I just had my 2nd fill. Occasionally, when I drink I feel like my esophogus hurts. I haven't tried a lot of food yet. I tried a hamburger tonight and ate the whole thing. The first bite I took was to big and felt weird, but I was able to eat the whole thing with fries (a disappointment). (This was an experiment to see if my band would feel tight not my normal eating plan.) My band never hurt. The only sensation I have had is pain in my neck. What does it feel like when your band works? Do you feel it immediately? or later start pbing? How do you know restriction is working?

For me it is like a T bone steak in my throat. Nothing else will go down and You may throw up if you go past it.You cannot over eat.

I asked this same question leading up to my 9th fill. I didnt know whether I was restricted properly or not. After my 9th fill I kinda stopped revolving everything around food. I could eat a nice bandster size meal and be satisfied until my next meal. Being properly restricted doesnt revolve around PBs or golfball feelings. I think sometimes that might mean you are too tight or not chewing properly...maybe eating foods that dont agree with you anymore.

Summing it up ... to me good restriction is getting a decent bandster amount of good food in without PBing(maybe occasionally from accidentals) and that food getting you through to the next meal without feeling hungry.

I agree with Kellie - restriction isnt about PBing all the time or having pain. I dont think you "feel" restriction in a physical sense. I realise I"ve lost restriction recently because I've noticed that I'm hungrier more often and the same sized meals that were satisfying me now no longer do.

I have fewer golfball episodes but can still have them - did today when I had sardines and tomato on a piece of toast with Mum for lunch, that was quite hard to eat. But despite having to take it slowly and carefully I wasnt really satisfied when I'd finished it.

So to me being restricted doesnt mean I PB all the time and nor does it mean I eat a thimbleful and am stuffed, but it does mean its easy to eat 3 small meals a day and not think about food much in between.

Don't worry too much about that hamburger. I know you were just expiramenting, but it's highly likely that you could probably almost eat like you could before having the band if you arent' properly restricted (and it sounds like you aren't). On my most openist (is that a word?) of days, I can eat a half of a sandwich with bread. If it's not one of those days, I'm doomed if I take a bite of anything with bread. It gets down to about the middle of my breastbone and just sits there. It kind of catches at the braline in the back too. When I was first banded, I actually tried unbuckling my bra a few times to see if it would give me any relief (it doesn't).

Restriction WITHOUT being stuck, is a little more pleasant. I don't think about food as much, and when I do eat, less is enough. I don't really think I have a 'sweet spot' like other people do, because some days I'm too tight and others I'm not tight enough, so it's kind of all over the place, but for the most part, I'm doing ok on 1200 to 1400 calories without feeling super deprived. I just have to make sure that I make good choices because 1 cup of one thing can be 100 calories and one cup of something else can be 400 calories, so even if I 'portion' my food (which I don't, other than to know how many calories it is), I could blow my diet if I eat the wrong things.

Hope this helps.

You know your band is working when you can't EAT the WHOLE THING.

with fries. It's working when you have to share a meal with someone or take 1/2 of it home. It's working when you can walk away from that full plate with out feeling guilty or your no longer going to the buffet because you can't eat enough to justify in paying full price. These are some examples of when you know your band is working.

3-15-04

-110lbs goal

First, this has been a very helpful thread to me - I still struggle to know if I'm properly restricted as yesterday I ate a huge rueben sandwich - 1/2 at lunch (it took me 25-35 minutes) and I ate the other half for dinner in the same amount of time. I probably could have stopped at 1/4 sandwich but I don't blame my band for that. I am still somewhat new. I'm talking microscopic bites too. Anyway my new question...Over the past few weeks I've noticed I feel like a small ball is stuck in the back of my throat and I noticed it's usually after eating. Could this be slippage or overeating. Normally I get a big burp to tell me I'm full and i admit to eating a bit past satiety but not to stuffing. It's not really painful - just wierd. thanks! mary

I had that ball feeling in the early weeks but it went away.

I'd call eating 1/2 a sandwich at lunch, then 1/2 at dinner and taking 30 minutes each time restricted - well and truly.

It gets down to about the middle of my breastbone and just sits there. It kind of catches at the braline in the back too. When I was first banded, I actually tried unbuckling my bra a few times to see if it would give me any relief (it doesn't).

Resurrecting this v. old thread to say that this is a perfect description for me of what's been going on. I guess I have restriction! :thumbup: I'm sitting here trying to finish 3 ounces of very wet tuna and after 45 mins have maybe made it thru 1.5 oz.

Mari, if you're still on the list, thanks for the enlightenment!

P.S. I found this by scrolling down to the bottom of the page on another more recent post about restriction. It's a great feature of LBT.

Edited August 19, 200817 yr by Lisa B