Hi All,
I am a daily lurker, but I have only posted a few timesusually whining about my
failure. I
am writing today with some encouragement for those people who, like me, felt
like a
weight loss surgery failure. I had surgery July 24, 2007 and was only down
between 10
and 15 lbs as of December 31. I went for my 4th fill on December 31 and FINALLY
I
understand what this banding experience is supposed to be like. It has only been
four
days, but so much of the helpful advice I've received is finally starting to
make sense. It is
my hope that by listing the things that had me confused I can save someone else
a lot of
wasted time.
1. Chew, Chew, Chew sounds like good advice but it didn't take on any meaning
for me
until I got enough restriction. In other words, chew, chew, chew isn't about
slowing
yourself down; with restriction, (solid food) will just flat not go down if it
not taken in tiny
bites and chewed to a pulp.
2. Drink plenty of water. Ok, that sounds like good advice and I always try to.
I thought
you meant "Drink plenty of water" in the same way non-bandsters mean it. I had
no idea
that, with restriction, there is no way I could stand over the sink and gulp
down a glass of
water every time I walked through the kitchen. When you said it is a struggle
for you to
get in enough fluids, I thought you were saying that you are just not much of a
drinker
not that you have to sip something every waking moment (except after meals) just
to get
enough fluid in your body to prevent dehydration.
3. Your band is a just tool; you have to work with it. As far as I'm concerned,
a band is a
tool with a low battery until it has enough fluid in it! I'm sure that every
ounce I've lost
(and not gained over the holidays) is due to the band because I could not
physically eat
the oversized meals I used to indulge in anywhere from 1x a week to maybe 6x a
month
on special occasions such as walking into a restaurant. My little tool has been
good for a
few pounds, but I didn't have wls to lose just a few pounds. Yes, if you eat
soft high
calorie foods because they are the only foods that go down easily you are
probably not
using your tool. But, if you can and do eat pretty much whatever you want, your
tool is not
fully charged.
4. Eat protein first, veggies second, and carbohydrates last (if at all, and
only if you have
room). This is because, with a proper fill, your tummy will stay full longer. I
have tried my
best to do this, but without significant results, it was just another diet for
me to fail. Now
that I have restriction, I realize that the eating order is important because it
is the only
way to get enough good food in to run a body.
5. Do not drink for an hour after meals. I stuck to this almost religiously even
though it
made absolutely no difference in my appetite. I was still hungry a couple hours
after
eating, especially if I only ate bandster portions. Now, with restriction, I am
staying full
much longer on tiny amounts of food. If I did drink too soon after eating now,
it would
probably just come back up.
6. Don't eat around the band. I was eating ice cream because I like it, not
because I was
eating around the band. Now that I have restriction, I understand that eating
good food is
hard work and takes time. The minute I take my mind off what I'm doing, I take
too big a
bite or swallow too much air with my water and I pay for it. There is no such
thing as
"eating around the band" if the band isn't tight enough to do its job.
As I said, I have only had good restriction for a few days, so I am no expert
here. I'm not
slamming anyone for their advice (it's all good), I'm trying to reach out to
others like me
who are discouraged and may not understand why this band isn't working for them.
I can
tell you that it is pretty depressing when you've done something as extreme as
lap band
surgery (and paid for it yourself); what else is there left to do except resign
yourself to a
life of pain? I resolved that I was going to try another fill and then, if that
didn't work, go
to my doctor and demand that he start running tests to find out what is wrong
with me. I
just could not accept the fact that all those thousands of people who had
success with the
lap band were that much more disciplined or had that much more willpower than
me.
So, here's my advice to others who may have gotten off to a slow start: Keep
getting fills
until you are sure you understand what it is to have real restriction. I though
that because
I had a hard time drinking water first thing in the morning and I got food stuck
a couple
times the problem must be me and not the band. Wrong! If I had it to do over
again, I
would be back to get a fill once a week until I got it right.
I think there are a number of reasons that I got off to a rocky start. First
off, I had my
surgery in Mexico so I can't just run to the doctor every few weeks. Since I was
self-pay
and lower BMI, Mexico was the right choice for me, but I think aftercare would
be better
with a local doctor and support group. I have been back to Tijuana for fills
twice and I will
be the first to admit that I have not called the doctor's staff for advice
because I hear the
same things I've read in every book, forum etc Chew, chew, chew, Drink enough
water,
Protein first, and so on. I will also be the first to admit that I have not
been 100% good.
But lets get real, if I were getting at least a little bit of help from my band
wouldn't the
encouragement have motivated me to stick to it the plan a little bit better? I
am a good
dieter and exerciser as long as I see progress, but I can't do it alone. My last
two fills were
done by a radiologist in Paris, Texas which is about a four hour drive from my
home. Since
he has a two-week guarantee on fills, I told him I would be back down there
every day
until I had a good fill. Now I may be too tight, but as long as I can get a
little food and
water down I am sticking with it!
So chin up, Strugglers! You are probably one fill away from success!
Congratulations to
everyone who has done well, and here is to the rest of us who will not fail!
Happy New
Year!!!!
Debbie
Sorry, cross-posted to my other lap band groups