I had my first fill yesterday and have started to eat normally again today. After eating today I get this feeling of pressure in my throat but nothing whatsoever from my stomach. I thought you were supposed to feel a tightness when the pouch became full but I'm feeling nothing at all.

Is this feeling in my throat restriction or just a reaction to the fill? I can go back next week for another fill but I don't want to push it if I already have restriction as my consultant will be on holiday the following week if I run into difficulty with being too tight.

Any advice from veteran bandsters out there?

For me...I feel different with different foods. Yes...Golf Ball in my throat and sometimes...I feel like I have my bra on to tight. Shoulder pain if I am really really full. Oh this is weird and I have not heard anyone talk about it, but I thought I had a earache, but it was pain from being too full.

Thanks for the advice. Mr Krysztopik said that he deliberately underfills this band to begin with so I'm fairly certain I'm not too tight at the moment. Maybe this is just an adjustment phase I'm going through. I still think I should be feeling some feedback from the pouch though!!lol!!

Restriction doesn't "feel" like anything, like, I can not feel the band or anything when I'm restricted. I believe I am at a perfect level of fill for myself as of right now.

At the beginning, I was getting to know the band and I never felt "full" just suddenly uncomfortable feeling in my chest (never stomach itself). Sometimes I would still eat and then I'd have that painful "flaming golf ball" Jack describes.

I have now learned pretty much how to eat the right way and I chew just enough and have the right swallows so that now I feel comfortably full. I really was starting to feel like I'd never have that satisfaction feeling again, but it has come back as I've learned to listen to my body and the band. I think what you are describing is just eating the wrong way for your current level of fill. Usually meaning you are eating too quickly (even if your eating slower than prebanding it could still be too quickly for the band) It just takes time to get to know your new way of eating. I was the same in the beginning. Oh, and after each fill you sort of have to re-learn how to eat and find that satisfied feeling opposed to the pain or uncomfortable feeling.

So restriction is being able to eat a little bit of food (half a sandwich, couple ounces of meat or cheese, etc) and feel comfortable but not stuffed, or in pain. I get b/w 800-1200 calories daily and I can gulp Water with out trouble. So slow down, and REALLY feel and taste each bite. You will soon find out how it all works.

Good Luck!!

A few days ago I had the golf ball feeling for 2 nights in a row. This was 2 weeks after a 2.5cc fill. Didn't sleep for 2 night and hought I had done something wrong. yesterday I called the doctor and was told to go to hospital where he was and he came and took 1cc out. So I am pretty sure I know what too much restriction feels like as the band was too tight and it was not a good feeling. Now I am maybe a bit more hungry but don't eat much at all and can sort of tell when the pouch is full.. it is just sort a a feeling that nothing more will fit down there... and then I am full for a good number of hours.

Flaming golf ball definitely describes it well! I was banded January 18th, had second fill 5 days ago and have "flamed" yesterday and today! Not a pleasant experience! Both of my instances there was no signs, was able to eat both items last week but not now. One was a tator tot from Sonic, one tot and I was using the sack to spit in.... the other was a peice of bbq turkey. Ate out last night and it went down fine....leftover this morning it was dry and I rushed. This is such a learning experience!!

Its been a while since I had good restriction but I have it again finally.

To me, it feels like there's only 2 states of being - hungry or not hungry. When I'm not hungry I dont care about food, dont think about food, dont eat for the sake of it, and when I am hungry, I can eat a smallish portion of what I choose, slowly and carefully and I'm satisfied easily.

What I've had is not so good restriction - I can eat a smallish portion and be full but in between being hungry, I'm not "not hungry" if that makes sense. I'm like my old self, thinking about what I could eat, just picking at this and that, always interested if anything's being passed around, drinking too much coffee so that I dont eat. I've still lost weight but its taken a lot of willpower and diet tactics, like it would have without a band and then I plateaued out for ages. Got a small fill, got good restriction back and its like "WHOA, where did that 2kg go?".

I dont need to be so tight that I suffer sliming, PB's or golfballs anything but very occasionally, usually through eating too fast. But at this current level, I do find myself just looking at food, being hungry physically but unable to make up my mind what to eat because more things are "hard" than before.

