In the last 4 years I've been making the effort to be more in tune with my body. I remember it started with seeing my weight hit 317 and cry all the way home from the doctor's office so angry with myself because I'd promised I'd never let myself get so heavy. I've never been slim, but I certainly didn't want to get so heavy. So, my body was telling me I was getting heavy because something was wrong or I wasn't doing something right.
Even at that weight I was going to the gym and doing martial arts. So, despite my level of activity I was unable to really lose anything. I told myself that eventually my efforts will pay off, that I just had to adjust.
When I'd go to eat (because it was time to eat) I'd stop myself and focus on my stomach. I'd ask myself questions like "Am I actually hungry or bored?", "Is my stomach growling?", "How long since I last ate?", "How long until dinner?".
Next level became...ok, so when I eat ________, I fell _______ afterwards. I slowly began to cut our beef and greasy foods because I felt sick after. Several months later, jaundiced and going into liver and kidney failure with acute pancreatitis, it was discovered I had a gall stone blockage of the cystic duct blocking the ability of my gall bladder to empty contents into the common bile duct. It had swollen to twice the normal diameter and was ready to rupture. I had the gall stone cut out in hospital via an endoscopic procedure down my throat into my stomach and up to release the stone. A few months after that swelling went down my gall bladder was removed.
If there was one thing that experience taught me it was how little food I need to actually function. For the longest time (around 3 months) I subsisted on 2 Arizona green teas and a meal (or two if I could swing it) about half the size of my palm each day...just before my hospitalization I couldn't keep down water. It was chicken noodle soup that sent me in.
It was easier to say no to fast food when the result during my gall bladder attacks would result in immediate nausea at the smell of grease...however now, I've gained some of that weight back because it's not as strong a 'stop signal' and I justify it as a cheat day (that becomes a cheat week).
I'm going for the lap-band surgery, I'm hoping that tool will be similar to artificially creating the gall bladder attacks or reactions to over consumption of food, or at the very least...when I go to ask my stomach "are we really hungry right now or is it just boredom?" the response will be "we're good, now let's go out for a walk".
What is my stomach telling me now pre-op?
- too much milk is bad...cheese tastes SO good, but I will hate you and make you feel very uncomfortable with pressure similar to having a rock in your abdomen for hours afterwards.
- too much caffeine will give you diarrhea...a can of cola OR a medium coffee a day. No more...and certainly NOT both. Same goes for foods cooked in too much oil.
- bread will keep you up at night, or at the very least cause you to wake up several times in the night. Eat gluten-free dinners and be well rested.
Anyone experience any of the above sensitivities? I'm curious whether these will get worse or better after I get banded.
interesting Qs! i suspect [notice that i'm not sure AT ALL!!!] that the dairy issue is probably related to your gall bladder - or maybe to a cranky pancreas [nothing serious, i think, but check with your doc if you're concerned]. And some people can't have caffeine at all for a variety of reasons. I have a cardiac arrhythmia and can't have caffeine [which i'm not happy about, but i gotta stay away from it].
too much fat bothers a lot of people - especially those without gall bladders. but i also have issues with it with the bypass. and i think folks with lapband also watch their fat consumption as well.
and we ALL have to be careful of our carb intake - and gluten is part of that.
so, i guess what i'm saying is that we all pretty much have similar issues - different degrees, different 'triggers', but we all have something ogin on here!
The band can be tricky, depending on the individual. I've heard/read of people who get the band and do not lose their feeling of hunger (since none of the stomach is actually removed - it's all still in there, being empty and pumping out ghrelin, the "hunger hormone"), yet they can only eat such small amounts at a time that they get very frustrated with never truly feeling satisfied. Not everyone, of course - some other folks report losing most of their hunger (one thought being that the band actually presses against a nerve that can signal that the stomach is full), but it's on an individual basis.
Personally, since my surgery, I've not had any food intolerances. I do sometimes get gassy from too many starchy carbs, but that's it. I never had any food intolerances pre-op, either. Sometimes, I wonder if having a stomach of steel is part of what contributed to my obesity!
