Hi Everybody,

I am about 4 1/2 months out. I am steadily losing about a pound a week. I am just wondering if others experience the feeling of fullness differently now with the band.

When I eat I get a feeling of being filled. Almost like the food is sitting at the bottom of my throat. I always stop eating at that point, I have never PB'd (thankfully). The only consequence to taking an additional bite that I have is getting the hiccups.

I dont get that feeling of being "full" like I did pre-band. That nice comfortable feeling that you have after Thanksgiving.

Instead it it a feeling of "if you eat one more bite you are going to be sorry" . :hungry: Just totally different and wanted to check it out.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience

That is what I experience as well. Sometimes I do get the hiccups which is a sign of fullness as well. Just take it slow and chew chew chew.

It seems that when I have had enough to eat, I burp. One burp and then I am done. I dont eat more after that, because I know that is my stomachs way of saying...HEY....NO MORE!! Deanna

This is my experience also..... no feeling like, if I take one more bite I'm going to....__________! I was expecting that.... not just to question myself, if I threw away my plate right now, will I feel OK about it in ten minutes, or an hour from now?

This is how I can tell I've had enough, if I can throw it away and in 10 minutes I'll still be OK, I'm done. I ,at first, missed the big, heavy feeling of fullness. Now I'm fine with it! I stay full for hours.

Tonight I made cheesy black bean burgers, had one, then got another on my plate. I was thinking....I am NOT going to finish this...so, I started to eat it and then I was done....no burp...just done. I had a HARD time throwing it away though. I kept looking at it and hoping I could eat it. It tasted so good, I didn't want to be done with it...I told DH...will you please throw this away for me....He said...NO PROBLEM...he knows I have a hard time throwing food away. We waste A LOT of food now that I am banded... I was the human garbage disposal in the house. If someone didn't eat everything on their plates, then I couldnt see throwing it away...I would have to down it myself...oh brother...no wonder....it feels so much better to not have that feeling of miserable all the time....

Thank you all for your replies. It helps to check in with other people to find out how everyone gets through these stages. I am happy to hear that the feeling of wanting to be full does go away.

I know I waste more food now than ever, and going out to dinner is much less expensive now that I am banded.

Overall, I am very happy with the band and would do it again in a second.

Thanks again everyone, from your tickers looks like you are all doing GREAT!

:clap2:

i think that the full feeling is probably one of the biggest misconceptions - at least for me. i thought before the band that i would eat some food, it would hang around in my pouch for a while - slowly feeding my stomach and giving me a full sensation. that's not how it is though. it hangs around in my pouch and it hurts or feels uncomfortable until it goes down - only then does it feel good. i get little burps when i know it's finally going down. i guess that is part of the deal - even though it's not that fun - i like the scale going down so i can put up with the uncomfortable feeling. although i've had my fill out for a week to let my stomach rest after a bad overfill and i have to say -eating without discomfort has been grand - but i've gained a few pounds. can't wait to get filled tomorrow!

i think that the full feeling is probably one of the biggest misconceptions - at least for me. i thought before the band that i would eat some food, it would hang around in my pouch for a while - slowly feeding my stomach and giving me a full sensation. that's not how it is though. it hangs around in my pouch and it hurts or feels uncomfortable until it goes down - only then does it feel good. i get little burps when i know it's finally going down. i guess that is part of the deal - even though it's not that fun - i like the scale going down so i can put up with the uncomfortable feeling. although i've had my fill out for a week to let my stomach rest after a bad overfill and i have to say -eating without discomfort has been grand - but i've gained a few pounds. can't wait to get filled tomorrow!

YES! YES YES YES!!!!! That is how it feels for me too. However, that isn't how it feels for many. They actually feel full, or at least satisfied without the uncomfortable feeling.

It almost hurts, doesn't it?

I might have discovered why that is. My doc did a bunch of tests and discovered why. But you know what? Docs that have done thousands of bands only have a handful of patients like us. It's weird.

What did the tests say? I have the same feeling and I'm wondering what the heck it is.

What did the tests say? I have the same feeling and I'm wondering what the heck it is.

He did a bunch of tests, mostly barium swallows. He had me drink barium under fluoro, then he filled my band so it was actually closed and had me drink more barium, then he opened my band and had me drink again. Then he had me wait 30 minutes and had me drink that stuff again.

In the end he said that I was having stomach spasms. While everyone has some stomach spasms I apparently have quite a bit more than expected and my band closes on it's own, or my stoma does anyway.

Finally two weeks ago he started me on yet another drug, Luvox. This one works really well so far. He said it changes the nerve impulses between the stomach and brain because my brain thinks I have more restriction than I do.

I actually ate steak Saturday. And it was good.

Wasa had a steak!!! WOOHOO!!! That's EXCELLENT progress!

I'm very glad to hear this.

I wish I got the comfortably full feeling. I know I'm only a coupld of weeks out, but with this AP I do already have some good restriction (marble feeling in the throat and all), but I miss that aforementioned "Thanksgiving Day" fullness. I hope I can get past this. I'm sure I can, it'll just take time.

Wasa had a steak!!! WOOHOO!!! That's EXCELLENT progress!

I'm very glad to hear this.

I wish I got the comfortably full feeling. I know I'm only a coupld of weeks out, but with this AP I do already have some good restriction (marble feeling in the throat and all), but I miss that aforementioned "Thanksgiving Day" fullness. I hope I can get past this. I'm sure I can, it'll just take time.

I don't really crave the "full" feeling anymore. PB a few times because you ate too much and that desire seems to go away. You suddenly have a strong desire to NOT feel full. It really does go away. My problem this weekend was that since I discovered I can suddenly eat food again I wanted to keep eating. I ate salad, steak, and fish. And it wasn't tuna from a can but real fish.

I need to get over the thrill of being able to eat solids again and get back to work. 70 minutes of cardio so far today, at least another 30 to go to pay for this weekend. Did I mention the rum and fresh pineapple juice in Mexico? :faint:

My problem is that I never stopped at "feeling full." I always had to have those last several bites of dessert or had to clean my plate because it was SO full. I actually associate feeling "full" with discomfort, since I always over-ate. I'll settle for feeling "satisfied" or feeling like "I'll be in trouble if I eat any more."

Wasa, I am really interested in this now. I have no fill and feel restriction. Always have!! I have been on Luvox for 11 years!!!! For OCD, so I wonder, I really wonder if that is why I have the full feeling with no fill??? What do you think?

Wasa, I am really interested in this now. I have no fill and feel restriction. Always have!! I have been on Luvox for 11 years!!!! For OCD, so I wonder, I really wonder if that is why I have the full feeling with no fill??? What do you think?

Not sure. My brain thinks I have more restriction than I do and Luvox is supposed to fix it.

It is not rare for people to need no fill or have no fill for quite some time after banding. IOW, it is not abnormal to not need a fill, for some they don't ever need one.

I know that some do not need to be filled, but I guess I was just looking for some explanation as to why I feel so much restriction and other people don't!! Luvox is actually an OCD medication and now is used for other things. It works on the seratonin in the brain...maybe that has something to do with it all....thanks for the reply wasa