Recent fill, just starting to feel it.

[SlowJourney 57]

I had a fill done on Febuary 17th. I'm now up to 6.5 CC's in my band. In the last three or four days, I have noticed that during the day, my band is tight and I have to make sure i chew everything really good or else it will get stuck. I have gotten stuck 3 times in the last few days and don't like it at all. Yesterday I was out to lunch with my daughter and got stuck and had to go the the restroom and throw up! That was a first and hopefully last! That being said, at night I am still able to eat any and all I want. I can still eat 5oz of meat and a whole cup of vegtables. Was wondering if this is my sweet spot or do I need to have another fill and just make sure I chew a bunch and eat slowly. Any veterans have any input?

[2muchfun 8,928]

Sounds sweet to me. I think it's Jack who said the greenzone(sweetspot) is like a bird chirping in a dense forest. You have to really look for it or you might miss it?

Many of us just bulldozed our way through any stop signals before the band and now it can be so subtle it's easy to miss. I think that's why some patients don't find the success they looked for. Hearing, feeling that stop signal and reacting to it is the key to success.

BTW-I was told that veggies were OK to eat in larger quantities simply because they're 90% Water. Just be careful you're not overfilling your pouch causing a dilation.

tmf

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

As tmf suggested, you may be able to eat a lot because you're zipping right past your new satiety (stop eating) signals. It's important to slow down and pay careful attention to how you feel as you eat, not just to avoid stuck episodes because that's the way you're going to have to eat for the rest of your life in order to lose weight, maintain that loss, and live happily ever after with your band.

Satiety signals can change over time, and even over the course of one day. They include what I call soft stops (gentle reminders) and hard stops (running into a brick wall).

Some soft stops are: mild queasiness, fullness or pressure in the back of the throat or the chest, difficulty swallowing, burping (or the urge to burp), the urge to take a deep breath, the urge to cough or clear the throat, a sigh, a sneeze, hiccups, watering eyes, runny nose, left shoulder pain, excess saliva, or a sudden distaste for the food you were jut enjoying.

Some hard stops are: chest pain, esophageal pain (from esophageal spasms, which can also cause chest pain) - for me, that's like feeling I have a rock in the back of my throat - a stuck episode, PB's (productive burp or regurgitation), and sliming (so much excess saliva and mucus that's so profuse, you have to spit it out.

It's best to stop eating as soon as you notice a stop signal. When the signal is past, you may feel perfectly normal, but the cause of the signal may also be causing inflammation in your upper GI tract, and if you go back to eating then, you're likely to increase and prolong the inflammation.

[B-52 7,113]

Sounds familiar....I was at that stage where all those "Rules" that did not make sense previously, suddenly began to have a purpose and take on meaning....

A lot of people try to do it without actually being there, and get frustrated...you are there and have to find your way to do it....

My last fill, I hit that Green Zone....but it took me another 2 months, many stuck episodes, etc., to find that "Groove" and actually understand what was happening, and learn to adapt myself to the band....ever since it has been Heavenly bliss....

That was over 2-1/2 years ago....doesn't get any better than this...

Lack of hunger-appetite, limited portion sizes, and inability to overeat....can't ask for anything more.

[PrettyThick1 1,860]

I haven't had a fill since August, but I do remember that it took a few days for the fill to take effect. I needed a total of 3 to get to thr green zone.