I had my surgery on December 7th and had my first fill on January 5th. 4cc's in an 11cc band. The first day I was on liquids and mushie food and I felt some restriction, even if it was only in my mind, but since then... NOTHING. I have read about people getting food "stuck" and not being able to take another bite and on and on, but I have never had that feeling. Once I am full, I do notice that I stay fuller longer than I did pre-band, but I don't have a problem eating ANYTHING. Bread, shrimp, beef, whatever I want. Is it too early for me to be in search of my "sweet spot" and what exactly IS IT?:cursing:

Happy Me -- yes, it is way too early for you to be thinking about being in your sweet spot.

I was banded April 2009 --- and still have LIMITED restriction. And I am definitely NOT in any sweet spot yet.

Hang in there -- you will need to use your will power for quite a while -- depending on your surgeons comfort level with fill amounts (mine is conservative).

hang in there -- good luck!

Thank you for your reply... I will continue to be patient. It seems like my surgeon is more liberal with fills since I got my first one 4 weeks post op and he put 4cc's in at that time. I go back February 2nd for another fill and depending on how much he puts in at that time, I guess I should start to see my band working soon there after. I was thinking fiil=restriction (automatically)... NOT!

And you may not feel that much after your second fill either. Be patient grasshopper... it will come.

I have just started this week to get some restriction and I had my surgery in mid-October. Yeah, the slow start is a bit of a let down after the inital weight loss from the pre-op diet, but that's just the way it is. Pretty much everybody says the same thing: rush the fills and all you end up with is a complete unfill after puking your guts out.

And you may not feel that much after your second fill either. Be patient grasshopper... it will come.

I have just started this week to get some restriction and I had my surgery in mid-October. Yeah, the slow start is a bit of a let down after the inital weight loss from the pre-op diet, but that's just the way it is. Pretty much everybody says the same thing: rush the fills and all you end up with is a complete unfill after puking your guts out.

Thank you and you're right, I know it will come. I guess I need to stop comparing others progress with mine and if I could manage to stay OFF the scale every freakin' day, that might help too! :smile2:

Hang in there. It will work eventually. I have read on this forum people saying it took up to 5 fills. I had my second fill yesterday. I will know if it is causing restriction when I get to solid food again. I have to admit I didn't realize so much hunger would be occuring once banded. However I am following the nutitionist guidelines and am pleased with the rate of weight reduction.

Hang in there. It will work eventually. I have read on this forum people saying it took up to 5 fills. I had my second fill yesterday. I will know if it is causing restriction when I get to solid food again. I have to admit I didn't realize so much hunger would be occuring once banded. However I am following the nutitionist guidelines and am pleased with the rate of weight reduction.

BINGO!! That's EXACTLY how I have been feeling/thinking. I know the band is a tool but I don't even feel like it's in there at all! I haven't had one "episode" that reminded me that I can't eat as I could before. :smile2:

I was banded in July of 2008 and had my first fill in late August (2ccs of 10cc band). I had some restriction and lost about 18 pounds. I had my second fill in October of 2008 (4cc of a 10cc band) and didn't notice much of a difference. I had my third fill in December of 2008 (5cc of a 10cc band) and then lost a total of 60 pounds in the following year. I had my most recent fill in October of 2009 (up to 7ccs of a 10cc band) and NOW I am dropping weight like crazy.

My advice is to work with your doctor and continue to eat appropriate meals and get as much activity as you're able to do. Everyone has a different level of restriction. You WILL get there, just be patient and be good to your body.

This thread has been very helpful and I thank you all. I had my surgery in Nov '09 and had my first fill on Dec 29th. They put in 4 cc's, I felt nothing different so went back the next week and got 2 more cc's put in and now at a total of 6 cc's. I am beginning to feel some restriction but have not seen the weight loss I had hoped for. But listening to all of you has taught me to be patient and remain positive.

I was banded in July of 2008 and had my first fill in late August (2ccs of 10cc band). I had some restriction and lost about 18 pounds. I had my second fill in October of 2008 (4cc of a 10cc band) and didn't notice much of a difference. I had my third fill in December of 2008 (5cc of a 10cc band) and then lost a total of 60 pounds in the following year. I had my most recent fill in October of 2009 (up to 7ccs of a 10cc band) and NOW I am dropping weight like crazy.

