I have lost 50 pounds so far since 12/09/10. I have had 3 fills and going in this next Tuesday for my fourth. I can eat anything and everything. My question is should I be able to do this? I feel that I'm using a lot of will power too. I would appreciate hearing what the "Sweet Spot" feels to others. Thanks for any enlightenment you can share with me.

Many may not love my answer - but here it is for me....I am never hungry. I can only eat a little bit. And I have to be SLOW - I mean, 2-3 minutes between bites. If I am slow, I can eat almost anything (other than bread or pasta). I ate 3 ounces of filet mignon last night and it took me 25 minutes.

It sounds like you don't even have restriction yet. I hate to tell you, but you're a long way from sweet spot. It's all trial and error. You'll be too tight, you'll be too loose but eventually you'll find the right amount. Everybody is different. My friend and I both have 10cc bands. I have 5.8 in mine and it's just about perfect. She has 6.2 and can eat anything. Just be patient and go to your appts every 4 weeks and you'll get there.

I don't think being at the sweet spot means you wouldn't be able to eat everything. I don't have any issues with any types of foods including bread. I consider myself being at a good fill now because I can eat whatever I want in moderation, last 4 hours without physical hunger, and my portion sizes are not too big, and I am losing weight. At this point now I am fighting head hunger and wanting to eat junk food. I am glad I am able to recognize this now because I was at a stall for a little over a month and not losing because I was eating too many sliders and not enough protein. I have lost a little over 8 pounds this past month because I am eating right again and paying attention to my band when I am satisfied.

Going 4 to 5 hours without any hunger. I can still eat anything I want, but I'm never hungry, so it's up to me to make good choices. Everyone thinks of it as something different...

I honestly don't believe in a "sweet spot" you are only going to lose weight if you follow your diet and exercise, there won't be a point when this piece of plastic makes you lose weight, it's a piece of plastic!!!. The band will just help you from being hungry all the time like you would be pre-banding if you were eating 1200 calories. Some people it takes a number of fills to not be hungry anymore. For me, my first fill did it, a few weeks later BAM, no more hunger.

But, just because I'm never hungry, and my band is in a good place, doesn't mean I didn't eat a boatload of crap last week, and didn't lose any weight. It's my fault. I don't think "oh I need another fill because I didn't lose" it's my own fault I didn't lose. I need to work on the mental side of things.

I think it is different for everyone. Personally, I don't want my band so tight that I am PBing all the time. I have had one fill and consider myself at a good fill level - I eat 4 oz protein, 1/2 cup veggies at lunch and dinner (breakfast is usually eggbeaters and turkey sausage) and I can go 4-5 hours without feeling hungry. There are no foods that I can't eat (including bread and pasta) but I choose not to eat bread, pasta, potatoes and rice because I have found that I lose better (and feel better) if I keep my carbs under 40g per day. Regardless of fill level, you still need to find a way of eating that works for you and that you can stick with...in the end, willpower is still a huge factor (at least for me).

I can speak from experience both without having restriction and with having restriction, or the sweet spot as some call it.

I lost weight the first 6-8 weeks following surgery. I felt restriction from the band. Then the hunger grew and the ability to eat more grew. For 10 months I continued to get regular fills but I felt no restriction from the band. It was just me and my willpower which sucks, my will power that is. I felt like I was back at square one, where I was before being banded. Needless to say, I stopped losing weight. I didn't gain weight back, but I stopped losing. I knew I didn't have restriction. I knew what it felt like after surgery and it was no longer there.

Then I got a fill under fluoroscopy last month. BINGO! Restriction! I had to reteach myself to work with the band. I call it my little shock collar. It tells me when to stop eating and if I don't stop eating I pay for it. I LOVE having restriction. I have to eat slooooooowly now and I have to be careful about what I eat and when I eat. I can eat pretty much anything if I do it right.

There is such a thing as restriction. I just lost 10 lbs this month since I FINALLY got restriction! Yay band!

Linnielady, I just realized I didn't answer your question.

"I would appreciate hearing what the "Sweet Spot" feels to others. "

It feels different for me at different times of the day. But I don't feel it until I eat. It's tighter in the morning and late evenings. I have to drink something warm like tea or coffee in the morning before I can eat. In fact, I no longer eat Snacks after dinner because it hurts if I do. The discomfort/pain is in the middle of the chest and kind of feels like a rough, jagged knot.

There are times during the day that I can eat without feeling the restriction. I use caution at those times, eating the right amount of food. If I eat too much or too fast, I get that discomfort and pain in the middle of the chest again. You learn to want to avoid that.

I can get stuck if I don't eat small bites and eat slowly, chewing until the food is pulverized before swallowing. Being stuck is NOT fun. You don't need it to happen more than once to know you want to avoid it. It hurts in the same place, middle of the chest, but more intensely. It makes me cough and spit up slime until the food finally goes through the band.

And that's what restriction feels like to me.

Just a followup comment....I think they we all make a personal choice about our good fill level. Can you physically eat bread? (or donuts?) and choose to employ your will power to not eat those things? Then okay. Or do you choose to let the band and the fill help you make that decision? As bandsters, we have this flexibility. I am a great dieter, for about 3 weeks. That's my 20 year tread. 3 weeks great - 2 months crap. Back on the wagon. I chose to have the band help me with my lame will power. I cannot physically eat most things that I should not be eating. They make me sick. Sick being a PB or slime or something. If I ate a bite of a donut today, I would see it in about 2 minutes. Makes me hate donuts. But we all can make this decision. The trick is the hunger control. If you are physically hungry, then you are not tight enough.

Yea that is true Molly, i think everyone works with it differently, or is looking for the band to do something differently.Also I think some people just have problems with PBing and vomiting, it may not even be their band is too tight. Some people have their bands full and can eat whatever they want.

First, let me thank each of you for your responses. They really have been helpful. I will be going to the doctor today for my fill. I do believe that I have not reached complete and satisfactory restriction. I will be getting a fill for sure. I so much appreciate your time and imput. It has been a great help towards me making the decision to get another fill. I do have restriction but was not sure if that was as good as it could get. It seems that from reading your responses I could use a little more help with the continuing hunger issues that I experience. I will let you know how things go. Again, thank you everyone for your help. It means so much to have friends out there who understand our issues.