Hi folks,

I had my procedure back in May of 07 and am down about 65 or 70 lbs. That may sound good to some of you, but I started at over 500 lbs and should be doing much better.

I need to ask a "stupid" question or two.

1. How much food should I be eating per meal ( 1 cup, 1/2 cup or what?) and should that be making me feel full?

2. I seem to PB a lot, is that normal?

3. I have a 10 cc band and have had 5 cc's worth of fills and get "stuck" a lot now, should I get more fills and just eat soft foods that won't get stuck?

To be totally honest, I'm not happy with the band at all, it's not what I thought it was going to be. If I have to eat like I'm going to Weight Watchers, I should have just done that and saved myself $16,000.00!

We have almost no "support" in the group I'm involved with, our meetings mainly consist of "beauty tips" for women and crap like that. I wish I could find a group of people in southeast Texas that knew what I was going through and could help me with it.

Hammer

hi Hammer,

1 - i dont usually go by volume (cup wise) of food. i eat until i am satisfied - not 'full'

are you logging your food? are you exercising?

2 - how much is "a lot" every week, every day, more than once a day?

until yesterday, i hadn't pb'd in quite awhile (several months). just remember, once you PB, it's a good idea to go to liquids only for the next day or so to let the swelling go down.

remember the bandster rules - Protein first (chew chew chew) then veggies (chew once again) then IF you have room, a little starch/carbs

3 - everyone is different, depends on your stomach size, etc...

good luck!

Please give me an idea of what you eat in an average day.

Thanks,

Hammer

Hi Hammer,

I agree with everything LJM had to say. I live in an area where there is no support group at all---so I understand that part of it! I come here to LBT---I usually get help, understanding and loving support! I have also told everyone in real life, so have people who know--so that too helps.

I don't have a set amount of food I eat at one sitting. I try to plan my meals around what I consider to be healthy. Not 100% Protein, but also not much inthe starchy side of things either! I have never been one to seriously count my calories, etc. I had a goal to be healthy. I try to eat that way, and as much as I love food, I have to try to remember it is actually fuel for my body, and to try to get my enjoyment in life from something besides food!! I do enjoy food still, in a different way. Where before I would have a large steak and baked potato loaded, veggies and bread. I will now buy the best small filet steak I can find---and make a salad. I buy the tastiest salad dressings---I cannot eat a lot of it, so do not use the calories as my deciding factor.

I eat a lot of spicy foods. It makes my palate happy with less food. I get more enjoyment in less bulk. Maybe that is my mind playing tricks--but it works!

As for the PB's---have you seen a pattern in them? Certain foods? Places? Time of day? I found myself getting the golf ball feeling everyday when I would go to lunch with DH---finally decided I was either eating too fast, or not chewing well--or likely both. I have to seriously concentrate in those situations. Try keeping track, and see if a pattern emerges.

Til then, like LJM said, be sure to go back to liquids following a PB, or you are setting yourself up for another due to swelling, and an evil cycle begins sometimes.

And like she said, exercise! Even several short walks a day do amazing things!!!

Good Luck~~

Keep us posted~

Kat

1. How much food should I be eating per meal ( 1 cup, 1/2 cup or what?) and should that be making me feel full?

It all depends on your body. If you can lose with 1 cup of food then that is great. In my case, it takes me 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food to really lose more than 1 lb per week. It is very important if you decide to get

another fill to eat less to have Protein. In my case, I always start the day off with 30 grams of protein in a shake. That way I can then consume another 30 throughout the day. I eat probably 5 small meals a day.

2. I seem to PB a lot, is that normal?

How much is a lot? For me when I am tight it is quite common to PB once daily or every other day.

3. I have a 10 cc band and have had 5 cc's worth of fills and get "stuck" a lot now, should I get more fills and just eat soft foods that won't get stuck?

There are 2 types of tightness per my doctor. Tightness to liquids and tightness to solids. If you are tight to liquids that is not a good thing. If you are tight to solids and don't mind eating softer foods and still lose it is a personal decision on whether or not you should stay there. Also, keep in mind that the folks who have lost a ton of weight fast exercise a lot. Are you mobile enough to do a few minutes on the treadmill?

