Ok so here is the deal! I had surgery 10 months ago and have lost all but 13 lbs to get to goal weight. I am really happy with the loss. I haven't lost anything for about 2 months and I am ok with that too. I now know that I will start to lose again when my body is ready! I exercise, drink my Water and eat about 1200 calories a day! That works for me,,,my problem is this :

I get up in the morning and I drink hot tea or coffee. I cannot eat anything at all not even a Protein drink for hours (3 or 4). I use to be able to eat a drink in morning and then some lunch by noon but that has all changed. I now can not even eat in the afternoon unless it is Soup or believe it or not popcorn. I gagged even on the smallest amount of food before night time even Protein drinks are too thick. I slime, pb, gag, foam, and sometimes vomit at least once a day lasting between 15 mins and 2 hours depending on the day,,,not the choice of food or quanity. When I first got the band, I lost the weight without this happening. I could eat oatmeal or Protein Drink for Breakfast, chicken salad and avacado for lunch and a regular meal (albeit small) for dinner. Now all bets are off. I cannot even eat ice cream most days (not evenings)without sliming for a good 20 minutes. I can however eat dinner without pbing most days. I get full at about 1 1/2 to 2 cups at dinner and then that is it for the night! I can eat low cal ice cream too if I choose to. So dinner is under control but the rest of the day and I mean even into 3 or 4 in the afternoon, most days pb, slime etc when I try to eat (6 out of 7 days) . I eat slow, I don't drink and I cant even eat just a small little chucks Carrots etc in soup Soft ones and cause I still slime at the very least. It sometimes is so fierce I vomit a little. So my question is: does this mean I am too tight? or is this what others do to stay thin? I don't think I can live pbing most days and staring into a bathroom toliet in a restaurant while others are enjoying a meal. I am sick of public restroooms let me tell you. I carry around cups and paper towels in my car and run out there if I eat during the day. The weird part is sometimes after I go through all of that, I can eat without a problem the exact thing that caused the pbing an hour before. What is the deal, is this what others do? I am thinking on getting a little taken out. I want to go back to the time when I could eat a small breakfast and chicken salad for lunch. This doesn't feel normal. Advice please. I gave this time, haven't had a fill or anything since Oct 07. Do you all have this issue,,,isn't eating suppose to be ok just little bites and good choices? I am eating soup soup and more soup during the day and that isn't right,,I lost all that weight doing it different. Why is it too tight now when it wasn't before on the same fill amount? Ok thanks for taking the time to read

this and thanks to all who reply. PS: got band in Mexico and now cannot get a response from one coordinator for help so I cannot just run to call the Dr. to ask,,,also, I have had a lot of problems with fills but found a good nurse to do it and haven't had any problems since so I feel like I at least have that going for me.

Susan

I hope that helps you!!! I know I can eat but I am not going overboard! It will be hard for the next month but it is worth it! I can eat toasted bread and drink while I eat so I have to use all my will power to not do this! I am just resting my band for a month and then half goes back in. In the meantime,,,I will watch and count all my calories! :embaressed_smile: I will be relieved when I can put back a little but I never want to go back to where I was again. How will I know is the scary part! I think it is such a fine line it is so hard to know ,,,,The nurse says she took out .8cc and that she will put back in .4cc in a month! I hope that in between is the answer b/c I am pretty open! However, I do fill up and That is a good sign! Good luck to all who are unfilling a little! I feel human again! ;{

Susan

Susan, It's ok to have to use a little willpower, your band will support you. "normal" people use willpower all the time.

My "normal" friends want a dessert or treat sometimes but they just use willpower to say no, with our band, we can be like that, too.

I don;t want to give all the power to my band. I think if we work "with" the band it will make us more success for the long haul.

I know we needed the band, but I think sometimes we don't give ourself enough credit and we think we need the band to do it all.

Of course, it feels like you are eating more than you did before the unfill, you probably are, but now you can make healthier choices.

Just track your calories like you are and you'll be fine and that small refill of .4cc will be there before you know it.

Welcome back to the "human" race!

