MTBiker

I was banded in November 2008. I got down to within 15lbs of goal, which was a stretch goal to begin with. I am ok with where I am now, which is still at my most restricted level. Once we reach this point, does the band stay this restricted foreever? I still have a lot of trouble with certain foods, which come back up on me, such as foods that are sour, too spicy, fresh fruit, lettuce along with anything warm. I just wonder if at this point I should ask for the restriction to be reduced, and try to maintain weight, or are we expected to stay at this fill level?

I know what you mean! In my case, I had replaced my original wedding ring, and as I downsized, I tried to make it fit by wrapping wire around the base, and then that didn't cut it anymore. So I started wearing my High School ring. Eventually, even then became big! Now I bought a new cheap ring for a wedding band that is a smaller size than my high school ring was. Go figure.

I started at 2x shirts (mens) and size 44 pants. I am now in L shirts, which I always thought would be my end state, and 36 pants. Now I'm wondering if I could get into Mediums at some point! I just finally dropped into the "overweight" BMI range. I'd really have to be a scrawny guy to get down to "normal" ! The band rules.

I am in a very similar situation. I just crossed over from being obese to just being overweight. I would have to be a small skinny man to ever achieve "normal"! But I have the same pockets of flab and loose skin that you describe. I don't know if it ever will go away, I still have 17 lbs to lose to hit my goal. I too had thought that being young (though I'm in my forties) would mean my skin would snap taught like a rubber band, but that was just wishful thinking. But hey - we look good in clothes now!

Thanks for the tips on the grapefruit juice and Special K water. I've never come close to the 64 oz of water that the 105 lb dietician claims is mandatory for the human species, but I try to get at least 32 in.

Today is my first ONEderful day, seeing the scale start with a 1! This last fill has been difficult, I have days when I can't eat much at all, it seems as if the stomach gets irritated, then nothing you try will work until it gets calmed down again. I can't drink more than about 3 swallows of liquid without feeling stuck. I end up PBing 3-4 time per week. Like most of you, I gave up pop long ago, but now my stomach seems to be rejecting Gatorade G2 or Powerade Zero, anything fruity or sweet seems to cause trouble. That means I'll be down to just drinking plain water all the time. Not very appealing. I have another fill appt tomorrow, I may see if I should have a drop or two removed instead of added. I don't think I could take any more being added.

I had my 5th fill almost 3 weeks ago, and I think I have finally hit what some have called a sweet spot. (6.8cc on a 10cc band). I am definitely limited to around a cup of food at a meal. For lunch today I had the broth of an 8-oz cup of soup, and one ham/cheesse rollup, and I felt full. Of course these days I question whether I am full, or stuck, or not done, or what. If I get too hungry before eating, I seem to have more trouble with the meal than if I had a recent snack. Since this last fill, I have had more days with a PB than days without, so if this is a sweet spot, its not all pleasantville. If I am very very careful I can keep the food down. Sometimes it gets stuck and I try to keep it down, and then hiccups start, and if I bear with it, it will ease up in 1-2 hours. It is generally much more of a relief just to bring the food back up. Even with not keeping much food down, the weight has been reluctant to come off, but I think that's because my body now thinks it is starving and is protecting itself. But I am down overall about 9 lbs in that 3 weeks. So that part is good. I will keep with it, and see what I feel like by the 15th when I'm due for another fill again. Right now it seems like I'd pass on that! I hope the rest of your are hitting your stride and starting to reap the benefits of this tool.

I can't imagine being hungry enough to eat a fish pie, but that's just me.....

I get stuck 2 to 3 times per week, and I am trying to determine what causes that, when other times, I can eat like a horse! For me, I tend to get stuck on chicken and eggs. I also think that engaging in conversation during dinner can also cause me to get stuck. I would like to hear from you all about what food or circumstances cause you to get stuck. Maybe we can learn from one another and modify our behaviors accordingly.

I have had the same issues that many of you have reported, getting stuck and requiring a PB for no apparent reason. Chicken seems to be a common culprit for me, as are scrambled eggs for some reason. My wife also thinks that it happens more often when we have a family dinner and I am engaged in conversation. Perhaps I am not chewing enough or eating slowly. I hope that is it, because that is something I can learn to manage myself. At the same time, my doctor thinks (and I agree) that I am not restricted enough yet, because I can still eat a good sized meal when I don't get stuck. So I will get another fill next week. I'm also going to try to track what I am eating when I do get stuck to look for more patterns. I think I'll make a general post to ask for feedback on what makes people stuck.

Stownsent - I am curious about where you are in this process. It sounds like the band has done well for you, since you have lost 111 pounds, yet you say you don't feel any restriction. Are you saying it used to provide restriction and now it doesn't, or are you saying you lost the 111 pounds without much help from the band? Do you still have a ways to go beyond the 111?

I have had the same questions. What is the difference between getting STUCK and getting FULL? I get stuck fairly often. Sometimes it will pass, sometimes I need to bring it back up (which is surprisingly easy to do). I agree that feeling full like we used to after two pieces of lasagna and garlic bread is not a feeling we'll be having any more. We have to learn to recognize a new feeling where we've eaten enough and better stop. My problem is that I usually recognize that with a mouthful of food that still has to go down! Its all just a learning curve I guess, and until you get some serious restriction, you can't relate. I also find that I get hungry again quicker than I used to. I'm not one to go hungry, so I find a suitable snack to tide me over. I know that starving will never work for me long term, so I don't even bother.

My first 3 fills seemed difficult for the doc, he was poking around many many times trying to find the spot - I'm talking about 20-30 times! I'm glad he numbs me up first! But this last one, he found it it just a few pokes. So perhaps like me, your fills will get easier over time. There's always issues to deal with, just have to take it in stride and move on. There's no alternative. We aren't going back to the way we were!

Every single one of us is in this situation because our bodies are optimized for the storage of fat, and the self protection against starvation. So when we starve ourselves, our bodies go into protection mode, and won't burn anything off. This lasts until we stabilize, or really force the issue by excessive exercise. To me, these plateaus are the time it takes our body to accept the current state of food intake, and then it will relax and let some weight be burned off. I have had the same experiences of eating badly for a day, or having a couple of drinks, and then next couple of days some weight loss occurs. I have heard many times that if we eat too low of an amount, like 1000 calories, then then weight loss is difficult. I wish there was an answer to why our bodies are so tuned for storage, but for now our only recourse is to adjust the intake of calories and output of energy, and the band is a great tool for that.

My doc (also surgeon) said that most people hit a sweet spot around 6-7cc. I am at 6.25 now, and feel decent restriction. But everyone is different, and if you've hit a sweet spot sooner, then good for you, you'll save on office visits! The doctor can only go by what you tell him, and what the scale tells him anyway, so you're the best judge of what you really need. Good for you for remaining in charge of your progress.