Honest Answers Needed on Restriction

tym2findme · 07-26-2009, 12:02 AM

I was banded 15 months ago and have had 4 fills. The only time I have actually had "restriction" was after fill # 3 and I couldn't eat much of anything without throwing it up, most of the time. My diet consists of yogurt, soup and cheese. Once in a great while for no reason in particular, I can eat a piece of meat if I cut it into tiny pieces, but then I'm right back to throwing up everything I eat. Of course, the exception was when I experimented with my biggest weaknesses, buttered popcorn or onion rings, somehow those stayed down just fine! :) Then I went in for my 4th fill and they told me I should have come in much sooner because I hadn't lost much weight.

I guess I just want to know what the majority of people who have lost a lot of weight with the LAP-BAND®, consider "restriction". Is it basically not being able to eat much of anything? And, if so, why aren't people just saying that? Or, is my experience just an anomaly, and restriction to everybody else is just not being hungry and having a

lot of self control? Thanks!

RestlessMonkey · 07-26-2009, 12:15 AM

I've lost the majority of my weight since 5/7 when I FINALLY hit my sweet spot. I will be dead honest with you. I can eat any single thing. I know, because I've tried. I can eat pizza. I can eat white bread. I can eat steak. I can eat chinese. I can eat macaroni and cheese.

I can eat about 1 cup of "whatever" and then am done. If I PB it is because I didn 't chew well. I do not cut my food into tiny bites. I eat bites about 1/2 to 2/3 of what I used to. I chew each bite about 40 times. (I don't count each time...just occasionally because I'm curious by nature!) By then if it isn't mushy I spit it out (don't mean to be gross, just honest. Sometimes steak has gristle that won't chew up, or sometimes chicken skin is too gooey)
I feel great. I eat out, I eat what my husband eats. Tonight I had baked fish and squash with parmesan cheese. It was really good. I find that if I choose more dense foods like steak, I stay full up to 6 hours. If I have something like a bean burrito (and I can eat about 1/2 of one) I get hungry sooner. SO...I usually choose things like the fish, or steak or chicken. BUT I can and do splurge sometimes.
Some foods are "slider" foods (for me cookies, nuts, chips) so I try to avoid them usually because they dont' keep me full long enough and cost too many calories. I can have them if I want, though.

I think you may need to review the mechanics. Are you getting 64 oz of WATER each day? Are you chewing well and taking small bites? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you are too tight. Get a SLIGHT unfill. try again.

It took me a good deal of tinkering to get where I am. For some, 1 cup is still too much, but I'm happy where I am right now. I can eat anything, I get full quickly, I feel great. I can always tighten up when my loss stops. But the life you describe isn't one, IMHO. The band isn't supposed to force you to exist on yogurt soup and cheese.

My doc said his goal was for us to be able to eat ANYTHING but eat less of it, and lose. He said some patients have trouble with white bread or stringy red meat or dry chicken, but most can eat anything. I'm the poster child for that. Your life would depress me. I don't think it's what you signed on for; get your surgeon and the nutritionist to help you. You've suffered long enough, I'd think!

suepro · 07-26-2009, 03:36 AM

I have lost my weight whilst eating 3 small meals and two snacks a day. I started off my pre op diet in august 08 at 260lbs, got banded 6 November 08 and am now 154lbs.

To me restriction is being able to eat a small portion of most foods, although there are some foods I stay away from, including bread. Sometimes foods don't go down well.

I did have a horrible 10 days after my 3rd fill where I could only tolerate liquids and mushy foods and I went straight back for a small defill . I find I lose more weight by eating lean meat and fish and vegetables than I do eating shakes and sloppy food.

You must have restriction if you can only eat soup and yoghurt so maybe a small unfill would sort matters out. In any case, I would discuss with my dietician or bariatric team.

Sue

dfav3412 · 07-26-2009, 07:02 AM

You should see your bariatrics team immediately and often. You shouldn't be going thru that but then again your bariatrics coordinator doesn't know you are going thru this. It's very important that you eat healthy proteins, vegetables, etc because this is the lifestyle you signed up for when you got your band. And you don't want to throw up as this can cause your band to slip. Please, please see your bariatrics team. I can eat most anything but only small amounts. It's going on 2 years and I am almost at my goal weight. As of this morning I am down 109 lbs with 11 lbs to go. I love my band and want you to love yours to and be sucessful. Good luck.

crzytchr · 07-26-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tym2findme

I guess I just want to know what the majority of people who have lost a lot of weight with the LAP-BAND®, consider "restriction". Is it basically not being able to eat much of anything? And, if so, why aren't people just saying that? Or, is my experience just an anomaly, and restriction to everybody else is just not being hungry and having a

lot of self control? Thanks!

To answer your question: restriction for me, is being satisfied (full, really) with about 1/3 or less of what I ate pre-banding. Example: we went to Cracker Barrel and I ate 1 biscuit, an egg, and maybe 1/4 c of mashed potatoes. I promise before being banded I ate a minimum of 3 of those yummy biscuits before my meal even arrived. Then I would eat most of my meal. Last night we went to I HOP and I had 1 pancake and half of a 2 egg and cheese omelet. I used to order the 3 eggs, 3 pancake meal with a side of toast and finish it.

I take smaller bites, but not really tiny ones, and I chew well before swallowing. This means I don't really like people to talk while I am eating, because then I tend to swallow to answer them before I am really finished chewing. I eat most foods that I love, including pizza. I even eat ice cream when I feel like it, which is around once a week. I was banded a year ago and I have lost 80lbs.

I have only had two fills and each one was only 1cc.

