Why is it when you first get a fill, the band feels tight and you have to pay particular attention to what and how you eat and then gradually, before your next fill you're able to eat less....carefully. Does that make sense? I've just had my 3rd fill and it seems every month towards my fill date, food goes down easier. Why is this since the band doesn't get looser?

You initially have some swelling after a fill. As swelling goes down the band will be looser.

Sometimes our stomachs and esophagus acclimate to the new restriction and the muscles adapt and become stronger. Peristalsis moves the food through the pouch with muscle contractions. The muscles can become stronger. Just one theory.

Think of your band as a belt around your waist. As you lose weight you will need to adjust the belt to fit you. That's how the band works. It's a belt around your stomach. Instead of tightening it up per se, the saline tightens it. As we lose weight, there's a gap that needs to be filled which allows you to eat more. After you get your fill of saline, your band is tight again which aids in you not eating very much and being careful about what you eat so you won't get stuck. Hope this helps.

Edited August 24, 201412 yr by Lady VS

Ok. All that makes sense. I also asked my dr and he said pretty much the same thing but in a different way. He said the veins and stuff around the stomach are encased (I'm not quoting here) in fat and when the band is tightened it pushes some fat out of the way, slowly so the opening gets larger gradually. And as you lose weight there is also just less fat there so the restriction is less. Then it's time for a fill to tighten the band.