I'm absolutely starving:( I got my first fill in September. It brought me to 4 cc's and I had great restriction for about 2 weeks. Then it faded down to almost nothing. 10 days ago I got my second fill which brought me to 5 cc's and still NOTHING. I'm starving ALL THE TIME and eating everything in site.

My next fill isn't until 11/18. Do you think If I called they might do one earlier?

Mine would give me a fill every 2 weeks if I wanted it and that worked out fine...until I got close to my sweet spot. I have a 14cc band and never had any type of change after a fill until I hit 7cc. After that I'd get a fill and it would take 2 weeks or more for the band to tighten. I'd wait at least 2 weeks after a fill to decide...depending on the size of your band. According to my doc, most people don't feel any restriction in a realize band until they're at 7-8cc.

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Have you tried eating more often in smaller amounts?

Good luck

I would call and see if the doc. will do another fill sooner. I wish I had done that. I waited a month inbetween my first and second fills. I just didn't realize coming in sooner would be an option. Good luck!

Before you totally lose it, eat protein and veggie only. So what if you eat a ton of chicken or beef, just stay away from the carbs, then call your doctor.

Have you tried eating more often in smaller amounts?

Good luck

Grazing isn't a good habbit to get into for lap banders.

I'd suggest eating less often with larger amounts.

There's only one way to find out!

Grazing isn't a good habbit to get into for lap banders.

I'd suggest eating less often with larger amounts.

I wasn't thinking about grazing - just eating 5 oz of the goods at a time

My surgeon recommends this

She says many patients overeat and end up stretching their esophagus - then they are totally screwed!

Anyhow - mentally it works for me to not eat as much or so often if I limit myself - wait and see how my body feels and then when I am truly hungry eat some more :thumbup:

I wasn't thinking about grazing - just eating 5 oz of the goods at a time

My surgeon recommends this

She says many patients overeat and end up stretching their esophagus - then they are totally screwed!

Anyhow - mentally it works for me to not eat as much or so often if I limit myself - wait and see how my body feels and then when I am truly hungry eat some more :thumbup:

She doesn't have a problem with her stomach streatching.

If you eat little often then you don't get enough food to reach the nerves at the top of the stomach that sends the message to the brain that you're full - that's how the band works.

She doesn't have a problem with her stomach streatching.

If you eat little often then you don't get enough food to reach the nerves at the top of the stomach that sends the message to the brain that you're full - that's how the band works.

Wrenbird, I came on this thread because I was trying to help the op - not to debate our surgeons' beliefs

Spoiltmom - I hope you find something that works for you and I also hope you can feel satiated and deal with the head hunger demons!!! Power to you Mama! You can do it

Spoiltmom...I would give your new fill a couple of weeks...just speaking from personal experience. I have had two fills. First one...NOTHING....Second one....NOTHING. I was soooooo disappointed that I could not feel any restriction. Well, two weeks later I felt it. Not too tight but could tell. I was on the fence for a while thinking I should have another. That was two years ago and I am perfectly satisfied with the amount of fill I have.

Also, I am a believer in eating mini-meals throughout the day. My doc had strict rules of eating 3x daily. I could not function. I spread out my cals and it worked perfectly for me. But, not promoting this...just sharing it worked for me.

Good luck...hope your fill kicks in.

Wrenbird, I came on this thread because I was trying to help the op - not to debate our surgeons' beliefs

Spoiltmom - I hope you find something that works for you and I also hope you can feel satiated and deal with the head hunger demons!!! Power to you Mama! You can do it

I actually haven't spoken to my surgeon about it...It's just how the band works and it's pretty common knowledge:

Lap-band weight loss surgery is not about restriction

The whole point of this forum is to offer support and learn and lose weight. I'm sorry if I offended you by disagreeing with you, but I'd feel worse if the thread starter had taken advice that can offen result in 'snacking' or 'grazing', which is something we often try to avoid if possible.

The point of fills are to get enough restriction and eat enough to suppress your appetite to be less interested in food in between meals. This doesn't include stretching the stomach...They're two entirely different things so I'm kind of confused as you why you're bringing that up when she doesn't have a problem with that, and I'd never mentioned it. So I'm assuming having multiple meals a day isn't going to do that.

