Yeah, I don't have it.
Holy hell, I'm getting frustrated here.
I have 4.5cc in my 10cc band. That occurred over 2 fills. My 3rd fill is scheduled for June 7th. I've lost 4 lbs since my first fill a little over a month ago.
Do I really need to be "dieting"?
The only thing I pay attention to is my protein and my water. I've done a good job getting my 60g of protein a day and a moderate job of waiting until after I eat to drink my water.
Thus far, in my book, I haven't been dieting. I've been getting my protein in any form, and then more or less eating what I want - after I make sure I have my protein. Do I need to friggin go on WW? If I have to keep track of points, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to poke out someone's eyeball with a fork.
I ask myself if I'm eating too many slider foods, but then I realized, I wouldn't know what a slider is exactly, because I don't think I've ever had restriction on foods that would stick with me.
This is getting so old.
And the really crappy part is that I have no idea how this will ever change. When I go get my fill, my doc fills me up until water feels tight, then backs it off a tenth of a cc or so. Basically, he's supposedly filling me to the point right before water is a problem.
So how is that going to change? Next time I go in, we'll do the same thing, and I'll be in the same boat - not losing.
Perhaps I'm telling him wrong about when the water feels tight? Maybe I have no idea what it really feels like? I wonder if he'd put like 4 more cc's in my band just so I could really feel what it feels like to not be able to get water down comfortably.
I just feel like I'm spinning my wheels here, and I see no light at the end of the tunnel. I have faith in my doc, but I just don't see how anything will be different after more fills.
I'm starting to feel like a failure. I mean, there are some who don't lose with, even with the band . . . .
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I have 5.5 cc in my 10cc band and I didn't really start to feel any restriction until around 5. How much breads, rice, pasta, etc. are you eating? I noticed that when I ate a more of those then I should I wasn't losing any weight. As soon as I cut way back or didn't have any at all I would see a difference the next day on the scale. The first few months are hard because we're trying to find out what true restriction is and I think that some are trying to test their band and seeing exactly how much they can eat. Try to limit your meals to 4-6 ounces at a time and cut out the carbs. Good luck, I know it's hard but you'll find that sweet spot soon!!
ReplyDeleteD&M - I've had pasta once since my surgery in March. I've never had rice. I'm guessing, on average, I may have about 3 slices of bread a week. Perhaps I'm having too many crackers/tortillas? I've been having turkey and cheese on crackers here and there, and last week I made bean burritos (good protein), but that was obviously in tortillas.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, is that too much?
Bandster Hell sucks. The third fill made all the difference for me, so hang in there. When restriction came, the water they had me drink at the fill 'gurgled through' (actually made noises) and I couldn't chug water like normal without it backing up (felt like it was full in the back of my throat and had almost a hurt feeling). If I took one mouthful at a time of water I was fine, but two gulps at a time I couldn't do easily (had to wait a second or two to let the water go through). Make sure you haven't eaten anything within a few hours before your fill and make sure you're well hydrated. Send me a note if I can help with anything. Third time is a charm! ...and DIET is a four letter word!!!!
ReplyDeleteBand Groupie - See, the problem is that my doc wants me to be able to take 2 or 3 gulps of water and be fine. So I don't know that he'll ever fill me to the point of NOT being able to take gulps of water.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm saying, I'm not sure how this will improve, even with more fills.
So frustrating.
My doctor suggested that i cut back on carbs and that it would jump start my losses. he was right. I thought I was eating right, but I was actually getting way to many carbs. Do you track the food you eat? I know it may seem like dieting, but by tracking every day, I have really gotten a sense of the calories I was consuming and what the percentages of fat, protien, sodium and carbs really were. I highly recommend Myfitnesspal.com. It's free and has really helped me. Yes, tracking sucks, but I know that it is what I have to do right now to help me better realize the breakdown of what it is that I eat.
ReplyDeleteI know it's hard not to get frustrated, but you are still early in the process. Hopefully once it kicks in you'll be losing hand over fist. I think you also need to express your concerns to your doctor and ask why he only fills you to the point of being able to gulp water instead of it going down slower.
ReplyDeleteI've never gotten the impression that Dr. K. is looking for us to gulp water. He has me drink water and if it goes down, it is good. For me, he will continue to fill until water "feels different" or "really gurgles" or "doesn't go down". I sip the water in his office. It's hard to gulp the from the little cups he offers. Since we don't want to be restricted from fluids, once the water feels restricted, he backs off the fill a bit so the water goes down freely (not big gulps flowing freely, but reasonable sips).
ReplyDeleteAnd if you don't have restriction, and if you want to lose weight, well, yes, unfortunately you will have to diet (or at least eat like a bandster).
Kim, have you called Paula for a second consultation? What does she have to say? I know for me, when I was in bandster hell with little to no restriction, I counted calories because I wanted to lose weight. I limited my portions to bandster sizes and stayed away from the documented sliders of cracker, chips, etc. Bottom line, I ate like I was restricted.
Adding... I wouldn't have been able to "diet" for 10 months without restriction, but I could do it from month - to - month while waiting for restriction to kick in (and I really have no recollection of what number fill that was). It will come to you though.
ReplyDeleteIts so easy to get frustrated...I have been there! The ticket for me was the 5 cc's. YOu may need an extra little fill to get to the first sweet spot! Stay strong and stay positive...you will get there!
ReplyDeletei don't know that i have much advice to offer on this. i had 3cc's put in at the time of my surgery and then i've had one fill of 1cc since then. so i have a total of 4cc's in my 10cc band. sometimes it seems i can eat whatever i want. then other times (more and more lately) it seems that i get stuck way easy and can't eat much at all. it's really wierd. i've lost 6 pounds since that first fill on april 28 - almost three weeks ago. but my doc seems to do the fills differently than yours. mine does one to one and half cc's each time. usually no more than one and half cc's at each fill. they do have the patient sip water after to make sure it goes down alright but they don't use the water to determine how tight a patient needs to be. i'm sorry i am not of much help.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the band is just a tool to help you lose weight... I have struggled as well with knowing how many calories I'm eating and how much food per portion. I eat very few carbs and mostly protein with a little bit of green veggies. I have kept up losing 3-4 pounds per week since a few weeks beofre my surgery without the restriction and I am hoping that with more restriction I will continue to lose weight at that rate. I have alot more weight to lose than most people so it comes off a little faster but it takes alot of sacrifice to keep losing at a good rate. Try first stopping all white foods... like white breads, rice, and pasta and limit other carbs. You will take your weight loss to 2-3 pounds a week easy just by doing that. You can do it... just take it one day at a time... when you slip up start fresh right away and don't beat yourself up over it. We all struggle with food addictions or we wouldn't be here to begin with. No addictions are cured overnight but I can promise that once you eat protein and stay away from the carbs... You won't crave them... That is the best thing to come out of the strict diet. *Maria*
ReplyDelete