i have not yet been banded, so excuse the ignorance here. Many of you refer to restriction, saying you feel more restriction after a fill. What is it that you feel? Is it a greater feeling of fullness after a bit of food than before the fill? Do you feel restricted immediately after surgery or is it only after a fill? does the restriction ease up after awhile? Trying to understand this term. Thank you.

It took 4 mths and 3 fills to get me to where I felt "restriction". I didn't feel it the first 24 hrs cuz I was on liquids, but the next day, I ate maybe 3 bites of chicken and 3 bites of a baked potato and I felt really full. An uncomfortable feeling in my chest, not at all like the feeling of fullness I had prior to my band. A feeling of "uh oh, I ate way too fast" or "Uh oh, if I take one more bite it will all come back up". I did receive a fourth fill about 2 months later - bad idea. Everytime I ate anything, I felt pain. That lasted about 5 months - which I thought was normal - until I finally had 2cc taken out of my band. Still good restrcition, just no more pain. I went 15 months until I got my next fill, about 4 months ago. I have another scheduled for next Monday - hoping to take off the last 12 lbs. While I still feel restriction, it's not anything it used to be. I eat much more now before I feel that "feeling" in my chest. So, the moral of the story: No, it's not a feeling like I used to get after eating Thanksgiving dinner. It's now an uncomfortable feeling that if I take just 1 more bite, I'll regret it.

Marci

I'm 10 days out from my surgery and am slowly graduating to "mushies". I wondered the same thing, but if you eat slowly (especially at the beginning), its a "I'm satisfied" feeling. If you eat too much (like 5 oz. rather than 4 oz. LOL), its kind of like the feeling you get after too much Mexican food. Very full and very uncomfortable.