I can imagine this wouldn't apply in the first few weeks though, as you're restricted to mushies and liquids which pass through the band easier, thus having to eat more - sometimes not all at once.

If it works for the then cool. But the whole point of the band is to supress the appetite and that commonly doesn't work when you eat less food more often, as you previously stated.

Edited October 30, 201015 yr by WrenBird

Eating 6 mini-meals vs 3 large meals does work with the band and it is not grazing. There are many of us here who eat this way.

Also, the 'experts' are finally coming around to what the diabetics have known for a long time. Six small meals is better for you than 3 large meals because (a) you're eating something every 2.5 hours so you're less likely to be hungry and (:thumbup: it helps to stabilize the blood sugar which will lessen the cravings.

Spoiltmom, have you ever done Atkins? The bonus with Atkins is that you can eat even if you think you're hungry. Stick to it for 2 weeks and you'll find that you don't even want to eat. I've been struggling to eat a normal diet where my carbs are somewhere around 80gm a day and just not losing weight. I finally gave up and dropped my carbs down to about 20 this past week and I've been losing a pound a day.

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Eating 6 mini-meals vs 3 large meals does work with the band and it is not grazing. There are many of us here who eat this way.

Also, the 'experts' are finally coming around to what the diabetics have known for a long time. Six small meals is better for you than 3 large meals because (a) you're eating something every 2.5 hours so you're less likely to be hungry and (:thumbup: it helps to stabilize the blood sugar which will lessen the cravings.

Spoiltmom, have you ever done Atkins? The bonus with Atkins is that you can eat even if you think you're hungry. Stick to it for 2 weeks and you'll find that you don't even want to eat. I've been struggling to eat a normal diet where my carbs are somewhere around 80gm a day and just not losing weight. I finally gave up and dropped my carbs down to about 20 this past week and I've been losing a pound a day.

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I'm not saying it doesn't work at all - I'm saying it's not ideal. If you eat a large portion of a meal and your appetite is suppressed and then you're hungry again in 2 or so hours, then it doesn't seem like your band is working. - Or your brain quickly overcomes appetite supression.

Fact of the matter is. The band works by supressing the appetite when we eat, making us less likely to eat between meals. If we don't eat enough, our appetites aren't supressed. By eating between meals, we're adding more food to our day - which is exactly what the band is meant to stop (as it's an appetite supressant).

As they say:

"The band is empowering; if you eat an appropriate amount and make appropriate food choices, you will be satisfied for several hours. This results in either weight loss, or weight maintenance (if you are at your goal)."

If you're eating smaller portions that don't satisfy you, you're likely to eat more often, thus eating more food, which isn't what the band is for.

I'm sure eating 6 meals a day works great for someone, but I'm going by what she previously stated, which was -

"Have you tried eating more often in smaller amounts?"

C'mon...That just by-pass the banding's appetite supression use. - That's the point I'm trying to make.

It may work with diabetes patients, because it helps them feel less hungry but WE HAVE LAP BANDS to make us feel less hungry! Because it works with diabetes patients, doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work with us. The whole point of the band is to supress our appetites...You don't do that by eating multiple meals that don't satisfy you.

I'm trying to get the OP to feel more satisfied with 1 meal, than with multiple meals that won't fix her appetite.

Give them a call and ask; I got my second fill 3 weeks early, then kept my scheduled appointment and used it for my third fill. So, I got 3 fills in the space of time usually required to get 2. It made a huge difference for me.

In the meantime, knock off the eating everything in sight! :thumbup:

In the meantime, knock off the eating everything in sight! :smile2:

:thumbup: Straight to the point.

I had a moment yesterday when I was really hungry. My fill seems to have disapeared (or I'm losing fat around my stomach incredibly quickly) and I had to turn off the TV everytime a fast food commercial came on.

A month and 10 days after surgery and I still have control problems - but I'm starting to get people to hide their Snacks in their rooms, not in the cupboard. I may be selfish, but you've gotta do what works for you to keep with it!