I have yet to be banded, but have seen quite a few people commenting on being able to tell when food or liquid has gone to the "other side" of the stomach, and has passed through the band...how the heck do you guys know that?!

Another thing i worry about is, how will I know when my pouch is full, how will i know when to stop eating...since clearly, im here for a reason, I ignore my body's signals of fullness, to the point where im afraid I will not KNOW when my pouch is full! I want to succeed, how did you guys tune into your band so well?

Feeling stuff pass depends on your level of restriction. When my band is loose, I can't really feel it. When it is tighter, I can feel liquids sort of gurgle on the way down. Somewhat like a 5 gallon Water bottle on a dispenser. You sometimes see the bubbles as you are pouring water into a glass.

With food, if I have chewed well, I don't feel much, if I haven't..I can feel it reflux a bit before it goes down. I even saw it on my last Upper GI. Very strange to watch it.

For how much to eat..for me, full hurts. I eat to satiety, then I am done. If I go to full, I am miserable. I have to pay close attention to what I am doing when I eat. This is especially true after my last fill a few weeks ago. A couple bites extra can put me over the top into misery. In our world, a clean plate is not always a happy plate.

You will learn, just be aware of what you are doing, don't eat brainlessly. That is not an option after you are banded. Enjoy every bite. Chew it well. Think about it.

I quickly learnt that not paying attention to my full signals led to disastrous consequences. I have to pay attention to every mouthful and stop when I have eaten enough and no more!

Full is painful - you MUST stop eating when you've eaten your portion and no more. I feel miserable if I overeat or eat too fast - sort of like the afternoon of Thanksgiving when you're just stuffed to the gills. I haven't had a fill yet (got 2cc's at surgery) - so I'm sure I'll have to relearn all my current signs again with the new restrictions of a fill. Trust us, you will feel it and you only have to over-do it once or twice and be in that pain before you say NO to cleaning that plate. I try to just put the portion amount I'm going to eat on my plate and I cut it into tiny bites as I'm making the plate so its done for me when I sit to eat. Also - leave your drink in another room so you don't forget and drink as usual with your meals. That is the only way I can NOT drink! You can do it!! Keep us posted