My advice is to work with your doctor and continue to eat appropriate meals and get as much activity as you're able to do. Everyone has a different level of restriction. You WILL get there, just be patient and be good to your body.

THANK YOU! I have never been a patient person, but I have no choice this time, so this is new to me. I will just hold on to the knowledge that my band WILL work! (eventually)

This thread has been very helpful and I thank you all. I had my surgery in Nov '09 and had my first fill on Dec 29th. They put in 4 cc's, I felt nothing different so went back the next week and got 2 more cc's put in and now at a total of 6 cc's. I am beginning to feel some restriction but have not seen the weight loss I had hoped for. But listening to all of you has taught me to be patient and remain positive.

I concur with your post. We can and we WILL do this!

Trust me, you aren't alone. I was banded in November. I currently have 4 cc's in an 11 cc band. I don't have any restriction either. I can eat anything. I even find myself not chewing well at times and it doesn't get stuck. I have to stop and remember to chew, chew, chew. I even gulp water at times and have to stop and remember to sip. I'm going back for another fill next week. I'm hoping it will give me some restriction. Don't give up! It is a work in progress. It just takes time to get to the right spot.

I'm glad that it helped. Trust me, I know how difficult it is to be patient but the results are SO worth it. Gradual weight loss, as opposed to drastic weight loss, is more sustainable and easier for your body to adjust to. Try to concentrate on each day being one day closer to your goal.

Something that really helped me was keeping a journal of where I was at. I vowed not to read over it until a month had passed since each entry, so when I went back and read it was so easy to see how far along I was coming.

You can do this! You got the surgery, you made a HUGE step in the right direction, now just focus on being good to yourself and enjoying each little milestone (ie: the first time you put on a smaller size, the way your clothes start to feel, how much easier it is for you to walk a block, etc). I used to have my boyfriend wrap his arms around me and note the progress of how tightly he could grip :thumbup:

Trust me, you aren't alone. I was banded in November. I currently have 4 cc's in an 11 cc band. I don't have any restriction either. I can eat anything. I even find myself not chewing well at times and it doesn't get stuck. I have to stop and remember to chew, chew, chew. I even gulp Water at times and have to stop and remember to sip. I'm going back for another fill next week. I'm hoping it will give me some restriction. Don't give up! It is a work in progress. It just takes time to get to the right spot.

If i didn't know any better, I would have sworn I wrote this myself!!!

I'm glad that it helped. Trust me, I know how difficult it is to be patient but the results are SO worth it. Gradual weight loss, as opposed to drastic weight loss, is more sustainable and easier for your body to adjust to. Try to concentrate on each day being one day closer to your goal.

Something that really helped me was keeping a journal of where I was at. I vowed not to read over it until a month had passed since each entry, so when I went back and read it was so easy to see how far along I was coming.

You can do this! You got the surgery, you made a HUGE step in the right direction, now just focus on being good to yourself and enjoying each little milestone (ie: the first time you put on a smaller size, the way your clothes start to feel, how much easier it is for you to walk a block, etc). I used to have my boyfriend wrap his arms around me and note the progress of how tightly he could grip

I am going to print this! And what a CUTE way to mark your progress and get a big hug at the same time! I love it! :thumbup:

I had my surgery on December 7th and had my first fill on January 5th. 4cc's in an 11cc band. Is it too early for me to be in search of my "sweet spot" and what exactly IS IT?:thumbup::cursing:

Yep, it is...too early that is.

I was banded on 11/3 and had my first 3 cc fill four weeks postop. Had another 3 cc fill two weeks later. A week after that, because I could still eat anything and as much as I wanted (if I chose) with no sign of restriction, I went back in and they pulled it all out to see if I had a leak.

Nope, no leak. 6 cc's in the band and no restriction. So they put in another 2 cc. Oops...now I could only drink Protein shakes. So a week later they took out 1 cc. Bingo! Restriction! I felt full after eating 1 cup of food and was full for about 4 hours.

On a sad note, that restriction disappeared (after two glorious weeks) yesterday or the day before so apparently I am still not at my sweet spot as I thought. My restriction was just from swelling. The good news is that I was set for another fill appointment this Thursday although I'm guessing they won't be so aggressive this time since I'm obviously getting close.

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