Did I miss the memo or something. This started on Wednesday when I realized I have only lost 1 pound since my last fill. I only get teeny, tiny fills (0.1 cc or 0.2 cc). I think I have about 4.2 cc in my 10 cc band. Although I have to be careful to chew well, I can eat everything. Absolutely no problems getting anything down and I keep to the 1 to 1.5 cups. And all I think about is food so I thought I should have another teeny, tiny fill. I have a local doctor do my fills, so first I must send a request for a fill to my surgical clinic 5 hours away. They then send my doc the information to "fill" me. I then book an appointment with my doc. Long story short, I received conflicting information from the nurse and the nutritionist which led to a phone call today from the nutritionist (the idiot turd) and this is when all the points in the first paragraph were relayed to me. She implied that I have not been following the low cal diet and maybe, just maybe I had some mental problems. Of course I am completely insane, but what does that have to do with me not losing weight. The F* word slipped out a couple of times in frustration but not directly at her. She doesn't seem to have a clue about the band and eating. Now Gilly goes to the same clinic as I do and maybe she has had better counselling. I just don't think they know much when it comes to their long-distance clients. I told her my biggest fear is that after losing 30% of my excess weight that this was it. She didn't say anything. Does that mean I have spent over $16,000 to lose a measly 10 pounds since surgery! I don't think so. I am so mad, I will lose weight just to spite them. Guess that will show them!So I have decided to listen to all of you because you have much better information. I know when the band is correctly filled, you won't notice hunger. I know this because I have experienced the no hunger for many hours and have forgotten to eat. I just want to be at my "green zone" where the band is controlling my intake and I know I am close. I did forget to eat lunch yesterday until almost 3 pm. I don't want to count calories or write down what I eat. That was for all those diets which never worked. It might work for others but not me!
I other good news, I went to the gym again on Thursday and tried the elliptical. What a workout that is. I meet with the personal trainer on Tuesday and Thursday next week so hope to get a program for weights. I told her I didn't want the nutrition speech which takes an hour and she agreed we could move right into setting up a program for me. Today I did about 2 hours of gardening and finally got most of my plants in the ground. It is supposed to rain all weekend which will give them a good drink. I have upped my protein intake and after about 30 years, tried cottage cheese again. Wow, it is really good, especially when covered with salt and pepper. I also tried turkey bacon and although it is a bit of a chew, it can certainly substitute for bacon when I make waffles in my new waffle maker. Tonight I am alone, but I bought the Alice in Wonderland DVD so will watch it later.
OK, I'm calmer now. It was either blog or have wine. Since I am on a "diet" I'm not supposed to drink. BTW, I go for the fill on Wednesday and talk to my real doc and ask his advice because I trust him. As long as they sent the e-mail telling him it is ok to give me a teeny, tiny fill.
Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend.
25 comments:
Oh you and your F word - I love it. I don't love that you're upset - wish I had some advice. Hopefully the banders will chime in soon - for now - be well my lovely!
How frustrating to get conflicting advice. I would say I'm in the green zone, but I do feel hunger- just not for along time if I eat good protein. I definitely don't diet (that's a bad word for me) so I'm not sure what they're saying to you. Use all the lovely common sense you have and work the band it will work for you without counting calories and dieting. It has for me!
Have a relaxing night with your movie.
I had a semi-similar conversation with the British nurse there on Monday. She told me that since I had only lost 2 lbs in nearly 4 weeks, that, instead of it being that I particularly needed a fill, more that I needed to make better choices, and yeah...it pissed me off. She gave me .2ccs of a fill, even though I told her I swallowed a huge chunk of cucumber and had no problem with it, and I went and got an Italian bun and tried swallowing a hunk to see if I'd have a problem and I didn't. What she seemed to glean from that was that I eat a lot of Italian buns and that I need to stop doing that. I wanted to smack her, I really did.
After I stopped being pissed off, I decided that I WAS going to start measuring my meals again, in the little cup on my countertop. And low and behold, the scale HAS been going down. That said, I've been working out, and today I ate a McDonald's Jr. Chicken sammich...the whole thing. I am clearly not a model bandster. Bandit. Whoever...I am not a model anything. Well maybe I'm a supermodel, but other than that...
Next time, call me if you want to kill them.
holy shmoly...screw that. When the scale stops moving and I can eat more I get a fill. I can feel the food moving through the band faster when it is time (well now i can figure it out...it did take me a while to figure it out)....Sounds like a nutritionist who is still unable to separate patient blame from obesity to me.
i once saw the nurse practitioner for a fill and she gave me some of that crapola too. Thankfully she couldnt poke my port and I have gone back to the surgeon ever since. He listens to me and doesn't give me tooo much flack :)
Im glad they are still going to give you your fill. Get that sucker and show them how wrong they are~!!
What a pain in the arse! I just saw my surgeon for my post op and he said I should have between 800-1200 calories a day. I told him I did not want to count the damn calories but I would pay attention to what and how much I eat. Good luck with your next fill.
