I have had my first fill and I didn't feel any different. Im not going mad because my doctor said often times it can take up to 4 fills on average before you get to the green zone of eating 1 cup of food and feeling full. This makes me frustrated because i was under the impression that after you get the surgery the fills were more of maintaining. I didn't know you basically start at zero and each fills builds you up to eventually where you need to be. The soonest my doctor will allow me to get fills are 30 days apart… so this means if it takes 4 fills before i get the maximum benefits of this surgery this means i don't get to "experience" the true benefits of getting full on a small amount of food till 4 months after surgery!

I got my surgery Sep 9th and I have lost 25lbs since then, but nothing in awhile because I now have a pretty large appetite is this normal? I mean its not quite as large as it was pre surgery but its large enough to hinder my weight loss. I got my first fill Oct 9th and getting my second one Nov 9th. Are we just on our own till we hit the green zone? Is it typical to not lose a ton of weight till you hit that? I just have a hard time believing we are suppose to be on our own all these months before we reach a good fill.

Please help me with my problems!

Bradley

I was banded with 3cc's and was fine with that for the first 3 weeks. I could tell when it was time for a fill because I seemed to always be hungry. I felt "banded" when I reached abou 4cc's (fill #2) I reached the green zone with fill #3 at 5cc's. That was late August, I think I'm still in the green zone because I stay full for 4-5 hours on a 1/2 - 3/4 cup of food. HOWEVER, I need to go because I need to talk to a counselor. I'm getting laxed in my food choices - even though I haven't gained any weight, I am not losing any weight either - I haven't for the last 3 weeks and thats because I'm eating all the wrong things.

So even if you don't need a fill, go to your visits because they keep you accountable, motivated and on track.

P.S. - my surgeon didn't have a problem "topping off" a fill if I didn't feel like it was enough to keep the hunger away. They would rather do that than for you to gain weight because you were hungry too often.

Hi

I have had my band for 15 months and have had either 3 or 4 fills and they are very small ones. I either have 2.2 or 2.4 cc's total and my last fill was 2-3 weeks ago and I can tell I am now a Green Zone! Every person is different and every doctor is different. There are many people on this site that have never had a fill and they do fine. Maybe it is mental head hunger.

As far as not losing pounds, how about measurements? I know my sizes have gone down without weight loss. I was about the same weight for about 6 months and I was fine with that. My weight took me many years to get on the body so I figured 2 years to get to a weight or size that is livable for me.

Are you exercising? That some times slows the weight loss but not the size.

Hi Bradley, 25 pounds down is awesome! Congratulations on that -- that's a nice chunk in the right direction. I am not banded yet but I know there is that time after surgery and prior to a fill that can be "bandster hell" -- a time of hunger that we thought we were not going to have again. Just know it's not going to last -- you are going to keep working with your surgeon on the right fill to make your band work perfectly for you so you are eating good food in small portions and losing weight. Stay away from the temptation and see if you can get in sooner for a fill. You'll get there!

My surgeon also starts you out with nothing in the bad but a primer fill and then small increases every month or so.

I know this doesn't sound ideal, we all want to lose weight over night, but it didn't take overnight for us to gain it and we have to remember that.

We chose this surgery because it did not rearrange our digestive tract and is not mal-absorptive like some of the other surgeries out there.

I liked the fact that I moved slowly to find my green zone, and honestly I am not even there yet. Let me explain why...

During the time from my surgery to my first fill my body was healing. The swelling was going down and my band was finding it's seat around my stomach. Yes it was stitched in place, but waiting the 6-8 weeks gave it a chance to full heal and seat itself adding a bit of extra prevention against a slip.

After my first fill, I was grateful for the 4 weeks of learning and putting into practice those eating mechanics that are so necessary to band eating. I was able to eat more then that cup of food, and my weight loss was not and is not rapid, but I learned how to eat. Each month after that I was able to learn something else, sometimes learning what NOT to do. What foods not to eat and how eating too fast, drinking with my meals, and/or not chewing my food well enough can cause me discomfort.

I was glad to learn all that with some wiggle room in my band, so I was not having a violent lesson or un-seating my band causing a slip if I were to get sick from making a bad choice or mis-step.

