For those of you who are actuively losing or on their way to goal, believe they are at their sweet spot and comfortable with their band control - please take the poll about where your sweet spot is/was.

thanks

I agree it seems like it goes away - they say it is because you lose fat around the stomach and it loosens up but I think it somehow "evaporates" because after a fill for about 2 weeks it is great and then it loosens way up - doesn't seem like you could keep losing fat around the band for that long so maybe some of it leaks out. Does anyone know? Thanks.

Had my 5 fill today 8cc in my 10cc band I pray this will do the trick cause I have not lost anything in about 2 months actually gained about 5 pounds. I am not ready to throw in the towel yet. May 20 will be one year and have only lost 40 t0 45 lbs. Hopefully by my band anniversary (sp) I would at least like to have lost 50 lbs.:thumbup:

I currently have 5 cc...I had 5.4 but had .4 removed due to vomitting.

My sweet spot was none of the options in the poll. I experienced my sweet spot approx. 2 weeks after my 3rd fill which brought me to 4.8 cc's in a 10 cc band. Why it took 2 weeks, I'll never know. I do know that I am tighter during that special time of the month for us ladies. I had a very difficult time eating solid foods without hurting during that time. Most of the time I do ok, but I do have gurgling and noises much of the time. I have considered having a very slight unfill. Still not sure if I should or not. I've PB'd twice and I simply HATE it! :glare:

I agree with you that sometimes when I get a fill it doesn't feel any tighter for a week or two and then it will feel tight - that is why it is hard to know whether to add or subtract - I got .5 last Friday thought it wasn't enough so went back on Monday and got .25 -doesn't feel any tighter - haven't lost any weight in 2 months and other than an occasional carb meal or a light dessert am not pigging out. I just think my metabolism is so slow takes a while - I do jog in pool 3-5 times a week so I do get exercise. Is taking way longer than I expected - will be a year late June and I thought I would be at my goal weight - needed to lose 50 - have lost about 20 but better than gaining so I guess I shouldn't complain.

I was banded on October 27th, 2008, had my first fill 1cc in January, then a 2cc fill in February, at my last follow up on March 19, 2009, I had lost 17 pounds since the February fill. Since my first appointment with my surgeon on August 21, 2008, I have lost 102 pounds.

so u lost in 6 months 102 pds with 2 fills man u one lucky person,what do u eat?

I just had my 4th fill today for a total of 5.25 cc's I felt closer to my sweet spot with my last fill so here's hoping this is it!!

i have a 14 cc band i have 9 cc in it.after the last fill i cant eat much meat,im opk in am but when dinner comes a few bites and i feel sick.even after the last one certain things i could eat before i cant now.im due for a fill tomarrow.is it noraml for ceratin foods to make u not feel good?certain days im ok then nxt i cant eat certain foods.im wondering if i should get another fill or not?i walk everyday,maybe im not eating enough?

im at 4.5cc in the 10cc band. im losing at a good pace but still able to eat most anything in small quantities as long as i take the right size bites. so if im not at my sweet spot im pretty darn close

My doc doesn't even like to use the word 'restriction'. His goal is being satisfied with less food, and not being hungry/thinking about food all the time.

Having been on this site for a few months I am struck that people seem to settle out into 2 camps. Some folks will eat unless they can't- ie they are physicially restricted from swallowing, are getting things stuck, are PB'ing. Others are better able to control their food and benefit from the reduced hunger and earlier satiety of a well-adjusted but non-restrictive band. The latter approach seems to be where we're supposed to be.

The latter would be a dream for me! Unfortunately, mine doesn't work like that at all. I've had 2 fills with the last one having to be slightly unfilled. I get stuck quite a bit - not to the point of PBing every time - but to the point of discomfort and loud gurgling. However, it seems to empty relatively quickly after that and I am hungry again in an hour or two.

I don't know if that is how it is for most people, or whether I actually need another fill? But then I would get stuck even more easily, so I just don't know. Advice/thoughts?

Well I can finally say I have found my sweet spot... 7.75cc .. tried 8cc but it was too much. Felt bile building in my throat. Only problem is that I can still eat chips, chocolate and ice cream, despite the sweet spot, which in the end is the killer. I am cutting down on these things more and more each day, so hopefully I will start losing weight again.

I used to eat chocolate ice cream at night because it would go down so easily and realized I was eating too much of it so stopped completely - after not eating much during the day I thought it would be a nice treat to have a couple of scoops of something good like that as a reward but after not losing for two months straight stopped. I do miss it but my doctor told me today that the reason I wasn't losing wasn't because I was eating too much food portion-wise it was because I am eating too many carbs which go down easy and don't get stuck - he says to always eat protein, no carbs - roll up a piece of turkey and cheese or even ham and cheese just not mashed potatoes and ice cream like I was doing. Thanks.

He's right because it's all the people who follow the rules that have lost all their weight. I'm a big carb person, always have been, so I know if I changed my diet the weight will come off... it's a case of mind over matter. Looks like it's back to the drawing board for me! :smile2:

Frustrated here. I have 9.2 cc in my 9cc realize band. I'm to the max. I guess my surgeon says you can go over, but who knows... what do you guys think? I feel like I have less restriction with every fill. I have less with this fill than my last fill. I have gotten a fill pretty much every 8 weeks since I had my band put in a year ago. It will be a year for me on 9/11. Yes, I have lost alot of weight. It has been very hard. I really feel like I have only had restriciton or to my "sweet spot" once. I had a very bad vomiting episode after that, and it seemed like it loosened the band. I went in, had it checked, and he said all was fine but that it was loose. Gave me another fill.. no difference. got another on 8/6 and no difference. I want to scream! I'm hungry alot, and I can eat anything. I don't PB, slime, get stuck, etc... I feel like my band was put in wrong or something and they just don't want to tell me. Sometimes that how I feel.... Also, I'm discouraged that I'm at 9.2 in a 9cc band in just a year. I have no where else to go with it. Anyone feel like this??