Being I have lost 2 lbs.!!!! in the past month (no surprise there I guess) I will go on this "diet" with you. I have my 2nd fill on Mondya and plan on upping the exercise now that I am back to the land of the living.
Good luck to both of us Sandy.....I know we can do it!
Ok. I will be the bad guy here and say it. Technically, some of what she says is true. No matter what we say we are kind of on a diet. We are watching what we are eating and hope to eventually make it a lifestyle, but now while we are trying to lose weight it is technically a diet. You probably would lose faster if you counted calories and did all those "diet" things. In the end it isn't the band that really loses the weight, but us. That is only proven by all the people i have seen lately that "failed" and are starting over.
That being said I COMPLETELY understand not wanting to think of it that way. Counting calories everyday and not having the band do it's job is beyond annoying. As I explained it to my doctor and nurses it is like buying a brand new car and it only works one day of the week and only long enough to get you to work. If that happened to them they would be upset and demand that it be fixed, right???
My suggestion is to play along with them to a degree (sometimes it is the only way to get your way) and maybe they will work with you more. I would maybe count calories one day a week just to prove that you are doing things right - as much as you can without help from the band at least. The thing I have found is that if you don't play along people in power just write you off which isn't right, but it happens all the time from what I can see.
I hope you don't hate me for this comment! I hope you get some restriction soon b/c I can tell you that it does make a difference. It took me 6 months to get there, but it sure is worth it!
WOW they are stingy with the fills. I'm at 5.5 in an 11cc after the second fill. He only gave me .5 last time because I had lost 7 lbs according to his scale since the month previous. But what he doesn't realize is I lost those pounds mostly by sheer willpower! So you are damned if you do and fucking damned if you don't! I've lost a few since the second fill a couple weeks ago but it's been really hard. In fact, I just ate a whole bag of peanut M&M's and had chicken nuggets today and was STARVING two hours after eating my One F'in cup of food. So yeah - I'm a little pissed off and on your team!!! Fill 'er up is what I say!
I am sorry to hear that you get only tiny tiny fills. For me the fills and proper restriction make all the difference. However, for me to lose I need to monitor my caloric deficit.
I had months when i only lost 3 lb... and now that I am really paying attention to every calorie I lose 10+ lb a month.
Do I like doing it? No, of course not... but it helps me to lose faster and in the end it is paying off.
Your starting weight is lower than what I am at right now (after already losing 83 lb) so we cannot really compare our journeys.
My surgeon always stretches on the fact that the band's purpose is to keep us satisfied for approx. 4 hours not to restrict us from eating. I have learned to accept that fact and yes in a way I am dieting... but without any cravings and without hunger, which is a huge plus. Without the band I could never live off 800-1000 calories a day, I would be starving... but the band makes it possible.
I would schedule another meeting and explain that you got the band because you didn't want to deal with the hunger (that comes with low-calorie diets) and that your current fill level does not allow you to consume a minimized amount of calories, that you are hungry and you are only satisfied for a very short time because you don't have proper restriction.
Wishing you best of luck.
What a jackass...the nutritionist, not you doll.
I can't say I've experienced any of that yet and I sure hope I never do but I agree this is not something any of us should have to endure.
I'm with you on the no-diet philosophy but after reading some of your commenters words above, perhaps I'll turn into a convert.
Have fun with Alice tonight.
OK, that sucks balls. Someone should slap these people!!! It makes me SO MAD that they do this to you and others. Yes, the band does keep you full and from being hungry. If it didn't there is NO WAY IN HELL I would have lost 85 lbs. I go crazy when I'm hungry. PERIOD. You need a fill. So does my Gilly.
I hope you get a little closer on Wednesday.
Big HUGS!!
Jen
This post is so helpful and the comments too! Yes, my P.A.'s at my doctor's office said the same thing about dieting. No, I don't think we should be able to eat chips and cookies and lose weight but if I'm eating properly but still hungry and eating more portion-wise than I should (which has always been my problem, quantity not quality) then I think I need a fill. That is where I am now. So i don't know if your nutritionist is on the mark. I think she's assuming you are eating crap. And I could have written Marie's comment about the 'damned if you do and damned if you don't." They see me losing weight and so think I don't need fills but don't realize its my willpower on its last leg. I think that if you are hungry before 3 hours and eating heavy protein, they need to give you a fill. Period. Bottom line? Diets don't work. If they did, we'd have been thin by now.
Also, look at all the model bandsters in the SOB stories! NONE of them count calories and make perfect food choices every day. If they did, they wouldn't be successful. It would be a diet and like all the others in the past, it would fail.