Thank you Shortgal. I am doing really good! I eat about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of food a meal depending on what i am eating. I am not drinking at meals and I do get FULL. It takes a little more (or lot more since I was starving) then before but I DO get full and my band stops me,,soft stop and hard! I feel great and I have now dropped 2 lbs this week which is a first since 3 months prior. I guess that not eating thing can really stall me! :thumbdown: I am so happy and I am not afraid to eat anymore and I removed the baggies and cups from my car. NOT ONE GAG since unfill and yet I know when to stop! Thank you! I wonder how the others are feeling that have my problem? Write back and let us know how you are doing,,,unfills or ?

Susan

Susan, don't worry about not knowing when things aren't right. You will know. You know you're supposed to eat without a problem if you chew well.

If you start pbing and having food get stuck, that's an immediate problem.

It IS a very fine line between being too tight and just right, but you will know. I was very frustrated when I had fills and unfills, but it's worth it now to be perfect.

I hope that made sense.

Thank you Shortgal. I am doing really good! I eat about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of food a meal depending on what i am eating. I am not drinking at meals and I do get FULL. It takes a little more (or lot more since I was starving) then before but I DO get full and my band stops me,,soft stop and hard! I feel great and I have now dropped 2 lbs this week which is a first since 3 months prior. I guess that not eating thing can really stall me! :wub: I am so happy and I am not afraid to eat anymore and I removed the baggies and cups from my car. NOT ONE GAG since unfill and yet I know when to stop! Thank you! I wonder how the others are feeling that have my problem? Write back and let us know how you are doing,,,unfills or ?

Susan

Sounds like you're in a really good spot now and 2 pounds down already. Funny how we can eat more and lose, right? Our bodies aren't designed to starve ourselves. Be careful when you go back for the refill, be sure you need it.

Thanks for letting us know that you're doing better.

Denise,

Thanks once again,,,you are always there for so many of us! :wub: Yes it is a fine line but now that I am eating and losing I feel so good! I actually can eat in the mornings,,,not a lot and I have to be careful but it was impossible before,,,didn't matter if it was milk or solid. I am still going down on the scale. Last night I ate 1/2 cup wild (kind of crunchy) wild rice Slowly,,,and 3 ozs of filet and a cup of vegetables. All of a sudden I was FULL I was burping and really full so now I know to slow down. IT WORKED!!! I was happy to feel the fullness in the right way! NO gagging is so wonderful! I will keep updates as now I once again feel a part of something,,,I have been really feeling alone to be honest,,,but no more!

Take care

Susan

I too was able to eat this morning. I havn't done that in months. I never had a pb. Everything is going down good, but I need to check the scale tomorrow morning. I ate boiled seafood this weekend, so I didn't want to get on the scale with all that salt...lol. I absolutly feel so much better. My DH was sick of seeing me vomit everytime I would eat. I'm glad everone else is feeling better. As long as the scale goes down I'm staying away from another fill.

That is wonderful news!!!!!!!!!!! I figure the scale hasn't gone down for so long that if I didn't lose it was ok with me at least I wasn't suffering while not losing. I am losing slowly though! :wink: I ate a bunch of salt yesterday and was up a lb but it will go down as soon as the salt gets out of my system. :*( I am so happy for you! Isn't it wonderful to NOT GAG! I can eat more but I know how to control that b/c it is only a little more and then I get full! I know the feeling of full now! Good luck on the scale,,,,yesterday I ate 1500 calories which is 300 above my norm but I have been eating about 1100 a day and not losing and I think it is b/c I exercise daily (burn about 300 calories) and gagging so much my body wasn't going to let it go! I know 1500 is not good but that is just a holiday thing,,,back to 1200 now! I am so happy for you really,,my hubby was so tired of it too he would say why in the heck do you put yourself through this,,,I would get rid of that thing,,,,now he is saying ok now I see how it is SUPPOSED to work! haha My and his last straw was on vaca a few weeks ago and we were in a restaurant and I took a bite (a bite) of vegetable in the early afternoon and it got stuck and I waited for it to go down and then all of a sudden it was like I projected all over my lap tons of slime and it was horrible,,,,I was mortified to say the least..I went out to the car, changed my clothes gagged and slimed for another 30 minutes and cried the whole way home from embarrassment and horror. That was the end for me,,,,now, I go to lunch or eat a holiday meal and I eat slowly, I don't gag and I get full and feel satisfied,,,I am so HAPPY for us both,,,keep me updated!

take care

Susan

I never really kept track of calories but I guess it would be a nice time to start. I don't really think I eat over 1000 a day. I will have to track it for a while. Maybe I am just not eating enough.