It sounds like when you got your third fill you became too tight. Please consider going to have a little taken out if you aren't able to eat healthy foods without getting sick.

Libbyjane1976 · 07-27-2009, 01:37 PM

[QUOTE=RestlessMonkey;1282577]I've lost the majority of my weight since 5/7 when I FINALLY hit my sweet spot. I will be dead honest with you. I can eat any single thing. I know, because I've tried. I can eat pizza. I can eat white bread. I can eat steak. I can eat chinese. I can eat macaroni and cheese.

I can eat about 1 cup of "whatever" and then am done. If I PB it is because I didn 't chew well. I do not cut my food into tiny bites. I eat bites about 1/2 to 2/3 of what I used to. I chew each bite about 40 times. (I don't count each time...just occasionally because I'm curious by nature!) By then if it isn't mushy I spit it out (don't mean to be gross, just honest. Sometimes steak has gristle that won't chew up, or sometimes chicken skin is too gooey)
I feel great. I eat out, I eat what my husband eats. Tonight I had baked fish and squash with parmesan cheese. It was really good. I find that if I choose more dense foods like steak, I stay full up to 6 hours. If I have something like a bean burrito (and I can eat about 1/2 of one) I get hungry sooner. SO...I usually choose things like the fish, or steak or chicken. BUT I can and do splurge sometimes.
Some foods are "slider" foods (for me cookies, nuts, chips) so I try to avoid them usually because they dont' keep me full long enough and cost too many calories. I can have them if I want, though.

Restless Monkey I'm right there with you as far as food goes. Except the only thing I am having a hard time with is rotisserie chicken and my doctor said that would be the easiest thing. huh! crazy how our bands work. for me the dryer my chicken is the better.

RestlessMonkey · 07-27-2009, 01:44 PM

[QUOTE=Libbyjane1976;1283706
Restless Monkey I'm right there with you as far as food goes. Except the only thing I am having a hard time with is rotisserie chicken and my doctor said that would be the easiest thing. huh! crazy how our bands work. for me the dryer my chicken is the better.[/QUOTE]

Isn't that weird? My steak has to be really well done. Good for me I like it that way but if it's even just medium well it's hard for me to swallow it! :)

Good thing I don't like tripe! :)

It's a real trip!

tym2findme · 07-28-2009, 09:39 PM

Wow! I can't believe it, but it may have just been a "basics" thing! Since I posted and read the reply about getting back to basics and chewing food, I have been really making an effort to chew and chew, and that seems to have helped. I haven't had a lot of opportunity to really test that, but I made BBQ'd Bratwurst for my husband with the green beans from my garden that I threw up pre-post, and some rice, and I was able to eat it! Granted, I only ate about 1/4 of a sausage and about 5 big beans cut up, but it went down!

We'll see if that does it. If not, I will have to go back for a slight unfill, but seriously, that would be AWFUL because I'm finally losing weight.

I'm so grateful for a website like this to be able to speak to others who know what it's like to be the way we looked/felt before, making the decision to do something like this, and then life afterward. - Thanks

RestlessMonkey · 07-29-2009, 01:48 AM

tym2findme
I hope it works for you! Just remember you're supposed to be able to eat a variety of food, not just yogurt and soup. When something happens that you can't, check your basics. If you are still following "the rules" and can't eat, you need to see your doc!
AND hydration really helps keep the band "even"...64 oz of water each day! Hope it keeps working for you!

lindasqd51 · 07-30-2009, 05:02 AM

My problem is lack of restriction. I've got a 12cc band with a max fill of 10 cc. So, far after 3 fills--I'm at 9cc. I don't have restriction yet. I see my doc on the 12th. I'm very careful about small bites and chewing so I don't get use to no restriction.

aliwatt · 08-04-2009, 09:07 PM

It is funny I was having a hard time with my third fill a month ago but there was a post above about drinking your waater and when I started doing that I am now being able to eat very small meals where before I was just sliming/PBing on anything I ate whether it was soft or a piece of steak. I have lost 25 pounds since June 17th. I don't know if it was the water that made such a big deal or my band has gotten looser with all the weight I have lost. I know I feel really good.

NCLisa · 08-05-2009, 12:25 AM

I'm on my 3rd fill, and am miserable for at least 2 weeks after each fill. By day 4, I can barely get liquids down. It seems that I swell so bad after each fill, it takes several weeks to heal. Even my abdomen swells after a fill. And I have first bite syndrome, when I can finally eat again. I had a fill last week, and am now at the totally miserable stage. So far today I've been able to have 1 large bottle of ISOPure, 2 bottles of water, 3.5 ounces of tuna, 4 spoonfuls of organic split pea soup, and that is it. I'm trying for another 1/2 bottle of water before bed.

I thought I was going to either passout or heave in pilates today. I think I turned green I felt so bad. I don't want to get an "unfill" because again, it won't help as it is the swelling that is causing this. I wish I knew why the fills are so hard on my body!

tym2findme · 08-06-2009, 10:14 PM

I started chewing more and that helped, but your post about drinking the water is AMAZING! I started really working at getting that water down and IT DOES make a difference on being able to eat! I don't know how it works or why it makes it easier to keep food down, but it sure does work! Thanks so much for all of your answers

RestlessMonkey · 08-06-2009, 10:19 PM

I'm SO GLAD! Love my surgeon and his patience at answering ALL My questions! I know it doesn't do the trick for everyone but it helps a LOT of people!

I know my band is the same AM and PM. I am sure that's partly a benefit of my age (post menopause thank goodness so no hormone fluctuations LOL) but also because I start the day with 16 oz of water (before my coffee usually!) and keep it up! :)

It's wonderful that helped you too!