I just want to let those bandsters that are fighting with restriction there will be a time you will have it. I had my surgery January 10, 2011 and have struggled with restriction from the beginning. Still doing all the things I was taught in the time leading up to surgery. I was able to lose 20 pounds. All the time wondering if this was some kind of a joke. After seeing my NP 6 times in 5 months I am at 7.5 cc and am not hungry. I have lost 3# this week. I am finally able to feel that this surgery is going to be worth it. Good luck to all that are searching for this sweet spot. Now I just have to be very careful to get in all the protein because I am sure not eating much.

Thanks. I needed to read something like this because I am so so frustrated! I was banded 4/18 and am losing any and all motiviation. I had 4cc's in my first fill and felt nothing....lost a 1 1/2 pounds in 4 weeks - big freakin' deal. ANyhow NP put in another .5 cc's and I feel NOTHING again. I'm miserable and I'm mad! I came right out and told her that if I wanted to starve myself I could have joined Weight Watchers again and failed again. I didn't need to go through surgery to put myself on a diet. I feel like that is what I'm doing....a 1100 calorie diet....I get the lifestyle change. BUT my thoughts were "restriction ='s less hunger and less food = weight loss" - I"M HUNGRY! I eat my Protein, and I measure.....in two hours I'm hungry and my NP just didn't get it. I'm hoping that she gives me more than a 1/2cc when I go back because I need to get this moving along before I go eat a bag of Oreos!

hi again,for me i gave up and felt it was me that let myself down and so didnt follow up with the right fill as people knock you down but i eventually found someone that filled it to what i beleived i wanted, why dont you ask her to put another 4cc s in and my nurse gives me Water to drink while needle still in me to gage restriction plus my last dr said my band was full but when i saw this new nurse i asked her to remove all in band to let me know what was in there and what i was told was 2cc s less than i thought so i knew i wanted that 2cc s put in and now i have the fill i need,dont get me wrong 4 or 5 mouthfulls of solid food is all i can manage but im never hungry, but dont be afraid if you do have a big fill as when i got home liquid was a bit of a struggle but by the next day it was fine i guess the pouch gets swollen and sometimes when you have a fill you think its ok untill a few days later its not enough,i guess were all different maybe your like me you need a big restrction, if you dont get any joy from this next fill demand a second opinion as its your right! the worst that can happen its too tight and you go in for a defill,im struggling on 800 calories to eat and i wish id perservered years ago dont waste time like i did hun, if you would like any more help with anything just e mail me hun,x

Thanks for your post! I had my surgery March 2011 and I've had one fill. The second fill is in 3 weeks I fill like I can eat anything. It is a consistent struggle to eat sensibly. I am glad to known that someone has reached their "sweet spot" because it reminds me that it's possible!

hi again, at least its done now but i wish id done it sooner and not wasted all this time,im sure youll be great! if you feel you need more restriction just ask for it, say you ve no restriction at all and maybe youll get more in hun,good luck with everything, my band is tight but i need that for me as my will power isnt good,im on 800 calories and sometimes sruggle with that but after 4 to 5 mouthfulls im done but i feel its right for me i guess were all different but im sure youll do great,what sort of calories are you on and how much would you like to lose? ive lost 10 in two weeks so far but i guess thing will slow down , hope you do well and if you need a chat anytime let me know hun,x

hi again,for me i gave up and felt it was me that let myself down and so didnt follow up with the right fill as people knock you down but i eventually found someone that filled it to what i beleived i wanted, why dont you ask her to put another 4cc s in and my nurse gives me Water to drink while needle still in me to gage restriction plus my last dr said my band was full but when i saw this new nurse i asked her to remove all in band to let me know what was in there and what i was told was 2cc s less than i thought so i knew i wanted that 2cc s put in and now i have the fill i need,dont get me wrong 4 or 5 mouthfulls of solid food is all i can manage but im never hungry, but dont be afraid if you do have a big fill as when i got home liquid was a bit of a struggle but by the next day it was fine i guess the pouch gets swollen and sometimes when you have a fill you think its ok untill a few days later its not enough,i guess were all different maybe your like me you need a big restrction, if you dont get any joy from this next fill demand a second opinion as its your right! the worst that can happen its too tight and you go in for a defill,im struggling on 800 calories to eat and i wish id perservered years ago dont waste time like i did hun, if you would like any more help with anything just e mail me hun,x