I really could not lose any longer on the low calories the way I did in the beginning. Then once I upped the calories a little,,,wham,,losing ,,,,I think my nurse is right...I needed to feed my body a little more healthy! I don't know tho alot of people lose on low amounts,,but I figure if I am on a plateau for a long time something has to change and I know that eating less then 1000 a day isn't normal healthy eating for me so I thought I would do what she suggested and try a little more. It seems to be working but I will keep you posted! I feel so happy to be able to eat but I know that I have to put a little back in after 4 weeks like she said so that I don't start struggling with hunger issues!

The rest is wonderful though!

Good luck to you and let me know what works for you!

hi this is the first time i've been back to LBT.com in a really long time, But I too am having the same difficulties as you all, mostly it's in the afternoon, however, and it only started getting really bad about 3 months after my last fill. Does anyone experience heartburn as well? I now just having started having such severe heartburn. I wake up it with in the mornings, but after a small bowl of cereal/ with 2% milk the heartburn will subside, it does come and go throughout the day, some times it's very slight other times i afraid to even burp for fear fire will shoot out of my mouth!

If I eat very very slowly chew really well I don't have much of a problem eating or gagging and sliming. And could someone please let me know what PBing is, I cannot for the life of me figure that one out.

I am continuing to lose, very slowly and not very much at all lately.

I'm sorry i don't have a ticker

I was

Banded 11-29-06 by

Dr. Milton Owens

i Lost 9 pounds on the pre op diet but when i went in for my surgery, at 4:00am

I had gained it all back!!

I'll admit here that I gained weight for the surgery about 30 lbs, so my insurance would cover, and I've never been sorry for doing that, I have lost 115 pounds, or more, I barely think about my weight any more, as I am so comfortable in my size 8 jeans and my med shirts, and everyone who sees me says i look fantastic, my daughter says that I'm hot! :biggrin:

I've been so resistant to have an unfill, but can not stand this heartburn, sliming and throwing up any-longer, I see the Dr. on Friday but may see if I can see him sooner now. I will be devastated if i had to have the band removed. Can't they just replace it?

I am so desperate for answers can anyone help?

Karenjinsd:

Don't worry so much yet, maybe you only need a slight unfill or some heatburn meds. If you read through the thread, you'll see that people that were too tight and had similar symptoms got a slight unfill and felt better and starting eating "band normal".

Try to see your Dr. sooner if you can, so you don;t have to worry so much, otherwise Friday will be here soon.

Let us know how you make out after seeing the Dr. the information will surely help someone else struggling with a similar problem.

RESTRICTION is wrong. You can lose your band, really mess it up! I understand now. I got some out, now i can eat the healthy stuff and start losing again. These blogs on here about restriction are wrong. I actually gained a pound in 5 weeks, sick alot. miserable ! Listen to the ones that got the fill out! My doctor hates this about restriction on here, it is not healthy and is dangerous to you and your band. You have to be able to eat your meats and healthy food. If you are reaching for chips and bad foods you are toooooooo tight! I had a friend slip, dont do this !

RESTRICTION is wrong. You can lose your band, really mess it up! I understand now. I got some out, now i can eat the healthy stuff and start losing again. These blogs on here about restriction are wrong. I actually gained a pound in 5 weeks, sick alot. miserable ! Listen to the ones that got the fill out! My doctor hates this about restriction on here, it is not healthy and is dangerous to you and your band. You have to be able to eat your meats and healthy food. If you are reaching for chips and bad foods you are toooooooo tight! I had a friend slip, dont do this !

I wouldn't say "restriction" is wrong. That is how the band is meant to work. BUT excess restriction is not a good thing. I agree if your band is so tight that you cannot eat solid Protein, then I would consider that too much.

The problem is there can be a very fine line between proper restriction and too tight restriction, sometimes it's as little at .25cc's. That a small (but huge) difference.

I haven't been banded yet but in reading through the posts on this subject made me think that many people must be getting dehydrated from PBing, sliming, etc. Not getting adequate fluids in should send up a red flag.

Anyway, I happy this topic was brought up because it looks like a lot of people are getting their fills re-checked.