I was banded in August 2010. Fills in September, November, and January... last week I opted for no fill as I am finally FEELING IT. For the first 7 months I thought I had made a mistake... that it just wasn't going to work for me. I didn't feel "restriction", I was always hungry-- even more hungry sometimes than before surgery. Then I got my 3rd fill in early January... about 2 weeks after that I was sure something was different... and I had a very difficult couple of weeks. It was like a crash course on the band. I knew you had to chew and eat slowly and not drink while eating... I knew that, but I hadn't experienced that need. I thought I was chewing well and eating slowly- and compared to pre-banded I was... but not near what I was supposed to be! I had a lot of stuck episodes, pb'd a LOT for a couple of weeks... it's hard to re-re learn how to eat. But I finally feel like I'm where I should be...

2 months ago the thought of only eating 3 cups of food a day... 3 1-cup meals... I didn't know how anyone did it! Now I'm doing all I can to get those 3 cups in. I bought toddler plates for me... the little plates with dividers. Perfect size... a big spot for my protein, and small spots for veggies adn whole grains. I haven't been able to finish that plate in weeks.

I've lost 10 lbs in the past 2 weeks... more than I've lost since september.

So... if you're feeling frustrated because it's not how you thought it wuold be... hang in there. :-)

That's awesome! Glad you've finally hit your spot and that you kept going even when it was hard.

Great- you are doing awsome! Keep up the good work.

Congrats!

Congrats! The weight will start falling off now! Just pay attention...the sweet spot may not hold and you might need slight tweaking to keep it there. Finally knowing what it feels like though is half the battle

I had almost the exact same experience... only more drawn out

It took nearly 8 months and 6 fills before I lost any weight - 10 pounds... and then about 4 more months and 4 more "tweaks" before I found the sweet spot. So now, 16 months later, I am finally down almost 80 pounds, but as 2beskinny said, be careful and pay attention, the sweet spot can be evasive!

Be careful the other way too... I had a little too much fill once but let it go too long and PB'd for weeks before going to the dr. I was so swollen and dehydrated, he had to unfill it to the point that I ended up gaining and it took 2 months to get back to where I was... it was a nightmare but I had to do it to get healthy.

Congrats to u also, counselor...way to go and u are an inspiration to those who may have felt like givng up!!!

Very nice to hear these kinds of experiences. Thanks for sharing and congrats!!!

So glad I stumbled upon this post I have been banded since August and it has been slow loosing for me. Either I'm too tight or too loose but the past 2 weeks the lbs are starting to fall off. I am starting to feel great so happy I got the band even though I'm still struggling with eating solids.

I also had surgery in August. It has taken me like 10 fills to hit restriction. I went in for a .1 yesterday and hoping this is my last fill as my insurance is changing in April and will not have bariactric coverage. I got the very small fill because I was able to go 4-5 hours without eating but dont' really get the full feeling while I was eating. I would get more of a satisfied sensation and stop and a few minutes later feel full. It's possible I may never feel full while eating we'll see.

I have lost 38 pounds since surgery (though that based on the doctors scale so fully dressed, it's probably a pound or two more since my presurgery weight was from my house in thin pj's. Need to buy new scale batteries today I think mine are gone. Last time I stood on it the numbers ran up and down for like 30 sec. before stopping at a weight!)

Thank you sharing your experience. It really helped me because I am discouraged.. But there is hope.. Thank you

That's really encouraging! Thank you!

Inspiration!!! Thank you!! I was banded on 12/27/10 and should be getting my FIRST fill as soon as I get back from my vacation ... in about 2 weeks. My weight loss right now is VERY slow..... and a bit frustrating!!!

Thank you again.

I'm really glad that you have all taken step by step fills, and have finally reached that point where it works for you. That's Great News !

This will help the people who feel they are struggling to see that this really does work! You just have to hang in there, and threw fills you will get there.

Congrats !

Jingleboob, great to hear that you are doing so well! keep it up and keep us updated on your progress!

Things are still going well... actually down 8 more pounds since last week. In 2 more pounds I'll be smaller than I've been in 15 years!