So I was banded in Dec. 2010 and have done very well with the band thusfar, losing about 80-90 lbs. I fell off the wagon the past few months (thankfully not gaining anymore than about 2 lbs) and am starting back today. Last night however, I noticed that I am able to eat a pretty large portion of certain items that I just don't feel like I should be able to eat. I have had 3 or 4 fills (no clue how many cc's or what size band I have) and they seem restrictive for awhile but then I feel like they stretch or something.

ANYWAY....I ate not one but TWO pieces of chicken parmesean. That seems like it should be a huge problem....I had a tiny bit of uncomfortableness in the first bite or two, got sick, and then the rest was smooth sailing! what the hec!?!?!?

I am scheduled for a fill tomorrow, but at some point Im not going to have any more room for fills! Anyone with similar experiences?

Restriction varies a lot due to ordinary stuff like time of day, time of month, stress, weather, allergies, illness, medication, etc, but a sudden and extreme change of restriction would worry me. You say you've been off the wagon for a few months - have you been overeating a lot during that time? Was the 2 pieces of chicken parmesan even more than you'd been eating in the past few months? Or what? If I were you, I'd mention this when you go for your fill and ask the doc to check your fill level before adding anything more, to make sure you don't have a leak. And please remember that just because you can overeat doesn't mean it's OK to do. Consistent overeating can stretch your esophagus and/or pouch and contribute to a band slip. Also, it's not a good idea to go on eating after you've PB'd or puked. Doing that irritates an already irritated esophagus, so you can get into an endless cycle of eat-puke-eat-puke.

I was banded around the same time you were and I can say that over time the amount you can eat does increase so you may need another fill but to me the biggest question I have for you is...why are you eating 2 pieces of chicken parmesan? And why did you start eating again after you PB'd?

Just because you can eat that much doesn't mean you should and PBing is a sign that either you ate too fast, didn't chew enough or have eaten too much. You aren't listening to your tool and by doing this you could be causing damage to your band.

There are certainly different trains of thought on here about what the band should or should not do for you but I personally don't rely on my band to tell me when to stop eating...I portion (weigh and measure) my food and then eat until it is either gone or I get my "soft stop" (for me that is small burps). There are certainly times that I don't feel "full" when I'm finished but if I really listen to my body I don't feel hungry either.

Just my .02...

I always have my PA's voice in my head regarding portions: "Just because you CAN eat more doesn't mean you SHOULD." Usually I have little trouble controlling my portions, but when it's that special TOM it's like my band isn't even there. During those times, I really have to keep myself in check and watch what I'm putting in my mouth.

Go back to the basics. Buy a food scale and measure out your 3 oz of protein.

Was there ever a time that you felt everything was totally working correctly?

Comfortably in the Green Zone? If so, then you need to get it back.

When I feel things are starting to get a little out of hand, I go full liquids for a few days.

This is on my assumption I have stretched out my pouch a bit, and giving it a rest will let it contract.

It does work for me, usually extremely tight afterwards.

Also, and many people fail to mention this, that IF you are constantly eating small portions, over time, your primary stomach will shrink also, just as it stretched when we overate constantly.