I swear I have a Love/Hate relationship with my band. In the past month I've gained weight instead of losing. On Tuesday my doc bumped up to 6 cc's and Tue, Wed, and Thur I was doing great. I felt fullness in my chest and got full on 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food.

Well apparently that was just from swelling or something b/c today I've been starving all day long. I'm talking stomach growling and low blood sugar. I just ate 1 cup of Soup with a bunch of crackers and you know what? I just barely feel satisfied.

Why is this? Will my restriction come back again before my next fill? This band is starting to feel like another Yo-Yo diet to me:(

I was going to ask if you eat slider foods and then you mentioned soup. How do you feel if you eat 4 oz of dense protein? Try chicken or tuna. Are you still barely satisfied then? Soup is like being on a liquid diet and wouldn't be something that I'd expect you to get full with.

I would go back to straight protein as well. Soup is yummy, but unless it's thick and full of meat, it's not going to last you. Plus you have to remember that there are going to be days where you are just damn hungry. I was last night and I let myself eat a bit more. I didn't slip on anything bad, some extra pot roast and a few granola crisps. Don't beat yourself up. If you are really hungry then your body is telling you that you need to eat. Try nuts, cheese, meats, edamame, thinks like that.

Well today I've had solid Proteins and I'm still starving:(

I'm beginning to think this band is never going to work for me:(

How could I have been SO tight for 3 days after my fill and now be loose again?

Well today I've had solid Proteins and I'm still starving:(

I'm beginning to think this band is never going to work for me:(

How could I have been SO tight for 3 days after my fill and now be loose again?

I think your band felt tight for 3 days, because your body was getting used to having more Fluid in it. How much food are you eating right now? I normally eat a cup of food. I like cottage cheese and when I have that, I can eat only 1/2 cup and be satisified. Good luck to you.

I'm eating a cup of food and I'm hungry again within 3 hours and I mean really hungry not just a little bit hungry. I'm getting really discouraged:(

Ive only got 5cc in my band too. I just got a fill on wed. And im hungry too. I think if you are hungry after three hours then you should eat. just eat something low cal and high protien. are you getting all your protien in? one thing i recently noticed was that if i dont get good protien at luch then i am craving foor all night long. hungry too. maybe your body is trying to give you a signal or something. I know you can get discouraged and i have been there recently too. Just keep plugging along and trying to make changes in our lifestyle. I think it is far better to loose slow now and learn how to change your eating habbits and truely change the way you feel about food and how you use food. Its much better than loosing all the weight and gaining it back later, which some bandsters still do, gain it back. youve lost great so far! keep your chin up. try eating beans or something with fiber to help you. Ive also started making sure that i drink a lot of fluids before i eat fills up my lower stomach to stop that growling issue. maybe you need to mix up what your doing and look at when you eat and what your eating. not everyone is the same and you may have to play with your diet to feel satisfied. im not saying you arent eating the right things n such maybe you are just eating them at the wrong times for your body. I dunno just a suggestion.

I'm eating a cup of food and I'm hungry again within 3 hours and I mean really hungry not just a little bit hungry. I'm getting really discouraged:(

Hang in there Amanda! I am definitely no expert, I was banded only a few weeks before you but I would think you need more of a fill since you aren't getting satisfied on soup that was loaded down with crackers. Crackers have been a real challenge for me.

I would suggest your next fill be a tiny one though because you are probably close to your "sweet spot". Don't risk the misery of being too tight! I was at the spot you are now, got a 1 cc fill (took me to 6.75 cc's) and was too tight off & on for almost 2 weeks. That misery completely halted my weight loss! I finally had .5 cc's removed and know I need more put back in but postponed it until the 20th to make sure I am completely healed from all the pbing/sliming/vomiting I went through. Now I'm back to using willpower to not eat so much and sadly that's not going so well for me

Best of luck to you!

I just had a fill this morning (my second one) and i still barely feel any restriction at all. I have a 12cc band and 7.5 ccs in there now. Is it possible to max these bands out? I feel i may need that just because i havent had any weight loss at all. I have lost only 10 lbs total since my preop diet. I see most of the people on here have 10cc bands. Does anyone else have a 12cc band and if so, what is your sweet spot?

I could have written this post myself----Had fill last Monday after being totally unfilled in October after a slip and felt some great restriction for about 5 days then over the weekend NOTHING was starving and could eat anything and everything--- it does get discouraging but I am going to try to hang in there till the first of the year and if I still feel this way I am going in for another fill----- I have yet to hit my "sweet spot" and I will be 1 year out on 12/18 Do you think some people just never reach their sweet spot??? I would have thought I would have reached my goal long before now but I guess all we can do is keep trying.

I don't know what to think anymore. I'm so discouraged. I'm going to keep on going though. I was hoping to reach my goal weight by August- my 1 year bandiversary but at this rate that's not going to happen at all.

August is a long time away. How much protein have you been intaking?

August is a long time away. How much Protein have you been intaking?

Too much. Seriously some days I get as much as 90 grams and I'm still starving.

If you are hungry after 3 hours, have something to eat. A piece of fruit or string cheese. Most literature I've read says you should be hungry every 3-4 hours with a band.

I cannot understand the surgeons who say eat 3 meals with no snacking or food in between. We run out of time. I eat Breakfast at 7am, have lunch around 11am, dinner is not until 6 pm, that is a big long stretch from 11 til 6. My surgeon says no snacking, his definition of snacking is brainless eating. I thought it was any food between meals. He is fine with me eating when I get hungry, but he wants it to be something nutritious and planned for. So, between lunch and dinner, I'll have a banana or string cheese or a handful of nuts. But I cannot go 7 hours without eating, it just isn't going to happen, banded or not.

The band is not meant to be an apparatus of torture. Although sometimes, I'd argue that.

Hang in there, spoiltmom We were banded at about the same time and I enjoy still seeing you hang around here. Lots of folks seemed to have moved on. I got my 4th fill and it made ALL the difference. Prior to that fill I was really struggling. I never really gained weight (with the exception of yo-yoing the same few pounds around), but overall, I did continue to lose slowly. That was because of a lot of exercise, however, I had some really bad days, food wise. Since my last fill I've lost about 8 pounds. It has come off pretty easy because I think I'm close to my sweet spot. I have 6.5 in a 10 cc band total (had some fluid in there from the prime they did during surgery). I have another fill scheduled next Monday and I think I will ask for a .1 or .2 just to tweak it a bit. I have loosened up just a bit, but still have pretty good restriction. I know I could not handle a .5 and I don't want to get overfilled. You just have to hang in there. This band without restriction is nothing...don't give up...keep getting your fills. It sucks that we have to have to hang on by our fingernails sometimes, but once we get to the sweet spot, it will be worth it!

I'm at 6 right now. I'm hoping he'll take me up to 6.5 nextmonth. hopefully that will make it better.