I am so glad to see your post. I too have been banded nearly four years this November. I have a 10cm band that holds 4cc's. I did not get my first fill til a year after my surgery. I had not had anymore til yesterday. I have 3 cc's in my band now. I wasted so much time I thought I was tight enough but I gradually began eating more and more food until I knew I was out of control and I had gained nearly 50 pounds back of what I had lost. I am back on track and will achieve my goal this time. I have confidence and the drive to get me there once again. I agree do not wait if you are not restricted and are hungry all of the time, eventually all of the bad habits will creep back in and you will be so disappointed.

Thanks, I will definitely let my doctor know about the lack of restriction I'm feeling. On average I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day. At this point I would welcome the restriction you have...i need it as well. My goal is to lose about 85 more lbs long term. My goal short term is losing 25-30 lbs by the end of August. I'll keep you posted

hi again, at least its done now but i wish id done it sooner and not wasted all this time,im sure youll be great! if you feel you need more restriction just ask for it, say you ve no restriction at all and maybe youll get more in hun,good luck with everything, my band is tight but i need that for me as my will power isnt good,im on 800 calories and sometimes sruggle with that but after 4 to 5 mouthfulls im done but i feel its right for me i guess were all different but im sure youll do great,what sort of calories are you on and how much would you like to lose? ive lost 10 in two weeks so far but i guess thing will slow down , hope you do well and if you need a chat anytime let me know hun,x

hi again thanks for your reply,dont give up im sure youll do fine and dont let the dr talk you down, ive found that since my big loss the first week its slowed down unfortunatley so i guess excercise needs to start lol!! which i hate with a passion, do you have any ideas food wise apart from low cal bread for toast with a poached egg for breakfast soups and salad or lots of chicken ham etc for protein i try not to have carbs but night time a struggle when i crave wine and nibbles lol,am realising though i def need a laxative as cant go at all if i dont and that has helped a bit.. ive heared that you can go into starvation mode too which is scary and its hard to know what do do,eat less or more etc..... ive got 4 stones to lose at 5 feet 2 so any ideas would be great,hope you do well keep in touch hun,xxxxxxx

Had my first fill today I am looking forward to some restrictions but I know that it may not happen right away.

Had my first fill today I am looking forward to some restrictions but I know that it may not happen right away.

hi thanks for your post, congrats on your fill, you should feel restriction straight away as your pouch will be a bit swollen,if it hasnt been filled enough for you just tell them youve no restriction same as beforeand push for a bigger fill,i wasted a very long time not bothering getting the fill right and wish id insisted more only you know when its right for you hun good luck with your journey keep intouch,xxx

I totally agree with what others have said. I was banded on May 25th and have lost just a little. I question why I got the surgery and I am getting bills in from the surgery (although my insurance did cover it) and I am thinking what was the point. But I gaet a 2nd fill in 2 weeks and I am booking another fill for 3 weeks after that. I want to start losing weight!

I never knew that this process would be so slow and would stall for extended periods of time. I really thought by the end of the summer I would be a least 30 pounds thinner!

I have 5.5 in a 14 ml band (three fills) and feel as though I have reached the green zone. A small meal, three times a day, plenty of water in between and I am not hungry. Last night I ate too much (self-inflicted!) and felt miserable all evening so - lesson learnt - listen to my body and don't fall back into old habits. Lucky I am such a softy and don't like feeling as I did last night.

