I also posted this on the veterans page.......

This February I will have been banded for 7 years. It's has been a journey... Ups, downs and inbetweens! I have lost weight (over 100lbs) and managed to keep it off. I have also experienced many stalls in weight loss.

For over a year, I was too tight. I realized it, but was too scared to loosen it as I didn't want to risk gaining any weight. (I was also on almost complete exercise restriction due to a herniated disk which is now fixed and I am almost back to a normal exercise regime). I would throw up almost every day, almost every meal (morning were especially bad and sometimes struggled to get medications down). Finally, the acid reflux got so unbearable, that I simply had to get an unfill. I have a 10cc band and my (and my doctors) records indicated that I was sitting at 5.8cc (I was previously at 5.8, went to 6.0, and back to 5.8). When the doctor pulled all the Fluid out, we were both surprised to see that 6.2cc came out (not quite sure how that happened)!!!!! But no wonder I felt so tight!!! We removed 0.6cc and I am at 5.6cc (I hope...lol).

Once removed, I was immediately better. It's been an month and a half, and I have had no bouts of acid reflux and the only time I have had anything come back up is if I take too big a bite and don't chew properly.

What's the problem you ask???? I've gained 10lbs with my new found 'freedom'. I am able to eat bigger portions (it seems without even realizing it at first - just so happy not to be throwing up and eating more 'normal') and I am not feeling full as long between meals as before.

I am not sure what to do. I am soooo paranoid about even getting the smallest of fills and having the acid reflux and throw up come back. Does the elusive 'sweet spot' really exist where one can have it all.... Restriction without any of the nastiness......

Any advice, suggestions, help from you 'lifers' out there would be greatly appreciated!!!! I can't let all this hard work go to waste.

P.S. My surgeon was doing my fills/unfills, but due to the fact that I live far away from him and travel is complicated, he had set me up with a more local doctor who does my fills for me.

Hi there, so glad your back is better -- awful to live with that kind of pain. Are you able to exercise now? I find that switching my obsessive thinking about food over to the exercise realm really helped a lot. Maybe that would help even out the weight. Meanwhile, I know what you mean about seeking the perfect fill when there can be so many variables. Some people go all liquids for 3-5 days (and some describe this as the pouch test) -- that "tightens" things back up and probably offers some behavioral correction as well.

Congratulations on your impressive weight loss and maintenance. It's normal that you'd gain some weight when being unfilled so don't be hard on yourself about that...it just serves to remind us how much of an excellent tool this band is.

It's great you've solved the acid reflux problem, as that can erode into a much bigger issue. As for finding your sweet spot with a looser band, you may have to lean more on foods that give you more satiety and keep you full longer than what you were eating when the band was tighter. I know for me there are certain foods that just don't provoke that long-lasting full feeling (carbs are one--they seem to make me hungrier after an initial full feeling) so I have to stay away from them when I'm having a "loose band" day. Maybe review your initial band eating plan---the one you got right after getting banded--and go back to that? You might have to power through the head hunger but I'll bet once your stomach gets used to the smaller, protein-heavy portions, the hunger will diminish.

Should I be trying the pouch test first then? Or booking an appt for a very small fill? Just not sure what to do.

Should I be trying the pouch test first then? Or booking an appt for a very small fill? Just not sure what to do.

What is the pouch test????

Never heard of this...