I don't feel full...but do feel like I get food stuck no matter how much I chew. So if you all could please give me some pointers on how to slow down and some suggestions also as far as exercise goes-since I have had both knee's replaced and they are sore most of the time (I suppose because of my weight still). I have lost 29 lbs so far, but feel I should have lost more by now. HELP!!! Thanks for any ideas or suggestions as to what to do or not do to help me move forward. I know that I probably am expecting way more than I should be in just this short of time, but am concerned-I'm not progressing as well as I should be!!! Thanks again.

[Bandista 7,466]

There are no Shoulds -- 29 lbs is great! The band is designed to dim your appetite and if you're still not feeling that it just means. You haven't gotten to the right adjustment yet. This varies for every one and some people start with some Fluid in the band, etc. Doctors vary on fill strategies. Mine was of the small frequent fills school of thought and it took me six to get there. The good thing about the time it takes to achieve the green zone is the opportunity for working on behavior modification, identifying triggers, etc. For me this was a great time to examine the hunger and what it brought up for me as I had not experienced hunger in so long. At the first sign or at many emotional intervals I'd tamp down that feeling of supposed hunger (or stress or boredom or anxiety, etc) with food. So I'd have a little dialogue with myself to notice more about what was really going on with me. Also I worked on the physical aspects like using small utensils and putting them down between bites, practicing let a minute go by between bites just to get a sense of time and learning not to shovel shovel, measuring into a half cup measure and making it last. Then later this has helped me now that I am tighter and have to listen to my body more and be so mindful as not to get stuck, to chew a lot before swallowing, not drink and eat, etc. Sorry I'm rambling but you get the idea -- you are right on track and doing well. Keep all your followup appointments and you will get there!

[Paigepatches 17]

Hi there, Mikee57. I am only 5 weeks out and have had no fills yet, but I can help you out on the exercise question. I recently tore my hamstring (a long and stupid story:) and so I have been doing chair aerobic videos by Paul Eugene. I found them on youtube! There are short ones of about 10 minutes, and I just did a longer 30 minute session. They are straightforward and do get the heart rate up!! Good luck!

[Mikee57 699]

Thanks so much Bandista...very helpful...will practice that minute intervals between eating.

[Sherlock1969 231]

I have to be extra careful when I get too hungry...then I want to shovel it in and squash that hunger quickly. So I cut my food in VERY small bites. That helps a great deal to keep me on point. I often cut my meat so it is not much bigger than a pea.

I still have not hit the green zone....and I am over a year out. (close but not quite there). All this time I just pretend to be in the green. Fake it til you make it. I imagine my stomach being the size of a fist and I look at food and think that should logistically fill me up. Works sometimes better than others. I make myself wait an hour and then start drinking. If still hungry I will eat something else.

You'll get there!

Exercise....maybe sit in a chair and lift some hand weights until your knees can handle more.

Good luck!

[2muchfun 8,928]

You're losing more than 3.5 lbs per week which is insane if not for the fact that the first 10-15 lbs is just Water. All the literature, every doctor, every experienced lapbander will tell you that if you lose 1-2 lbs per week you're right on track.

Most banders cannot eat steak. It will probably be one of those foods you will have to give up. I can't eat steak unless it's a tenderloin and the bites are the size of a marble. We have tenderloin maybe twice a month. Tenderloin is expensive($17/lb) but can be found in the last day bin($11/lb) in the meat department in small sizes. And since I can only eat 4 ozs of the stuff, it ends up being a bargain.

Hamburger goes down with no problem though. Roast chicken not so much. You're going to find that there are certain foods that will be problematic. Deal with it. That's the way it's going to be. Sucks, but what are you going to do?

Remove the word "FULL" from your vocabulary when it comes to food. If you reach full, you've gone too far. We look for satiety signals that tell us when to stop eating. Signals like, burping, hiccups, sighs, yawns, coughs and the feeling you don't find the food appetizing right now.

Satiety signals can and are usually very subtle signals. They don't jump out and grab you. You must slow down during the meal and look for it. There are some apps for cell phones that time you but that's not what works for me. I have to pay very close attention or I eat past the signal. You will too, so start watching for the signals.

tmf

PS. I have bad knees so I bike about 60 miles a week weather permitting.

