i KNOW everyones story is different, however.......i got my first UNfill last week (wed) i had 0.3 removed from 2.2 cc out of a 10cc band. I got an unfill because i was too tight, taking tooooooo long to eat my 'band portions', and slowed weight loss, and i was pb'ing .... sometimes several times a day. Since my unfill - i am finally able to eat in a decent amount of time 20-40 min depending on what i'm eating. but i am starting to feel hungry now (something i rarely experienced pre unfill) for example.... this morning i made a protein shake (atkins shake, pb2, banana) and drank it (20 min) on my commute to work at 6am. after getting to work, around 8 - my stomach felt like it was going to start growling (hunger!!!) so i ate my mid morning snack early (low cal bread/deli ham) i ate on my sandwich off and on for maybe an hour (i got busy at work!!). I stayed satisified until around 11:30am . for lunch i had 8 oz. swai fish baked, 2 tbsp tartar sauce, and prob 1/2 c of steamed cauliflower/broccoli w/stray butter - and i am satisfied. i know its problably been too soon to see if i'm going to have results yet from having an unfill,.... i jus don't want to loose restriction. (althought what i had was a little too much!!) my doc says it's better to be a little loose than too tight. i completely trust him!!! so i'm going to continue to follow my rules and listen to my body!!! jus curious about others experiences w/un fills - i want to get to the point where i dont count calories or measure everything anymore. i do that now to stay accountable and accurate about what i'm actually eating!! right now i'm having around 1500 calories/day

My first fill was 4cc..then another 1cc..at 5cc i cldnt adjust to it so two weeks later i had .5cc removed...the unfill left me with hunger and no restriction. My next visit he only gave me .25cc..again no restriction..two weeks ago he gave me 1cc so now i have no hunger..and mornings are tight..but im adjusting slowly..i have a 10cc band.

2,2cc is a big unfill. Once you got over being too tight, you might be ready for another fill.

She had .3 removed

She had .3 removed

you're correct. i only had 0.3 cc removed. my band is a 10 cc band. my total fill volume was 2.2!!!

It sounds as if you are doing okay. are you losing? Since you seem to be losing and are satisfied with your losses, you are probably heading toward your green zone. I am green at 5cc. Best wishes, Karen

The only negative experience I had was early on a mere few months post surg. I went in for my 3rd fill. I was so excited because fill #3 is the average 'green fill' Anyway, previously, my surgeon did my fills and this time his PA did. He made an aggressive choice and overfilled me (this is one of the primary reasons I insist on having only one person doing my cares/fills so that it's consistent). Well I went home, things were going slow..and that was just on liquids. Second day I tried yogurt..nope...fluids..nope. Nothing would go down AT ALL. I called in, they said to rest it for the rest of the day d/t inflammation. Next day I felt so dehyrated/weak, tried fluids-nope. Went in for an unfill.

I hope any newbies reading this does not chalk this up as a 'negative', or a reason to not choose the band. there is alot of experimentation w/ the band (what you can and cannot eat, what is the green zone)..patience is paramount and don't expect all positives and all forward momentum.

The positive to this experience was I knew what too tight was (ahhah) and I also know to no longer wait 2.5 days for an unfill regardless of what the PA says lol

I've said it before and I'll say it again. AN UNFILL IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF FAILURE!!! If you are too tight, you can damage your gut and you can gain weight!

Tight doesn't mean successful!

I was banded over 2 1/2 years ago and spent some time with a too tight band because I believed that was how it was supposed to work. Wrong....

I still journal everything that I eat, take in about 1200 calories a day, and am still losing.

thanks for sharing your experiences!!!

It sounds as if you are doing okay. are you losing? Since you seem to be losing and are satisfied with your losses, you are probably heading toward your green zone. I am green at 5cc. Best wishes, Karen

yes. i am stil loosing as far as i can tell. i am a little nervous about being able to eat easier now since i got an unfill. I am going to give it a full month and see if i've lost and if so how much. then w/my dr's advice i'll decide on if i need a teeny tiny fill (keep in mind my unfill was only 0.3 cc and has made a massive difference) - i'll continue to follow and post my experiences. it's so helpful to me to have the advice of others - who are currently liiving the banded life!!! thanks again for all your support

Unfortunately, I waited too long to get an unfill and ended up gaining almost 30 pounds with a band that was too tight. I was vomiting daily at almost every meal and I still was gaining. I made poor food choices based on what would go down easy without throwing up what was eaten. I have learned my lesson and will definitely go straight to the doctor if I am ever too tight again. My 70 pound loss is now about 33 pounds but that's okay, I learned more about the tool I have. I'm back on track and feeling good. Good luck with everything!

