amount of food-before 1st fill?

[Lindypie 1]

Hello bandsters, Just wondering...I too have been reading posts, I just joined yesterday. I am 4 mths post-op. I have not had my first fill yet, I have lost 32lbs. I am concerned about what amount to eat. I try to stick to 1/3-1/2 cup of food per meal,protein usually. On my last visit to my surgeon, last month he told me that I should only have 3-5 baby spoons of food per meal. honestly, I sometimes feel hungry after that amount. I also feel dizzy sometimes with wierd vision blurriness. My dr. says that he wants to wait three more months which will be May or 6 months out for fill. I don't know if I'm eating too much or not. from what I have been reading I don't think I am. Has anyone else been dizzy....or have any insight to my overfeeding my piehole etc. my Dr.'s nurse says that I need a fill and despite my weight loss thus far, they have patients who have lost alot more than me...in the same amount of time. It made me feel bad about my slovenly self :party: lol...Thank to you all for being a sounding board! Linda

[TerriDoodle 6]

3-5 baby spoons per meal??? :party: Is he crazy? A person can't live on that?! Aren't you starving?

Sorry. I am just blown away sometimes by the conservative orders of some surgeons.

If you're dizzy it's probably because of a lack of nutrition, anemia and/or dehydration.

Are you tracking calories? You should at least be getting 800-1200 a day. Don't see how in the world you can get that on 9 babyspoons of food a day.

As for your rate of loss, you are doing wonderfully...you should be averaging 1-2 pounds a week at this stage. Your nurse is irresponsible if she is comparing you to other patients...not cool. Spend a lot of time on this board and look around at what others are going thru. Then talk to your doctor and ask a lot of questions.

[MamaJava 1]

I haven't had my 1st fill yet, and I've recently graduated to soft foods (anything you could eat if you didn't have teeth), so I'm pretty much back to normal. It's weird...I must have a little restriction because I sometimes can't eat more than 1/2 cup of food. Other days, I have to walk away around 1 1/2 cups because I KNOW I could eat more, but I know that I shouldn't. If I am away from home and if I'm not paying attention, then I could easily mess this all up. I swear I honestly forgot I was banded once and I just kept eating...I put away 2 cups and then I was miserable the rest of the night. I learned a lesson.

Normally, however, my body begins getting gassy (burping) around 1 cup of food, so that's my average. That's my signal that I need to walk away or just hurry up and throw away what's left on my plate.

My doc can't get me in before Feb. 18th for my first fill and we both agree it can't come soon enough! LOL I've explained my hunger and he agrees we have to get it under control. Like I said, other days I eat perfectly...and that's around 1 cup or a little less.

That's normal when you don't have restriction. But you have to be careful! I actually was eating some mashed potatoes and baked chicken the other day and was eating too fast (was chewing it up a lot so that wasn't the problem)...and it got stuck. Oh, that was misery for about 30 seconds until I finally sat with my hands above my head and I could literally feel it go through from the top to the bottom of my stomach...so the band is trying to do it's job, I just need that fill!!! I have learned to slow down. It's a HUGE learning process, all this band stuff. :smile:

[lucyb 0]

Hello bandsters, Just wondering...I too have been reading posts, I just joined yesterday. I am 4 mths post-op. I have not had my first fill yet, I have lost 32lbs. I am concerned about what amount to eat. I try to stick to 1/3-1/2 cup of food per meal,protein usually. On my last visit to my surgeon, last month he told me that I should only have 3-5 baby spoons of food per meal. honestly, I sometimes feel hungry after that amount. I also feel dizzy sometimes with wierd vision blurriness. My dr. says that he wants to wait three more months which will be May or 6 months out for fill. I don't know if I'm eating too much or not. from what I have been reading I don't think I am. Has anyone else been dizzy....or have any insight to my overfeeding my piehole etc. my Dr.'s nurse says that I need a fill and despite my weight loss thus far, they have patients who have lost alot more than me...in the same amount of time. It made me feel bad about my slovenly self lol...Thank to you all for being a sounding board! Linda

Linda,

32 pounds in 4 months is great, exactly what we are told we can expect to lose (1-2 pounds a week). It doesn't sound like you are eating too much, and I definitely would not decrease your intake to 3-5 baby spoons a meal if I were you. A baby would get malnourished on that much food. Have you spoken to a nutritionist? As for the dizziness, do you take blood pressure medication? Are you drinking plenty of Water? Do you get at least a few carbs? Your body does need to have some carbs, as long as they are good ones and not sugar. Have you seen your primary care physician lately? What a lousy nurse to make you feel bad about your progress!:huh2:Good luck and I hope you get that dizziness figured out. I would go see my pcp if I were you.

[CindeeT 0]

It sounds to me like your only losing because you're starving yourself. People get the band because traditional weight loss methods have failed for us...tell your doctor that you wouldn't have had the surgery if you didn't need the band to help you and to get you filled. When properly filled you should not feel hungry after small meals that's the point of having the band. You're not utilizing the tool that you've spent good money and pain on!

[MamaJava 1]

I gotta say, Lindypie...where on earth did you get banded?? Your doc kinda sounds like a quack. 3-5 baby spoonfuls is definitely not enough food for you. Before a fill, you still need 1/2 - 1 cup of food per meal! Also, making you wait 3 more months for a fill is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

I would find another doc...NOW.

[shortgal 5]

Making you wait 6 months for a fill is cruel! What kind of bariatric surgeon does that?

If the Dr's practice includes lots of gastric bypass patients, the nurse might be comparing them to you... there is no comparison of the two different surgeries in the first year, especially with regard to speed of weight loss. Next time, you can remind the "friendly" nurse of that!

Perhaps you could find the protocol that your brand of band suggests for fills and print it and bring it to your Dr. I can't believe the manufacturer would suggest a 6 month wait for the first fill!

And then how long in between fills will your DR. wait? Suppose you don't get good restriction on the first fill?

Many times you can locate this online for call the band manufacturer.

Your weight loss is great and you did all that without the band helping you!

[Lindypie 1]

Hi guys, He does alot of bypass as well as the band. I was told that as long I was losing, even on the small amount of food that he would post-pone the fill! Today however, I ate the filling of an entire burrito! I was starving...I shocked myself!...I am also doing pilates everyday, especially now that I am recovering from a fracture of my r foot and break on my l ankle! I must admit that I haven't lost but 1 pound in these last 5 weeks! Today was the most I've eaten in one sitting! I usually stick to 1/3-1/2c per meal.....i am really feeling so depressed...I can't seem to enjoy my small success. This forum is the only place that I don't feel so alone1 thanks to all of you! Linda

[AlisaH 1]

My fill isn't scheduled until mid-March and I was banded on 1/9. The issue with my surgeon is that he is SO busy that scheduling is a nightmare and they have to work with the local hospital for radiology so they can do a floroscopy to locate the port so there are a lot of logistics involved too sometimes!

I totally agree that that tiny amount of food won't do it and you are probably risking a binge if your body gets too run down so eat some more, mushies, of course, and eat more protein!

Hang in there!