Again, can you eat junk food all day and lose weight? probably not. But asking you to count calories and never ever eat anything that isn't a 'dieters' choice is completely contradictory to the band. Honestly, I bet if the doctor heard them tell you that, they'd be pissed. They wouldn't get new patients! WOuld you have signed up for the band if you were told you have to eat perfectly and count every calorie that goes in your mouth? NO!!! None of us would. Tell the doctor what you are being told and see if they continue to offer that line they are handing you...God. i'm so pissed right now.
Sandy.....
My Doc told me , no need to diet or count calories but to try and make good choices most of the time...also the band is NOT a quick fix , and to measure your progress over 3 or 6 months and not each week......
Say no to calorie counting....
Oh sandy I'm so sorry to hear this, you are always so positive on your blog and especially in your comments to other people! I really hope his works itself out for you soon!
I haven't had any fills yet and for a week did try to just watch what I was eating and not count calories, I didn't feel that I was eating very much at all but end result= gain of just over 9lbs!!! Sat WHAAAT!!! Lol so the next week I decided to count calories so I could really see what I'm eating! I personally dint look at it as a diet, I look at it as trying to re-educate myself, I am not denying myself anything but I am sticking to a max of 1200 calories per day with 30 mins activity each day, and so far it's working! I am eating alot of protein and I am finding I am full up until my next meal, however the week before when I wasn't worrying so much about what I was eating I was hungry all the time, go figure eh?
Sandy I know you can do this honey, you are an inspiration and a wonderful motivator you believe in us and we believe in you!! Better go as I'm in work here but keep up the good work honey xxx
Dr. Ren is my doc and she looked at me all cross eyed when I talked about calorie counts and whatever.
She just said, when the band is adjusted right, the weight comes off.
Also: a truly wise surgeon and practice group will not come down on you for losing slow. A loss is a loss, and that is important to remember.
I guess I am speaking from the slow losing group... and the low start weight group too. My weight IS coming down, but very slow, and I've had fills along the way.
Counting calories is for the birds.
I feel like the "counselors" and nutritionists we see through the process should be people who have had the band themselves. It is so apparent that many of them feel superior to people with weight problems.
Sorry they're doing this tiny fill nonsense, that is maddening! Hang in there, Sandy.
SL, thanks for posting this, because I am very frustrated with a lot of the "rules" that we are given that seem to go against the whole point of the band to me. If I was going to weigh food, count calories, check off water drank in little boxes, then I would have done that. The problem is that that kind of micromanagement of my diet and life doesn't work forever. I want a forever solution. You prove them all wrong and I will too, just like all those successful bandsters out there that we know.
I will say... before I had my lapband surgery my surgeon did tell me that I will still need to "sort of diet". I am actually okay with this.. and was at that time too. They didn't give me any specific diet to follow other then limit alcohol, sweets, fried foods... general bad eating. And stop when I am full... but I do count calories and it has worked beautifully for me. I eat about 1200 calories most days, but my band, when properly filled makes this VERY easy.
The doctor was just trying to make the point to me that without the malobsorption... I would still have to make good choices. This is true... but when I can only eat small amounts, it is easy to keep my calories in check. You certainly need a fill and probably not just a baby one... but you will get there. It took me almost 7 months to get to good restrict.
Now I had a complete unfill and am remembering what it is like to live without my amazing band!
Hugs! Keep on working at it.
I agree with Kristen. Most of the team at my surgeon's office have had WLS of some kind, except for the dietiticians. I feel like they are less judgemental when they have walked in our shoes. DIET is a four letter word, and not a good one. I'm snarling for you if that helps!
We are here to support you!
Wow, this has stimulated some majorly brilliant commemts! I just need to say that first of all listen to them, but ask yourself...are they talking crap? Very possibly! I've found, that even people who know what they are talking about in theory, but have always been thin, and never had a band do tend to talk shit! We do know better in many cases...
I come from the same clinic, and have not had positive experiences with the nutritionist there... I hesitate to write more here but I promise it will happen, restriction will come, hunger will be abated... but it is never easy. Write me an email if you like, angie.cummings@gmail.com and I can tell you my thoughts on working the swlc system!
Man oh man I would be super peed off too....and used the F Bomb too...in my head though...I don't want to diet and tell everyone how I gave them up. I do however try to make good choice that will be nutrionally sound as I eat so much less. I have gotten a little lazy but I still don't eat crap everyday and only if I really feel like it. I think there is a good balance between both. You can do this Sandy but I agree you need a bit of a fill. Hang in there....
Hi Sandy.. well you know I don't like diets either. I am STILL trying to figure things out, BUT this last fill for me is very different. I have true restriction..although the scale is s l o w to respond..
I call my nutritionist the NUT, because I really think she is.. she was the one that told me I shouldn't be taking in more than 900 calories a day.
Hang in there sweetie.. I think your bandster buddies are giving good perspectives..
Yikes, Sandy. I guess you could try picking one or two rules that work for you (the one-cup thing seems consistent among a lot of surgeons) and see how it goes. But once you have more fluid in that band, it will all get much, much easier. They are *really* stingy on your fills. Hang in there.
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