I had my first fill last Thursday, 4cc's into my 10cc band. This is going ok. I can eat fine as long as I am chewing and going slowly. I have had a few episodes of not doing this well enough. Sometimes I feel satisfied with about 1 cup of food, sometimes I feel I need more. I usually get 3-4 hours of feeling like I am not hungry. This afternoon after eating lunch about 1.5 cups of chicken chili and beans, I still felt hungry. This suggests to me that I need more fill. However, I am burping so much. Even after the first bite, there is a lot of burping. I emailed my doctors office and my physician feels that due to the excessive burping I am overfilled and should have some fluid removed. I am sure that the burping is not due to eating too fast. I have tested this several times. I am just not sure about the un-fill. I am not sure about any of this right now, its all confusing. Sometimes I feel like I ate enough, sometimes I don't. I know that I am probably not in the green zone after the first fill, but if I am overfilled then....well I don't know what then. Any input about this is appreciated!

I think that certain foods are better than others at keeping us satisfied longer. This could be why sometimes you feel satisfied and sometimes you don't! If this is your first fill it is probably pretty unlikely that you are in the green zone. Don't be afraid if things don't seem right with getting some fluid removed. The smallest amount can relieve symptoms and still give you the same restriction. Getting and removing fills can be a very tedious process and very frustrating and confusing! If your doctor feels you should get some removed I personally would listen to him. Good communication between you and your surgeon is key to your success! Good luck!

As far as the burping, I tend to burp a lot since being banded, especially when I've just finished eating.

Don't assume just because you've only had one fill you're not in the Green Zone. For thing, 4cc is a big fill. Some people are in the Green Zone with no fills whatsoever, so it is very possible you're there.

Here's the thing about the band- it's finicky and it's a learning experience. You say you had 1.5 cups of food and still felt hungry. Did you try waiting 10-20 minutes to see if that hunger passed? Very often people are surprised they're really not hungry when they give the body time to process the food and send the "done" signal to the brain.

Typically speaking, we think of being in the Green Zone when we can go 4 or more hours on a cup of food without being hungry. But, remember your doctor is the expert, and if he thinks you're too filled then trust his judgement. You can always get more Fluid added later without consequence but being too tight is dangerous. It's always better to error on the side of caution.

Best wishes

Also... be careful about head hunger versus real hunger. Soup is a slider food for the most part, not a lot of chewing required. I think it is the chewing that helps me feel satisfied. Discuss your feelings and food choices with your doctor or dietician for best feed back. It can be hard to tell from person to person as each is us is different with the band.

I agree chili is a mushies I would try testing more soul d foods.