I totally agree with what others have said. I was banded on May 25th and have lost just a little. I question why I got the surgery and I am getting bills in from the surgery (although my insurance did cover it) and I am thinking what was the point. But I gaet a 2nd fill in 2 weeks and I am booking another fill for 3 weeks after that. I want to start losing weight!

I never knew that this process would be so slow and would stall for extended periods of time. I really thought by the end of the summer I would be a least 30 pounds thinner!

hi hun, dont give up it took me 7 years to get to my sweet spot but even then ive notised this week weight loss is non existant im wondering if im in starvation mode lol???? apparently the body burns around 2000 cal normaly and im only on around 800 yet the scale isnt moving lol!! ive lost 10 in 19 days but 8 lbs was lost in week 1 ! just demand a bigger fill hun say youve no restriction at all the worst that can happen is you need a defill which i doubt your any where near for that .i have a 10 cc band and its full and so still can eat especially night time when more Fluid in system,plus i struggle going to bathroom so have a laxative to help which does the job, hope you do well keep in touch,x

I just want to let those bandsters that are fighting with restriction there will be a time you will have it. I had my surgery January 10, 2011 and have struggled with restriction from the beginning. Still doing all the things I was taught in the time leading up to surgery. I was able to lose 20 pounds. All the time wondering if this was some kind of a joke. After seeing my NP 6 times in 5 months I am at 7.5 cc and am not hungry. I have lost 3# this week. I am finally able to feel that this surgery is going to be worth it. Good luck to all that are searching for this sweet spot. Now I just have to be very careful to get in all the Protein because I am sure not eating much.

I couldn't have read your note at a more perfect time-- I am almost 2 months from surgery and have no fills yet. Been doing fine. But last night we went out to a leisurely dinner and a play. I got salmon like a good girl, but because it was just so tasty and healthy, I eventually ate the whole thing. AND, 1 1/2 glasses of wine! So no surprise, I gained a pound today.

That was my first experience of not sticking to my 800/calories day-- I left 400 cause I knew we were going out, and I would have been OK if I stopped half way through, AND not gotten that second glass of wine! This will power can only work for so long. So I can hardly wait for the stop sign (my first fill) to happen! Like you reminded me, that is what we did this for!

So your note kicked me right out of my pitty party first thing in the morning! Thanks!! And best of luck to you.

I am right in there with you all. My weightloss pretty much quit for 3 weeks. I would get a fill and not notice anything, hopefully the third fill will do the trick. One thing I did notice was I wasn't tracking what I was eating, I wasn't eating much, I thought, till I realized I was eating to often and those calories really add up fast. My goal is to be down 10 pounds by the next fill on 7/20/11 so far I was only down 5. For the last 4 days I have been tracking my calories keeping them at about 1200 to 1300 and low and behold when I weighted myself this morning I was down 3 more pounds already. So now I know I was eating to many calories. I walk 4 miles a day 6 times a week so the excersise wasn't my problem.

Thanks for the uplifting post! I've had 3 fills (I was banded Feb. 23, 2011) and I've only lost 23 pounds. I feel some restriction but I'm still able to eat large portions of food. I hope that I get there soon and your post gives me some motivation to stay postive!

Thanks for the uplifting post! I've had 3 fills (I was banded Feb. 23, 2011) and I've only lost 23 pounds. I feel some restriction but I'm still able to eat large portions of food. I hope that I get there soon and your post gives me some motivation to stay postive!

your welcome,x hope you get the right fill soon take care,x

hey 2 all.. i'm reading all these posts.. Lesley1971...u have great words 2say... i go for my 1st fill july 25th &hoping i have some restriction.. right now i'm just doing this on my own.. although i find myself overeating at times...ugghhh..sometimes i 4get i have this device in my stomach...my biggest fear is trying 2 stick 2 a low calorie diet. i hear so many scary stories about what happens after ur fills.. to b honest,i feel like i'm starving myself right now...just hoping i made the right choice...too late 2 turn back now.