I've had my band now since April. Doing well overall and I have no complaints. I've had two fills now and I'm up to 5 cc total in my band. Question is...how many fills is normal? I understand that everyone is different and you need to judge restriction with weight loss, etc. I'm happy with where I am now but I wondered if in the next couple of months if I want more restriction is that being too greedy when my weight loss is average....how much do the majority of us have in our bands? Is wanting more restriction a bad thing? I do still have hunger at times even though I 'm eating like they've instructed me too.

Any thoughts?

According to my doc, people with a 10cc band are usually in the green zone when they have between 5 and 7 cc's in their bands. It isn't the number of fills that is important, but the amount put in each time (some docs only do 1/4 of a cc, whereas some do 1cc). Don't gauge your satiety by a number, though - if there was a magic number for the green zone, we'd all be there.

Yes, everyone is different. I have 5.5 in a 14ml band. Saw my surgeon yesterday for a fill appointment but chose not to have one as my weight loss is good (60lb in four months), and I have good satiety with no unwanted side effects. My biggest challenge is getting my head to believe that I can lose more weight because I've made it to this weight before the band but then stacked it all back on. Oh well, it's working well so far, so I guess I'll just keep on and let my body prove my head wrong!

Good luck with your journey.

I am 14 months post op....just got my third fill yesterday. My last fill was in October, at that time I had 5 cc's...I am now at 7 cc's. Doctor told me since I proved that I can lose the weight...that it is likely I am ready for a fill. After every fill he tells me, "Your going to be a sipper now"....never happened before. But after yesterday....hell ya, I have to sip my fluids...I feel pressure in chest for a few seconds. I am afraid he may have went too tight...or maybe this is what the sweet spot feels like?? I dont know, never had it!! But I am down 98 lbs....not too much more to lose, maybe about 30. Oh, and dr does fill with floruoscopy . He says this was a perfect fill....will see )

:PToday my doc said that 5-7.5 cc should be the green zone for most people with a standard AP band. This is about where I am and that now it's on me to follow the rules and get things going again. I have never really measured my food, I am no longer eating with any kind of schedule and I have never done much with exercise. With the slight fill of .3 cc I am now 5.5 cc in my 10 cc band.

Hunger has not been an issue for me, this is why I have stalled. Rather than eat 3 small meals like I should, I only eat when I am hungry. This is as bad as eating the wrong things. As soon as I am back on solids I will be fowling the rules, eating when and as I should and drinking my fluids. In the beginning this worked really well for me and I need to get there again. I have been able to eat most of the things that many others have problems with. This I have enjoyed because I choose the band so I would be able to eat normal foods and not feel like forever on a diet. I want to taste the cake or ice cream sometimes.

Speaking as someone who's experienced too little and too much restriction, appropriate restriction limits the amount of food I eat and gives it definition, while keeping out things that obviously aren't good for me and never have been (breads and doughy foods like cake or cookies). Eating before the band was like walking down an endless hallway in the dark where I couldn't feel the walls on either side. Proper restriction with the band gives me a sense of proportion, something I never had before. I was never full until I was ready to explode.

Satiety with the band is a blessing, but I believe that ultimately I have to learn how to deal with hunger. Too much restriction actually lead to more hunger for me because I couldn't keep anything down and felt horribly frustrated. The result was BBB - "Bullemia by Band". That's not what this journey is about for me. The band is a tool which educates me over time to a better relationship with food and eating. Any degree of restriction which effects that is where I want to be.

All the best of luck,

-Bandpal

I'm at 7cc and the Dr said a lot of banders are happy at 7cc to 8cc in an 11cc band. I asked because I wondered. My restriction is good, but as I lose I think I need a little more fill. I read where it gets loose again with less fat arund it? Something like that.

Wow good comments I was a little scared as I am going in on Friday for my first fill, I'm dwn 12 lbs since surgery and 22 all together wit pre surgery diet, praying that all is well for me on Friday because my appetite has increased since right after surgery

Wow good comments I was a little scared as I am going in on Friday for my first fill, I'm dwn 12 lbs since surgery and 22 all together wit pre surgery diet, praying that all is well for me on Friday because my appetite has increased since right after surgery

I do not like posts such as these, or at least I do not like it when people start to compare with one another. People who are new to being banded can get the wrong impression.

You need to do what your Dr. recommends. Everyone is different.

A while back people were bragging that they had less of a fill than others as though it is a contest. That can distract and discourage people from getting what they need, thinking it is a bad thing to be filled too much.

