Hi,

I don't post on here often (no time!) but wanted to share because I am so happy! :clap2: I have a 10 cc band, did great and didn't get a fill for 4 months and then got 2 cc. Now about 5-6 weeks after that I got my second fill, another 1 cc. I finally know what restriction is!! I had no clue what to expect, just knew I wasn't quite there. It's so hard to explain, but when you feel it, you know it!

I'm back on track and on my way....42 pounds gone and about 50 left to go!

Thanks for listening!

Kell

Congrats! Glad to hear you are restricted!!! Great job on the weight loss!

Hi,

Well done! that's great! I am so jealous!! :rofl:

Did this "kick in" straight away when you had your fill? I have just had a second fill a week ago and I still don't feel restriction.

Once again - congrats!

Jen

One of the main reasons I'm glad I found this message board is because of fills/restriction. I know the chances of me feeling restriction with band alone are pretty slim. But I also know that if it takes a couple fills to get restriction that is common. During one of my nutrition classes for surgery approval the nurse said it can take up to 3 or 4 fills for some people to feel restriction. I hope that does not happen to me.

Look at me. I was so desperate to just get my "surgery date". I kept saying if I got that I would be happy. Now I haven't even had my surgery done yet and am already disappointed about not feeling restriction. Sheesh. :rolleyes

It's not so bad when it does though, I've had (I think) 4 fills and I'm not really there yet but have lost well over half of my excess weight, its not as if I'm unrestricted, just not optimally restricted.

All it means is that I'm doing heaps of really hard exercise to keep the weight coming off. I dont do starvation well so prefer to burn as many calories as possible so that I can eat.

Thanks! Except I have had food stick twice and one time I even had (my first!) PB. It wasn't so bad because the pain of the stuck food was way worse! In a strange way I was happy because I knew my band was working and now I understand what others were talking about! :Banane56:

And I have lost 6 more pounds and am on my way! I do exercise 5-6 times a week too and I know that has really helped!

Good luck to everyone! I am really happy I got the band and I love it!!

Kell

I got 3 ml today, as my first fill. Trust me, its tight allright. :biggrin1:

Oh it even rhymes. :biggrin1:

Hi,

I don't post on here often (no time!) but wanted to share because I am so happy! :clap2: I have a 10 cc band, did great and didn't get a fill for 4 months and then got 2 cc. Now about 5-6 weeks after that I got my second fill, another 1 cc. I finally know what restriction is!! I had no clue what to expect, just knew I wasn't quite there. It's so hard to explain, but when you feel it, you know it!

I'm back on track and on my way....42 pounds gone and about 50 left to go!

Thanks for listening!

Kell

I just had my first fill a week ago at 2cc. I feel fine but I still feel like I 'm eating too much with the fill. I called the Dr, and they said to wait till the end of the month as they can only do fills every 5-6 weeks. I explained that I still felt I was able to eat more than I should and they said 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup I'm at least a half or little more. And feel hungry more too! Is this normal for a first fill? Should I be concerned? I also can't tell when I'm full yet. Thanks Marci

Hey Marci!

In my experience, the 2 cc fill did nothing. I still could eat what I was, which I felt was too much. I waited it out for a while though and was still stuck and not losing, so that is when I got the next fill, 1 cc. It made all the difference! I can finally feel those feelings....when I am full, etc. Before this last fill, I didn't quite get when others talked about having restriction...I just knew I wasn't there yet.

Hopefully your next fill will be what you need! Good luck! :confused:

Kell

My fill is scheduled for Aug. 17th, but I feel like I can eat too much. The doctor said to call if I thought that was the case as it wasn't written in stone that I had to wait the 6 weeks. I think I'm going to call tomorrow and make an appt. for early next week. I hope he'll let me do it.

