Bandsters without restriction....

How many ounces do you usually eat in a meal?
Are you measuring your food?

Honestly, I wish I could be the same as I am in the morning throughout the day. So, just had lunch and I was able to put away a 9 ounce lean cuisine and a cheese stick. I ate slow, but I was just ravenous! I never get that pain everyone describes, so I obviously just stopped after that....

Just when I was thinking I felt better :-(! Has anyone gone over 8 hours? I can't believe how hungry I was

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BANDED ON OCTOBER 21!!!!! Start:231/Weight at Surgery: 214/Current: 158/Goal:145
5.8 ccs (after 5 fills) in a 10 cc band

Try making and cooking your own meals. Most convenience meals tend to be sliders. They have very little solid protein in them and seem to consist mainly of carbs. I think the only reason they are lean is because they have nothing in them - sometimes you are lucky if you find three small pieces of meat!

If you make meals yourself ensuring that you have some good quality, solid protein (meat,chicken etc) then it is likely to fill you up for a lot longer.

Also remember that you won't feel full in the way you did prebanding. What you are aiming for now is to stop eating when you are no longer hungry.

HTH

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Banded 2 June 2009.

Thread Starter

Thanks for the quick response! Honestly, today was the first day in a month that I didn't bring lunch in (usually bring some left over chicken or make chicken salad)--I didn't even think about that! I'm hoping that is what it is!!

I was thinking this morning that maybe I shouldn't go for a fill because I want to be able to swallow liquids and stuff, but I know I need one. I stay full for 3-4 hours, but even though I'm eating much smaller portions than I did pre-band, they exceed 6 ounces.

Counting down to the 25th!!!!!!!

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BANDED ON OCTOBER 21!!!!! Start:231/Weight at Surgery: 214/Current: 158/Goal:145
5.8 ccs (after 5 fills) in a 10 cc band

Before my band slipped and I had the revision surgery I could eat in the morning and be good for 6 to 8 hours. now until I get back in to the green zone. I am in trouble for sure. I go back in for yet another fill Wed. But it is all good I just need to get there again. not a big deal.

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Banded 12/31/08 fills many: 8.5cc's
unfilled 12/26/09
band Slip 1/6/2010
Fill Jan 19 2010 5cc's
Fill Jan 26 2010 2cc's
Fill Feb 3 2010 1cc's
Fill Feb 10 2010 1cc's
Fill Feb 15 2010 1cc's
Fill March 2 10 1cc's

Hey,
Before this past Friday (the 5th) when I got the 3rd fill, I could eat ANYTHING!!! I never felt full, never had that pain or restriction everyone talked about. I posted on my month's board and asked them what was going on and everyone told me that until the 3rd or 4th (sometimes even the 5th) fill you really don't have restriction. The only reason I even knew I had a band was because if I didn't chew well enough I could feel it go through "hard" but otherwise, unless I conciously made an effort to NOT eat the way I did before surgery I could have packed away ALOT! I was honestly starting to feel like the band was not going to work but I just kept forging ahead, having faith that eventually I would feel it, I would know what that restriction felt like and sure enough, on Friday I tried to drink a muscle milk and could only get about 1/2 of it down before feeling very full.....even today I am struggling to eat solids and I might eat 1/2 a cup at a time and maybe every 4 or 5 hours. Before the fill I was hungry every 2 hours and could eat as much as I wanted. So anyway, No I don't measure per say, I probably should, but I see the DRASTIC reduction in amounts of food I can eat. I'm hoping this was the right fill....I have 4.5 cc's in a 10 cc band.....so we'll see. I'm scheduled to see my doctor on March 23rd again but if I still feel this way, I won't need another fill. YAY!!! It will happen I promise!! But I definitely know the frustration you feel right now!

So to give you an idea of what I ate today so far....

4oz Greek Yogurt for breakfast

about 3-4oz of Tuna mixed with light Mayo on about 4 crackers for Lunch

I am going to try to eat a grilled chicken salad tonight for dinner but I am doubtful that I will get more than 4 or 5 bites of it down!

AND I have NOT been hungry at all today. I actually need to increase my protein somehow...I'm struggling with meeting that number since my fill.

Before the 3rd fill.....

1 cup of cereal with skim milk AND a yogurt for breakfast

A sandwich with 4 oz of meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato, and some kind of fruit

4-5oz protein, 1/2-1 cup of veggies and 1/2 cup of starch (potatoes, rice, whatever)

Plus I would snack on crackers or fruit or something throughout the day!

Hang in there girl! It will get better!!!

xoxo

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Melissa
Banded 9/17/09
Starting Weight 246
Current Weight 219
Goal Weight 155 (ish)

I am in the same boat! I got my second fill yesterday and have NO restriction. I ate an entire can of chili for lunch! This is nuts! I really appreciate hearing about your restriction (Melspage). It helps a lot. We, who have no restriction, need to keep on hearin' this! I can't wait until I can only eat 1/2 the can of chili as the serving suggests. And I know I'll be hungry before dinner. How can this be? I just had an entire 2ccs added to my band yesterday. And I've felt nothing, nada, zip!!!

