Hi.

I want to know what sweet spot means for you. Does sweet spot mean you are at such a restriction you don't feel hungry? Does it mean that you are so tight that you can't get anything down even if you wanted to? I know some banders purposely keep their band tighter. I was just curious what defines a sweet spot to you. Tightness, not hungry, prone to a lot of PB'n so you are afraid to eat anything, feel no hungry but can eat most foods, etc....

Just wanna know. I am going for my first fill in a couple weeks.

Also, once you hit your sweet spot...did you start losing again? I have stopped losing since surgery. I ask myself if I am doing something wrong! I think maybe I should go on a diet.

Tight.

I love it tight, I love it when I am tight enough that I have to drink my Slim Fast shake slowly, I like it when I have to eat my tuna salad, one small bite at at time and give it some time to go down before i take another bite. I like it tight enough that bread just will not do.

I do NOT like to pb.

But yep, I do like it tight. And for me I loosen up pretty quickly after a fill, within a few weeks I am much looser, but I think my surgeon likes to take it slow.

Interesting thread. I have noticed in other threads that we are all so different and like out bands at different levels of tightness.

That is good info!

Do you feel deprived at all when you are that tight? Do you feel hungry? Or is it so tight that it feels like you just ate a huge meal and couldn't eat another bite?

I got my last fill last wednesday and I would have to say that I am at my sweet spot now. I have to eat super slow. And teeny bites at a time. And give it a chance to make its way down. I can't just load it in or it HURTS (a sharp pain in my chest which I have to sit out for a minute or so before it passes)! I've never pb'ed thank goodness. But I am eating about half of what I was before this last fill.

I never stopped losing because I go to the gym and work my butt off 5 days a week, but I am hoping that now the exercise won't be the thing doing all the work, the band will play along too.

I've only felt hungry between meals once since my last fill. I had a couple of crackers and felt fine. Before, I would have something mid morning and afternoon nearly every day.

I'm hoping to be able to keep my restrcition at this level through regular (2 monthly?) tops ups of 0.1 or 0.2 ccs. Fingers crossed!

(Speaking as a Lap Band doc, not a patient, so I realize I may be WAY off base.....)

My idea of the sweet spot is when you barely know your Lap Band is there. I worry that if the band is 'tight' that it may limit what you eat and you gravitate towards things that are easier to eat such as very dry crunchy foods (tortilla chips, cheetos, pretzels) or liquids such as chili, shakes, Soups, etc, which we have seen occasionally in our patients.

My favorite story about the sweet spot is a patient of ours who is a 66 year old man who has lost about 90 pounds in his first 9 months.

Every time I see him in clinic he tells me he thinks his Band is broken because he never feels tightness, nor any restriction! I think that is the perfect sweet spot, when the Band helps control your hunger, but doesn't prevent what you can eat. I tell my patients to focus more on hunger control than on tightness/restriction. My two cents.

a. no hunger b. good restriction c. steady weight loss d. no PBing.

Thanks guys for the information. I definitely don't want to be so tight that I lose weight because I can't eat anything without it getting stuck or fear of something coming back up or anything like that. I feel hungry right now between meals. I can eat whatever I want pretty much...bread, etc... I do get that golf ball feeling in my throat sometimes, which I don't really know what that is from.

I guess I need to know if I should feel hungry being banded, and if not, does that mean I need a fill?

I have gone to my doctor twice to see about getting a fill because I fill too lose. I am blessed that I have insurance so I don't have to pay for it because all he does is take it all out and see how the liquid is going down then put it back in to see what is happening and both times he has told me that he doesn't want to put more in because HE feels that I will be uncomfortable and that I need to try to eat more meats. I didn't want to hear that but I do feel more comfortable and I do have restriction when I eat meat then my other foods so I guess he was right. I am not going to waste my time going back to see if I can get another fill for a while until I lose more weight.

I wonder why people live with PB'ing on a daily basis, even though they know that is a sign they are too tight. Just have read a few posts that seem crazy to me to live like that. I just read one where someone says she PB's 5 times a day but is willing to continue because at least she is losing weight. ????? Am I missing something?

I don't think you are missing anything at all!

If you are anything like me, you got the band to feel BETTER not worse! I simply could not imagine functioning if I was PBing several times a day. That is not normal band behaviour. Either the band is much too tight, or the "rules" aren't being followed (types of foods, chewing, serve sizes, bite sizes etc). I admit it takes some getting used to, but we have to work with our band, and vomiting up everything you eat is NOT a healthy way to lose weight.

How interesting this thread was up when I got on this morning - I was just going to post to my 'steadies' about the sweetspot. I talked with my PA yesterday about getting a fill and I've had 2 fills and I'm up to 5cc's and I told him I have started snacking again and not losing weight. I also said I've only had the golfball in the chest 2x. He said thats good, that tells us we are getting to the sweetspot, he went on to describe the sweetspot as the place where you have enough in your band so that you no longer need aggresive fills. He said when you get to the point where you only need .3 cc, or .1 to give you restriction again. And I understand we won't do that under fluro, he'll be able to just give me a fill in the office.

My "sweetspot" is a more relaxed one than others have described, so thought I would throw in on this thread, just for variety. I like to be able to eat normal, small portions of a wide variety of foods. I can eat bread, but not much and especially not if it is soft. There is not a particular food that is off limits. I have never PB'd, but if I eat too big of bites, too fast...I will get that "golfball" feeling. If I am excited or stressed, I will get the golfball.

I have lost fairly steadily, but slowly, and that is fine with me. Some people prefer a faster pace; I wanted slow and safe.

Hope this adds to the info-gathering!

Thanks guys for the information. I definitely don't want to be so tight that I lose weight because I can't eat anything without it getting stuck or fear of something coming back up or anything like that. I feel hungry right now between meals. I can eat whatever I want pretty much...bread, etc... I do get that golf ball feeling in my throat sometimes, which I don't really know what that is from.

I guess I need to know if I should feel hungry being banded, and if not, does that mean I need a fill?

If you can eat a great deal of food without difficulty plus you are also hungry you should get a fill for sure. Good luck.

I wonder why people live with PB'ing on a daily basis, even though they know that is a sign they are too tight. I just read one where someone says she PB's 5 times a day but is willing to continue because at least she is losing weight.

Audra;

I PB'd 1x since being banded. I will NEVER do it again. I knew that I was doing risky behavior at the time, but "did not think it would happen to me"

It is the most painful thing you can imagine. I was literally sweating drips of sweat I was in so much pain, though I knew what was going to happen next and was just waiting. You can't swallow, you can hardly breath (because of the pain) not because you really can't breath, you try and take deep open chest breaths because maybe it will help. Nothing helps! Except finally your body takes over and you bend over a trash can or sink and "spit up" little tiny teaspoons of food at a time until your pouch is empty.

I think if somebody is using this method to lose weight; they need couseling, and they are not following the rules.

That golf ball is probably stage 1 of PBing. Stage 3 is actually regurgitating. Imagine that golf ball felling 10x.

You don't stick your finger down your throat to PB, it is your body making you regurgitate.

I had my first 2cc fill in early Feb. Had to postpone my follow up until 3/30. A long time to wait. I am anxious to another fill. While I do have some restriction, not anywhere near enough. Weight loss has all but stopped. I know I am eating too much. If after the second fill, I am still "not there", how long should I wait before going back. I hate to wait a whole month.

I'd appreciate any thougths or comments.

Thanks.

Don :help: