How much fill is normal?

wannabelean · March 26, 2006

Can anyone tell me what the average fill is that would be needed for me to feel restriction? I had my surgery on February 3rd..., I had the smallest of the Inamed bands put on and had absolutely no restriction...... Lost no weight.... went for my first fill and had 1.6cc's put in and still feel NO restriction. I was reading that I should only be able to eat 1/4 cup of food at a time.... as it stands right now... I powered down a hot dog at my kids baseball games with No problems.... I could have eaten more, i have eaten almost a whole quesadilla.... etc., etc., etc. The problem is... I keep thinking I should eat as though it will be my last chance to enjoy some of my favorite foods and therefore I am gaining weight. I want my journey to weight loss to begin... but I really want to have the aid of restriction to help me curb my appetite and begin my healthier eating! Thanks for any advice.

Jachut · March 26, 2006

It's impossible to say. I've got 1.4ml in a 4ml band and its working well for me, yet I dont feel "restriction" in the sense that others here have talked about it. I can and do eat anything, yet I never get those hard stops, have never PB'd, dont get full on 1/2 cup of food.

Overall I'm eating way less than I used to and i eat more slowly and carefully. I can feel it with bread, I have to eat that really slowly. Yet I still cant identify with others' experience with restriction.

If you're losing, its working is all I can say.

Whoyah · March 26, 2006

I fully understand what you are going through. I have the large band (10cc) and am currently filled to 9. This means I only have one cc to go and I am completely full -- then what?. I was banded Aug 2, 2005 and have only lost 45 lbs. A sloooow half to one pound a week. I have been getting regular fills pretty much since Sept 2005. I just didn't have restriction. My last fill was right after Christmas.

My Dr. just couldn't understand how I am able to eat the foods I do and not get sick (I eat most anything but bread). I went in for the flouro xray thing three weeks ago and he saw that my band was in the right position and I do have restriction. The xray showed that I do, but the food just slides right through. He was amazed.

I have always hated throwing up and rarely do. My lack of restriction may be mental--they say that mind over matter is a powerful thing.

I have found a few foods that I just can't tolerate and have omitted them from my diet. For instance, sausage patties, breads of any kind, anything that is dry (like overcooked chicken I end up putting in Tomato soup), pork chops, cereals (other than oatmeal) and the like. And I do eat out. I usually choose a side salad and appetizer which I feel satisfied with and with deserts I just have to use will power. Cake and coffee/ice cream will go down. Or Cookies (forget about it) there is no stopping at one.

I was warned though, that the band doesn't affect everyone the same and I guess you and I are the poster children for high band tolerance. I can't complain too much because my eating habits and awareness of food has changed for the better. I was a pizza, submarine and diet coke junkie and the band has definitely changed all that.

All I can say is that you are not alone with your struggle to understand the band. We all have different issues but the main thing to remember is that you can lose the weight. It may take us more time than the others but it will come off. I hope this has helped in some small way. ;-)

doubletrouble · March 26, 2006

I was banded on aug 22, 2006. I have a 4cc band and I have 2.1 cc in it. I have felt the restriction. I do not have any restriction at all right now. I feel like I can eat just about anything. I used to have problems with breads and crusts. I also would have that tremndous pain if I ate too fast. I am scheduled to have another fill on 4-12. I have not gained weight but I have been the same wreight for about two months now. I have lost about 84 pounds and can not complain. I am still losing inches though I actaully fit into a size 14/16 dress the other day. I was like in 7th grade the last time I fit into a 14/16. I want to lose 100 pounds by my bandaversery. I totally want to lose by summer. I am not eating the right foods right know, I am not sure if it is winter bordem or what but I have to knock it off right know. I have gone through to much to go back now and I will not go back to the way I felt before. Ok, now I have that off of my chest. :) :) :) :D :D :D :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

wannabelean · March 28, 2006

No weight loss as of yet.....not one pound! But thanks for the reply. I go for my second fill tomorrow... I'll keep you posted.