thanks OMW2Thin.... i too am learning more and more about my tool and what it REALLY means to truly listen to my body! looking back on the last 7 years, i was probably always just a 'little' too tight. i would pb sometimes - sometimes more than others. i could NEVER eat in the mornings or jus after waking up. eating out w/my family was usually more dissapointing and frustrating - rather than relaxing and enjoyable. for the first time in 7 years - i enjoy the whole eating experience - and it feels good to be able to eat what i'm supposed to..... lean protein, veggies, salads.... And jus like a lot of people who are 'jus a little too tight' - i was eating soft foods - snack foods - and starchy foods - rather than healthier wholesome foods. since this was my first unfill, i'm nervous that i can eat 'too good'. i'm going to continue to make healthy choices, and wait and see what the scales will say when i see my doc in april! i'm excited and nervous at the same time.

i KNOW everyones story is different' date=' however.......i got my first UNfill last week (wed) i had 0.3 removed from 2.2 cc out of a 10cc band. I got an unfill because i was too tight, taking tooooooo long to eat my 'band portions', and slowed weight loss, and i was pb'ing .... sometimes several times a day. Since my unfill - i am finally able to eat in a decent amount of time 20-40 min depending on what i'm eating. but i am starting to feel hungry now (something i rarely experienced pre unfill) for example.... this morning i made a Protein shake (atkins shake, PB2, banana) and drank it (20 min) on my commute to work at 6am. after getting to work, around 8 - my stomach felt like it was going to start growling (hunger!!!) so i ate my mid morning snack early (low cal bread/deli ham) i ate on my sandwich off and on for maybe an hour (i got busy at work!!). I stayed satisified until around 11:30am . for lunch i had 8 oz. swai fish baked, 2 tbsp tartar sauce, and prob 1/2 c of steamed cauliflower/broccoli w/stray butter - and i am satisfied. i know its problably been too soon to see if i'm going to have results yet from having an unfill,.... i jus don't want to loose restriction. (althought what i had was a little too much!!) my doc says it's better to be a little loose than too tight. i completely trust him!!! so i'm going to continue to follow my rules and listen to my body!!! jus curious about others experiences w/un fills - i want to get to the point where i dont count calories or measure everything anymore. i do that now to stay accountable and accurate about what i'm actually eating!! right now i'm having around 1500 calories/day[/quote']

Glad you got the unfill. I would try to stay away from liquid Protein. Try something more solid in the am to stay with you. Are you hungry in the morning? If not, don't eat until you are hungry. 1500 calories is a lot, but I don't want to assume anything as everyone is different. Are you exercising? Instead of a Protein Drink, I do celery with Peanut Butter and raisins. My NUT says no liquid protein anymore.

I would also try smaller portions for your dense protein- 8 oz of fish in one sitting seems a little high. Don't eat to be full, measure what you are supposed to have and see if you are satisfied. My nut is not so worried about meeting numbers either. More about small healthy portions.

Experiment a little and see if something else works. Keep trying!

SueBee01 - great advice!!! i agree w/the no liquid protein. since my unfill is so new - i guess i'm a little hessitant to have solids in the mornings. but i'm going to try something more substancial (sp?) in the morning for bkfst. i can eat betwneen1-1/2 cups depending on the texture/type of food. i don't have a nutritionist or a registered dietician persay - and my doc isn't terribly specific on portions. when i told him about me counting calories, he said i didn't really need to count calories and to jus choose healthy wholesome food. i'll call his nurse in the am and talk to her about how much i should be eating as far as volume. me being able to actually eat now is brand new to me, so maybe 1.5 c of food IS too much.i am staying satisified w/what i eat (except in the mornings....going to try solid proteins now).....thank you soooooo much for your kind advice. you've done so good - i want to continue to be equally successful!!! thanks again

That is great! I eat 1/4 - 1/3 c of oatmeal with raisins for Breakfast, it doubles in size when cooked or a piece of celery with Peanut Butter and raisins. Then I eat half a sandwich made with a flat round multigrain bread or spinach salad with meat, cheese and egg. I also snack on Quaker Oats squares (cereal) it has great crunch and my nut approves it as a grain and fortified with Vitamins. For dinner I have most anything, just 2-3 oz of meat, 1/2 c of a veggie and a good carb (either fruit or sweet potato). Don't get me wrong, I have bad things in small amounts, but I log them. I stay between 700-800 calories. My nut says you don't have to count either as long as it is 1 to 1 1/2 c per meal, healthy, and only eat when hungry. When I was trying to lose I hardly ever ate breakfast. Now I am to maintain.

Feel free to contact me on Facebook at Susan Brink or Brinksm on MyFitnessPal.