Ok, so I'm 3 weeks post-op, yesterday. I have my first fill in 2 weeks, but as all you vets have probably experienced, I'm not quite full after my 1/2 cup of food, and it definitely doesn't stay with me for more than 1-2 hours. After years of binging on food and never really listening to my 'full' signals, I'm not quite sure what 'not hungry' feels like. I know I'm not striving for 'full' after meals anymore, just looking for 'no longer hungry'.

I guess my question is, did you immediately have the soft stops or did they not happen until you got closer to the 'green zone'. I'm not getting the runny nose or hiccup like some have mentioned. So I'm wondering if I should eat a little more than the 1/2 cup, or just deal with it for 2 more weeks. Just trying to figure this whole thing out.

I wasn't aware of the soft stops at all till 4 months in. You're so far ahead of where I was at this stage. You're going to get a lot of different answers on this one. For me, I just ate healthy most of the time and just having the band made me eat a little less. But, I decided that I wasn't going to go back to that diet feeling again.

You know, the feeling that I had to eat a certain diet food but being hungry most of the time? Being hungry is uncomfortable. I tried not to have that feeling. But, I sometimes slipped up and ate the wrong foods or hit McKie D's or Taco Bell. But, I didn't beat myself up over it.

@@2muchfun thanks. i had an appt with my NP yesterday and she said keep up with the 1/2 cup of food.. so when I feel like I need a few more bites to be satisfied, i feel like i'm 'breaking the rules'.

i've cut out carbs, for the most part, so right now, i kind of feel like i'm on a diet, but the fact that i know there's an end in sight, having the fills and feeling satisfied on less, makes it more doable in my head.

I'm not at the green zone yet but I do feel soft stops. IF. Big IF. IF I eat very slowly and chew chew chew and eat small bites. The biggest factor is s l o w l y. Slow it down as much as you can and you may feel the soft stops. If I eat too fast I wipe out what's on my plate and feel the soft stops after the meal is gone. Good lot of help that is, right?

Mine are a little burp and/or a small hiccup.

@@JustWatchMe yes. this is a big learning curve. i thought i was prepared to slow down, but my band sure lets me know when i've had too many bites too quickly. i was ALWAYS the first person done at meal time, barely even enjoying what i was putting in my mouth.

i've been timing myself at work, and i can only get up to 15-20 mins. i know i was told 30-45 mins in the pre-op classes, but its hard!! i put my fork down, chew chew chew, let it go down, take another small bite...repeat. so i'm working on it. hard to break 26 years worth of bad habits in 3 weeks tho!

I went in for fill today. First one in over a year. I wasn't feeling satisfied with just one or even 2 cups of food. I talked this over with my doc and the nutritionist and they agreed with my own analysis. I believe I've become such a chewing machine, that every bite becomes a slider food and the only time I feel a little stuck is if I eat too quickly or take too large of bites. It's taken 2 years to get to this point and I never thought I would, but here I am.

They agreed it happens. So, .5 CCs today. A little aggressive I think but Soup went down fine tonight. For the last 6 months or so, I've developed this spidy sense when I've eaten too quickly. It's similar to being stuck but much less obvious. It's a little pressure directly under my Xiphoid which is the same spot I felt my painful stuck episodes.

A year ago, a stuck episode lasted up to 45 minutes. Now, when I feel that soft stop, it last 2-3 minutes and then I can slowly resume my meal.

I do have to say that I feared my pouch or esophagus was dilated but Dr believes that's just not possible.

tmf

@@2muchfun, let us know how this goes. I had a second fill yesterday of 2.5 bringing me to 7 in my 14cc band. I was worried I might not be able to swallow my Tylenol caplets this morning, but I just did without issues.

How big is your band?

What does in the green zone mean?

Hi Betty, you will get this! You're right where you should be; you're doing beautifully. For me it helped to picture the esophagus talking to my brain -- sending up that signal of satiety. I listened for that. May be a little out there for folks but that's what's worked for me. Goal is to listen to the band, listen to the body. Advice? Don't override the signals. Don't go ahead and have more. Don't think you can push through stuck by having more -- whatever your own band and body tell you, basically listen, don't try to override. But mostly we all do and that's how we learn so don't beat yourself up if there is a little learning curve. You're doing beautifully! You've chosen yourself and your health. Pat yourself on the back and get set for amazing.