70 lbs is fantastic. Remember the average weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week. Typically the first year you can lose 50-60% of your excess body weight. 10 lbs a month which you are running puts you at 120 lbs your first year. That is reasonable but you must exercise regularly and have good restriction. I have seen one member on these boards lose 200 lbs in 18 months. JulieNYC is her name . You can find her under plastic surgeries has she has had a few. You may want to send her a private message asking her what her secrets are. she is wonderful and I'm sure it would be very helpful.

Keep the faith. The band does work. For some of us, it just a slower process.

Julie

I don't have a volume amount of food I eat, either. After all, a cup of lettuce and a cup of mac and cheese are quite different.

I do count calories, just so I can't lie to myself about how much I have eaten. I try to stay under 1200 a day, and aim for about 900.

I eat Breakfast religiously; usually it's 1/3 cup of oatmeal, dressed up with frozen blueberries and walnuts cut very small. I sweeten it with some sugar free pancake syrup, and really enjoy it. If I'm in a hurry, I will have a South Beach breakfast bar.

For lunch I have a spinach salad or a lean cuisine. dinner is lean cuisine/smart ones meal or a home cooked meal of 1/2 of a fish fillet or chicken, sometimes a quarter pound ground beef patty, and vegies. I like cooked vegies, while my husband prefers salad. I cut up some broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, yellow peppers, zucchini, or whatever I have, toss the mixture with a little olive oil, and roast it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Seasoned with some seasoning salt or Italian seasoning, this is really yummy. I don't eat potatoes, rice, or Pasta unless it is a special occasion like Christmas dinner.

High calorie liquids are out for me: no fruit juices or sugared drinks. I do have a couple of cups of coffee with creamer and splenda every day, and the rest of the time it is either Crystal Light or Water. I do have Snacks, like a couple Sugar Free Chocolates or a South Beach bar, or a bag of 100 calories popcorn. That's where I really have to watch myself, because I love to eat in the evenings.

If you are pbing a lot, you are either not chewing enough, eating too fast, or are filled too tight. Also, there are some foods I just have trouble with anyway, so I have to stop eating them. I have pb'ed three times since my fill on November 29, and it has been because I have done something stupid every time: grabbed a bite of food on the run and swallowed it without thinking, or overeaten even when I was getting signals I was full or that the particular food wasn't going to go down.

The band doesn't really work for me the way I dreamed it would; it doesn't make me feel satiated the way a big meal would. The word "full" has a different meaning now; now it means a slightly sick feeling that tells me I will be in the bathroom pbing if I don't stop, so I try not to eat so much I am "full." My band also doesn't make me stop snacking more than I should, and of course it doesn't make me choose to eat good nutritious foods instead of junk. I have to do those things on my own, just like before, and sometimes I don't, just like before.

But it does stop me from stuffing myself so fast I don't even realize how much I eat, or from binging like crazy. It cuts down on meal sizes because I am afraid of getting sick. It makes me think about every bite I put in my mouth, because if I don't I will suffer. It makes me get so bored with chewing thoroughly that sometimes I just spit the mouthful of food into the garbage rather than keep working on it. Right now I am satisfied with that.

I definitely wouldn't get another fill if you are pbing and getting stuck a lot. And just eating soft foods is "eating around the band" and not letting it do its job. Try chewing more and taking more time to eat a meal; my daughter sometimes spends an hour or two eating dinner with her band.

You've had more experience with this than I have, so maybe I'm just repeating stuff you already know. Anyway, good luck with your band in the new year, and I hope we both have some success with it.

If you are pbing frequently, I don't believe you should get more fills. And getting more fills but eating softer foods is counterintuitive with the band, because it's designed to restrict solid foods. It might be that you are too tight, if you are watching what you eat and eating solids first and all that. How much do you eat on a given day?

I think your 70 lbs is better than you think it is. That's about 10 lbs a month, which is great, no matter what you started at. I know it's not as fast as you'd like, which is frustrating, but you are doing well