In fact I have never thrown up, I have never gotten anything "stuck" though I have had that pressure, and that uncomfortable feeling more then once it was all able to pass thank goodness and I learned from that what to do and what not to do as my band got tighter.

Work with your surgeon's office don't strong arm them to give you fills you want them work with them to get them as you need them and so you can learn to live with your band. It's yours for the rest of your life, so use the courting phase to get to know each other well. It's a marathon not a sprint. The weight will come off, but it's going to take work and patients. Trust me I'm still working on mine

Right now after one fill i can probably eat around 3 cups of food without feeling stuffed. Is that normal?

It is normal , but it is up to you also to eat just small amounts it is about portion control wich is hard , however when you start it will help if you need a fill eventually , some of us do and some don't , drink lots of water to keep full and hydrated , some docs give you a fill at time of surgery and some don't , just try to hang in , it does get better and you will gain and lose , just try the lots of water and remember portion control if you can or like I have said before why would I want to mess up as I paid enough and went through a major surgery to get healthy or I could just have stayed big and just went through life not being healthy or being able to do things I wanted to do.

Right now after one fill i can probably eat around 3 cups of food without feeling stuffed. Is that normal?

Hi Bradley:

Since I've had the band, I haven't been able to eat that much. If you aren't experiencing any pain, you're okay - you're just very open and your food is going into your lower (or original) stomach at a rapid rate. I would ask them for at least a full cc in your next fill, it should help to slow the food from emptying so rapidly and you should be able to eat a lot less then.

Good luck!

Gwen

It helps to eat slowly, and pause between bites, and notice your body getting fuller, especially in the beginning when you have less restriction. You feel fuller with less food. It's difficult, I know. I am still struggling with this, but it's part of the learning process of utilizing your band to it it's maximum potential.

Bradley - You and I are around the same surgery date and fill. I feel exactly like you do, I don't think I could eat 3 cups but I definitely can eat more than a half cup, I just try to step away after I feel that I have eaten 1/2 ~ 1 cup of food, and my food is lasting me longer since the fill. I get about 4 hours before I'm hungry. But today, I swear I have a tapeworm!!! So I'm trying to control myself. I'm also down 25 lbs and have been fighting 3 lbs up and down for weeks. I am now exercising FIVE days a week and still I'm not seeing anything but I know I'm just being impatient, so I'm just trying to follow the rules and wait for my next fill which is December 4th. I can only get them every 6 weeks. Hang in there!

I was banded with 3cc's and was fine with that for the first 3 weeks. I could tell when it was time for a fill because I seemed to always be hungry. I felt "banded" when I reached abou 4cc's (fill #2) I reached the green zone with fill #3 at 5cc's. That was late August' date=' I think I'm still in the green zone because I stay full for 4-5 hours on a 1/2 - 3/4 cup of food. HOWEVER, I need to go because I need to talk to a counselor. I'm getting laxed in my food choices - even though I haven't gained any weight, I am not losing any weight either - I haven't for the last 3 weeks and thats because I'm eating all the wrong things.

So even if you don't need a fill, go to your visits because they keep you accountable, motivated and on track.[/quote']

You finally put to words what I have been trying to wrap my brain around! I have been trying to figure out if I need another fill or not, if I have reached the green zone. I worry about getting too tight but I don't want to put off a fill if I need one. I think I finally feel "banded", not fully in the green zone though. Thank you for those words!

It seems as if my nurse decides how much to put into the band at a time. Is it appropriate to ask for a certain amount? The first time she added 3 ccs, the second time she added 1.5 ccs (total of 4.5 ccs) and said that I would probably hit the green zone at about 5.5-6 ccs. Thoughts?

Ive had 4 fills and im feeling restriction. My doctor has been very slow to give fills just to lose weight. He is very concern on the amount of Fluid in bands. He wants to to establish a good program and learn how to eat better foods. He doesn't want you to rely on the band. I must do the hard work or the band will not succeed.

I get disappointed every now and then when i drive down to see him. He checks me out, ask a few questions, looks that im dropping weight from 4-8 pounds between visits and he says I will see you in about 6-8 weeks. I guess its the best way to lose weight and keep it off long term.

Best wishes and Keep the Faith.