sweetcalichic

I haven't been getting fills in well over a year. I love my new body and reward it by buying nice clothes and doing more things than thinking about food. Its not that I want to eat everything on the cruise, I just want to be comfortable and not get stuck.

That sounds sensible.

Hi Brandon! Hope this helps, I've been banded for two years and will answer your questions from what I have experienced.
A meal consists of small portions. The perfect size meal for me is the amount of food that is in a lean cusine that consits of only 2 items, not the ones that have three items. So, this is the smaller packaged ones that usually come with a meat and a vegtable. Thats to give you and idea of size. As far as chili, hot wings, etc, I can eat a small bowl of chili, maybe a cup, hot wings 2 or 3. How much I can eat depends on what it is and how my band is feeling at the time. If I havent eaten in a long time the band seems tighter and after a few bites of whatever I'm stuffed!
You can gain the weight back by eating the wrong things and the band doesnt do all the work for you. Exercise is still very important. Stop moving and keep eating the wrongs things and the weight will slowly creep back on.
My band wasnt filled with anything at the time of surgery. I had no appeitie for the 1st week while my body was healing. After that, there is a time called "bandster hell". This is before your 1st fill, you have little to know restriction, the hunger is back you basically eat whatever. This time is a testament to your will power. To answer your question, no your band is not tight when you first get it.
A fill is adding liquid to your band, this is when restriction comes into play. It is done by putting a needle into the port and injecting it with saline Water. Some are done under x-ray, mine is but many are just done in the office.
You cant just go to your dr and say, I want to pig out this weekend, take out all the Fluid and I'll be back next week for you to tighten it up. Liquid is usually only taken out when you are extremely too tight, if you cant keep any liquids down inculding your own spit let alone any solid food. I've had two unfills! From my experience I don't know anyone who has reached goal and had all fluid removed. I wouldn't, it would be too easy to gain the weight back.
juice is fine, don't worry about not being able to drink it. I had a problem with carbonation before just recently, I can handle carbonation better. This is something that will depend on your body, its a 50/50 toss up. So, I didn't enjoy a soda for almost two years. Don't worry about alcholol, you'll be just fine. I like to party and club sometimes also
I don't remember puking after surgery just because. Do I puke a lot now? Yes. Sometimes you think a food is going to go down easy but it doesnt, for some reason it gets stuck. It might be something you have eaten a million times but this time the band doesnt like it. I don't like that uncomfortable, stuck, stuffed, I cant breathe feeling and prefer to just throw it up. Sometimes, it just takes getting up and walking a little to get food to move down.
Its a lot to learn and your experience will not be exactly like mine. Hopefully, this will help! Good luck on your journey.