post-op overeating

[lost_secret 0]

Well I am 1 month out, I have been doing well, I havent weighed myself in 2 weeks, I decided to only weigh myself at the doctors visits. Up until about 1 week ago I had no hunger pains, the Water and the liquid Protein worked great.

But then I started on Mushies, and now regular food. I am not eating alot but yet I feel it is more than I should be able to. The other day I ate a medium baked potato, when I was almost finished I started to feel the tightness. I ate steak , green Beans and a tablespoon of mac & cheese for supper last night maybe 2 oz of steak and 2 tbs of the green Beans.< /p>

It seems like so much ( much less than before the band) but how much is the right amount. How many calories should I have per day? and how much fat or carbs is too much? I know 60 of Protein that I am good on, as I drink a Liquid Protein with my Water that equals 42 grams of protein, I drink half in the a.m. and half in the p.m.

But I need a # of calories, fats and carbs to work with. I dont want to do this wrong and eat too much or too little as I want it to work.

Any help would be great. I love this site, it has made my journey from my first thought of lapband so much easier.

Thanks

Lost_Secret

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

Most people try to not eat very many carbs, and stick in the 1200 calorie range. There is a post on there you can search for "how many calories do you eat in one day?"

[NoWorry 0]

VERY interesting that you say this, because my surgeon actually told me that the opening was a bit smaller than the size of a half dollar. Now, several people here disagreed with this discussion about stoma sizes / the size of my opening. They said it had to be smaller. I think my surgeon is right – that it’s about the size of a half-dollar. But because of disagreements here (and not wanting to spread misinformation), I purposely said on this thread that the opening was “somewhere between the size of a quarter and a half dollar."

Just visualize 13 cm (the length of the VG band) forming a ring and see how large a ring this forms. Now within this ring is also the circumference of the stomach wall plus the fat that is adhered to the wall of the stomach. The amount of fat adhering to the stomach wall varies from patient to patient. The more fat adhered to the wall, the smaller the stoma in the center of this ring.

Keep in mind that our surgeons both elected to use the VG band instead of the regular band in each of our cases. If the stomach wall thickness is roughly the same (as it is in most people) the only variable factor is the amount of fat adhered to the exterior of the wall. And this varies substantially from one individual to another depending not only on the degree of obesity, but also each individual body's pattern of fat storage.

So, if fat storage around the stomach wall is excessive, the VG band is used. (Before the VG band became available last year, surgeons used to have to scrape this fat away to fit the 10 cm band, which lengthened surgery time and increased recovery time.) And then, the amount of fat trapped within the ring of the band restricts the size of the stoma - which is what determines the size of each individual stoma. The more fat trapped within the ring, the smaller the stoma.

However, Ortiz says that if the amount of adhered fat is so extensive that it will create too small a stoma (and the size of a half dollar is WAY too small for this stage of the process) he would scrape away some of the fat on the stomach wall to ensure a larger stoma.

Now, my surgeon also told me that most patietns have restriction with the initial banding. I think that’s a topic up for debate as well. You say that Dr. Ortiz indicates “most patients will feel little to no restriction following placement of the band.” Yet just the other day, someone here said that Dr. Ortiz is quoted as having said that 70 percent of newly-banded patients have enough restriction NOT to need a fill for 6 months.

I believe that that has to be a typo and should be 6 weeks, not 6 months. This fact is repeated several times in Ortiz's book.

Question - how do you get fat accumulation within the band? Isn't the band empty, until saline is injected? I'm confused.

As above, I'm referring to the fat adhered to the wall of the stomach that is trapped within the ring created by the band, not inside the balloon of the band where the saline goes as you seem to be inferring.

[Elena Rose 0]

I was banded on May 5th (ole') and have last 17lbs so far. I had lost 20 pounds but since moving to solids I have gained some back. My clothes are still fitting better but the rise in numbers on the scale has been depressing. I was weighing my self daily. ( sometimes more than once a day) I know that is not a smart idea, my dietitian has told me to weigh once a week. i have not had a fill yet. I just wonder is a gain normal? I did over indulge at a party. I am not eating alot and sticking to three small meals a day. It is just depressing to be eating so little and still not losing weight. Has anyone had any experience with getting fills for a Mid Band in the US? I just was so excited by the weight loss and really feel like the lady in the original post about failing at this weight loss too.

[jbacher 0]

I am glad to read this thread. I had my lap bad on 3/12/07. I felt no restriction proir to the first fill. at 6 weeks they inserted 1cc more of Fluid. I fill slight restriction at some times. I can still eat anything and also discouraged that i have not felt more restrictions. I sometimes feel things sticking in my throat. does any one know if this is normal? is ti sticking in my throat or is it the restriction in the stomach? i asked the doctor and did not get a straight answer? with another fill will this sticking get worse? is this the result I am looking for?

i would appreciate any feedback:)

Joan

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

Sticking is from not taking small enough bites and not chewing enough. The first little bit of food goes through the band. If it's too big of a bite or not chewed up well enough, it plugs up the band. Then you add food on top of it and it has nowhere to go but back up into the esophagus. That is not restriction. Restriction is where you get full and stay full for several hours but it doesn't hurt the way it does when food is stuck.

It's normal to not lose weight until you have proper restriction.

[Syrah 0]

Quote:

Keep in mind that our surgeons both elected to use the VG band instead of the regular band in each of our cases. … So, if fat storage around the stomach wall is excessive, the VG band is used

But Noworry, that is not necessarily true. My surgeon uses it all the time now because of easier placement and flexibility. The common wisdom used to be that it was for patients with 45 BMI or higher. Mine was 41 (and barely) when I had surgery. To reiterate, some surgeons are routinely using VG now.

I believe I read a post of yours that said you had read Dr. Ortiz’s book and that he seemed to favor this band / would be using it more often. (That was on another board; I did a VG band google search and saw it.)

The person I quoted did in fact say that 70 percent of Dr. Ortiz’s patients need no fill for 6 mos. Perhaps it was a typo on her part.