wannabskinny2 · March 28, 2006

:biggrin1: I understand exactly what you mean about no restriction. I have the 4cc band which was "installed" June of '05. It took what seem like forever to finally feel the restriction. I am 3.5cc full. I "fer sure" have restriction now! I tell other bandsters that I meet that if you can eat bread then you need a fill. I have not eaten bread, Pasta or flour tortillas in so long. I miss the tortillas alot when I'm enjoying the chicken fajita meat. It has been 9 months since banded and have lost almost 60 lbs. I have come to the realization that unfortanately the weight comes off very slowly. Sometimes, I get depressed and frustrated at the "slowness", especially when I go to work everyday and see so many people that have had the bypass surgery and they are 4 months post-op and have lost 80 lbs. I have to keep reminding myself that the slow weight loss was the reason I chose the band over bypass. Please remember that each of our bodies are different and you will definately know when you have the correct restriction. Also, enjoy the hotdog cuz your time is coming!

PhotoNut · March 28, 2006

I'm taking Jachuts approach to banding. I see way too many people looking for that really tight restriction which dang near prevents them from eating icecream. I have a 4cc band and have 1cc in it. I'm not super tight, I can down a half a bottle of Water in large gulps, I can eat pot roast, rice, and a wide variety of other foods. I think I can eat about 1 cup of food generally, sometimes a bit more. But its far less than I've ever lived on before and I'm happy with my weight loss. Sometimes I think I'm starving all day and eating way too much. But when I add it up, I see that I rarely go over 900 calories. I'd much rather live with this than to be so tight that I'm dealing with PBs and slippage, etc. I wouldn't know if I can eat bread because I haven't tried to, and I won't. I have no self control and breads (any flour product) are my addiction. Like an alcoholic, I can't allow myself a sip lest I be under the table with a bag of garlic bread hugged to my chest! lol

The main thing to remember is that everyone is different. Our stomachs are shaped differently, they are different sizes, we eat different foods, and have different responses to our bands. It is impossible to compare fills and get an accurate assessment of what we should have based on what someone else has.

By the way, there is a chart on this thread which shows the different bands and how small they make the stoma with each amount of fill. It's very interesting, have a look: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=15216

Xann77 · April 4, 2006

You might have what happened to me -- the case of the "missing fill." If you check out some of my threads you'll see. Basically, about half of my fill from the first fill evaporated into the air that was still left in my band. That meant that even though at my first fill, she put in 1.3cc's, when she checked it again, there was only .5cc's in there! No wonder why I had ZERO restriction! Anyway, I was all worried about a leak but I have learned that it's not all that uncommon. I went back for a 3rd fill a little while ago to double check that there was no leak, and it was fine Thank God. :ban::party:

Anyway, when you go in for your second fill, make SURE the doc takes everything out of your band FIRST to see how much is still in there. You may have the same issue as I did, and trust me, once she put me up to 2.0cc's, HELLO RESTRICTION!!

Good luck and Don't Worry!

wannabelean · April 5, 2006

Thank you!!! I am so glad to know I am not losing my mind... plus.. it's nice to see that I do not have a leak..... I have since have my second fill and OH MY GOODNESS.... WOWWWWWWW Very little goes down. Actually.... I had a hard time swallowing a half of a turkey sandwich, (actually two bites of a sandwich got stuck)... I also had a hard time getting down some chicken salad (two bites).... no shrimp...hmmmm pretty much nothing, other than Cereal, Protein Drinks and cookies....... I know it's not a good choice, but homemade Cookies tend to slide down so easily...... If only my nine year old didn't LOVE to Bake!!!!!! Any one else experience problems with foods giving them the feeling of having a COMPLETE HEART ATTACK??????????? I have decided that mushy land is really not much of a bad place after all!

Kim_8 · April 5, 2006

2cc's did it for me, too. I have a lot of restriction and find eating difficult and frustrating. I have considered going back for a slight unfill, but have been busy and it's a long drive to go get an unfill.

I figure if I can wait it out another week or so, then hopefully I will have lost enough weight for it to loosen up a bit. I can already tell that this is the case. Last night I was able to eat 3 chicken wings and the insides of two spring rolls - I thought it was just about the best thing I had ever eaten. 1 bite of quiche last week at La Madeleine sent me into a sliming fit in the middle of Highland Park (which around here is a pretty ritzy place and you don't want to be caught dead sliming in the parking lot!) I was mortified and frustrated. I have been drinking my Protein shake and eating Soups so that I keep healthy, but boy sometimes I think a happy medium (like P'nut) would be better.