Greetings from the land of retching, gagging and sliming. I've had three episodes in the last couple of days, and it's getting old fast.
I can't tell if I'm too tight, or if I'm just not being careful enough. On one hand, if I didn't eat or drink anything ever I definitely wouldn't throw up. On the other hand, maybe I just haven't gotten serious enough about tiny bites, 30 seconds in between each bite (thanks for that reminder, V), etc.
Oh blah, I don't know. This is so wearying sometimes, it makes me crazy. I'm at 208.2, and as of today I've lost 57.3 pounds in the 17 months since my surgery. These are not impressive numbers, and I'm frustrated. I'm clearly doing this wrong. People lose double this amount in their first year!
This morning I was hungry and heading to the gym, so I took three tiny - TINY - bites of a Zone bar while I was helping to pack up my boys for tonight's big Cub Scout campout. Those bites didn't go down and it took forever to get it all out - I wrapped it up throwing up into a bag in the gym parking lot, was late for my exercise class and ended up just doing 40 minutes on the elliptical.
The other night I got sick on turkey chili that I blended and thinned with chicken stock. I mean, COME ON. Really?
Before this latest fill of 0.1 cc's, I felt like I was eating wayyy too much. This time I feel like I can't eat very much and I hate hate HATE all these vomiting episodes. But we're talking about a difference of 0.1 cc's here. Minuscule.
Obviously there needs to be a behavioral component involved, but shouldn't there be a happy middle ground? I just can't figure this out. And now I'm swollen from getting sick this morning so I'm afraid of eating.
Oh Kristin...my heart feels for you.. I can only share my personal experience but don't know if that would be helpful to you.. but I will try.
ReplyDeleteI went through a period of non stop Pb'ing, and it really came down to the fact that I did not chew well and basically was eating food that has turned out to be not band friendly.
I have a very boring diet now: but I am able to eat it, not PB and lose weight.
I have an EAS protein shake 20g
I have coffee (it tends to make it easier to eat when warm liquids go down first)
I have yogurt with granola
I have lentil soup
Baby bell light cheese
ZOne bars, but it takes me a while to consume one. I take very tiny bites
I can eat a very small portion of salad
Humus on very thin crackers (That I chew incredibly well or I will PB them).
I have no bread, no pasta.
If I have steak it is ony two small pieces.
I try to get all of my protein from my EAS shakes and/or protein smoothies.. every thing else is basically a tasting experience after that.
Now this might not be the right way to do it.. but this is what has worked for me.
I have two or three pieces of chocolate a day so I don't go postal.. but absolutely no desserts or ice cream .. I do drink wine and beer.
I wish I could give you more insight.. sometimes getting your pouch to shrink a bit might help with portion control.. but you might want to try doing protein smoothies as your base for getting your protein in and then supplement with small bites of everything else.. again, I am not an expert on this. just sharing what has worked for me. Hugs sweetie
It sounds like you are too tight. You should be getting the majority your protein from solid sources. Eating with the band should not be an exercise in torture. You may be in a cycle where your last fill irritated your stomach and each pb further irritates it keeping it swollen & tight. It happened to me and I ended up slipping my band. Please at least consider talking to your Dr about what is going on.
ReplyDeleteYour progress is just that, your progress, you can't compare it to anyone elses. The scale is going down, albeit slowly, but it is going the right way! Keep up the good work!
You know, some days go great for me.....other days I end up throwing up. Like last night. I know for me, it is because I eat too damn fast and take too big of a bite. I call myself an idiot more than once a day. Hope you feel better soon. Barbara's diet sounds great to me.....I may try it!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat and for me, I really think I am STILL taking bites that are too big. I called the NP this week for an unfill and she told me to take the weekend and go back to basics, but keep to liquids and mushies only. So far, so good. The only time I have been stuck is last night on the phone with my sister. I was eating guacamole (no crackers/chips, blended until it was almost whipped) and thoughtlessly licked the spoon.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you uncover the secret- I'm needing it badly!
I go through the same thing and blame it 100% on "user use"...not eating slowly, not taking small bites, not chewing my food enough before swallowing.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had advise for you...maybe some of the veterans will do right by you.
Kristin, I love you. You are TOO TIGHT. And you know this. Nobody has to tell you, because you are super smart and you know it. Unfill, sweetie, before you hurt yourself. You know I worry.
ReplyDeleteThe secret is this: get your unfill, then eat your 1 cup of mostly protein, and then don't eat anything else until you feel a rumbly in your tumbly. Rinse, repeat. That is the secret. I can't actually DO it anymore myself...but I'm working on it. It does work though.
I hate thinking of you in so much discomfort. I hope you feel better, sweetness. xo
I have similar issues at times when I eat too fast, don't chew enough and drink while I eat. I don't know what to tell you, but, the pros have me convinced I am not too tight, and that it is a user error, as indicated above.
ReplyDeleteIf you are uncomfortable after following the rules for a couple of days, I would probably go for a slight unfill. No one wants trouble with the band, and you have done so well, I know you will get to where you want to be once you get over this uncomfortable phase.
Good luck with your decision, and know I am thinking of you!!
Sounds like you could have irritated the band and you could be swollen, maybe try liquads for a day or too, then if when you stick to the band rules, it is still happening, you just may need to get a little unfill.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, I hope it settles down for you soon.
I think you are too tight also Kristin. When I was having a lot of my problems with being ok and than BAM! tightness, I could not understand why the "band" would get tight after being ok for a while. My doctor said that the band "settles" to some extent. The fat around the stomach where the band is melts, you did a fill to adjust for that and than the band also can "slip" a little and settles a hair further down and this is what makes it tighten up.
ReplyDeleteA slight unfill is all you need and than go back to basics, follow the rules to a T. Or, you can be like me and get a total unfill 2 x which is now leading to band removal and getting VSG next Friday!
I agree you're too tight. I know it sucks to toggle between feeling no restriction and then not being able to eat. That's the thing that sucks with the band...the guessing game. Hope things get better for you soon.
ReplyDelete