Since being officially banded on the 5th of April I haven't been hungry. I've noticed head hunger creeping in though. I'm not too sure how I'll combat that. I just keep trying to get in touch with my stomach to see if it's growling or if it's only thirst. So far so good
oh jozzie - that's SUCH an important lesson - the difference between hunger and thirst. congratulations! keep an eye out for signs that you need to eat - for me, it was lightheadedness.
Congrats on being banded Head hunger is tough, no matter who you are or what surgery you've had head hunger always seems to creep back in... I've always said I wish they made a band for the brain lol
Today I got my phone call from the company that banded me to do their 5 day check up. I was encouraged to sign up for their education courses on kickstarting weightloss and fill-osophy classes. I told them my mother had informed me I had a full band on surgery day which I assumed wasn't true. She said it was true in that they filled it to test it, but they only filled the band with 5.5cc using their computer software to determine how close to my "sweetspot" they could get. So, as a bonus, on surgery day I had my first fill. I suppose that helps out in the long run with the dietary restrictions I have now. I already noticed a huge difference in portion satisfaction.
As for the head hunger I was looking through other forums and reflecting about how I could no longer justify indulging in the all you can eat buffets. Just as well, I need to reprogram my mind anyway. By listening to what my body actually tells me, and tuning in, I have found I'm much more satisfied. I do find that I crave things, but I figure that once I start on solids it will pass. My surgeon told me he doesn't care what I eat as long as I limit the amount. I could have whatever I wanted for every meal all week if I wanted to. Eventually I'd get sick of it anyway. He'd never tell me not to have something because that instantly makes his patients desire what they can't have. So, he says as long as I stick to portions I can have what I want, but my weight won't go down like it would have if I had stuck to the plan. I think that was some pretty good advice because when I think about the times where I've had the same thing over and over, it was a long time before I thought of having it again.
your surgeon sounds like quite the realist! he knows what people want, and how powerful food, eating, tasting can be. and you can make the choice on a minute-by-minute basis. follow the program that he knows will give you the best possible outcome, or eat what you want and be satisfied with whatever happens. neither view is WRONG, but it involves decisions every step of the way. just like everything else in this world!
So I started the pureed food stage...and immediately I became nauseated. Does anyone know of any tips or tricks to reduce the nausea. Normally I'd turn to ginger ale or crackers, but I can't have carbonation or solids. Any tips would really help out.
try a saltine. crackers actually sort of melt in your mouth, so it's hard to consider that one or two of them would constitute a real 'solid'. after all, you have to chew it to death.
Good news. Nausea is passing. I had some flat ginger ale and congee (rice porridge) that got me threw the days of nausea. I even went to the walk in to ask for stronger anti-nauseants. My doctor is following me closely to make sure that I'm healing well. I have an appointment with him in another couple of weeks to make sure I'm doing okay.
I didn't expect this surgery to expect my mood as much as it has. I'm on anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medication now. I feel a bit better, but it takes time for the medication to work and will only keep my mood improved as long as I take it so I'm glad that I had this option. I've been looking for counselling related to weight-loss and other aspects in my life, but there wasn't anyone able to fit my schedule. The doctor gave me some options to consider that might work aside from medication because I don't like having to depend on substances to moderate my mood, but in a fix it works I suppose. I'm hoping the rest of my recovery and adaptation to the banded life goes better than my start seems to have gone.
Jozzie - so glad you've found an answer [i LOVE congee, BTW, but it's very carb-y, so be careful].
please remember that you're losing weight quite fast [16 pounds in about 3 weeks!], and that alone can affect your mood - there's a physical aspect to depression as well as a 'brain' aspect.
Listening to my body
your surgeon sounds like quite the realist! he knows what people want, and how powerful food, eating, tasting can be. and you can make the choice on a minute-by-minute basis. follow the program that he knows will give you the best possible outcome, or eat what you want and be satisfied with whatever happens. neither view is WRONG, but it involves decisions every step of the way. just like everything else in this world!
