Am I the only one that can sometimes eat a little but sometimes alot? I feel really tight - I usually can't even eat in the morning. But sometimes I can eat like 5 ounces of chicken and sometimes only 3. Yesterday night I had barely any dinner and tonight I ate a whole cup of pasta and sauce. I know I should be eating stuff like meat but I didn't want to eat meat tonight after PBing on chicken last night. Anyways, is it normal to be able to eat a whole cup of pasta - this is the most I've been able to eat since my last fill and I am so worried about slippage since I have never PB'd before and have now PB'd 4 times in 10 days! How do you people live without worrying about your band everytime you eat!??!?! Will I ever be able to forget I have a band?

I have huge fluctuations in the amount I can eat. From what I can tell, this is what affects my restricton:

-If I eat a lot late at night, I am always tighter in the morning. I loosen up as the day goes on.

-A few weeks ago I was on my period and I was so restricted I thought I was going to go insane. I was practically PB'ing on Protein shakes...

-Sometimes (and I have to admit, I really enjoy this) I open up wide and can eat a "real" meal. Not a binging meal, but a full cup of food. It feels great in the moment, but I'm glad it doesn't happen often because I'm usually up a pound the next day, lol.

I'm almost 5 months into this adventure, and I admit I haven't figured out the restriction thing. Some days I think I need to get an unfill, and then I have one of those rare times when I can eat a lot and thing I'd better get a fill. All the research in the world can't prepare you for how persnickety the band can be.

As far as your PB's go, make sure to eat liquids for the rest of the day (and even the following day after a really bad one). You could be repeatedly PB'ing because you aren't giving your stomach a rest. It can be a vicious cycle.

I am VERY much like that. Some days are much tighter than others for me, too. I have noticed that if I don't eat a very light dinner, I am way too tight the next morning. I do better with eating a little Breakfast, larger lunch, light dinner - so I don't swell, causing me to be too tight in the morning.

If I eat a big dinner I can pretty much forget eating much the next day, getting into that kind of cycle - Day 1/fine Day 2/hard time Day 3/fine....

Good luck in finding what works for you!

Im the same, sometimes I have trouble getting a few bites in and then the next day I can eat so much more, probably more than a cup. I get the lite ravioli and I have that a couple of times a week. I think I have pretty good restriction and I eat a cup of it. I think if you can eat a cup or so you have good restriction. I mean if you were wolfing down a couple of cups easily and hungry not long after .... but the cup I have fills me for hrs. I wouldnt want to eat much less than I do now, I spose if I did Id lose a bit faster but oh well...

I aslo have the same problem. It seems at night I can eat anything I want. I have never bp. Somethimes I think that I push myself just to see if I do. I go to see my surgeon again dec 21. I saw him two weeks ago and adjusted my band for the second time a 1.8 cc in a 4cc band. However, he said that should be the last fill that I would need. He finds this is the best fill. I feel exactly the same as I did with zero saline in my band as I do now. I do feel a slight restriction in the morning. I try to drink the water. I exerscie 3-4 days a week. I do eat more carbs than I should (which got me in this trouble in the first place). I do get my protein in. I was wondering if anybody has more cc in a 4cc band than 1.8? Also if it ever worked? I amost feel I am dieting with will power more than band power. I have lost weight. 25 pounds on pre-op liquid diet and 45 pounds since banding aug 22 2005. I just feel frustrated at times. I guess I thought I would have restriction by now.

I don't have any fills (yet) and I do the same. But it depends on what I'm eating. Chicken takes longer to chew so I eat less where as M&M's..... well you get the picture.

I also have times when I have alot of restriction, then it feels like I need a fill. I have 2.6cc in my 4cc band. I am hoping this fill will be my sweet spot. Weight loss is still doing fine.

I was wondering if anybody has more cc in a 4cc band than 1.8?

I'm at exactly 1.8cc as well, and I don't feel as restricted as I should. I can eat WAY more than a cup of food, even when it's that time of the month. Sometimes *sometimes* I can eat as much at one meal as I could pre-banded. For the most part, though, I stop either when I feel satisfied, or I get that tiny burp. Then I usually burp 2 or 3 more times after that.

My first experience of this this morning. I cant get much down at all, I woke up feeling shaky and weak, I definitely needed some calories. Stupid stupid stupid me wasted my space with a cup of coffee and now can only drink 1/4 of my egg flip, when I desperately need some energy.

What was I saying only a week ago about hanging onto my coffee habit for grim life? I'm realising very fast that it's a waste of space.

Yesterday I definitely had a larger intake of nutritional fluids over clear, perhaps I went a little overboard, perhaps I'm going to be tight in the mornings, who knows?

You must have posted this thread for me, last night I couldn't get soup to stay down, tonight I had a large salad plate of spaghetti.