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Illuminationlady


"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." Vincent van Gough

Psyc Eval 10/6/09, Seminar 10/10/09, Approved 10/20/09, Preop Appointment 12/3/09
Surgery Date 12/22/09 First Fill 1/22/10 3ccs 2/8/10 2 ccs, 2/26/10 1 cc 3/8/10 ,4/5/10 doctor draws out 5.4 and adds .5 ccs total is 5.9 in 10cc band

OMG Melspage! Totally understand what you just explained. I got a fill yesterday so today was the first time i could eat something. For breakfast i normally eat 1 packet of instant oatmeal and today i could only eat half of it. And for lunch i ate 3/4 cup of Chilli @ 12:30 and i'm still full and don't think i'll be able to eat dinner. I think i really ate to much. I don't have any pains but i feel stuffed. lol

I think maybe just maybe i'm at my sweet spot. I have 5cc in a 10cc band. I go back to the Dr on March 8th and hopefully i will have lost a few pounds at least cause i haven't lost any in 2.5 months. Not gaining either.
Good luch everyone your time will come it may take time but it will happen just ahng in there.

Tracie

Thread Starter

LOL illuminationlady! I thought by now all of you want to just tell me to shut the hell up about my having no restriction. Glad I made at least one person feel better

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BANDED ON OCTOBER 21!!!!! Start:231/Weight at Surgery: 214/Current: 158/Goal:145
5.8 ccs (after 5 fills) in a 10 cc band

Thread Starter

Melissa thank you SO much! Your post (and illuminationlady's) were just what I needed right now. I'm all beating myself up over here for doing such a great job sticking to the 5 day pouch test then I turn around and have such a big lunch. 2 weeks isn't that long. I can do it, I can do it! THANK YOU for your post!!! I can't tell you how much better it made me feel

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BANDED ON OCTOBER 21!!!!! Start:231/Weight at Surgery: 214/Current: 158/Goal:145
5.8 ccs (after 5 fills) in a 10 cc band

Keep on bitchin'!! I'm with ya sister!!! We're all in this together...lol

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Illuminationlady


"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." Vincent van Gough

Psyc Eval 10/6/09, Seminar 10/10/09, Approved 10/20/09, Preop Appointment 12/3/09
Surgery Date 12/22/09 First Fill 1/22/10 3ccs 2/8/10 2 ccs, 2/26/10 1 cc 3/8/10 ,4/5/10 doctor draws out 5.4 and adds .5 ccs total is 5.9 in 10cc band

I'm confused because it seems like you ate a reasonable amount for the band before, with this new menu you're going to get in like 500 cal for the whole day!

Is that how it is supposed to be?

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Banded 12/24/09
on my 5th fill: 5 ccs in 10 cc band





Talk to me on AIM!
screen name: piisssssoff

oh sorry, to answer the question, I don't have any restriction yet and I have only had more than 4 ounces 2 times. (they were both worth it haha) and in those cases I ate about 6

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Banded 12/24/09
on my 5th fill: 5 ccs in 10 cc band





Talk to me on AIM!
screen name: piisssssoff

Himow I would have to agree. Mels diet before was a lot closer to what my dietician recommends than it is now. The point of the band is not to starve oneself - you should still be able to eat a good variety of healthy foods in small but not miniscule portions.

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Banded 2 June 2009.

I'll ditto what Mel said. Before my last fill I was still able to eat almost as much as I could before banding. My last fill 5 days ago brought me up to 8.5cc and I think (knock on wood) I may have hit the sweet spot.

I was so sick of protein shakes for breakfast that I decided to try my old standby of a scrambled egg and toast this morning. It took me about 25 minutes but I got the whole egg down and about half a piece of extremely thin toast. Lunch was the other half of my leftover toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter spread over it. Dinner ended up being 3/4 cup of beef stew (sans the gravy) that had beef, carrots and potatoes in it. I did have my usual low cal, low carb protein shakes mid-meal and will have another this evening just to keep my calories and protein to a reasonable level.

I haven't been hungry or craving even once in the last 5 days. Well, ok...I was craving to bake but not necessarily because I wanted to eat it (see my post 'snow day').

Hang in there ladies. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

.

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Hey,
My diet before restriction wasn't AWFUL by any means....the doctor was happy with it, the dietician was pleased for the most part but trust me when I say that "menu" was on a good day!......on my BAD days, I would get take out or hit the drive thru after work and had NO problems packing it in! It was crazy! I was able to eat anytime I wanted and felt nothing! :) I am absolutely NOT trying to starve now. I'm not hungry like I was before restriction, and yes, I am trying to up my calories, by about 400 or 500 but I think because I just had the fill on Friday, there may still be some swelling which is keeping me from getting in enough. So I guess my point was just that a week and a half ago NOTHING was off limits and now....I am sooooo much more aware of that full feeling and I have to be sooooo much more careful to avoid throwing up! :( Does that make sense???

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Melissa
Banded 9/17/09
Starting Weight 246
Current Weight 219
Goal Weight 155 (ish)