Foods that are not so good for you seem to get me stuck and slow me down. Now this is a catch 22. I talked to my NP at my surgeons office last week about this. I ate a turkey sausage patty in a biscuit. Not the BEST choice due to the biscuit, we both agreed. First bite. STUCK! pain pain pain. It took me 45 minutes to finish that biscuit and sausage and I wasn't hungry for 5 hours. So, when I make a better food choice, like a natural yogurt made from grass fed cows milk, etc. , I am hungry in 1 hour. So, do I seek out the foods that actually "clog" me so that I am not hungry for hours, or do I eat the healthier foods, and be starving for hours?

@@2muchfun, let us know how this goes. I had a second fill yesterday of 2.5 bringing me to 7 in my 14cc band. I was worried I might not be able to swallow my Tylenol caplets this morning, but I just did without issues.

How big is your band?

My band is 14 CC but I don't know how many CCs are in it. He put .5 CC in it and I thought that might be really aggressive but I'm not feeling a lot difference yet. I may have to go for one more?

What does in the green zone mean?

It means your band is adjusted just right and you feel satisfied with about 1 cup of food for 4-5 hours.

Foods that are not so good for you seem to get me stuck and slow me down. Now this is a catch 22. I talked to my NP at my surgeons office last week about this. I ate a turkey sausage patty in a biscuit. Not the BEST choice due to the biscuit, we both agreed. First bite. STUCK! pain pain pain. It took me 45 minutes to finish that biscuit and sausage and I wasn't hungry for 5 hours. So, when I make a better food choice, like a natural yogurt made from grass fed cows milk, etc. , I am hungry in 1 hour. So, do I seek out the foods that actually "clog" me so that I am not hungry for hours, or do I eat the healthier foods, and be starving for hours?

You need to find a happy medium. If you know you're going to eat food that might cause you a problem, try to find something that lubricates the food so it goes down without a lot of clogging. First, get rid of biscuits unless you drown them in gravy

For instance, tonight we're having leftover chicken with spaghetti squash. I'm going to throw some extra ragu or prego on the squash and chicken so that it's not as gritty. I sometimes do the same for leftover salmon. I'll make up some pre-packaged hollandaise sauce to lube the dry fish. Now, we don't always eat like this, we usually eat fresh cooked food so the lube isn't necessary.

One more thing. I've realized that I've become an over-chewer. I wasn't feeling a lot of satiety simply because I chew my food so much that it's like Soup. I know you think you're chewing a lot, and so did I the first year. But now, I know I wasn't the chewer I thought I was. I've become the proverbial cud chewing cow.

Today I had my first solid meal after my second fill. It was in a restaurant, and I fully intended to take most of the meal home, so I went ahead and ordered what I had a taste for. I ordered French onion soup, and a chicken fajita plate. I expected to eat a few sips of the broth followed by the cheese from the soup, and about half of the fajita plate. What actually happened was, I ate the cheese from the soup, and two bites of chicken. I immediately got a soft stop. I was kind of ticked off, because I really wanted to eat some of the fajitas. But then I realized, hey! My band is working! I stopped, asked the waitress for a box, and brought all of the rest of it home. Good thing my daughter likes fajitas.

This satiety signal did not happen as suddenly with my first fill. I'm very excited that I might be on the right track, and getting closer to the green zone.

One more thing. I've realized that I've become an over-chewer. I wasn't feeling a lot of satiety simply because I chew my food so much that it's like soup. I know you think you're chewing a lot, and so did I the first year. But now, I know I wasn't the chewer I thought I was. I've become the proverbial cud chewing cow.

@@2muchfun , i've noticed that i've started chewing my food to a soup like consistency, as well, meaning everything i eat slides right through. i'm so scared to get 'stuck' that i chew until my jaw gets tired. i'm wondering if i may be doing the same thing with my food. where's the happy medium, just enough chews so it doesnt get stuck, but not too many that it slides? haha oh the joys of being banded.

I'm still searching for that happy medium. I think I'll stick with what I'd doing now and just regulate the textures and consistencies I consume. But, it's take me 2.5 years to finally feel comfortable with how much I chew and now it's become 2nd nature.

I've noticed the last 24 hours that my fill from Friday is taking hold and I have just a little more restriction than I did 4 days ago. I'm one of those banders who prefers his band a little looser than some others on the forum so I'm good to go with this till Fall.