I just had my first fill a week ago at 2cc. I feel fine but I still feel like I 'm eating too much with the fill. I called the Dr, and they said to wait till the end of the month as they can only do fills every 5-6 weeks. I explained that I still felt I was able to eat more than I should and... feel hungry more too! Is this normal for a first fill? Should I be concerned? I also can't tell when I'm full yet. Thanks Marci

Hi Marci -- I'm relieved to see that others are having the same problem as me. I had a band fill 3 weeks ago but haven't really experienced much restriction (apart from white bread - that was really unpleasant!). Otherwise, I can eat pretty much anything I want, and in pre-op quantities. Like you I feel hungry alot more since the fill! My nutritionist has advised me to eat between 40-50grams of Protein a day to fill full. I'm trying, but have also booked a second fill for next week. I really hope it will work this time.

It took 3 fills for me to achieve "proper" restriction and it "kicked-in" right away. Congratulations on your success, Kelli.

I have some questions for someone who had an appropriate fill level and experiences successful restriction.

1. What does it feel like to feel proper restriction? I had 1.1 cc's put in my band a week and still never feel full. Sometimes, though, I feel pain as my food goes down the stoma--feels like a lot of pressure in my stoma, like I'm swallowing a golf ball. I'm scheduled to get a second fill tomorrow (1 week after my first fill) and I'm just wondering if someone can describe to me what I'm supposed to feel. (I'm assuming the golf ball feeling isn't it!)

2. Can someone explain what happens during a PB session? That stands for productive burping? I'm a little slow.... :-)

3. I'm getting the impression I should avoid bread at all costs (b/c it hurts going down, at least right now). Do other people experience this, too?

Sorry if these are dumb questions--I'm still learning how to live with this thing.

Thanks!

I got "proper" restriction 2 weeks ago with fill #3. What is feels like? I guess the best answer is that you experience appetite satisfaction with a lesser amount of food. You CAN'T keep eating because if you do, you'll vomit and/or get a horrible pain in your upper chest.

PB'ing is nothing more than vomiting if you ask me. The only difference is that the food is in the stoma and not in the stomach. It's like adding too much to an already full glass. The result is the extra fluid flows out. With a PB, the extra food/fluid just comes right back up. Because this food has not been mixed with bile acids, there is not the burning that is associated with "traditional" vomiting.

Bread was fine for me until I got the 3rd fill and now it's a no-no food. I do find hard crackers are more easily tolerated so I put tuna or chicken on them instead of bread and eat slowly and chew completely. Some people do OK with toasted bread.

If you're already getting that golfball feeling and can't tolerate bread, be careful with the second fill. You're VERY close to restriction now.

I was wondering if you could also explain what you eat. It seems like (even if you have a "tight" band) if you eat really slippery foods (i.e. spaghetti) that it might go right through the stoma and into the lower stomach pretty quickly and you might not feel restriction. Same thing with like Soup or a smoothie, I would assume.

I've read that you eat Protein, vegetables, then carbs (in that order). Is this so you can feel restriction or is this so you eat the things you need the most and then eat the things you need less? And like, what do you do if you have a meal without meat or something? like just carbs and veggies. Sorry for the dumb questions. I just got a snug fill (1.5 cc's) and had some bad eating experiences yesterday (golfball, sliming, PBing) so I want to get advice about what and how and when I should be eating certain types of foods.

To "work the band" optimally, you should have hard protein for your "main meal" of the day. This includes beef, pork, fish, chicken, soy, etc.). You need to cut the protein into SMALL pieces, THOROUGHLY chew each piece, and eat 4-6 ounces.

I was told to eat all the protein first, then the veggies and then the starch. Often, I can get in the protein, about half the veggies and just a few tastes of the starch. When people are too restricted, they go to "softer" foods and avoid hard proteins because they can get these foods PAST the band. Often, this can result in weight GAIN not to mention damage to the esophagus, etc. if left too tight for too long.

I will sometimes have spaghetti with a meatball and that's fine. We're supposed to eat like "normal" people. I typically have 4 oz of lite ricotta cheeses, coffee and vitamins for breakfast, cereal or a salad with some turkey or tuna for lunch and a balanced dinner (fish, steamed green beans, rice for example). I buy 100 calorie pack snacks and 60 calories puddings and 80 calorie fudge pops for treats.

I hope that helps.