Edited March 17, 2014 by 2muchfun

[heather316 72]

Hi, I think beef is very difficult to chew properly, and frankly I think it may be even too early for you to experiment with steaks. You may want to get comfortable with the soft foods first. If you really crave beef then try the meatloaf or Salisbury steak instead. You will need to cut it into very teeny-tiny pieces like a green pea, if you want to eat a beef steak.

I have been also worried for a long time that I ate more than I should have. people have reported that they can only eat one cup of food at a time. However, I could always eat 2 cups of food. As long as they are low calorie options (fruits, vegetables, low fat yogurts etc) you may be just fine. For me when I eat my lunch, (I still finished it very quickly, in 10 min), I have to sit and wait 5-10 minutes - I try to browse the internet or read a newspaper until I feel that my stomach is full. Usually, it takes 10-15 minutes for the signal to go from your stomach to your brain and let you know that you are full. If you can manage to wait 5 minutes between "meal courses" you may eventually feel full at some point.

Edited March 17, 2014 by heather316

[lisacaron 5,075]

Your doing really well, and you got some pretty good advice here. It's not easy to change our lives over night. It took us a life time to get where we were, and it's going to take some time to unlearn all those things and ingrain some new life style habits and choices.

Being banded you now have a tool to help you do just that. Head hunger is a very real thing, and it takes time to understand where those "I'm Hungry!!!" signals are coming from. Sometimes we are bored, so we turn to food, sometimes we are angry, frustrated, happy, sad, or a myriad of other emotions and we may have used food in the past to help medicate those feelings and often times we were not aware of it as we are now that we have had WLS.

I like to have a little conversation with myself when I want to eat outside of my meal times. I do a kind of mental assessment of where I am and how I'm feeling. I don't talk out loud when I do this, at least not all the time

I will ask myself, are you really hungry? Where is that hunger coming from? Is it a body need a below the neck I need to put fuel in the tank or is it coming from something else? Am I bored, or having some other emotion I'm looking to satisfy? Am I thirsty? My answer to thirsty is usually always no, so I drink some Water anyway before I turn to food.

I have had a few friends tell me, well my belly is rumbling I must be hungry. I have learned that being banded a rumbly tummy is not always a sign of hunger at all. Sometimes it's just digestion or gas, it's rarely because I am hungry.

You never want to be "full" when I am "full" it's too much and I feel sick. Now I won't lie there are times I have eaten past my signal because that food was just sooo good. I couldn't leave it on my plate! I always regretted that sick stuffed like it was Thanksgiving overload feeling. Not because I feel guilty about it but because I literally feel sick.

So I watch for a sign that says enough, the band is now in action. Sometimes it's a hiccup, sometimes my nose runs or sniffles, or sometimes it's a sigh. The sign is subtle and if you miss it you can eat a bite or two but by three..I'm at the border of I'm gonna be sick ville.

My best advice is to eat when your truly hungry, and if all questions answered are yes then eat something it's not wrong make it a good choice and eat something. If the answers are no, to any of your questions, wait a bit and have a beverage or a warm coffee or tea and then come back to it. Often times you move on and your good till the next meal.

Eating is not your enemy, learning to make better choices, monitoring your volume of food, intake vs output and learning a new way of living is where the work comes in. You have a great tool to use, and we are all always learning.

Your doing great!

[Mikee57 699]

I want to thank everyone for such good advice...you are all the bestest. I am going to try that Paul Eugene chair aerobics Paigepatches and then work my way up to biking 2muchfun!!! I am thankful for all of you on this site...it has helped me get my head back on right!!! Have a great day everyone!!!

[Paigepatches 17]

Take care, Mikee57! We'll figure all this out together. I'm also so grateful for all the info I've learned on this site.

[Wendy L 8]

Hi, at 8 weeks out, I really still needed help getting down denser Proteins. I could not eat white meat chicken at all.. Only dark (softer, moister) and I nearly always needed help in the form of sauces (light versions) or gravies that I made up. I think it takes a fair bit of time to get the denser proteins down by themselves. But at the end of the day, keep working towards it. They are the absolute best way to get full and stay full.

[Gary John 49]

Well I know that feeling chicken was one of my favorite foods to eat now if i eat any it must always have to be the dark meat, white is out to dry, as far as being full up i think i am starting to undrstand that part. most times when i think i am full i stop eating and wait, most times i find out that i am full and then i stop. if i do not stop i be running to the bathroom and food does not taste the same second time around..