The band is designed to be adjusted according to ones individual needs.

Would you do this if you had Cancer and compared your Chemo doses??

When I went for my 2nd fill, my doctor said that too many fills are given out. He said I should wait another 2 months since I lost 15 pounds in the previous 2 months. I told him I was eating more than he had told me to eat. He said it didn't matter. I am going to him for his expert advice, so I am going to do as he recommends.

I do not like posts such as these, or at least I do not like it when people start to compare with one another. People who are new to being banded can get the wrong impression.

You need to do what your Dr. recommends. Everyone is different.

A while back people were bragging that they had less of a fill than others as though it is a contest. That can distract and discourage people from getting what they need, thinking it is a bad thing to be filled too much.

The band is designed to be adjusted according to ones individual needs.

Would you do this if you had Cancer and compared your Chemo doses??

I've had my band now since April. Doing well overall and I have no complaints. I've had two fills now and I'm up to 5 cc total in my band. Question is...how many fills is normal? I understand that everyone is different and you need to judge restriction with weight loss, etc. I'm happy with where I am now but I wondered if in the next couple of months if I want more restriction is that being too greedy when my weight loss is average....how much do the majority of us have in our bands? Is wanting more restriction a bad thing? I do still have hunger at times even though I 'm eating like they've instructed me too.

Any thoughts?

There are 3 amounts of Fluid in the band, and they are the same for everyone:

1) Not enough

2) Too much

3) Just right

I'm not trying to be a smart-aleck with that response.. it's really true. There are some who never need a fill and some who need the band at maximum capacity.

I don't like to use the word restriction as it is frequently misunderstood. What you are looking for is appetite restriction. Hunger is ok.. we want normal hunger. If you are going anywhere from 3 to 5 hours without hunger, you're in a good place. When you start getting hungry 2 hours after a meal and pushing (low or no calorie) fluids isn't getting you past the hunger.. then it's probably time for an increase in fill level. This is assuming that you're maintaining a high protein/low carb intake.

The professionals where you get your fills will be your best guide. Glad you're doing well.

I'm sorry if I offended you...I didn't quite know how to ask my question about fills since I'm newly banded in April of this year. I'm certainly not trying to encourage anyone to compare ourselves to one another, I really believe that while we are all on the "lap band journey" together, that we are each on our own personal journey with weight loss and that that journey is very specific to each individual. I know that some folks need more in their bands and some need less to find their sweet spot. Since I've needed several fills to keep my weight loss going and my hunger down I guess I was just looking to see that others had experieneced the same thing too. That's what this site is about I thought...you know...finding support from others on the journey. Again sorry for any offense.

I do not like posts such as these, or at least I do not like it when people start to compare with one another. People who are new to being banded can get the wrong impression.

You need to do what your Dr. recommends. Everyone is different.

A while back people were bragging that they had less of a fill than others as though it is a contest. That can distract and discourage people from getting what they need, thinking it is a bad thing to be filled too much.

The band is designed to be adjusted according to ones individual needs.

Would you do this if you had Cancer and compared your Chemo doses??

Hopefull, looks to me like you received a lot of good feedback here, so take what you need and leave the rest. I think your question was entirely legitimate, and judging from the responses, so did many others.

What I got out of this discussion was the concept of appetite restriction versus physical restriction from the band. I am comfortable thinking about the band as an appetite dimmer, decreasing the volume of the black, bottomless abyss inside of me that I always ate to fill. For today, that hole is a puddle, and for that I am grateful!

Good luck,

Thank you Bandpal!! I appreciate the responses and the feedback....I' m entirely grateful for the band too...I'm on the way to a new healthy me! Best of luck to you as well!

Hopefull, looks to me like you received a lot of good feedback here, so take what you need and leave the rest. I think your question was entirely legitimate, and judging from the responses, so did many others.

What I got out of this discussion was the concept of appetite restriction versus physical restriction from the band. I am comfortable thinking about the band as an appetite dimmer, decreasing the volume of the black, bottomless abyss inside of me that I always ate to fill. For today, that hole is a puddle, and for that I am grateful!

Good luck,

I was banded on June 9th. I haven't had a fill yet. I stop eating when I feel satisfied (don't measure an amount) and stick to mostly protein. I am rarely hungry. My Doc says I don't need a fill. This confuses me a little as I worry how I will know when I need a fill. Any advice?