I want to know something about this band. When I am properly restricted, I am still going to want to eat all the time? I can eat whatever I want if I chew really well. I can eat as much as I want too. NOT GOOD. I am at 3.8 cc's in a 4 cc band. I also want to know from all you guys that are close or at goal.......did you lose your weight by constant dieting? I know the band is a tool.....but I am not getting much of a benefit yet. help.

I can only eat a small amount at a time. 2 or 3 shrimp and small amount of veggie. I could probably eat in another hour but I choose not to.

I had 2 fills in 6 months (don't know the numbers).

edie

Oooh, physical hunger, I guess I have less. In the first few months it was excellent, my hunger was dampened to the point where it was like being on an appetite suppressant like Duromine, without the side effects. That waned for me, despite more fills. But I dont *think* I have the kind of appetite I had before but then again, I've just kind of learned better eating behaviours too. I dont get physically hungry much anymore, but I have plenty of head hunger.

But I ate something really naughty the other day, a meat pie (good old Aussie standby) and I couldnt quite finish the one. Pies and sausage roles used to be our standard Sunday lunch and I'd have 2 pies (they're about 500 calories each) and follow up with a huge donut or custard tart or similar. Disgusting carb and fat filled indulgence. 3/4 of one pie this time and it did me till dinner, so there's a definite difference to a) my hunger levels and my desire to stuff that kind of rubbish into my face.

I used to still eat when I was full, now I just stop when satisifed. The band has helped me to do that but there's definitely behaviour modification in there too.

But - and this is a big but I think - I chose to do this without dieting. For me, no food is off limits, I will eat anything I want to. I just dont have that sense of deprivation or wanting to sneak things in that were not allowed when I used to diet because I can eat them anyway. I'll never ever go on a diet again. I believe by NOT dieting I have achieved a normal relationship with food and suddenly its not so urgent that I eat everything while its there available.

http://www.tracyslapband.com/fill.htm

thanks for all the response. Jack, I think I am still trying to be "full" and eating just because I like it. I know when I am busy, I never even remember to eat. It is usually around 4 or 5 pm before I feel true hunger feelings. I am mostly a stay at home mom and eat when bored. I cant decide if I am properly restricted or not either. I have not lost a single pound in 3 weeks. Maybe my fault though, I just havent figured this band out yet.

im RIGHT HERE too.

I JUST got my second fill and im carrying 2.5cc total in a band that only holds 4cc's. I feel NO real restriction and if i chew well i can eat about two cups of food at a sitting.

Not sure what to make of it. I have been dieting, and keeping track of my food on fitday.com religiously until i went for second fill and im supposed to again...but i just thought it would be different. I KNOW excercise makes a huge difference with weight loss but when i read jachuts results i get a little jealous. Her journey has appeared very smooth, while others have been working out a bit, limiting intake and find they can still GAIN with the band.

Its different for different people, and i understand that...but man sometimes its tough. I go back for next fill in seven weeks.

<p>8 pds a month is what you should loss.</p>

Hi, I was banded on 2/23/07 and just had my 2nd fill on Tuesday. Now I know what restriction is. I feel like I'm as tight as I can be without being too tight. I can drink, and eat very, very small amounts. I started feeling "stuck" this afternoon after eating just 5 shrimp very slowly. I can eat about 1/4-1/2 cup of cottage cheese. After my 1st fill I could still eat anything and everything in any amount, so this is a big difference. I'm at about 2cc in a 10cm band. I think you need more of a fill, b/c it's made a huge difference for me. I've lost weight very slowly. I was down about 20 pounds after the 1st 8 weeks, but since my fill 5 days ago I'm down another 4. Good luck. Gretchen

I agree, each fill makes a huge difference, I just had my 3rd and I don't even want to think about food right now. I was where you were, so hang in there.

Gretchen, you took the words right out of my mouth. I just had my first fill on Friday. It's 1cc in a 10 cm band. I feel absolutely no difference. I had no restriction before the fill, and I feel like I have none now! It's really frustrating. I gained a pound back since my one week post op visit.

I have a follow up appointment on 6/1. It's really gonna suck if I have to wait another month to try for some restriction again. I'm hoping I get that "delayed reaction" a lot of people report after a fill.

If not, you and Becca77 have given me a little faith that things will get better.

Thanks! BJ

Okay..im hopeful.

Its so GREAT to hear from other banded people that there is a 'sweet spot'. Ive wondered if it was going to be like this for the duration, but your responses sound like what my dr says, and im on the wagon of "hopeful" now. Im going to just keep on keepin on, and that next fill will come and im CERTAIN it will make a significant difference.

so..okay. im not going to worry about it. im going to do what i can to keep from gaining. in three days i hit the gym again as part of a morning routine and im just going to keep on keepin on.

But that was the day after my first fill last tuesday. I know alot of folks write that it can take up to a week or so to get the true feel of the restriction. Many have written that you really don't get much with a first fill. I have 7ccs in my 10cc band. Doc said he couldn't do more, under fluoro, or I'd be back in the middle of the night with too much fill. So I'm glad to read on here, how I'm not the only one confused! lol I WILL say that things are feeling a little 'stuck' when some certain items go down. But I don't feel satisfied on just 1 cup of food. So, I go back in one month - and hopefully scheduled another fill at that time. So in the meantime, I'm just making wise choices.

Someone here mentioned that 8 lbs per month is "what you should lose." I was told that 5-8 per month is the norm, by my surgeon. Just one more perspective.

I am SOOO glad that others of you are as confused about this "fill" thing as I am!! I just had my second fill and I still can't fill any restriction. Things never get "stuck" for me. I feel like I am getting full faster, but I can definitely eat more than the 1 cup of food I am suppose to be eating. The frustrating part is that my roommie, who was banded 2 months before me, has only had one fill and has really good restriction. In fact, she has lost nearly 70 pounds in 8 months. I am at 20 pounds in nearly 6 months! YIKES!!

I will keep trying until my next fill and hopefully that will make a difference for me!:nervous

All I know is that all I've gone through to get the band - I'm really starting to get p*'d off with the lack of restriction. I know that 'in time'…I'll get my sweet spot. But in the meantime, I'm hungry. I'm trying to eat small amounts; because I'm horrified of stretching my pouch. But small amounts aren't cutting it. Ahhhhhhhhh, I'm starting to feel like this is just another failed diet attempt. I can even deal with 1 pound a week. I know all the sayings "I didn't put it on over night", "Rome wasn't built in a day"…I'm just really down on this whole thing now. Even questioning why I didn't just go for the bypass.:help: :cry

Hang in there, your restriction will arrive!

I'm happy to say that I have found my sweet spot. I think i'm one of the lucky ones that has found it after only 2 months.

I had another cc added last week (total of 2cc in 4cc band) I started feeling restriction on Friday. It has been a long weekend.

You have to remember up until now, I could eat without thinking, didn't have to chew really well, didn't really eat that slow and took normal size bites without problems or complications, could even chug a 20 oz h20 in 5 minutes.

All that has changed!

for lunch I had 3 broccoli florettes, 1/2 asparagus speer and around 10 bites of tilipia fish (maybe 1 1/2 ounces??) That took me around 10 minutes to eat, then I ate 1 tbsp of hummus with 2 reduced fat triskets and ate those too fast....The worst pain in my life! I really wanted to PB, but I haven't done that yet.

My brain needs to get in touch with my pouch cause I really need to slow down! This last few days have been the hardest so far in my band journey, except of course the few days after surgery.

I guess I got what I wished for, now lets see if some of this weight will come off!

You'll get there soon enough, everyone hang in there.