Restriction doesn't "feel" like anything, like, I can not feel the band or anything when I'm restricted. I believe I am at a perfect level of fill for myself as of right now.

At the beginning, I was getting to know the band and I never felt "full" just suddenly uncomfortable feeling in my chest (never stomach itself). Sometimes I would still eat and then I'd have that painful "flaming golf ball" Jack describes.

........

So restriction is being able to eat a little bit of food (half a sandwich, couple ounces of meat or cheese, etc) and feel comfortable but not stuffed, or in pain. I get b/w 800-1200 calories daily and I can gulp Water with out trouble. So slow down, and REALLY feel and taste each bite. You will soon find out how it all works.

Good Luck!!

Thanks for your advice. I've slowed my eating right down (I spent 15 minutes eating 1 slice of toast!!lol!!) and I didn't get the pressure in my throat. I still don't get a feeling of satiety so I think I will need another fill. I could go this week but I think I'll wait a couple of weeks for this one to settle down.

....'restriction' seems to have different flavors....

One flavor for ME, is in fact the 'flaming golf ball from hell' experience, from too much too fast too poor food choice, eating error compounded by my own behavior/stubbornness;

another flavor, is far more subtle~the 'I'm not hungry WHY am I eating?'...variety of restriction...

This is notable by such observations as, 'I don't see anything I want'; 'I'm too busy to eat' {yeah, how many times PRE-op did THAT ever happen};

Another flavor is 'gee, there's just this ONE more bite but I'm NOT HUNGRY'....and you will probably come to recognize THAT is a form of restriction, after a few of the 'flaming golf ball from hell' episodes....

We learn ever more subtle flavors as we adapt to our new lives....

In the beginning I had NO hunger for nearly 3 weeks on the liquid phase...the mushy phase I was coming to recognize when I WAS and WASN'T hungry...and that restriction was often a matter of a spoonful or a half-spoon....

Restriction will change too throughout the day and month.

I go thru periods where solid Breakfast just is not my choice and I turn back to the trusty Protein shake.

Other times I think I'm having an oink-fest with a small salad and a couple oz. of steak or fish...

Hope these tips help....

:pound:

You could/should write a book.

Both hilarious and informative...

Louise.....could it be the problem is being caused by the type of food you are eating? There are just some foods a bandsters cannot eat...period. They are not the same for everyone, but not many of us can eat bread without discomfort...some people can't eat beef or chicken.

Louise.....could it be the problem is being caused by the type of food you are eating? There are just some foods a bandsters cannot eat...period. They are not the same for everyone, but not many of us can eat bread without discomfort...some people can't eat beef or chicken.

I'm not sure about the type of food; it seems that everything (that includes yogurt) if eaten too quickly causes pressure in my throat. I've slowed my eating down due to the advice on this thread and it seems to have helped a lot. However I'm still able to eat more than I should be able to if I had proper restriction. Mr Krysztopik said that he is always conservative with the first fill so I think it's very likely that I need a top up.

Hi Louise, if you are feeling your throat tighten that is definitely restriction. How much food can you eat at once. You shouldn't be able to eat 1/2 to 1 cup of food at the max. 1 cup is pushing it. If you are conosuming too many calories then you need another fill. If you aren't losing that is also an indicator. If you are losing and feel restriction I wouldn't go in for your fill. You will be very uncomfortable with too much restriction. Good luck.

I've just managed to eat about 1.5 cups of casserole without any tightening in my throat. I am still losing but only through having the willpower not to snack in between meals.

Hi Louise, 1.5 cups is too much food. If you don't have that feeling in your throat you definitely need a fill. That is what I would do if I were you. You will start to lose again, I promise.

Hi Louise, 1.5 cups is too much food. If you don't have that feeling in your throat you definitely need a fill. That is what I would do if I were you. You will start to lose again, I promise.

I am still losing but only because I'm finding this willpower from somewhere !!lol!! I will get another fill in a couple of weeks when my consultant comes back off his holiday! Thanks for your help.

Hi Louise, you shouldn't have to rely on willpower. When you have proper restriction you will not be hungry now will you be able to eat as much. I can only consume 800-1000k calories a day. I eat like a bird but I love it. I lost 3 lbs last week. I'm at 3cc in a 10cc band (which holds 4.2). You will do great. Congrats.